Chapter 52 - Two-in-One Soft and Sweet Steamed Buns...
The insect was still small. Lin Duo'er exclaimed, "Sister, take this back for the chickens to eat."
Lin Chuntao frowned, then said, "Then bring something to put it in."
Upon hearing the news, Lin Duo'er ran to the edge of the field and found a few larger leaves to wrap the insects in.
After searching for a long time, Lin Chuntao found four insects. Looking at the insects wriggling, she felt a chill run down her spine.
"You should either take that bug back to feed the chickens now, or just kill it. It gives me goosebumps."
Lin Duo'er chuckled, "I'll take it back to feed the chickens." With that, she dashed off.
Lin Chuntao wasn't in a hurry to dig for wild vegetables. She searched in the two plots of land and then went to check the back hill. She found almost no seedlings eaten by insects in the sandy area behind the hill, but found a few in the two plots by the river.
Lin Chunxing asked from the side, "Sister, should we sprinkle wood ash water?"
"Sprinkling a little is fine, but you have to get up early to sprinkle it."
Lin Chunxing said, "Then I'll bring Chunhe and the others to do it tomorrow or the day after."
Lin Chuntao responded, "Let's cut some pig feed and go home."
With only one sickle, Lin Chunxing went to cut the grass, while Lin Chuntao searched for wild vegetables in a meadow by the river, digging up some randomly and accumulating over a hundred points.
Lin Chunxing looked at the messy wild vegetables in Lin Chuntao's small bamboo basket. There was all sorts of them, old and young, which Lin Chuntao hadn't sorted; she'd just haphazardly stuffed them in. Last time, she'd spent several days digging for wild vegetables, but there weren't many tender ones left, so Lin Chuntao hadn't cooked them and had given them all to the piglets. Those piglets were picky eaters, and they wouldn't eat the old ones, so it was all wasted.
The doctor said that Lin Chuntao should rest well. They could get pig feed and there were vegetables to eat, so there was no need for her to go through the trouble of digging for wild vegetables.
After listening to Lin Chunxing's words, Lin Chuntao looked at the wild vegetables in the bamboo basket and said, "I'll just dig some up. I can't just lie down all the time; I need to move around."
"Furthermore, this wild vegetable is very useful, you'll find out later."
Lin Chunxing and Lin Chunhe couldn't figure out what use it would be in the future, no matter how hard they racked their brains.
The sisters came up from the river and crossed the arched bridge in the village, where they happened to meet Aunt Guizhi, who was washing clothes by the river.
"Auntie, are you going to do the laundry?"
Aunt Guizhi responded and looked at Lin Chuntao, asking, "How are you? Are you feeling any better?"
Lin Chuntao replied, "It's all better now, there's no problem."
"That's good. Take a rest more these days." As she spoke, she looked at the small bamboo basket in Lin Chuntao's hand, which contained another pile of wild vegetables. Gui Zhixiang smiled and said, "I saw that the bamboo leaf vegetable you planted is almost ready to be picked and eaten. Why are you still digging for wild vegetables?"
“I dug it up to feed the pigs. I only had one sickle. When Chunxing cut pig feed, I had nothing to do, so I took a hoe and dug around.”
Aunt Guizhi believed her somewhat after she said that.
"They're too old and don't taste good. I still have plenty of vegetables in my garden. Just pick whatever you want to eat."
Lin Chuntao thanked her with a smile, and Aunt Guizhi waved her hand.
"Don't mention it, haven't you eaten yet?"
"Go back and cook. I'll go wash a couple of clothes first, and dry them while the sun is shining."
Lin Chuntao responded and led them toward her home.
After everyone had left, Aunt Guizhi turned back and called out, "Chuntao, the peppers are starting to turn red. Go check on them in a few days, and pick the ones that are red first."
Lin Chuntao stopped and answered loudly, only moving on after watching Aunt Guizhi leave in a hurry.
Before I even got home, I saw Lin Duo'er and Pei Ying getting off the plane.
"Brother-in-law is back so early today?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I guess the butcher shop is doing well and the meat is selling fast."
As Lin Chuntao approached, she looked at Pei Ying and asked, "Why are you up so early today?"
Pei Ying smiled and said, "Manager He found another big customer who wanted meat. That customer bought half of the meat, and there wasn't enough left to sell. But they didn't have any more pigs to slaughter, so they came back."
"So that's how it is."
As they were talking, Pei Ying reached out to take the small bamboo basket from her hand. After Lin Chuntao handed it to him, he looked at Lin Chunxing and said, "Put the basket on the ground and I'll carry it."
Lin Chunxing quickly said, "It's not heavy. We're almost home. I'll carry it and go open the door first."
After saying that, she didn't forget to pull Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er away. Lin Chuntao chuckled, "Slow down, don't fall."
Lin Chunxing ignored her and quickly left with her two younger sisters.
When they got home, Lin Chunxing and the others were already squatting down to wash their hands.
Lin Chuntao tossed the wild vegetables to the piglets before turning to wash her hands.
Pei Ying went inside and carried out the wooden bucket. Inside was a pig's back fat and a piece of pork belly with ribs.
Lin Chuntao was somewhat surprised, "Why did you buy so much?"
Pei Ying replied, "The pork fat from this pig is very good, so I'll keep it and render a large batch to store, so I don't have to buy it often."
"That's true. You could have just bought oil. Why did you bring a piece of pork belly instead?"
"I was craving the potato stew you made before, so I bought it."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Let's do it tonight."
Pei Ying nodded. Lin Chunxing looked at the large bucket of snow-white lard and the piece of lean and fatty rib meat. She glanced at Pei Ying, then at Lin Chuntao, and then smiled and went into the house.
Once inside, she found nothing amiss and went to check on the dough that Lin Chuntao had kneaded before leaving.
She was shocked as soon as she lifted the straw cover. She clearly remembered that it was a dough the size of half a pumpkin before she left home. How did it turn into half a clay pot?
"Sis! Come in and see quickly."
Her shout came out of nowhere. "What's wrong?" Lin Chuntao asked as she walked into the house.
Upon entering, I saw Lin Chunxing holding a straw lid, pointing at the earthenware pot in surprise, and exclaiming, "The dough has grown!"
Lin Chunhe, Lin Duo'er, and Pei Ying followed in. The two sisters also opened their mouths wide. Pei Ying was slightly calmer because she didn't know how big the dough Lin Chuntao had kneaded earlier was.
"Are you making steamed buns with fermented dough?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, and Pei Ying said, "Then it should be fermented by now."
"It'll definitely be ready." Lin Chuntao said, instructing Lin Chunxing and the others to start a fire and wash the steamer. She took a bowl and scooped out some dry flour, preparing to knead the dough to make steamed buns.
Pei Ying said, "Let me massage it."
Lin Chuntao had no objection. Kneading dough also requires strength, and if the dough is kneaded well, the steamed buns made will be more delicate.
When Pei Ying returned from washing her hands, Lin Chuntao had already stirred the dough in the earthenware pot with chopsticks, released the air, and sprinkled in some dry flour.
Pei Ying came in, took away the earthenware basin, and placed it on the table to knead.
He had a strong hand and quickly kneaded the dough until it was smooth and shiny.
Lin Chuntao checked and it was fine, so she took over shaping the dough.
The steamer only had one layer, and it could only steam six at a time. After making one batch and steaming it, Lin Chuntao continued making more, setting them aside to steam slowly later.
After steaming for 15 minutes, steam began to rise from the lid of the steamer, carrying a rich aroma of wheat. The sisters all took a deep breath in unison.
"Sister, it smells so good."
"It tastes even better than rice."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Eat two more later."
Listening to their conversation, a gentle breeze blew by, carrying the aroma of steamed buns to his cheeks. He twitched his nose and turned to look at Lin Chuntao.
Why does this steamed bun taste better than any he's ever had before?
Soon Lin Chuntao also smelled it, and not long after the steamer was cooked, she took a bamboo sieve and quickly took it out.
The snow-white, smooth steamed buns were as big as bowls. The younger sisters unconsciously swallowed their saliva. After they finished picking them up, Lin Chuntao called out, "Chunxing, scoop a ladle of water and pour it into the pot."
Lin Chunxing hurriedly got up to fetch water, and she also quickly took the dough from the basin and put it into the steamer.
"Take it and eat it, it's freshly steamed and tastes just right."
As Lin Chuntao spoke, she ran to wash her hands. When she finished washing and came back to work, Lin Chunxing had just taken out the chopsticks.
The steamed buns are too hot to hold in your hands, so you just skewer them with chopsticks and eat them.
Lin Chuntao took the first bite. Although no sugar was added, the wheat flavor was rich, and there was a hint of sweetness in her mouth after swallowing.
Lin Duo'er gently poked the steamed bun with her finger, and a shallow pit appeared on the surface, like a dimple.
None of the sisters had ever eaten pure white flour steamed buns before; they only thought they were soft, fragrant, and slightly sweet.
Pei Ying had eaten steamed buns before. There used to be a steamed bun shop next to the butcher shop. The ones with fillings were fine, but the ones without fillings had a slightly sour taste, which he didn't really like.
However, looking at the steamed bun Lin Chuntao made, its color was as white as snow, and its surface was smooth, making it look very appetizing.
He reached out and tore off a piece. The inside of the steamed bun was soft and delicate, and after chewing, there was no sour taste at all. He was a little unsure, so he tore off another piece and put it in his mouth.
It really didn't taste sour.
He looked at Lin Chuntao with some surprise.
Lin Chuntao was enjoying her meal when she felt Pei Ying's gaze. She looked up at him, and their eyes met. Before they could say anything, they heard their younger sisters chattering beside them, saying how delicious it was and that they wanted to eat three or four...
After eating a steamed bun, Lin Chuntao went to finish processing the remaining dough.
When Lin Chuntao asked her younger sisters what they wanted to eat, they all shook their heads. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then we'll have steamed buns for lunch?"
They just nodded. Lin Chuntao smiled and saw that there were still two cucumbers left. She took them, washed them, smashed them, added some salt and chili oil, and marinated them.
Two more pots were steamed, and Lin Chuntao ate another one. The cucumber salad was also refreshing.
Lunch was settled. It was hot in the afternoon, and everyone wanted to rest at home, so Lin Chuntao thought she would take this opportunity to cut up the lard and render it.
Knowing that she was going to make pork cracklings, the sisters were visibly excited.
They helped fetch basins, scoop water, and prepare the cutting board, all vying to be Lin Chuntao's assistant.
When the water in the bucket ran out, Pei Ying went to fetch two more buckets of water. Lin Chuntao then brought out a table and stood in front of it, preparing to cut the lard.
The lard is very white, and Pei Ying and the others cleaned it thoroughly, leaving no residue. It can be cut directly to render the oil.
Watching her start cutting, Pei Ying said, "The pork kidneys haven't been taken off yet, find them and cut them off first."
Lin Chuntao raised an eyebrow slightly, "Why did you leave the pork kidneys behind too?"
Pei Ying said, "Manager He asked me to bring these to you, saying thank you for bringing her the matsutake mushrooms. There are also two pig hearts and two pig kidneys."
Pork kidneys, something that isn't particularly delicious but can make kids happy.
Upon hearing that there were pork kidneys, even the usually composed Lin Chunhe was overjoyed.
"Sister! Shall we have stir-fried pork kidneys for dinner?"
"I'll stir-fry it if you want to eat it," Lin Chuntao said.
"Then we'll be eating pork kidneys and meat again tonight?" Lin Duo'er looked up with a slightly shocked expression. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Yes."
Pei Ying rolled up her sleeves and went to wash her hands.
"I'll cut it, you go and rest for a while."
Lin Chuntao looked at him; he was determined to put the doctor's words into practice.
"Cut a piece of fat, it's not tiring, I'll do it, so my hands won't get sticky."
"I've already washed my hands." He said, taking the knife from her hand. Lin Chuntao didn't argue anymore. She went back and got a hemp rope, made a hole in the two pig hearts, strung them together with the rope, and rubbed some salt on them. This would keep them fresh for a few days. She would stir-fry them and eat them the day after tomorrow.
The pork heart doesn't have as strong a flavor as the pork liver, but it's still delicious when stir-fried.
After preparing the pig's heart, Pei Ying had already cut out quite a bit of fat. Lin Chuntao went to wash the pot and brought it over. This iron pot was quite large, and the cut fat poured in filled a shallow pot.
Pei Ying asked, "Should we cook them in two pots?"
Lin Chuntao waved her hand gently: "No need, one pot is enough to cook it all."
This pig must weigh around 200 jin (100 catties), and this is all the fat. Lin Chuntao thought back to when her grandmother used to slaughter pigs, she would use a large iron pot to render half a pot of lard, and the pure meat would weigh 300 to 400 jin (150-200 kg).
Lin Chuntao glanced at the door of the shed where the piglets were kept, thinking that if the piglets could weigh three or four hundred jin by the New Year, then they wouldn't need to buy much oil and meat next year.
Lin Chuntao still used the water-boiling method, waiting for the water to boil. The broth in the pot turned thick and white, and she continued to boil until the color became clear. After the water and steam were boiled away, it turned into clear oil. This time there was a lot of oil residue, so Lin Chuntao did not boil it until it was completely dry. When it started to turn yellow, she turned off the heat and scooped out all the oil residue.
The sun was blazing outside, and there wasn't a breath of wind.
"With this bright sun, the oil will be hard to cool down. Let's take it inside to cool."
Pei Ying nodded, took some straw to wrap the pot handle, and carried the pot into the house.
On a sweltering summer day, with the cicadas chirping incessantly, Lin Chuntao said, "Those who want fried pork cracklings can make some themselves. I'm a little sleepy, I'm going to take a nap."
"Hmm, sis, we're going into the mountains to collect firewood later, do you want to come?"
Lin Chuntao said, "We'll see in a bit. If I wake up, I'll go with you. If I don't wake up, you can go."
After she slept for a while, Lin Chunxing and the others left.
Pei Ying continued making mud bricks.
Perhaps because of the medication she had been taking recently, Lin Chuntao slept very soundly, and it was already afternoon when she woke up.
*
Lin Miaomiao and her siblings had been waiting since morning, and finally Yang Huai and Yang Cunzheng returned.
Before anyone even got close, Lin Miaomiao ran to greet them.
"Uncle!" She called out as soon as the person ran up to her, "Third Grandfather."
The old man looked at her and nodded.
"Uncle, did it go smoothly?"
Yang Huai nodded. "It's done, and there's even better news. A group of people from other places will be moving here in the next day or two, and then we can go and choose someone to get married."
Hearing this, Lin Miaomiao breathed a long sigh of relief, and looked at Yang Huai and the old man with a happy expression.
"Very good!"
Although they were adopted, the three siblings still lived and ate at home.
With the matter resolved, Lin Miaomiao returned with her younger brothers, jumping for joy.
Seeing her so happy, the villagers asked curiously, "Miaomiao, what good thing happened? Why are you so happy?"
Lin Miaomiao looked at the person who asked the question, feeling smug.
“We three siblings are all settled now, so we’re happy.”
The woman who had asked the question raised an eyebrow in surprise. What's going on? Looking back in the direction they'd come from—to their grandmother's house—the woman smiled and asked, "Are you moving to your grandmother's house?"
Lin Miaomiao slightly raised her chin and left without answering the woman's question.
The woman scoffed disapprovingly, "Anyone who didn't know better would think she'd been taken away by some wealthy family to be their young lady!"
By evening, the news had spread throughout the village that Lin Miaomiao was going to her maternal grandmother's house.
Lin Cunzheng and Sun Shi also heard it and came to ask about it. Lin Miaomiao told them the truth.
"My third maternal grandfather said that a group of outsiders would arrive in a few days. When that time comes, I can choose one to marry and then I can get a share of the land."
Mrs. Sun nodded. "That's good. So, will you be staying at home or your maternal grandmother's house for the time being?"
"We live at home, but we also go to Grandma's house during the day."
Mrs. Sun said, "Okay, then be careful on your way back and forth."
After the elderly couple left, Lin Cunzheng sighed, "Miao Miao's situation is settled, but there's Jia Lang left. Jia Lang is still young, so marriage isn't realistic for him."
Madam Sun frowned slightly and looked at Lin Cunzheng, asking, "There must be some women among the outsiders who have come here, right? Go and see if there are any women with daughters. Ask if they have any betrothal arrangements. They can get married in four or five years. If they are betrothed now, the adults and children can come and live here and take care of each other."
Lin Cunzheng looked at Sun Shi and said, "The main issue is the land allocation, which depends on the marriage certificate."
Mrs. Sun said, "Then let's sign the marriage certificate first, and hold a banquet when the child grows up."
Lin Cunzheng sighed softly, and Sun said, "Given Jialang and the others' situation, it's good to take advantage of this opportunity to arrange a marriage now. In a few years, there won't be such a suitable match. When you go to pick someone up, keep an eye on things."
Listening to Sun's nagging, Lin Cunzheng nodded.
The elderly couple took a stroll around and stopped by Lin Chuntao's place for a visit. As soon as they entered, they saw mud bricks scattered all over the floor, some still damp and others already dried.
Pei Ying and Lin Chuntao were cleaning and tidying up the yard when they saw the elderly couple come in. Lin Chuntao greeted them with a smile.
The old lady laughed and asked, "What are you going to build with these mud bricks?"
Lin Chuntao replied, "Pei Ying said he wanted to build a stove and use these bricks to build the chimney."
"Oh my, you young people are so quick-witted. We just made do with a mud cylinder."
Hearing the old lady's words, Pei Ying smiled.
"The main problem is that we don't know how to make the cylindrical ones; otherwise, the round ones would be better."
As they were talking, Lin Chuntao went inside and brought out two stools for the elderly couple to sit on. She then went to fetch some water, but Mrs. Sun quickly said, "Chuntao, don't bother, we're not thirsty."
Having spent some time with the old lady, Lin Chuntao had come to understand her temperament a little. She put down her bowl, took out two radishes, and peeled one for the old couple.
Lin Chuntao sat and chatted with them. The old lady looked at Pei Ying and asked, "Little Pei, have you ever built a stove before?"
"No, Grandma, I just watched people build them."
The old lady laughed and said, "When are you going to build it? Go and call your uncle over to help you."
Pei Ying didn't refuse and agreed with a smile. Lin Chuntao said, "I reckon we'll build it tomorrow afternoon. Are Uncle and the others busy lately?"
The old lady said, "No rush. The fields are almost finished, so you can rest for a few days. He and your second uncle, Changhua, have been looking for wood to make plows. They wander around the mountains all day. I don't know what kind of wood they're looking for. When you're building a stove, just go and call them."
Lin Chuntao smiled and asked, "Is your plow broken?"
"No, everyone only has one plow. It's just that they saw you planting corn the other day and thought it was fast, so they're planning to get another plow. They also have a lot of people in their families, so several people can plow the land together and the spring planting will be faster."
At this point, Mrs. Sun suddenly said, "If we're planting potatoes and sweet potatoes, this kind of planting method won't work, will it?"
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly. "Potatoes and sweet potatoes need to be planted deeper, so we can only plant them while plowing. However, with more people, we can plow the land with two plows at the same time, which will make it faster."
The elderly couple sat and chatted for a while before leaving, without mentioning Lin Miaomiao and Lin Jialang at all.
Outside their courtyard, Sun and Lin were talking about Lin Chuntian needing to take medicine.
"I smelled it just now, a strong smell of medicine in the yard, this child is really..."
Lin Cunzheng said, "The hard times are almost over, and I think this young Pei is quite good."
Sun nodded with a smile: "He seems quite diligent. I often see him fetching water, and all the women in the village are talking about it."
After seeing the elderly couple off, Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying stacked up the dried mud bricks and carried them to the corner of the wall.
After the two finished their work, Lin Chunxing and the others still hadn't returned. Lin Chuntao went to soak some rice, and then took out two pig kidneys to prepare.
Pei Ying asked her, "Are you going to make dinner?"
"Wait a minute, let me cut the pork kidneys out to remove the fishy smell first, then I'll stir-fry them later."
Pei Ying nodded and turned to wash her hands.
Lin Chuntao washed the pork kidneys and placed them on the cutting board. She cut the kidneys in half, removing the white layer inside. Then, she quickly sliced the kidneys into flower shapes and placed them in a bowl. After rinsing them twice with cold water, she went back to the house to get some fresh ginger, sliced it into shreds, and added it to the bowl. She also added a little flour, kneaded it evenly, and then covered it with a large bowl.
Her movements were practiced and skillful, unlike someone doing it for the first time.
Pei Ying knew that Lin Chuntao wasn't the one who cooked for the Lin family, so she didn't have many opportunities to go into the kitchen. But after the family split up, she seemed to have learned to cook a lot of delicious food on her own.
If many of the dishes were just lucky accidental creations, then the steamed buns simply don't make the same sense.
Even the steamed bun vendors couldn't make steamed buns with such no sour taste, but Lin Chuntao did.
He stood by the table, watching Lin Chuntao clean it.
Lin Chunxing and the others hadn't returned yet, so he asked her softly, "Has my wife ever eaten steamed buns before?"
Lin Chuntao paused for a moment upon hearing this, then slowly raised her eyes to look at him, though her expression remained calm.
"No," Lin Chuntao replied decisively. Their eyes met, and Lin Chuntao countered, "You should have eaten it, right?"
Pei Ying nodded slightly, then heard Lin Chuntao ask him, "Does it taste different from what I made today?"
"The steamed buns sold outside have a slightly sour taste. You can buy one to try tomorrow. The steamed buns sold outside are not as fluffy and soft as the ones you make. If a stranger accidentally eats them, we might have to ask you for the recipe."
Hearing this, Lin Chuntao smiled and pursed her lips. The person in front of her was clearly trying to remind her, but he deliberately said something else entirely.
"Okay, I understand. I'll think about the recipe again in a couple of days. Once I can make a stable recipe, I'll go sell steamed bun recipes."
She answered frankly, and Pei Ying slowly smiled.
After wiping the table clean, she ordered Pei Ying to go inside and take out the pork ribs, separating the meat from the ribs, and then chopping the ribs into small pieces.
Pei Ying listened to her and did as she was told.
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