Chapter 53 - Two people getting married at the same time as you...
"How do you like to eat these bones?" Lin Chuntao asked.
“I’m fine with anything.” What Pei Ying wanted to say was that he used to just fry them and boil them in a pot and eat them. He didn’t know how to cook them. As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, “Then I’ll get a radish and make a soup tomorrow.”
Pei Ying nodded. He now had great faith in Lin Chuntao's cooking skills; whatever she made would taste delicious.
As the sun began to set, Lin Chuntao and the others still hadn't returned. Lin Chuntao muttered something to herself and then prepared to steam rice. The lard in the iron pot had cooled down but hadn't solidified yet.
Lin Chuntao brought over an earthenware jar and carefully poured the half-pot of lard into it. The jar was full of lard, and the pot was full of oil. Lin Chuntao thought that she could use it to stir-fry vegetables later, so she decided to use an earthenware pot to steam rice.
She got up, took the steamer, scooped the rice into it, put it in an earthenware pot, and started steaming the rice.
After cutting the meat, Pei Ying went to peel the potatoes. He asked Lin Chuntao, "How many potatoes are you peeling?"
The potatoes weren't very big, and Lin Chuntao said, "Cut five."
Pei Ying had just finished peeling the potatoes when Lin Chunxing and the others returned. Lin Chuntao happened to be at the door and went out to see that the three sisters had several neatly bundled bundles of firewood in their baskets, and there was also a pile of messy branches outside. Lin Duo'er smiled and looked at her: "Sister, we found a pine forest. I don't know who cut down the branches there, there are so many!"
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly. "Are they all piled together?"
Lin Duo'er shook her head vigorously, "No, but they're everywhere."
Lin Chuntao said, "Don't take the ones piled together, they might have been put there by someone else. The loose ones are probably leftovers from the pine needle bag."
"Just leave these branches outside. Come in and wash your hands, dinner will be ready soon."
Lin Duo'er reached up and brushed the hair from her forehead, the dust from her fingers getting onto her face. She cheerfully asked Lin Chuntao, "Sister, are we having pork kidneys for dinner?"
Lin Chuntao nodded. "Yes, I've already chopped them. I'll stir-fry them in a bit. Hurry up and go get some water to wash your hands and face, like a little kitten."
The food was already ready before they finished washing up.
Lin Chuntao took the steamer off the stove. The stewed potatoes and meat would take a while to cook, so Lin Chuntao first stir-fried the meat before putting it on the steamer. Then she turned around and took out the pork kidneys that had been marinating, rinsed them twice with water, and chopped some garlic sprouts and ginger slices for later use.
The sisters looked at the pork kidneys in the bowl with anticipation.
Before long, the stewed potatoes and meat in the pot emitted a rich aroma, and Lin Chunhe and Lin Duo'er swallowed their saliva and exclaimed how delicious it was.
Lin Chunxing teased Lin Duo'er with a smile, "Is the stewed meat more fragrant or the pork kidney?"
Lin Duo'er's eyes fell on the pork kidneys, looking conflicted.
Lin Chuntao shook her head. She went back into the house, took out a small, tender melon, and sliced it for later use.
Once the stewed meat was ready, it was poured into a large earthenware bowl. The bowl was already full, but it was still not empty. Another half bowl was filled. There was broth in the pot that had been mixed with mashed potatoes. Lin Chunhe called out that she wanted to mix it with rice. Lin Chuntao scooped some rice into the pot, mixed it clean, and then scooped it out. Only then did she rinse the pot and start stir-frying the melon. Finally, she stir-fried the pork kidneys.
The pork kidneys are cut into slices, and when heated, they turn into crescent shapes, with the curved side resembling the stamen of a flower.
This was the first time Lin Chunxing and the others had ever seen kidneys cut into this shape; it was a delightful surprise.
"Sis, how do you cut this? Can you teach me?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Sure, I'll teach you how to cut the other two tomorrow morning."
At this point, Lin Chunxing pursed her lips and said somewhat embarrassedly to Lin Chuntao, "Sister, could you buy some rice noodles tomorrow? I want to learn how to make them."
Lin Chuntao said, "Let's wait a few more days. I still need to make a chili sauce. Adding the sauce to the powder will make it taste even more unique. I'll teach you how to make the sauce when it's ready. Once you've learned how, you can go set up a stall right away."
Lin Chunxing nodded, and Lin Chuntao said, "Let's see which family in the village grows the most chili peppers. When the peppers turn red, we'll buy some to dry."
"Then I'll go and try to earn some tomorrow. But sis, almost every household in our area grows it. If each family buys two or three pounds, they can sell quite a lot. If we buy a lot, why don't we buy some from the surrounding villages too?"
"Can."
"But won't it cost a lot of money?" Lin Chunxing asked.
"Green chilies are four coins a pound. I wonder if red chilies will be cheaper. I'll go to the market tomorrow to check."
As Lin Chuntao spoke, she ladled out the stir-fried pork kidneys. Lin Duo'er drooled, and Lin Chunhe busied herself fetching bowls and chopsticks.
The sisters quickly took turns serving rice and taking turns getting bowls.
Another advantage of the sunny weather here is that you can sit outside and watch the sunset while having dinner.
The sisters were the first to pick up a piece of pork kidney, and Lin Chuntao asked with a smile, "How is it? Is the saltiness just right?"
As she spoke, she picked up a piece with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth. The saltiness was just right, and it was stir-fried until it was neither overcooked nor mushy, with a crisp and bouncy texture. The fishy smell was almost gone. Lin Chunhe and the others, who had just swallowed a piece, began to praise it highly.
"No wonder everyone wants to eat pork kidneys, they're so delicious!"
Pei Ying's eyebrows twitched slightly as she listened to Lin Chunhe's words. Pork kidneys were always popular with children, and they could sometimes have a foul smell. But seeing the expressions on the three people's faces, Pei Ying also picked up a piece.
Lin Chuntao's stir-fried pork liver was delicious before, and he felt that chili peppers played a big role in it. But this time, she didn't add chili peppers when stir-frying pork kidneys, yet it was still very delicious, and that unpleasant taste was gone.
Pei Ying ate and glanced at Lin Chuntao. He had watched her make it; she hadn't added anything special, but it was just that magical.
Seeing Pei Ying's gaze, Lin Chunhe pursed her lips, lowered her head, and asked with a smile, "Brother-in-law, do you also think my sister's cooking is super delicious?"
Pei Ying looked at Lin Chuntao and replied with a smile, "Yes, your sister's cooking is the best."
Lin Chuntao smiled helplessly upon hearing this, "Eat more if it's delicious, I'll make it again tomorrow."
Two kidneys don't make much when stir-fried, but you can't eat too much of this at once, so I only stir-fried two. Before long, all that was left in the bowl of pork kidneys were some garlic sprouts and ginger slices.
They also loved the potato and pork stew, but Lin Chuntao ate almost all of the stir-fried cucumber slices by herself.
Just a short while after they finished eating, Lin Qingqing and Lin Jiaye came to find Lin Chunxing and the others to play hide-and-seek.
The three sisters, clutching their round bellies, followed along.
Lin Chuntao said, "Come back after dark, and I'll heat up the medicine for you first."
The sisters had already run out of the yard, and the voices that answered came from outside the house.
"Okay."
After Lin Chunxing and the others left, Pei Ying went to fetch water, while Lin Chuntao brought up the system control panel to check her points.
She used up all her points opening the living area last time, so she needs to find out more details before opening the recipe area this time.
But before she could ask, the system started buzzing with notifications.
"Host, are you going to open the recipe section?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and asked, "How many points are needed to open this recipe area?"
"It's the same as the living area."
She currently has over four thousand points in balance, so she decided to open the server directly. Just after clicking to open the server, the system's announcement came to her mind: "Congratulations, host, for unlocking the recipe area. Points deducted: 2,666. Points balance: 1,982."
"As long as the host wants the recipe, it is available here. The host can exchange for it at any time."
Lin Chuntao clicked on it, and the first recipe that caught her eye was instant noodles, and the second recipe was actually spicy strips...
"System, would you like to exchange for an instant noodle recipe?"
Lin Chuntao shook her head, then asked expectantly, "What about spicy strips? They're very cheap, only fifty points."
"No, I need to find the sauce."
"Is it instant noodle sauce? It's in the recipe."
The way it guided Lin Chuntao to exchange the items made it as if it could eat what Lin Chuntao had made.
Lin Chuntao ignored her and continued browsing for a while before finally finding the sauce she wanted. She glanced at it and saw that it cost 200 points, which was considered expensive for this brand. She frowned slightly.
Why does this require so many points?
The system said, "Because this recipe is difficult to make, very few people have succeeded in making it."
Lin Chuntao was a little skeptical. If it was so difficult to make, shouldn't it be made cheaply so that everyone could do it? She felt strange, but it didn't matter. She needed this sauce.
I clicked "redeem" directly.
"Congratulations, host! You have obtained the recipe for the King of Sauces. We hope you can make it soon!"
"What? I get a reward if I make it?"
"If you succeed, you'll receive a surprise gift package! Good luck, host!"
Lin Chuntao smiled. If they could succeed, she could sell sauce, and Lin Chunxing could sell rice noodles. They would earn enough money to build a house in no time.
After successfully redeeming the item, she checked her inventory and found that she could view the recipe directly without having to retrieve it, which was more convenient.
She looked at the ingredients she needed to make the sauce: soybeans, Sichuan peppercorns, salt, dried chili peppers. She also needed to buy a larger winnowing basket and a gauze jar.
She needs to make a small batch first to test it out, and only make more if she succeeds.
She was getting impatient, thinking that she would buy soybeans and a winnowing basket as soon as Pei Ying came back.
Just as Pei Ying returned from getting the money, she came back with water.
"I'm thinking of buying some beans, do you want to come?"
Lin Chuntao suddenly spoke up, and Pei Ying was taken aback for a moment, "What do you need beans for?"
"Make chili sauce."
Pei Ying was somewhat surprised, "Do you need soybeans to make chili sauce?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and nodded, saying, "I've never done this before either. I'll make a small jar to try first. I'll go to town tomorrow to buy a small jar."
"Then I'll lock the door."
After Pei Ying locked the door, the two of them left the courtyard together.
The sky was still bright, but many families in the village had already finished dinner and were out for a walk. Some were sitting and chatting in front of their courtyards, and the sounds of children playing made the whole village lively.
The women were still doing needlework, gathered in small groups, chatting as they worked.
Lin Chuntao rarely goes out at night, so her sudden appearance surprised everyone.
"Oh my, Chun Tao, how come you're willing to come out to play tonight?"
Lin Chuntao was both amused and exasperated by these words. These women must be saying behind her back that she doesn't go out for walks at night and just stays at home.
She smiled and replied, "I must have been thinking about how my aunts have been talking behind my back about why I don't come out to play, so I came."
The women laughed when they heard this, grabbed a chair from the side, and beckoned to her.
"Come sit down and play for a while. We've been saying you're always hiding in your room and don't come out. What are you busy with?"
The person speaking asked what she was busy with, but before Lin Chuntao could answer, the women next to her glanced at Pei Ying, their eyes sparking all sorts of thoughts.
They joked, "If you don't come out soon, we'll all think you're having morning sickness."
Upon hearing this, Pei Ying felt her body stiffen and her face flushed slightly. But Lin Chuntao seemed completely unaffected, smiling as she said, "If I were pregnant, I would definitely tell you aunties. The doctor said I'm not feeling well, so you aunties will have to wait a little longer for the good news."
The women paused for a moment upon hearing this, then laughed and said, "You are indeed too thin. Eat more, gain some weight, and then have a baby."
Lin Chuntao smiled and nodded, "Aunties, you can chat. I'm going to Aunt Guizhi's house to buy a winnowing basket."
"Come over to my house to play when you come back later."
After Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying left, the women whispered among themselves, "This man from Chuntao's family seems to have a terrifying temper. I wonder how he treats Chuntao at home."
A woman nearby laughed and said, "I don't know about his family, but you haven't seen him carrying water every day. He does it so effortlessly, as if he doesn't need any strength."
"Chuntao is so thin, I wonder if she can handle it at night."
The woman who had just greeted Lin Chuntao scolded her, "Are you so greedy? Go home now, or people will laugh at you."
The woman clicked her tongue and continued, "I don't believe you don't think so."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked at Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying's backs and murmured, "Their figures are really... I heard from my aunt that Chuntao picked them herself. I have to say, that brat is quite good at picking people."
Lin Chuntao and her group didn't walk fast, but the women behind them spoke loudly, and every word they said reached Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying's ears.
Pei Ying's face turned completely red. Lin Chuntao frowned helplessly; these women really couldn't keep their mouths shut.
She looked up at Pei Ying, wanting to say something, but there were people everywhere, and if someone heard her, they would laugh even more, so she had to give up.
When Lin Chuntao arrived, Aunt Guizhi and her daughter-in-law were also outside in the yard eating melon seeds. They only invited Lin Chuntao into the house when they saw her.
"Auntie, do you have a bigger winnowing basket?"
Aunt Guizhi smiled and said, "I'll take you to see if they have the size you want. If not, tell your uncle and he'll make one for you. It'll be ready in a few days."
As they were talking, Aunt Guizhi led her into the house, and Lin Chuntao picked out one or two large ones and two small ones.
"What are you all going to do with all of you?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I'm thinking about something. I'll let you know if it works out."
Aunt Guizhi smiled and said, "You're not fully recovered yet, so don't overwork yourself. Take a good rest."
"Don't worry, Auntie, I know what I'm doing." As she spoke, she took out some copper coins and gave them to Aunt Guizhi. Aunt Guizhi accepted them but didn't give them the same price as outside. Lin Chuntao gave the winnowing basket to Pei Ying and then asked Aunt Guizhi, "Auntie, do you have any extra soybeans?"
Aunt Guizhi asked, "How many do you want to buy?"
"A dozen or twenty kilograms is fine."
Aunt Guizhi said, "My family doesn't have enough beans, but your great-grandmother's family has plenty. Do you want to go and ask her?"
Lin Chuntao smiled upon hearing this, "Alright then."
"Sit and play for a while."
Aunt Guizhi told Pei Ying to put the winnowing basket down first, and asked Lin Chuntao to get a stool. She then turned around, went into the house, and brought out some melon seeds.
Lin Chuntao had no choice but to sit and play for a while. The two of them sat with Aunt Guizhi at the door. Aunt Guizhi's mother-in-law looked at her and Pei Ying with a smile, and then said, "I haven't seen you come to play for several days. I heard from your aunt that you were sick. Are you better?"
"Sixth Grandma, I'm all better now."
As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Aunt Guizhi grabbed some melon seeds and handed them over. She quickly reached out and took them, then shared some with Pei Ying.
The old lady asked her again, "Are you pregnant?"
Aunt Guizhi thought about the old lady, who wasn't afraid of making Chun Tao shy, and even asked in front of Pei Ying. She frowned and glared at the old lady. Just as she was about to turn around and help Lin Chun Tao get rid of this embarrassment, she saw Lin Chun Tao also say with a smile: "Sixth Grandma, not yet. If I do, I will definitely tell you and Auntie first."
The old lady said, "You've been married for over a month now. Hurry up, your bride, Li Niang, who got married at the same time, is already pregnant."
Lin Chuntao: "..."
Aunt Guizhi glanced at Pei Ying, who sat quietly without saying a word, seemingly indifferent. However, his hand trembled several times while peeling the melon seeds, and he still couldn't get the seed out. She had originally thought that this person was more composed than Chun Tao, but she didn't expect him to be even less composed than Chun Tao.
"Mother, who told you all this?"
Aunt Guizhi originally intended to interrupt the old lady, but ended up giving the old lady a starting point for the conversation.
"Who needs to say that? Her mother took her to the fields, and she vomited so much she felt dizzy and fainted. Not only Pear Mother, but also Jujube Blossom. A few days ago, she sent her husband to the mountains to find sour apricots, but the sour apricots aren't ripe yet. Where are they going to find them? Several of them got married at the same time as Chun Tao!"
Aunt Guizhi sighed and gently rubbed her forehead.
The old lady gently patted Chun Tao's knee and said earnestly, "You should hurry up too."
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips and nodded: "Yes, Sixth Grandma, I'll try my best when I get back tonight."
Aunt Guizhi peeled a handful of melon seeds and fed them to him, but he immediately spat them out. Pei Ying choked and coughed violently. Aunt Guizhi said, "Little Pei, there's water in the house, go and get some to drink."
Pei Yingqi coughed as he walked into the house.
Seeing that Pei Ying was not there, Aunt Guizhi patted the old lady and said, "Mother, don't say anything. Chun Tao's husband is still here. Young people are shy."
The old lady ignored Aunt Guizhi and said to Lin Chuntao, "It's alright, he's just shy, don't be embarrassed."
Aunt Guizhi hissed coldly, and the old lady glared at her.
Pei Ying recovered and drank some water before slowly coming out. Lin Chuntao called to him, "Bring out the winnowing basket."
After saying that, she said to Aunt Guizhi and the old lady, "It's getting dark, I still have to go to Sixth Grandma's house. Aunt, you and Sixth Grandma chat."
Aunt Guizhi laughed and said, "Go ahead, go ahead."
The old lady also said, "Come visit when you have time."
Lin Chuntao responded and quickly left with Pei Ying.
After they left, Aunt Guizhi looked at the old lady with a complicated expression. The old lady said, "You're supposed to be an experienced person, but you couldn't see that they had nothing?"
Aunt Guizhi frowned, somewhat disbelieving.
"Nothing at all?"
"I went to see Chun Tao when she was sick a few days ago. They live together, right?"
As soon as Aunt Guizhi finished speaking, the old lady said in a low voice, "Living together is one thing? At first I thought they were two idiots, but after listening to Chun Tao's words just now, it seems like the idiot is that guy."
Aunt Guizhi believed most of it, but still scolded the old lady: "Oh dear, don't talk nonsense."
Pei Ying, holding a winnowing basket, quietly followed beside Lin Chuntao.
As it grew darker, Sun happily weighed out twenty catties of soybeans for Lin Chuntao when she heard her say she wanted to buy some.
Lin Chuntao paid the grain to Sun at the price in the county town's grain shop, and Sun returned some to her, saying, "The grain shop doesn't charge us that much for our grain, we don't need this much."
The old lady received forty-eight coins for twenty catties of beans.
The two didn't linger there; they took the beans and went straight home.
On the way back, I didn't see Lin Chunxing and the others playing around anywhere.
Back home, Lin Chuntao put the beans away, heated up the medicine, poured the water from the bucket into the pot, and called Pei Ying to fetch two buckets of water.
When it came to carrying water, Pei Ying's mind flashed back to what those women had said. He felt strange all over and didn't dare to look directly at Lin Chuntao. He responded, picked up the carrying pole, and left the courtyard.
While waiting for the medicine to heat up, Lin Chuntao placed an earthenware basin on top and boiled a full basin of water. Pei Ying brought the water back, and Lin Chuntao added some cold water and took a bath inside the house.
After washing and changing my clothes, I went outside to squat and wash my hair.
Pei Ying stood beside her, scooping water to wash her. Just as she finished washing, Lin Chunxing and the others returned noisily.
"Sister, we're back!"
Lin Chuntao stood up and said, "The medicine is ready. Get a bowl and pour it out for yourself."
The younger sisters agreed, washed their hands, and went inside.
"Wow! Sis, you went to buy a winnowing basket again?"
Lin Chuntao responded, and Lin Chunxing asked, "You bought four, what are you going to do with them, sister?"
"Make chili sauce."
"Do we need to use a winnowing basket for the chili sauce?" Lin Chunxing asked, puzzled.
Lin Chuntao called out, "I need to dry things."
As they spoke, they came out with bowls to pour out the medicine. The fire in the courtyard was still burning. Lin Chuntao sat to the side, gently drying her hair. She felt it was too long to wash her hair every three or four days, but drying it after washing was such a hassle. She really wanted to cut it short.
The younger sisters worked during the day and played wildly for a while in the evening. After taking their medicine, they hurriedly scooped water to wash their face and feet, and then went back to their rooms to lie down and sleep.
Lin Chuntao tilted her head and dried her hair over the fire, while Pei Ying went out to take a shower.
By the time she dried her hair, Pei Ying had returned, and the sound of someone snoring could be heard from inside the house.
The two tidied up, bolted the gate, and went inside to lie down.
As usual, after lying down, Lin Chuntao closed her eyes and then vaguely realized that Pei Ying seemed a little silent tonight.
Was it because of what the women in the village said?
She turned her head slightly and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong with you tonight?"
Pei Ying's heart skipped a beat when he heard her voice, but he pretended to be calm and replied, "What do you mean, what's wrong?"
This answer was clearly an attempt to cover up the truth. She turned over, propped herself up on her elbows, and looked at him.
"Did those aunties' words make you embarrassed?"
Pei Ying looked up at her, her long, ink-black hair flowing down her shoulders. Lin Chuntao wasn't exactly a stunning beauty, but her features were very attractive, especially her eyes, which seemed to speak volumes, and her lips, which made one want to kiss them.
Pei Ying's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He stared at her and asked, "Aren't you ashamed? You told the old lady you'd work hard when you got back tonight?"
Lin Chuntao chuckled, and Pei Ying put his arm around her waist, leaning half of his body against hers. She laughed and said, "That's how the women in the village are. The more shy you are, the more they talk. It's better to be open and talkative."
"Then why didn't you answer that woman's question about whether she could bear it?"
Lin Chuntao teased, "I don't know yet, do I? After I've tried it, I'll tell that auntie again without hesitation."
Pei Ying stared intently at her, his mouth suddenly went dry and his voice became hoarse. He asked in a low voice, "Are you serious?"
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