Chapter 98 - Two Things in One: Getting Rich When You Meet Water, Digging a Well...
"What?!"
Lin Chuntao exclaimed and rushed out. Yu Meixi also ran to the door. She said, "Old Ma was digging the foundation for the backyard. After digging for a while, he said the soil felt a bit damp. Your brother Sun went to check, and after digging a little deeper, he found the water vein!"
After explaining breathlessly, she said to Lin Chuntao without pausing for a breath, "Girl, water brings wealth, you've chosen a good plot of land for your house!"
Lin Chuntao never expected that she could find groundwater. If there was groundwater, could she dig a well on the spot? She wouldn't have to fetch water anymore!
It was indeed a joyous occasion, and she didn't even bother cooking anymore. She put down the spatula and prepared to go to the land for the house.
Grandma and Aunt Guizhi were both shocked. They had never seen anyone dig water while digging a foundation in the village before. They were very curious and went to see for themselves.
Aunt and the others also went. Meng Yun wasn't very familiar with everyone, so she stayed at home with Lin Chuntao to look after things.
The news that water was found while digging the foundation spread throughout the village in no time, and many villagers came to watch. When Lin Chuntao arrived, there were already quite a few people gathered around to watch.
Upon seeing her arrive, the people gathered in front said, "Chuntao, water has been dug up from below. How can you still build this house?"
Lin Chuntao looked at the pool of water in the pit, which had overflowed from below. She didn't care about the person's intentions and just laughed, "Why can't we cover it? I can just dig a well, can't I?"
Hearing Lin Chuntao's words, some people who were already feeling incredibly envious felt even more envious. What good luck! They would have a well at home from now on and wouldn't have to fetch water every morning and evening!
"That won't do, will it? You'll have a well all to yourself?"
Lin Chuntao turned to look at the man, neither annoyed nor angry, and said with a smile, "This homestead was allocated to me, and my great-grandfather even went to the government to register it for me. Since water has been found, I will pay for my own well. I won't ask you for money. How is that monopolizing it?"
The woman was taken aback by her words and fell silent.
Lin Chuntao looked at Sun Hu beside her and asked, "Brother Sun, should we dig a little deeper and see?"
Sun Hu said, "There's definitely water here. I'm worried the water flow is too strong down there. If you're sure you want to dig a well, I'll go back to the county town and invite the well diggers over. We can build the well as soon as it's finished."
It would be better to have a professional do it, but she still asked about the price as usual. Sun Hu said, "It depends on you, madam. If you want to build a well with blue bricks, it will probably cost six or seven hundred coins to finish, but in the end it will depend on the number of bricks used."
"Okay, then I'll trouble Brother Sun to make the trip." Lin Chuntao added, "It's almost lunchtime, why don't you have lunch first and then go?"
Sun Hu said, "We've already had breakfast, so we're not very hungry yet. I'll ride the mule there and come back quickly."
He was about to leave in a hurry, but after a few steps he said to the workers, "Dig the foundations for the other places first, and wait for me to come back."
With this in mind, I can get water anytime, which will save me a lot of trouble. It won't be a problem to eat lunch a little later.
After Sun Hu left, the workers started working. Many villagers were still watching from the sidelines, observing the pool of water growing larger and larger. Apart from marveling at Lin Chuntao's good luck, they didn't seem to have anything else to say.
Yu Meixi led them to continue digging the foundation, while her uncle and the others pulled mule carts carrying yellow clay, a busy and lively scene.
While they were busy, Lin Chuntao also prepared to go back and cook. She started by stewing potatoes and meat, and then washed the mushrooms to make a dish for dinner.
Looking at Lin Chuntao, Pei Ying suddenly felt as if many things were predestined.
Lin Chuntao made the noodles, and wanting to enrich the flavor, she also made the sauce.
The sauce she makes tastes so good that she wants to make more to sell. Because she needs to make sauce, she needs a large plot of land for her homestead. She had to redraw the land boundaries to include the spot she dug up today.
This is even better! They dug the well on the first day of construction. Now they can build the well, which will save them time and effort when building the house. It will be convenient for them and the workers. After the house is built, they will have a well in the house and can draw water whenever they want. It sounds great!
On the way back, Pei Ying had a smile on his face. Lin Chuntao looked at him, and both of them couldn't help but feel joy.
Sun and her eldest aunt also went back together, and everyone was genuinely happy for Lin Chuntao.
Lin Duo'er skipped and hopped ahead, and as soon as they entered the courtyard, Lin Chunhe asked, "Sister, did you really find water?"
Lin Chuntao nodded and said to her, "Go and see." Then she looked at Lin Duo'er and said, "Take your third sister to see."
Lin Duo'er went with Lin Chunhe after receiving the message.
Lin Chuntao added more firewood, heated oil in a wok, and started stir-frying the meat chunks.
The meat was cut into square pieces, neither too big nor too small. After Lin Chuntao had cooked the meat for a while, she added the potatoes and stir-fried them together. The pot was full of potatoes. Lin Chuntao added spices, salt, and water just enough to cover the potatoes. She then covered it with a straw lid and started to stew.
The large wooden tub had used up quite a bit of water, so Pei Ying went to fetch more. Lin Chuntao took out the mushrooms she had picked that morning and prepared to start washing them.
They were only looking at the meat and noodles and didn't notice the basket of mushrooms on it.
Now that Lin Chuntao had removed the grass, there were purple and green-skinned green-headed mushrooms, as well as quite a few pine needle mushrooms. So many… Hu Shi's eyes widened.
"Chuntao, you picked so many mushrooms this morning?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "We found a little more today."
The eldest aunt and the others were also quite surprised. They only knew that she could earn some money by picking and selling mushrooms, but they didn't know that she could pick so many mushrooms.
Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I can see how tiring it is to crouch down and crawl through the woods to pick mushrooms, especially so early in the morning. I have to admire Lin Chuntao a bit more now.
The eldest aunt asked, "Chuntao, are you washing all this for dinner?"
Lin Chuntao nodded.
"Wash them all. If we can't finish them tonight, we'll boil them and save them for tomorrow morning."
As soon as Lin Chuntao finished speaking, her aunts and the others brought small bamboo chairs over and sat down to wash together. The clean clothes were placed directly into the bucket.
Before long, the potato and meat stew in the iron pot boiled, and the aroma gradually wafted out from under the straw lid.
Lin Chuntao uncovered the fire, stirred it, and added some firewood underneath.
Listening to the bubbling sound of the soup, the aroma became increasingly rich.
The aroma made everyone in the yard's stomachs rumble.
Lin Chuntao estimated the time, and after the potatoes were stewed, she transferred them to another pot and stir-fried cucumber and pork slices.
Sun Hu left quickly and returned quickly. Three well-drilling workers arrived, still carrying blue bricks. Lin Chuntao called them to come and eat first, but the leader said, "Wife, you go and eat. We've already eaten before we came."
Lin Chuntao described the size of the well. They often dug wells and already knew the size in their minds. They remembered Lin Chuntao's words and started working.
Lin Chuntao asked Duo'er to call her uncle and Lin Changzong back. There was still a string of pig liver left today, but some people don't eat pig liver, so she couldn't include it as a dish. Those who don't eat it would have nothing to eat. She planned to stir-fry two bowls at noon, and if everyone liked it, she would stir-fry more for dinner.
Everyone washed their hands and got their bowls. Lin Chuntao put scallions, ginger, and garlic into a small pot and stir-fried half a pot of pork liver.
Grandma and Aunt Guizhi were about to go back, but Lin Chuntao asked them to stay and eat together.
Sun refused repeatedly, saying she would go back to get bowls and chopsticks, and that she would only have the children bring Lin Cunzheng and the others' bowls and chopsticks over, while they would eat at home.
Meng Yun and Aunt Guizhi were the same; they said they would come back, but they didn't come back for dinner after going home.
Lin Chuntao was serving rice and dishes to everyone, but Lin Chunxing wasn't home either; she was too busy to call them.
Normally, they would only start eating after Lin Chunxing arrived home, but the people working in the household couldn't wait that long, so Lin Chuntao had to serve her some food and leave it there.
Yu Meixi guessed that Lin Chuntao was generous when it came to cooking, but she didn't expect that this person would stew so much meat.
Moreover, her stewed meat not only smelled delicious, but also looked very appetizing.
Lin Chuntao said, "I don't know if everyone likes pork liver, so I'm making a small amount for everyone to try. If you like it, I'll make more tonight."
Pig liver and pig blood are cheap, but pig blood is not very fishy, so most people can accept it.
But pig liver is different. They've encountered this before when they worked for others. The employer would stir-fry a pot of pig liver, saying that meat dishes have oil and flavor, but it was so fishy that they wanted to vomit after a couple of bites. What oil and flavor was there?
Lin Chuntao was alright; besides the pig liver, she had two other main dishes, and the big pot of potato stew looked like it had a lot of meat in it.
Everyone brought their own bowls, and Lin Chunhe served them rice, piling a shallow bowl full of rice and two spoonfuls of vegetables on top.
They started eating and realized it was buckwheat rice, soft and with a pleasant buckwheat aroma, which was much better than buckwheat pancakes.
Yu Meixi asked in surprise, "Chuntao, is this made of buckwheat flour?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Yes, the method is very simple. Just sprinkle a little warm water on the raw dough, and stir with chopsticks while sprinkling the water to make these small lumps. Then steam them until cooked."
The workers took a bite of the meat, exclaimed "Hiss!", looked at each other, and their eyes revealed their joy.
Looking at Lin Chuntao again, his eyes became even kinder. She was a woman with excellent cooking skills, and he was in for a treat this month.
Not only was the stewed potatoes with meat delicious, but the stir-fried cucumber with meat slices was also very fragrant. Suddenly, they also wanted to try the stir-fried pork liver.
Lin Chuntao placed a pair of serving chopsticks there, and they didn't dare to take too much. If they didn't like the taste, it would be a waste. Each person took one or two pieces.
I mustered up the courage to take a bite and found that it didn't have an unpleasant stench. It did have a bit of the smell of pork liver, but the pork liver was stir-fried very tenderly and coated with a spicy flavor. After chewing a couple of times, I actually felt a little tipsy.
Good heavens, I never knew pig liver could be made this delicious!
After finishing two pieces, I picked up another bite. It was so delicious and went perfectly with rice.
This was the first time that several uncles and aunts had eaten food cooked by Lin Chuntao. Although they knew that Lin Chuntao could make sauces and that her skills in making soup noodles to sell must be good, they never expected that she could make it so delicious.
The eldest aunt said, "Chuntao, if there's anything going on at home in the future, you can help me cook. Your cooking is so delicious."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "That's no problem, I'll be there whenever you call."
Everyone was happy because the food was delicious, but after everyone finished eating, the eldest aunt suddenly felt a little heartbroken. Such a big pot of meat, and half a basin of stir-fried pork liver, were all eaten up by everyone, and the buckwheat rice in the steamer was also almost gone.
Lin Chuntao felt that since she had made it, it meant she could provide food for everyone. It was a good thing that everyone ate it all, as they would have the energy to work when they were full.
Sure enough, they didn't rest much after eating and went back to work.
A group of men smacked their lips, praising Lin Chuntao's cooking skills.
Yu Meixi laughed and said, "Do you mean it makes me think my cooking is terrible?"
Old Ma and the others laughed and said, "Sister-in-law's cooking is definitely not bad, but you forgot, there was a time when we ate that stir-fried pork liver with loofah, and you threw up right after eating it."
Yu Meixi: "..."
"Don't say anything, we just ate something so delicious today, don't think about that disgusting stuff."
Old Ma and the others laughed when they saw Yu Meixi like that.
Yu Meixi said, "Everyone, hurry up and help Lin Niangzi with her work. Don't just eat other people's good food and meat and work like a donkey all day."
Old Ma and the others laughed and said, "Don't worry, sister-in-law, we're not the kind of people who slack off."
Yu Meixi naturally knew that they were not lazy people, and that she had worked for many families before. She wouldn't bring unreliable people along.
Old Sang, who was digging the well, and Yu Meixi were old acquaintances. Seeing that they had only gone to eat for a short while and were back to work, he laughed and said, "Eating so fast?"
Yu Meixi said, "I was delayed a bit this morning. If I keep dawdling, the whole day will be over." As she spoke, she walked to the water pit. Old Sang and the others had widened the pit considerably and dug it to a depth of six or seven feet.
The bottom of the pit was filled with water that was slowly overflowing, mixed with mud and somewhat murky.
"Old Sang, how's the water?" Sun Hu asked.
Old Sang replied, "The water volume seems good. This well can be dug a little bigger to store more water."
Hearing Old Sang's words, Sun Hu asked with a smile, "Can we dig it out today?"
Old Sang gave a cold snort, then shook his head: "Uncertain. We should be able to dig up about 70-80%, but we might not be able to finish building it today."
The group chatted as they worked. Because they dug up water on the foundation line in the backyard, Sun Hu readjusted and redrawn the line.
As soon as Lin Chunxing entered the village, she saw the construction site underway. She wanted to go and take a look, but then she remembered that she was carrying some things, so she decided to go home first.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, Lin Duo'er excitedly told her.
"Second sister, our family will have a well from now on!"
"A well? What well?"
Lin Chunhe laughed and said, "When we were digging the foundation this morning, we found water. My sister has hired people to dig a well!"
Lin Chunxing's eyes widened in surprise.
"Really?"
Lin Duo'er said, "Of course it's true. Come on, I'll take you to see it."
Lin Chuntao was doing something inside the house when she heard voices and peeked out.
"We'll go check it out later. Let's eat first; the food is still warm."
After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Lin Chunxing went inside and put down her basket. Lin Chuntao looked at her and said, "Aren't you tired of standing and chatting while carrying a basket on your back?"
Lin Chunxing smiled. The discovery of the well was such a pleasant surprise. It was something she had never imagined, yet it had suddenly happened, like gold falling from the sky and landing right in her yard.
Having a well at home makes everything convenient; you don't even have to go to the river to wash clothes.
Lin Chuntao set aside rice and vegetables separately. Lin Chunxing also loved stir-fried spicy pork liver, so Lin Chuntao set aside half a bowl for her.
She sat in the yard and quickly finished her meal, eager to see the well.
Lin Chuntao also wanted to go and take a look. Lin Chunhe was preparing to make steamed beans, so she left Lin Duo'er behind. Lin Chuntao and the others had just left for a long trip when Meng Yun, Aunt Guizhi, and Grandma Guizhi returned. Lin Chuntao looked at them and said, "You old folks, you lied to this young girl. You promised to come back for food, but you never came back."
Grandma laughed and said, "Your aunt has already prepared our meal. She's already served it all when we got back. Besides, there are so many people eating here. We can't possibly add to your burden while you're busy. We'll stay and eat here when your house is finished."
Lin Chuntao said, "We'll definitely come over to eat once the house is finished. Tell your aunt tomorrow not to cook and to come over for a meal."
A hint of doubt flashed in Sun's eyes, and Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "We'll slaughter that pig that Pei Ying just brought back tomorrow morning."
"We were in such a rush to build the house that we were completely overwhelmed. Buying meat to eat is a bit expensive, so it's a little cheaper to just slaughter a pig. We can keep the leftovers after the house is finished."
If a lot of meat is needed, it would definitely be more cost-effective to slaughter a pig. However, they hadn't thought about needing so much meat beforehand, so they hadn't mentioned buying a pig to slaughter.
Seeing the stewed meat Lin Chuntao made today, I realized that she must use quite a lot of it every day, so buying it to eat would definitely not be cost-effective.
Mrs. Sun laughed and said, "We'll wait until the pig is slaughtered for the New Year to come and eat. There are already so many people these days, and we have too many mischievous kids at home. If they all come over, they'll cause a lot of trouble!"
Sun refused, and Lin Chuntao and Aunt Guizhi also spoke to her, but Aunt Guizhi also refused outright.
Since they refused so firmly, Lin Chuntao didn't stand on ceremony. She figured she would treat everyone to a meal once the house was built, so she simply let them have their way.
They went inside to get busy. Lin Chuntao took Lin Chunxing to the homestead, where a large pile of yellow clay had already been dug up. People were digging the foundation and digging wells, all busy at work.
Lin Chunxing went to see the well they were digging. A small well was gradually taking shape, and Lin Chunxing was extremely excited.
Looking at the excavated foundation, it's as if you can see what the house looked like when it was finished.
After watching for a while, Lin Chuntao came back and brought a bucket of warm water for Pei Ying to carry over. There was some tea in it, so it had a bit of flavor. Everyone who was thirsty scooped some out to drink.
After finishing these tasks, my aunts and uncles had nothing else to do, so I helped them steam the beans. What usually takes a whole day to prepare was all done in just over an hour today, and the beans were drained and ready to be steamed.
We're slaughtering a pig tomorrow, so we need to dig a hole outside to boil water and scald the pig's hair. It'll all be done outside, which is more convenient.
Everyone was busy with their own things for most of the day.
In the afternoon, Lin Chuntao went over to check and asked everyone if they wanted to eat lunch. If so, she suggested boiling potatoes or sweet potatoes.
Lin Chuntao was generous with the amount of oil she used in her cooking, and the meat at lunchtime was so substantial that everyone was already quite full. The meat and rice were filling, so there was no need for a proper midday meal.
Sun Hu asked the workers, and they all said they weren't hungry, so Lin Chuntao was out of trouble.
Since we're not eating lunch, let's have dinner a little earlier.
For dinner, we had stir-fried green peppers and pork with mushrooms; the green-headed mushrooms looked particularly appealing.
Lin Chuntao chopped the green peppers and meat and put them in a bowl. She also broke the mushrooms into small pieces and put them in a winnowing basket.
For dinner, we had two dishes: stir-fried meat with mushrooms and pickled cabbage with pig's blood. We also chopped up the remaining pig liver and cooked it again later.
One fire steams the rice, and the other fire stir-fries the vegetables.
Lin Chuntao personally took charge of cooking, while her aunts and the others watched.
Stir-fried mushrooms with meat is quite simple. Lin Chuntao first stir-fried the chili peppers and meat. Because the pot was too big, if she put the mushrooms directly into the pot, she would have to stir-fry the meat for a long time, and the meat slices would become tough. So, after the meat was cooked, Lin Chuntao took the meat out first, and then added garlic to stir-fry the mushrooms. After a short while, the mushrooms released some juice and changed color slightly. Only then did Lin Chuntao put the meat back in, sprinkle in salt, and continue to stir-fry evenly.
A pot of freshly stir-fried mushrooms is ready.
Actually, mushrooms are delicious even when stir-fried without meat, let alone with meat. Just looking at them makes your mouth water.
Lin Chuntao tasted two pieces, and finding the saltiness just right, she scooped them into a wooden basin.
She prepared the mushrooms before stir-frying the pickled cabbage and pig's blood. She chopped half a bowl of dried chili peppers and a lot of minced garlic, and stir-fried them together in the pot until fragrant. Then she added the chopped pickled cabbage and stir-fried it until fragrant before adding water to the pot.
Scoop the pig's blood into a bowl, quickly cut it into pieces with a knife, and pour it into the soup.
It was very simple to make, but it was just pickled cabbage and pig's blood, two things that Auntie and the others thought were completely incompatible, but Lin Chuntao actually cooked them together.
Deep down, I have complete faith in Lin Chuntao's culinary skills.
When the pickled cabbage and pig's blood were cooked, Lin Chuntao scooped a piece of pig's blood and a little pickled cabbage into the bowl for her aunt to taste and check the saltiness.
Her second and third aunts watched her eat intently, finding it hard to imagine what the two things would taste like cooked together.
But then the eldest aunt took a bite, her pupils dilated, and she looked at the second and third aunts beside her, saying, "It's delicious."
Lin Chuntao smiled and asked, "Is it just right?"
My aunt nodded. "It tastes just right!"
The pig's blood could be cooked a little longer. Lin Chuntao went back to the house and got two large bowls. She scooped out some of the stir-fried mushrooms and meat. Her aunt and uncle were all here today, and her cousins were all at home. She would ask her aunt to take some back to them later.
After the pickled cabbage and pig's blood were cooked, she scooped some out and put it away.
The pig liver didn't taste good after being reheated a second time, so she stopped pretending.
As evening approached, smoke began to rise from the chimneys of every household in the village, indicating that the food was ready. Only then did Lin Chuntao go to the house site to call people back for dinner.
They moved very quickly; in just one day, the foundation was almost completely dug, and molds had been placed on the ground, with yellow clay being mixed and rammed to form the walls.
The well that Lao Sang and his team dug was already completed. Lin Chuntao estimated that it was about two meters in diameter and four or five meters deep. They often used tools to dig wells, and they would set up a frame on top so that the soil inside could be dug up quickly.
Although it hasn't been built yet, Lin Chuntao is already quite satisfied with how well it's been dug.
She invited Lao Sang and the others to come and eat together.
Sun Hu and the others had agreed to provide meals, but Lao Sang and the others hadn't mentioned it. They refused when Lin Chuntao called them.
"No need, no need, Madam Lin, we'll eat at home tonight."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "It will take more than half an hour to get back to the county town. Let's eat first and then head back."
"Come on up and get ready to eat, I've already made it."
Lin Chuntao called out very earnestly, and they stopped being coy. They joined Sun Hu and the others to fetch water and wash their hands, and then went home for dinner.
Everyone's eyes lit up when they saw the large bowl of stir-fried mushrooms.
They live in the city and are often too busy to go into the mountains to pick mushrooms. Buying them would cost more than ten cents a pound, which is not cheap, so they are reluctant to spend the money. Summer is almost over, and they still have the opportunity to eat mushrooms.
Moreover, these mushrooms are stir-fried with meat, so this job was definitely worthwhile.
Given their trust in the stir-fried pig liver they had eaten at noon, everyone was also eager to try the sauerkraut and pig blood dish.
The cooked pig's blood has a tender and smooth texture, and because of the dried chili peppers, it also has a slightly sour and spicy flavor, which is very appetizing.
Yu Meixi even scooped some rice soaked in the soup. While eating, she asked Lin Chuntao, "Chuntao, how did you come up with the idea of putting these two things together? And it tastes so good?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I'm embarrassed by what you said, sister-in-law. I just randomly put things together and cook them. If they taste good, I keep them; if they don't, I won't cook them again."
Yu Meixi laughed upon hearing this, "Chuntao is being too modest."
The mushrooms were crisp and refreshing, the sliced meat was savory, and the pickled cabbage and pig's blood were appetizing. Lin Chuntao steamed a lot of rice. Not only do people who do heavy work have a big appetite, but with these dishes, you really want to eat another bowl after finishing one.
By the end of the meal, everyone's bellies were round and full, and they felt a little embarrassed when they realized it.
After dinner, before the sun had set, Sun Hu and the others sat and rested for about fifteen minutes before going back to work.
My uncle and Lin Changzong also went to dig up some more yellow clay and made several trips to get it.
The group worked until dusk before finally finishing.
Sun Hu and his group rode back in a mule cart, and on the way, they called for their uncle and the others to come along as well.
Lin Chuntao put the scooped-out vegetables into a bamboo basket and handed it to her aunt.
“Aunt, I just scooped up some mushrooms. Take them back for your younger brother and sister to eat. We’re going to slaughter that pig tomorrow morning and bring them all over for breakfast.”
They had seen Lin Chuntao serving food separately before, and they thought she was serving some because she felt she had made too much. They didn't expect that she was serving it specifically for her younger cousins.
The eldest aunt said, "No need, no need. They can cook for themselves at home. You're so busy, you still need to trouble them."
Lin Chuntao said, "I didn't think of that. I'll definitely call them over tomorrow."
“We’re all family, no need to worry so much, the important thing is to get things done.”
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