Chapter 57 - Two-in-One Mushroom and Fresh Meat Wonton
Lin Miaomiao climbed onto the bed, took the things out from under the straw mat, and opened them. Instantly, two small porcelain figures intertwined fell out. At first, she didn't know what they were, but after picking them up and examining them closely, she blushed instantly and hurriedly tried to put them away. However, before she could, Niu Hongxi pressed her down.
"Aren't you going to take a closer look? This is what we're going to do in a little while."
Lin Miaomiao's eyes widened. "Who wants to do this with you?"
Niu Hongxi smiled and said, "Married couples have to do it, otherwise how can they have children? If you don't do it, why would your grandmother give you this?"
Lin Miaomiao fell silent, as if she instantly understood what her grandmother had said: if you take good care of people, they will protect you. Is this how you take care of them?
Niu Hongxi blew out the tinderbox, put the porcelain figure and gourd in her hand aside, and whispered in her ear, "It's okay, I can teach you if you don't know how. You'll learn after tonight."
Lin Miaomiao took a deep breath and slowly lay down.
Niu Hongxi lay down on it, rubbed it haphazardly for a while, and then couldn't wait to reach down below.
Fan Liniang and Meng Yun were sleeping in the room next to Lin Miaomiao's. The two sisters-in-law had just lain down when they heard Lin Miaomiao screaming in pain from the next room!
The urgent cry of pain had barely faded when a scream of excruciating agony followed.
After hearing Lin Miaomiao's shouts, Lin Jiacai and the others called out from next door to ask what was wrong.
Lin Miaomiao could only say that she had accidentally bumped her head.
After replying to her brothers, she dared not shout anymore and lowered her voice.
Even if she lowered her voice, Fan Liniang next door could hear her clearly. She was a married woman and knew exactly what was going on just by listening.
Although the marriage was arranged by the government, many ordinary families also arranged marriages without their consent. The newlyweds would cherish each other on their wedding night. How could they do such a reckless thing?
The next day, Lin Jialang and the others woke up early. Fan Liniang, who hadn't slept well the night before, also got up early and cooked some millet porridge in an earthenware pot. Each of the children drank a bowl.
"Jialang, now that you're free, lock the door and take us to see where the well is. Let us familiarize ourselves with the village roads."
Lin Jialang happily agreed, locked the door, and led them out.
The village was quiet in the early morning. The surrounding mountains were lush and green. A thin layer of mist floated in the rising sun, enveloping the small village. The air was fresh and the weather was warm. Fan Liniang breathed a sigh of relief and felt a little more hopeful for the days to come.
Lin Chunxing and the others steamed buns for breakfast. After eating, they locked the door, picked up their baskets, and prepared to call Lin Qingqing and the others to gather firewood.
We ran into Lin Jialang and Fan Liniang shortly after we came down the road.
Lin Jialang called out to Lin Chunxing with a grin, "Second sister, where are you going?"
Lin Chunxing paused for a moment. Unlike Lin Chuntao, she couldn't walk over so easily without even looking at her. She could only mutter a reply: "Gather firewood."
After saying that, he left with his two younger sisters.
Fan Liniang noticed something amiss. Seeing her inquisitive expression, Lin Jialang took the initiative to introduce them: "They are my third uncle's children, four sisters, living over there." Lin Jialang pointed to the old house of the village head.
Fan Liniang looked at the house that Lin Jialang pointed to. The house was smaller than the other houses in the village, so it must be an old house.
Are your third uncle and aunt still alive?
Lin Jialang shook his head slightly, "My third aunt passed away several years ago, and my third uncle had an accident a few days ago."
Meng Yun also glanced at it, then looked at Lin Chunxing and the others' backs.
"Four sisters? I only saw three pass by just now."
Lin Jialang said, "My older sister goes into the mountains in the morning to pick mushrooms to sell in the county town, but she's not home right now."
"Mushrooms... what are those?" Meng Yue asked curiously, having heard of something she had never heard of before.
Little Cuckoo explained from the side, "Mushrooms are just mushrooms that grow in the mountains. You can pick them and stir-fry or cook them. They're delicious!"
When Meng Yue heard that it was edible, her eyes widened.
"Can we go pick them up?"
Little Dujuan nodded vigorously. Seeing her daughter's eager look, Fan Liniang thought it was probably something similar to wild vegetables. Since they were new to the area and unfamiliar with it, she was afraid they would get lost in the mountains. So she quickly said, "We'll go pick some later. You're too young to go into the mountains."
Meng Yue obediently agreed, and Lin Jialang led them on a walk around, showing them the location of the well and how to get to the river before returning.
When they entered the hospital, Lin Miaomiao and the others also got up.
Niu Hongxi's smugness contrasted sharply with Lin Miaomiao's. Fan Liniang glanced at her, wanting to say something, but remembering how Lin Miaomiao had just returned last night, and thinking that she might be making a fool of herself since Lin Miaomiao was a stranger, she had no choice but to give up for the time being.
Lin Miaomiao met Fan Liniang's probing gaze, thinking that they must have heard it last night as well. She glared at Fan Liniang in annoyance. Fan Liniang was stunned for a moment after seeing this, and then decisively looked away.
Lin Miaomiao and the others are going to Yangjiazhuang today to distribute the land this afternoon.
After having breakfast, she locked the door and left with Lin Jiacai and Niu Hongxi.
Fan Liniang and the others sat at the doorway, watching them walk by. Lin Miaomiao met their gazes, turned around and said to Niu Hongxi, "I'm in pain and can't walk. Carry me."
Niu Hongxi stared at her blankly, but quickly realized that Fan Liniang and the others were watching. Niu Hongxi smiled, squatted down, and carried her out.
He carried it around the village on his back, and the village women laughed at him from behind.
Aunt Guizhi also went to sell vegetables today. After selling the mushrooms, Lin Chuntao didn't wait for Pei Ying. The sun was shining, and she wanted to come back to dry the sauce, so she went back with Aunt Guizhi in a mule cart.
Before I even got back to the village, I ran into a few women from the village who were sitting on the edge of the field chatting enthusiastically.
Seeing Aunt Guizhi return, they quickly turned around to greet her. Aunt Guizhi also stopped the mule and chatted with them for a bit.
"What are you guys talking about? You're laughing so hard you could hear us from the other side of the mountain."
The women showed no shame, saying, "Everyone's talking about Miaomiao. The young couple were too rough with her last night. She can't even walk today, so her husband had to carry her to her grandmother's house."
Aunt Guizhi sighed and looked at them with a complicated expression. "I have to say, you two are really something. You don't act like aunties at all. Aren't you ashamed in broad daylight!"
The woman chuckled, her gaze falling on Lin Chuntao. She teased, "What's there to be shy about? Look at Chuntao, she doesn't blush at the drop of a hat like she did when she was a young girl after getting married."
Lin Chuntao: "..."
"If I were shy, wouldn't my aunties laugh at me behind my back? They're a newlywed couple, what if they just like each other? It's no big deal if they keep it to themselves. Why is it about what happened last night?"
Lin Chuntao's tone was calm, and the woman thought that Lin Chuntao had joined their discussion, and laughed: "What do you mean by like or dislike? She was put down after only carrying her a short distance. Miaomiao can't even walk properly."
Hearing this, Lin Chuntao's expression changed slightly, and Aunt Guizhi also felt a little uncomfortable. She said that she had something to do at home and drove away in her mule cart.
The two walked forward in silence for a while before Aunt Guizhi said, "If her maternal grandmother and aunts see us going to her maternal grandmother's house today, they'll probably say something."
Lin Chuntao sighed softly, unsure of what to say.
Aunt Guizhi turned to look at her, her eyes filled with an unspoken inquiry. Lin Chuntao waved her hand and said, "We didn't do that. I sighed because I felt that women could get together and chat without any shame, but they didn't bother to explain to the young girls what was going on, and they suffered a lot for nothing."
Aunt Guizhi nodded; everyone was indeed as Lin Chuntao had said.
But she quickly realized that Lin Chuntao and Lin Miaomiao were actually in similar situations, or even worse. Her mother had passed away long ago, and no one had told her about these things after her marriage. She was lamenting both Lin Miaomiao and herself.
Aunt Guizhi pursed her lips and asked directly, "How are things between you and Xiao Pei?" After asking, Aunt Guizhi explained, "I also asked when your sister Shuilian came back to visit her parents. Your mother is gone, so just consider me as half a mother. Tell me whatever you want."
Lin Chuntao noticed the emotion in her eyes and had no choice but to tell the truth: "We haven't consummated our marriage yet."
Aunt Guizhi paused, realizing that the old lady had indeed guessed correctly.
Why?
Lin Chuntao said, "It's nothing. We're just planning to save up some money at the end of the year to have a banquet. Don't worry, Auntie. We've already agreed on this. I'm not young anymore, I know what to do."
Aunt Guizhi breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. She said in a low voice, "Many men only care about their own pleasure. You can't let someone do whatever they want to you. They always say who serves whom, but in this matter, who serves whom is uncertain. You understand what I mean, right?"
"Yes, I understand."
After Lin Chuntao agreed, she looked at Aunt Guizhi, and the two smiled at each other.
On her way back, she passed by the Lin family's old house, where Lin Jialang and the others were at the door.
"Sister Chuntao, Second Sister and the others went to collect firewood and aren't home."
Lin Chuntao frowned and glanced at him indifferently. Fan Liniang and the others were also sitting facing the courtyard gate, looking at her. When they met each other's gazes, Lin Chuntao nodded slightly and turned to leave.
After Lin Chuntao left, Lin Jialang pursed his lips, lowered his eyes, and a hint of disappointment flashed across his face.
Meng Yun asked casually, "Jialang, is this your third uncle's eldest cousin?"
Lin Jialang hummed in response, and Meng Yun asked him, "Why is everyone ignoring you?"
Looking at Meng Yun and Fan Liniang, Lin Jialang knew that they would find out about their family's affairs sooner or later, so he could only say, "My third uncle has a new wife. They found a marriage for Sister Chuntao, but she was not happy with it. She picked someone herself, signed the marriage contract, and was kicked out. Since then, they have not been on good terms with us."
Meng Yun and Fan Liniang frowned slightly upon hearing this, having grasped the general idea, and did not pursue the details further.
When Lin Chuntao returned home, the door was locked, and Lin Chunxing and the others were indeed not home. She opened the door, put down the basket on her back, and let all the chicks and hens out into the yard. She cleaned the yard a bit before taking out the soy sauce jars to continue drying them.
She looked at the color of the sauce and estimated that it would be ready in another five or six days.
After the soy sauce was dried, Lin Chuntao went to check on the piglet. A lot of pig feed was cut every day, but the piglet ate half and wasted the other half. The uneaten pig feed was piled under its body as a blanket, and its body was covered with green juice.
Villagers who raise pigs and chickens will gather some withered leaves from the mountains for them to sleep on. This makes the livestock more comfortable and also allows them to gradually produce manure, which they can then dig up and plant in the fields before spring planting, ensuring a harvest for the year.
Lin Chuntao had seen it before, but she was a little afraid of it and preferred to dig a pit and smother the manure.
She wanted to fatten up the pig so she could slaughter more meat for the New Year. The fastest way to gain weight was either with feed or grain, but neither was realistic right now. Watching the piglet slowly get up and walk towards her, she smiled and tossed it a bundle of grass, saying, "Little pig, eat more grass. I believe you can get fat just by eating grass."
The little pig seemed not to hear her and buried its head in eating pig feed.
Lin Chuntao was a little bored, so she went back to her room to soak some rice, then took a small bamboo basket to the fields to check on the corn in each plot. She also went to the vegetable garden and picked some water spinach. The red mustard greens and bok choy were growing well too, and they would be ready to eat in about twenty days.
Watching the green leaves sway in the breeze, Lin Chuntao's mood improved.
Just as I was about to come back, I ran into Aunt Guizhi, who was picking broad beans. Aunt Guizhi pulled me along, and we picked some more broad beans and green beans.
Aunt Guizhi smiled and said, "You can peel these broad beans and stir-fry them, or boil them directly as a snack. You can pick more yourself when you're done eating them."
Lin Chuntao picked a few tomatoes, cut some chives, picked some peppers, and chopped some scallions, filling a bamboo basket to the brim, and then slipped some money to Aunt Guizhi.
She declined, but Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "If you don't accept them, how can I pick so many? You've been so kind to us, Auntie, how can we just take them for free?"
Aunt Guizhi thought that since everyone was so familiar with each other and got along so well, it wouldn't be appropriate to accept money from them. But Lin Chuntao felt that no matter how good the relationship was, things should be kept separate so that no one would have any grudges.
Carrying her shopping basket home, Lin Chuntao sorted the vegetables and washed them. Most of the ones she had picked were still tender. She removed the stems, washed them, and put them in the pot to cook. With nothing else to do, she also picked some green beans and placed them aside.
Lin Chunxing and the others returned with firewood on their backs right after they finished.
Seeing something cooking on the stove, she asked with delight, "Sis, what are you cooking?"
"Broad beans, I ran into Aunt Guizhi when I went to get the vegetables. She asked me to pick some broad beans and green beans and bring them back. I cooked some and they should be ready soon."
The sisters arranged the firewood pile and brought over their baskets.
"Sis, we found some mushrooms. Let's stir-fry them and eat them later."
Lin Chuntao looked into the basket and estimated that it weighed about two or three pounds. It was mostly green-headed mushrooms and pine needle mushrooms, with a few chanterelle mushrooms as well, although some of the caps were broken.
She originally brought back chives intending to make chive boxes, but now she has both broad beans and mushrooms...
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "How about I make some mushroom and meat wontons for you to share at noon?"
What are wontons? The sisters had never heard of them before, but they knew it was something new they had never eaten before. Without a second thought, the sisters agreed and excitedly grabbed a basin to scoop water to wash their hands.
Lin Chuntao also went inside and brought out a clean earthenware basin. She picked out the mushrooms from the basket and carried them to the bamboo fence to wash them.
"Sister, let's take a shower."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Okay, you guys wash up, I'll go chop the meat."
As she spoke, she went into the house, took out a piece of meat from the earthenware pot, and cut it off. These days, there was almost always meat in the house. Pei Ying would bring some back every day, whether it was pork liver, pork heart, pork belly, or leg meat.
There was a piece of pork leg left in the earthenware pot, enough for two meals. She had chopped too much meat for filling, so she cut off half of it.
She took them outside to scoop out water to wash them, and when she returned to the house, she smelled the aroma of broad beans in the pot. She turned around and called to Lin Chunhe, "Third brother, check if the broad beans are cooked. If they are, take them out and remove the firewood."
Upon hearing this, Lin Chunhe got up and hurried over to get to work.
When Pei Ying returned, Lin Chuntao was still chopping minced meat, and the younger sisters were squatting under the bamboo fence washing mushrooms. In the bamboo basket on the bamboo rack, broad beans were still steaming.
"What delicious food are you making?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Chunxing and the others found some mushrooms. I was thinking of chopping some minced meat and making something to eat."
Pei Ying was holding half a pig's head, and Lin Chuntao asked in surprise, "You want to eat pig's head meat?"
Pei Ying smiled. He just didn't know what kind of meat to buy, so he brought back half a pig's head. Hearing Lin Chuntao's words, he laughed and said, "It's alright, see how you want to eat it."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "There are many ways to eat pig's head meat. You can braise it or boil it to make a cold dish."
As she spoke, Pei Ying carried the meat back into the house.
He washed his hands and changed his clothes before coming to Lin Chuntao's side.
"Is it almost done chopping?"
Lin Chuntao nodded. "It's almost ready. We haven't kneaded the dough yet. Go get an earthenware basin and scoop out two bowls of noodles for me."
Pei Ying did as instructed, and Lin Chuntao put the minced meat from the cutting board into a bowl and called out to ask if they had washed the mushrooms.
Lin Chunxing smiled and said, "It will be ready soon."
Lin Chuntao went over to take a look, took the clean mushrooms first, chopped them up to make filling. The mushrooms were chopped up quickly. Lin Chuntao then asked Lin Chunxing and the others to wash some scallions and chop some scallion flowers for later use.
Pei Ying kneaded the dough and stood beside him, kneading it. He asked, "Do you need a rolling pin for this?"
"Hmm, bamboo will work too."
After kneading the dough, Pei Ying went to get a section of bamboo and cleaned it. Lin Chuntao mixed the minced meat and mushrooms together, added salt, and mixed in chopped green onions.
Lin Chuntao picked out a piece to use as a sample, and gave the rest to Pei Ying.
She doesn't know how to make dumplings, but making wontons is easier. She used to make some and store them in the refrigerator so she could take them out and cook them when she was too lazy to cook.
Pei Ying rolled the dough quickly, and Lin Chuntao wrapped it just as quickly. Lin Chunxing and the others watched from the side, eager to try it themselves.
Lin Chuntao taught them twice, then let them figure it out on their own while she quickly wrapped the package.
After wrapping several more, the sisters started to wrap them quite well.
Seeing that the bags were almost finished, Lin Chuntao asked Lin Chunxing to wash the pot and boil water so that they could cook the food once the water boiled.
"Sister, should we add oil when we cook it?" Lin Chunxing asked while washing the pot.
"No need, just scoop water in."
After quickly finishing wrapping them all and arranging them neatly in a large winnowing basket, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "That should be enough for us, right?"
Pei Ying glanced at the quantity; it was quite a lot. He smiled and said, "Then we'll have to see how much everyone likes it later."
Lin Chuntao couldn't help but say, "Even if you like it so much you can't fit it all in your stomach, you can only eat this much."
There was still a little dough left in the bowl, so Lin Chuntao asked Pei Ying to cut it into long strips and throw it in to cook later.
Once the water in the pot boiled, Lin Chuntao put half of it in, instantly filling the pot to more than half full.
Before it boiled, Pei Ying cleaned up the basin. She ran to wash the scallions and garlic, chopped them into small pieces, added some salt, some chicken oil that had been fried last time, and a piece of lard.
Before long, the wontons in the pot were floating up.
The ones Lin Chuntao made were still intact, but some of the ones Lin Chunxing and the others had started making had fallen apart, with the dough stuck together and the filling scattered in the soup.
The three sisters suddenly started making excuses, each claiming that the other had booked the place, and the whole courtyard was filled with their back-and-forth conversation.
Normally, wontons would be cooked in no time once they float to the surface, but because they contained mushrooms, Lin Chuntao cooked them a little longer. Before serving them, she even took one out to taste.
Only after she was sure it was cooked did she start ladling out the broth, scallion, and garlic sauce.
After preparing the dipping sauce, Lin Chuntao said, "Take as much as you want to eat, and then come over here to add the dipping sauce."
The younger sisters responded and quickly went to serve the food, asking Lin Chuntao to add sauce for them.
"If you like it spicy, just add some chili oil yourself."
Although she said that, none of the younger sisters added it, always feeling that the flavor their older sister had prepared was the best.
Lin Chuntao finished preparing the dishes for them, and Pei Ying also brought over two bowls, ladling in the sauce. Lin Chuntao complained that it was too hot and sat at the table waiting for it to cool down.
Lin Chunhe and the others couldn't wait any longer, and without caring whether it was hot or not, they hurriedly tried one.
It's just ordinary mushrooms chopped up and mixed with meat, but the taste of this package is completely different, so fresh that it makes you want to swallow your tongue.
Lin Chunhe exhaled as she said, "Sister! It's so...delicious!"
Pei Ying was also looking forward to seeing what it would taste like. She picked one out, blew on it, and put it directly into her mouth.
The dough has a subtle wheat flavor, the mushrooms are crisp and fresh, and the minced meat is wrapped together very deliciously, with a hint of scallion flavor to balance it out. It's simply amazing!
Pei Ying looked up at Lin Chuntao as he ate, and found it strange. Scallions are used in dipping sauces and stir-fries, but he had never seen them wrapped in dough before.
Lin Chuntao always says she just makes it casually, but I've never seen anyone else make it taste like this casually.
The morning sun wasn't too hot, and there was a cool breeze blowing.
Everyone quickly finished one bowl and went to get a second one. After these two rounds of scooping, the pot was empty. Lin Chuntao asked, "Is this bowl enough to fill you up? If not, keep cooking."
"Cook them all."
It wasn't Lin Chunhe and the others speaking; it was Pei Ying.
Lin Chuntao smiled, stuffed some firewood into the stove, added some water to the pot, and cooked the rest of the food when the water boiled.
Lin Chuntao ate three bowls: two bowls of clear soup and one bowl of spicy dry soup. Her three younger sisters, seeing her bright red bowl, all held their bowls and asked for a few more.
Lin Chuntao had no choice but to give them some anyway.
Lin Duo'er tried one and exclaimed, "The spicy one is delicious too! Sis, when are we going to make more?"
Lin Chuntao looked at her and smiled, "I'd get tired of eating this every day. Let's make it again every few days."
The noodles I cooked last time were amazing, and the wontons this time are also absolutely delicious.
Pei Ying said, "Last time you mentioned cooking rice noodles to sell, I think many people will also like your wontons."
Lin Chuntao laughed when she heard Pei Ying say that.
"I've been listening to you guys praising it all day. The taste is good, but it's definitely not a good business. The meat isn't cheap, and the soup I just made for you not only has lard in it, but I also added chicken oil! If you really try to sell it for a few coins, you definitely won't make any money. You might as well sell rice noodles."
The group chatted and laughed, and after eating their fill, they all slumped in their chairs to rest.
Just as Lin Chuntao was calling them to clear the dishes, she heard a noisy voice coming from not far away. When Lin Chuntao went out of the yard, she saw that it was Lin Cunzheng and his people going to divide the land.
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