Xiao Yunying said she needed to go back to pack her things to move in, but Mu Lianrong didn't stop her: "Do you want your mother to help you pack?"
"No need, I don't have much stuff, but my brothers will have to help me move things when they get back."
My family has an oxcart; it should be enough to haul all the furniture in three or four trips.
Zhang said, "Don't worry, I'm more anxious than you. I've already told your older brothers."
As Xiao Yunying left the main room, several children surrounded her: "Auntie, are you going back?"
"What's wrong? Did you need something?"
The children fidgeted shyly with their fingers. Xiao Chunlei said, "Auntie, I want to eat your braised pork."
Zhang patted her son and pretended to be angry, saying, "You brat, you don't like the meat your mother cooked?"
"It's delicious, but not as delicious as my aunt's."
"Fine, don't eat it then, save it for me."
Actually, Zhang was too embarrassed to say it, but she also felt that her sister-in-law's cooking was better than her own.
Xiao Yunying smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, come back with me. I'll teach you how to make braised pork, and we can also pick up some spices from my house."
Zhang looked at her mother-in-law and asked, "Mother, shall I go?"
Mu Lianrong pretended to be impatient and said, "You're being picky when there's meat to eat. Go on, go on."
Xiao Chunlei said, "Grandma, don't you also like braised pork? Last time, when Auntie brought over braised pork and ribs, you even wiped the soup clean with a steamed bun."
Mu Lianrong blushed: "I was just afraid of wasting things. Oil and salt, which of them don't cost money? I try to save where I can. What do you know, you little brat?"
You brat, you're just like your dad, you have no sense of propriety and you blurt out whatever comes to mind.
Xiao Yunying knew her mother was embarrassed, so she pulled Zhang Shi out the door and said, "Let's go, sister-in-law, I'll teach you how to make sweet and sour pork ribs too."
On the way, I told her how to cook two dishes. When I got home, I gave Zhang some star anise, cinnamon and other spices, and wrapped some chicken essence, rock sugar and other things in oil paper. I told her how to use these things and that they could be used to cook other dishes as well.
After seeing Zhang off, Xiao Yunying felt a little dizzy. She filled several empty bamboo tubes with bubble solution, coaxed Luo Xin to play in the yard, and went back to her room to take a nap.
When I woke up, I felt like my head wasn't fully awake; instead, it felt even heavier.
As dusk approached, Xiao Yunying washed her face with cold water and mustered her energy to cook dinner.
The clothes hanging in the yard had already been taken in, except for one set of clothes she had changed out of last night that hadn't dried yet. The water tank was full, and the firewood was neatly arranged.
They must have done it.
Xiao Yunying rolled up her sleeves. She wasn't feeling well and didn't want to cook, but she had four children waiting to be fed, so she couldn't just not cook.
It's so great to be free and independent, to do whatever you want, to eat whatever you want.
I'm certain that my decision this morning was the right one. I'll just have to endure it for one more day, and we can separate tomorrow.
I used the leftover rice from lunch to make fried rice with eggs, took a piece of roast pork and half a roast chicken from the supermarket, cut them up and arranged them on a plate, and simply stir-fried some cabbage with vinegar.
I called the children to wash their hands before eating, intending to stimulate their appetite with the sour taste of vinegar. However, the smell of cooking oil made them even less hungry.
After taking a few bites of the stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, Xiao Yunying put down her chopsticks and told Luo Xin to eat by herself. She washed an apple and went back to her room.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, cracking an apple, I felt the greasy and nauseating feeling dissipate a little.
Luo Xin quickly finished her meal and ran to Xiao Yunying's room, where she found her mother staring blankly.
"Mother, are you sick?"
She used to dislike eating and preferred sleeping when she was sick.
Xiao Yunying came to her senses: "You've caught a bit of a cold. Xin'er, how about you sleep with your brothers tonight, so that I don't pass on my illness to you?"
Luo Xin wasn't afraid of getting sick; she wanted to sleep with her mother. However, if she got sick, she would have to spend money to treat her illness, and her mother worked very hard to earn money.
The little girl hesitated for a moment and then nodded: "Alright then, Mother, you need to get better soon. Xin'er wants to sleep with you more."
Xiao Yunying didn't know how to answer, so she changed the subject, took the little girl for a walk outside, and after they washed up together, she took her to Luo Chen's room.
She sat there for a while after coming back, then opened the cabinet and looked inside. She really didn't have much stuff.
When the original owner first married into the family, she spent money extravagantly, eating only fine rice and buying meat every few days. In order to please her children, she would always buy all kinds of pastries and candied fruits, buying whichever was the most expensive. In addition, when her two children fell ill and were injured, she pawned all the dowry she brought with her, and now she only has a few pieces of clothing left.
She unfolded the bundle, took out all the clothes, folded them neatly, and placed them on it. The bundle wasn't big enough to hold all the clothes, so she put the slightly thicker cotton coat on her knees and started to stare blankly again.
I was really spacing out, my mind was completely blank, I wasn't thinking about anything, I just sat on the edge of the bed and let my mind wander.
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