Duan Yingying couldn't rest and kept wanting to do something, but Xiao Yunying always stopped her.
"Is there something at home that needs your help?"
"No, I just wanted to help Sister Yunying with more work."
She's here to help with the work; how can she just sit and drink water all the time?
"Sit quietly and drink your grapefruit tea. There's nothing to do now. We'll get busy later. You're not tired, but I am. I can't sit still if you move."
This break lasted for nearly 45 minutes, and we only got busy again when the steamed buns and dumplings were almost ready.
Xiao Yunying first put the pork tenderloin and thinly sliced ribs in the seasonings and set them aside to marinate. When the steamed buns and dumplings were almost ready, she removed the lid from the pot and let them cool for a while.
She took a shovel and collected the steamed buns and mantou from outside, then packed them into baskets according to the number of people. She then had the two brothers, Luo Chen and Luo Yang, run errands and deliver the steamed buns to her mother and Aunt Yang's house.
He broke one off himself and gave half to Duan Yingying.
"Sister Yunying, I'm not eating anymore."
"What's wrong? You don't like what I made?"
Duan Yingying blushed and said, "No, I came here to help with the work. If I keep eating, what will I look like..."
Xiao Yunying put the bun in her hand: "This is just to help you out, letting you taste it for me. I'm not asking you to stay for dinner."
Duan Yingying held the steamed buns. Putting aside Yun Ying's superb cooking skills, even if they weren't delicious, they were already steamed and couldn't be seasoned anymore.
She was clearly saying that on purpose, wanting me to eat with her.
Xiao Yunying urged, "What are you standing there for? You can't taste anything just by looking. Hurry up and eat!"
Duan Yingying took a bite. The steamed bun, made from pure white flour, had a soft and fragrant skin, and inside were sweet cabbage and large chunks of meat.
"tasty."
Luo Li stared longingly at the steamed bun in Xiao Yunying's hand: "Mom, I want to eat steamed buns."
"You'll get your share, just wait."
She broke off another one, let it cool, and gave it to Luo Li and Luo Xin, rolling up their sleeves: "Don't burn yourselves, bend over to eat, there's soup, don't spill it on yourselves."
When the two older children come back, let them take the buns and eat them themselves.
After finishing her steamed buns, Xiao Yunying took out the marinated pork tenderloin and ribs, coated them with a thin layer of flour, and fried them in oil.
They ate as they cooked, and by evening, the food was almost ready, and they were also quite full.
Xiao Yunying took a plate and put some crispy pork and spare ribs on it: "I'm not making dinner, you should be full by now."
Eating while cooking in the kitchen, without even using bowls or chopsticks, and eating directly with their hands, was something none of them had ever done before, and they all blushed for a moment.
Luo Li and Luo Xin didn't feel embarrassed at all. After finishing the small piece of crispy pork in her hand, Luo Xin looked down at her little belly and said, "I'm full."
"Go wash your hands after you've eaten. You've eaten mostly noodles and meat. Luo Chen, go make some hawthorn tea for your younger siblings, but don't put too much rock sugar in."
She took a clean cloth bag, put several large steamed buns inside, wrapped the crispy pork and fried ribs separately in oil paper, and gave it to Duan Yingying.
"You came to my house to help out for a day, this is your reward."
"No, no, Sister Yunying, I can't accept this. I already took the food you gave me at noon."
Xiao Yunying forcefully shoved the cloth bag into her hand: "I told you you came to my house to help out. Since the work isn't heavy, I won't give you any money, just some food."
You must take it. If you don't, you don't need to come tomorrow.
Duan Yingying, holding the cloth bag, asked, "Should I come again tomorrow?"
"If you don't want to come, then you don't have to."
"No, no," Duan Yingying said softly, "I just feel that I haven't been of much help. Sister Yunying could have done all of this herself. Besides, I've eaten quite a lot since I arrived..."
Xiao Yunying tidied up the stove: "It's so boring to work alone. I'm the only adult in the house, and I don't even have anyone to talk to. Now that you're here, we can chat and it won't be boring to do things."
"And there's not much work today, but there will be a lot tomorrow. I need to slaughter all the chickens, ducks, and geese. Can you help me process them? It'll be a bit messy, is that okay?"
Duan Yingying nodded vigorously: "I can do it, I'm not afraid of getting dirty."
"If you're capable, come over. Remember to change into some older clothes."
Xiao Yunying tidied up the kitchen utensils on the stove, took off her apron, and said, "Let's go out together. I'll take some crispy pork to my mother."
Duan Yingying held the things in her arms. The fried meat and ribs, which had just come out of the pot, were still emitting a fragrant aroma that kept wafting into her nose.
It's been so long since they've eaten meat.
The last time I ate meat with my sister was on the day Yunying moved to her new house.
"Sister Yunying, thank you."
Xiao Yunying carried two plates: "You've thanked me so many times today. Come on, open the door for me."
After saying goodbye to the children, she and Duan Yingying went out together, parted ways at the crossroads, and she went back to her parents' home.
Unable to pound on the door with her hands, she could only kick it: "Are Mom and Dad home? Please open the door for me."
Her sister-in-law opened the door and took a plate from her: "What delicious food have you made this time?"
"I fried some crispy pork and spare ribs. Sister-in-law, has anyone eaten yet?"
"I just sat down. Have you eaten? Let's eat together."
"I ate while I was cooking, and I was full when I finished."
The two entered the main room, and as soon as the children saw her carrying a plate, they excitedly shouted in unison, "Auntie!"
Xiao Yunying placed the plate directly on the table: "Hey, your auntie's here to add some food for you."
Zhang brought her a stool, and Xiao Yunying took it and sat down next to her mother: "Sister-in-law, don't bother me, hurry up and eat."
Mu Lianrong handed her a red bean bun: "Have you eaten any? Would you like one? It was just steamed this afternoon."
"I'm not eating anymore. I steamed some buns and dumplings at home, and also fried some crispy pork and ribs. I ate while I was cooking, and came here after I was full."
Mu Lianrong put the bean buns back in the basket: "Then don't eat anymore, don't stuff yourself. I'll get you some when we get back."
Xiao Yunying sat to one side chatting with her mother and sisters-in-law about what she had done that day and what she would do tomorrow, while thinking about how to inquire about her third sister's affairs without arousing suspicion.
Xiao Shan Hai glanced at his daughter: "Yun Yun, is there something you want to say?"
"ah?"
Xiao Yunying was startled: "Oh, what I meant was, didn't we buy some ducks and geese yesterday? Today Yuancheng brought me some black-boned chickens, and I want my older brothers to help me kill them all tomorrow."
But I forgot when the rule against killing animals started, and I'm also worried about troubling my older brothers every time I have to kill a chicken or duck, so I'm hesitant and don't know whether I should say anything.
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