Xiao Yunying put the chopped tomatoes into a plate: "Not having enough to eat is a thing of the past. Have I made you hungry these past two days?"
"The money your mother gave you will be spent very soon."
"You can earn more when you run out of money. Don't worry about tuition fees. Just ask if you want to go."
Luo Chen felt a surge of anger. What was wrong with this woman? She couldn't wait to spend all her money in a day. She had no idea how to manage money and had completely forgotten how she had gone hungry before.
Now she's even asking him if he wants to study and learn to read. Does he think he can just go whenever he wants? Where does she get the money?
Thinking of this, Luo Chen said stiffly, "I don't want to go."
Luo Yang took the mortar and pestle and said, "It's done."
"Give it to me."
Xiao Yunying scooped out the minced garlic with a spoon and placed it on the cucumber: "Luo Yang, you'll be eight years old after the New Year. Do you want to study and learn to read?"
Luo Yang nodded solemnly: "I want to go."
"Okay, I'll find you a private school after the New Year."
Luo Chen was getting anxious. Did she really have the money? Would she really send them to school?
"Luo Chen, what about you? Do you want to study? Think it over before you answer. I won't ask you again."
Luo Chen hesitated for a moment, then followed his heart: "I want to go, but..."
"I told you it's none of your business about tuition. Don't be so gloomy all the time, like a little old man. Aren't you afraid of getting forehead wrinkles?"
Luo Chen didn't know what forehead wrinkles were, but he figured it probably wasn't a nice thing to say.
Xiao Yunying took the ribs out, rinsed them, and drained them with a strainer, then let Luo Chen steam the rice first.
"Steamed white rice again?"
"right."
"Should we mix in some brown rice?"
"I didn't buy any brown rice. You just need to steam it and eat it. Don't say anything else!"
Luo Chen swallowed back the words he was about to say and resigned himself to washing the rice.
Luo Yang stood in front of the stove, smelling the strong garlic and fresh cucumber scent in the air: "Did you buy cucumbers in the city?"
Xiao Yunying peeled the scallion skins and washed them clean: "Yes."
Luo Yang understood immediately; just as he suspected, she would only say that she bought it in the city.
"It's rare to see such fresh and tender cucumbers this season."
"It's rare, but not unheard of. Have you ever heard of a wealthy family's greenhouse? They can grow flowers and vegetables even in the dead of winter."
Growing vegetables in a greenhouse? That's a good idea.
But he had never heard of this method before. Could it be that he hadn't been to the city for a long time, and someone had created this method in the last two years?
"And what is this red one?"
"Tomatoes."
Luo Yang no longer wanted to ask where it came from: "Eggplant?"
"You can think of it as an eggplant from a foreign land."
Luo Chen, standing nearby, asked, "It's so red, isn't it poisonous?"
"It's not poisonous. You can even eat tomatoes raw. They taste good. I'll stir-fry some eggs for you to try later."
The two brothers exchanged a glance behind Xiao Yunying, and a question simultaneously arose in their minds: how could she know so much about how to eat tomatoes?
The decisiveness in determining that the tomato was not poisonous clearly showed that the person was very familiar with the red fruit.
Xiao Yunying, unaware of what the two brothers were thinking, chopped scallions and ginger for later use.
After tidying up the room, I sat on a small stool and waited for the food to cook.
Seeing that her mother was no longer busy, Luo Xin took a piece of cloud cake and asked, "Mother, may I come in?"
"Come in, Mother isn't busy right now."
Luo Xin came in, holding up a cloud-shaped cake and bringing it to Xiao Yunying's lips: "Mother, you've worked hard. Have some cake."
Xiao Yunying bit into the cloud cake and ate the whole piece.
Made with glutinous rice flour and black sesame seeds, it's moist and soft, not dry or hard, slightly sweet, very fragrant, and tastes great.
"Is it delicious, Mom?"
"It's so delicious that Xin'er fed it to me."
Xiao Yunying hugged Xin'er and rubbed her nose against Xin'er's nose, making the little girl giggle.
The three brothers looked at the scene, each with their own thoughts.
Only they themselves know what they are really thinking.
After playing around for a while, Luo Chen got up and lifted the pot lid: "The rice is ready."
Xiao Yunying estimated it herself, and it would take about a quarter of an hour, or a little over twenty minutes.
Having a clear idea in mind means you can do it yourself in the future.
Find the wooden basin specifically for holding rice, scoop out all the rice, clean the pot, and stir-fry the tomatoes and eggs first.
Garlic paste has already been placed on the cucumber slices. Add some vinegar, soy sauce, salt, chicken bouillon, and finally a little sesame oil. Mix until the seasonings are evenly dissolved.
"Wash your hands, dinner will be ready soon."
The children, being observant, washed their hands and carried the food and dishes into the main room.
Xiao Yunying decided to simplify the recipe for sweet and sour pork ribs. Instead of using oil, she directly stir-fried the ribs in a pan for a while, then added an appropriate amount of tomato sauce, salt, sugar, white vinegar, and chicken essence. She added a little water to make the ribs juicy, and finally added a little cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. She then stir-fried the ribs until the sauce was thick and sprinkled some sesame seeds on top as a garnish.
Just like yesterday, Xiao Yunying served two portions. She carried a small bowl and said, "You eat first. I'm going to take some ribs to my mother. I'll be back in a bit."
"Mother, come back soon, Xin'er is waiting for you."
"Xin'er, eat first, don't wait for Mom. If you can't reach it, let your brother get it for you."
She only realized she hadn't brought her basket when she was almost at her parents' house. Without something to cover her, she couldn't just take things out of thin air, so she had to wait until next time.
I knocked on the door, and it was my sister-in-law who opened it again.
They were still too late. Mu Lianrong had already finished eating and was feeding her second brother's two-year-old daughter egg custard.
When the children saw that she was carrying a large bowl of meat, they all called out in unison, "Auntie!"
Xiao Yunying knew exactly what her nephews and nieces were thinking; the younger ones were practically drooling.
Indeed, the power of delicious food is great; last time she came, no one paid any attention to her.
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