Salt and iron were strictly controlled substances throughout history, and this was also the case in the Kingdom of Yi.
Mu Lianrong said nervously, "Yunyun, why don't we stop eating these seasonings? Selling smuggled salt can get you beheaded."
Emma, you used too much force and scared her mother.
Xiao Yunying pretended to be relaxed and said:
“Mother, this isn’t smuggled salt. It’s sold legally. It’s just that the powerful and wealthy can’t keep up with the demand. They use their power to suppress people and won’t allow it to be sold to ordinary families. We won’t sell it. It’s fine if we eat it ourselves. As long as no one finds out, it’s fine. If we don’t go out and tell anyone, who’s going to go door to door checking kitchens for no reason?”
Mu Lianrong relaxed a bit and said to the children, "Did you hear me? You're not allowed to go out and talk about our family's affairs, understand? Otherwise, there won't be any good food left."
Upon hearing that there might not be any good food in the future, the children became increasingly serious, each promising not to gossip or spread rumors; they were practically swearing an oath.
Once the water in the pot boiled, Xiao Yunying opened the lid, pressed the softened hawthorn flesh with a spatula, tried to remove the hawthorn skin, and stirred constantly.
Remove a few pieces of firewood from the stove and turn the fire to a low flame to simmer slowly until it becomes thick and sticky. It's done when the hawthorn puree doesn't drip off the spatula when it's lifted.
Since there weren't many flat utensils at home, Xiao Yunying took out several large bowls, scooped out the fruit puree, and waited for it to cool and solidify.
Since it's for my own kids, it doesn't matter how good it looks.
The wait for delicious food can be long, especially for sweet and sour dishes, which are particularly stimulating to make your mouth water.
To distract the children, Xiao Yunying went to the woodshed and retrieved the bamboo tubes and bubble rings that Yang Tianyun had made for them to blow bubbles. She also took a wooden basin for washing clothes, filled it with water, and went inside.
"I'll perform a magic trick for you, but don't peek! Xin'er, keep an eye on them for me."
Luo Xin stood with her hands on her hips, blocking the door like a guardian deity, preventing anyone from getting close.
After closing the door, Xiao Yunying replaced the water with bubble solution from the supermarket, filled a basin to the brim, and also filled the bamboo tube.
They opened the door and gave them the bamboo tube, and also took out the wooden basin.
Four bubble rings weren't enough for ten children, so Xiao Yunying asked the children to find four forked branches: "Branches like slingshots, with longer handles."
She then went to the trunk containing Luo Sheng's clothes and found a patched coat, which she cut open, tore into long strips, and twisted into rope.
Mu Lianrong said, "Yunyun, what are you doing? Why did you tear your clothes?"
"I don't know if that scoundrel will ever come back. His clothes are useless to keep, so we might as well use them to entertain the children."
Mu Lianrong thought about it and realized it made sense. Luo Sheng's clothes weren't her daughter's clothes, so why was she feeling sorry for him? She then helped her daughter twist strips of cloth.
"Is this how you do it?"
"Mother, rub it a few less times, let the strips of cloth loosen up a bit."
Xiao Yunying tied the twisted strips of cloth together to make one with only a square in the middle and another with layers of fish scales.
When the children returned with the branches, Xiao Yunying broke them into suitable lengths, tied the two ends of the cloth strips to the forked branches, and spread the middle section open.
Xiao Yunying tried it out in the yard first. She took a square one and put it in a wooden basin. The cotton cloth was quite absorbent and could retain a lot of bubble water. She held up both ends of the branch and gently waved it. With the help of the wind, a huge bubble appeared in the yard.
Not only did the children find it strange, but even her two sisters-in-law and her mother found it interesting.
The effect was good, and Xiao Yunying was very satisfied. She carried the wooden basin out of the yard and said, "Let's go out and play. There are still clothes drying in the yard."
Seeing that her mother was interested, Xiao Yunying gave her the fish-scale-shaped net and taught her how to play with it.
Mu Lianrong flicked her wrist twice, watching the bubbles flying everywhere, refracting the sunlight into a kaleidoscope of colors, and laughed like a child.
Wang looked on with longing and said, "Mom, can I play with it for a while?"
Mu Lianrong refused: "Go play that game."
Wang could only coax the square cloth net from her two sons, and through a combination of threats and inducements, she obtained it.
Zhang was also tempted, and Luo Xin sensibly gave her the bamboo tube in her hand: "Aunt, this is for you to play with. You can blow bubbles too, just blow those bubble rings."
Zhang was a little embarrassed to take the little girl's toy: "If your aunt doesn't want to play with it, Xin'er can play with it herself."
Luo Xin forced it on her: "You play with it, Auntie. I've already played with it at home."
Hearing her mother-in-law and Wang's laughter could be heard for miles, Zhang couldn't help but accept the bamboo tube: "Thank you, Xin'er."
Luo Xin replied magnanimously, "You're welcome."
Xiao Yunying didn't expect the bubble solution to be so popular, so she called over a few of her nephews to find four more tree branches. Back in the house, she made a square one and a fish scale one.
I filled another wooden basin with bubble solution, emptied all the bubble solution in the supermarket, and brought it out for them to play with.
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