After washing their hands, the women stood in a row, and Lu Qiqi was the first to check Aunt Zhao's hands.
Aunt Zhao's hands looked like they were from years of manual labor; her fingers had large knuckles, and her palms were somewhat rough.
Although it's rough, it's very clean, even the crevices under the fingernails are spotless.
Just like the clothes she was wearing, although they were coarse cloth, they were washed very clean, without any yellow stains.
In this era, there was no soap; people could only use soapberries and soapberries to wash clothes.
It's already quite an achievement that the clothes have been washed to this extent.
Lu Qiqi nodded in satisfaction and said, "That's good, let's follow Aunt Zhao's handwashing standards."
“Aunt Zhao, you’ll be working with me from now on. From now on, I’ll be responsible for checking whether your hands are clean.”
After saying that, Aunt Zhao followed behind Lu Qiqi and began to examine the area together.
When Lu Qiqi walked up to the woman who had just been scratching her head, she took a second look. Perhaps because she had just experienced embarrassment, her hands were very clean.
There was a scratch on her palm, not deep, but it still affected her kneading the dough.
Lu Qiqi didn't know why Lu Da would arrange for someone with an injured hand to come over, or perhaps he simply didn't know.
She required someone who was quick and efficient, and presumably this woman had some exceptional skills, so she didn't fire her on the spot.
Lu Qiqi said calmly, "You guys knead the dough, and let her cook with me today."
After giving her instructions, the woman followed Lu Qiqi to the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen, Lu Qiqi looked at the woman, who was dressed in coarse cloth with patches on the cuffs. Her hair was tied up with stray hairs on her forehead, and she appeared to be about the same age as Lu Qiqi.
She asked, "What's your name?"
The woman's eyes were round and slightly misty, making her look somewhat pitiful. She spoke softly, "Rumei."
"As elegant as a plum blossom," Lu Qiqi raised an eyebrow and said, "A good name. Who gave you that?"
Ru Mei said, "My husband named me that. He said Er Ya was not good enough for me, and Ru Mei sounded better."
When Ru Mei talked about her husband, a blush immediately appeared on her face.
Lu Qiqi, "..."
There's no need to flaunt their relationship like this.
Lu Qiqi coughed lightly and said, "How did you get this wound? It hasn't even scabbed over yet, and you're already working?"
The only educated person in Tianxin Village should be the scholar in blue robes who guided them to the epidemic area.
That man doesn't seem like the type to mistreat his wife.
Ru Mei clenched her fist lightly and said, "I was injured by accident, and he doesn't know it. I hope the village head won't tell him."
Lu Qiqi wasn't one to meddle in other people's business. She said, "As long as you don't interfere with your work, it's fine."
"Give."
When Ru Mei saw what Lu Qiqi handed her, she looked up at Lu Qiqi in confusion.
“I forgot, you probably don’t know how to use it,” Lu Qiqi said, taking Ru Mei’s injured hand and putting it on for her.
"These are called gloves. Wearing them will prevent your hands from getting sore. However, they tear easily, so you can't touch sharp objects. But they're fine for washing vegetables."
When Ru Mei heard that this thing was easy to break, she wanted to take it off. This thing was so good, it must not be cheap, and she couldn't afford to pay for it if she broke it.
Before she could even take it off, Lu Qiqi stopped her, saying, "Don't waste time, hurry up and come and prepare the vegetables."
After saying that, Lu Qiqi walked towards the desk.
Ru Mei then did not refuse again, fearing that it would waste time.
On the counter were the dishes that Li Changlong had prepared; both the vegetables and the pork had been processed.
Now all you need to do is chop the vegetables and then you can stir-fry them.
Ru Mei's movements were swift and efficient; she chopped vegetables with remarkable skill and focused attention, quickly cutting the pork into chunks in her hands.
"These vegetables and meat need to be chopped and stir-fried so they can be sandwiched in steamed buns," Lu Qiqi said while chopping the vegetables.
Upon hearing this, Rumei began to cut the pork into small cubes.
After they finished chopping the vegetables, a fragrant aroma wafted into the kitchen window.
The steamed buns are ready!
"Rumei, start a fire."
After Lu Qiqi finished speaking, she picked up a bowl of green vegetables and walked to the stove.
Before lighting the fire, Ru Mei carefully took off her gloves and placed them aside, afraid that they would be pricked by dry branches.
Lu Qiqi took in all her little actions without saying a word. Once the pot was hot, she added the lard.
Then I put the pork in the pan and stir-fried it, adding a little ginger to remove any unpleasant smell.
With a "whoosh," the greens were put into the pot, and Lu Qiqi began to stir-fry them quickly.
Dishes stir-fried over a high flame always smell better, and Lu Qiqi felt a little hungry just smelling them.
The aroma wafted slowly into the air, filling the kitchen with the fragrance of food.
Lu Qiqi then added the seasonings in order: salt, soy sauce, and fermented bean paste.
The only thing she didn't add was chili powder, since she didn't know the local tastes in Heshun Prefecture or whether the people in Tianxin Village ate spicy food.
Even so, this dish is still a feast for the eyes and the palate when it comes out of the pot.
"alright."
Lu Qiqi breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Did you understand?"
Ru Mei blinked and looked at her. After a moment of eye contact, she nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.
"From now on, you'll be in charge of cooking this dish. You can talk to Aunt Zhao and ask her to find another helper."
Ru Mei blinked and nodded.
Lu Qiqi didn't care about her, just assuming that she was introverted.
Then, a plate of food was placed on it and given to the person who cooked it.
Lu Qiqi walked out of the yard with a plate of food and saw Li Changlong and Zhou Yi carrying steamed buns onto the oxcart.
Ru Mei then carried the covered vegetable basin onto the oxcart.
Lu Qiqi placed the dishes on the square table, which had already been wiped clean by several women.
"Wow! There's meat in it!"
"Let me see!"
As they spoke, the two women moved closer, their eyes fixed on the dishes on the table.
Take a deep breath, "It smells so good! It smells amazing!"
When the villagers of Tianxin Village were prosperous, they could eat meat several times a month. But now, they can't sell their umbrellas, so they have to be careful with even the lard, let alone meat.
Seeing this dish of food made me incredibly happy.
Lu Qiqi instructed Li Changlong to leave two steamed buns for each woman, and to take the rest of the buns to the hillside for the villagers who were planting trees.
Suddenly, she remembered something and rushed to Li Changlong, who was putting steamed buns on the oxcart, saying, "Second Brother, don't forget to deliver water to the villagers!"
"knew!"
Lu Qiqi asked Li Changlong to deliver spiritual spring water. She planned to have the villagers drink spiritual spring water for the next few days, firstly to give them more strength to work, and secondly to benefit their health.
She looked to the courtyard gate on her left. The gate was locked, and there was no one inside.
Ever since Lu Dahai and his group arrived, Doctor Luo has complained about the noise and crowds, and now he has moved to live in the neighboring courtyard.
It's much more relaxed now, and there's more space.
Lu Qiqi planned to send a pot of food to Doctor Luo and the others that evening.
Li Changlong and Zhou Yi went to deliver the food, while Lu Qiqi sat down with several women and ate steamed buns together.
She ate while listening to several women gossip about the village, treating it like listening to stories.
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