Xu Lai quickly replied, "Don't mention it. If I hadn't asked you for help, Auntie, this wouldn't have happened. I'm already very grateful that you were willing to sell me the candy."
Aunt Hongmei almost burst into tears upon hearing this. Xu Lai had helped her open a restaurant, and she had made a lot of money. There were quite a few people in the village who made sugar, but Xu Lai gave her the business. If it weren't for Xu Lai, she might still be living by asking men for money.
Xu Lai offered some simple words of comfort and told Aunt Hongmei to take the things back, but she insisted on staying and left so quickly that by the time Xu Lai picked them up, Aunt Hongmei was almost out of sight.
Grandma put the things inside the house. She listened in the room the whole time and didn't come out until Aunt Hongmei left.
Xu Lai was startled. "Grandma, you're home? I thought you went out to visit someone."
Grandma: "I saw Hongmei arrive, so I didn't come out to avoid embarrassing her. After all, you are a junior, and it wouldn't be good for an old woman like me to see her coming to apologize, especially since she has to swallow her pride."
Xu Lai smiled and said, "You are wise and open-minded."
After finishing up here, Xu Lai went to the kitchen to get a basket and went to the field to pick vegetables.
Grandpa planted so many cabbages that they could hardly eat them all. Xu Lai planned to pick a few to make kimchi, which would be good with rice and help cut through the richness of the dish.
After being touched by frost, the cabbage is especially sweet and looks tender.
Xu Lai didn't bring a knife. He simply held the cabbage with both hands, turned it in one direction, and the cabbage fell off.
She picked about seven or eight plants in total, along with some celery and garlic, and then went home.
When she got home, her grandparents were warming themselves by the stove, eating sweet potato chips. She had tried the cat poop twice before, but it was still a bit hard, and her cheeks hurt when she chewed it.
When she returned, Grandma came over to look and asked, "Why did you bring back so many cabbages?"
Xu Lai broke off some rotten cabbage leaves to feed the chickens and ducks, and then said, "There's still a lot left in the field. We can't finish it all, so I'll get some to make kimchi."
Grandma shook her head upon hearing this: "I know how to make kimchi, but I've heard little about spicy cabbage. Is it spicy?"
Xu Lai couldn't help but laugh: "It's sour and spicy, Grandma, you can eat it without worry."
She put the cabbage in a basin, filled it with a large basin of well water, rinsed the cabbage briefly, and then took it out to drain.
Cut the cabbage in half, or cut smaller cabbages into quarters, and then sprinkle with salt to marinate.
Xu Lai also kept a cabbage, intending to make spicy cabbage and beef hot pot.
Break the cabbage leaves off one by one, then take the middle section with leaves and stems, and lay the thawed beef slices on top, placing them in the pot, layering them one by one until the entire bottom of the pot is covered.
Then, make a sauce: 3 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of ketchup, 1 tablespoon of pepper, a little minced garlic, and half a bowl of water.
Spread diced tomatoes on top, pour in the sauce and a bowl of water, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.
This was a recipe she saw someone share while scrolling through videos. It was Xu Lai's first time making it, so she didn't know how it would taste.
She cooked two more dishes, and then it was time to eat. Grandpa looked at the things in the pot and asked, "What is this? It looks delicious."
Xu Lai explained, "I made a braised cabbage and beef stew. Please try it and see if you like it."
Grandpa picked up a piece with his chopsticks, blew on it, and put it in his mouth, mumbling, "It tastes good. Make more of these fresh dishes in the future."
Grandma glanced at Grandpa and said, "You have hands and feet, go and cook whatever you want to eat. Why are you calling Xiao Lai around every day?"
Xu Lai had no idea that the elderly couple had started arguing again while she was cooking.
After some investigation, she learned that the reason was this: her grandmother wanted to catch a chicken and a duck for her younger brother on her maternal side. Speaking of her maternal great-uncle, there was a complicated story to tell.
His wife left a long time ago, leaving behind two children. His daughter is already married, and his son is still in college.
Someone had previously tried to arrange a marriage for him, suggesting he remarry. The woman was divorced and had a son. Things were going well, but his daughter objected and didn't want him to remarry.
The matter was dropped. Grandma saw that he was all alone, with no one to care for him. Since the New Year was approaching, she wanted to send him some things.
Grandpa was naturally unwilling. They never thought of his family when they received any benefits from their side, and now they wanted him to go out of his way to deliver things. There was no way he could do that.
Grandma was very angry, "Anyway, I'm going to deliver it."
Grandpa didn't back down either, "Then go catch the chickens and ducks yourself, I won't interfere at all, just don't expect me to do it."
Xu Lai tried to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, it's not even the New Year yet. If you ask me, we should just wait until the pond is drained for the New Year and send them all at once. We can even bring him a couple of fish."
After finishing the meal, Grandma put down her chopsticks and went back to her room. Grandpa snorted, "I can't be bothered with you. Is it really that interesting to always try to be nice to someone who doesn't reciprocate?"
Xu Lai shook her head. She was used to it. Her grandparents had lived together for over fifty years, and they had basically spent their time bickering.
She washed the bowls, put them in the sterilizer, and then took out the cabbage. It had already released a lot of moisture from the pickling process, and she had tasted it before to make sure it was just right.
Then prepare apples, pears, and onions, and blend them together with ginger and garlic into a puree.
Next, take out glutinous rice flour, cook it into glutinous rice paste, pour the fruit puree into the glutinous rice paste, and stir well.
Add coarse and fine chili powder, a little salt, shredded onion or white radish, and chopped scallions, then mix well.
Then put the sauce into the cabbage, spreading a thin layer of sauce on each layer of cabbage until the entire cabbage is covered.
Put the cabbage in a jar or pickling jar. Xu Lai took a box, put all the cabbage in, and pickled it overnight before eating. Of course, it won't spoil if left for a long time; it will only taste better.
After finishing all that, she didn't rush upstairs to wash up. Instead, she sat by the fireplace to warm herself and edited the video.
Zhao Qingyun wasn't home; he was on a business trip, or more accurately, he had returned to City B, and he had taken Grandma Jiang with him.
The main reason for going back this time was to pick up the gift he had customized. Xu Lai's birthday was coming up, and he wanted to get it before her birthday.
Grandma Jiang is coming back and won't leave again. She'll go back after the New Year. Ms. Yingqiu originally wanted him to stay as well. He could go to Heng County or not. The reason she asked him to stay was to take care of his grandmother.
Grandma has already returned, but Ms. Yingqiu still hasn't brought it up. After all, Xu Lai is still there, and given her son's personality, a long-distance relationship is absolutely out of the question.
Zhao Qingyun took an orange, peeled it, and said, "I'm going back tomorrow. When is Grandpa coming back?"
Ms. Yingqiu thought for a moment, "It seems like it'll be in the next couple of days. Why don't you postpone it for another two days and leave the day after tomorrow?"
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