Chapter 31 Feed the Fool, Open Your Mouth
Zhou Ye didn't go to the river, but simply washed himself with the cool mountain spring water. When he returned, there was no more laughter in the courtyard at the foot of the mountain.
He looked up at the moon that was getting rounder and rounder in the sky, and then looked at the farmyard that was quietly bathed in the moonlight. He no longer felt hungry, and the boredom in his heart was swept away. He couldn't help but quicken his pace.
The next morning, when Lin Shu got up, Zhou Ye was gone.
He Guixiang had also gotten up early and was sitting in the courtyard spinning hemp. Seeing her looking around for someone, she smiled and explained, "Your father has gone to the fields. As for Ah Ye, he got up even earlier than your father and I. He went to dig the fish pond behind the house early in the morning. Ah Ye is very concerned about your fish pond."
Lin Shu was startled when she heard this, then burst into laughter. She had seen many cunning and deceitful people in the apocalypse, but she hadn't seen such an honest person in a long time.
He is such a pure and honest person, really rare.
Lin Shu raised her chin slightly and said to He Guixiang, "That's because he was satisfied with the food I fed him yesterday. I wouldn't ask him to work for me in vain."
"Mother, I'll help you weave the hemp."
He Guixiang quickly said, "No, no, it's a piece of cake. Just take Xiao Pu and go play."
Lin Shu was helpless. She was now the same as Xiao Pu, and was not allowed to do anything at home.
"Mom, you can't do this. If you have to do all the housework by yourself, you will be so tired!"
He Guixiang felt relieved and replied, "Why should I work? Your father and brother A'ye are both caring. I just make breakfast and dinner every day, wash clothes by the river every other day, and process the ramie in the yard. When I have free time, I weave a few pairs of straw sandals and make a few pairs of insoles. How can I be tired? Your father and A'ye are the ones who work hard. They fill our water tank every day, and they go to the back mountain to chop the dry firewood that's not used up in the yard. They also have to work in the fields under the wind and sun."
After hearing this, Lin Shu said shyly, "Not only that, Brother Aye has to get up early to dig a fish pond for me. It's really hard work."
After saying that, the mother and daughter smiled at each other.
"Mother, I'll make breakfast tonight, is that okay?" Lin Shu took a step back.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Ah Shu."
"Sister, let me help you!" Lin Xiaopu immediately took the job for herself.
Lin Shu pinched her nose and said, "Do you even need me to tell you? How can I accomplish such a big task as making breakfast without you?"
Lin Xiaopu chuckled.
Lin Shu immediately got to work, determined to have a good breakfast and a full stomach. She continued cooking the rice. Brown rice needed to be steamed longer to soften it and make it easier to digest. Before cooking, Lin Shu specifically asked He Guixiang how much brown rice to use, to avoid accidentally overcooking. Overcooking could save her for dinner, but undercooking wouldn't work.
There's still some wild boar meat left, a bit tough. Chop it up and mix it with chopped green onions and garlic, then add flour to make meatballs for meatball soup. I've saved three more eggs from my hens, crack them into a bowl, blend them, and add water to make a big bowl of steamed egg custard. And there's also a handful of leftover dried bamboo shoots. After soaking them, I stir-fry them with chopped wild onions. They turn out crispy and fragrant.
A dish of steamed egg custard, a dish of stir-fried wild onions with dried bamboo shoots, and a dish of meatball soup. It was not as sumptuous as yesterday's, but it was enough for the whole family to have a delicious meal.
Zhou Ye, who was digging a fish pond behind the house, smelled the aroma of rice coming from the yard. His stomach growled, but his hands did not stop moving at all.
In the past, when he was working in the fields, he was far away and couldn't smell the fragrance of the rice, so he had no energy to work. Now, he can smell the fragrance of the rice through a bamboo fence and hear the laughter coming from the courtyard from time to time. Even if his stomach is growling with hunger, he feels that he has endless energy.
Not long after, brisk footsteps suddenly sounded behind him.
Zhou Ye looked up and saw Lin Shu jogging towards him with a frown on her face. She said mysteriously, "Brother Ye, come here. I have something good to show you."
The fish pond had been dug almost to the depth, more than four feet, just reaching Zhou Ye's waist. He supported himself with his hands and jumped out of the pit easily.
"What to do?" Zhou Ye asked.
"Come here and open your mouth." Lin Shu was holding something in one hand.
Zhou Ye didn't move, but stood three steps away from her and explained, "You're dirty."
"I don't even mind you anymore. Why are you dawdling? Hurry up."
Zhou Ye thought about how he had just finished work and was smelling of sweat. His face, neck and hands were all covered in mud and sweat... He must not look very good at the moment.
But the person in front of him was completely unaware, or she didn't care at all, and just kept urging him.
Zhou Ye obeyed her and took two steps forward. His tall figure almost completely enclosed the petite girl.
When someone came over, Lin Shu directly handed a big meatball to his lips, smiling with her sparkling eyes, "Silly, open your mouth."
Zhou Ye subconsciously opened his mouth and put the meatball into his mouth.
Lin Shu said with a smile, "Although we have to wait for Dad to come back before we can start eating, I'm the one who cooked breakfast this morning. As the cook, it's not unreasonable for me to try one first, right? Now, the meatballs that the cook tried out are in your mouth. You're the first to taste them. No one else gets this privilege." Of course, A Niang and Xiao Pu each tasted half first. She picked out a meatball that was falling apart, otherwise A Niang wouldn't have opened her mouth. So that meatball that fell apart didn't count as the first.
Zhou Ye didn't know how to answer. He just savored the delicious taste in his mouth. Then, under the gaze of Lin Shu's expressive eyes, he praised sincerely: "The meatballs are lean but not dry, and they are chewy and delicious."
Lin Shu was satisfied. This person couldn't just be honest; he also had to be able to read people's expressions.
While distracted, she glanced towards the fish pond and her eyes widened in shock. "D-dig it out?!"
The fish pond she enclosed is quite large. It only took a short time to dig it. Didn't she even take a break?!
"It's not done yet. The edge of the fish pond needs to be dug into steps, and the bottom of the pond is uneven, so we need to shovel some more soil." Zhou Ye said honestly.
"Hey, Brother Aye, you are so honest. Let's dig slowly, there is no rush." Lin Shu said this with a smile on her face.
Zhou Ye looked at her smiling face and for some reason, he also felt happy and comfortable.
"Don't dig for now, Dad will be back soon. Wash your hands and go back to have breakfast!" Lin Shu had just finished speaking when she heard Lin Dashan shouting from the other end of the yard.
Now, without Lin Shu urging him, Zhou Ye ran to the nearby mountain spring to wash his hands.
In the courtyard, the food has been served on the table. There is a large earthenware bowl of meatball soup with a few emerald green wild vegetables floating in the soup, a large bowl of steamed egg custard, golden in color, with a delicate and tender surface, and fried wild onions with dried bamboo shoots, which are also shiny and oily, which makes people's appetite grow.
After Lin Dashan started eating first, the others followed suit, each one enjoying the food more than the other.
The wild boar meat that was left behind looked very tough, but how come it tasted so good after being made into meatballs!
Steamed egg custard is rarely eaten this way at home. It is usually eaten whole. He Guixiang made steamed egg custard once, but it was not only white in color but also not formed. She never made it again after that. How come the steamed egg custard made by Ah Shu is so smooth and tender? It is delicious and beautiful, just like the steamed egg custard in those big restaurants!
Stir-fried dried bamboo shoots with wild onion segments is also delicious. The wild onions are fragrant and the dried bamboo shoots are crispy, and they go well with rice.
Knowing that the entire meal was prepared by Lin Shu and that Lin Xiaopu also helped, Lin Dashan couldn't stop smiling.
Many people in the village laughed at him behind his back for being a cut-off family, but Lin Dashan's daughter was better than any other boy's!
"If Dad thinks it's good, I'll cook more often in the future so that Dad can enjoy delicious food he's never had before, and it'll also help Mom relax a bit."
He Guixiang and Lin Dashan were both very relieved to hear this. However, He Guixiang was reluctant to let her spend every day at the stove. "Whenever you want to cook a dish, tell your mother. She will wash the pots and pans for you and cut the vegetables. You just need to cook one dish."
"Mother, you spoil me too much. If you spoil me like this, what if I become a lazy girl in the future?"
He Guixiang said happily, "I've seen it a long time ago. You're the type who can't sit still. No matter how lazy others are, you won't be lazy. Knowing that you have such good cooking skills, mother is relieved."
When Zhou Ye heard this, he was slightly stunned.
Although Aunt He didn't say anything, he could hear that Aunt He was thinking of marrying Lin Shu off.
The already taciturn man became even more silent.
He thought that a girl who was brought up in such a pampered way should marry into a wealthy family, or at least should not stay in a farming family that had been farming for generations.
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