Chapter 85 Playmate Wow, it smells so good! Lin Xiaopu, your family is secretly stewing...
"Ashu, what's wrong with you? Did I scare you by speaking so suddenly?" Zhou Ye asked.
Lin Shu's face flushed red as she glared at him fiercely. "Yes, that's good enough for you to know! Next time, turn your head and look at me. When I meet your gaze, call out to me."
Zhou Ye looked at her and admitted his mistake: "It's my fault. I won't do it again next time."
Lin Shu's arrogance immediately subsided. He admitted his mistake so quickly that it seemed like she was bullying an honest person.
She quickly got up and went to the stove, glanced at the diced chicken mushrooms in the pot, "It's almost done, no need to stir it again and again, you, you go and help." She didn't even look at Zhou Ye.
Zhou Ye stared at her for a long time. When the blush on her face gradually faded and she looked the same as before, he left the stove and continued to work on the bamboo lounge chair that he had made halfway.
After that, they each did their own thing.
This time, Lin Shu diced and fried half a basket of chicken mushrooms she'd gathered. It looked like half a basket, but they actually shrank after frying, making only about ten jars of chicken mushroom sauce. Last time, she used green Sichuan peppercorns, but this time, she used red ones, which have a milder numbing flavor and are suitable for all ages.
Lin Shu was frying chicken mushrooms while slowly waving a palm-leaf fan.
Although she didn't have to stir the chicken mushrooms all the time, she still had to keep an eye on the pot. The stove was very hot, and even with a palm-leaf fan, she still broke into a sweat.
She hasn't taken a hot bath since coming to Tianshui Village. It would be a lie to say she doesn't miss it.
Otherwise, after selling the chicken mushroom sauce, I will buy a bathtub for my home?
Bathing in a tub required heating a large pot of hot water, which consumed a lot of firewood. She didn't use the tub every day, so once every seven days was fine, right? The rest of the time, she'd just make do with the hot water and rub herself, just like now.
Just as he was thinking about it, the sound of Lin Xiaopu arguing with someone was heard outside the yard. It would not be accurate to call it an argument, as it was obvious that Lin Xiaopu was more arrogant, while the other party had been humble and giving in to her.
Judging from the voice, it seemed to be Wang Yingen, the strong and sturdy boy from Aunt Li's family.
"I told you not to follow me. This is my stuff. I don't want you to play with it!"
"I've already apologized to you and called you sister, so just let me play with you for a bit, just once!"
"You used to always call me a sickly person, twice you even called me a short-lived ghost, and last time you even ridiculed my sister as a fake daughter of a marquis. Why should I give you anything just because you call me sister? Why are you so naive?"
"I, I'm wrong, okay? I wasn't the only one who said that. Everyone in the village said that. I just followed their lead. I said it to your face, better than those people saying it behind your back, right? My mother said that's called true character. People with true character never talk about others behind their backs. They always say it to their faces. The heroes in the storybooks are the same."
Lin Xiaopu laughed angrily, "Bah, you're a hero, but I think you're just a bear!"
Wang Yingen looked longingly at the bamboo water gun and bamboo slingshot in her hands. "Sister Pu, please, if you are willing to let me play with these things, I will never call you a sickly person or a short-lived ghost again. I wish you a long life, okay? You will live longer than anyone in Tianshui Village, even longer than my own mother!"
Lin Xiaopu's mouth twitched. "You are such a filial son! If Aunt Li heard about this, she would definitely skin you alive."
Wang Yingen put his hands on his hips and said proudly, "My mother is reluctant to peel off my skin. I am the only child in the Wang family."
Lin Xiaopu: "...You really are fearless."
Wang Yingen was stunned. "What's going on?"
Lin Xiaopu rolled his eyes. "This means you have something to rely on and are not afraid at all. It comes from Zuo Zhuan."
Wang Yingen exclaimed, "Lin Xiaopu, how come you've become so knowledgeable after not seeing you for a few days?"
This time, it was Lin Xiaopu who held his head high with pride. "My elder sister taught me. She is full of knowledge and is no less knowledgeable than those tutors in the academy."
Wang Yingen had no interest in reading. After asking, he immediately went back to asking for the bamboo water gun and bamboo slingshot. "Let me play with them, just for a while. You rejected me in front of all my brothers and even embarrassed me, but I'm not even angry."
Lin Xiaopu said: "This is what my elder sister made for me. If you want to play with it, I have to ask my elder sister. My consent alone is not enough."
Upon hearing this, Wang Yingen shamelessly headed for the courtyard. As soon as he entered, his dog nose caught a whiff of fragrance. "Wow, it smells so good! Lin Xiaopu, are you secretly making chicken soup at home?!"
Lin Xiaopu: "What do you mean by secretly stewing chicken soup? We can eat whatever we want at home. But this isn't chicken soup. My sister is making a sauce."
Wang Yingen scratched his head. "Hey, we make chicken soup in secret. My mom says if others smell it, they'll start to grumble about how well off we are and come to borrow money. But your family is smart. Your house is at the end of the village, so no one will pass by you. No one will know what delicious food you cook."
As he spoke, Wang Yingen ran straight to the stove, looked at what was in the pot, and was immediately shocked.
Wow, using such a big pot of oil to fry things!
His mother usually cooks with a lot of oil, but she has never fried anything with so much oil. How much does so much oil cost?
He knew that Aunt He had come to his house to borrow money. How come the person who had borrowed money from them was eating better than them?!
When Lin Shu saw this kid barging in, she knew something bad was going to happen. Aunt Li was very tight-lipped, but she didn't know if this naughty kid, Wang Yingen, could keep his mouth shut.
"Sister Ashu, what delicious food have you made?" Wang Yingen stared at the pot eagerly, calling her Sister Ashu so naturally.
Lin Shu was not the type to hold a grudge against a little kid, not to mention that what the naughty kid Wang Yingen had just said was quite to her liking. That is, although he was a bit of a mouthful, at least he was consistent in what he said and what he meant. He was not like some people who would gossip about others behind their backs but smile very warmly in front of them.
"I'm making chicken mushroom sauce. I need to simmer it for a while before it tastes good. You and Xiao Pu can go play for a while. When I'm done, you can take some back to eat with your meal."
Upon hearing this, Wang Yingen immediately said, "Sister Shu, you are such a kind person. From now on, I will never follow others in calling you a fake daughter again!"
Lin Shu laughed. "You change your expression quickly. I heard everything you said just now. I have no objection. Go ask Xiao Pu. She's willing to let you play with her bamboo water gun and bamboo slingshot. Just thank her."
Wang Yingen took two deep breaths of the fragrance before going to find Lin Xiaopu, "Sister Xiaopu, Sister Pu, Sister Shu agreed to let me play!"
"Okay, choose between a bamboo water gun and a bamboo slingshot."
"I want to play with both of them. Can't I play with both of them?"
"Wang Yingen, don't push your luck."
"Sister Xiao Pu, Sister Xiao Pu, please, from now on my brothers will follow me and call you sister, okay?"
“…”
Lin Shu felt that Wang Yingen was indeed a talented boy who could bend and stretch, and was shameless and invincible. Even Lin Xiaopu, who stuck to his bottom line, was pestered by him and agreed to let him play with both toys, but he could only play with them in his own yard and could not take them away.
Wang Yingen was so happy that he was like a little bear and almost rolled on the ground.
When Lin Xiaopu used the bamboo pipe in the yard to collect water, Wang Yingen was surprised again. This bamboo pipe could actually produce water. It was really convenient to use water!
When Wang Yingen noticed the five beautiful little bamboo chairs placed in the yard, he was filled with envy.
He'd heard from Lin Xiaopu that the bamboo water gun and bamboo slingshot were fake Qianjin... No, they were all Sister Shu's idea, and then made by Zhou Ye. It was obvious that the bamboo chair was also made by Zhou Ye. Really amazing! He didn't even need to ask Grandpa Gao for help.
Looking at what Zhou Ye is making, a large bamboo chair, it looks complicated, even Grandpa Gao might not be able to make it! Although Grandpa Gao can make bamboo chairs and tables, he is better at bamboo work. The bamboo tables and chairs he has made are much simpler than this one in Zhou Ye's hand.
Wang Yingen glanced at the tall and strong man who was working hard. He wanted to speak several times but held back.
He had a secret he'd kept secret from everyone. He was a little afraid of Zhou Ye because Zhou Ye had once stopped him and, with a stern face, warned him not to bully Lin Xiaopu. Although Zhou Ye hadn't done anything to him or scolded him, it still had shaken the young Wang Yingen.
At that time, he stammered in retort: "You are an outsider, stay out of our villagers' business!"
Zhou Ye said, "I am Xiao Pu's brother. If you bully her again, I will hang you on a tree."
Wang Yingen was frightened and almost cried. He avoided this man for several days.
He was really afraid that Zhou Ye would hang him on a tree. He was so tall that he could be hung up with just a raise of his arm.
After that, some time passed and nothing happened. Wang Yingen then showed his true colors again, but he still subconsciously avoided Zhou Ye.
Wang Yingen now eats his fill every day, trying to keep himself strong, hoping to grow into a tall and strong man like Zhou Ye. He looks so imposing, and even without doing anything, just a few words with an expressionless face can scare a child to tears.
But Wang Yingen felt that it was a bit too much, after all, his father was not as tall as Uncle Lin.
Wang Yingen looked at Zhou Ye, then at Lin Shu, and suddenly sighed.
In the past, he felt that Lin Xiaopu was miserable, with poor health and drinking bitter medicine every day. Later, her elder sister also ran away to the capital to become the eldest daughter of a marquis. The only thing he envied was that she had a brother like Zhou Ye to protect her.
But at this moment, he didn't feel that Lin Xiaopu was miserable at all. Instead, he envied her to death.
Lin Xiaopu had so many fun toys, and her sister taught her how to read and write, and even made her delicious meals. He'd seen it all while catching loaches in the fields. The snacks Uncle Lin was eating were emerald green and chunky. He didn't know what they were, but they looked delicious. Lin Xiaopu must have eaten them too!
It was because Lin Xiaopu was playing with a water gun by the field after delivering snacks that he saw it and was envious. The bamboo water gun looked fun to play with. The water it sucked in could spray far, even farther than his urine. And the bamboo slingshot Lin Xiaopu was playing with was even more enviable. He put a small stone in the bamboo tube, and with a flick of the curved bamboo stick, he could knock leaves and branches off the trees!
Wang Yingen's presence was too strong to be ignored. Zhou Ye glanced at him and took the initiative to say, "Protect Xiao Pu from now on. Don't bully her, and don't let others bully her. If you can do these two things, I'll make you two new bamboo water guns and bamboo slingshots."
When Zhou Ye started talking, Wang Yingen subconsciously straightened his chest, trying not to show his fear. After hearing what the other party said, he was suddenly ecstatic, forgetting their previous "grudges". He patted his chest and said, "Okay, okay, leave it to me. I will never let anyone bully Lin Xiaopu again!"
Lin Xiaopu on the other end was already shouting, "The water is ready. Don't you want to play with the bamboo water gun?"
Wang Yingen said to Zhou Ye, "You must keep your word!" Then he happily ran off to play with the water gun.
When it comes to having fun, no one can compare to Wang Yingen. He placed two small bamboo tubes in the yard, and he and Lin Xiaopu stood about ten feet away. The two took turns spraying water into their own small bamboo tubes. After ten rounds, they saw who had more water in their bamboo tube.
When playing with the bamboo slingshot again, Wang Yingen placed a row of ten firewoods in the middle of the yard to see who could hit the most firewoods.
Lin Shu prepared the chicken mushroom sauce while watching the two children play, and she sighed in admiration. Wang Yingen really knew how to play, and Xiao Pu was happier than when he played alone.
When the chicken mushroom sauce was ready, Lin Shu asked Zhou Ye to make ten small bamboo jars for her. One pot of chicken mushroom sauce filled more than ten small bamboo jars.
Lin Shu directly gave Wang Yingen a jar and warned him, "Yingen, Sister Shu didn't make much of this chicken mushroom sauce, so don't tell anyone."
Wang Yingen held the small jar of chicken mushroom sauce and smiled until his gums were exposed. "I understand this. All the delicious food must be kept tightly covered. Sister Shu, don't worry, I won't let anyone else know!"
Before leaving, Wang Yingen reminded Zhou Ye, "Brother Ye, I'll come get my bamboo water gun and bamboo slingshot tomorrow, don't forget!"
Lin Xiaopu immediately spat at him, "Bah, who is your brother A Ye? This is mine, not yours! How shameless!"
"I am a man and I won't argue with a woman like you!" Wang Yingen said and ran away.
Lin Xiaopu was so angry that she put her hands on her hips. "This brat turned his back on me. After getting the benefit, he stopped calling me Sister Xiaopu!"
Lin Shu saw that she was cursing harshly but her eyes were full of smiles, so she knew that she was not really angry. On the contrary, she had a lot of fun playing with Wang Yingen today.
Although she is willing to take Xiao Pu with her wherever she goes, children still prefer to play with children of the same age, which is more beneficial to their physical and mental health.
"Brother Aye, you are not allowed to make a bamboo water gun and a bamboo slingshot for Wang Yingen!" Lin Xiaopu said angrily.
Zhou Ye replied: "I'll make it for you. If he wants it, he'll have to please you first."
Only then did Lin Xiaopu curl up the corners of his mouth.
She looked towards Zhou Ye and exclaimed in surprise. She ran over to look at the bamboo lounge chair in Zhou Ye's hand and asked, "Brother Ye, is your bamboo lounge chair almost done?"
"There's still a lot to go, but it should be done before dark." After Zhou Ye finished speaking, he looked at Lin Shu and happened to meet Lin Shu's furtive gaze.
Although Lin Shu immediately looked away, Zhou Ye still called her, "A Shu."
This time he spoke only after meeting her gaze, so he shouldn't have scared her.
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