Old Wu wiped away his tears with excitement: "I really never expected that I, Old Wu, would meet such a good employer in my life. Not only did they advance my wages, but they also paid for my medical treatment. Thank you, thank you, madam!"
A series of tinkling sounds came from the kitchen.
When the house was being built, it was agreed that meals would not be provided. Liang Shuyan mainly considered that there were not enough people in the family, so she did not provide meals. Today, Lao Wu is sick, but the workers on the construction site are still working hard. In order to motivate the workers, she instructed Zhang to cook a stew today, so that the family can eat some and some can be sent to the workers working in the fields.
Old Wu, lying in bed, learned that his wife was inviting everyone to dinner today. He said happily, "Oh dear, I must tell the workers about this and remind them to work hard and be careful when working for my wife. Otherwise, how can I repay her kindness, which includes treating her illness and cooking for everyone?"
Liang Shuyan came out of the kitchen with a smile on her face: "Perfect timing. I bought some vegetables and meat at the market yesterday, so I'll treat everyone to a simple dish today, along with some big white steamed buns. Everyone, please don't be shy, eat as much as you want. Don't worry, I, Widow Jin, am more and more satisfied with what I eat."
After those two heartless bastards left the construction site, the remaining people were all dedicated workers who followed Lao Wu wholeheartedly. Liang Shuyan did this so that these people, after being well-fed and watered, could work seriously. The foundation of the house could not be shoddy; it had to be solid and sturdy.
At that time, who still had steamed buns? Even millet wasn't enough to feed everyone. Seeing these large steamed buns, the workers trembled with excitement. The foreman said happily, "Thank you, Master! We will work hard and will definitely not let you down!"
Old Wu came out of the house and coughed lightly twice: "Don't be so happy, all of you. Let me tell you, after this meal, you must work hard for the master. You must not slack off or do anything careless, and you must not be like those two ingrates who secretly steal the master's materials. If I find out, I will go straight to the authorities, and don't blame me for being ruthless!"
At this time, one after another, all the villagers arrived. As soon as Li Zheng entered the door, he said, "Oh dear, it's time to raise the ridge beam tomorrow, but why can't you see the beam here?"
When someone in the village builds a house, they must invite everyone to a meal to celebrate when the roof beam is raised. The more lively the celebration, the better. The roof beam is made of wood by a carpenter and wrapped with a red cloth. People who are particular about this will also write couplets on it.
Liang Shuyan had previously learned that if the bark of the wood was removed long ago, the color of the beams and pillars would change, becoming dirty and not white at all. Therefore, she simply had the craftsmen finish the work, leaving the bark intact, and placed it in a tent at the construction site, where it was guarded by a designated person.
"The beam isn't here; it's so big and not easy to move. We'll just put it over at the new house. That way, it'll be easier when we raise the ridgepole. Lizheng's here! Come in, come in!"
Following behind were villagers. Liang Shuyan glanced around and saw that Aunt Liu was still not there, but everyone else was present. This time, Qiu Dong and Jin Xia had come.
Jinxia said awkwardly, "Auntie, I'm so sorry. It was all my mother's fault for making Yinxia do such a thing. Please don't take offense, Auntie. No matter what, I will never forget your great kindness!"
Liang Shuyan said with a smile, "Silly child, what are you saying? You're all here, hurry up and help your auntie serve the food!"
Actually, Liang Shuyan's family already had enough children, so she didn't need Qiu Dong and Jin Xia's help at all. She just wanted the villagers to see that she, Widow Jin, hadn't done anything to wrong Aunt Liu!
Jin Xia readily agreed and brought out a bowl of vegetables, placing it on the table. Qiu Dong then brought out a plate of fluffy white steamed buns and politely said, "Please take a seat, everyone. Aunt Jin has made a delicious stew. Please start eating!"
Everyone in the courtyard stared intently at the gruesome stew and large white steamed buns on the table.
Cabbage stalks, tofu slices, celery stalks, and large pieces of pork, all drizzled with bright red chili oil and topped with a sprig of tender green cilantro. The aroma can be smelled from afar.
Such delicacies are something they can't even afford during the New Year, yet she's prepared such a sumptuous feast just for the roof-raising ceremony, complete with steamed buns. How wealthy is Widow Jin's family?
Then Zhang brought out a plate of vermicelli, topped with chili oil. It was thin, like noodles, and you could smell its fragrance from afar.
Placed on the table, everyone's eyes immediately focused on it, pointing at the plate of vermicelli and asking, "Auntie Dashan, what, what is this?"
The plump aunt asked in surprise.
Liang Shuyan smiled slightly: "This is something I made at home. I'm bringing it out today so everyone can try it. Let's call it vermicelli for now. It's made from potatoes!"
Li Zheng jumped up from his chair in surprise and said, "Oh my, I thought it was noodles! I didn't know potatoes could be made like this! Aunt Dashan, you're really amazing!"
It was clear that no one dared to taste the vermicelli. Liang Shuyan realized that they were worried, so she picked up her chopsticks, took a little bit and put it in her mouth. With a flick of her tongue, she swallowed the vermicelli in one gulp.
The plump aunt squeezed in and whispered, "Auntie, isn't it delicious? I bet you don't even have to chew it!"
"Try it. This stuff is made from potato starch and has no additives. You can eat it without worry."
The plump auntie curiously picked up her chopsticks and, imitating Liang Shuyan, put a rice noodle in her mouth. Suddenly, she felt that this thing was as soft as a rubber band, and very smooth and chewy. Moreover, the taste was slightly spicy and slightly sour. She couldn't describe the taste, but in short, it was very delicious.
All eyes were fixed on the plump aunt in front of them.
The plump aunt smacked her lips a couple of times and nodded: "Mmm, delicious, really delicious. I never thought there was anything so delicious in this world. It's soft and chewy, and it just slid right down into my stomach!"
Zhao quickly picked up her chopsticks, took a bite, and put it directly into her mouth. After making a couple of gurgling noises, she exclaimed in surprise, "Mmm, this is delicious! Sister-in-law, how did you make it? Could you make more to sell?"
This Zhao woman was only thinking about making money. No matter what she ate, the first thing she thought of was selling it. But Liang Shuyan shook her head: "No, what I made is for our own family to eat. Today, seeing that everyone was here, I made a little so that everyone could try it. There's no room for sale!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao simply pulled the plate closer to herself and began to eat heartily, saying as she ate, "This stuff is even tastier than noodles! Why can't we make more to sell? Sister-in-law is so stingy!"
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