Chapter 68 Delicious Chicken Soup Will Make You Crave
The pheasants needed to be processed, but the family's oldest child was still in school, and Liu Guizhi was working in the fields. It wasn't busy farming season, so the family could only send one person to work. But Gu Weidong's legs weren't working, so Liu Guizhi had to go.
After his initial pride, Gu Shengtian suddenly started to worry. What should he do with the pheasant?
He thought about it and it seemed that he had to boil water, pluck the hair, and then remove the internal organs. This was not a job that he and Fubao were capable of doing.
Fubao squatted in front of the pheasant, her chin resting on her hand, looking worried. She thought for a moment, "Brother, we have to stew this chicken today. Dad's legs aren't good, so he needs to heal. How about this? I'll boil some water, and you go talk to Dad and ask him to bring the basin and the chicken into the house so he can cook."
Gu Shengtian thought about it and thought, this is a good idea. Although his father can't move his legs, he can move his hands!
So they did it right away. The two little guys quickly boiled water and added firewood. When the water boiled, they brought it into the house to Gu Weidong.
Gu Weidong had naturally heard what Liu Zhaodi had said outside. He wasn't unhappy at all, but he felt bad for the two children. His leg wasn't healed yet, so he couldn't do many things, and the two children had to suffer for the time being.
It hurts just thinking about it, and I can't help but want to drag my legs and try to get off the kang, but as soon as I get off the kang, it hurts so much.
Gu Weidong suddenly got angry and slapped his legs: "Why is it still not better?"
Just as I was feeling annoyed, the door suddenly opened and two children came into the house enthusiastically, one carrying a chicken and the other carrying a large basin of hot water.
"Dad, come and see how to pluck the chicken feathers!" Gu Shengtian wiped the sweat from his little face and asked expectantly.
"Dad, you take care of this chicken. We will stew it for you to nourish your body. Your leg will be healed in a few days." Fubao smiled sweetly, and his soft and cute little face was as adorable as it could be.
Gu Weidong was dumbfounded: "Where did the chicken come from?"
Gu Shengtian said as a matter of course: "We picked it up!"
Fubao nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, we were collecting firewood when this pheasant suddenly charged towards us. We thought it was going to bite us, but it fluttered around a few times before falling motionless in front of us."
Gu Weidong was puzzled.
These days everyone is short of food, not to mention meat, which is even more rare. If pheasants in the mountains were so easy to catch, no one would have to go to work and would just go all over the mountains to catch chickens!
What's more, how could two little kids who don't know anything catch pheasants?
No, no, no, this is not catching, the pheasant is directly pouncing on the two children!
Gu Shengtian didn't take it seriously at all. He had seen a lot of good things like this since he was with Fubao. He wiped his sweat and said, "Dad, clean it up for us quickly. Fubao and I will stew some chicken for you!"
Gu Weidong nodded hurriedly.
The depression and helplessness just now disappeared in an instant.
There is a chicken for the children to eat, and Liu Guizhi can also have some meat after working hard these days. Although it is a bit too extravagant to eat a whole pheasant in one breath, after the recent separation of the family, the fourth room has become the pitiful people of other families. Everyone thinks that the fourth room will have a hard life. Now stewing the chicken and eating the meat, at least the children will feel better.
Gu Weidong immediately supported himself and moved to the edge of the kang, where he crossed one leg with difficulty and squatted down. He cooked the chicken, scalded its feathers, plucked it, and cleaned its internal organs.
After cleaning, Fubao and Gu Shengtian had already boiled water. The two of them quickly took the chicken to the kitchen. Gu Shengtian chopped it up, put some salt and ginger in the pot, and started to stew it.
Neither of the two little guys is a good cook, and they don’t know how to add more seasonings. However, this kind of wild pheasant has good meat, is tender and tasty, and it tastes even better without any seasonings.
The two men sat there with their heads down, one pumping the bellows, the other putting firewood in the stove, sweating profusely and looking very embarrassed. Gu Shengtian was stoking the fire and wanted to look up to see if the chicken in the pot was cooked, but Fubao held him back: "Don't lift the lid of the pot. Grandma said that if you lift the lid, the heat inside will escape. You have to keep the lid on. That way, the chicken will be cooked thoroughly in the pot and taste better."
Gu Shengtian saw some white steam coming out from the edge of the pot lid. The white steam was filled with a delicious aroma. He was already tempted and wanted to take out a piece to taste with Fubao, but after hearing this, he gave up.
By the time it was time for dinner, those who had been working outside had returned home one after another. It seemed that Miao Xiujiu and Gu Dayong would not be coming back. She had seldom been back to her parents' home in these years, always worrying about her children. Now that the family had finally separated, she felt relieved and went to her parents' home to visit her brother and sister-in-law and stay overnight.
Shen Hongying was the first to come back. As soon as she came back, she snorted: "What, what's that smell?"
This rich, meaty aroma, like chicken? Where does it come from?
She first saw Liu Zhaodi: "Oh, stewed chicken? Where did it come from?"
Liu Zhaodi was also puzzled and looked into the kitchen: "I don't know, I see Fubao and Shengtian tinkering in the kitchen!"
When Shen Hongying heard this, her eyes widened: "Where did they get the chicken? Stewed chicken?"
In her opinion, the fourth room is having a really hard time now, and they wish they could spend every penny carefully. She has seen Liu Guizhi putting rice in the pot, and she would weigh a handful of rice for a long time before putting in a few grains.
How could they possibly be willing to stew a chicken when the four families were living like this? Where did they get the chicken?
Liu Zhaodi: "I don't know about that. Why don't you go and ask around?"
Shen Hongying thought about it and hurried to the kitchen. As soon as she entered, the rich aroma of meat hit her nose.
It smells so good, so good!
I'm used to eating coarse grains that irritate my throat, so how long has it been since I last tasted meat? Especially when it comes to this bubbling, steaming, freshly cooked meat soup, it makes my mouth water!
Shen Hongying gritted her teeth and endured it, looking at the two little heads in the kitchen: "What are you doing? What delicious food do you want to eat?"
When Fubao saw Shen Hongying coming over, he hurriedly said, "Aunt, we are stewing chicken."
Chicken stew? It's chicken!
Shen Hongying sniffed the delicious aroma of chicken soup that kept drilling into her nose, desperately resisting the urge to swallow her saliva. She frowned and asked, "This is too unmanageable. Your family only got two chickens, and you want to stew them and eat them? How can you still live?!"
Of course she was just talking.
What does it matter to her how the fourth room lives? That's why she can't bear to stew the chicken. Stewing it can only be eaten for one meal, and it will be gone after one meal. But keeping the chicken can slowly lay eggs and save them. When there are enough eggs, she can exchange them for rice at the market. This is the plan to live a stable and long-term life.
After thinking about this, Shen Hongying was suddenly able to suppress the craving she felt after smelling the fresh and delicious chicken. She was an adult now, so as for craving this, she wasn't craving it at all, not at all.
Shen Hongying came out with a smile. Seeing Liu Zhaodi still peeking in, she lowered her voice and said, "These two prodigal children are causing trouble! They actually killed their own chickens and ate the meat. I think Liu Guizhi will be heartbroken when she comes back!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhaodi burst out laughing: "Liu Guizhi really has it tough. A man with a lame leg, and now he has to deal with these two troublemakers!"
The two sisters-in-law smelled the fragrance of the chicken, suppressed their cravings and tried to convince themselves, laughing at poor Liu Guizhi and poor Gu Weidong.
Just at this moment, Liu Guizhi came into the house carrying a hoe.
Now, each family in the production brigade only needs to provide one laborer to earn work points. Generally, it is the men who go. If that is not possible, brothers or a couple will take turns to go. However, Liu Guizhi has no replacement, so she has to go alone.
She goes to work during the day and has to wash clothes, cook, clean the house, and feed the chickens at night. She has so many things to worry about that now when she gets off work, she is exhausted and even looks weak when she walks.
When Liu Zhaodi saw Liu Guizhi coming back, she immediately said with a smile, "Guizhi, are your chickens gone? Go check them out."
Don’t tell her it’s stewed yet, to make her anxious.
Liu Guizhi looked at Liu Zhaodi in confusion, not understanding why Liu Zhaodi said that.
Shen Hongying: "Hurry up and go to the backyard to take a look."
Liu Guizhi became even more puzzled and a little worried. She put down the hoe and ran to the backyard.
Liu Zhaodi and Shen Hongying looked at each other, and while their children were still in school, they followed over to see what was going on.
Liu Guizhi was frightened by what Liu Zhaodi said and hurried to the backyard.
Since the family split up, the four brothers each built a small fence and raised their own chickens in it. Everyone fed their own chickens, and the pig was raised by Miao Xiujiu. At the end of the year, Miao Xiujiu would distribute the pork to the four sons.
Liu Guizhi ran to her own fence and saw that the two chickens inside were fine and clucking vigorously. She looked up and saw two white eggs inside.
She opened the fence and walked in to pick it up. The egg was still warm, so it must have been laid just now.
He smiled and waved at Liu Zhaodi with the two eggs in his hand, meaning to let her know that his two chickens were good and had laid two eggs for her.
Liu Guizhi started to think about whether she should cook the two eggs, give one to her husband and share one with Fubao and Shengtian, so that they could all replenish their bodies. Otherwise, they had been living too frugally these days, which would be unfair to the children. Besides, her husband's legs were not in good condition and he needed more nutrition.
Who knew that just as she was thinking about it, she heard Liu Zhaodi stamping her feet and yelling, "Where are my chickens? Where are my chickens?"
Chen Hongying and Liu Zhaodi looked over and found that there were originally two chickens in her family, one with old yellow hair and one with big white hair, but now the old yellow hair one was gone, leaving only the big white hair one.
A chicken is a big deal for Liu Zhaodi, not to mention that they have split up now. Let alone a chicken, even a piece of chicken feather is hers, not anyone else's, not everyone else's!
Liu Zhaodi was so distressed that she burst into tears: "Where is my chicken? Who stole my chicken?"
She was in so much pain that her chest was shaking and she couldn't even stand. She said in panic, "Why is my chicken gone?!"
Chen Hongying suddenly remembered the fragrance in the kitchen: "Ah, could it be, could it be——"
She looked at Liu Zhaodi, and her meaning was obvious.
Liu Zhaodi immediately understood what Shen Hongying meant. She suddenly realized it, and then a surge of anger rose from the soles of her feet, burning her whole body as if it was about to explode.
He actually stole her chickens to slaughter? He actually stole her chickens?
She thought of the aroma of chicken coming from the kitchen just now. It was so fragrant that it made her saliva drip. It turned out that this chicken was her old yellow flower?
Tears streamed down her face: "Give me back my chicken, give me back my chicken!"
Crying and getting anxious, he ran to the yard. Once there, he picked up a broom and rushed to the kitchen.
She wants to beat to death those two thieves who harmed her chickens!
When Liu Guizhi saw this scene, she was dumbfounded at first, but then she reacted and rushed over to try her best to stop Liu Zhaodi.
Liu Zhaodi was filled with hatred in her heart. She hated Fubao, Gu Shengtian, and of course, Liu Guizhi even more. She was about to push Liu Guizhi away.
Who knew that at this moment, Gu Yuejin and several other children came back from school, carrying their schoolbags and just walked into the house. When they saw this scene, they became annoyed.
"If you dare to hit my mother, I'll fight you!"
Gu Yuejin and Gu Yuehua are a few years older than Gu Shengtian, and naturally more sensible than Gu Shengtian. They know that the family has split up now, and that their eldest aunt and third aunt disliked their father's bad legs and excluded him. They don't like Liu Zhaodi and others very much, and they also understand that they are no longer a family after the split up.
But now, Liu Zhaodi actually beat her own mother?
My mother is a mute with a good temper. She never fights or quarrels with anyone. But now Liu Zhaodi is bullying my mother?
Gu Yuejin is not very old, but he has a bad temper. He was furious and swung his schoolbag at Liu Zhaodi.
Liu Zhaodi was hit on the back of the head, and she felt dizzy and black in front of her forehead. There was a buzzing sound all around her. She calmed down and it took her a long time to come to her senses. When she came to her senses, she felt extremely wronged and cried loudly: "Oh my God, you stole my chicken and beat my people. How can I live like this? How am I going to live from now on? I can't live like this anymore, I can't live like this anymore!"
The way she cried was different from others. It was like she was at a funeral, accusing and howling at the same time, with ups and downs in rhythm. She had to wipe her snot and tears at the same time after crying.
This opera-like crying soon attracted the neighbors to come and watch. Everyone had just finished cooking and was waiting for the strong laborers and students to come back for dinner. They came over with their needlework to watch.
When Liu Zhaodi saw someone coming, she cried even harder and more exaggeratedly.
Her chicken was gone, and she had to ask Liu Guizhi and Gu Weidong to compensate her. At least they had to give her a good one and ten eggs, otherwise she would not feel comfortable.
Anyway, Miao Xiujiu was not at home today, so the person she feared the most was gone and she could make more noise.
Everyone gathered together to watch the fun, talking a lot. At this time, several brothers from the Gu family also came back, and they all frowned when they saw the situation.
This division of the family was not a pleasant one to begin with. The three brothers all felt ashamed and criticized, so now they should behave themselves and keep a low profile to show others that although our Gu family has divided up, the brothers are still united and harmonious.
Who knew that just as the brothers made up their minds, their wives at home would cause trouble.
Gu Weijun looked at his wife sitting on the ground carelessly, with chicken manure on her legs, crying with snot and tears, and suddenly felt a headache.
What's going on? What's going on?
Seeing her husband return, Liu Zhaodi finally cried out in grief and anger, "Our chicken, our chicken was stewed, it was stewed!!"
ah? ?
When these words were spoken, everyone around was shocked. Those who were originally there to watch the joke also looked at Liu Zhaodi with sympathy.
You have to know that in the countryside, a chicken is a precious thing, especially an old hen that can lay eggs, which needs to be taken good care of every day.
As a result, an old hen was stewed. No wonder Liu Zhaodi was so heartbroken.
Gu Weijun was also dumbfounded when he heard this. The small family had just split up, and every piece of rice and firewood had to be carefully taken care of. He understood better than Liu Zhaodi how important the chicken was to his family.
He frowned and asked quickly, "What? Why is it stewed? Who stewed it?"
Liu Zhaodi opened her tearful eyes, hummed a few times, and pouted as she looked towards the kitchen: "Who stewed it? What do you think? Smell that smell in the kitchen, it's the smell of chicken, isn't it fragrant? This is our chicken!!"
She uttered the last word "ah" with gritted teeth, and then she started crying.
In fact, everyone had smelled the fragrance a long time ago, and their mouths were watering with greed, but they were attracted by Liu Zhaodi's crying and didn't dare to ask. Now when they heard that this was Liu Zhaodi's stewed chicken, they suddenly felt distressed and sympathetic.
"How can you stew a chicken properly? This is a sin! We are in the countryside, how can we live like this?"
"That's a chicken that lays eggs, right? I can pick up an egg a day!"
Amidst everyone's condemnation and sympathy, Fubao and Gu Shengtian came out of the kitchen after stewing a chicken. They had heard the commotion outside a long time ago, but Fubao thought that they had to stew the chicken well and wait until it was completely rotten so that they could give it to their mother.
Finally, Fubao felt that the time was right and the two of them came out.
As soon as he came out, Fubao wiped the sweat off his face and smiled with his eyes curved: "Mom, you're back. Brother Shengtian and I stewed a chicken for you today."
Normally, you should eat delicious food like stewed chicken secretly and not let others know. Otherwise, they will be jealous but you won't be willing to give it to them, which will make them feel uncomfortable.
But the aroma of the stewed chicken was so tempting that everyone must have smelled it, so there was no need to hide it, otherwise people would just make blind guesses.
However, when Fubao said this, everyone was stunned.
Liu Zhaodi was stunned. She pointed at Fubao and Gu Shengtian, her hands trembling, and she was so angry that she couldn't speak.
The people around were also dumbfounded. Fubao, with his fair and clean face, had a pink glow because he was busy making fire in the kitchen. His almond eyes were moist and his long eyelashes, a little wet, were fluttering. He looked so handsome!
Who wouldn’t like such a good-looking child?
But such a good-looking child actually said that he stewed someone else's egg-laying chicken?
What a sin...
Gu Shengtian certainly heard what Liu Zhaodi was saying. He sneered and curled his lips, "Who cares? You only know how to wrongly accuse good people!"
Gu Weijun frowned deeply and looked at his nephew and niece. Of course he wanted to believe them, but the smell of stewed chicken coming from the kitchen was really heartbreaking!
Liu Guizhi looked at her daughter and son anxiously. She didn't quite believe it. She didn't quite believe how it was possible that such a sensible Fubao could go with Shengtian to steal a chicken to stew. Shengtian was sometimes naughty, but Fubao wasn't. Fubao had always been sensible!
Impossible, impossible, she looked at Fubao with a seeking-for-confirmation look.
Gu Yuejin couldn't help but ask, "Fubao, what's going on? Tell me, as long as you didn't steal the money, I'll take care of it for you!"
Gu Yuehua also believed in Fubao: "Fubao, Shengtian, don't be afraid. If anyone dares to wrong you, I will use my fist to teach her a lesson!"
All eyes fell on Fubao, who asked doubtfully, "Why does Third Aunt think I stole her chicken? Why would I steal a chicken..."
She also heard Liu Zhaodi yelling there, and she was quite puzzled as to why she was accused of stealing chickens. She had never touched the chickens from the third room!
Her voice was soft and gentle, with the soft and sweet voice unique to a little girl, innocent and puzzled. Her two pigtails swayed gently as her head tilted slightly, making her look naughty and cute.
How could a child like this lie?
At this moment, almost everyone believed Fubao.
Gu Yuejin clenched his fist and said, "Fubao, if you say you didn't steal, then I believe you!"
How could such a beautiful sister lie? How could she steal a chicken!
But... she didn't steal it, so where did Liu Zhaodi's chicken go? Where did the chicken she stewed come from?
Gu Weiguo coughed and asked seriously, "Fubao, how come you stewed the chicken so well? Where did the chicken come from?"
Gu Shengtian narrowed his eyes stubbornly. He hated being wrongly accused. Why did they say that? Why did they force him to explain where the chicken came from? I didn't steal or rob, so why did I have to be interrogated like this?
Gu Shengtian became stubborn, turned his head, snorted, and refused to say anything!
Fubao was a softie after all, and he said obediently, "We caught it from the mountains. My brother Shengtian and I went to the mountains to collect firewood, and we caught a pheasant. I asked my father to pluck the feathers for us and then stewed it. Dad was injured, Mom worked hard every day, and my brothers were tired from studying, so my brother Shengtian and I stewed the chicken for them!"
Pheasant? Caught a pheasant?
This...why does it sound so unbelievable!
You two little brats, you can just catch a chicken when you go up the mountain, and you talk as if the pheasant is raised by your family. I go up the mountain every day, how come I have never even touched a pheasant feather?
The neighbors all looked at the two children with some suspicion...
Gu Yuejin thought for a moment, then blushed and said loudly, "I believe it. My sister Fubao must have picked up the pheasant herself. She's lucky!"
Gu Yuehua also nodded vigorously: "Yes, Fubao would definitely not lie. She picked up the pheasant herself, not the one she stole from Third Auntie's mother!"
Gu Weijun watched this scene, took a deep breath, and swallowed his heartache: "Forget it, the chicken is lost...at worst, I can raise another one."
His heart ached, but Gu Weijun thought it was better to keep the peace.
But Liu Zhaodi refused. She jumped up and down, "Forget it! Why should I just forget it? Can people eat my chicken for free? Aren't you afraid that your intestines will rot after eating it? Just eat it and forget it! That's my chicken! The chicken that lays eggs every day!"
Fubao usually had no temper, but seeing this, she became a little unhappy. She frowned and said in confusion, "Third Aunt, why do you think we stole your chicken? We killed a pheasant, and my father helped kill it. The chicken feathers are still there!"
Liu Zhaodi didn't believe it, of course. She pointed at Fubao's nose and said, "Chicken feathers? You still want to conjure up chicken feathers? Take out the chicken feathers!"
Just as he was shouting, he heard Gu Weidong in the west room suddenly yell, "Stop making noise, Chicken Feather is here!"
Everyone was shocked. Gu Yuejin heard this and quickly ran into the house: "Wow, pheasant feathers, freshly slaughtered pheasant feathers!"
Gu Yuehua also followed in. Soon, the two brothers brought out a large basin of water. The water was cold, but there was blood floating in it. It was obviously the hot water used to kill chickens. There were also chicken feathers of various beautiful colors floating in the hot water.
The feathers of wild pheasants are naturally different from those of domestic chickens. Pheasant feathers are beautiful and the colors are brighter and more colorful. There is no way to mistake them.
Gu Yuejin rubbed his hands and sneered, "There's more in the room. We have as many as you want. There's even a whole pheasant's worth of feathers in the room. Do you want some?"
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