Chapter 46 Chapter 46-Two-in-one Steamed Egg with Minced Pork
Following the doctor's instructions, he lit a fire to warm the wine, poured it into her palms and rubbed them until they turned red. She tossed and turned for half the night, and the high fever finally subsided near dawn.
Lin Chunxing was thinking about Lin Chuntao, so she got up early and cooked a pot of rice porridge.
The porridge was not ready yet, but Pei Ying got up.
"Brother-in-law, how is my sister?"
"The fever subsided just before dawn, and he hasn't woken up yet. Did you cook porridge?" Pei Ying asked.
Lin Chunxing nodded. "I'm afraid my sister will be hungry when she wakes up, so I'll cook it first."
"Well, wait until she gets some sleep." Pei Ying then instructed, "Take your sister and get some food. I'll rest for a while too."
Lin Chunxing responded and Pei Ying returned to the house. He touched Lin Chuntao's forehead and found it was neither cold nor hot, then he leaned against her and closed his eyes.
Lin Chuntao slept until noon. The yard was quiet. Pei Ying was lying beside the bed, far away from her.
She didn't feel well last night and didn't eat much. Now she felt a little uncomfortable with an empty stomach. Thinking that Pei Ying didn't sleep much last night because he took care of her, she didn't quarrel with him. She sat up and tiptoed to the bed to put on her shoes.
Before she could crawl to the bed, Pei Ying suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. His confused eyes instantly cleared up the moment he saw her clearly.
"Madam, are you awake? Are you still feeling unwell?"
Lin Chuntao shook her head slightly, "Much better, not as uncomfortable anymore."
Pei Ying breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. Chun Xing made some porridge this morning. I'll get you some. Have some to fill your stomach first."
As he spoke, the man put on his shoes swiftly and walked out of the house.
Lin Chunxing and her sister had been sitting in the yard waiting. Seeing the door open, they hurriedly stood up and watched Pei Ying and Lin Chuntao come out one after another. Lin Chunxing hurried over and asked, "Sister, how are you?"
Seeing her worried look, Lin Chuntao smiled softly and said, "Much better, don't worry."
"Are you hungry? I made some porridge, or if you want something else, let's make it now."
Lin Chuntao was a little hungry, but she didn't want to eat anything, so she didn't bother.
"Just drink the porridge. I don't have anything to eat."
"Then I'll go get some for my sister." He trotted off, his steps brisk and his face filled with joy. Lin Chuntao turned around and asked Pei Ying, "Did I scare them?"
Pei Ying nodded. He hadn't noticed it before, but after Lin Chuntao fell ill this time, he saw confusion and uneasiness in his sisters' eyes.
"Well, my sisters are worried about you. You have to get better soon."
Lin Chuntao said: "I caught a cold from the rain the day before yesterday. It's just a cold and will be fine in a few days."
Pei Ying's mind flashed with the doctor's words, and he looked at her quietly and nodded.
"Well, drink two more bowls of medicine later, and you'll be fine tomorrow."
Lin Chuntao sat down on a chair in the yard. Lin Chunxing brought her some porridge and handed it to her. Then she looked at Pei Ying and asked, "Brother-in-law, would you like to have porridge or rice? We fried potato chips and eggplant for lunch and left some vegetables for you."
Pei Ying heard this and said, "Then let's eat. You stay with your sister and I'll take care of it."
Pei Ying went to heat up the food and Lin Chuntao's medicine, then he came over with the bowl and sat down to eat.
Lin Chuntao was hungry, but the porridge had no taste and felt bitter in her mouth. After taking a few bites, she didn't want to eat anymore.
Pei Ying saw that she ate very little and asked, "Do you want to eat something sweet?"
Lin Chuntao also shook her head and said, "I don't want to eat."
Pei Ying asked again: "Do you want to eat egg custard?"
"I can make steamed minced meat and egg custard. Can I make one for you?" He asked as he was about to put down his chopsticks. Lin Chuntao looked at him and smiled, saying, "You eat first. I'm not hungry anyway. I'll make it after you finish."
Pei Ying nodded slightly and ate much faster.
By the time they finished eating, the medicine in the earthenware jar had boiled. Pei Ying went to mince the meat. After mincing the meat, he sprinkled a little pepper on it, stirred it, and let it sit. Then he beat two eggs and added water to make a mixture. Then he poured the meat into the egg liquid, sprinkled salt on it, and stirred it evenly. Finally, he put the bowl into the pot, covered it with straw, and started steaming.
"Steamed egg custard is quick, wait until you finish eating the egg custard before taking the medicine."
Pei Ying finished speaking, and Lin Chuntao nodded with a smile, "You can also make steamed egg custard?"
Pei Ying smiled and said, "Master's wife's steamed egg custard is delicious, so I learned how to make it. It's still not as good as hers, but it's still edible. You can try it later."
The egg custard is almost ready after steaming for a quarter of an hour, but because of the minced meat, Pei Ying steamed it for a while longer before serving it.
The smooth egg custard was steaming hot, and the breeze blew it into Lin Chuntao's nose. A hint of joy flashed in her eyes, "There's no fishy smell?"
Pei Ying smiled and said, "Try it first."
Lin Chuntao took the small wooden spoon, scooped up a spoonful of jelly, blew on it to make it hot, and fed it into her mouth.
The minced meat was chopped very finely without any graininess, and the egg custard was very tender and smooth. She took a sip and swallowed it.
"It's delicious." Lin Chuntao finished speaking, and Pei Ying smiled: "Then I'll make it for you often in the future."
She finished half a bowl of egg custard and rested for a while before Pei Ying went to bring her medicine. The black medicine looked bitter, so Lin Chuntao asked Pei Ying to put it aside to cool down. Pei Ying looked at the bowl and thought that the medicine was at the right temperature. However, Lin Chuntao's expression showed that she didn't want to drink it so she wanted to delay.
He looked at her and smiled without exposing her, but just put the medicine bowl on the table next to him.
He didn't leave, but sat next to her waiting. Lin Chuntao looked at him for a few times, and finally took a deep breath, picked up the bowl, and drank it all in one gulp.
After two days of rain, the sky finally cleared up.
Lin Chuntao basked in the sun in the yard for a while, then felt very tired and went back to the house to sleep.
Pei Ying stayed at home to look after her, while Lin Chunxing took her sisters out to cut grass for the pigs.
In fact, she was not fully recovered yet and did not sleep very deeply. When the sun was shining brightly, the sound of gongs came from the village. Lin Chuntao suddenly woke up and looked at Pei Ying beside her with blank eyes.
Pei Ying said, "You lie down, I'll go out and take a look."
But Lin Chuntao couldn't sleep anymore, so she put on her shoes and followed them out of the yard. From afar, she saw several officials leading Lin Miaomiao and the others back.
The officials beat the gong and read out the verdicts of Old Man Lin and his family, warning the villagers that this was the fate of those who stole tombs.
When the recitation was almost over, the group went to Lao Lin's yard and took away all the livestock, food, silver, money, brand new tables, chairs and cabinets.
Lin Miaomiao and the others stood outside the yard, staring blankly and numbly.
The land of Old Man Lin's family was also taken away by the government, leaving only this broken house to provide them with shelter from the rain.
When the villagers heard the sound of the gong, they all came out of the yard, but they all listened quietly and no one spoke. They only breathed a sigh of relief when the official left the village and walked away.
At first, the villagers thought that the Lin family had not returned because they were in conflict with the Qian family, but they didn't expect that it was the Lin family themselves who caused the trouble.
Everyone in this village has the surname Lin, and they are all relatives within the five generations. Everyone sighed and felt a little scared.
There are more than twenty people in Old Man Lin's family, including six children.
Among the siblings, Lin Miaomiao, Lin Jiacai and Lin Jialiang are from Lin Laosi's family; Lin Jialang, Lin Jiarong and Xiao Dujuan are from Lin Laowu's family. Lin Miaomiao is the oldest and is fourteen years old this year.
The officers had been gone for a long time, but the few people still hadn't entered the house and were standing blankly at the door.
The people in the village looked at them with complicated expressions. No one invited them to their home, and no one greeted them.
After all, Lin Cunzheng was their great-grandfather, so he brought Lin Changzong and others to help clean up the messy yard.
The official didn't kill them all. He left them some pots, pans, and some buckwheat noodles. Lin Cunzheng took a look and estimated that there was more than one stone of buckwheat noodles.
Lin Cunzheng looked at them, wanting to say something but stopping himself several times. He couldn't find any words to comfort them.
If there were only one or two children, he might discuss with Mrs. Sun and take them to his own home to raise them, but this was six, and he couldn't afford it, so he had to wait and discuss it with his three younger brothers' families.
Looking at Lin Cunzheng's eyes, Lin Miaomiao felt a lump in her throat and tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.
"Grandpa, how are we going to live in the future?"
Lin Cunzheng took a deep breath. He couldn't promise anything right now, nor did he dare give them hope. He only said, "We still have some food, and the pots and pans are still there. Eat and have a good sleep. We'll talk tomorrow after you've rested well."
She listened to what Lincunzheng said and nodded silently.
After Lin Cunzheng took Lin Changzong and others away, Lin Miaomiao took Lin Jiacai and others to make a fire and make buckwheat cakes.
When they were far away, Lin Changzong asked Lin Cunzheng: "Dad, what are you going to do with them?"
Lin Cunzheng sighed deeply, "Ask your second uncle and his family first. If they are willing, each family can take two away. If not, there is nothing we can do."
Lin Changzong said, "I think it's pretty bad. After this time in prison, my second uncle and the others are all resentful."
Lin Cunzheng was silent. Not to mention that other people were resentful, he also had resentment in his heart. Old Man Lin was his youngest brother, and he often helped to clean up the mess and mediate various things. Those were all small matters, some trivial matters in the village. He didn't expect that they would be so stupid. Lin Changhai and Lin Changbo brought the silver back more than ten years ago, and Lin Hongtai kept it tightly. If he had kept it for two more generations, it would have been fine, but he dared to send the silver to the government, which almost implicated the entire clan.
He would think about his younger brother and the few descendants he had left behind, and that would be the end of the matter.
But the second, third, and fourth sons may not think so, and he cannot ask others to be magnanimous.
Lin Chuntao was far away, she only saw the official come in empty-handed and leave with full load, she thought that the Lin family's yard must have been looted.
The Lin family is hateful, and she is happy to see them fighting each other.
If someone really committed a crime, he deserves to be punished.
But she clearly remembered that when she was interrogated, the official was talking about tens of thousands of taels of silver. It was not that she looked down on the Lin family, but they did not dare to take tens of thousands of taels of silver even if it was placed in front of them.
But Lin Changhai and his men had some lost silver in their hands. How much was it, or was it really stolen by them? Lin Chuntao had no idea.
It’s like an entire family was beaten and reduced to slavery because of something unclear.
She didn't feel sorry for anyone, but she was afraid of the fate of being easily implicated and crushed.
She grew up in a civilized world, but when she woke up after a fall, the world was turned upside down. She had accepted poverty and having nothing. She still had hands, and she had the ability and strength to change.
But she couldn't change the rules of this world. She didn't want to wake up and find herself a slave with a thin bond, nor did she want to lose her head for no apparent reason.
Disappointment and powerlessness spread endlessly in my heart.
Pei Ying stood by, watching Lin Chuntao's face grow paler and paler. He whispered, "It's windy. Let's go home first."
Lin Chuntao nodded and let Pei Ying support her back to the house.
Near dusk, Lin Chunxing came back with her sisters carrying pig feed. The first thing they did when they came back was to ask her if she was feeling better.
Looking at the worried faces of the three of them, Lin Chuntao smiled and patted them.
"Much better. Are you hungry? Wash your hands and go make some food."
Lin Chunxing nodded, looked at her and asked, "Sister, what do you want to eat?"
Lin Chuntao said, "It's fine with me."
Before Lin Chunxing could speak, Pei Ying beside her said, "Then I'll continue to steam an egg custard for you, okay?"
"OK."
Seeing that she agreed, Lin Chunxing said, "Brother-in-law, can you steam it for me first?"
Lin Chuntao shook her head: "No, you guys steam the rice and cook the dishes first, I'll eat with you later."
"That's fine too. I'll make some and put it in the steamer. I can steam the egg custard together with the rice."
After that, they went about preparing food.
After dinner, Lin Cunzheng called the adults from other branches of the Lin family to his home. One was to discuss the repair of the ancestral tomb, and the other was to ask what to do with the six children.
Repairing the ancestral tomb is an easy matter. We can discuss it with everyone contributing money and effort.
But after Lin Cunzheng asked about the six children, everyone fell silent.
Lin Changsen from the second house said, "Uncle, what do you want to do about this? Should we take two in each family?"
Lin Cunzheng shook his head slightly: "That's not what I meant, but after all, these are the children left by your fifth uncle. We still have to take care of them, so I'm asking for everyone's opinions."
Lin Changsen sighed when he heard this. "If you ask me, uncle, there's no need to ask. Chuntao and the others were driven out and had nothing. Miaomiao and Chuntao are not much different in age. They can take care of themselves, right?"
The people in the room also echoed: "I also think what Brother Sen said makes sense."
Lin Cunzheng said, "That's true, but your fifth uncle's land has also been confiscated by the government. Lin Miaomiao and her siblings don't have even an acre of land. From now on, they have no land to farm and no food to eat. It's always a problem."
Lin Changsen frowned slightly and said, "If you marry someone from another place, can't you get some land? If there's another one later, can you make some arrangements for Miaomiao?"
Lincunzheng said: "Their family's quota for land has been used by Chuntao, so we have to think of another way."
Everyone was silent and no one spoke.
After a long while, the fourth wife's eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Li, said, "Uncle, aren't Chuntao and the others still living in your old house? Now that the fifth uncle's house is spacious, why don't you go talk to Chuntao and the others and ask them to move back. In the future, the sisters can take care of each other and live together. Now that the adults are gone, although they are cousins, they are no less than real sisters."
The sister-in-law sitting next to her also agreed: "It just so happens that Chuntao and her family also have more than ten acres of land, so this is perfect."
Chen Dongniang looked up at Li Honghua who was speaking when she heard this and said, "Sister-in-law, this is a good idea, but I don't know if Chuntao is willing to be the one who gets taken advantage of."
"We usually get along pretty well, but it's really hard to bring this up with Chuntao. Let's see who else to ask."
Li Honghua pursed her lips and argued, "Sister-in-law, how can this be called a takeaway? Chuntao doesn't have any brothers, and it just so happens that she moved back home at this time. In the future, Jialang and Jiacai will all be her brothers. When they grow up, they will be able to support her, right?"
Chen Dongniang raised her eyebrows slightly and said with a smile, "Why don't you talk to Chuntao about this?"
"I don't want to be with her, so if I tell her, she will definitely not agree."
Lin Changhua was silent for a long time and looked at Li Honghua. "Sister-in-law, your method is really unethical. If you were Chuntao, would you agree to this? Why not stop making trouble and asking for trouble?"
Li Honghua's face flushed instantly when she heard Lin Changhua's words. She stretched her neck and said with a blushing face, "Second brother, what do you mean by wicked? Then tell me, don't Chuntao and the others have a place to live? Have they always lived in my uncle's old house?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Sun took over the conversation: "Chun Tao has drawn the homestead, and they may build a new house in a few days. Besides, our old house is useless, so it won't be a problem for them to live there."
When Sun said this, Li Honghua said awkwardly, "Since my aunt-in-law said so, I don't have any other options."
Everyone was silent for a long time before Lin Changhua continued, "If you ask me, Miaomiao is already a grown-up child. Let's just live like this for the time being."
"Look at Chuntao and the others, aren't they also coming over so slowly?"
After Lin Changhua finished speaking, everyone stopped discussing it and just said that they were going to find someone to find a date to repair the ancestral tomb.
Lin Chuntao ate half a bowl of egg custard and drank a bowl of medicine tonight, and went to bed when night fell.
Lin Chunxing and the others felt relieved when they saw that Lin Chuntao was in much better condition.
Pei Ying, on the other hand, had managed to close his eyes last night, but tonight he didn't dare close his eyes at all. Lin Chuntao's breathing, now deep and now shallow, was in his ears. He had been holding on until midnight, when he couldn't take it anymore and dozed off.
When he suddenly woke up, he touched Lin Chuntao's forehead. Her forehead was burning hot, it was hot again.
Pei Ying quickly put on his shoes and went out to light a fire to warm the wine and rub her palms.
There was a moon tonight, and he left the door open, so the quiet moonlight streamed into the room.
He was concentrating on rubbing her palms to cool her down, thinking that Lin Chuntao was not awake. When he looked up inadvertently, he saw Lin Chuntao looking at him with tears on her face.
He was a little stunned and stopped what he was doing.
Her tears were still flowing. Pei Ying stood up and sat beside the pillow. He reached out and half-lifted Lin Chuntao to lean against him. He put his arms around her body and continued to rub his palms gently.
"Are you feeling uncomfortable?" Pei Ying's voice sounded in her ears, and Lin Chuntao shook her head slightly.
Pei Ying pursed her lips and asked again, "Are you worried about something? I'm your husband, you can tell me anything."
Lin Chuntao just shook her head and didn't say anything.
Pei Ying was silent for a moment and then said, "The Lin family's affairs are over. We will be fine."
Lin Chuntao didn't respond, but just shed tears. Pei Ying thought of the doctor's words and said to her with some heartache, "The doctor said you were too frightened, your liver qi is stagnant, and your liver fire is disturbing your heart. Don't keep anything in your heart, it will hurt you. After all, your health is the most important thing."
"Actually, things are pretty good right now. Whether your uncle and his men were caned and enslaved or sent to the army, they're still in Yizhou. At least they weren't exiled thousands of miles. If they were really exiled three thousand miles, they might have died halfway there."
"What happens to them is none of my business."
After Lin Chuntao finished speaking, Pei Ying said, "I know, I'm not talking about them."
"Are you thirsty? Let me get you some water?" Pei Ying asked. Lin Chuntao shook her head and said, "No."
Pei Ying said, "The doctor said to rub your palms with wine to dissipate the heat. You need to rub for a while. Are you sleepy? If you are, go to sleep."
"Not sleepy."
"If you're not sleepy, I'll tell you about my business."
Lin Chuntao turned her head slightly and looked at Pei Ying. Pei Ying said softly, "Actually, my parents are still alive and quite wealthy."
These words surprised Lin Chuntao. She remembered Pei Ying saying that both his parents had passed away. Why did he say that they were still alive?
"When I said my parents were both dead, I thought we'd never see each other again anyway, so it was no different from being dead."
Pei Ying watched Lin Chuntao's expression change from surprise to calmness. He raised his eyebrows slightly and asked, "Aren't you curious?"
Lin Chuntao looked at him like this and whispered, "I'm listening, you talk."
"My family owns a very famous restaurant in Guangling. Even the emperor dined there and praised it highly, leaving an inscription on it. Business has always been booming. Unfortunately, something happened when I was a child. I got lost and lost my memory. It wasn't until last year that my parents found the butcher shop, claimed I was their biological son, and adopted me."
Lin Chuntao listened to Pei Ying's words as if she was reading a novel.
"They've all been recognized. Why are you coming to Yizhou instead of inheriting the family business?"
Pei Ying smiled and said, "I only know how to butcher pigs. I can't read or write, and I've never been to school. How can I inherit the family business?"
Lin Chuntao raised her eyebrows slightly and said calmly, "As for inheritance, all it takes is that you are your parents' biological son. There are no additional conditions, right?"
"During the years I was missing, they had a son who was closer to them."
"Your brother?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Pei Ying laughed: "If he were my brother, perhaps I wouldn't come to Yizhou alone."
"I heard from the housekeeper that after I went missing, my mother nearly cried herself blind. She searched for me like crazy and ended up hugging a boy who looked like me, saying it was me. To ease my mother's grief, my father adopted the boy and raised him as their own son. He's obedient, sensible, and a great student. He's much better than me, his own son."
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly: "So, after you went back, they didn't get closer to you, but instead treated that person better?"
"You guessed all this?" Pei Ying said with a smile.
Lin Chuntao thought that the more she listened, the more it sounded like a novel about a real and fake young master.
"So you came to Yizhou in a fit of rage."
Pei Ying shook his head slightly. "It wasn't a fit of anger. They were my real parents, but I didn't feel at home after returning. On the contrary, I felt less at ease outside. Perhaps the vast world outside is my home, so I followed the team that migrated south to Yizhou."
"I don't regret coming to Yizhou. I'm even a little grateful."
"You have to take care of yourself." Pei Ying paused and said, "I finally have a family."
Pei Ying said: "Although we are small, we don't have any grand plans. We just want to live our own small lives. The vast world can accommodate our small wishes."
Lin Chuntao wanted to nod, but thinking about everything she couldn't say out loud, she suddenly turned to sobbing. She cried softly. Pei Ying hugged her and whispered to her, "It's okay. Everything will be fine from now on."
Lin Chuntao cried for almost a quarter of an hour before she stopped. After crying so hard, she felt a lot more relaxed.
She told Pei Ying, "It's okay, I'll be fine tomorrow."
Pei Ying nodded slightly. She sniffed and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm a little thirsty."
"Then I'll go get you some water."
Lin Chuntao nodded and sat up straight. Pei Ying poured a bamboo tube of warm water, and Lin Chuntao drank it down in one gulp.
Pei Ying touched her forehead again, it was still a little hot.
"Go to sleep if you're tired. I'll rub you for a while."
Lin Chuntao lay down, she looked at Pei Ying sideways and whispered, "I'll wait for you."
Pei Ying felt relieved when he saw that she had stopped crying.
He continued rubbing for a while, and only after her forehead felt a little cooler did he pack up his things and lie down.
The two of them lay side by side, and the distance between them seemed to be enough for two more people to sleep.
Lin Chuntao reached out and gently held Pei Ying's hand.
She said, "I'm going to sleep, good night."
Pei Ying hummed softly and fell asleep.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com