Chapter 56 Chapter 56-Two-in-one chili sauce
Lin Chuntao smiled when she heard that. "Opening a restaurant? My cooking skills are not good enough."
Lin Chunhe pursed her lips and asked in confusion, "Isn't it good enough that it's so delicious?"
"Well, the chefs in those restaurants cook better food. When we have money, I'll take you there to eat."
Although Lin Chuntao said so, they were not really looking forward to eating out. They felt that what Lin Chuntao cooked was delicious.
After dinner, the sisters prepared peppers together. After removing the pepper knots, Lin Chuntao weighed them. After that, she soaked them in warm water and waited for them to be softened before chopping them up.
After finishing the work, it was already dark. After taking the medicine, everyone was busy washing up and then climbed into bed to lie down.
After a busy day, Lin Chuntao felt a little tired, but Pei Ying was very energetic after lying down. He clung to her for a long time before falling asleep.
When Lin Chuntao came back from the county town the next day, the soybeans had almost been soaked. After lunch, she scooped all the beans into the steamer, put it on the fire and started steaming.
Lin Chunxing and the others were very curious about what Lin Chuntao was going to make. The sisters didn't rush out to cut grass for the pigs, but watched from home.
Lin Chuntao waited for the beans to be steamed until soft, then poured them into a winnowing basket and spread them out. When they were cool enough to no longer be hot, she weighed some flour and stirred it in. After spreading it flat, she covered it with gauze and brought it into the house.
"Sister, when do you put the chili peppers in?"
"We have to wait two or three days. Don't come to remove the gauze during these two days."
Lin Chuntao gave some instructions, and her sisters nodded obediently.
Seeing how attentive they were, Lin Chuntao thought that her sisters might keep watching her until she made and packed the jar of sauce. Then, vegetable oil would be needed to seal the jar, and she might have to go to the oil mill to ask about the price of soybean oil.
Lin Chunxing and the others knew how to make sauce, but that was just chopping up the peppers, packing them up, and covering them for a few days to make the sauce. It was spicy, but not very fragrant, and not as delicious as fresh peppers, so people in the village didn't like to make sauce. It was more convenient to pound some dried chili powder.
Lin Chuntao made this sauce with dried chilies, and also mixed with boiled beans and flour. This made them very curious, and they went to the winnowing basket to take a look every day.
Lin Chuntao warned them not to uncover it, and they didn't dare to move, just watching.
In the past two days, a large number of people who moved to the county town have come, and the butcher shop's business has been better. Pei Ying is also very busy and often comes back after lunch time.
Lin Chuntao picked mushrooms in the morning, and it was still early when she finished selling them, so she didn't wait for Pei Ying. She went to the oil mill to ask about the price of soybean oil. It was sixteen cents per pound, so she didn't buy it. She directly used her points to exchange for two buckets of soybean oil in her backpack, and took out a small can to carry back.
After returning home, the sisters had lunch and then went about their own business. Lin Chuntao waited for Pei Ying, and heated up the food when he was about to come home. When Pei Ying came home for dinner, she went to take a nap, and when she woke up, she went to dig wild vegetables to earn points.
While she was taking a nap, Pei Ying would either clean up or go to the river to wash clothes.
After encountering this twice, Lin Qingqing's mother, Wang, went home and said with a smile, "The one from Chuntao's family is quite diligent. I just ran into him washing clothes again."
Aunt Lin San was a little unhappy to hear this and started to say, "A grown man isn't ashamed of carrying a wash basin? I think Chuntao is the same. She used to be such a diligent girl, but now after getting married, she's too lazy to wash clothes."
Wang's expression changed slightly, and Lin Qingqing next to her pouted. "What are you talking about, Third Aunt? What's wrong with washing clothes? Sister Chuntao goes into the mountains early to pick mushrooms to sell. How can she be lazy if she works? Besides, Chuntao's husband is still washing dishes and pots at home!"
Aunt Lin was shocked when she heard this. She cried out "ouch" and looked at Wang.
"Second sister-in-law, is your Qingqing also thinking about getting married?"
Wang's expression suddenly changed, and she looked at Aunt Lin coldly. She had been sarcastic before, but now, when they were just chatting casually, they had to bring up Lin Qingqing? And the words were so harsh!
"Sister-in-law, I'm telling the truth, and Qingqing is right. I see Chuntao and the other sisters haven't offended you, right? Why bother saying such harsh things, and even dragging Qingqing into this? The whole family works and eats together, but if the work is separated, and you're such a hardworking person, aren't you going to support my third brother and do all the work in the fields and at home by yourself?"
Seeing that Wang Shi took it seriously, Third Aunt Lin's arrogance subsided a little. She blushed and said awkwardly, "I was just joking. Why are you so angry, Second Sister-in-law? I won't say anything."
Wang snorted coldly and carried the wooden basin into the house.
Lin Jiaye was still confused. How could they start arguing after just a few words? He glanced at Aunt Lin San, whose face was still very red. She was a little embarrassed in front of the younger generation. She said to Lin Jiaye with the grace of an elder, "Jiaye, you must choose your wife carefully in the future. Don't choose a lazy woman like this who makes you wash clothes and dishes."
Lin Jiaye's heart skipped a beat, and then he said with a shameless smile: "Aunt San, can you promise me something?"
"What?" asked Aunt Lin.
Lin Jiaye said in a sly tone, "Third Aunt, can you talk to my uncle and ask his daughter to be my wife?"
Aunt Lin's expression suddenly changed, and she angrily yelled, "You bastard! What are you talking about?"
Lin Jiaye smiled and said, "Qiao Jie'er is pretty, gentle, and virtuous. If she marries me, she will definitely not ask me to do laundry."
Hearing her words, Aunt Lin's face immediately darkened. Her niece Lianqiao learned embroidery from her grandmother and was very good at it. Her brother and sister-in-law wanted the child to marry into a wealthy family in the city and enjoy a good life, so she developed such a good temper.
How could that bastard Lin Jiaye even dream of this? What a joke. And she married him and didn't ask him to do any work? If he didn't do it, would Lianqiao do it? He was just dreaming.
Looking at Third Aunt Lin's expression, Lin Jiaye sighed, "Ah, they say an aunt is not as close as an aunt, and it's true. We're both your nephews, and just now, Aunt Lin was still feeling sorry for me, but now she can't bear to part with Qiao Jie? Forget it, forget it. I also know that I'm not worthy of Qiao Jie. I was just joking with Third Aunt Lin."
Aunt Lin wanted to say that you have self-awareness, but she didn't say it out loud. If Lin's mother heard it, there would be another quarrel.
In fact, Lin Jianye's mother was really listening in the house. She knew that the girl from the third house was very precious to her niece. She thought that she was a goddess who was a perfect match for the young master. She would not even look down on her as a daughter-in-law. She was so pretentious and thin that she would fall down in the wind. She was disgusted by the sight of her.
Fortunately, this brat was just talking nonsense, otherwise she would be upset to death.
When Pei Ying came back from washing clothes, Lin Chuntao had just woken up. She yawned and sat up, feeling a little weak.
Pei Ying looked at her weak appearance and thought she was still asleep.
"There's nothing to do in the afternoon. If you're sleepy, just sleep a little longer."
Lin Chuntao shook her head. She thought that taking a nap for too long would only make her feel weaker. She had to get up and move around.
The beans had been there for three days. She uncovered them and took a look. Yellow-green mold had grown on the surface of the soybeans. Lin Chuntao put her nose close to them and sniffed them. There was a hint of fermented rice wine, so it should be considered a success.
Lin Chuntao washed her hands and came back to take out the soybeans covered with mycelium to dry in the sun.
The sun was shining brightly and the beans took two days to dry.
Lin Chuntao borrowed a stone pestle from Aunt Guizhi's house, mixed the beans, fennel and star anise together and pounded them into pieces, then added the chili flakes, fennel powder and salt prepared earlier, added appropriate amount of water and began to stir evenly before putting it into the jar. After putting it in, she compacted it, poured a layer of rapeseed oil on it, covered it with gauze, and sealed the jar with the lid, then waited for the sauce to be dried.
This was the first time that Lin Chuntao made this sauce. She simply followed the recipe given by the system. Whether it would be successful or not depended on fate.
Pei Ying watched Lin Chuntao perform this routine, which was just like the steamed buns that day. It was unbelievable, but there was no other explanation.
Lin Chunxing and the others were out, so they didn't see how it was made before they were jarred. When they came back and saw it was done, they were happy and sighed. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "This is my first time making it too. I will definitely continue to make it after it succeeds. I can still watch it later."
The sisters finally realized what was happening and asked Lin Chuntao how many days it would take before they could eat it.
"About half a month."
"It takes so long?" Lin Duo'er exclaimed. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "The sauce needs to be covered, how can it be so fast? Just wait patiently."
Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was July. The water spinach in the field had grown tall, a large, lush green patch. Lin Chuntao took her sickle and went to cut some, then stir-fried it with minced garlic. It was crispy and delicious, and even her sisters, who didn't like vegetables, ate a lot of it.
Lin Chuntao said, "This bamboo shoot would be even better if cooked in a pot. I'll prepare something for us to cook in a pot in a few days."
In this family, everyone eats whatever Lin Chuntao says to eat. I always feel that I can eat the best food by following Lin Chuntao.
On the second day of July, it rained in the early morning. After the rain stopped, the sun did not come out. The sky was a little dark, and it seemed like it would rain again in a while.
Lin Cunzheng and his companions took advantage of the rain to follow the village head to the county town to pick up the people.
The people who migrated south were complex. Some were wealthy people who were forced to migrate south by the imperial court. They brought money and half of their clansmen with them. After these people moved in, the government allocated houses, land, and registered them. They would then go find work or do business on their own.
There are also some people who have no parents, no land, and no house. People like this group are brought back from various villages, and those who are suitable are married, set up families, and divided into land, so that they can settle down.
The most difficult ones are the poor people with families. They have no spare money and no houses to live in. After arriving here, they settle down in the area designated by the government and allocate land. Those who can build sheds will live there. Those who cannot, or those with a small population, will think about finding local people to marry. However, the local people in Yizhou are hostile to outsiders, so it becomes particularly difficult for them to find one on their own.
Before leaving, Lin Cunzheng found Lin Jialang and asked for his opinion. If he agreed, he would pay attention when he went to pick up the people.
Of course, Lin Jialang had no objection, but his household registration did not allow him to be allocated land, so he had to get it re-registered.
Lin Miaomiao and the others had already made arrangements, leaving only Lin Jialang. Lin Cunzheng went to find Aunt Guizhi. Their family had few people, so they discussed changing Lin Jialang's household registration.
Aunt Guizhi was a little unhappy. She and her husband had no son to take care of them in their old age, and Lin Cunzheng came to her and said this.
Seeing that Aunt Guizhi had misunderstood him, Lin Cunzheng explained, "I'm not asking you to adopt Lin Jialang as your son. I'm just letting him be adopted temporarily. When he gets his share of the land, you can divide it up."
Thinking that it would only take ten days or half a month, Aunt Guizhi agreed.
After Lin Cunzheng left, the old lady said beside him: "Actually, you can also go and talk to Jialang and ask him to be your son. He will definitely be happy."
Aunt Guizhi glanced at the old lady and said unhappily, "Are you also disgusted by my sonlessness?"
The old lady hissed coldly and said helplessly, "That's not what I meant. Please don't wrongly accuse me."
Aunt Guizhi certainly knew that the old lady didn't mean that, otherwise they wouldn't have lived in peace for so many years. She was just a little unhappy.
"If his parents were dead, then it would be easy for me to adopt him as my son. His parents were just demoted to slavery, not dead. When he grows up and misses his parents, he will leave me and Dashan aside. Why should we bother with this?"
The old lady sighed, "You guys decide your own affairs. I'll tell you later. Didn't you wash and dry the clothes you made for Shuilian? When are you going to go see her? I'll go with you."
When talking about her daughter, Aunt Guizhi's mood instantly improved.
"I'll go there after a few days. I can still sell the vegetables from the field a few more times."
After saying that, Aunt Guizhi went back to the house to change her clothes, took her household registration certificate, and prepared to go to the county town with them.
As soon as she left the house, Lin Jialang came with his younger brother and sister.
Thinking of Miao Feng, Aunt Guizhi also disliked Miao Feng as a person, but to her, the child was pitiful, and since Muramasa had asked her to help, it was just a piece of cake for her.
"Aunt, my great grandfather just told me that I'm bringing my brothers and sisters to thank you."
Aunt Guizhi said calmly, "You don't need to thank me. It's just a small matter. I'll adopt him and move his household registration out once you've settled him down."
Lin Jialang nodded. He could tell that Aunt Guizhi didn't like their tone, but she still agreed to help them. This was Aunt Guizhi's kindness. He would remember this favor.
Aunt Guizhi doesn't care about this.
"Is your household registration posted at home? Go get it and follow me to the county town."
Lin Jialang nodded and took his younger brothers and sisters home to get their household registration stickers.
Aunt Guizhi drove a mule cart and waited for them by the roadside. Lin Jialang took his younger brother and sister back to the yard.
After entering the yard, Little Dujuan asked Lin Jialang in confusion, "Brother, does Auntie dislike us?"
Lin Jialang touched her head and smiled.
"No, Auntie doesn't dislike us." What she disliked were their parents.
Little Cuckoo: "Then why does she feel unhappy?"
Lin Jiarong replied: "I feel bad when it rains."
Little Dujuan was confused and didn't understand anything, but when she thought of Aunt Guizhi's smiling face, she believed what her two brothers said.
They set out late, but Aunt Guizhi drove the mule cart, and as soon as Lin Cunzheng and his companions arrived in the county town, Aunt Guizhi and her companions followed.
It was a busy day, and the officials didn't ask much about why they wanted to adopt a child. Aunt Guizhi just said that Lin Jialang's parents were gone, and she had no son. Both parties were interested, so the other party helped them.
After finishing the work, Aunt Guizhi didn't wait for Muramasa and the others, and came back with her three children in a mule cart.
On the way back, Lin Jialang hesitated for a long time before asking Aunt Guizhi: "Aunt, should we call you mother from now on?"
Aunt Guizhi, who was driving the mule cart, chuckled when she heard him say, "Can you even shout that?"
Of course, Lin Jialang was not used to it, but now that the household registration said she was their mother, and Aunt Guizhi had agreed to help them, she was like their reborn parent, so he could call her that.
Aunt Guizhi looked at his expression and said calmly, "Aunt, Aunt, doesn't it also have the word 'mother' in it? Your mother is still alive, and you only have one mother."
Lin Jialang grinned and replied affectionately, "Thank you, auntie."
The village head and his men who went to the county town to pick up the people did not return until the afternoon.
Lin Miaomiao and the others went to their grandmother's house early to wait. As soon as the person was brought back, the old lady took her to choose someone.
The old lady originally wanted to pick someone who looked honest, so that she wouldn’t be able to control Lin Miaomiao and the others, and her life would be easier.
But Lin Miaomiao looked down on him and chose one for herself. The old lady intuitively didn't like this man very much. He was tall, but thin with a pointed face. But according to Lin Miaomiao's idea, this man would look better if he gained some weight. When he gained weight and stood in the yard, Lin Jialang and the others would not dare to move.
After taking the man back with his fingerprints, the old lady and her friends inquired about his family's circumstances. The man's name was Niu Hongxi, and he was nineteen years old, five years older than Lin Miaomiao. His parents had died early, and he had lived with his uncle and aunt. Later, his uncle and aunt died too, and he had come to Yizhou alone with the main force.
The old lady told Niu Hongxi about the situation of Lin Miaomiao and the others. Niu Hongxi had no objection and told the old lady that he would treat Lin Miaomiao well.
The old lady nodded lightly, but Lin Miaomiao was happy.
After all, they were married and their parents were not around. The old lady killed a chicken and invited Lin Miaomiao and the others to have a meal together. Uncle Yang also gave Niu Hongxi some instructions, and he listened carefully.
They had dinner early. Afterward, the old lady called Lin Miaomiao into the house and stuffed a gourd into her hand. Lin Miaomiao wanted to open it immediately, but the old lady quickly held her hand and said, "Let's go back home and read it later."
Lin Miaomiao smiled and nodded. The old lady reminded her, "Miaomiao, from tonight on, you are married. The man outside will be your husband from now on. Let's discuss all the big and small matters at home together."
The old lady saw that Lin Miaomiao was listening attentively. Her mother had a strong temper and she was not very worldly-wise. She sighed and said with an old face, "Men are all the same. If you serve the man well in the house, he will protect you."
Lin Miaomiao replied: "I will treat him as well as my mother treats my father."
The old lady frowned. It was obvious that Lin Miaomiao didn't understand, but it didn't matter. All unmarried girls were like this. She would understand everything when she got home and opened the gourd.
She said, "Okay, take the people back and come back tomorrow to divide the land."
Lin Miaomiao responded and went home with her people.
At this time, people from every household in the village had pressed their fingerprints and taken them home. Lin Jialang and his friends had a special situation, so Lin Cunzheng personally sent them back.
When he went to pick someone up today, he met a woman and a young woman with a little girl. There was no man around. After asking, he found out that the woman's husband died in an accident on the road, the young woman was her sister-in-law, and the little girl was her daughter, who was exactly ten years old this year.
For the sake of land, they also signed marriage certificates for their two children.
After being sent back to the yard, Lincunzheng introduced the three brothers and sisters of Lin Jialang's family and the three other people to each other.
The woman's name was Fan Li Niang, the young girl's name was Meng Yun, and the little girl's name was Meng Yue. After introducing these three people, Lin Cunzheng introduced Lin Jialang and his three siblings.
Aunt Guizhi was nearby. She greeted Fan Li'niang and said, "I'm the child's aunt. Since their parents are gone, the child was adopted by me. My name is Xu Guizhi. From now on, we'll be a family. The child will live here with you on weekdays. If you need any help, please come to my house. When everything is settled in a few days, I'll transfer the child's household registration to live with you."
Aunt Guizhi spoke openly. Fan Li Niang looked at her, nodded slightly, and said softly, "Sorry to bother Sister Xu."
Aunt Guizhi listened to the other person's soft voice and smiled: "I will trouble you with the three children in the future."
Fan Li Niang replied: "It's only natural. We help each other."
The matter was settled. After Lin Cunzheng and Aunt Guizhi left, Lin Jialang breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Fan Li'niang and the others and said, "Well, let me show you what's ours in this house. Besides the three of us, there's also a cousin. We each have three rooms. We share the kitchen, pots and steamers, but we have separate bowls and chopsticks. We also have a separate pigpen in the back."
As he spoke, he took them around the yard and pointed to the toilet.
Fan Li Niang took a look around and found it was much better than she had imagined.
After looking around, Lin Jialang took them into the house to see how they would live.
This was still a bit unfamiliar to everyone, so he couldn't bring himself to call her "mother." But not calling her "mother" wouldn't be nice either, so he asked Fan Li Niang, "I'll call you aunt now. When we grow up and have a wedding banquet to get married, can I call you mother?"
Fan Li Niang nodded when she heard this, "Okay."
Meng Yun next to her took the initiative to say, "Just call me aunt."
The three siblings smiled and nodded. Meng Yun also smiled. Although they were a little poor, it was okay. At least they didn't have to sleep in the open air anymore.
There were three rooms, three bedrooms downstairs, and beds on the floor upstairs. Lin Jialang and Lin Jiarong slept together, with little Dujuan sleeping next door. They separated for a moment, wanting to let little Dujuan and Meng Yue sleep together. After asking the two children, they both agreed, so they arranged for them to sleep together. Girls of similar ages would quickly get familiar with each other. Fan Li Niang slept with her sister-in-law, Meng Yun.
After arranging the beds, Fan Li'niang and the others put their things away. They also brought some food, but not much. Lin Jialang also took them to check the food, but there wasn't much either.
Meng Yun said, "Let's cook and eat first. After that, we can rest and think of a solution tomorrow."
Lin Jialang listened to them talking and went to get a clay pot to scoop noodles. Fan Li Niang asked him how to make it, as they had never eaten buckwheat before.
Lin Jialang said, "Just like wheat flour, just spread it into a pancake."
Meng Yun took the earthenware jar and said with a smile, "Then I can do it. Let me do it."
In the evening, Meng Yun made buckwheat pancakes. After baking them, she put them in a colander and brought them back to the house to eat while sitting down.
Before they finished eating, Lin Miaomiao and the others came back.
She walked in with her head held high today. She originally wanted to show Lin Jialang and the others that she would have land in the future, but Lin Jialang and the others didn't have any yet. As a result, she saw Fan Li'niang and the others as soon as she entered the yard, and her face changed immediately.
"Who are you? Why are you in my house?"
Meng Yun's face changed, and just as she was about to rush out to speak, she was stopped by Fan Li Niang. Lin Jialang put down the cake in his hand and walked out, smiling and asking, "Sister Miao Miao is back. Is this your brother-in-law?"
Niu Hongxi had been listening to Lin Miaomiao's chatter all the way. Looking at the little boy in front of him, he didn't seem quite like what Lin Miaomiao had said. However, he didn't understand everything, so he could only smile. "My name is Niu Hongxi. You're Jialang, right? I've been listening to your sister all the way."
Lin Jialang smiled and nodded, "I am."
After saying that, he looked at Lin Miaomiao and pointed at Meng Yun and the others: "I also signed the marriage certificate today, and I will live with them from now on."
Lin Miaomiao's eyes widened. "How...how could you?"
Lin Jialang understood what she meant and said with a smile: "I am the same as my sister. Have you eaten yet?"
Lin Miaomiao seemed to be holding back her words, but she hesitated. She chuckled and said proudly, "My grandmother's family killed a chicken to congratulate me on my marriage. We've already eaten it."
Lin Jialang looked at Niu Hongxi and nodded, "Then I'll go back to the house first."
Lin Miaomiao led everyone back to the house. They didn't need to share beds. Niu Hongxi and Lin Miaomiao slept together, and the two brothers Lin Jiacai each slept in a room.
They also took Niu Hongxi for a walk around the front and back yards, went to fetch water, and showed him the location of the well.
When we came back from work, it was already dark. People on both sides started to boil water to wash up and prepare to go to bed.
Lin Miaomiao was a little nervous at the thought that a man was going to sleep with her tonight, but Niu Hongxi seemed to be used to it. He even lit a lighter when he entered the room, which made both of their faces blush slightly.
Niu Hongxi had already seen Lin Miaomiao return with a gourd. After bolting the door, he walked to the edge of the bed and asked nonchalantly, "Don't you want to see what your grandma gave you?"
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