Chapter 41 Chapter 41-Two-in-one longevity noodles
The next morning, Lin Chuntao got up earlier than usual.
Today is the fifth day of June, Pei Ying’s birthday.
She kneaded some buckwheat noodles and made a simple bowl of egg noodles. She put two poached eggs in it and sprinkled some chopped green onions. A fresh fragrance wafted out, and it tasted pretty good.
Pei Ying woke up on time. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Lin Chuntao scooping water to put out the fire. On a bench beside her sat a bowl with a pair of chopsticks resting on it. In the moonlight, he could almost see steam rising from the bowl.
Lin Chuntao looked up and saw him coming out, and said with a smile, "Are you up?"
"Happy birthday! I made you a bowl of longevity noodles. Come over after you wash up and eat."
Pei Ying rarely celebrated his birthday. After he got lost, he was left alone. After being picked up by his master, he continued to celebrate for a few years because his master's wife was still alive. But after his master's wife died, his master stopped celebrating his own birthday and paid no attention to him. He had only casually mentioned it the day he followed Lin Chuntao here, but she had actually remembered it and even cooked noodles for him.
He quickly went over to scoop some water to wash his face and rinse his mouth, then came over after washing.
Lin Chuntao had already brought the backpack and the small bamboo basket. He looked at the bowl of noodles on the chair with two poached eggs on it. His heart seemed to be filled with something. He looked at her and she was reluctant to take it.
Lin Chuntao raised her eyebrows and looked at him: "What's wrong?"
Pei Ying said nothing. He reached out and pulled her towards him, holding her in his arms. The moonlight stretched their figures very long. He whispered softly in Lin Chuntao's ear, "Thank you."
Lin Chuntao smiled and patted him, "It's your duty. Eat it quickly, or it will get cold soon."
"My parents are out of white flour, so I made this with buckwheat flour. How does it taste?"
Pei Ying let her go and picked up the bowl of noodles. The buckwheat noodles were not white in color, but they had a fragrant aroma. He saw that there was only one bowl and asked Lin Chuntao, "Didn't you make one for yourself too?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I'm not hungry yet, I can't eat."
"I'll get the bowls and chopsticks, and we'll each have half." He was about to go into the house when Lin Chuntao hurriedly pulled him back. "I really can't eat anymore. How about I have a bite?"
Pei Ying smiled and picked up some noodles to feed her. Lin Chuntao didn't have much appetite yet, but since the birthday girl had fed her, she had no choice but to eat the noodles.
After she swallowed it, the man in front of her picked up another fried egg and fed it to her. She said helplessly, "One last bite."
After she finished speaking, she took a bite and decided not to eat anymore. She urged Pei Ying: "Eat quickly, or you'll be late."
Pei Ying nodded slightly and quickly ate the bowl of noodles, even drinking up the soup.
After eating and washing the dishes, the two of them left the yard together.
Lin Chuntao was walking in front, and their shadows overlapped. He was walking behind and watching, then slowly stretched out his hand, and their shadows intersected, as if they were walking hand in hand.
Lin Chuntao inadvertently saw Pei Ying's little action. She curled her lips, slowed down her pace, and walked side by side with him.
After a few accidental touches on the back of their hands, Lin Chuntao hooked her fingers around his, and Pei Ying gently clasped them with his backhand, their fingers tightly intertwined.
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips slightly with a smile on her lips. Pei Ying felt his heart pounding as if it was about to jump out.
Her hands are small, with slender fingers that feel soft in her hands.
The two of them held hands and walked until they reached a fork in the road before they separated.
After daybreak, the children in the village were extremely happy, as if it was New Year's Day.
The adults were also discussing how many pounds of mutton they would need tomorrow and were going to Muramasa's house to tell them.
The atmosphere in Lao Lin's house was depressing. The children went out for a walk, and the children from every household were happily discussing eating mutton tomorrow.
When the children asked Lin Jialang and his family about this, they couldn't answer. In the past, they would have discussed the meat, including how many pounds and what cut of meat to choose. But today, the family was silent; no one mentioned eating mutton. Because Qian's child was gone, and she had threatened to divorce them, and wouldn't let them go, everyone in the Lin family was worried.
The rising sun slowly shone into the yard and onto Old Man Lin.
He tapped his pipe, sighed deeply, and called Lin Changhai and Lin Changhe over.
"Dad, what do you want me to do?"
Lin Changhe looked at his father and asked. Lin Changhai next to him glanced at him and frowned slightly. He didn't know what to say to this man!
Old Man Lin stared at Lin Changhe for a long time and sighed again.
"We are going to worship our ancestors tomorrow. Why don't you go and bring your wife back?" Old Man Lin asked unhappily.
Of course Lin Changhe wanted to, but didn't Qian Dingxiang come back with him? Otherwise, he would have brought her back that day.
"I want to, but isn't he coming back?"
Old Man Lin was silent for a long while before he said, "Big Brother, go get some money from your mother, go to the county town to buy some meat and some sugar and tea, and then follow the third brother to bring Qian back."
Lin Changhai frowned: "Just me?"
"I'm afraid I can't get it back."
"Call your wife, and then ask your elder brother and his wife to go with you."
Lin Changhai nodded and said, "Then I'll go to my uncle's house first."
At Muramasa's house, Chen Dongniang and her sisters-in-law had just taken out the dirty clothes and were about to go to the river to wash them when Lin Changhai came over.
When Muramasa heard that he was going to pick up Qian, he thought that after all, he was his nephew, so he told his eldest son and daughter-in-law to go with him.
Chen Dongniang stood in front of the door holding a wooden basin. She would not refuse anything arranged by her father-in-law, but it seemed that it was not her and her husband's turn to go and take care of it.
"Changhai, who among you will go to pick them up?"
Lin Changhai looked at Chen and said, "Sister-in-law, my wife, my third son and I."
Chen's face was calm, but her tone was somewhat unhappy.
"Isn't Fifth Aunt going?" she asked.
Lin Changhai's face changed slightly. No one would ask the mother-in-law to pick up the daughter-in-law when she goes back to her parents' home.
Chen saw Lin Changhai's dark expression and said calmly, "It's not that I don't want to make this trip, but if you really want to bring her back, you should also think about the root cause, right? How did Qian's child disappear? If your eldest brother and I go, including you and your sister-in-law, what can we guarantee to Qian?"
After hearing what Chen said, he looked at Muramasa and Sun. Both of them remained silent and seemed to agree with Chen's words.
He was a little angry. Qian Shi knew she was pregnant but still came forward. Who could he blame if the baby was lost? It was just a quarrel in the first place. She didn't care about her belly. Others' mistakes were just careless.
"What the eldest sister-in-law said makes sense. We'll just follow her. We guarantee it won't be our turn. The third brother will go and talk to her himself."
Chen thought of Lin Changhe, then looked at Lin Changhai in front of her and found it a little funny.
"Okay, then let's go."
She was supposed to go along and get scolded. It didn't matter if she got scolded, but she was afraid that going there would make the Qian family think she was not sincere, which would only add fuel to the fire!
Chen Dongniang brought the wooden basin into the house, and her second sister-in-law said beside her: "Sister-in-law, give me your clothes and I will help you wash them."
Chen waved her hand, "You two go wash it, my sister-in-law. I'll do mine when I get back. It's a big basin, how long are you going to take to wash it?"
The third daughter-in-law also laughed and said, "We can wash two pieces each, it won't be a big deal."
Chen Dongniang still refused. Sun smiled and said, "You sisters, go quickly. I'll be there soon."
After the sisters-in-law left, Sun followed her daughter-in-law into the house. She whispered, "If you see anything wrong with the Qian family, run away quickly."
Chen Dongniang glanced at her mother-in-law and said, "I know that, don't worry."
"It's not that I don't want to go with them, but if they can bring Qian back like this, that would be a miracle."
Sun patted her shoulder, and Chen Dongniang and her husband Lin Changzong went to Old Lin's house together.
Lin Changhai went to ask Tian for money. Tian gave him the money without saying a word. Then Lin Changhai and his friends walked towards the county town.
After they left, Old Man Lin and Mrs. Tian said, "Go to my eldest brother's house and tell him we want three pounds of mutton this year."
When Tian heard this, she paused, said nothing, and walked away with the winnowing basket.
The Qian family was in a village not far from the county town. They had to go into the city first to buy meat and other things, and then come back to the Qian family.
Lin Changhai and his group first bought half a rib of meat and then went to buy snacks and tea.
They bought the meat at another stall. When they passed by Pei Ying's shop on their way to buy snacks, Lin Changhe saw Pei Ying standing in front of the meat stall at a glance.
He tugged at Lin Changhai's sleeve in amazement. Lin Changhai followed his gaze and was also stunned.
"Is that Chuntao's husband?" Lin Changhai asked with a frown.
After hearing her husband's question, Zhang finally saw Pei Ying, who was holding a knife and cutting meat.
Looking at the three people like this, Chen said calmly: "Don't you know yet?"
Lin Changhai frowned slightly and looked at Chen Dongniang.
"This Pei Ying has the skill of butchering pigs and works as a butcher in the county town."
Lin Changhe's face was full of disbelief. "Him? A butcher?"
Chen Dongniang smiled and said, "Yes, the butcher."
Lin Changhe took a deep breath. No wonder? No wonder they were buying this and that. It turned out that Pei Ying's job was the reason for the profit!
He had said it before. Lin Chuntao had always been timid, but when she was kicked out, she took the three dead girls away so happily. She must have thought that Pei Ying could make money by slaughtering pigs, so she had already made plans.
He has raised this damn girl for so long, but he still didn't know that she was so scheming!
Lin Changhe became angrier the more he thought about it, and walked straight towards the meat stall.
Chen hurriedly called out, "Third Lin, are you still going to pick up Qian?"
Lin Changhe paused, and Chen Dongniang urged him, "Hurry up, don't let them get there too late when it's time for dinner."
Urged by Chen Dongniang, Lin Changhai also said: "Let's go buy something first, and we'll talk about it when we get back."
Chen Dongniang frowned slightly. What else could she say after returning? She still wanted to call Lin Chuntao back? It was easy to drive her out, but it was hard to bring her back. They would soon experience just how difficult it was to bring her back.
At this time, at the Qian family's house, Qian Dingxiang's sister-in-law Liu was sweeping the yard while cursing, asking if all the people in the old Lin family were dead and why they hadn't come yet.
Just after I finished scolding Lin Changhe, they knocked on the door.
The gate was not closed, and Liu looked up and saw Lin Changhe and his group. Except for Lin Changhe, Liu had also seen the others when Qian Dingxiang got married.
Lin Changhe carried his things and looked at Liu and said, "Sister-in-law, is Dingxiang home? Let's go take Dingxiang home."
Liu scoffed, "At home, of course she's at home. She just got beaten and had a miscarriage? Are we going to kick her out of the house? We're not those heartless scumbags."
Lin Changhai and Zhang's faces turned slightly red, and Chen Dongniang followed behind with a calm expression. She just followed them, and it was Lin Changhai and Lin Changhe's business to decide how to invite the people back.
Lin Changhe said awkwardly, "Sister-in-law, it was an accident. I didn't do it carelessly."
Seeing Lin Changhe like this, Liu was furious. She had heard from Qian Dingxiang that her vicious mother-in-law punched her in the stomach again and again, which was why the child died.
She had never heard of such a horrifying thing in the surrounding area, nor had she ever seen such a vicious mother-in-law!
Still want to accidentally reveal it? Dream on!
"Accidentally? What a 'accidental'! The pain was on my sister, but it was your son who fell, and you actually said it was an accident! You might never have a son in this life. You don't deserve it!"
As Liu scolded, Lin Changhe's face flushed red, as did Lin Changhai's. Zhang took a deep breath and said, "Sister-in-law, we are all sisters-in-law. Of course, we all want the best for our younger brothers and sisters. Whether it's beating or scolding, ask the third brother to go in and see Dingxiang, and let them and their husbands talk."
Liu glanced at Zhang and said gloomily, "I wouldn't dare to do that either. My sister is still lying weakly on the bed. If I let him in, he'd give her a couple of punches and kill her. I wouldn't be able to explain myself!"
Just like that, Liu Shi refused to let Lin Changhe and the others into the house to do it. The Qian family didn't seem to be at home either. Only a few children and Liu Shi were there.
After Liu finished speaking, she ordered the child next to her, "Go call your father, grandparents, and uncles back and tell them that the people who beat up your aunt are here!"
The child responded and ran out of the yard quickly. Zhang curled her lips and asked, "Who hit Qian Dingxiang?"
But after all, they were there to pick someone up, so Zhang didn't argue.
Lin Changhe came forward with the things and handed them to Liu: "Sister-in-law, please don't despise this small gift."
Liu lowered her eyes to glance at the meat and snacks, and chuckled softly, "We can't accept your kindness, Lin family. How long have you married her, and she's already had a miscarriage? What can you do with all this stuff, including medical expenses and supplements?"
Lin Changhe looked embarrassed, and Zhang said, "Sister-in-law Qian, Dingxiang's medical expenses and other things must be paid by our family. We have ancestral worship tomorrow, and Dingxiang will be our family if she marries into our family. If she's not feeling well, it's only right that we take her home to take care of her."
"Sister-in-law, please let the third brother go in to see Dingxiang and let the couple talk."
Mrs. Liu glanced at Mrs. Zhang indifferently and did not give in.
"No need. If something happens, I can't take the responsibility. Just wait until Dingxiang's parents and brothers come back. It's not too late to talk to Lin Laosan then."
Liu didn't even get them a stool, so they just stood there in the yard.
After waiting for about two quarters of an hour, the child who had run to call for help came back, and soon after, Qian Dingxiang's parents and brothers also came in from outside the house.
The old lady had a gloomy face. She came in and slapped Lin Changhe in the face.
"You beast!"
Lin Changhe's face was red from being beaten. He gritted his teeth and said nothing. The old lady took the sickle in her hand. She put it away and looked back at them. "What are you doing here?"
Lin Changhe said in a deep voice: "Mom, let's go and take Dingxiang back."
The old lady snorted coldly, "Why would I take him back? Would he continue to be beaten by your family if I took him back?"
Lin Changhe pursed his lips and said in a deep voice: "Mom, I didn't hit her. It was an accident before."
Liu had just brought a bowl of hot tea to her mother-in-law, and when the old lady heard this, she raised her hand and the bowl, along with the tea and water, fell on Lin Changhe's head.
Chen Dongniang hurriedly pulled her husband back a little, only to hear the old lady scolding, "Accident? That old bitch Tian punched her in the stomach again and again, and you tell me it was an accident?"
"You're dreaming of taking her back! Get out! Get out!"
Tian was insulted, and Lin Changhai and Lin Changhe's cheeks turned as red as monkey butts.
The two of them wanted to argue with the old lady, but there were many people in the Qian family, and they might get beaten if they talked too much nonsense.
When he was about to be kicked out, Lin Changhe shouted at the top of his voice: "Dingxiang, are you willing to come back with me and have a word? I know you feel wronged, but my son is gone, and I am heartbroken too. If you come back with me, we will be separated, and you will be the only one who makes the decisions at home from now on."
The Qian family glared at Lin Changhe angrily. After a while, Qian Dingxiang's voice was heard from inside the house.
"If you want me to go back and live with you, you have to ask that vicious old woman Tian Xiaomei to come and apologize to me! I'll wait for you until 3:30 PM. If you don't bring her, then we'll break up!"
Lin Changhe was a little angry when he heard this, and walked out of the Qian family's door without saying a word.
After walking out of the door, Chen Dongniang knew that Lin Changhe could not take this person back, but it was nothing if she just couldn't take him back. What she was afraid of was that the Qian family had other plans.
Regarding Qian Dingxiang's words just now, if she really wanted an apology and go back to her life, she would not have called her mother-in-law's name and scolded her as an old vicious woman. Many men don't feel anything when they scold their own mothers, but if you scold his mother, he will instantly become a filial son.
Even if Qian Dingxiang went back to live her own life, Lin Changhe would definitely cause trouble for her in the future.
With Qian Dingxiang's personality, it would probably be impossible for her to go back and live such a life.
The five people who were returning did not say a word, and everyone returned to the village in silence.
The village was bustling at this time. Many people gathered in the yard of Muramasa's house. Everyone came to discuss how much mutton they wanted for tomorrow.
Since Old Man Lin had spoken, Tian had to go too.
Before she left, Lin Changzong and Chen Dongniang returned. Things couldn't be hidden in this village, so when they saw them return, everyone hurriedly asked, "Did Lin Lao San bring his wife back?"
Chen Dongniang looked up and saw Tian behind the man. She didn't answer, but asked the man, "Fourth brother, how many pounds of meat does your family need this year? We had a bumper harvest of three pounds last year. Do you want more this year?"
The man laughed out loud when he heard that, and then said, "Yes, yes, we have a new member this year, so I need four pounds."
Looking at the excitement of everyone, Tian quietly walked away from the back.
After everyone left, Sun asked her son and daughter-in-law, "How is it?"
The two shook their heads together, and Chen Dongniang said, "I guess we can't get him back."
"As for Qian Dingxiang, the old lady should go pick her up personally and apologize to her." After Chen Dongniang finished speaking, Sun said calmly, "She has done such a sin, she should have gone to pick her up and apologized."
Chen Dongniang said, "That Qian was calling Fifth Auntie by her name and calling her an old vicious woman. I think Lin Changhai and Lin Changhe don't have the face to let Fifth Auntie go."
Sun sighed, "You've done this yourself. A while ago, I sold everything I had and insisted on marrying her, saying she'd give birth to a son. And now she's like this..."
Chen also told her mother-in-law about what she saw Pei Ying working in a butcher shop in the county town.
When Sun heard about Lin Changhe's actions, she snorted coldly.
"The household registration has been divided. Even if he wants it, he can't get it. Besides, Xiao Pei and Chun Tao are both independent-minded, so there's no need to worry."
Chen Dongniang nodded slightly and smiled, "By the way, does Chuntao know that we have to eat mutton today?"
Sun was stunned. She had forgotten about this.
"It's okay, let's talk about it after lunch. Chuntao might not be back at this hour."
After Tian returned home, she did not see Qian Dingxiang.
Old Man Lin was asking Lin Changhai and the others, but Lin Changhai of course couldn't say that people were shouting his mother's name and insulting him, and they came back with their tails between their legs.
Zhang glanced at Lin Changhai and replied to her father-in-law.
"My sister-in-law won't come back. She wants mother to go and apologize to her in person and ask her to come back." Zhang paused, thinking for a moment and decided that since she had already said it, she might as well finish it. She glanced at Lin Changhe and Lin Changhai, and continued to talk to the old man, "My sister-in-law also said that she would wait for my third brother until 3:15 pm, and if he didn't come, they would break up."
Tian listened to her daughter-in-law's words and cursed in a deep voice, "It's up to her to come back or not! She's a useless thing who can't even keep a child. If she wants to break up, then let her go!"
Old Man Lin was silent for a while, then looked up at Lin Changhe and asked, "What do you think?"
Qian Dingxiang scolded her in front of Lin Changhai and Lin Changzong and his wife. Not to mention that Tian Shi would not go to pick her up, even if she did, he felt that he would never be able to hold his head up.
But he didn’t answer because he had no son.
Lin Changhai probably guessed what he was thinking and said in a deep voice, "She's not the only woman in the world who can give birth to a son! Just marry her again."
Lin Changhe replied calmly, "I'll listen to my father and eldest brother."
The matter was just covered up like that. The children didn't care about it. They just knew that Tian had asked for mutton and there would be a mutton hotpot to eat tomorrow. Those half-grown boys jumped around and showed off.
They had been watching the courtyard gate until lunchtime, and when they still hadn't seen Lin Chuntao and the others go to Muramasa's house, Lin Jia was happy. He thought that tomorrow he would bring some mutton to eat for Lin Chuntao and the others to see!
At that time, he would eat mutton, and Lin Chuntao and the others would eat wild vegetables. Just thinking about it made him feel happy!
Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying returned a little late. Tomorrow, June 6th, they wouldn't be slaughtering pigs, so Shopkeeper He had told everyone to take a day off and not set up shop. Pei Ying and the others waited until they had finished processing the meat from the various shops and cleaned up the shops before returning.
Lin Chuntao thought that if that was the case, she would not come to the county town tomorrow. She had to buy all the seasonings needed for eating mutton tomorrow.
Not to mention the onions, ginger and garlic, there was no dried chili peppers or coriander at home, so she went to buy them all. After walking around for a long time, she saw mint and bought two kilograms directly. The person selling mint was stunned for a moment, but he didn't say much and sold it to her directly.
Because it is going to be eaten in hot pot, the meat must be stewed in clear soup, and there is no need to add any spices. Just add some fresh ginger and fennel.
There was no fennel at home, so she had to go to the pharmacy to buy it. Lin Chuntao thought it would be better to use the points to exchange for some spices directly, which would be convenient for use at home in the future.
She called up the control panel and exchanged half a pound of spices that she could use on a daily basis, but only took out cumin and pepper.
When she finished shopping and returned to the butcher shop, Pei Ying and the others had just finished packing.
He said goodbye to Zhang Dayong, Lao Zhao and others and left with Lin Chuntao.
Before leaving the market, Lin Chuntao asked him with a smile: "Today is your birthday. Is there anything you want to eat? Let's buy something to take back."
Pei Ying shook his head. He had already eaten the most delicious food on his birthday this year.
It was the longevity noodles that Lin Chuntao had cooked for him in the morning.
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