Chapter 72 Chapter 72-Two-in-one Eating mutton without mint is not...
Lin Chunxing felt a little embarrassed, but Lin Chuntao didn't think it was a big deal.
She looked at Lin Chunxing and said, "We sell noodles just like everyone else. It's natural for them to feel a little upset when their business is down. But the shopkeeper hasn't bothered us in all these days, which means he's not a bad person."
"That person was in a bad mood because their business was bad, so they were rude to us. Our business is good, and we didn't have an argument with them, so why should we be rude to them too? It's inappropriate."
Lin Chunxing pursed her lips. That was what she said, but how could she smile in front of someone who she knew was unhappy with her?
Seeing that she was still embarrassed, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then you guys wait for me over there. I'll go buy it."
Lin Chunxing ignored the arrangement and followed her anyway.
She watched Lin Chuntao walk over with a smile. There were no customers in the soup noodle shop. Mutton soup was still simmering on the stove outside, but the shopkeeper was nowhere to be seen.
Lin Chuntao asked loudly, "Boss, are you home?"
Feng Guan was steaming rice in the house. When he heard the shouting outside, he quickly put down the steamer, lifted the curtain and came out. When he looked up, he saw Lin Chuntao's smiling face.
"Shopkeeper Feng, do you still have cooked mutton for sale?"
Feng Guan had a smile on his face when the guests came to his house, but when he saw that it was Lin Chuntao and the others, he couldn't control his emotions anymore. However, Lin Chuntao and the others were guests at this time, so it would be inappropriate for him to frown, and his face looked a little embarrassed.
"It's Shopkeeper Lin. We still have some cooked mutton. How much do you want?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Please, boss, cut me two pounds of meat."
"What position does Shopkeeper Lin want?"
Lin Chuntao asked, "Hamburger or tummy meat is fine. Do you have mutton offal?"
"There's not much left in the sheep's tripe, but there's still some sheep's blood," said Feng Guan.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then give me another half pound of sheep's blood."
Feng Guan nodded slightly, picked up the meat with chopsticks, and said to Lin Chuntao, "Then I'll cut you a pound of leg meat and belly meat each?"
Lin Chuntao said, "Okay, thank you for troubling Shopkeeper Feng."
Lin Chuntao was polite. Feng Guan pursed his lips and felt a little embarrassed, but still said, "Manager Lin is too polite. It's not a big deal."
As he spoke, he placed the meat on the chopping board and quickly cut it into slices of even thickness. After cutting, he weighed it. Lin Chuntao took out a clay pot and said, "Boss, put it in here."
After cutting the meat, Feng Guan went to collect the sheep's blood, and then scooped some sheep soup for Lin Chuntao.
Feng Guan counted out the money, and as Lin Chuntao counted it out to him, she asked, "Shopkeeper, do you have any mint?"
Feng Guan raised his eyebrows slightly and said calmly, "I don't have any here. Shopkeeper Lin has to go find the vegetable seller to buy some."
Lin Chuntao nodded slightly, picked up the clay pot, said goodbye to Feng Guan, and left with Lin Chunxing and the others.
Just as she turned around to leave, Lin Chunxing asked, "Sister, do we still need to go buy mint?"
Lin Chuntao nodded and replied slowly, "Well, eating mutton without mint is soulless."
Feng Guan frowned. "Eating mutton without mint is soulless?" What kind of saying is that?
Mint? That's something that few people eat except for making tea or medicine. How do you eat it with mutton?
Just as Lin Chuntao and the others were gone, Feng Guan's wife came back from buying vegetables. Feng Guan asked, "Did you see anyone selling mint at the market just now?"
He Guizhu raised an eyebrow when Feng Guan asked, "What's the matter? Do you want to buy some mint?"
Before Feng Guan could answer her, he started to grumble, "The sister-in-law selling mint is always here. Not many people buy this stuff every day."
Feng Guan said, "Go buy a pound."
He Guizhu was shocked when he heard about a pound of mint.
"Why did you buy so much mint?"
Feng Guan said, "Just go and buy it. I have a use for it."
He Guizhu smiled, put down her things and went out. When she found the mint seller, Lin Chuntao and her friends had just finished their purchase. They bought two kilograms of mint leaves, and after they bought the mint leaves from the half basket of mint leaves, only a little was left.
He Guizhu hurried over to buy the rest, which was less than a pound.
Lin Chuntao and her friends bought some mint and walked around until they came across an old woman holding two large roosters. The roosters had fat combs and bright red feathers. Lin Chuntao quickly asked the price. The old woman was a kind person. She said, "These roosters are very aggressive. You can buy them to guard the house, but not to tell the time. They are very lazy."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Auntie, let's buy some to eat back."
The old lady also smiled and tied the chicken's feet with straw.
"I bought it and ate it well. This chicken is lazy and aggressive. It eats almost all the bran I mix in. It's getting fat."
After weighing the chicken, Lin Chuntao paid the money. Last time, she spent ninety cents on two chickens in the village. This fat chicken was heavier, so she spent sixty-eight cents on it.
Lin Chuntao touched its legs and chest, feeling that she could get a lot of meat from it.
After buying the chicken, they walked through the long market and came across a vendor selling konjac tofu at the exit. Lin Chuntao bought two more pieces of konjac tofu. Making konjac tofu isn't difficult, but konjac is difficult to grow; it takes a long time to grow a large one. Many people worry about not being able to buy konjac.
The sisters returned with a full load, their backpacks filled with all kinds of things.
Although it is tiring, the heavy copper coins make people happy.
He Guizhu bought some mint. The mint leaves were large and thick, and they were picked at the tips when sold. They were very fresh and tender.
Feng Guan looked at the mints and smelled the scent. He didn't like the smell and frowned after looking at it for a long time.
He looked at him and said with a smile, "What are you going to do? Buy it and smell it?"
Feng Guan said, "I heard someone say today that eating mutton without mint is soulless! I was wondering if you can put this thing in mutton? Wouldn't it take away all the flavor of the mutton?"
He laughed when he heard this: "I bought mint for this meat, you'll know if you try it."
"I'm afraid my mutton will be wasted. What a shame."
He smiled and said, "Why don't you put less? Besides, why don't you ask that person how he did it?"
Feng Guan remained silent, as he was too embarrassed to ask.
He scooped up some mutton soup, cut half a pound of mutton, washed the mint leaves, and after the mutton soup boiled, threw the mint leaves in to cook together. However, in a short while, the mint leaves changed color and the flavor was integrated into the mutton soup. He scooped out a spoonful of soup and tasted it, then called Feng Guan over with a cold hiss.
“Come and try it!”
Feng Guan took the bowl from his wife and tasted the soup. Why didn't he taste any mint? Could this remove the smell of mutton?
Looking at his delighted face, He smiled and said, "Wait for me to get some dipping water so you can taste the mint leaves."
She did it very quickly. Since they had chili powder and pepper powder at home, she quickly chopped some green onions and coriander, added some salt and boiling water, and dipped it in the water.
He brought the dipping sauce, and Feng Guan was the first to pick up a mint leaf with chopsticks, dip it in the sauce and take a sip.
The mint leaves are tender, and the texture is not much different from other vegetables, except for the taste. Not only is it not unpalatable, it is even a little intoxicating.
He picked up another piece of mutton and wrapped it with mint leaves and ate it, and found that it was actually quite fragrant.
He hissed coldly. These two things can be eaten together and taste good? Lin Chuntao is really a wonderful person.
No wonder she was able to figure out how to sell pork noodles and her business is so prosperous.
After tasting it, He said repeatedly, "I found that adding mint leaves to mutton can relieve the greasiness. Who told you this way of eating it?"
Feng Guan felt a little uncomfortable and said calmly, "They either told me or I overheard them."
He raised her eyebrows and smiled, "That's nothing. I think we can put some mint leaves in the mutton noodles. Let's try it tomorrow."
Feng Guan glanced at his wife and said with some embarrassment, "The person who said that is the owner of the noodle soup shop. If we were to sell mint mutton, wouldn't that be..."
He and her husband were not on the same page. She asked Feng Guan with a smile, "Is Shopkeeper Lin here to buy mutton?"
Feng Guan hummed, and He said, "I think that Shopkeeper Lin has a very good temper. You shouldn't always look so sullen. Don't you admit that their noodle soup is delicious? Let's improve ours. I believe that Madam Lin wouldn't mind if we imitate her way of eating."
"I don't have a dark face either."
Feng Guan tried to force an explanation, but He Guizhu smiled and didn't continue to criticize him. She just said, "Give it a try. If it works, we'll put up a sign and advertise it tomorrow."
Feng Guan would definitely have no objection to this. Coming up with a new flavor could also attract old customers.
He sells mutton and noodles together, and most of the time he earns more from noodles. On weekdays, not many people buy mutton. Other restaurants don't buy raw mutton from him, so they don't make much money.
We still have to bring back the noodle business.
The village was filled with joy today, and many families still killed a chicken for the festival. Lin Chuntao and her friends came back late, and the chickens of the families who had killed the chickens were almost cooked.
Although Lin Jialang and Lin Jiacai didn't have a chicken to kill, they bought half a pound of meat today. Three or four of them fried it, and the aroma of meat filled the yard, which was enough to make them forget their worries and leave only happiness.
After lunch, they played at the gate of the yard. When they saw Lin Chuntao and her group coming back, the smiles on their faces froze slightly. When they saw the earthenware jar that Lin Chuntao was holding, they immediately smelled the aroma of mutton.
They didn't get to eat mutton on June 6th this year, and now when they smell the meat again, their appetite is instantly aroused.
After Lin Chuntao and the others walked over, the Lin family rushed into the house and said, "Sister, Lin Duoer and the others are having mutton today!"
Lin Miaomiao thought of Lin Chunxing standing in front of the stall cooking noodles and Lin Chuntao collecting money. She didn't want to hear anything about Lin Chuntao and her sisters. The Lin family's noisy words also made her very unhappy.
"Did I treat you unfairly? Did I not let you eat meat at noon?"
Lin Jiacai pursed his lips at the scolding. Niu Hongxi, who was sitting by the courtyard wall basking in the sun, acted like a good person when he heard the words.
"Jia Cai was just asking, he didn't say anything, why are you being so mean to him?"
"Besides, the mutton is indeed fragrant. I smelled it when they passed by the door just now."
After Niu Hongxi finished speaking, Lin Miaomiao fell silent. She would be mean to her brother, but not to Niu Hongxi. Niu Hongxi continued, "You two are very close cousins. Now that the adults are gone, you need to visit each other more often. It's not good to keep hating each other like this."
When Lin Jiacai heard this, his eyes rolled around. He looked at Lin Miaomiao. Lin Miaomiao had a sullen face and didn't respond or refute.
Lin Jiacai pondered for a long time before saying to Niu Hongxi: "It's not that we don't like it, it's that they ignore us."
Niu Hongxi said: "Then I didn't see you guys coming to my house either."
Lin Jiacai pouted. He actually wanted to go, but he was afraid that he would end up like Lin Jialang and not even be able to get in the door.
"Come to think of it, I haven't even gone to get acquainted with the place yet. Let's go together after we take a break."
Lin Miaomiao had been holding back for a long time, and when she heard that Niu Hongxi was going to get acquainted with Lin Chuntao and the others, the anger in her heart instantly flared up.
"Recognize the gate? Why didn't I see you want to go there before? Why do you have to go today to recognize the gate?"
Niu Hongxi's face darkened after being scolded by Lin Miaomiao. He said unhappily, "What's wrong with going today? We're all just living our lives, so why don't you learn from your cousins?"
Lin Miaomiao glanced at Niu Hongxi coldly and scolded him, "We're all just trying to make a living, but you should learn from that Pei guy!"
Niu Hongxi listened to Lin Miaomiao's words and said shamelessly, "What are you learning? I've served you like that, can't I still feed you?"
Lin Miaomiao's face flushed crimson as she glared at him and cursed, "You stinky, shameless person! Who wants you to serve them?"
Across the courtyard, their voices were quite loud. Fan Li Niang and Meng Yun, who were listening to what they were saying next door, frowned.
Niu Hongxi is a lazy person. They don't interact with him on a daily basis, and they don't know what kind of person he is.
Fortunately, the wall has been built, so out of sight, out of mind.
When Lin Chuntao and her friends returned home, all the chickens had run out of the holes in the bamboo fence, and the yard was relatively clean.
Lin Chuntao asked Pei Ying to put the big rooster into the chicken coop, put down her things and rest for a while before preparing to make lunch.
The mutton is cooked, so you just need to steam the rice and wash the vegetables you want to boil for a while, and then you can have lunch.
Lin Chunxing went to light the stove to steam rice, and Lin Chuntao asked Pei Ying to bring a few stones. It was inconvenient to cook the rice on the stove, so they cooked it directly in the yard and everyone could eat together.
Lin Chuntao cut the konjac tofu and rinsed it with hot water. She then washed the mint and the vegetables to be boiled and drained them. She also peeled a few potatoes and cut them into strips for later use.
With the two fires burning together, the mutton soup here boiled, and steam began to rise from the steamer on the stove.
Lin Chuntao and the others quickly brought bowls and chopsticks to serve the rice and started eating. Although the mutton was more expensive than the one bought in the village last time, Feng Guan and the others had been cooking mutton for many years and had processed it quite well. The mutton smell was much lighter than what they had made before, and the konjac tofu tasted very good too. Lin Chuntao cooked some dried chilies to make the dipping sauce, which gave the mutton a unique flavor.
After finishing her meal and cleaning up, Lin Chuntao prepared to sit for a while before taking a nap.
Just as I took a break, guests came to my house.
They were my uncle's cousin Xu Sheng and his cousin Xu Huan. They were carrying flowers, peaches, and some bitter vegetables. The sun was scorching, and they were sweating profusely as they walked.
"Why do you come at this hour? It's so hot right now." Lin Chuntao invited them into the house, took down the backpack, and hurriedly got some water for them to soak.
"Mom and Dad said they were afraid you wouldn't be back if we arrived too early, so we left a little late."
Lin Chuntao asked, "Have you had lunch? We just had lunch."
"have eaten."
But at this time, even if they ate, it would definitely take some time. The mutton had just been eaten, so Lin Chuntao had to cut some meat and chop it quickly, and then cooked two bowls of soup noodles for them.
The brother and sister kept saying no, but Lin Chuntao didn't agree with them. She just cooked it and brought it to them. As for soup noodles, no matter how hungry you are, you can eat half a bowl.
The brother and sister were about the same age as Lin Chunxing. Originally, Lin Chuntao was not much older than them, but now she was cooking noodles for them and chatting with them at the same time, as if Lin Chuntao was already an adult. In addition, there was Pei Ying in this family, and they felt a little unfamiliar. Looking at the two steaming bowls of soup noodles in front of them, they felt very fragrant, but also a little awkward and uncomfortable.
Lin Chuntao said, "Don't be uncomfortable. Just treat it as your own home. I didn't know you were coming, otherwise I would have waited for you to have dinner together."
Xu Sheng said, "We picked some flowers and fruits this morning, and my mother said she would bring some to you."
"We've been a bit busy with that stall these past two days, and we were planning to go there the day after tomorrow."
Lin Chuntao spoke, and the brother and sister listened with smiles. After she finished speaking, the cousin said, "We've picked all the peaches at home. Dad said this morning that if you don't go, we'll eat them all."
Lin Chuntao smiled when she heard this: "My uncle picked a lot for us last time, and we just finished eating it two days ago."
They chatted as the noodle soup slowly cooled down. Lin Chuntao did not disturb them and let them eat the noodles in peace.
Lin Chuntao also brought them noodles last time, as well as meat and sauce. Lin Chuntao had just made the soup base with the meat and sauce, and she didn't expect it to be so delicious. Last time, they ate all the sauce with potatoes, and suddenly it felt like such a waste.
Those who had eaten lunch were also very full. They originally thought that they could not finish the bowl of noodle soup, but they did not expect that it was so delicious that not a drop of soup was left.
The brother and sister felt a little embarrassed, but Lin Chunxing and the others were smiling happily, so they naturally relaxed a little.
Because they were going to kill a chicken for dinner in the evening, Lin Chuntao asked them to stay until dinner was over before leaving.
The brother and sister refused to stay, saying that their parents had agreed to go back early.
Unable to keep them, Lin Chuntao had to pack some of the flower mooncakes she had made yesterday and filled a jar of sauce for them to take back.
Lin Chuntao walked them out of the village for a while before returning.
When he came back, he happened to meet Sun and Chen Dongniang, who were carrying washed potatoes home.
"Grandma, aunt, why are you washing so many potatoes?"
Sun said, "Wash and slice the potatoes. While the sun is shining and we won't be working in the fields today, cut them quickly and put them in the sun."
"I got so busy I forgot about it."
Lin Chuntao also wants to dry potato chips. First, she can fry potato chips as snacks in winter. Second, she can make a lot of starch, which can be used in cooking and making cakes.
Sun said, "There's no rush. We can wait a couple of days to dry it. I see you've been back a little later these past two days, but business is good, isn't it?"
Lin Chuntao nodded. "It's not bad. I'll be busy during the holidays. I guess it won't be so busy the day after tomorrow."
Sun smiled and said, "It's better to be busy." The busier you are, the more money you can make.
Seeing the two sisters coming back from outside together, Chen Dongniang asked, "What did you do?"
Lin Chuntao said, "My cousins came to give us flowers and fruits, but they're leaving after they're done. They can't even stay for dinner, so we're sending them off."
Sun invited them to her home to play, and Lin Chuntao agreed because she hadn't been there for several days.
Chen Dongniang and her sisters-in-law were cutting potato slices. Sun took her to see the potatoes that had just been dug up. They were piled up over half the room. Sun said, "I've been lazy these days and haven't finished picking them up yet."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Dig them up and pick them up slowly. I don't think there will be many potatoes to pick up this year, right?"
Sun was also happy because there were fewer small potatoes.
"That's fine. Leave some half-grown ones. You can cut the buds and plant them later."
Lin Chuntao nodded, and Sun talked about the corn she planted. "Some are already starting to sprout. We might have a good harvest."
"I haven't checked for the past two days. When I checked a few days ago, there were relatively few buds."
Sun said, "Your aunt-in-law said the other day that if you have a good harvest, she would buy some corn seeds from you so we can plant them next year."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "That's no problem. If the harvest is good, I'll save some more seeds."
As the two chatted, Sun brought two small stools for them and they sat in the corner to chat away from the sun.
Chen Dongniang and the others cut the potato slices by hand. Lin Chuntao felt that they were cutting too slowly. It took a whole day to cut a basin of potato slices.
However, since there are so many people, it's not bad if each person cuts a little, but it's still too slow, and it takes a lot of time when it's busy.
Maybe I can go to the blacksmith shop after a few days to see if they can make a chipper. If they can, I'll get one so that it will be more convenient to use.
Having gotten up early last night and feeling tired in the morning, Lin Chuntao and the others didn't sit for long before going back.
They agreed to come pick potatoes the day after tomorrow. Sun agreed with a smile and confirmed that she could pick 300 kilograms. Lin Chuntao nodded and said to the old lady, "Any amount is fine. I met Qingqing and the others the other day, and the second aunt said she could sell me some. I can pick them up then."
Sun nodded and said repeatedly, "That's fine. Your second uncle's family also dug up a lot this year."
After Lin Chuntao and the others left, Sun sat for a while and then went back to the house to pick potatoes. Chen Dongniang and her sisters-in-law said that Lin Chuntao and her sisters looked better.
Thinking about when they had just separated, they had nothing and the sisters were so poor that they didn't even know what to eat for their next meal. Now that the fifth branch of the Lin family is gone, Lin Chuntao and the others are slowly living a good life.
When they returned home, Niu Hongxi and Lin Jiacai were standing at the gate. Lin Chunhe must have refused to let them in. Niu Hongxi said shamelessly, "Third sister, don't be upset. It's been a while since we've gotten to know each other. I just asked Jiacai to bring me here. You should call me brother-in-law. Why should we be so distant from each other?"
Lin Chunhe's face was dark. She hated the man Lin Miaomiao was looking for very much. He had a pointed chin, shifty eyes, and looked like a real scoundrel.
They didn't say a word to Lin Miaomiao's siblings. This guy was still trying to get to know the family and wanted to come in to play. He knew how to choose the right time. Pei Ying went to fetch water, and the eldest and second sisters also went out.
She said she couldn't let him in anymore and was going to close the door, but this guy was still standing there pushing the door and nagging.
But Lin Chunhe was very angry.
When Lin Chuntao heard Niu Hongxi's words, her eyes instantly turned cold, and she shouted sternly, "What are you doing?"
"Sisters, you're back."
Lin Chunhe stuck her head out and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Lin Chuntao and Lin Chunxing.
She said, "This guy insisted on coming to recognize me. I told him you and your brother-in-law weren't home, but he still pushed the door open and wouldn't let me close it!"
Niu Hongxi and Lin Jiacai looked at Lin Chuntao who had returned with cold eyes, as if they had no humanity at all.
It turned out that the Lin family was very arrogant when his parents and grandparents were around, but now he can't be arrogant anymore. Looking at Lin Chuntao's expression, he still felt a little guilty, but thinking of Niu Hongxi standing next to him, he felt more confident.
He held his head high and said, "My brother-in-law said that we are cousins after all, so he wanted to come over to meet us."
Lin Chuntao frowned slightly. "Who are you cousins to? How dare a piece of shit come to my door and call me sister and brother?"
"Get out! Don't dirty my threshold."
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