Chapter 33 Chapter 33 - Two dishes in one, soon they will...
Lin Chuntao shook her head, too lazy to argue with them.
After sending Lin Chuntao away, Zhang Huarui looked at Zhang Qingqing and snorted coldly, her face filled with displeasure. "Sister Qing, why did you introduce things to her so politely? It's obvious that she can't afford them. She just came in to feast her eyes on these fine materials. And that linen dress she's wearing, I don't know how many years it's worn, it's so ugly!"
Zhang Qingqing's face was calm as she spoke softly, "But the boss is open for business, and everyone who comes is a guest. Whether she wants to buy or not, she has to come in and take a look. Once she sees the fine fabrics in our shop, even if she can't afford them now, she'll save up to buy them later. She'll eventually make clothes, and then she'll come."
Zhang Huarui was very disdainful of her cousin's theory and snorted coldly, not taking it seriously.
They were cousins who were sold to the Yang family by their parents to be maids a few years ago, and were only arranged to work in the shop this month.
Zhang Qingqing had always wanted to redeem herself, but it was really hard to save up the monthly salary for a maid. Working in a shop was different; the boss would reward her if she did a good job. She just wanted to sell more things and save more money to redeem herself.
Zhang Huarui was one year younger than her and was also pretty. Every time her mother came to see her, she would give her some advice, telling her to work hard and become a concubine, where she could eat delicious food and drink delicious drinks, which would be a good life.
Zhang Huarui also often told her that being a servant was a dead end and that she should find a way to become a master.
Of course Zhang Qingqing knew it, but she didn't want to be the boss anymore, she just wanted to be free.
Zhang Huarui was still muttering beside her, but Zhang Qingqing ignored her.
They are not on the same path, so there is no point in saying more.
Lin Chuntao was thinking about the ready-made clothes. It was summer now and the weather in Yizhou was warm, so she didn't need to make a bodice. Lin Chuntao felt that the skirt was cumbersome to wear, but she had to work anyway, so she didn't need to make it. Underwear and panties were necessary.
With the money she had now, she should be able to buy the cloth and make a set by herself. She thought about it and went back to ask if there was a tailor in the village.
Thinking about this, she went to several nearby clothing shops. The prices were similar, but the workmanship was definitely not as fine as the one she had just visited.
After a stroll around, she had a plan in mind, and then she returned to the market to find Pei Ying.
Pei Ying was still busy. She was familiar with Manager He and was helping out from the side.
The crowds waiting for the morning market gradually dispersed, and the meat was almost sold out. With so many pigs being slaughtered daily, the blood and liver were the most leftovers. Vendors preparing stewed food also liked to buy the intestines and tripes, which would leave at least half a basin of blood and a large bunch of liver from a pig. The blood was too oily to stir-fry, while the liver had a strong fishy smell, so few people liked to eat it.
Even the people working in the shop were unwilling to take any when Helan asked them to share.
Today is another day when Lao Zhang and Lao Zhao gave all their pig livers to Pei Ying.
Helan said crisply, "Each of you should take half a bucket of pig's blood back home. Add some dried chilies and stir-fry it, and it can be used as a dish."
It can be eaten as a dish, but if you eat too much, you won’t want to eat it at all.
Zhang Dayong patted Pei Ying on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Xiao Pei, take half a bucket of this pig's blood back with you. Add some dried chilies and stir-fry them like the shopkeeper said. It'll be quite fragrant."
If Pei Ying were alone, he wouldn't agree. He didn't like pig's blood either, but now there were four or five people in his family. Lin Chuntao could make pig's liver so delicious, so maybe pig's blood could taste good too. So he took some home to try.
The wooden barrel containing pig blood is from the butcher shop. The pig blood inside has already solidified, so it is quite convenient to carry with the wooden lid on.
The pig's liver was easy to get. She wrapped it in lotus leaves and put it in the bamboo basket. The pig's blood might be a bit heavy to carry in a bucket. Lin Chuntao looked at Pei Ying and said, "Do you want to put it in a backpack and carry it on your back?"
"Will it be difficult to carry because it is too loose?" Pei Ying asked.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Give it a try. It's definitely less tiring than carrying it."
As he was speaking, Pei Ying picked up the bucket and saw a kitchen knife and a bag of unknown things in the backpack.
"You bought a knife."
Lin Chuntao hummed, and Pei Ying picked it up, looked at it, and said with a smile, "It's a good knife. Is it expensive?"
"fine."
Pei Ying picked up the backpack and said goodbye to Helan, Lao Zhang and others with a smile.
After they left the market, Pei Ying said, "Let's go this way and look at the fabrics."
"I just went to look at it," Lin Chuntao said. "I also looked at the ready-made clothes. They're not cheap. Six hundred wen a set is too expensive for me. As for the fabric, white cotton is four hundred wen, fine white cotton is six hundred wen, and dyed fabric is seven hundred wen a piece. If I buy two pieces of cloth, that should be enough to make four sets of clothes, right? I'll go back and ask if there's a tailor in the village. If there is, I'll buy some cloth and make them."
Pei Ying had been there a few days ago and had looked at the ready-made clothes. When he heard Lin Chuntao talk about the ready-made clothes, he only said that the prices were not cheap, but he had no opinion on the styles and workmanship.
He said, "Come and buy some needlework tomorrow."
Lin Chuntao raised her eyebrows slightly: "Why? You can make clothes?"
Pei Ying felt a little uncomfortable. He knew how to sew clothes, but he was too embarrassed to say it. He was afraid that people would laugh at him for holding a needle and thread as a grown man.
But if she did it at home, no one else could see it, and it also saved Lin Chuntao the trouble of going out and spending money to find a tailor.
"Yeah." Pei Ying responded softly, afraid that others would hear.
Lin Chuntao's eyes lit up, and she looked at Pei Ying with admiration, "You're amazing! Who did you learn this from?"
Looking at Lin Chuntao's shining eyes, Pei Ying felt a little puzzled. She didn't seem to mind that a grown man like him was the matchmaker?
"Master's wife, she is a tailor."
"Is she the master's wife from whom you learned to butcher pigs?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Pei Ying nodded. After being picked up by the old man, he worked at the butcher's stall during the day and sewed for the old woman at night. He enjoyed working for her because she would give him steamed buns and eggs. Two years later, her wife passed away. He lived with the old man, responsible for making clothes for him and mending his own clothes. Over time, he became quite skilled at the craft.
Seeing Pei Ying nod, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "You are really amazing. I will go buy some cloth tomorrow."
You need scissors to make clothes, right? Not knowing if Pei Ying had any, she immediately asked, "Do I need to buy another pair of scissors?"
Pei Ying shook his head: "No, I have scissors."
Lin Chuntao pursed her lips, her eyes curved like crescent moons, her pupils bright, like a pool of water in summer, shimmering and easily intoxicating.
"The other day I saw that your package wasn't big. Was it a treasure bag? Why did you have a pair of scissors?"
Pei Ying said, "That was left by my master's wife, and I still use it today."
He also wanted to say that he had nothing, except the two things left to him by his master and his mistress. He had nothing.
But before he could say anything, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "From what you said about Master and Master's Wife, they seem quite nice. Considering that you are not related by blood, they still teach you a craft. It's better than my father who only wants to have a son."
"Sometimes I really don't understand. He always wants to have a son. He is a son himself. Doesn't he know what a son is like?"
Seeing Lin Chuntao's disgusted tone, Pei Ying secretly glanced at her, his expression still calm.
"Perhaps it's because your uncles and aunts all have sons," Pei Ying said cautiously. Lin Chuntao sneered disdainfully, then said, "He should have been to the county town. Why hasn't he come out to compete with the wealthy families in the city in terms of how much money they make? It's ridiculous."
Pei Ying actually thought what she said made a lot of sense and smiled with her lips pursed.
Lin Chuntao raised an eyebrow and glanced at Pei Ying, then asked doubtfully, "Are you the same as Lin Changhe?"
Pei Ying waved his hands hastily, "Of course I'm not."
"I'm an orphan, and I'm lucky to be able to marry a wife. I've never thought about having children."
Lin Chuntao believed the first part of the statement, but she doubted the second part, after all, that was the times.
But she didn't argue with Pei Ying. They were only nominally married now, and it was too early to discuss such matters. Moreover, if they decided to become a real couple in the future, it would be a serious matter for Lin Chuntao and must be taken seriously, not just casually.
The topic ended here. Pei Ying was not sure what Lin Chuntao was thinking, but he had learned a little about Lin Chuntao's personality after spending some time with her these days.
Lin Chuntao appears to be smiling, but she actually has her own ideas.
Take the time when she severed ties with the Lin family, for example. In all the years he had lived, even those married women who were despised did not dare to sever ties with their families. He did not quite understand it at first, but later he gradually discovered that Lin Chuntao had a code of conduct, which was to rely on herself, so she was not afraid of being without support at all.
When the two returned home, Lin Chunxing and the others had just returned from the fields and had not yet finished planting the bean seeds. The sisters got up this morning and went to the fields to plant the bean seeds.
Seeing Pei Ying carrying a wooden barrel, Lin Duoer asked curiously, "Brother-in-law, what are you carrying?"
"Pig blood." Pei Ying replied.
"Pig blood? Sister, how do you eat pig blood?" Lin Duoer asked Lin Chuntao.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "You can cook the cold slices and dip them in water, or you can stir-fry them or boil them. What do you want to eat?"
The sisters shook their heads in unison.
"I don't know. I've never eaten it."
"There's a lot of pig blood, so I'll make some of each for you to try."
Hearing her words, even Pei Ying was full of anticipation and wanted to taste the various flavors of pig blood.
After putting down the things, Lin Chuntao steamed the rice, picked up the vegetable basket and went to find Aunt Guizhi. She wanted to get some radishes to pickle sauerkraut, and also needed to cut some leeks.
Aunt Guizhi laughed and said, "Why did you think of making pickled vegetables? What delicious food are you going to make?"
"I got some pig's blood back. I want to eat it fried with pickled cabbage." As she said this, Aunt Guizhi frowned slightly and said with a smile, "Pig's blood will taste better if you stir-fry it with chili peppers. It won't taste good if you put pickled cabbage in it, right?"
"Stir-fried pickled cabbage is also delicious. When I make it, I'll call Auntie to try it."
"Go, go, hurry up and get it done." Aunt Guizhi said that and Lin Chuntao went. Looking at Lin Chuntao's back, Aunt Guizhi thought of the pork liver she fried and the mushrooms stewed in broth that she added shredded radish to. Only she was willing to do that. The taste of radish is difficult to mix with other dishes and it is easy to ruin the whole pot of food.
"This girl really likes to think about food."
Aunt Guizhi was talking to herself, and her mother-in-law laughed beside her and said, "Everyone has a mouth to feed. Now they can prepare whatever they want to eat. They will definitely not treat themselves badly."
Lin Chuntao cut a bunch of leeks. The light green leeks were still tender and great for stir-frying or making soup.
Lin Chuntao picked the radishes with lush leaves, but there was no radish head underneath. She didn't need the radish head because it was too sweet and would affect the taste of the sauerkraut. She mainly used the leaves. The pickled sauerkraut was more sour and delicious when cooked with pig blood or fried konjac tofu.
Come to think of it, I don’t know if there is konjac.
Lin Chuntao worked quickly and soon filled a basket of vegetables.
She had just come out of Aunt Guizhi's vegetable garden when she met Miao.
Miao looked at her full basket, then saw that it was Xu Guizhi's land. She thought about how Xu Guizhi had helped her farm these days, and now she was picking vegetables in someone else's land, picking a full basket at a time. After a long time, anyone would get tired of this.
She thought that if Lin Chuntao greeted her, she would give her some advice, but if not, haha. Miao Feng curled her lips.
Lin Chuntao saw Miao Feng, her young aunt, who always coaxed the old man and the old lady with her mouth. In addition, she married the youngest son, so she had been pleasing the old man and the old lady since she came into the family. She lived like a fish in water in the Lin family's small piece of land.
But it was this person who often made things difficult for Xu in front of the old lady. The original body once accidentally heard her say in a sarcastic tone in front of the old lady: "Oh, I don't know what Third Sister-in-law is thinking. Third Brother is so old and doesn't have a son, but she doesn't seem to be worried. The other day I said I knew a woman who had a secret remedy and asked her if she needed it, and she looked unhappy."
After hearing this, Tian snorted coldly and cursed Xu, saying that she was a hen that didn't lay eggs, her stomach was useless, and she had given birth to four girls in so many years.
She and Tian sang the same tune and used Xu as a waste material.
At this time, Lin Chuntao acted as if she didn't see Miao. She stepped up from the ridge with the vegetables in her hand and walked away.
Miao Feng's lips twitched. A few days ago, she had complained to her husband about Zhang scolding Lin Chuntao for calling her by her name, and even stopped calling her "eldest aunt". At that time, Lin Changfu had said to her, "Sister-in-law, don't you think about the fact that she and Qian were in cahoots with each other, wanting to marry Chunxing to Zhang Bao and separate Lin Chuntao? How could Lin Chuntao not hate her?"
She also thought so. She felt that since she had not offended Lin Chuntao, she would not be treated the same as Zhang.
Now she watched Lin Chuntao walking past her with a basket of vegetables, as if she didn't see her. She frowned and felt unhappy.
Lin Chuntao didn't care what Miao Feng would think. There was no good person in the entire Lin family.
Thinking about the rice in the steamer, Lin Chuntao quickly returned home with her vegetable basket.
She handed the vegetable basket to Pei Ying.
"Wash the chives first, then wash the radish leaves."
Pei Ying took it and without saying a word, she took the clay basin and scooped water to wash it. Lin Chunxing looked at her and asked, "Sister, the meal is almost ready. What dishes should we cook first?"
"Let's fry the pig's blood first. When the rice is ready, take the steamer down and put some more water in the pot."
As she gave the order, she took out the kitchen knife she had exchanged for, and held it in her hand to test the feel. It was a bit heavy, but it looked like the knife could be used to chop bones and cut meat. If it was too light, it would be difficult to use. Looking at the sharp blade, Lin Chuntao couldn't wait to cut something.
Lin Chunxing brought the steamer in, and when she saw the kitchen knife in Lin Chuntao's hand, her eyes widened like copper bells.
"Sister, did you buy a kitchen knife?"
"Well, buy one so it's more convenient to use."
She quickly placed the steamer on a bamboo stand and walked over. "Let me see it."
As they were talking, Lin Chuntao handed it to her. Lin Chunxing took it and looked at it carefully. It looked much larger than the one she had at home before and looked very useful. She asked curiously, "How much is it? Is it expensive?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Not expensive." She didn't know how much it would cost, so she changed the subject. "I went to look at some cloth today. I figured if we buy some cloth to make clothes, we should be able to make one each."
"real?"
Seeing Lin Chunxing's joyful expression, Lin Chuntao nodded and said, "Of course it's true."
Lin Chunxing looked at the kitchen knife in her hand and thought it must be expensive. Besides, when it comes to making clothes, she asked Lin Chuntao, "Do we have enough money?"
"It's enough. You don't have to worry about the money." Lin Chuntao said.
Although everyone said that the crops planted now would only yield a pile of fodder, she still believed in Lin Chuntao. If Lin Chuntao said that corn could be harvested, then it would be harvested.
If she could harvest a crop of corn in autumn, most of her food needs would be solved. She really wanted to make a set of clothes, more than eating meat.
But the family was short of everything, so Lin Chuntao and her friends would add things to the family little by little with the money they earned. She was no longer a child, and the words she wanted to say were often on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't say them.
She didn't expect Lin Chuntao to talk about making clothes so soon. She was so happy that she almost flew up.
"Sister, can we make it in color?"
Seeing the joy and anticipation in Lin Chunxing's eyes, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Okay, but we sisters should only make one color, which will save more fabric."
Lin Chunxing nodded vigorously. "It's up to you, sister. I'll take any color."
"Okay, go boil some water. I want to cook pig's blood."
Hearing this, Lin Chunxing was about to go out with the kitchen knife in hand, but Lin Chuntao hurriedly called out to her, "Give me the knife."
Lin Chunxing was so happy that she looked down at the kitchen knife in her hand and smiled. She handed the knife over and flew out of the door like a butterfly.
Lin Chuntao first got a piece of pig's blood, cut it into tofu slices with a knife, and called Lin Chunxing in to bring it out and pour it into the pot.
"Watch out, and call me when the water boils." Lin Chuntao gave this instruction before cutting off a piece of pig liver, washing it, and bringing it into the house to slice it.
It is extremely easy to cut thin slices with a sharp kitchen knife. Each slice of pork liver is of similar thickness, which is a pleasure to watch.
She washed it again after cutting it into slices, and scooped some cold water into it to soak the blood, and threw a piece of dried ginger in to remove the fishy smell.
After she finished preparing the pig liver and washed the chopping board and knife, the pig blood boiled on the fire. She took chopsticks to pick up some and took a look. When the red color was gone from the pig blood, she quickly poured out the blood. Lin Chunxing was busy washing the pot.
Pei Ying stood up with the leeks and looked at Lin Chuntao: "I've washed the leeks and put them on the cutting board."
"Okay." She responded and asked Lin Duo'er and the others in the yard, "Stir-fry one pig's liver and one pig's blood. What vegetables do you want?"
"It's all right." The two sisters said in unison.
Lin Chuntao shook her head helplessly. People who have not been able to eat meat for a long time and can only eat various wild vegetable buns will not have much expectation for vegetables after they can eat meat.
She quickly smashed a cucumber, scooped some chili oil and oil into it, mixed it, and marinated it, and it became a vegetarian dish.
It is very quick to stir-fry leeks with pig blood. After frying the oil, add garlic and stir-fry until fragrant, then pour in the pig blood and stir-fry. When the heat is almost right, add the leeks. Leeks are easy to cook, so add salt when the leeks are almost cooked, stir evenly and serve. It is a homely and easy dish.
It is not difficult to stir-fry pork liver. Just add plenty of oil and seasonings, and use high heat. Just don't overcook the pork liver.
When she was cooking, her sisters gathered around the pot, watching eagerly. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Remember how to stir-fry it. If I'm busy in the future, you can cook it yourself."
Lin Duoer stood beside him, nodding her head like a chick pecking at rice.
There were three dishes for five people, but each dish was large in portion. After finishing the meal, several people collapsed on the chairs, touching their round stomachs, to rest.
In the afternoon, the sun was high in the sky and the breeze was gentle. Lin Chuntao thought that when she built her own house in the future, she would make two rocking chairs in the yard, and lie on them after dinner, rocking for a while and basking in the sun.
They didn't rest for long. Lin Chuntao chopped up the radish leaves that Pei Ying had washed, rinsed them with boiling water, and then went to get a clay pot. She scooped the cooked vegetables into the pot and poured in the water. Lin Chuntao built a fire in the yard and placed the clay pot next to it to keep it warm.
"Sister, is this okay?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "It should be fine. We'll be able to tell whether it works or not when we get back tonight."
After finishing everything, Lin Chuntao prepared to take them to the fields.
The beans have not been planted yet, so the vegetables have to be planted quickly. Lin Chuntao found several kinds of vegetable seeds that are suitable for planting now from the big bag.
Lin Chunxing looked at the packets of seeds. She knew that they were melon seeds and pepper seeds, but she couldn't tell the other small ones apart.
"Sister, what vegetables should we grow?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Grow some bamboo shoots, cabbage, pumpkin, red cabbage, carrots, peppers, cucumbers, bitter melons, and small melons."
When she said this, Lin Chunxing looked at her in amazement.
"Are we going to plant all of them?" Lin Chunxing asked. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "With so many vegetable seeds, we definitely can't plant them all. We only have one plot left."
Lin Chunxing felt stupid and smiled.
On the way to the field, Lin Chuntao asked the three of them.
"What colors do you like for clothes?"
Lin Duoer came skipping up to her, looking up at her with sparkling eyes: "Sister, are we going to make clothes?"
"Well, I'm going to buy some cloth to make clothes."
After hearing what Lin Chuntao said, Lin Chunhe and Lin Duoer were even happier than Lin Chunxing just now. If people had wings, they would have flown now.
But Lin Chuntao's question was in vain, because Lin Duoer wanted every color, and she changed it every now and then.
Lin Chuntao said in a deep voice, "Grass green, lotus root pink, smoky purple, maroon, choose one of the four."
After choosing one from the four, Lin Duo'er was still struggling, counting on her fingers. This little brat seemed to have difficulty making a decision. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Just pick the color you want most. We'll definitely make it again when we have money. Just choose another color next time."
"Then I want grass green." Lin Duo'er said. Lin Chuntao looked at Lin Chunxing and Lin Chunhe. Lin Chunxing asked her in return: "Sister, what color do you want?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I like all four colors. You choose first, and I'll follow you."
Lin Chunxing looked at Lin Duoer and smiled, "Then I'll be grass green too."
Lin Chunhe also echoed: "Me too."
"Then let's buy grass green cloth this time and make other colors next time."
The sisters spent the whole afternoon working while discussing what color they wanted for their new clothes.
Lin Chuntao felt like her ears were about to get calluses from listening so much, but she could understand their expectations.
The three sisters were familiar with planting bean seeds, Pei Ying also followed them, and Lin Chuntao went to work in the vegetable garden by herself.
She used a small hoe to divide the vegetable patch. She needed a variety of peppers and vegetables, and she could plant a few pumpkins along the edge of the field. She also planted cucumbers and bitter gourds next to them. She would need to put up a rack later, and they would not block the sunlight for other vegetables.
After dividing, they were planted one by one.
Vegetable seeds are not bigger than corn kernels and are easier to separate. If you throw a handful of seeds down, they will all be squeezed together when they grow, which is not conducive to their growth.
So she squatted in the field and worked very carefully. When she finished planting the vegetables and got up, it was already afternoon.
Lin Chunxing and her friends who were planting bean seeds were about to move to another place.
Lin Chuntao rested for a while and then took them to the back mountain.
They worked until the sun set and then returned together.
As soon as she opened the door, she smelled a pungent sour smell. Lin Chuntao was overjoyed. She handed the hoe to Lin Chunxing and hurried to wash her hands and look at her sauerkraut.
A lot of thick sour juice has overflowed from the mouth of the earthenware jar, and the sauerkraut is almost ready!
She ran into the house, got chopsticks, opened the lid of the earthenware jar and took a little taste. The taste was a bit pungent and sour that it made her teeth fall out.
Looking at her wrinkled face, Lin Chunxing asked, "What's wrong? Didn't it work out?"
Lin Chuntao shook her head vigorously: "No, it's done, but it's too sour and a bit pungent. It needs to be simmered for a while to taste better."
"Hurry up and wash your hands and cook. We're going to have pickled cabbage and pig's blood fried tonight."
The sisters had never eaten it before, and they were full of anticipation when hearing Lin Chuntao's tone.
The rice was steamed quickly. Lin Chuntao boiled the sauerkraut, took it out, and stir-fried it with oil. After it became softer, she added water, almost covering the sauerkraut. After the soup boiled, Lin Chuntao added the pig blood that had been cut into small pieces in advance.
Soon, the color of the pig blood in the pot changed, and a strong sour smell wafted through the yard. Pei Ying felt that his appetite was instantly aroused.
Everyone enjoyed the sauerkraut and pig's blood dinner with great pleasure. The pig's blood was tender and smooth without any fishy smell. Not only was the texture good, but the taste was also amazing. It even made the stir-fried pig's liver on the table feel neglected.
After eating and drinking, it was not yet dark.
Lin Chuntao sat in the yard to rest, and her three younger sisters also squatted in the yard to play.
The evening breeze blew across her face. Lin Chuntao looked up and saw a bird flying over the roof and into the fir tree behind the yard. She looked at Pei Ying and said, "There should be a bird's nest in the fir tree behind us."
Pei Ying nodded: "Yes, I saw it when I was cutting branches that day."
Tired birds return to their nests and night falls.
People who have worked all day also need to pack up and prepare to go to sleep.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com