After Li Xiangkang left, Yan Qingqing started thinking about food. It was too late today, and the beef and mutton were raw, so she decided to make a hot pot.
Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing couldn't sit still any longer and called the children to come into the kitchen to help.
Yan Qingqing instructed, "Dalang, you are in charge of slicing the beef and mutton into thin slices, the thinner the better. Huiniang, go to the warehouse and get some sweet potatoes and taro, and slice them into thin slices as well. After you're done, go to the vegetable garden and pick some spinach."
"Moon Maiden, help your mother start the fire. Erlang, Sanlang, and Xinniang, you two go and prepare the pig offal."
Just then, Li Xiangkang and Xiao Mochen walked into the kitchen. Seeing everyone busy in the kitchen, Li Xiangkang smiled and asked, "Mom, what delicious food are you making? Is there anything we can do to help?"
Yan Qingqing glanced at the two children. They were holding hands; Li Xiangkang looked casual, while Xiao Mochen looked awkward, but he didn't pull away from Li Xiangkang's hand, showing that he liked him. Of course, it's easier to communicate with peers.
Yan Qingqing didn't indulge the two of them, so she bluntly instructed, "Mother is going to make you a hot pot today. If you two are bored, after your sister-in-law picks the vegetables, you two can wash them clean. Also, there are some mountain produce at home, you two can go and get some to soak, we'll need them later."
Delicious food was nothing special to Xiao Mochen, but this hot pot was something he had never heard of before.
So she asked, "Auntie, what is hot pot? Why have I never heard of it before?"
Yan Qingqing explained, "Hot pot is also called antique pot because it makes a bubbling sound when it boils. There's a fire under the pot and soup inside. What we've prepared now are side dishes that we can cook in the pot later."
Xiao Mochen was a little confused; could boiled vegetables possibly taste good?
Li Xiangkang didn't give him a chance to ask any more questions. He pulled him along as they walked and said, "Don't worry, my mother's food has never disappointed anyone. Let me tell you, the 'Flip Red' mooncakes, snow skin mooncakes, and mixed sugar mooncakes that are currently selling like hotcakes in the county town all come from my family."
These are all recipes my mother came up with; anything made by my mother is guaranteed to be of high quality.
Yan Qingqing chuckled after hearing this. Not only was Li Xiangkang blindly confident in her, but he also had a whole repertoire of clever words.
Therefore, I must live up to Li Xiangkang's evaluation of this meal no matter what.
Thinking that there were still several children at home who couldn't eat too much spicy food, Yan Qingqing decided to make a mildly spicy hot pot.
She could only make a hot pot base using the ingredients she had at home, and soon a spicy and fragrant aroma filled the air above Yan Qingqing's kitchen.
The villagers of Canghe Village knew without a doubt that Yan Qingqing's family was cooking delicious food again, just by following the aroma. They all marveled at how the food made by Yan Qingqing's family was getting more and more fragrant each time, and the taste was different each time.
Even Xiao Mochen swallowed hard when he smelled it.
Li Xiangkang, who was standing to the side, said with emotion, "I don't know how many delicious foods I missed during the time I was studying at the academy."
Just as the two were sighing to themselves, Xiao Jinxiu came over to call them for dinner. Upon hearing this, Li Xiangkang ran off in a flash, leaving Xiao Mochen speechless.
When Xiao Mochen came to the kitchen with his hands behind his back, he saw that everyone was holding a bowl and sitting around a large stove, constantly putting raw vegetables and meat into the pot. They would just swish them around for a couple of seconds and then scoop them out and put them into their mouths without waiting.
In the past, Xiao Mochen would have definitely disliked it, but now he's used to eating with this family, and the food smells really good.
Yan Qingqing saw that Xiao Mochen was still dawdling and said to him, "Mochen, why don't you hurry up? Otherwise, all the meat will be eaten."
You're still injured and can't eat too much spicy food, so I specially prepared a mildly spicy broth. Come and eat!
Li Xiangkang, while stuffing beef into his mouth, said, "Yeah, you'd better hurry up. My second brother finally managed to get this beef, and we'll be eating it all in no time."
Xiao Mochen couldn't hold back any longer, so he picked up his bowl and started eating like them.
After taking a bite of beef, Xiao Mochen narrowed his eyes. He truly never knew beef could taste so good. He had never seen those two plates of thinly sliced meat before, but they were also incredibly delicious.
So he abandoned all restraint and started eating one bite after another.
Finally, I ate until my belly was round and full, and I didn't want to do anything but lie in bed and sleep.
However, he was too embarrassed to say that he was too full.
Seeing that everyone had almost finished eating, Yan Qingqing instructed her sons to clean up the dishes. Of course, Xiao Mochen was also assigned a task, while Yuan Huiniang and the others stood in the courtyard chatting with Yan Qingqing.
While imitating Li Xiangkang's work, Xiao Mochen asked, "There's a saying that a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen. Shouldn't women do the housework in most households? I feel like your family is doing the opposite."
Li Xiangkang said nonchalantly, "You said it yourself, that's an ordinary family. Is our family an ordinary family?"
My mother was very good to my sister-in-law and two older sisters; the shares of our family's embroidery workshop were divided equally among the three of them.
Xiao Mochen was even more surprised upon hearing this, and asked in a low voice, "Do any of you brothers have any?"
Li Xiangkang shook his head, thought for a moment, and then said, "But we get a monthly allowance of three hundred coins each. Mine is a little less, but it's still one hundred and fifty coins."
Seeing that Li Xiangkang still looked satisfied, Xiao Mochen really couldn't understand what kind of operation Yan Qingqing's family was doing. Shouldn't the family property be left to their son?
Even if a woman is to be given a dowry when she gets married in the future, that's a matter for later. There's no reason to give property to an unmarried woman.
Seeing that Xiao Mochen was somewhat conflicted, Li Xiangkang put down what he was doing and explained to him: "My mother said that men and women are equal, and that women in this world have a harder life than men."
If my sisters had their own businesses, they wouldn't spend all their attention on men.
Even if they don't have a good life in their husband's family one day, they still have the means to get a divorce or survive.
And then there's my sister-in-law, who left her family to marry my brother and bore children for our family. We need to give her confidence too.
I think my mother is right. As men, we should support the women in our families. So whether my eldest brother is farming or my second brother is doing business, we are both working hard.
We can build our own fortune on our own, why should we compete with our brothers and sisters?
Xiao Mochen was captivated by what he heard; it was the first time he had ever heard such things, and no one had ever taught him them before.
So he clasped his hands together and bowed to Li Xiangkang, saying, "Brother Xiangkang, please accept my bow. Listening to your words is better than reading books for ten years."
Seeing how serious he was, Li Xiangkang felt a little embarrassed and scratched his head, saying, "Oh, I didn't say that, my mother did. I just think it makes a lot of sense."
Xiao Mochen replied, "Whether it was said to Brother Kang or not, I admire your magnanimity and composure for remembering it."
Yan Qingqing, who was chatting with several children outside, had been keeping an eye on the kitchen and overheard Li Xiangkang and Xiao Mochen's conversation. A slight smile appeared on her lips.
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