Song Anxin didn't have time to care about other people's affairs; she just wanted to quickly carry a few more buckets of water to irrigate the rice.
Lin Fenghe whispered between his mother and Lin Fengyao, "Mother, fourth brother, you're lying to your sister-in-law, aren't you? The old doctor didn't say that at all, right?"
The third sister is really sharp, but it's also because she and Lin Fengyao's acting skills were too poor. They could only fool honest people like Zhang Mei and Lin Fengnian, and probably couldn't even fool Lin Fengshou.
She admitted, "This is also to put your sister-in-law at ease at home."
Then she blinked again: "This is a little secret between the three of us, you can't tell anyone. By the way, this is a white lie, so you can't learn to lie either."
Song Anxin was afraid that she would lead the two children astray, so she quickly tried to make amends.
The two nodded and blinked like their mother, overjoyed that they had a little secret with her.
On the other side, Lin Gangzi, who was also fetching water by the river, watched Zhang Mei's departing figure and said:
"I never expected that Meizi would marry Lin Fengnian. I think Meizi looks a little plumper, her complexion is better, and she looks better."
I only married her because she was good-looking, but who knew she'd be so honest and dull, completely illiterate. I shouldn't have married this country girl in the first place; she can't even have children, tsk tsk..."
Lin Gangzi's words were full of disdain.
Aunt Tietou, who was standing nearby, heard this and said, "Stop looking! No matter how pretty she is, she's not your wife anymore. What's wrong with a country girl? Honesty is good. Zhang Mei is down-to-earth and hardworking. No matter what, she's better than that Hong'er you married."
Besides being pretty and able to have a baby, what else does she have to offer? She has a terrible temper and, taking advantage of her pregnancy, won't do a single chore. The whole family comes to fetch water for irrigation, but she doesn't even show her face; she acts like a king at home.
Lin Gangzi retorted to his mother, "Didn't you also complain that she couldn't have children? Now that I've found you someone who can, why are you still criticizing her?"
"Alright, alright, stop messing around with those shady women outside. Liu Hong'er is not like Zhang Mei. If she finds out, she'll make a scene and kill you. How will our family live then?"
Aunt Tie Tou said irritably.
Lin Gangzi felt bewildered after being lectured by his mother. Wasn't his mother always the best to him and indulged his every whim?
Why are they now defending Zhang Mei and lecturing him?
However, it's impossible to stop her from seeing other women. Liu Hong'er is pregnant and can't have sex. He's been feeling incredibly frustrated at home these past few days. He'll have to go to the brothel to vent his frustrations when he gets back.
Anyway, he was in the county, so how could Liu Hong'er at home possibly know? Just thinking about it made Lin Gangzi feel aroused in his lower body.
He savored the taste of the gentle embrace, his eyes narrowing.
Seeing her son's lecherous look, Aunt Tietou knew exactly what he was thinking. She shook her head helplessly, wondering if giving birth to this son was the right or wrong thing to do.
A few more days passed, and thanks to the family's hard work, all six mu of paddy fields had been irrigated.
After watering, Lin Fengnian and Lin Fenghe went to help Brother Lin's family carry water to irrigate their fields. After Brother Lin's family finished watering, Lin Fengshou went to help Han Xiaohe's family.
Xiaohe's family consists of only him and Granny Han. The old and young water their plants much slower than the other villagers.
About two more days later, all the rice plants had blossomed, and the irrigation project for the entire Linjia Village was completed. Next, the rice would enter the grain-filling stage and soon ripen, which would be the busy time for autumn harvest.
That day, Song Anxin's whole family gathered in the courtyard, including the Lin family from next door, as well as Lin Shitou and Han Xiaohe.
A dozen people were gathered around a large jar. Today was the day the first batch of pickled duck eggs were ready. Everyone had been busy for so long and was looking forward to the eggs that would be oozing oil.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Song Anxin opened the lid, reached in and took out several duck eggs covered in red mud. She washed the red mud off the surface with water and then steamed them.
Then take out a cleaver and cut the salted duck egg in half. With one cut, red oil flows out along the eggshell, the egg white is snow-white and the yolk is orange-red.
"Wow! The duck eggs really do ooze oil, and it's even red!" the group exclaimed.
Seeing this, Song Anxin knew that the pickling was successful, but she still had to taste it, so she cut a few more duck eggs and distributed them to everyone.
The younger children stared at the half-eaten duck egg in their hands, too afraid to take a bite, including Sister-in-law Lin.
Song Anxin found it amusing and said, "Haven't you been wanting to eat this? Come on, try it."
The group took their first bites cautiously, and Song Anxin also ate a small portion.
It has a savory and salty flavor, and the egg yolk has a slightly grainy texture. It's so delicious that your mouth is full of oil and you can't help but want to savor it.
Song Anxin was very satisfied; it tasted even better than what she made in modern times. She wondered if it was because these ancient duck eggs were easier to pickle.
"Fengnian's mother, your salted duck eggs taste really good! They're great with drinks or rice."
Brother Lin rarely took the initiative to praise him.
"Second Aunt, you're amazing! You can even make duck eggs taste better than meat! I want to be your daughter now. The meat you sent over last time, my mother's cooking just didn't taste as good as yours," Lin Erxi said.
Sister-in-law Lin: "Hey, you heartless bastard! Your parents gave birth to you and raised you, but they're not as good as these few meals."
Lin Dongzi pouted and said, "I also want to be my second aunt's son."
Lin Dongzi and Han Xiaohe also thought so. Aunt Lin was good at teaching and cooking, and now she had become so gentle.
Han Xiaohe's mother died when he was very young. If his mother were still alive, would she be as gentle as Fengshou's mother?
Sister-in-law Lin was speechless... Forget it, let alone them, she herself wanted to be the daughter of this second son's wife. Her sister-in-law's cooking skills were simply amazing.
Song Anxin smiled gently from the side. Judging from the reactions of Brother Lin's family and Shi Tou Xiaohe, she knew that salted duck eggs must be very popular among people of this era.
Seeing that the younger children had already finished eating, Song Anxin was still licking the red oil off their fingers. She noticed that Lin Fengyao and Lin Dongzi had almost sucked their hands until they were shiny, so they didn't even need to wash them.
Song Anxin covered her face and said angrily, "We have plenty of duck eggs at home, would your mother not let you eat them?"
Go wash your hands quickly, lest you get an upset stomach. Meizi took out all the steamed plums from the pot and gave each of you one.
After becoming a mother, she found that she not only had to take care of her children's food and drink, but also make sure they paid attention to hygiene, that they couldn't drink tap water directly, and that they had to wash their hands before eating... It really broke the heart of this old mother.
Upon hearing this, Sister-in-law Lin quickly said, "Meizi, you don't need to take Dongzi's and Erxi's. These are all things your mother-in-law wants to sell for money. How can we let them waste them?"
Lin Shitou and Han Xiaohe quickly said they wouldn't eat anymore.
Although Lin Fengyao and the others wanted to try the taste again, they refused, as this was food that earned them money.
Song Anxin smiled and said, "I won't let you eat for free. Help me clean these duck eggs, and I'll give you two duck eggs as payment, okay?"
Cleaning duck eggs covered in yellow mud is no easy task. You have to use a loofah sponge to wash off the mud bit by bit to restore the duck eggs to their original appearance.
It's okay if it gets a little muddy when you're just eating it yourself, but if you're going to sell it, it has to look good.
Lin Erxi and Lin Shitou, along with the other children, expressed their willingness to work but refused to accept the duck eggs. After they finished cleaning the duck eggs, Song Anxin still gave them two duck eggs. As an adult, she couldn't take advantage of the children.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com