Ah Mian isn't particularly skilled in cooking.
Meng Jing initially thought she was a chef, but to her surprise, she was asking the stall owner how to cook the food as she bought it.
Then they immediately began to try it out with great enthusiasm.
Lu Amian paid an extra coin for a bowl of salt water, which she poured into the still-uncoagulated pig's blood. After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and seeing that it had indeed turned into a large chunk of pig's blood, she excitedly carried it back.
At this point, she used a kitchen knife to cut it into small pieces.
She had heard her mother mention this dish before; when stir-fried with chives, it had no fishy smell at all.
"It's a bit like eating tofu with meat."
In the evening, I made braised pork meatballs and cabbage soup. Everyone was exhausted from the day's work, and as soon as the food was served, everyone devoured it like locusts.
The Meng family's rice bowls were the kind with a mouth as big as a face, made of blue porcelain.
"Didn't you go for lunch?"
Meng Jing was also eating, completely unaware that rice grains were stuck to her face. "Yeah, Sister Mian is really good at walking. Later, I rode A Dou back, and my calves were about to cramp up!"
"oh."
Lu Amian turned a deaf ear; naturally, she wouldn't go to that lousy restaurant to eat. Firstly, if Lu Weiwei really did send someone to deliver an invitation in a few days, she could naturally go to the restaurant and eat for free; secondly, she could return the undergarments Meng Chijian brought, but she couldn't return the delicacies she had eaten. If she had to repay him in cash later, Amian would be heartbroken.
Meals on ordinary days are not considered separate meals, because she did a lot of work for the family. Even in the city, families that employed maids would definitely provide them with food, so A-Mian ate without any guilt.
She gets very focused when she starts working and doesn't pay much attention to what's going on around her.
Meng Chijian called her twice, but she didn't hear him, so he simply pulled her back. "Are you stupid?"
A-Mian stared at him blankly, not knowing what he was saying.
Meng Chijian held his breath for a moment, and after a long while said, "Don't work anymore today. It's not like I'm leaving tomorrow."
Lu Amian said, "I need to clean the pork and cut it into strips so that I can make sausages tomorrow."
"You're just a young lady, how would you know how to cut meat?"
Meng Chijian, annoyed, lifted her up and weighed her, saying, "You're probably not even as heavy as this half-carcass of pork. Go play with Adou in the backyard."
"The ribs need to be chopped into pieces..."
"knew."
After two busy days, the preparations are finally complete. Most of the sausages are hung high in the kitchen to keep the mice away.
The dried radish and spicy cabbage were packed in two earthenware jars, and half of them were given to Meng Chijian to eat with the rolled pancakes on the road.
In the afternoon, A-Mian finally met Meng's second brother and his family.
After the family split up, Meng's second brother still lived in the village, but he moved to a place closer to the fields.
The two houses usually take about two or three incense sticks' worth of walking distance, based on the distance a man would travel.
When the second brother's family arrived, they were very enthusiastic. Meng Er was a smiling person, slightly shorter than Meng Chijian, but with more flesh on his face and many smile lines at the corners of his eyes. The brothers had very different temperaments.
The second sister-in-law wore a striking colorful dress, and her appearance was even more eye-catching. She was as delicate as a willow in the breeze, with fair skin and upturned eyes, making her look charming and beautiful.
While carrying his luggage, Meng Er also had two babies sitting in bamboo baskets on his shoulder pole—a four- or five-year-old boy and a little girl who was just over a year old, both fast asleep in the baskets.
Lu Amian was very curious and secretly touched the little girl's face with one finger.
It's softer than the softest silk in the world.
"Mother, we've come to see you!"
As soon as the second sister-in-law entered the door, she greeted everyone happily. She then asked Meng's mother to take turns holding the two children. After that, she sat down in the yard and ate peanuts with the old lady. She then called out, "Xiao Jing, make us some chrysanthemum sesame tea!"
Meng Jing was sulking, and Lu Amian quickly said, "Second sister-in-law, I'll go!"
"Okay, thank you for your help, sister-in-law!"
The second brother, on the other hand, worked efficiently by himself. These days, they would sleep in the room that Ah Mian used to sleep in, while Ah Mian slept with Meng Jing. This was because there were no extra rooms in the house, and since Meng Jing was not yet married, her boudoir was always kept and no men were allowed to enter.
"Look at us, we're not her servants. She's a lazy bum, she never does a single chore!" Meng Jing snorted a few more times. "It's just that my second brother, that idiot, is blinded by lust..."
Lu Amian was the type of person who wouldn't speak ill of others, so upon hearing this, she just smiled sheepishly, "Why don't you go and talk and eat some peanuts? I'll go pour you some tea!"
She loves to do things, but doesn't like to chat. Sometimes, Ah Mian can't understand why people have so much to say.
That afternoon, she first boiled water and then made a bowl of tea.
This is a popular drink in the surrounding countryside. Washed chrysanthemum petals, sesame seeds, and salt are sprinkled into a ceramic pot. When you want to drink it, you take it out with chopsticks and pour in hot water. For more luxurious families, peanuts or rock sugar will be added.
She placed the chrysanthemum tea on the table and then helped her second brother make his bed. Just then, the little girl in the bamboo basket wet her diaper and started crying loudly.
Meng Er hurriedly ran out of the house to change the diaper, his movements were so skillful that even A Mian was surprised.
"Are the little lambs hungry?" Lu Amian went back into the kitchen and asked her second sister-in-law loudly, "Can they have steamed eggs? And porridge?"
"Sure! Just chop the vegetable leaves and put them in the porridge!"
Meng Jing rolled her eyes as she listened.
The three-year-old boy was very naughty. Someone found him a straight tree branch, which he held in his hand as if he were learning martial arts, and he started hitting it around randomly.
The usually quiet courtyard was now incredibly noisy.
"Tiger, if you ruin your mother's clothes, I'll give you a piece of my mind!" Seeing her son heading this way, Second Sister-in-law quickly twisted his ear and slapped his bottom a few times. "Ugh! You dirty little brat!"
After making steamed eggs and vegetable porridge, the second brother would chase after the older child to feed him, while A-Mian would hold the little girl and slowly feed her with a spoon after the food had cooled down a bit.
The little girl was very well-behaved, with round eyes and a delicate nose that resembled her mother's. She ate with great relish.
While eating, he kept staring at Ah Mian without blinking.
Second Sister-in-law covered her mouth and laughed, "My little girl is just like me. When she sees a good-looking person, she stares at him intently and won't let go!"
Amian blushed immediately, "She's so beautiful! I've never seen such a beautiful doll..."
Second Sister-in-law lazily propped her chin up and said, "Although Meng San has a bad temper, he's not bad-looking. And since he married you, your child will definitely be good-looking too. When are you planning to have a child?"
Amian was completely confused when she heard this.
How did they conceive the child?
She hesitated for a moment, then cautiously pointed to the baby in her arms, "Then I'll take this one, okay?"
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