As darkness fell, Li Xiuju took out a lamp that had been gathering dust in a corner for a long time, blew away the ash, poured in lamp oil, placed two wicks on it, and lit it with an open flame.
A tiny flame, no bigger than a candle flame, grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the pitch-black room.
Li Xiuju's weathered eyes lit up with light. "Now that we have lamp oil, we don't have to rush to eat before dark. You all rest here, and I'll go cook some dishes."
A gust of wind blew in, and Zhou Chenyu and Baoyu, fearing the fire would be blown out, rushed forward to protect the lamp. Their foreheads bumped into each other, and Zhou Chenyu cried out, "Ouch, that hurts!"
Hearing the two people's wails, Li Xiuju smiled and went into the kitchen to cook a few dishes.
The pork and tofu we bought during the day will be the main dishes for tonight's meal. We'll also add some freshly picked sweet potato leaves from the garden and make three dishes: braised tofu, stir-fried pork with chili peppers, and stir-fried sweet potato leaves with garlic. That'll be enough for the whole family.
I bought pork with a good balance of fat and lean meat, and used the lean part of the pork for braised tofu. I cut the pork into small cubes, stir-fried them, and set them aside.
Place the tender and bouncy tofu in a pot and cook until the surface turns golden brown. Add the stir-fried minced meat, pour in the prepared sauce, simmer over high heat for a while, then sprinkle with a few chopped green onions as a garnish. It's ready to serve immediately.
Cut the remaining fatty pork into thin slices, fry it for a while, remove a little hot oil, add green peppers, and then cut two sections of garlic sprouts. Stir-fry over high heat, and the pungent aroma of chili and garlic will immediately fill the air.
After a plate of glistening green peppers and stir-fried pork is cooked, there's no need to wash the pan. While it's still hot, add minced garlic and tender sweet potato leaves, and soon a plate of vibrant green and tender vegetarian dish is ready.
Several plates of delicious-looking home-style dishes were served. Baoyu couldn't wait to reach out with his chopsticks and stuff several pieces of meat into his mouth. His lips were greasy from eating. "It's been so long since I've had pork. It's so delicious!"
Zhou Chenyu used to dislike fatty pork, always finding it to have a strange taste.
The aroma of stir-fried green peppers and pork is irresistible. One bite reveals a delicious combination of chili and pork flavors, and the meat is tender and juicy.
At that moment, Zhou Chenyu didn't care about the grease on the corner of her mouth and couldn't help but say, "Grandma, it's so delicious! Your cooking skills are getting better and better, comparable to a master chef!"
"You're getting more and more talkative, girl," Li Xiuju scolded in annoyance. Zhou Chenyu saw her face light up with a smile, and realized she still enjoyed hearing it.
She has no other skills, but she's good at praising people.
"I'm just telling the truth, and you won't let me say it?"
"You silly girl." Li Xiuju smiled happily and quickly put some food into their bowls. "You two siblings work hard from dawn till dusk every day to sell things. Eat more."
Li Xiuju is old and doesn't eat much. After finishing a bowl of rice, she puts down her chopsticks and sits aside watching the children.
Zhou Chenyu seemed to eat more because of the physical exertion from her work, or perhaps because she was free from the worries of work and had gained weight; her face appeared much rounder.
She looked at the table full of delicious food, wanting to eat but afraid of gaining weight.
Li Xiuju laughed at her, "There's still plenty of rice in the pot, go get some if you want."
Hearing her say that, Zhou Chenyu, holding the small bowl, sheepishly went into the kitchen and scooped out another small spoonful to satisfy her craving, solemnly swearing, "I'll only eat this much, and I will definitely not eat any more after I finish this."
"Sister, it's rare for our family to have meat and some good dishes, so of course we should eat our fill!" Baoyu quickly shoveled down a large bowl of rice, then looked at the dishes on the table and turned around without hesitation to get another bowl. "Mom, this stir-fried pork with chili peppers is so delicious! Can you make it often in the future?"
“Okay, if you want to eat it, I’ll make it for you.” Li Xiuju smiled kindly, then carefully calculated and said calmly, “Pork is delicious, but it’s also expensive, so it will cost a lot of money to eat it. After the rice seedlings are planted in a month, we’ll go to the market and catch a dozen or so chickens and ducks to raise. We’ll slaughter one every now and then and alternate it with pork, so we can eat our fill.”
Zhou Chenyu nodded as she ate, "That works too, chicken is more fragrant than pork."
The night sky outside flickered a few times. Little Yellow Bean wagged its tail and sat down at the door, its round eyes wide open, barking at the howling wind in the yard. A rumble of thunder followed, and soon a torrential downpour began.
Outside, the wind and rain raged, but the three of them huddled comfortably around an oil lamp, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain, making the food in front of them taste even better.
With the lights on, tonight's meal was eaten more slowly and comfortably than usual.
Zhou Chenyu returned to her room after washing up; it was already very late.
While taking a shower, her hair got wet, so she could only sit by the window with her long hair down. The rain had lessened considerably, and the air was damp with the fragrance of grass and earth. In the distance, frogs and toads in the pond were croaking incessantly.
Zhou Chenyu lay on the table, the light falling on her eyes. "At this time before, I would definitely have just finished overtime and be on my way to the subway. Life is so comfortable now. If I had a book, a cup of coffee, and some music, that would be even better."
Li Xiuju got up in the middle of the night and saw the light coming through the screen window. She went to the door and asked, and Huangdou barked twice, "Chenyu, why aren't you asleep yet? You have to get up early tomorrow, don't stay up too late."
Like a primary school student caught by his parents, Zhou Chenyu quickly blew out the oil lamp and climbed into bed, saying, "Oh, I'm going to sleep now."
Li Xiuju left only after seeing that all the lights in the room were off.
Since starting to sell sweet soup, Zhou Chenyu's insomnia has been cured. She falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow and sleeps soundly until dawn.
Li Xiuju got up early and not only cooked breakfast for them, but also kneaded dough and steamed several vegetable-filled buns.
After getting dressed, Zhou Chenyu and Baoyu ate the leftover braised tofu and freshly stir-fried sweet potato leaves from the previous night, drank two bowls of thick, hot porridge, and then set off into the morning mist.
The cart wheels turned on the gravel road. It was not yet fully light; only the area in the east where the sun was rising was white. The road ahead and the mountains in the distance were still dark, as if traveling at night.
Zhou Chenyu was not afraid at all because he had walked this road several times and knew it very well. In addition, farmers were already harvesting rice on one side of the rice paddies.
After rounding another mountain, the sun rose. Unlike the usual sparsely populated days, you could see vendors every now and then, some pushing carts carrying goods, others carrying baskets on shoulder poles.
Zhou Chenyu looked at them and asked in surprise, "Hey, is today market day?"
Baoyu counted on his fingers. In Qingshui Town, the 3rd, 6th, and 9th days are market days. Today is the beginning of July, so isn't it market day?
"Yes, sis, why are you asking this?"
Zhou Chenyu watched as everyone flocked into the city. There must be a lot of people strolling around the streets. It's hot, and after walking around for half a day, people get very thirsty. That's when the sweet soup business will start.
She gripped Baoyu's arm tightly and quickened her pace. "Come on, let's go into town and rent a stall to sell sweet soup."
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