Chapter 73 Braised Pork Noodles Made for My Stepbrother
The north wind howled like a banshee, becoming even more eerie on the snowy night.
The town was quiet; every house had its lights off, and even the cries of children and the barking of dogs were gone. Everything seemed to stand still.
Lin Yuesha added firewood to the stove, her eyes filled with worry as she looked out the window. With the heavy snow falling all night, her mother, Chen, would have to get up in the middle of the night to shovel snow again.
“Our house has been renovated and is much sturdier now, so you don’t have to worry about the heavy snow collapsing the roof.”
Xiao Qi could see through his younger sister's thoughts, and judging from the sky, the snow would stop by midnight at the latest.
"Father is not well, and Mother may not be able to manage shoveling snow all by herself."
Lin Yuesha was worried about her family. There were no sturdy houses in the north, and every winter was difficult because they couldn't break ground in winter. The earliest they could build a house was in the spring, so she had to hurry up and earn money.
"Brother, how much silver would it cost to build a few stone houses?"
Lin Yuesha had asked Jiang Baozhu about prices, but Jiang Baozhu rarely went out and only had a vague understanding of them.
A decent courtyard in town costs over a hundred taels of silver, and Lin Yuesha wasn't sure if she could earn that much.
The snacks she makes don't cost much, and she figured that even if she sold them to the barbarians, she wouldn't earn much money. Since she currently has no costs, the only way to make money without any investment is to rob them.
"A few stone houses plus a small courtyard would cost at least several dozen taels of silver."
Xiao Qi did a quick calculation and figured that if he could find the stones himself, the price would be cheaper. He could hire villagers to help him, provide them with meals or pay them wages, and the main cost would be the large stones.
The large stones for building the house had to be purchased in the county and transported by special horse-drawn or ox-drawn carts.
The amount of money was less than Lin Yuesha had estimated. Since the family was short of money, they decided to build the stone house first. It would be warm in winter and cool in summer, and sturdy, so they wouldn't have to live in fear at night, worried that the roof would collapse under the weight of heavy snow.
The remaining kitchen and courtyard wall will be added when the family has more money. Anyway, Lin Yuesha can't stand the low walls and fences in the house. Standing outside the door, the whole yard is clearly visible, with no privacy at all.
"Big brother, this is for you."
Lin Yuesha took out the butterfly-shaped silver hairpin she had obtained from He Xing from her purse and handed it to Xiao Qi. By pawning the hairpin, she would be one step closer to her own stone house.
"Little sister, where did this come from?"
Xiao Qi found the silver hairpin somewhat familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
"Given by He Xing."
Lin Yuesha didn't hide anything and repeated the meaning behind He Xing giving her the silver hairpin.
"Brother, this man is wearing a woman's silver hairpin. Judging from its condition, it's not new. He definitely didn't buy it himself. We don't even know how he got it!"
Lin Yuesha suspected the source of the silver hairpin. If He Xing had stolen it, it wasn't impossible for her to be arrested as a thief if she went to pawn it.
He Xing is a ruthless man who is used to setting traps for people. He wanted to frame her, and she had no way to defend herself.
"Little sister, you're so smart."
Xiao Qi praised her, saying he never expected that the village girl, who had never seen the world, would have such a keen sense of awareness.
There was only one pawnshop in the town, but it was different in the county. There were many pawnshops, and several of them only looked at the items and did not ask where they came from.
"However, it's not good for you to ask for his things like that. You're just a young girl, and you'll always be at a disadvantage when you're with men."
Xiao Qi seized this opportunity and began to lecture Lin Yuesha.
He Xing was a man who liked to give young girls purses and embroidered handkerchiefs at literary gatherings, and several of his female classmates secretly fell in love with him.
Lin Yuesha is still young and may not understand that the most taboo thing between men and women is to exchange gifts in private. In contrast, the customs in the north are more open. If a woman in the capital were to secretly accept a silver hairpin from a man outside the capital, it would be no different from a secret engagement, and if it were found out, her reputation would be ruined.
"Brother, what are you saying!"
Lin Yuesha pouted. She had forgotten that the sucker was a kind-hearted old man, as well as a rigid and dull-witted goose.
Her stepbrother's words, implying the same things modern parents tell their children not to take other people's things without permission, were exactly what she was saying. But she wasn't some naive little girl!
"In short, it would be bad if people misunderstood you for accepting the silver hairpin from He Xing."
Some things shouldn't be said too explicitly, Xiao Qi subtly hinted.
If Lin Yuesha caused trouble, he could clean up the mess, but accepting gifts from He Xing, and more than once, made Xiao Qi somewhat unhappy.
"Misunderstanding? He Xing gave it to me secretly, no one saw it."
Lin Yuesha disagreed with her kind-hearted stepbrother's opinion; she wasn't stupid. He Xing needed her help, so there was nothing wrong with playing along.
Furthermore, He Xing might have some malicious intentions, and even if she righteously refuses, he won't let her off the hook.
The brother and sister argued over a silver hairpin. Lin Yuesha blushed and explained that she had her reasons for doing so, and she didn't want others to misunderstand her as a petty person who took advantage of others and was greedy for vanity.
"Alright, alright, it was my fault, brother. Tell me what you like, and I'll save up money to buy it for you."
The little girl spoke with great conviction, and Xiao Qi finally had to give in; he couldn't argue with Lin Yuesha. If you really piss a kitten off, it will show you its sharp claws.
"snort!"
Lin Yuesha snorted; she hated being misunderstood the most.
"However, you are not allowed to leave the Jiang residence alone after dark. Send someone to deliver a message, and I will come to pick you up."
Xiao Qi's expression turned serious. As darkness fell, there were almost no pedestrians on the road. It was truly dangerous for the little girl to run here on her own.
Faced with her stepbrother's renewed lecture, Lin Yuesha obediently nodded. It was indeed her oversight that she had come to see her elder brother this time.
The water in the iron pot boiled, bubbling gently. Lin Yuesha held up the kneaded dough and deftly sliced it with a knife, making a pot of knife-cut noodles.
She added the braised pork broth, a drop of sesame oil, and when it was almost done cooking, she added a few slices of braised pork belly and garnished it with finely chopped scallions.
Instantly, a delicious aroma filled the kitchen.
Xiao Qi sniffed, realizing he was starving. He suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to eat dinner.
"Brother, come and try my cooking."
Lin Yuesha pushed a large bowl of braised pork noodles in front of Xiao Qi and said with a smile.
Xiao Qi took the chopsticks, picked up a noodle; it was thin and very chewy.
The noodle soup smelled delicious and steamed. Xiao Qi had his head down, so Lin Yuesha couldn't see his expression, but the speed at which her stepbrother ate his chopsticks gave her the answer.
Before long, the noodle soup was gone. Xiao Qi suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to ask his little sister if she had eaten dinner, and he had eaten the whole bowl!
He has always been indifferent to food, so this time it was really unusual for him.
"Brother, maybe the braised pork was too delicious, because the waiter even gave me a spoonful of braised pork broth."
Lin Yuesha rested her chin on her hands, carefully observing her stepbrother's expression, her eyes filled with a smile.
"It was delicious, I ate it all."
萧祁眼底露出一抹深思来，尽管和卤肉的汤底有关，可是面条薄薄的又劲道，丝毫不断，看林月纱削面的姿势不像个新手。
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
