Mrs. Li couldn't wait any longer, so the next day she went to the Xu family with a large jar of pickled cabbage.
When Xu Rao returned last night, he told Zhang Zhaoci about Li Zhubu's back problem and asked if she had any suitable plasters to apply. Zhang Zhaoci said that she needed to examine him before making a diagnosis, as it sounded like a herniated disc, but who knew if it was a symptom of some other illness? As a result, when he got up this morning, not long after he had eaten breakfast, Granny Zhao at the gatehouse said that Li Zhubu's wife had arrived, and she was carrying a large jar.
Zhang Zhaoci hurried to the front to receive her. Zhang Zhaoci liked the lady of the Li family very much. She was a very down-to-earth person, and her children were well-mannered. Zhang Zhaoci liked their youngest daughter the most. She had such high emotional intelligence that talking to her would make her feel particularly good.
The two daughters of the Li family's chief clerk are named Li Yuelin and Li Yuexi. Li Yuelin is a gentle and somewhat shy girl. Although she had visited the Xu family with her mother before, she still seemed a little reserved when she came back. Li Yuexi, on the other hand, is very poised and confident, and she gets along well with Xu Zhi when they play together.
Madam Li wanted to talk to Zhang Zhaoci, so Zhang Zhaoci instructed Xu Zhi to take the two young ladies and have Granny Lu accompany them to the greenhouse in the backyard to see the vegetables that Xu Di had planted.
Mrs. Li glanced around the room and saw that it was just her and Zhang Zhaoci. She said somewhat apologetically, "Mrs. Xu, I came here wanting you to take a look at my husband's back. He's been suffering from back pain for years. When it gets cold, sometimes the pain is so bad that he can't even straighten up. I wish I could take his pain away from him."
Zhang Zhaoci laughed and said, "Oh dear, Mrs. Li, are you here to show off your love to me?"
Mrs. Li relaxed a lot when she heard Zhang Zhaoci joking with her, and said, "We're an old married couple, and we're about to have a grandson. Why would I show off our affection to you? Please stop making fun of me."
Zhang Zhaoci laughed and said, "Alright, but I have to examine your Master Li myself to see what's causing his back pain."
Madam Li said, "Of course. Once they've calmed down, I'll bring my husband over to ask you to take a look. We've consulted many doctors over the years, not just those in Hexi, but also renowned doctors in Ganzhou. We've taken a lot of medicine, but it hasn't really helped. I'm not afraid you'll laugh at us, but our whole family came from Jiangnan to this harsh land for what? It's because my husband has this job here, which can support our whole family. Otherwise, why would we have come here?"
Mrs. Li continued, “Mrs. Xu, the father of our child is the pillar of our family. If he falls ill, our family will cease to exist. I know you are a highly skilled doctor and I didn’t want to trouble you, for fear that you would find it a bother. But last night, when my child’s father came back and told me, I was overjoyed. If you can help, I think this matter will definitely be resolved.”
Zhang Zhaoci said, "Madam Li, no doctor can guarantee that they will cure their patients well. I dare not give you any guarantee. I can only tell you that I will do my best to treat Lord Li. What do you think?"
Mrs. Li smiled and said, "With your guarantee, what do I have to worry about? Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let me tell you how to make delicious pickled cabbage. I'm from the South, and we used to make pickled cabbage where I'm from, but we used mustard greens and pickled mustard greens. It was only after I came here that I saw people making it with cabbage. I usually like to pickle vegetables, so I learned how to pickle them from some of the women here, and the pickled cabbage I made turned out quite delicious."
Zhang Zhaoci had eaten sauerkraut stew with pork at a Northeastern restaurant before and thought the sauerkraut was sour and refreshing and quite delicious. Later, when he came to Hexi, he heard that some families made sauerkraut from cabbage in winter, so he thought about eating sauerkraut stew with pork. However, Sister He was a local, and the sauerkraut was made by a few people who came from Northeast China. Some locals also learned to make it, but only a few. Sister He did not know how, so Zhang Zhaoci gave up.
However, she still felt uneasy. When she was having a gathering with Madam Li and the others, she mentioned this pickled cabbage. Who would have thought that Madam Li would remember it? It was summer then. After the weather turned cold and cabbage came into season, Madam Li bought a lot of cabbage and made pickled cabbage. Now it's fermenting quite well, and that's when she brought it over to Zhang Zhaoci.
Mrs. Li said with a smile, "The sisters-in-law who taught me how to make it came from Northeast China. Later, they all returned to their hometowns. Not many people here know how to make pickled cabbage. My family makes it every year. It's good for stewing vegetables when it gets cold. It's sour, salty, and refreshing, and it makes you want to eat half a bowl more rice."
Zhang Zhaoci said, "I had eaten meat stewed with pickled cabbage before and thought it was really delicious. After coming here, I heard that some people knew how to make it, so I thought I would try it too. But it just doesn't taste the same as before."
Mrs. Li said with a smile, "The sisters-in-law who taught me said that the pickled cabbage I make tastes just as good as the best pickled cabbage from their area. I'm not very good at making other things, but I'm good at making side dishes and pickling vegetables."
The two of them talked as they went into the kitchen. Madam Li instructed someone to put the jar of pickled cabbage in a corner of the yard. The outdoor temperature was very low, and the outside of the house was a natural refrigerator. Things would not spoil easily if left outside. The pickled cabbage would be fine to eat all winter long if left in the jar.
The pickled cabbage that Madam Li brought was indeed very well pickled. Madam Li not only learned a few dishes from others, but also came up with a few dishes on her own. At lunchtime, several dishes made with pickled cabbage were served on the Xu family's table: pickled cabbage stewed with pork belly, pickled cabbage stir-fried with pig intestines, stir-fried pickled cabbage, and a pickled cabbage soup.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
