Chapter 03 Chapter 3
He Tingting smiled and said nothing.
Li Hua might not have known that He Guan wanted to sell Lili before.
Even though this slap in the face was an apology for her previous behavior, He Tingting couldn't say whether she would return to He Guan afterwards.
After all, even thirty years later, there are still many people who reconcile with scumbags after just a few words of coaxing.
She avoided the topic and said, "Second Aunt, don't go back tonight. I'm going to take Lili out tomorrow, and I'm worried about no one at home. Aunt, please do me a favor and stay here tonight."
Li Hua slapped her so hard that her face felt burning with pain.
Hearing this, the mixed emotions in her heart were like a loud and painful slap on her soul.
It's more torturous than the pain of masturbation.
Tingting took her in because she knew she had nowhere to go.
"Okay," Li Hua paused for a few seconds, "Thank you, Tingting."
"We're family, so we don't have to talk behind each other's backs. It's getting late, auntie, don't be polite to me."
He Tingting's words were like a shot in the arm.
Li Hua responded, washed up in the yard, and lay on the kang, with He Tingting's words just now turning over and over in his mind.
Divorce, what will life be like after divorce?
As she thought about it, her mood became strangely relaxed. With a smile on her lips, she slowly fell asleep.
*
The next morning, it was just dawn.
He Tingting had already stood up and got down from the kang quietly.
The old wooden door creaked, and she tiptoed into the yard and finished washing up very quickly.
Today is the first day of setting up the stall, and we need to prepare well.
There is not much preparation required to make dumplings, and the dough is the most important one.
Making dough is not difficult, it requires experience.
Air temperature and water temperature can affect the state of the dough.
Fortunately, He Tingting had studied pastry making a lot before, so she was very good at it.
There is still a piece of pork left in the blind box system backpack, weighing about two pounds. He Tingting plans to use up all the meat today.
The price of pork during this period was not cheap, about one yuan per pound, which was a little more expensive than refined rice.
However, now is a period of rapid development, and wages are increasing very quickly. Ordinary people are not as stingy as before.
I always have to eat meat a few times every month to satisfy my hunger.
People's consumption concepts have also changed subtly, and they are more willing to buy food outside.
With this environment in place, He Tingting felt at ease to set up a stall in front of the school.
There was only so much meat, and He Tingting planned to make the most of it.
She first shaved off the skin and chopped the meat into minced meat.
Hand-chopped meat is not as delicate as machine-chopped meat, but it is more fragrant, and you can taste the granular texture of the meat, which makes it more meaty when chewed.
Put the chopped meat into a bowl separately, add the onion, ginger water and seasonings prepared in advance to the lean meat, and stir in one direction.
Soon, the meat filling in the bowl expanded and looked more tender.
The fat is fried first to squeeze out the oil, and then added to the stuffing to enhance the taste.
Finally, pour in some sesame oil and stir again, and the meat filling is ready.
After finishing all these, He Tingting raised her head and smiled at He Lili who was looking at her.
"What are you doing hiding in the house? Go wash up."
He Lili was a little timid at first, but she became happy after hearing this.
"Hey, I'll go right away!"
He Tingting was also a left-behind child and grew up with her grandparents. She can understand the sensitivity in He Lili's heart.
Before her parents died, she went to school away from home, and the two sisters didn't spend much time together. They were both familiar and unfamiliar with each other.
Now they are the only ones left to depend on each other, and He Tingting can see what He Lili is thinking.
He Lili wanted to get close to her and rely on her sister, but she didn't know how to do it.
He Tingting has experienced similar feelings and can empathize with them better.
"Go ahead, and remember to help in the kitchen after you wash your face."
This sentence immediately made He Lili more energetic, and she ran out, "Okay! Don't worry, sister, I'll come to help right away!"
Li Hua in the room was in a very complicated mood.
She hardly slept that night, constantly thinking about what to do in the future.
Taking advantage of the fact that she and He Tingting were the only ones in the room, she came over and asked in a low voice.
"Tingting, um, you mentioned the divorce yesterday. How much do you know about divorce? Can you tell me about it?"
When He Tingting heard this, she knew that she was really interested.
"Auntie, it's not complicated at all. You two can just bring your marriage certificate, ID cards, and a photo of each other to the Civil Affairs Bureau and it will be done. If the other party disagrees with the divorce, you can file for divorce."
The word "prosecution" is very unfamiliar to Li Hua.
"Ah? You still want to sue me?"
She was not well educated, and she felt a little scared when she heard this.
"Second Aunt, if you really have an idea, you can go to the Women's Federation to learn more about the situation. Filing for divorce is different from a lawsuit. You will definitely win in this situation."
Li Hua felt relieved. "Okay, I'll go ask today."
After just two sentences, He Lili came in again.
Faced with this niece who was almost sold, Li Hua was very embarrassed and quickly stopped talking.
"Well, Tingting, let me help you."
"No need, auntie."
He Tingting refused readily.
When it comes to cooking, the more people there are, the better the food will taste.
It requires experience and some talent.
She asked He Lili to help out in order to improve the relationship between the two sisters.
If my aunt gets involved, she's bound to make mistakes in a hurry.
"I don't have much to offer you. Just ask Lili to go to the fields and cut some green onions."
He Tingting had already thought of the vegetarian filling for the buns, which was the most classic chive and egg filling.
Chives are the most popular crop in rural areas. They will grow again after being harvested.
The first crop of leeks is the most fragrant and has the strongest flavor.
What she got from the blind box was the first cut of leeks.
When paired with farm-raised eggs, some people think it tastes even better than meat buns.
By the time all the materials were ready, it was already past seven o'clock.
There is no fixed meal time for the stalls in front of the school. After the first class, some students start selling meals during the break.
According to He Tingting's arrangement, we have to arrive at the school gate before ten o'clock. Calculating the time, it's time to start wrapping now.
The skin of buns is different from that of dumplings. The middle is thicker than the edges so that the skin can stretch out and be evenly thick when pulled.
She rolled out a few sheets of dough and spread out her palms. "Lili, have you ever learned how to make dumplings?"
Children in rural areas have to grow up early. Although Lili is only in elementary school, she has learned how to cook simple dishes.
"I've learned a little."
He Lili scratched her cheek and said honestly, "My mom taught me once, but my wrapping was ugly."
"It's okay, I'll teach you."
Cabbage and chopped vermicelli have been added to the meat filling.
He Tingting held the bun skin in her palm and scooped a full spoonful of filling and placed it in the middle.
"Use your thumb to create a pleat, then push the pleat with your other hand, and then give it a final pinch."
He Tingting said it simply, but He Lili felt dazzled.
After moving his hands a few times, plump and round buns appeared.
She could only observe with her eyes, but when she really did it, she felt it was ugly if she pinched a wrinkle.
Looking at the buns He Tingting had just made, she couldn't bring herself to make the second fold.
He Tingting saw her embarrassment.
"No one will look good the first time they start learning. It's okay, just practice boldly. We can save the ones that don't look good for later."
Most people who do business have a reluctant mentality.
Those who buy socks are reluctant to wear the expensive socks sold at the stalls, and those who sell fruits are reluctant to eat the good-looking fruits at home.
He Lili is not the boss, but she has also been infected with this kind of thinking.
When He Tingting said this, she quickly said, "Then I'll make it with leek and egg filling."
It would be such a waste to let her make meat buns. The meat buns would look good only if they were fully filled like her sister's and could be sold at a good price.
"No, just stuff it with meat."
Children are growing, so they should eat something nutritious.
Life was hard at home in the past, and we always saved money on our food.
In He Tingting's impression, it is good enough if her family can eat meat twice a year.
It was precisely because of the lack of nutrition that ten-year-old He Lili looked like a seven or eight-year-old child.
Now that she is the one in charge, she can’t let the children suffer.
He Tingting's initial plan was to feed He Lili ten pounds.
Only after the nutrition is adequate can the height increase.
He Lili became even more nervous. After making three buns, the buns in her hand were barely presentable.
She was afraid of wasting things, so she didn't dare to wrap any more and quickly stood up.
"Sister, let me help you clean the box," and then she ran out of the door.
He Tingting had already done this job yesterday.
She chuckled and didn't stop He Lili.
He Tingting's hands are quick, and she has already made a tray of buns in a short while.
She put the five dumplings that He Lili had wrapped into the steamer and placed them over the boiling water.
Then just repeat this step over and over again.
*
After being rejected by He Tingting, Li Hua couldn't stand it any longer.
She said hello and walked out of the He family's door, planning to go to the village Women's Federation to inquire about the situation as He Tingting said.
But when people reached the door of the Women's Federation, they couldn't move forward.
Divorce is a shameful thing these days.
She went to the Women's Federation today to talk about this matter. There will definitely be rumors in the village. What should she do then?
While hesitating, Li Hua suddenly saw a familiar figure passing by at the corner.
She hid subconsciously, a little slow in her steps and confused.
"What is this bastard doing here?"
He Guan walked stealthily to the end of the village, looked around, and when he saw that there was no one around, he followed the path up to the barren mountain.
This is a small hill next to the village. It takes about ten minutes to climb to the top of the hill. Most of the dead people in the village are buried there.
Li Hua guessed his destination at once.
The He family's tomb.
Did he really find a master to deal with his uncle's ghost?
At this time, Li Hua's attitude towards this matter was completely different.
"What a beast! He even wants someone to deal with his own brother's spirit. No, he can't succeed like this."
Li Hua hurried back to the village.
She was not well educated and could not think of a good solution, so she could only rush back to the He family as quickly as possible.
"Tingting! Something bad has happened!"
Li Hua pushed open the wooden door and shouted loudly.
"That bastard He Guan went to the He family's ancestral tomb. Your father's soul might be taken away by the master!"
She was so anxious that sweat broke out on her forehead.
In contrast, He Tingting's expression was too calm. She took out a bun from the prepared foam box and handed it to Li Hua.
"Don't worry, Second Aunt, just eat some buns first. I'll figure out a way to deal with this."
The idea of being possessed by a ghost is a lie. It would be useless even if you find 100 masters. He Tingting is not in a hurry at all.
"It's urgent, how can I not..."
Li Hua took a bite of the bun in his mouth and paused.
This bun——
Smells good! So good!
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