The Sun and Zhao families had not separated. Except for the younger generation, everyone else was injured. The funeral arrangements were handled entirely by the villagers. With a broken leg bone, he couldn't even send his parents up the mountain to watch them be buried.
Five funerals suddenly occurred in the village, and help was needed everywhere, so everything was kept simple.
The villagers who helped understood, after all, the filial son couldn't even stand up, and no one was there to help him break the basin, so how could they ask for anything else? They had eaten at home early, preparing to go home for dinner after helping out.
Unexpectedly, after the burial and filling of the grave, they were about to go home when Shuiqing called them back and invited them to her place for a tofu meal.
Hearing that preparations had been made yesterday and the work had started early this morning, the men and women no longer refused and went along.
Funerals are different from weddings. No one will say anything if the food is meager. It's normal that the villagers think it's not good that the Sun and Zhao families didn't have tofu rice today, since they themselves only eat two meals a day.
Actually, the villagers wouldn't say anything if Fan Jin and Shui Qing didn't prepare tofu rice. The main reason was that the family had split up, and his mother was assigned to the eldest son's family. According to village custom, whichever son's mother was assigned to, she would naturally be responsible for the birth, upbringing, and burial of the deceased.
Now, not only did Fan Jin take care of the funeral arrangements, but Shui Qing also prepared tofu rice. In addition to inviting the villagers who helped the Fan family, she also invited the villagers who helped the Sun and Zhao families. This is amazing.
The villagers knew they were uneducated and uneducated, and they didn't know how to describe them. They only knew that Fan Jin and Shui Qing were truly refined and respectable people!
In the kitchen, Hu's mother, Wang Qiuyue, and Zheng Yan were indeed busy early on.
Zheng Yan lit a fire in the stove and began to help cut the cured meat and cabbage.
Mother Hu poured the chopped cured pork into a large iron pot and stir-fried it until the oil was rendered. Then she added scallions and ginger and sautéed them until fragrant. Next, she added chopped Chinese cabbage and stir-fried it until it was just cooked. After adding boiling water, she cut the tofu into small pieces by hand and put them into the broth one by one along the edge of the pot to simmer.
Actually, it would taste better if the tofu was pan-fried in oil until golden brown on both sides before stewing. However, tofu rice is all about being clean and simple, so it's better to cook it plain and serve it plain.
With five or six tables of people, a single pot of food would certainly not be enough. Every time Hu's mother cooked a pot, she would ladle it out into a small iron pot with two handles, which Wang Qiuyue would then carry to the dining room table, where a small red clay stove with charcoal burning was already lit.
The charcoal fire glows red, and the stew simmers slowly over a low flame. In the small iron pot with two handles, the stewed pork, cabbage, and tofu bubble gently, topped with a sprinkling of bright green scallions and garlic leaves. It is simple yet not shabby.
Mother Hu ladled out another pot, counted the quantity, and suggested to the two of them, "This double-handled iron pot is really convenient. It can hold a lot and stew. I reckon one pot might not be enough. We'll stew some more in these three big iron pots later, and we'll add more whenever a table finishes."
The variety of dishes is limited, but the quantity must be guaranteed. Regardless of the quality, the fundamental goal is to ensure that people are full.
Zheng Yan continued slicing the cured meat, and replied with a "Yes, sir." Zhou Yu also cooked three large pots of rice, so we can replenish it whenever needed!
Thinking of the three large pots of rice, Mrs. Hu felt slightly relieved.
Three stoves were also built in the brewing room. They were originally used to steam rice and brew wine. After the wine brewing was no longer allowed, these three stoves became much more convenient for preparing food and other banquets.
When the villagers, exhausted from a morning's work, braved the cold to enter the warm house, the enticing aroma of food made them instinctively swallow. The stark contrast between the outside and inside left them momentarily stunned, forgetting to move.
"Why are you stopping? Hurry up, you in front!" the man behind urged.
The villagers, as if waking from a dream, let out two loud cries as they entered the house and continued walking inside.
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