Chapter 31 Corn and Pork Rib Soup
On the Mid-Autumn Festival, primary schools have a three-day holiday, including Saturday and Sunday.
Tang Yiyi took Xiaoyu on the high-speed train back to her hometown.
She was only staying for one day, and she didn't bring much with her, feeling completely relaxed.
Song Man sent her blessings: [Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, Sister Yi^^]
She sent another picture of a mooncake. It was a huge mooncake, without any editing or filters, big enough for several people to eat.
Tang Yiyi quickly replied with a blessing.
The closer Xiaoyu got to his hometown, the more uneasy he became, picking at his fingers.
After getting off the high-speed train, I took a bus to the village.
The fields in her hometown were barren, so Tang Yiyi bought some vegetables and an old hen at the village entrance.
As she was paying, the old lady suddenly looked up and sized her up.
"You must be Jianpeng's daughter? You've grown so much and become so beautiful!" The old lady's eyesight wasn't very good, and she tried hard to make out the person in front of her.
Tang Yiyi was surprised. She didn't expect anyone to remember her father. After all, the original owner's family had moved away from the village ten years ago, and the original owner had only returned to the village once to handle the funerals of her parents and grandfather.
She did not deny it, and left with Xiaoyu in her hand.
My old home was a tile-roofed house, which looked a bit old and wasn't very big.
Tang Yiyi pushed open the door and went in. A cloud of dust hit her face; the house hadn't been cleaned in a long time.
After putting the ingredients away, she started cleaning the house. Xiaoyu wasn't idle either; he swept and mopped the floor.
The house has been cleaned and looks much more comfortable.
Tang Yiyi was preparing an old hen; it was a holiday, so she wanted to eat something nice. After killing the hen, she plucked its feathers, discarded the liver, and washed it inside and out twice.
She scalded the iron pot with boiling water, then put the hen into the cold water. She found some cooking wine, sliced the ginger she had bought, and threw it in to blanch the chicken. Soon, a layer of blood foam floated to the top of the pot.
After blanching, add cooking wine and salt, then put the old hen in a pot to stew.
Xiaoyu stood at the kitchen doorway, staring intently in this direction, looking very insecure.
The rising steam went out through the chimney, and the women chatting outside thought, "..." Whose soup smells so good!
Tang Yiyi was picking vegetables when she heard a noise at the door.
"Yiyi, you and Xiaoyu are back. Why don't you come in and sit for a while?"
The person who came was Guo Xiaoyun, Guo's aunt. Her eyes were unfocused, and behind her was a little boy, Guo Xiaoyun's son Yaozong.
Tang Yiyi greeted them but didn't say anything more. Their relationship was never great to begin with; the original owner's parents, along with her grandfather, had been driven out of the village by her uncle's family. Her uncle, a construction supervisor with a considerable income, gradually looked down on the original owner's parents who worked in the fields, and conspired with outsiders to drive them out.
The original owner paid Guo Xiaoyun to take care of Xiaoyu because she was the only relative he could find, and Guo Xiaoyun also put on a good show.
Guo Xiaoyun was a little embarrassed and didn't know what to say. Tang Yiyi had brought her younger brother back, but she hadn't even come to see them, even though she had helped her take care of Xiaoyu for several months.
At this moment, Guo Xiaoyun turned to the side and asked, "Xiaoyu, why do you look thinner... or fatter?"
Thanks to Tang Yiyi's careful care during this period, Xiaoyu is eating more, and his skin is visibly fair and tender, and his face is fuller.
He looked nothing like the thin, dark-skinned boy Guo Xiaoyun had brought back when summer vacation had just ended!
It was clear that Xiaoyu was terrified of Guo Xiaoyun and was hiding behind her. Tang Yiyi said coldly, "Aunt, since there's nothing else, I'll see you out!"
Isn't this just a disguised way of kicking someone out? Guo Xiaoyun's face darkened instantly. When did Tang Yiyi become so audacious? Doesn't she know how to respect her elders?!
Tang Yaozong suddenly ran over, licking his fingers, "It smells so good! What's cooking in the pot? I want to eat!"
While speaking, he insisted on pushing Tang Yiyi aside.
Xiaoyu was furious, clenching his fists. "Don't you dare touch my sister!"
A short while later, the two children started fighting. Tang Yiyi stepped forward to stop them.
Guo Xiaoyun hugged her son Yaozong tightly, her heart aching, and said, "If anything happens to Yaozong, I will not let you off the hook!"
Staring at the red mark on Xiaoyu's chin, Tang Yiyi was about to curse.
Seeing Guo Xiaoyun and the other woman turn to leave, she said directly, "Goodbye and don't bother seeing me off!"
Then she took a clean towel, wet it, and wiped Xiaoyu's face. "Does it hurt, Xiaoyu?"
"Xiaoyu, it's okay," Xiaoyu comforted her, then clenched his fist, "Bad guy, bullying my sister!"
It was a rare moment of peace and quiet, and since it was a holiday, Tang Yiyi went to the nearby convenience store and bought a drink.
Since it was difficult to cook properly, she stir-fried two servings of noodles.
The eggs sizzled as they hit the oil. The soaked noodles were then added and stir-fried with the eggs. Salt and soy sauce were added and stir-fried until well-seasoned. Some greens and diced chili peppers were added later, and the noodles were quickly cooked and served.
At this moment, a strong aroma of noodles wafted through the air, and the spiciness of the chili peppers was somewhat pungent.
Xiao Yu, standing next to him, tilted his chin up, staring at the food in the iron pot, and quietly swallowed. Even though he had eaten quite a bit that morning, he was hungry now.
The aroma of food awakens the dormant stomach.
"Come on, Xiaoyu, let's eat."
Before the meal, Tang Yiyi poured drinks for the two of them.
The freshly cooked noodles were still piping hot. Tang Yiyi took a few breaths, rolled up a lump, and popped it into her mouth. The noodles were still very chewy and springy, the eggs were tender, the vegetables were refreshing, and the flavor was just right – not too salty or bland, creating a rich and satisfying taste.
I caught a glimpse of Xiaoyu eating, his head bobbing and his eyes slightly narrowed, like a little hamster eating.
After eating the fried noodles, Tang Yiyi ladled out a bowl of chicken soup. The soup was clear and rich, without any goji berries or anything like that. It was made with just an old hen, which had a unique flavor and was very nutritious.
Xiaoyu sipped the delicious chicken soup, his eyes practically overflowing with joy. "So delicious!"
Fresh chicken soup is very nourishing, and Tang Yiyi loves to drink it.
Just then, that annoyingly familiar voice rang out again.
"Tang Yiyi, Tang Xiaoyu scratched my Yaozong, pay up right now!"
Guo Xiaoyun led Tang Yaozong to their door, looking furious and determined not to give up.
Tang Yiyi was annoyed and exhausted. There were no customers in the shop as difficult and unreasonable as Guo Xiaoyun.
She pointed to Tang Yaozong's forehead, where the wound was so small it was almost invisible. "Xiaoyu scratched him? What proof do you have? How come Tang Yaozong didn't do it himself!"
"Don't talk nonsense! This wound was inflicted by Tang Xiaoyu!" Guo Xiaoyun said angrily, her face contorted.
The arguing attracted the attention of the neighbors, who all came to watch the commotion.
Having known each other for so long, everyone knows what kind of personality Guo Xiaoyun has: unreasonable and argumentative.
Sigh, aren't these Jianpeng's children? They were driven out of the village by Guo Xiaoyun and her husband, along with outsiders.
Some neighbors felt ashamed and stepped forward to advise Guo Xiaoyun, "It's a holiday today, Guo Xiaoyun, please be more magnanimous and stop nitpicking. It's better to avoid trouble!"
Tang Yiyi had a clear conscience and stood tall.
In contrast, Guo Xiaoyun and her companion blushed and slunk away looking embarrassed.
"Dear neighbors, thank you for speaking up for my brother and me. We're going to eat now."
Then I noticed there was food on the table. Not much, but it smelled amazing.
Finally able to eat in peace, Tang Yiyi calmed down.
Fearing that Xiaoyu might develop psychological trauma, I didn't forget to offer him some words of encouragement.
After washing the dishes, the two took a short nap.
When Tang Yiyi woke up, she checked her phone and saw it was only around three o'clock.
The screen window can't block the sun; it's very sunny outside.
Around 5 p.m., it wasn't so hot anymore, and Tang Yiyi took Xiaoyu to the graves of the original owner's parents.
She cleaned up the area around the grave. It hadn't been cleaned for months, so weeds had grown and there was some trash around.
Tears welled up in Xiaoyu's eyes, and her eyes turned red.
No matter what, he's just a child. Seeing him sad made Tang Yiyi feel bad too. "Sister will always stay with Xiaoyu so that Mom and Dad can rest assured."
"Mmm," Xiaoyu nodded, realizing that he should grow up so as not to hold his older sister back.
I spent a day in my hometown, and overall it was quite pleasant, except for Guo Xiaoyun coming to cause trouble in the middle of the day.
The first day the restaurant reopened after the holiday.
Song Man waited at the restaurant entrance early in the morning, holding a steamed bun in her hand.
"You're here early, Xiaoman," Tang Yiyi said as she got off her bicycle and parked it.
Song Man came over and eagerly carried the groceries, saying, "Hello, Sister Yi Yi," with her mouth stuffed with her schoolbag.
The door opened, and I had just put the ingredients down.
Song Man stuffed a few boxes of mooncakes into her hands, saying, "Sister Yiyi, my mom bought too many mooncakes. You can eat these yourself or take them back for Xiaoyu."
"Thanks!"
A large bag of corn was carried to the front hall to be used for making soup.
Song Man joined the peeling team, and the two worked together to reveal each tender yellow ear of corn.
In the middle of the day, Wang Juan brought Xiao Bao to buy breakfast. Before she could even speak, Tang Yiyi asked, "Do you want six tea eggs?"
After saying that, Wang Juan packed up her umbrella. It suddenly started raining on her way here. She smiled and said, "Four tea eggs and a bowl of meat and egg noodles."
Tang Yiyi received many guests and managed to handle everything by herself, while Song Man was peeling corn.
Cut the corn into small pieces and set them aside. Soon there's a bowl of corn. Chop the pork ribs you bought into pieces and cut them into sections. The cutting board makes a "clattering" sound as you chop the vegetables.
It's still early, we'll start stewing around 10 o'clock.
Ding Haicheng is the grade director of Xingguang Elementary School. She rented a house near the school so that he could go home for meals every day.
I had already decided what to cook for my trip home. As I watched the traffic lights and crossed the street with other pedestrians, someone remarked, "Such a strong aroma! Which restaurant is starting to cook?"
He could smell it too; the rich aroma of food easily whetted his appetite.
He twitched his nose and followed the scent.
I found a small restaurant that I've never eaten at before, so I don't know how it tastes.
He went inside and said, "We can eat here for lunch today."
"What should I eat?" he wondered, and unconsciously walked to the front desk and saw the words on the small blackboard.
This restaurant doesn't have many dishes, but they are all very affordable. Students don't have much money on them, but if a group of them come together to eat, they can chip in the money.
"Boss, give me a stir-fried pork with garlic sprouts and a corn and pork rib soup."
Ding Haicheng found a clean seat and told his wife that he had eaten out for lunch and wouldn't be going home.
Although it was a new face, Tang Yiyi didn't skimp on the portions; she poured oil into the pot and added the ingredients.
Seeing the ingredients being cooked to order, even though the owner is young, makes Ding Haicheng feel quite at ease. It's better than preparing the food in advance, heating it up, and serving it to customers.
The stir-fried garlic shoots with pork and the corn and pork rib soup served looked delicious and whetted the appetite.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com