Gu Lili added some spare ribs to today's braised chicken, planning to make it all in one pot.
The dough has been kneaded and fermented long ago. All we need to do is wait for the chicken and ribs to be ready, then make the dough into buns, place them on top, and steam them until cooked.
Because there were many people in her family, Gu Lili cooked a whole pot of food and also made a large bowl of dough.
Gu Yanyu and Li Qimu, the two little gluttons, were already unable to resist the aroma. They had been reading under the eaves, but now they were in the kitchen, sitting at the kitchen table, staring longingly at the books, and occasionally pretending to discuss the knowledge that Master Yuan had taught them that day.
Of course, the two of them weren't the only gluttons in the family; there were also Gu Huanhuan and Zheng Yue.
The two moved their embroidery work to the eaves of the kitchen. Although they held embroidery needles in their hands, their little eyes would occasionally peek towards the stove.
It's really no wonder that the four of them were so busy these past ten days.
Almost every day, we just ate whatever was available, because after finishing our work in the fields, no one had the energy to cook a proper meal.
Gu Lili made steamed buns with green beans tonight. The green beans were just the right size to eat and were very fresh right now.
Gu Lili also added some conch meat that Gu Yanyu and Li Qimu had picked up in their spare time these past few days to the green beans, which elevated the flavor of the buns to another level.
Gu Lili put the last bun into the pot, put the lid on, and waited about fifteen minutes before dinner was ready.
Gu Lili casually wiped the flour off her hands with her apron and walked under the eaves.
"You four, go wash your hands quickly, dinner is coming soon," Gu Lili said with a smile to the four little gluttons.
Upon hearing this, the four of them quickly put down what they were holding and went to wash their hands.
Gu Lili looked around the main room and saw only Li Tiansheng and Li Ershu chatting. She wondered where Chang'an had gone.
After thinking about it carefully, it seems that I only saw Chang'an during meals today, and I didn't see him at any other time.
Gu Lili pretended to be nonchalant and asked Gu Chenxi, who was standing next to her, "I don't think I've seen Chang'an today?"
Gu Chenxi looked at Chang'an's room and nodded.
"It seems like she's indoors. She's probably just tired these past few days and is sleeping."
Gu Lili listened thoughtfully; she was indeed exhausted from the past few days in Chang'an.
That day, she happened to see Chang'an plowing the field, his hands were all worn raw.
After plowing the land, they would send rice seedlings into the fields. After sending the seedlings, they would get up in the middle of the night to check on the situation in the fields, worried that something might be blocking the irrigation ditches and preventing water from entering the fields.
I must make sure Chang'an eats plenty of nourishing food later; he's really worked too hard.
The steamed buns were cooked quickly. Gu Lili put some chicken and ribs in a bowl, then took a few more steamed buns and handed the large bowl to Gu Yanyu.
"Yan Yu, take these over there for Master Yuan to eat."
Gu Lili was afraid the food would get wet in the rain, so she covered it with a large bowl.
Master Yuan is currently living alone in the place where Gu Lili and the others used to live, because Master Yuan has taught Gu Yanyu and Li Qimu his knowledge without reservation.
Therefore, whenever Gu Lili has something delicious, she always asks Gu Yanyu to send some over.
Gu Yanyu smiled as she took the large bowl from his hand and placed it on the table. She then took a raincoat from under the eaves, put it on, and put on a straw hat before picking up the bowl and running towards Master Yuan's house.
Watching Gu Yanyu's retreating figure as she jogged away, Gu Lili turned to Qi Mu beside her and smiled, "Qi Mu, go and call your Second Uncle and Third Uncle over for dinner."
Gu Lili thought for a moment before adding, "And your brother Chang'an is probably sleeping. Let's wake him up for dinner too."
Li Qimu obediently nodded and walked along the eaves towards the main room.
Gu Lili glanced at the room where Chang'an lived, then turned around and scooped the ribs and chicken out of the pot.
It took three large bowls of scooping to barely get the meat out of the pot.
Gu Lili had already taken out the steamed buns and put them in a strainer.
The dishes and meat were all on the table, and family members arrived one after another.
However, when Gu Lili turned her gaze to Chang'an, she couldn't help but feel a little puzzled.
Logically speaking, Chang'an has already slept for most of the day, so why does he still look so tired?
Moreover, I don't know how, but there seems to be some wood shavings stuck to my clothes.
He looks really exhausted. I'll make sure he eats more later.
Let him rest for another day, and don't let him work tomorrow either.
"Wow, sister, it smells so good!" Gu Yanyu exclaimed exaggeratedly.
Over the past few months, Gu Yanyu had become accustomed to having delicious food every day, so the sudden lack of food for more than ten days really made her crave it.
In the past, we might not even be able to eat meat during the Lunar New Year. Although we craved it, we could endure it.
Having eaten meat for months, suddenly not eating it feels like torture.
This is probably what Master Yuan meant when he said, "It's easy to indulge in extravagance but difficult to return to frugality."
Gu Lili said softly, "If it smells good, eat more. Everyone should eat more too. We've been too busy these past few days, so let's make up for it."
Everyone ate their fill, even Gu Lili was quite stuffed.
She's craving meat too!
After we finished eating, the rain gradually stopped.
After clearing away the dishes, everyone sat in the courtyard, enjoying the breeze and chatting.
"Sister, sister, look! Isn't that a rainbow?" Gu Yanyu exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the sky.
Following the direction Gu Yanyu pointed, everyone looked and sure enough, a curved rainbow hung in the sky.
Bathed in the setting sun, it truly resembles a dreamlike scene.
Grandma Li quickly stepped forward and slapped Gu Yanyu's hand down. "Yanyu, don't point at Tianhong with your finger, or your finger will become bent."
After stopping Gu Yanyu, Old Mrs. Li quickly put her hands together and bowed to Tianhong.
She muttered earnestly, "Tianhong, Tianhong, my son is so ignorant, please don't let his fingers become bent, he still needs to take the imperial examinations in the future!"
Gu Lili was somewhat amused and exasperated, but she didn't go forward to explain the phenomenon.
Sometimes, people need to have some kind of faith.
There's no need to be presumptuous and expose someone else's beliefs; it's a harmless matter.
Seeing how Grandma Li acted, Gu Yanyu followed her example and bowed towards Tianhong.
The rainbow appeared quickly and disappeared just as fast, vanishing into the horizon in no time.
As Gu Lili listened to the cicadas chirping outside the courtyard, an idea suddenly came to her mind.
The evening after the rain was just the time when cicadas emerged from the ground.
Deep-fried cicadas are a rare delicacy.
Thinking of this, Gu Lili got up and went to the kitchen, grabbed a bowl of flour, and started kneading dough.
Seeing Gu Lili busy at work, Gu Chenxi asked with concern, "Miss, did you not eat enough tonight?"
The pot of porridge I just made was indeed devoured by everyone.
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