With eyes full of affection, Qiao Xiaoni knew that Qiao Dashan was telling the truth; there were very few men who would treat their younger sister so well after marriage.
"It's not enough for just me to do it. There are four women in our family! We didn't get any new clothes for the New Year. My mom, Manli, and my sister-in-law—she's been married to you for so many years and doesn't even have a new dress. You have to be considerate of her!"
This was the first time Qiao Dashan had been lectured by his sister, and he was momentarily stunned. It seemed that his wife hadn't bought many new clothes over the years. All the fabric she bought was for making clothes for the children, and she always wore old clothes. He felt a pang of guilt.
"Okay, I understand. Once the wages are settled, I'll buy each of you a piece of cloth."
Qiao Xiaoshan: "Brother, I want to wear new clothes too. Can you buy me some fabric?"
Qiao Dashan turned around and kicked his younger brother: "You little brat, get out of here! I'll have to spend a lot of money on your wedding, so save yourself the money for clothes!"
He's been working odd jobs like crazy lately, all to find a wife for his younger brother. Getting married is expensive now, unlike when he got married and all he got were two bags of grain...
Knowing he was in the wrong, Qiao Xiaoshan didn't retaliate: "I won't argue with you today. This matter is settled. The new bride needs new clothes, and so do I."
Qiao Dashan swung his fist: "You little brat, do you want a beating today? If you want to wear new clothes, save them for your wedding day!"
Qiao Xiaoshan made a face at him as a last step, then ran back into the house. He had just said it casually and didn't really want to buy new clothes.
Li Meihua laughed so hard she didn't know what to say. Seeing that it was getting dark and her eldest daughter-in-law still hadn't returned, she quickly nudged her son and said:
"Alright, go pick up your wife now, don't worry about your brother."
"Hmm." Qiao Dashan then turned and left, walking towards the cornfield.
After her older brother left, Qiao Xiaoni asked, "Mom, shall we start making vegetable dumplings? Tell me how to make them? How can we make them taste better?"
Li Meihua, holding her daughter's hand, walked towards the kitchen while saying, "These vegetable dumplings, you have to pay attention to the heat. If they're cooked too well, they'll be tough and won't have a good texture."
Qiao Xiaoni nodded and followed Li Meihua into the kitchen. She saw two basins on the stove. One basin contained chopped bok choy, and the other contained cornmeal. After a moment's thought, an idea suddenly came to her.
"Mom, how about we make vegetable pancakes instead of vegetable dumplings today?"
"What is a vegetable pancake?" Li Meihua was completely baffled.
Qiao Xiaoni rolled up her sleeves: "It's about mixing these vegetables into a filling, adding vermicelli, then scalding the cornmeal, wrapping it up like making dumplings, and then sticking it to the side of the pot."
Li Meihua, who had eaten vegetable dumplings all her life, brightened up at her daughter's suggestion: "That's a good idea! Where did you hear this recipe from?"
Qiao Xiaoni rolled her eyes. "I heard it from a classmate. That's how his family does it."
"Okay, I'll go get some rice noodles and soak them. I'll use this method to make it today."
Qiao Xiaoni watched as Li Meihua turned and went to the wall, took out some vermicelli from the bag, black sweet potato vermicelli, which looked delicious, and put it in a basin to soak in water.
Qiao Xiaoni looked around. It was her first time in the kitchen, and she didn't even know where the seasonings were.
"Mom, where did we put the oil?"
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