Dried vegetables can be stored until winter, at which point they are considered a type of vegetable.
“…Okay,” Zhang Aiai paused for a moment, then followed Song Lili home.
She had never done these things before, but since she didn't know how, she followed suit when Song Lili did.
The two women, an aunt and her sister-in-law, worked all afternoon and finally pulled up most of the bok choy, chopped off the roots, and neatly stacked them on the ground.
"Let's go back. It's time to cook. We'll come back and get the vegetables after we finish eating."
Song Lili straightened up, looking at the neat rows of cabbages in the field with a sense of accomplishment, before speaking to Zhang Aiai.
Zhang Aiai's back was aching, but she nodded hurriedly, "Okay, let's go back." She had never done so much work before; she only needed to cook.
The two hurried home to prepare dinner, as their workers would be returning soon.
Zhang Aiai was truly exhausted. She sat on the stool, too afraid to move, and didn't offer to help anymore.
Song Lili didn't need her help. She let her sit down and looked at her listless and weak appearance, feeling a pang of sympathy in her heart.
"Are you exhausted?" Song Lili asked.
"No, it's just that suddenly I'm not used to it." Zhang Aiai shook her head, saying something against her will. How could she not be tired? She was exhausted!
"Hmm," Song Lili didn't know how to answer, so she could only hum in response, but she didn't quite agree with the way the Zhang family doted on Zhang Aiai.
This has spoiled her so much that she's become a spoiled rich girl who can't do anything. What will she do when she gets married?
However, Song Lili had no right to say anything, so she could only think it to herself.
She cooked an eggplant and blanched some bok choy in boiling water. Then she stir-fried another dish and made a cucumber salad.
Next, pour water into a pot, put in a few washed potatoes, then place a steamer basket on top and put the stir-fried vegetables on it to prevent them from getting cold.
"Lili, we're back." The water in the pot had just boiled when Zhang Qinghua and the other two returned.
"You're back?" Song Lili quickly went out. "Dinner will be ready in a little while. Please wash your hands first."
"Okay," Zhang Qinghua put down the hoe and went into the kitchen, where he saw Zhang Aiai looking listless. "What's wrong? Why do you look so weak?"
Song Lili felt awkward for a moment because she was the one who took Zhang Aiai to the fields and was exhausted.
She touched her nose. "She's probably tired. She's been busy with me in the plot of land all afternoon."
"What are you doing in the private plot?" Zhang Qinghua paused, holding the ladle, before asking.
"I saw that the bok choy had grown quite a bit, so I thought I'd harvest it and make it into dried vegetables so we could eat it in the winter," Song Lili said softly.
Zhang Qinghua nodded, but then added reproachfully, "Didn't I tell you to stay home and rest? Why are you still doing this?"
I originally kept her at home because I was afraid she'd get tired. But I didn't expect her to be so restless and keep finding things to do.
"I'm not that delicate. This wasn't hard work today, I did it easily, I'm not tired at all," Song Lili said with a sweet smile.
"Have you pulled up all the bok choy in the field?" Zhang Qinghua leaned over and quietly touched Song Lili's waist.
Song Lili stiffened for a moment, glared at Zhang Qinghua reproachfully, and her face immediately turned red.
However, in order to prevent Zhang Aiai from noticing anything amiss, she tried her best to maintain the original appearance, saying, "I've saved some for these next few days."
Song Lili decided to replant the empty plot of land in a few days, but it wouldn't all be bok choy anymore.
"What about the vegetables? Did you bring them all back?" Zhang Qinghua asked with concern.
"No, not yet." Song Lili shook her head. "I was thinking of getting it back after dinner, but it's late today, so we rushed back to cook."
"Then Da Da and I, the three of us, will go get it. You don't need to worry about us. We'll eat when we get back."
Zhang Qinghua was originally going to wash his hands, but upon hearing this, he stopped pouring water and instead went out to call Zhang Qingguo.
Song Lili glanced at the pot, then nodded. "Okay, the food will be ready by the time you get back."
They would carry large baskets of bok choy, and the three of them would go together. They would finish in two or three trips, and by the time they returned, the potatoes would be ready.
"Okay," Zhang Qinghua nodded, and he had already gone to find Zhang Qingguo and Zhang Shengtian.
As soon as the father and his two sons arrived at their private plot, they saw the neatly arranged vegetables, with the roots cut off and only the leaves remaining.
Zhang Shengtian said with a smile, "Lili is so efficient and does a great job. Look at how neat and tidy it is, it's really pleasing to the eye."
Zhang Qingguo nodded in agreement, "Your sister-in-law is indeed capable."
Zhang Qinghua couldn't help but raise his chin, as if he were praising himself. "Of course." That's the person I like.
“You…” Zhang Shengtian pointed at Zhang Qinghua, somewhat amused and exasperated, having never seen his son like this before.
"Hurry up, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can call it a day." Zhang Shengtian waved his hand and started stuffing the food into his basket.
The Zhang brothers were quick to follow suit.
The three of them made three trips back and forth, and finally all the vegetables were brought home.
The potatoes in the pot were ready a long time ago, and Song Lili had even poured water for washing her hands, just waiting for the three of them to come back. Then they ate.
Seeing the three people enter, she quickly took the basin out and said, "Come and wash your hands, it's time to eat."
"Coming!" the three replied, put down the dishes, and then came over to wash their hands. Song Lili and Zhang Aiai placed the food on the table in the main room.
"Hehe, the potatoes aren't baked today, they're boiled!" Zhang Shengtian said with a smile, looking at the food on the table.
"Dad, you used to eat grilled food? Did you like it?" Song Lili paused, then asked casually.
She felt a little uneasy. Had she done something wrong? Did they not like it cooked?
"No, it's because Ai Ai finds cooking troublesome, so whenever she cooks, she puts the food in the stove to bake, and then she can eat it when the food is ready."
"However, it really wasn't cooked well. Sometimes it wasn't even fully cooked, and some were half-cooked and half-raw," Zhang Qingguo replied to Song Lili when he had a moment.
"Have you always lived like this before?" Song Lili asked Zhang Qinghua in a low voice.
Zhang Qinghua nodded, but didn't say anything, and neither did Zhang Shengtian.
"Oh, I'm used to doing it this way at home, so I did it this way today. I didn't expect to need to ask Ai Ai."
Song Lili blurted out, "Of course, this is just an excuse, an excuse to avoid embarrassing Zhang Aiai."
Zhang Qingguo's words just now did not take Zhang Aiai's feelings into account, and Zhang Qinghua and Zhang Shengtian remained silent because they were afraid that Zhang Aiai would feel uncomfortable.
Therefore, Song Lili took the responsibility upon herself, as she didn't care about something so trivial.
"I...I think it's cooked quite well," Zhang Aiai said softly, blushing.
She was embarrassed because of what her second brother had just said, because she had always been lazy and that's why she had always baked.
It felt a little awkward to have it said so bluntly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
