211 Use the restroom to take a shower
Seeing Gao Qinghe put a basket of vegetables into the kitchen,
Jiang's mother asked curiously, "Who is it?"
Gao Qinghe: "You don't know her, but my friend's mother-in-law grew so many vegetables at home that she gave us a basket."
Jiang's mother uttered an unhappy "oh". She was really curious, so she got up and went to the kitchen to take a look. In the basket were five pumpkins as big as small watermelons, two white radishes, a bundle of green onions, and two large cabbages.
Small pumpkins are tastier than big ones, they are sweeter and more sticky. She had wanted to grow some herself this year, but unfortunately she was too busy to remember.
Many people in the village grow large pumpkins to feed pigs and fatten them.
"Would you like some pumpkin pie?" Jiang's mother asked.
Gao Qinghe felt that her mother-in-law was too secretive.
"Mom, could you please speak a little louder? Someone might think you're trying to steal something from someone else's house!"
After giving the instructions, he immediately added, “Yes!”
Jiang's mother smiled faintly. She thought it was interesting to make some snacks when she had nothing to do.
There were only two people at home, so Jiang's mother only peeled a small pumpkin, cut the flesh into pieces of similar size, and steamed it in a pot over high heat.
Then sift out the glutinous rice flour and reserve it.
While the pumpkin is being steamed, wash the pumpkin seeds, find a small winnowing basket for drying things, cover it with gauze, spread the washed pumpkin seeds evenly on it, and place it on the windowsill to dry.
When they are completely dry, put them in a pan and stir-fry them over low heat for a few times, and you will have a plate of fragrant pumpkin seeds.
When the weather gets colder in a few days, I will roast pumpkin seeds over charcoal fire and feel the taste of winter.
The pumpkin does not need to be steamed for too long, it will be cooked in about ten minutes over high heat.
Pour the cooked pumpkin pieces into a bowl and mash them into a paste with a wooden spoon. Add an appropriate amount of glutinous rice flour, mix the two thoroughly and form the meat into a ball.
Then, knead it into small balls the size of a child's fist as needed, press it with your palm, and pumpkin pie will come out.
Coat the pumpkin cake with a layer of white sesame seeds and fry it in oil until the surface is crispy and golden brown. Drain the oil and remove it from the pan.
Jiang's mother fried five and covered the rest with white cloth. It was convenient to eat them as breakfast in the morning or as a midnight snack when you were hungry at night.
Gao Qinghe leaned on the sofa, wrapped in a thin blanket, and fell asleep while watching TV.
I smelled a strong sweet pumpkin fragrance in a daze. I opened my eyes and saw that my mother-in-law had skewered two pumpkin pie on chopsticks and was circling in front of her nose like fishing for cats.
When she noticed she had opened her eyes, Jiang's mother immediately changed her expression and said unnaturally:
"These pumpkin pie are freshly fried. You should hurry up and eat them. They won't taste good if they get cold."
After saying that, he stuffed the chopsticks into her hand and ran into the house.
Gao Qinghe was still asleep and asked blankly, "You don't want to eat?"
Jiang's mother said from inside the house, "I've already eaten. You should eat quickly."
Gao Qinghe said "oh" and turned his eyes to the chopsticks in his hand. Two golden cakes were strung together by a chopstick, like a candied haws.
This is the way to eat it for children.
Treat her like a child?
Gao Qinghe chuckled. She was quite happy to be treated like a child.
When I took a bite of the pumpkin pie, the crispy sesame shell had become a little soft, but it did not affect the taste.
Sweet and sticky pumpkin pancakes, I ate two at once, just the right amount without feeling greasy.
Gao Qinghe licked his chopsticks and asked eagerly, "Mom, are you done? Any more?"
Jiang's mother replied, "Is there anything fried? Dinner will be soon. If you eat any more, you won't be able to eat. Can I make you breakfast tomorrow morning?"
Gao Qinghe sighed regretfully, "Okay then."
Pick up the remote control, change the channel and continue watching TV.
Even though I don’t do any work, I always feel listless. I want to lie down after eating, and I want to eat again after lying down.
Gao Qinghe just thought that winter had arrived early and he was going to hibernate.
There were two "dang-dang" sounds, and the closed iron door was knocked.
Gao Qinghe glanced outside and shouted, "Mom!"
Jiang's mother speechlessly put down the washing machine cover she was making and went to the yard.
"Second sister-in-law, why are you here?"
Zhang Wen smiled and patted his eldest grandson beside him, "Xiao Qi, call someone."
Ten-year-old Jiang Qi sniffed and called out hoarsely, "Fifth Grandma."
Jiang's mother was surprised, "What's wrong with your voice?"
Zhang Wenhai sighed and said, "He has a cold! I don't know where he got this, it's so dirty that it's unbearable to look at. I wanted to give him a bath, but it's too far to go to the bathhouse in town, and the house is drafty. I don't want him to catch a bad cold after a good bath..."
After chatting for a long time, he said he wanted to use the bathroom to give his child a hot bath.
When Jiang's mother heard this, she thought it was no big deal, especially since they were such a close relationship.
Just as I was about to open the door to let someone in, I heard the person in the room cough loudly twice.
Jiang's mother quickly pulled back her hand from opening the door, and said a little embarrassedly, "Second sister-in-law, Xiaoqi, wait a minute, I'll go ask."
Zhang Wen looked at her as if he had seen a ghost. "What? You can't make the decision about your own home?"
Jiang's mother gave a bitter smile that was uglier than crying. Without further explanation, she turned and walked towards the hall.
She looked like a pitiful woman being ridiculed by her daughter-in-law.
Jiang's mother herself felt that her behavior was inappropriate and would damage her daughter-in-law's image.
But she has no choice!
This is what my daughter-in-law told me!
She said, "Mom, when you meet these uncles and aunts in the future, no matter what they say, just say that you are not capable of managing this family and cannot make any decisions. Then use me, Gao Qinghe, as a shield. You are the poor mother-in-law, and I am the tyrant's evil daughter-in-law!"
At first, Jiang's mother refused.
But after using the excuse of "I can't make the decision" a few times, it really feels good.
The villagers who came to her for help but failed to get their work done did not blame her at all and even said that she was a good person.
For someone with a strong sense of morality like Jiang's mother, this is simply the best of both worlds.
She no longer has to bear the moral blame for rejecting others, nor does she have to worry about being caught in a dilemma by sacrificing the interests of her son and daughter-in-law for helping others.
Anyway, the statement that she has no say in the matter is true, so she doesn't need to lie.
Because ever since the daughter-in-law, this big Buddha, was invited into the house.
Apart from deciding what to eat today and tomorrow, Jiang's mother never made the decision on anything else.
Jiang's mother walked into the hall with a guilty conscience to "ask" her daughter-in-law.
She thought that based on the situation of locking people out last time, Gao Qinghe would not agree to let Jiang Qi in to take a shower this time.
Unexpectedly, Gao Qinghe stood up with a smile, opened the door himself and brought Zhang Wen and his grandson in.
"This gas water heater takes a while to heat up. Wait until the water is hot before taking off your clothes to avoid getting cold..."
Gao Qinghe demonstrated it himself and asked the dirty Jiang Qi, who was blowing his nose, if he had learned it.
The ten-year-old boy can take a bath by himself, and children learn new things quickly. After trying it once, he nodded proudly to show that he could do it.
So Gao Qinghe closed the bathroom door and pulled his second aunt, who wanted to stay, into the hall.
Peanuts, melon seeds, fruit candies, imported cookies, and canned fruits were all displayed.
Zhang Wen sat on the sofa, flattered.
Gao Qinghe grabbed a handful of peanuts and sat down, smiling at her: "Second Aunt, eat up, you're welcome, Xiaoqi took half an hour to wash it."
Zhang Wen forced a smile, strongly suspecting that these snacks had been poisoned by Gao Qinghe, and she wanted to poison herself.
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