Chapter 5: It wasn't stealing food, it was just a taste...
Song Xinwen was feeding the chickens and ducks behind the house when Cai Yang ran up to him and begged, "Mom, I want steamed eggs! Make me steamed eggs!"
Song Xinwen put down what he was holding: "All you ever do is eat! Have you apologized to your aunt yet?"
Cai Yang ignored her and kept yelling to himself, sticking to Song Xinwen's feet and refusing to leave no matter how much she tried to get rid of him. Finally, Song Xinwen said angrily, "Fine, fine, I'll steam it for you!"
Upon hearing this, Cai Yang immediately laughed, then ran to the front of the house, glanced at Song Xinran, and loudly proclaimed, "I want to eat three eggs!"
Song Xinwen went into the house and came out a moment later with three eggs in his hand. He then said to Song Xinran, "Xinran, let's add another dish tonight. Don't fry those tomatoes; they can be stored for a while."
Song Xinran agreed, since she didn't plan to cook it all today anyway.
Although refrigerators are not uncommon now, they are still quite expensive. There are no refrigerator stores in their town, so they have to go to the county town to buy one. Song Xinwen's family is not very wealthy, and they only have a black and white television as a large appliance.
If you cook too much food and can't finish it in one meal, it will spoil easily if you don't put it in the refrigerator.
Cai Yang was extremely pleased with himself, as if he had won the verbal battle with Song Xinran. He deliberately walked up to her and said, "Steamed eggs, so delicious! I want to eat some fragrant steamed eggs!"
Song Xinran could only laugh at the child's boasting.
But Song Yu, standing beside her, stared at Cai Yang, pursing his lips slightly. After a moment, he ran back into the house, then quickly ran out again, walked to Song Xinran's side, and lightly touched Song Xinran's hand with his small hand.
Song Xinran was a little surprised, then smiled slightly, opened her hand, and held the child's hand.
But something was suddenly stuffed into her hand, and Song Yu's hand slipped out like an eel, standing beside her, looking up at her with a hint of anticipation.
Song Xinran opened her hand and saw a piece of candy lying in her palm. The candy looked familiar, similar to the one she had found in her dormitory when she first woke up.
Song Xinran instantly understood, and bent down to whisper, "Doesn't Xiao Yu eat candy herself?"
Song Yu said softly, "Mom eats candy, but not steamed eggs."
Song Xinran's heart softened immediately. It turned out that Song Yu was worried that she would be sad if she couldn't eat steamed eggs. She put the candy in her mouth and said, "It's so sweet. Thank you, Xiao Yu. Even if we don't eat steamed eggs, we can still eat other dishes. Mom will make whatever Xiao Yu wants."
Song Yu nodded vigorously and hummed in agreement.
Song Xinran loves cooking, but today she has something else in addition to her love for it: she wants to quickly feed Song Yu some delicious food.
After cleaning the pig lungs for the first time, Song Xinran boiled them in water for a while, then took them out again, cut open each lung tube, and rinsed them a second time. This effectively removed the odor from the pig lungs.
Today, Song Xinran is going to make stir-fried pig lungs. She has prepared all the seasonings, heated the wok over high heat, added oil, and first added scallions, ginger, garlic, star anise, and cinnamon. After stir-frying until fragrant, she added the pig lungs to the wok.
Instantly, a strong and domineering aroma filled the air. The spiciness of the dried chili peppers was somewhat pungent, and the aroma of scallions, ginger, garlic, and hot oil made one's appetite whetted.
Song Xinran stirred the pork lungs in the pan a few times, and when she saw that they had changed color slightly, she added cooking wine, soy sauce, salt, and sugar, and continued to stir-fry.
She is very focused when cooking because cooking food a little too much or too little will result in completely different textures. To cook it just right requires extremely keen eyesight and an absolute grasp of the heat.
Finally, add chopped green onions, turn off the heat, and pour the dish over the plate in one smooth motion.
Song Yu stood to the side, already swallowing hard. Although he was only a little over three years old, he no longer pitifully begged for food. However, his eyes were fixed on the stir-fried pig lungs and he couldn't take his eyes off them. He couldn't help but twitch his nose and sniff.
It smells so good! How can a dish smell so good? Song Yu felt that nothing she had ever eaten before could smell this good.
But he was a sensible child. Even when his stomach was growling and he was swallowing his saliva, he wouldn't be like Cai Yang, who would confidently say to the adults in the kitchen, while the food was still in the pot, "I want to try some!"
My uncle said that children shouldn't eat alone; they should wait for adults to come and eat together. That's what makes a good child.
But Cai Yang always eats first. He's not a good boy, so why do his aunt and uncle like him more?
Song Yu didn't understand this, and no one told him.
He stood there obediently, but then a pair of chopsticks held a freshly stir-fried pig lung to his mouth. Song Yu's eyes widened immediately, he took a small step back, looked up at Song Xinran, and looked a little panicked.
Song Xinran smiled slightly: "Xiao Yu, would you like to taste it for your mother?"
Saliva was constantly flowing from his mouth. Song Yu shook his head slightly and said in a slightly muffled voice, "It smells very good."
She shoved the freshly cooked dish right up to his lips and said, "Xiao Yu, please help your mother."
Song Yu thought to himself with some difficulty, "Well, that's the only way." He glanced around and saw that there was no one else around. He decided that he would not be a good boy for the time being.
He opened his mouth and put the pig lung into it.
Considering it's for children, Song Xinran only added a little dried chili for seasoning, and not much oil or salt either. The flavor might be a little lacking, but it should still be okay...?
Sure enough, Song Yu's cheeks twitched, his eyes lit up, and he nodded vigorously while chewing. Finally, after swallowing, he said, "It's delicious!"
Song Xinran smiled and fed him another bite.
Song Yu accepted it more quickly this time. Since he had already been a bad kid once, he might as well be one again.
Song Xinran fed him several bites in a row, and Song Yu's cheeks twitched as he ate, his eyes sparkling: "Mom, eat too."
Song Xinran smiled; she had already felt a great sense of accomplishment from cooking. Just as she was about to say something, Cai Yang's chubby little figure appeared at the kitchen door, pointing at them and shouting, "You're stealing food!"
Cai Yang was playing outside when he was attracted by the strong aroma of stir-fried pig lungs. He thought his mother was making something delicious, but when he saw that it was his aunt feeding Song Yu, Cai Yang felt resentful.
Upon hearing this, Song Yu visibly tensed up and quickly waved his hands to explain, "I didn't steal any, I just wanted a taste."
Slightly annoyed, Song Xinran looked at Cai Yang and gave him a friendly smile: "Xiao Yang, would you like to try some?"
Cai Yang immediately gave in, stepped into the kitchen, and shouted, "Yes!"
Song Xinran: "But didn't you just say you wouldn't eat what I made?"
Cai Yang was stunned.
Song Xinran continued to smile kindly: "If you apologize to me and Xiao Yu, you can barely eat it."
Cai Yang immediately pulled his foot back: "I won't eat it!"
He turned around and ran away again.
Song Yu was a little at a loss.
Song Xinran fed him another bite: "Cai Yang won't eat, Xiao Yu, eat more, don't waste it."
Song Yu frowned slightly and thought for a moment. Wasting food was indeed a bad thing. He nodded solemnly and said in a childish voice, "I won't waste food. I will try my best to finish it."
Song Xinran burst out laughing.
After stir-frying the pig lungs, Song Xinran prepared to process the grass carp left over from cooking the fish porridge.
She actually prefers spicy food, but since Song Yu is still so young, she'll make sauerkraut fish instead. Luckily, Song Xinwen's family has a few jars of pickled vegetables.
Tonight, Song Xinran cooked a pot of fish porridge and stir-fried four dishes: stir-fried pork liver, pickled fish, Mapo tofu, and braised pork belly with potatoes.
The aroma of freshly cooked food is strong and overpowering, able to travel straight into people's noses on the wind and spread into their hearts.
Song Xinwen was tidying up on the second floor when he smelled the aroma and couldn't help but come down. Standing in the kitchen, watching Song Xinran cook with such ease and skill, he couldn't help but say, "Xinran, where did you learn to cook? This smells absolutely amazing!"
Song Xinran said, "A new chef came to the factory canteen, and I asked around about him."
Song Xinran casually borrowed the information she had overheard while eating in the cafeteria, which also helped explain why her cooking skills had changed so much.
Song Xinwen said, "That's a really good person. Xinran, with your skills, you could open a restaurant anywhere."
Song Xinran smiled; she had the same idea, provided she had the money to open a restaurant first.
"Has my brother-in-law not come back yet?" Song Xinran asked. Through fragments of memory in her mind, she knew that the original owner's brother-in-law, Cai Yongde, was working at a pottery factory a few kilometers away.
Song Xinwen said, "He's been busy with the factory lately, so let's eat first without waiting for him."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a deep, gruff voice rang out: "I could smell what Xinwen did today from the dam. If you had told me he cooked meat, I would have bought two ounces of baijiu before I came back."
Song Xinran then saw a man with wheat-colored skin standing at the door, wearing a yellowish short-sleeved shirt and holding a dark green work uniform.
As soon as the other person saw her, they said, "Xinran, why are you back today? Did you have your sister pick you up?"
Song Xinran called him "brother-in-law".
Song Xinwen said, "Xinran made all these dishes. Let's eat as soon as we get back."
When the dishes were served, Cai Yongde saw the steamed eggs and frowned: "With so many dishes, why steam eggs? If we don't finish them, they won't taste good next time."
Song Xinwen nudged his arm: "Xinran has finally come back, what's wrong with ordering more dishes?"
Song Xinran said, "Brother-in-law is right. It's easy to waste food if we don't finish it in this weather. It's just that Xiao Yang keeps asking his sister to eat steamed eggs, and his sister can't persuade him otherwise."
At this moment, Cai Yang returned. Upon hearing that these words came from Song Xinran, he immediately retorted, "I want to eat eggs!"
Cai Yongde cursed, "So much food, you'll be stuffed!"
At this moment, Song Yu hurriedly moved a stool to the table and set out the bowls and chopsticks. Compared to his busy figure, Cai Yang looked like an old man, turning on the TV to watch.
Seeing this, Song Xinwen patted him on the shoulder: "Go get some water, you've already eaten, why are you still watching TV!"
Cai Yang remained unmoved.
Song Xinwen stood up, his expression serious: "Cai Yang!"
Cai Yang turned his head and glanced at her, then at Cai Yongde, but didn't move.
Song Xinwen picked up a clothes hanger and was about to hit someone when Cai Yongde quickly stopped him, saying that they had already eaten and there was no need to resort to violence, and that Xinran was still here today!
Song Xinwen threw down the clothes hanger and said to Cai Yang, "Eat it or don't, it's up to you."
Song Xinran took in this scene without saying much. At this moment, she understood what kind of people the original owner's sister's family was.
She arranged for Song Yu to sit down next to her, intending to lift Song Yu onto the stool, but Song Yu brought a small stool herself, stepped on it, and sat down smoothly.
As for Cai Yang... he had his own special stool, and he skillfully slid down to sit on it.
During the meal, Cai Yongde and Song Xinwen kept piling food onto Song Xinran's plate. Cai Yongde gave her a thumbs up and said, "Xinran, I've never tasted your cooking before. It's amazing! Last time, the deputy factory director treated us to Xinhe Restaurant, but the food there was nowhere near as good as what you make!"
Song Xinwen exclaimed, "Oh! Is Xinhe Restaurant the one you said cost 400 yuan for your table?"
Cai Yongde said yes.
Song Xinwen thought Cai Yongde was just showing support. Four hundred yuan a table, that's half a month's salary. How could such a high-class restaurant not taste as good as Song Xinran's cooking?
However, Song Xinwen had never eaten such expensive food before and could only imagine the taste, so she echoed her husband, saying, "Xinran learned this cooking skill from a master chef."
Only Cai Yongde knew in his heart that there was no exaggeration in what he said. He was now really regretting that he hadn't brought back some liquor. Drinking liquor while eating stir-fried pig lungs would have been an indescribable experience.
But when he turned to look at his son, the chubby boy who used to love eating was now engrossed in eating steamed egg with rice. Cai Yongde frowned and called out, "Xiao Yang, try what your aunt made. Don't just eat the eggs, leave some for Xiao Yu too."
Song Yu, whose cheeks were bulging from eating, wanted to shake his head and say he didn't need any more.
Steamed eggs are a dish reserved for Cai Yang alone; he won't ask for them even when he's craving them.
He wasn't craving anything today, because he'd had enough of his mom's cooking.
Upon hearing this, Cai Yang looked up and glanced at the faces of the people at the table. Song Xinwen quickly placed a piece of pickled fish on his plate. Cai Yang smelled the aroma and couldn't help but swallow. Just as he was about to eat it, he saw Song Xinran's ambiguous smile.
Cai Yang got angry and threw the pickled fish slices on the table: "I'm not eating that, I'll just eat the eggs!"
Upon seeing this, Song Xinwen felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart and quickly picked up the fish slices from the table and put them into his own bowl: "Wild boars can't eat fine bran."
This was the first time she had ever tasted such delicious fish slices. The fish slices were snow-white, with no fishy smell at all, and were fresh, fragrant, smooth, and tender. The fish meat melted into pieces with just a touch of her lips. She had finally found a piece of fish slice and gave it to her child out of pity. She never expected that Cai Yang would be so successful and ungrateful.
People usually don't talk when they're eating something too delicious. Usually, Cai Yang is the center of attention at the dinner table, and his parents would always put food on his plate and talk to him. But today, his mother only put food on his plate once and didn't say much to him. The more Cai Yang thought about it, the more depressed he felt. He shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into his mouth and said he didn't want to eat anymore, so he ran outside to play.
He waited outside for a while. Usually, his mother would come out with a bowl to feed him at this time, but she didn't come out today. Cai Yang stomped his foot and went to play.
The atmosphere in the room became somewhat tense at this moment, all because of Song Xinran's words, "I've resigned. I'm not going to work at the glass factory anymore."
Upon hearing this, Song Xinwen remained silent for a few seconds before immediately launching into a persuasive campaign, praising the glass factory and saying that others had no chance to get in.
After saying that, she nudged Cai Yongde, wanting her husband to say a few words as well.
Unexpectedly, after thinking for a moment, Tsai Yung-te said, "There's no rush. The glass factory is indeed too tiring. If Hsin-ran doesn't want to work there, she can find another job that's closer to home, easier, and allows her to come back more often."
Cai Yongde's plan was quite good. He didn't know that Song Xinran had this skill before, but now that he did, he had other ideas.
If it were closer, Song Xinran could come back often to cook, and he could also invite people from the factory to come back and eat together.
The head of the supply and marketing department in their factory is a big eater and a good eater. Many employees living in the factory would invite him to eat with them when they cooked something, and those with good cooking skills were especially popular.
Cai Yongde was initially quite disappointed that he couldn't get involved in this relationship. Song Xinwen's cooking was decent, but it wasn't presentable enough to invite someone to a special meal.
But Song Xinran is different; even the head of the supply and marketing department would give her a thumbs up.
A note from the author:
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