Chapter 94 After Marriage
After Guo Baiwen got up, Chen Baoyue went back to sleep for a while.
When I woke up again, my whole body felt much more relaxed.
I lingered in bed for a while, and when I looked up, I saw the sun shining outside.
She had hung the clothes she was going to wear today by the bedside yesterday. Now that she was awake, she simply got up and dressed herself. She then braided two braids and tied them into a bun, just as the dressing lady had told her yesterday.
After carefully putting on the pair of wild goose hairpins in front of the bronze mirror and checking herself thoroughly to make sure there were no problems, she went out the door and headed to the main room.
Grandma Guo should have gotten up by now.
I wonder if Xiaohua will be able to get up today.
The weather today looks better than yesterday; even the sun seems warmer.
Grandma Guo was exhausted yesterday, so she managed to sleep in a little longer today.
When I went to the west wing to call Xiaohua, she said that she had gotten up very early yesterday, but today she refused to get up so early again.
After finally persuading her to leave the bed, and having just sat down in the room, Chen Baoyue arrived.
The old lady greeted, "Baoyue, you've come at the right time. Xiaohua will be here soon too. Let's eat first."
"Okay, Grandma." Chen Baoyue went into the kitchen to get the food. As she passed by the yard, she asked curiously, "Where's Baiwen? I saw him get up and go out just now."
"The weather is nice today. He went to see off the people from Guojia Village. He should be back soon."
After drinking last night, some people are still staying at the inn in the city and haven't gone back.
Grandma Guo looked at her with a smile and waved her hand, "Let's eat first, it's alright."
As they were talking, Guo Xiaohua finally got up, but every two or three steps she couldn't help but yawn loudly, muttering that she must go back and get a good night's sleep later.
Chen Baoyue found her appearance somewhat amusing, took two steps forward, grabbed her arm, and half-helped, half-pulled her into the house.
Guo Baiwen saw the person off in the morning, and on his way back from the street, he also bought two catties of pork ribs and pork belly.
There wasn't much food left over from yesterday, so we divided it up and had some people take it home. Everyone was exhausted from preparing for yesterday's wedding, so we deserve to eat something good today.
There were quite a lot of things for sale on the street. He carried the meat and walked along, thinking about it. He had some dried vegetables at home before, as well as dried green beans and dried mushrooms.
Soak these in water, and they'll be ready to be stewed in a pot in a little while.
There are also some seasonings left. The chef we hired yesterday was quite skilled, and all the unused ingredients were left in the kitchen. It's much more complete than what we used to have at home.
I don't know if it's because winter is coming, but there seem to be fewer people on the street today than before.
However, it's also possible that he got up too early today.
As he passed by a stall selling pickled vegetables and sauces, he saw that there were quite a few people gathered around. Thinking that he hadn't had time to make them himself lately, he decided to join them after a short while.
On cold winter days, once the fire is lit on the stove, the house gradually warms up.
The three of them carried the food from the kitchen to the main room, and when they sat down, Chen Baoyue still couldn't hide her curiosity.
The Guo family bought this new house recently; I heard it had been under renovation for a while.
When I entered yesterday, because my head was covered by a veil, I could only see the path beneath my feet.
It was already daylight, and this was the first time she had ever seen what this place looked like.
Seeing her like this, Guo Xiaohua, who had been holding chopsticks, put them down as well. It was as if she had finally shaken off her drowsiness and perked up. She hurriedly said, "Sister-in-law Yue, I had my brother set up a swing next to my room! Let's go play together after dinner!"
Grandma Guo found it somewhat amusing, but she didn't say anything to her.
It's rare to get two days off from Madam Lin, but I have to get up so early every day.
If we can't have some more fun here, it would be a real loss.
As Guo Xiaohua spoke, she thought of her new swing and couldn't help but chuckle before Chen Baoyue could answer.
They look silly, but kind of cute.
Just as the group was talking, Guo Baiwen returned with his things.
I heard the creaking sound of the door opening from outside.
"It must be Wenzai who's back." Grandma Guo said as she got up and opened the door to the main room, which had been half-closed. She saw the large and small bags he was carrying and asked curiously, "Why did you buy so many things?"
"It's been cold these past few days, so it's time to eat something good and gain some weight."
Upon hearing this, Grandma Guo initially thought it was a waste of money.
As soon as I stepped out of the house, I was hit squarely by the cold wind.
I couldn't help but shiver in the winter wind, and as I took the things from you, I nodded, "That's how it should be."
Breakfast was simple: a few dishes of pickles and steamed cured meat, plus a big pot of boiled white flour dumplings.
Just now, when the lid of the pot on the stove was opened, the dough dumplings inside were still steaming, along with bright green vegetables and golden scrambled eggs.
Grandma Guo also handed over the jar of chili sauce, inviting everyone to add some chili if they wanted it spicy.
A spoonful of chili sauce made the white flour dumplings even tastier. Guo Baiwen slurped down a big bowl of the dumplings, and his whole body was sweating profusely from the heat.
After eating my fill, I felt dizzy and lightheaded, but after a while, I was able to think about it again.
"I bought three pieces of tofu on my way back. I didn't bring a basket, so I borrowed one from Douhua. I'll take it out and deliver it to them later."
“I’ll return it later.” Guo Xiaohua raised her hand. “I just finished making the hairband that I said I would give to Douhua, so I can take it to her on the way.”
"That's okay too."
Guo Baiwen got up to clear the dishes, and Chen Baoyue, who had also finished eating, was clearing the table.
"I'll take Baoyue for a walk in the yard later, and then we'll go out and get to know the surrounding streets. Is there anything you need me to bring?"
"I was planning to go out and buy some things, but what you just bought is enough to eat, so you don't need to bring anything else."
Grandma Guo smiled and said, "We'll save the ribs for soup later, and the pork belly you bought is perfect for making steamed buns. Let's make the dough today, and this afternoon we'll make some steamed buns and dumplings together."
Indeed, it seems that the whole family will only be able to take a break like this during the Lunar New Year holidays.
Guo Baiwen thought for a moment and said, "Then why don't we knead a little more dough? We can make some steamed buns later and steam them together. It's been cold lately, so we don't have to worry about them spoiling if we make too much."
"Okay, let's do it this way for now. When we have extra filling, we can cut up some tofu and soak some dried vegetables in it tonight, and then make a meat, dried vegetable and tofu soup."
Now that you mention it, the menus for today's three meals are ready.
After everyone finished tidying up the main room and kitchen, they went about their own business.
Around noon, the whole family quickly got to work in the kitchen, some kneading dough, some chopping filling, and some washing vegetables.
I ate a lot for breakfast today, so I'm not actually hungry now.
Not to mention the leftover sunflower seeds, peanuts, red dates, and dried longan from yesterday. Since they were on the table, everyone would subconsciously grab a handful and stuff them into their pockets whenever they passed by.
While busy, he would occasionally pop a date or two into his mouth.
Guo Xiaohua sat by the stove, adding firewood while watching the fire and peeling peanut shells. Every now and then, she would look up to see where Grandma Guo was wrapping the peanuts, and the aroma made her smack her lips involuntarily.
Chen Baoyue was busy chopping vegetables and preparing fillings when she caught a glimpse of this, and unconsciously started licking her lips as well.
Meat buns with generous fillings are so fragrant, especially this time the filling is packed with all sorts of seasonings, making you want to eat them even before they're done.
Grandma Guo also felt that since it was a rare occasion for the family to make meat buns, it would be best if everyone could eat as many as they wanted.
So all the pork belly that Guo Baiwen brought back was chopped into filling and mixed with scallions and pickled vegetables to make two large steamers full of meat buns, enough for the family to eat to their heart's content.
There was still some left, so I mixed it with some soaked shiitake mushrooms, diced them, and made a filling of pickled vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, and minced meat. Then I started making dumplings.
Guo Baiwen wasn't very skilled at making steamed buns, and because the filling always leaked out, Grandma Guo sent him to wash the steamer.
Now that it's time to make dumplings, I can finally get involved and help out.
With more people, the process was faster. By the time all the dough had been used up, there was still a small half-bowl of filling left.
There are three layers of steamer baskets on the pot. The top layer is filled with mixed flour steamed buns, and there are a few washed sweet potatoes in the middle.
The wrappers for the steamed buns and dumplings are made of pure white flour, which Grandma Guo rolls very thinly, and the filling inside is generous.
Once steamed, you can see the oily sheen of the filling through the skin, and even the steamer basket is covered in a layer of oil.
Guo Xiaohua was tending the fire and waiting, she was getting impatient.
Now that we can finally eat, seeing Grandma Guo divide a few portions into bowls for each person, I immediately picked up my chopsticks and grabbed a piece.
The steam from the bun, mixed with the meat juices, escaped from the opening made by the chopsticks.
"Quick, eat it while it's hot! It tastes best when it's fresh out of the steamer!"
"Hot, hot, hot!" Guo Xiaohua opened her mouth to breathe, and before she could even finish chewing and swallowing, she couldn't help but take another big bite. "So fragrant! Homemade ones are even tastier than the ones you buy outside!"
Guo Baiwen nodded in agreement, "Of course, the ones sold outside don't use as much seasoning as our own."
Homemade steamed buns are large and juicy, making you want to keep eating them.
After removing all the steamer baskets, the large pot at the bottom was revealed, containing preheated hot water.
Grandma Guo was about to throw the chopped tofu and minced meat directly into the container when Guo Baiwen stopped her, saying, "Grandma, let me do it."
First, pour out all the hot water, then dry the pot. Pour in some rapeseed oil and start frying the remaining half bowl of minced meat. When it's almost done, add the hot water that you just scooped out back in.
Then start adding tofu, dried vegetables, and so on.
When it's finally done cooking, you can add a little vinegar and sesame oil, and sprinkle some chopped green onions on top for a delicious flavor.
This soup is perfect for serving with steamed buns and mantou (steamed bread) right now.
Even Grandma Guo, who doesn't usually have a big appetite, ate three today.
When she patted her slightly bulging belly, it was only just getting dark.
Grandma Guo found a new bamboo basket, lined it with a clean cloth, and then divided the remaining steamed buns, dumplings, and buns into two baskets.
"When you return to your parents' home tomorrow, you can bring some to give to your in-laws to try."
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