Chapter 49: Chicken Soup. Come to think of it, at least she's still here. ...
All the cloth that the clan mother bought that day was made into clothes.
She didn't favor either of her two daughters-in-law, as each of them had two outfits. Qiu Xuan wore a purple jacket and a vermilion jacket respectively. Although the colors were not very bright, they were very flattering.
Qiu Xuan just tried it a few days ago, and her mother-in-law narrowed the waistline again today. Now it fits perfectly and is not too bulky.
"Mom, I'll take it back to that courtyard." Qiu Xuan folded all the jackets and put Zong Xiao's together.
The clan mother smiled and nodded: "Go ahead, go ahead. Remember to come over for lunch. We have plenty of food at home."
Qiu Xuan responded, "Then we'll come back before noon."
After she finished speaking, she picked up her clothes and left the house.
Her yard was right next door, and Qiu Xuan arrived home in just a few steps.
She wanted Zong Xiao to try the clothes his mother made as soon as possible, so that he could alter them if they didn't fit.
Unexpectedly, she was startled by the scene in front of her as soon as she opened the door.
I saw a man sitting cross-legged on the kang with his back to the door. If there hadn't been a light in the room that allowed Qiu Xuan to see his clothes clearly, she would have called for help.
She put the new coat on the table, walked over and patted Zong Xiao on the shoulder, and asked suspiciously, "Why are you sitting here when you're not feeling well?"
Zong Xiao came back to his senses. This incident happened suddenly and his mind was still a mess.
He had been thinking for a long time and still didn't know what to do next. Should he ask Qiu Xuan in person or continue to play dumb?
These days he thought their relationship was getting closer and closer. Qiu Xuan was not afraid of him or the scar on his face. They seemed to be no different from other couples except that they did not sleep together.
But now that he knew the truth, he completely understood that they were different from other couples.
Qiu Xuan never told him the truth from the beginning...It's not something that husband and wife should hide from each other, but she hid it completely.
"It's not hot, is there something else wrong?" Qiu Xuan saw that he looked unhappy and reached out to touch his forehead. "Why don't you lie down for a while and I'll make you some hangover soup."
Qiu Xuan felt that he was in a daze, and had been in a daze since early morning. He didn't have the fearless attitude he had last night.
"No need." Zong Xiao held her wrist and pulled her to the edge of the kang. He said in a hoarse voice, "I...I'm fine."
"Your voice is hoarse and you still say you're fine?" Qiu Xuan took the pillow and placed it in the middle of the kang. "Maybe you didn't sleep well last night. Lie down for a while."
Zong Xiao looked at her concerned expression and wanted to ask what was true.
But the words were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't say them. What if Qiu Xuan admitted it after he asked, would he have to let her go?
Zong Xiao was reluctant to let her go, but he also knew that he couldn't keep someone who wanted to leave.
Maybe one day when Qiu Xuan has saved enough money, she will leave.
"Qiu Xuan." Zong Xiao rarely called her by her full name.
"Yeah, I'm here." Qiu Yu blinked and looked at him puzzledly, "I'm here. If you want to sleep, you can sleep for a while."
Zong Xiao lay down, closed his eyes and didn't say anything, but he still held his hands tightly.
Qiu Xuan thought he must be feeling unwell. After all, when people are feeling unwell, they will become as clingy as children.
Qiu Xuan didn't struggle and let him hold her hand, but she would get tired if she just sat in the same position for a while.
Qiu Xuan thought about it and decided that since she had nothing to do today, she might as well lie down for a while.
She quietly lay down beside Zong Xiao. Although one of her hands was held, the other was free to cover herself with the quilt.
I don't know how long it took, but the sound of even breathing came from the side.
Zong Xiao opened his eyes, and his dark pupils were filled with Qiu Yu.
She was so close to him and slept so peacefully, but she didn't want to marry him. She wanted to leave.
Maybe she doesn't have him in her heart...
Thinking of this, an indescribable pain once again surged in my heart.
Zong Xiao sighed softly, then let go of his hand.
-
At noon, the grandmother waited in the next yard but no one came.
She clearly remembered that she had told Qiu Yun that they would come here for lunch at noon, but why hadn't they come yet when the meal was almost ready?
This is not like their temperament.
"Huaixue, go to the next yard and see why your uncle and aunt haven't come yet." The clan mother was busy in the kitchen, so she could only let Huaixue go over and take a look.
"Okay." Huaixue was wearing an apricot-colored double-breasted jacket, with her little hands tucked into a hand warmer.
This hand warmer is made of rabbit fur and is very warm.
She walked out of the yard slowly, and when she saw the door next door was not locked, she walked in directly.
Perhaps she was used to entering a house without knocking, so Huaixue didn't think much about it and just walked up the stairs and opened the door.
The room was quiet, dim and unclear, as if there was only something on the kang.
She moved closer and their eyes met.
"Second uncle." Huaixue was startled and her voice became louder.
"Shh." Zong Xiao motioned for her to keep her voice down. "Why are you here?"
"Grandma asked me to call you over for dinner. The meal is ready." Huaixue secretly glanced at the side and saw that the person sleeping soundly was her second aunt herself.
Zong Xiao tucked in Qiu Yun's blanket and whispered, "We'll be there in a minute. You can go back first."
"Oh." Huaixue was afraid of disturbing Qiu Xuan, so she tiptoed out of the house and closed the door tightly before leaving.
Zong Xiao was no longer sleepy. He leaned sideways and looked at Qiu Yun carefully, as if he wanted to memorize her appearance.
Since Qiu Xuan got married, she has gained some weight on her face and is not as thin as before.
Looking at her eyes, Zong Xiao stretched out his hand as if possessed.
"Itchy." Qiu Xuan's eyelashes moved, and then she slowly opened her eyes.
She woke up when Huaixue came in just now, but she was still sleepy and didn't want to open her eyes.
"Awake?" Zong Xiao pulled his hand back and pretended nothing had happened.
"Yeah." Qiu Yu yawned, a tear leaking from the corner of her eye. "I wanted to lie down with you for a while, but I didn't expect to fall asleep. By the way, are you still feeling unwell?"
Zong Xiao stared into her watery eyes, and his bitter heart seemed to be moistened.
"It doesn't hurt anymore," he said.
Qiu Xuan reached out and touched Zong Xiao's forehead again. Seeing that it was really not hot, she felt relieved. "Then let's get up and go to the courtyard. Don't keep mother waiting too long."
In the next yard, the grandmother was carrying food and preparing to enter the house when she saw Huaixue jumping in, humming.
She called them over and asked, "Where are your second uncle and second aunt at home?"
"At home." Huaixue replied with a smile: "But they were sleeping when I went in. My second uncle asked me to keep my voice down and said they would come over later."
Upon hearing this, the clan mother almost threw away what she was holding.
What do you mean by sleeping? Keep your voice down...
How could her son be like this in broad daylight?
"Grandma, why do my uncle and aunt go to bed so early?" Huaixue raised her little face and asked innocently.
"You kid..." The mother didn't know what to say for a moment. Finally, she could only change the subject and ask, "Did you enter the house without knocking?"
"I forgot, grandma." Huaixue pulled her hands out of the hand warmer and swore, "I won't forget next time."
The grandmother shook her head and said that the child could not be blamed for such a thing. Who would do such a thing in broad daylight?
If you want to blame someone, blame Erlang. He is such an adult, but he is so careless.
Even if you want to do that kind of thing during the day, you have to lock the gate.
Fortunately, it was Huaixue who went in. If it was an outsider... the clan mother wouldn't even dare to think about it.
Because of this, Zong's mother couldn't help but look at Zong Xiao during lunch.
Her eyes were so obvious that everyone at the table noticed it.
Zong Anji was a simple-minded man. He asked directly, "Mom, why are you only looking at my second brother? There's nothing on his face."
If Zong Anji hadn't gotten married, his wife would have sat next to him. Zong's mother wanted to slap him. Why was this child always so ignorant?
"Erlang... seems to have lost weight." The clan mother found an excuse and said, "You should eat some more before you go down the mountain."
"Really?" Zong Anji squinted his eyes and looked at Zong Xiao carefully, "I can't see where he's thinner."
Qiu Xuan actually noticed that he had lost weight, but you couldn't tell just by looking at his face, you had to touch him.
She said, "He has lost some weight. I'll go buy some pork liver to replenish his blood."
The grandmother thought that eating only pig liver was not enough, she had to eat some red meat.
"Sister-in-law, I have some red dates. I'll bring them to you later." Liu Yueyang had actually prepared a gift for Qiu Xuan and the others a long time ago, but he forgot about it this morning.
"Thank you very much, sister-in-law." Qiu Xuan didn't bother to be polite with her. After all, there were really no red dates left at home, and now the mountain road was difficult to travel and they couldn't go down the mountain.
Zong Xiao didn't know what to say for a moment. Everyone else had finished speaking, so he could only obediently follow everyone's arrangements.
However, he was worried about Qiu Yun going to buy pork liver alone, so after dinner, he put some money in his pocket and followed Qiu Yun out the door.
Qiu Xuan muttered, "Now that you're feeling better, you should rest at home. It's such a short distance, I can go buy it by myself."
"I'll stay with you." After a whole morning of mental struggle, Zong Xiao had finally figured it out. Even if Qiu Xuan left in the future, that would be a matter for the future. At least for now, she was by his side.
By his side, then why shouldn't he be with her?
One day less with you...
"Then I won't care about you no matter how uncomfortable you feel at night." Qiu Xuan had no choice but to take him to the hunter's house. She even said a few stubborn words on the way.
Unfortunately, the hunter didn't slaughter the pig today, so there was no pig liver or even a piece of pork.
Butcher Li hadn't expected anyone to come today. He said, "We haven't had any pork these past two days, but we have some old hens at home. Would you like some?"
"Old hen?" Qiu Xuan thought that this thing would also be fine, and stewing it into soup is also a good thing to replenish qi and blood.
Although they also raise chickens at home, they are only a few months old and are not as nutritious as old hens.
"Okay, go to the backyard and take a look. I'll catch whichever one you want."
Finally, Qiu Xuan took a slaughtered old hen back home.
Zong Xiao followed her, looking at the bare chicken in his hand, and asked, "What will happen then? Let him help kill it. I can do it when we get home."
Qiu Xuan shook her head. "You haven't fully recovered yet. Besides, you've been so busy these past few days. You need to take good care of yourself. Mother is right. You have to listen to her."
Zong Xiao lowered his eyes and looked at her, a sweet feeling welling up in his heart. At least she really cared about him.
Just having this affection is enough.
When Qiu Xuan returned home, she sent him back into the house and went into the kitchen herself.
She chopped the whole old hen into pieces, lit a fire, and put the chicken into a pot of cold water to boil until the blood foamed.
This chicken soup is delicious not just because it is boiled in water. Qiu Xuan washed the cooked chicken with clean water, then heated oil in another pot and poured the chicken and ginger slices into the oil.
Sauté the chicken until golden brown.
However, the most important thing for stewing chicken soup is the seasoning, among which wolfberry is the most critical.
But she searched the kitchen at home and couldn't find anything like it.
Just when she was about to give up, Liu Yueyang came over with Zong Anji, holding the prepared things.
The wooden box was quite large, with three layers, and the first layer contained red dates and wolfberries. Wolfberries were expensive, and farmers were generally reluctant to part with them.
Qiu Xuan didn't expect that someone would send her this thing just when she needed it, but she was too embarrassed to accept it directly.
“This is too expensive,” she said.
Liu Yueyang squeezed Zong Anji's hand, and he immediately understood. He smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, just accept it. I'm going to make chicken soup today, and this is just right for my second brother to nourish him. Mother says he's lost weight."
Seeing this, Qiu Xuan accepted it. She pointed to the kitchen and said with a smile, "When it's ready, I'll bring it over to you. You should drink it too."
They chatted for a while, and after seeing the guests off, Qiu Xuan hurried back to the house to stew her soup. With red dates and wolfberries, the soup was complete.
That night, the Zong family had a bowl of chicken soup on the dinner table. The chicken soup was delicious and just right for warming the body in winter.
"Drink more." Qiu Xuan poured another bowl for Zong Xiao. "My third brother and his family came over today to give us some gifts, and I was thinking we should return the favor."
Qiu Xuan really didn't think of this at the time. If she had thought of it, she would have bought the things in town early on.
Zong Xiao drank the chicken soup, wiped his mouth, and agreed: "Then let's give one away. I want to go down the mountain again when it doesn't snow in the next few days."
"No." Qiu Yu disagreed. "Let's not talk about whether the weather is good or not. Your body can't stand it."
Zong Xiao was actually fine, he was just listless today because he knew the truth.
But now he has come to terms with it and no longer keeps his sadness to himself.
Seeing Qiu Yu disagreed, he said, "Then let's go into the mountains and see if we can catch a rabbit or something. We can then make a rabbit fur muff."
"It's too dangerous to go into the mountains." Qiu Xuan frowned. She also disagreed with this method.
Zong Xiao: "I won't go into the mountains, I'll just look at the hunting pits. If you're worried, you can go with me."
Qiu Xuan was surprised. Ever since the wild boar incident, Zong Xiao rarely took her into the mountains. She didn't expect him to make an exception this time. She asked unsurely, "Really?"
"Really? I won't lie to you." Zong Xiao looked into her sparkling eyes and spoke word by word, "I will never lie to you."
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