Chapter 50: Spicy Rabbit Meat. She really didn't tell the truth. ...
The next day, the weather was sunny.
It was originally agreed that they would go into the mountains in a few days, but Zong Xiao really couldn't resist such good weather.
He didn't even take a backpack, just a small bow and a slingshot and prepared to go into the mountains.
Qiu Xuan came out from the backyard and saw that he was trying to sneak away alone. She deliberately coughed lightly and said, "Are you going to look for your third brother?"
Zong Xiao naturally didn't go to the next courtyard. Seeing Qiu Xuan had already come out, he had no choice but to admit honestly, "I want to go into the mountains to take a look."
"You promised to take me with you yesterday, but now you want to leave me behind this morning." Qiu Xuan took three eggs from the bamboo basket and put them in the kitchen. She turned to him and said, "Wait for me. I'll go into the mountains with you."
Qiu Xuan went into the house and changed into old clothes. It was inevitable to bump into things when going into the mountains, so she didn't mind if the old clothes got dirty and torn.
While Zong Xiao was waiting for someone at the door, he went to the kitchen to get a bamboo tube of hot water. Although the weather was good today, it was still a bit chilly in the mountains. It didn't matter if he drank the cold water himself, but Qiu Yu had to drink the mild one. His mother had said these words a hundred times, and he remembered them all.
"Let's go. Let's go early and come back early. When we get back, I want to ask my sister-in-law to come over and make radish cake." Qiu Xuan walked quickly to his side and patted his arm.
Zong Xiao replied to her: "Okay."
The road into the forest has never changed. Just cross the main road and walk a few hundred meters forward to reach the area where the hunting pit is.
Qiu Xuan is very smart now. She looks at every big tree and observes carefully whether there are any knife marks on them. If there are knife marks, there must be a hunting pit nearby.
She had fallen into a hunting pit before, and now she had learned her lesson and would not fall into it again.
Zong Xiao walked in front of her, leading the way, and would turn his head every few steps, fearing that she would not catch up.
The two of them looked as they walked, and after walking for a long time, they finally checked all the hunting pits in the forest above them. Perhaps it was because it was cold in the past few days and fewer people came out to look for food, so there was nothing in those hunting pits.
Qiu Xuan was not discouraged. She squatted by the pit and pointed down, saying, "It's a good thing no one fell in. If the rabbit had been dead for several days, its meat would definitely not be fresh, and its fur would not be soft. We have to catch it alive."
"Come on, let's go shopping further ahead."
There are deep mountains ahead, and there are so many things in there. Zong Xiao had no intention of going in originally, and now that Qiu Yun is here, he has even less intention of going in.
He thought for a moment and said to Qiu Xuan, "Why don't we go downhill? There are many hunting pits along the way from here to the foot of the mountain."
Hearing this, Qiu Xuan suddenly remembered the food she had hidden in the woods. She had originally remembered it and wanted to get it out when she had time, but the woods were near Datun Village, far away, and she had never had the chance to go there.
Later, as her life got busier, she completely forgot about it.
Now that she has the chance, Qiu Xuan plans to go over and take a look, just in case the rice, flour and eggs inside are still usable.
The two walked down for about an incense stick's time, and suddenly there was a noise coming from beside the dead tree.
A white thing jumped up and ran out quickly, looking like a rabbit.
"There." Qiu Xuan pointed to the direction where it landed and said excitedly, "There."
At the same time, Zong Xiao also noticed it. He picked up the slingshot at his waist, picked up a stone from the ground, and aimed it at the rabbit. Just as the rabbit jumped up again, the stone also bounced out and hit the rabbit's hind leg.
The injured rabbit could no longer jump, so Zong Xiao stepped forward and picked it up.
I don’t know how this wild rabbit keeps itself healthy. It is unexpectedly plump in such a cold winter.
"I thought it was white, but it's actually flowery." Qiu Xuan walked over and touched the rabbit, smiling, "This color looks great too. I could make a fur collar out of it later."
Qiu Xuan thought that Liu Yueyang was fair-skinned, and this color of fur collar would suit her well.
"Look further ahead, there should be more." Zong Xiao tied the rabbit's four legs with wooden ropes, for fear that it would run away.
Having just hunted one, Qiu Yu was full of confidence. She followed Zong Xiao and continued walking down the mountain.
After walking for who knows how long, they arrived at the place where Qiu Xuan had hidden the eggs. The pile of rocks was still there, apparently undiscovered by others.
Qiu Xuan stood there and couldn't help but glance at it a few more times, but she didn't know how to find a reason to go over and take a look. If she went over directly, it would really arouse suspicion.
Just when she was in a dilemma, another hare jumped out.
This time, Zong Xiao directly picked up the bow and shot an arrow.
The hare was shot through the body and firmly fixed on the dead tree.
"I'm going to skin these two over there, don't run around." Zong Xiao looked at her deeply and warned her.
Qiu Xuan didn't expect the timing to be so perfect. She nodded and said to him with a smile, "Go ahead. I'll wait for you here."
Seeing Zong Xiao leaving with the hare, she quickly squatted down and swept away the dead leaves beside the stone with her hands.
No one has been here for a long time, and with the snow falling a few days ago, the stones have been firmly fixed in place by mud and water.
Qiu Xuan took great effort to move the stone away. Seeing that the cave had not collapsed, she lay on the ground and reached inside.
The egg was still there, but it went bad the moment it was taken out and squeezed lightly, and the smell was even more unacceptable. As for the rice and flour she had wrapped in cloth, it had long since gone moldy and was also inedible.
Qiu Xuan sighed, feeling sorry for the wasted food.
But she couldn't keep the rotten things anymore, so she dug a hole nearby with her bare hands and buried all the rotten eggs in it.
She was working so hard that she didn't notice that there was a pair of eyes staring at her from a big tree not far away.
As soon as he arrived at this place, Zong Xiao noticed her abnormality.
Wanting to see what she was going to do, Zong Xiao found an excuse to leave.
Unexpectedly, he saw something he shouldn't have seen. It turned out that she not only hid silver and money at home, but also rice and flour.
But judging from her regretful look, it seems that these hidden things can no longer be kept.
Zong Xiao jumped down from the tree and went to the side to skin the two rabbits. After he had finished skinning them, he returned to his original place.
Now he was calm, without any trace of the panic he had that day.
"It's done so quickly." Qiu Yu had just cleaned the mud off her hands, and when she saw Zong Xiao coming back, she happily went to greet him.
"Yeah, that's easy." Zong Xiao looked at the mud on her knees and pretended to be stupid: "What happened? Did you fall?"
Qiu Xuan didn't dare to look him in the eye. She stammered, "Um...I accidentally did it. Fortunately, it's nothing serious."
Zong Xiao curled up the corners of his mouth. He thought helplessly that she really wasn't telling the truth and was lying again.
After getting two rabbit skins, the two men did not continue to walk down. They returned home the same way before noon.
Today, no one in the clan eats from the same pot together.
As soon as Qiu Xuan entered the house, she went to the kitchen to prepare lunch, and Zong Xiao was not idle either. He put two rabbit skins into the basin and began to clean them.
If you use rabbit fur to make warm items, you must first clean the rabbit fur thoroughly. After all, it is animal fur. If it is not cleaned properly, it will smell after a few days.
Zong Xiao fetched some water and soaked the two rabbit skins in it, removing all the blood stains and fascia. He then evenly smeared the entire rabbit skin with salt.
This step is to prevent the rabbit skin from rotting. After finishing these, it needs to be dried in the sun for two days before proceeding to the next step.
When Qiu Xuan came out to pour water, she happened to see him hanging the rabbit skins on the rack in the yard.
She stepped forward to take a look and asked a question that surprised Zong Xiao.
"Do these rabbit skins need to be dried in the sun? Can't they be made into hand warmers directly?" Qiu Yu knew nothing about this. She had never handled animal fur, and naturally had never made a rabbit fur collar. She thought she could just sew it directly after cleaning it.
"It needs to air out for a few days." Zong Xiao saw her frown and couldn't help but wonder, "Do you want to finish it today and send it off tomorrow?"
Qiu Xuan nodded obediently, "I thought I could do it right away after I prepared it today, but it's okay, I can send it over after it's done in two days. It won't cost a few days anyway."
Qiu Xuan didn't forget her business. She poured the water in the basin into the corner, turned to Zong Xiao and said, "Those two rabbits are too big. Help me cut them up. I'll make you spicy rabbit meat later."
Stewed rabbit meat is not actually very delicious, and roasted rabbit meat is second best. Qiu Xuan didn't want to waste such good rabbits, after all, there were two of them.
Besides, I still have some chili peppers I bought before the New Year, which are perfect for making this dish. It is also a delicious dish.
"Okay, I'll help you." Zong Xiao washed his hands and followed Qiu Yun to the kitchen.
He used a knife to chop the rabbit meat into dices as Qiu Xuan had instructed, and sprinkled some rice wine and the seasonings Qiu Xuan had prepared into it.
"Don't forget to add some flour so that they won't stick together when frying." Qiu Xuan was sitting on a stool, grinding the dried chilies into powder with a stone mortar.
She stood far away, fearing that the powder would choke her mouth.
Seeing that she was struggling, Zong Xiao came over to help her grind the flour after mixing the meat.
In order to make cooking easier in the future, Qiu Xuan divided the chili peppers into two parts, one of which was ground into powder.
Zong Xiao looked at the small basket and estimated that it would take more than half an hour to finish grinding it.
"This meat needs to be marinated for a while. I'll go to my mother's and borrow a stone scoop, and we can do it together."
"No, I can do it by myself." Zong Xiao gave her the bamboo stool and sat on the bricks. He lowered his head and continued to fiddle with the things in his hands, saying, "Just stay here and talk to me for a while."
When Qiu Xuan heard him say that, she didn't move.
She asked three questions in a row: "I remember you like spicy food, right? Oh, and does our mother like it too? Huaixue probably can't eat it, but my third brother and the others should be able to do it too?"
Zong Xiao grasped the key words, pursed his lips and smiled, "Haven't you made this dish before? They like it very much."
"It's different. This time I improved the dish a bit. It will definitely taste better." Qiu Yu said confidently.
"But this dish uses a lot of oil. If mother saw how I made it, she would definitely be heartbroken." Qiu Xuan held her face with both hands and looked at Zong Xiao intently.
She had seen it before, but not as carefully as she did now.
Zong Xiao lowered his head, and the scar on his face was not so conspicuous. He had a good bone structure and a high nose bridge. Qiu Xuan couldn't help but think that if Zong Xiao hadn't been injured, with his looks, he would not have waited until he was twenty to get married.
Then she probably wouldn't meet him after she came here.
When Qiu Xuan thought of the widower that Lin Cuihua mentioned, she couldn't help but shudder.
If she really went to a family like that, she might as well die.
"Cold?" Seeing her shivering, Zong Xiao stopped what he was doing.
"It's not cold." Qiu Xuan shook her head. "I thought the meat should be marinated. I'll go fry it."
She stood up and walked to the stove, added a handful of firewood into the stove, and when she saw that the pot was hot, she poured half a basin of lard into it.
Zong Xiao, who had been secretly watching her, was stunned and instantly realized why she had just said that.
Half a basin of lard... indeed... my mother would feel sad if she saw it.
After the lard was completely melted and the oil temperature was about 60% hot, Qiu Xuan poured all the marinated rabbit meat into the pot.
There was a sizzling sound in the pot, and the aroma of meat wafted out soon.
Qiu Xuan took the rabbit meat out when she saw it was fried until golden brown, but soon poured it back into the pan to fry again.
There was a large bowl of rabbit meat, and she stirred it little by little in the frying pan with a spoon, for fear that it would stick together.
This spicy rabbit meat is only delicious and tasty when eaten in small pieces!
After the rabbit meat was thoroughly fried, Qiu Xuan took it out again. As for the remaining oil in the pot, she naturally did not waste it. She took a new jar from the wooden rack and scooped all the oil into it. When the oil cooled, it would become a white solid and could be used next time.
When there is only the bottom of the pot left, Qiu Xuan pours the prepared peppercorns, chili segments and ginger slices into the pot and stir-fries them until fragrant, then pours in the fried rabbit meat.
The aroma of chili peppers further enhanced the flavor of the rabbit meat, but that was not the end. Before serving, Qiu Xuan scooped a small spoonful of chili powder that Zong Xiao had just ground and sprinkled it in.
She kept stirring and added a little salt and powdered sugar.
"It smells pretty good, doesn't it?" Qiu Xuan turned her head and found that Zong Xiao had been standing behind her without her knowing when.
This person walks very silently, she thought.
"It smells delicious. If this dish were sold in a restaurant in town, it would cost at least dozens of copper coins."
"How can I sell it for just a few dozen? Rabbit meat is expensive, and making this dish takes so much effort. I won't sell it for less than a hundred copper coins." Qiu Xuan had calculated the cost clearly in her mind. If she could open a small restaurant in the future, she would sell this dish at such a high price.
Zong Xiao rubbed her head and hummed, "It's whatever you say."
A big pot of spicy rabbit meat can’t even fit into two large porcelain bowls, let alone two plates.
Qiu Xiu searched for a long time and finally found a clean wooden basin that was suitable for her.
She put the rabbit meat in, filling it up completely, and even then, there was still half left in the pot.
"Give these to mother, and we'll keep the rest for ourselves." Qiu Xuan handed the small wooden basin to Zong Xiao and added, "If mother invites you to dinner, just say we cooked it at home and we can eat together another day."
Qiu Xuan didn't want to trouble her mother-in-law. After all, her third brother was already married, and that place was his home after all.
It was fine to eat one or two meals from the big pot, but she was afraid that if she ate there every day, it would cause gossip from outsiders.
"Okay, I'll be back soon." Zong Xiao carried the wooden basin and went to the next room.
Only the grandmother was at home in the courtyard over there. When she saw him carrying food over, she cried out in pain.
"There is still so much food at home, why did you make new ones and send them over?" The grandmother looked at the pot and saw that it was quite a lot.
Zong Xiao brought the rabbit meat into the house and replied, "We went into the mountains today and hunted two rabbits. Qiu Xuan wanted to make some hand warmers for his sister-in-law, but the rabbit skins need to dry for two days. So I made some spicy rabbit meat and sent it over for you to try."
"This kid, why did he think of doing that? You don't have to worry about it. I see Yueyang has that thing." said the mother of the clan.
Zong Xiao explained, "They sent a lot of things over yesterday, and we didn't prepare anything for my sister-in-law in advance. So Qiu Xuan wanted to make up for it."
"There's no need to do this between brothers. But it's up to you. If you want to give it, just give it." When Zong Xiao's mother saw that there was no resentment on his face when he said these words, the stone in her heart finally fell to the ground.
Zong Anji had been married for less than three days, and there was already a lot of gossip outside.
Those people talked about all kinds of things, nothing more than the dowry that Liu Yueyang brought.
Originally, the grandmother didn't take it to heart, but today when she went out, she heard others say that if her younger brother married such a wife, he would be jealous to death.
Why do other people have so much dowry, but my wife has nothing?
The mother of the clan suddenly thought of Qiu Xuan. Qiu Xuan married into the family because the Qiu family did not want to pay back the money, and she was not a good match for Zong Xiao.
Comparing the two brothers, there is a big difference between them.
"Why aren't Huaixue and my third brother here?" Zong Xiao had no idea what his mother was thinking. Seeing that there was no movement outside after he had been there for so long, he couldn't help but ask.
The clan mother said, "Yueyang will go back to her parents' home tomorrow. Your third brother has taken them to the next village to buy some wine."
Seeing that he was about to leave, the clan mother said, "I'll cook dinner later. You two can come and eat."
Zong Xiao waved his hand and refused, "I won't come today. Qiu Xuan has prepared dinner at home. I'll come tomorrow."
Watching Zong Xiao leave, Zong's mother sighed. Although he had a good temper, as a mother she was afraid that those words would hurt his feelings.
It was almost noon when Zong Anji returned home with his men.
He bought a lot of food in large and small bags, including a whole bag of malt sugar.
Seeing the pot of rabbit meat on the table, he smiled and said, "Mom, have my second brother and the others been here?"
"I'll leave after delivering the food." The grandmother helped him put the food on the table and asked in a low voice, "Why did you buy so much?"
Zong Anji was a simple-minded person. He said, "I bought it as soon as I saw it. I don't want outsiders to gossip about it when I return home tomorrow."
That's right, the Liu family gave the girl so much dowry, so this time they can't let outsiders see the Liu family's hustle and bustle.
After thinking about it, the clan mother agreed with this.
"Mom, was this made by my second sister-in-law?" Liu Yueyang asked with a smile, looking at the pot of bright red diced meat on the table.
"It's her cooking, try it." The clan mother handed over a pair of bamboo chopsticks.
The food smelled spicy, so Liu Yueyang took a bite and drank half a cup of water. However, after she recovered, she wanted to try it again.
"Second sister-in-law's cooking skills are really good." Liu Yueyang praised sincerely, "My father loves spicy food. I really want to ask Second sister-in-law how she made the rabbit meat. It's so delicious."
The grandmother's eyes narrowed into a smile, "What's the big deal? Just bring it home tomorrow and let your father try it."
Liu Yueyang felt that this was not a good thing, so she looked up at Zong Anji.
"Just take it. Second sister-in-law gave it to you to try. She won't mind if you take it back to your parents' home." Zong Anji said as he picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. It was spicy, fresh and delicious.
The next morning, Zong Anji went to Zong Xiao to borrow a mule cart.
He filled the mule cart with bags of all sizes.
"Are you visiting relatives or fleeing?" Zong Xiao felt helpless seeing him putting everything on the table.
"Hey, not much, not much." Zong Anji helped Liu Yueyang sit on the mule cart and waved his hand. "Let's go, second brother."
The mule cart moved slowly along the road, and after an incense stick of time, the two of them arrived in front of the Liu family's courtyard.
Today is the day to return to the parents' home, and the Liu family has been waiting for it since early morning. They don't say it but they are thinking about it in their hearts.
Seeing her daughter get out of the car with a smile on her face, Liu's mother finally felt relieved.
"Dad and Mom have been thinking about you these days, afraid that you would be bullied." Liu Zhong whispered in her little sister's ear.
"No, I'm living very well there." Liu Yueyang looked at Zong Anji who was moving things and said shyly, "They are all very nice to me."
Mother Liu hugged her and walked into the house, her eyes full of love and concern: "It's fine, your parents just hope you live a good life."
Liu Zhong didn't follow him in. He went forward to help Zong Anji move things.
It took them two trips to move everything. Liu Zhong panted tiredly and pointed at the things and asked, "Why did you buy so many things?"
"Isn't this a return visit?" Zong Anji scratched his head and said with a silly smile, "I thought of buying more for my parents."
Liu Zhong felt relieved after hearing this. He tied up the mule, put his arm around Zong Anji's shoulder and went into the house.
"My father has prepared some good wine for you today."
When he heard about the good wine, Zong Anji grinned and said, "That's just right. I also brought some snacks to go with the wine. You and Dad can try them later."
At noon, the Liu family sat around the table, all staring at the plate of spicy rabbit meat.
"Did your second sister-in-law do this?" Liu Zhong looked at Liu Yueyang and asked.
"It was made by my second sister-in-law. I brought it here because I thought Dad likes spicy food. Dad, try it." Liu Yueyang picked up a piece of food with chopsticks and put it on Liu the Butcher's plate.
The rabbit meat coated with chili powder made people salivate just by looking at it. Butcher Liu loved spicy food and ate it immediately.
He chewed it slowly, then hissed.
“It’s really tasty.”
Is it really that delicious? Liu Zhong didn't believe it and picked up his chopsticks to take a piece.
Within two seconds, he raised his hand and gestured, "If this skill is used to open a restaurant, the business will be very good. It's really spicy."
The Liu family ate up the whole plate of rabbit meat, and there was not even a piece of chili left.
Qiu Xuan didn't hear Zong Anji mention this matter until the next day.
Because of the plate of rabbit meat, Zong Anji's father-in-law even praised him a few more times.
"Sister-in-law, please teach me how to make this dish." Zong Anji clasped his hands together and shook them at Qiu Xuan.
"Get out of the way." Zong Xiao stood in front of him, frowning and saying, "Go home and research each dish yourself."
Zong Anji didn't want to leave. If he could cook this dish, he would be so proud when he returned to his father-in-law's house.
"Good sister-in-law, please teach me."
Qiu Xuan never thought that just a plate of spicy rabbit meat would be liked by so many people.
She nodded and said, "That's not difficult. I'll teach you next time when I have rabbit meat."
Few people in the village raise rabbits. When Zong Anji heard this, his attention immediately shifted to his second brother.
He grabbed Zong Xiao's arm and shook it, "Second brother, my good second brother, please take me into the mountains to hunt rabbits."
"No." Zong Xiao only wanted to be with Qiu Yun now.
"Go ahead." Seeing that he didn't agree, Zong Anji's eyes turned, and he jumped up and directly jumped onto Zong Xiao's back.
Zong Xiao was so annoyed by him that he raised his hand to pull him down.
"Second brother!" Zong Anji whispered in his ear, a voice only the two of them could hear, and then asked him with a smile, "Are you going?"
Zong Xiao's earlobes immediately turned red. Thinking of what Zong Anji had just said, he gritted his teeth and said, "Go."
Qiu Xuan didn't expect his attitude to change so quickly. As soon as Zong Anji left, she immediately went up to him and asked, "What did Third Brother say that you agreed so readily?"
"Hmm?" Seeing that he didn't say anything, Qiu Yu became even more curious.
Zong Xiao looked at the face in front of him, and then thought about what Zong Anji had just said.
His Adam's apple rolled twice, and he gently raised his hand that was hanging by his side and placed it on Qiu Xuan's shoulder.
"Hmm? What did you say?" Qiu Xuan took a step forward and moved closer.
"Speak." The two looked at each other. Zong Xiao smiled and said softly, "I'll tell you tomorrow."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
