Chapter 272 Don’t Move, Close Your Eyes
An ordinary pair of chopsticks cannot create miracles.
But a simple pair of chopsticks can make the process of eating salted duck eggs very interesting.
Sang Zhixia sat on a small stool, holding a boiled salted duck egg in his left hand and a pair of chopsticks in his right hand, his face serious.
Under the focused gazes of the little ones, Sang Zhixia coughed solemnly, turned the egg in her hand as if to show it off, and introduced it, "This is a whole salted duck egg, right?"
The little ones nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, yes."
"Yes, that's right!"
Sang Zhixia smiled and, under Xu Yu's narrow gaze, gently tapped the whole salted egg on the corner of the table and carefully dug out a small hole.
Then, she raised her chopsticks seriously and said solemnly: "Don't peel it all, otherwise the salted egg will be incomplete."
"Put this chopstick in, poke it like this, and turn it like this."
Sang Zhixia paused for a moment, staring intently at the little ones with nervous eyes.
Under the gaze of several pairs of eyes, Sang Zhixia pulled out the chopsticks that had been stuck in the egg, scraped out a little bit of oily egg yolk and a tiny bit of egg white, and gestured to Xu Mingyang to open his mouth: "Try it again?"
Xu Mingyang's tongue still tasted bitter, and his face was full of hesitation: "Sister-in-law?"
Sang Zhixia gave him an encouraging look and urged him, "What are you afraid of, little man? Be brave!"
Xu Mingyang tried to struggle: "But..."
"Try it."
Sang Zhixia smiled and said, "With this key step, it will definitely taste good this time."
Complex emotions such as struggle, hesitation, and suffocation quickly flashed across Xu Mingyang's face. When Sang Zhixia almost couldn't hold back her laughter, she closed her eyes and made up her mind with a fearless attitude. She tightened her scalp, opened her mouth, and bit the chopstick head covered with red oil, egg yolk, and egg white.
"Alas?"
Xu Mingyang smacked his lips blankly and said, "Not salty anymore?"
"Silly boy."
Sang Zhixia tapped Xu Mingyang on the forehead with her index finger, then stuffed the chopsticks and a salted duck egg with a small hole poked in it into his hand. She smiled and said, "Just mix the yolk and the egg white and eat it slowly, and it won't be salty."
"Besides, haven't we cooked porridge and steamed buns? Why don't you use chopsticks to crush the contents of the eggshell once, then break open the bun and put some in to taste it?"
Xu Mingyang looked solemn, holding the salted duck egg in his hand and bravely tried it.
The little hands with their ears perked up did not stop moving, and by the time Sang Zhixia finished speaking, they had almost finished their work.
The red oil from the pickled duck eggs will pop out when you poke them. The golden yellow of the egg yolks has an attractive red hue, and they are crispy and soft with a crunchy texture that is different from the common way of eating them.
The egg white, which is originally salty, is neutralized by the egg yolk, so it is less salty when eaten and the taste is just right.
It is very good to eat with porridge, or with pancakes or steamed buns.
Sang Zhixia took a pair of chopsticks and carefully dug out the egg. After she had taken out everything inside, she washed the eggshell.
Xu Yu looked at the empty eggshells she had carefully hung on the windowsill and felt inexplicably amused.
"Zhizhi, I heard that some places have the custom of fighting eggs during the summer solstice, but the eggs they fight with are all solid eggs. You kept this empty eggshell, what do you plan to do with it?"
Sang Zhixia showed the same smile she had when she fooled Xu Mingyang, and said mysteriously, "I won't tell you now, but you'll know by tonight."
Xu Yu narrowed his eyes playfully: "In the evening?"
"Yes, in the evening."
Sang Zhixia came over in a good mood, raised her hand to pinch Xu Yu's face, and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll give you something fun tonight."
Sang Zhixia pinched the baby and left, humming an unknown tune.
Xu Yu raised his eyebrows with an unclear expression, and pressed the tip of his tongue against the side of his face that had just been pinched. The smile on his lips deepened, and he murmured silently: "Is it fun?"
As soon as dusk fell, Sang Zhixia carefully carried the eggshell that she had checked several times and returned to the north yard, and ordered Xu Yu not to enter the house without permission.
Xu Yu was at a loss for words and held his forehead with his hand: "When can I go back?"
Sang Zhixia said seriously, "Wait for me to call you."
"If you've seen it all, how can it still be called a surprise? Surprises are always mysterious, you know?"
Xu Yu had rarely shown surprises in the past twenty years, and at this moment he couldn't help but be intrigued by Sang Zhixia's words.
Seeing him nod honestly, Sang Zhixia walked away contentedly holding the empty eggshell.
But as soon as Sang Zhixia left, Xu Yu followed her.
Xu Yanran asked curiously, "Brother, didn't my sister-in-law tell you not to go back to the North Courtyard? Why don't you listen to her?"
Xu Yu remained calm and said, "You heard wrong."
"I……"
"Your sister-in-law said you're not allowed to enter the house. Then why don't I just wait in the yard for her to call?"
Xu Yu felt very proud of having seized the opportunity. He glanced at Xu Yanran with an indescribable pride and said lightly, "Also, I can wait in the yard, but you can't."
"Your sister-in-law's surprise is for me. It has nothing to do with you. Do you understand?"
Xu Yanran looked at him expressionlessly, her face filled with indescribable emotion: "I didn't intend to peek, okay?"
They each got a portion of the goodies given by the sister-in-law!
Who wants to peek!
Xu Yu snorted, his eyes looking disdainful: "You better not do that."
Xu Yanran opened her mouth weakly, completely speechless.
Watching Xu Yu's joyful figure walk away, Xu Mingxu, who was young but already very worldly-wise, sighed and said like a grown-up, "Sister, my big brother is just like that."
Xu Yanran had a complicated expression: "What's going on?"
Xu Mingxu concluded with a stern face, "He doesn't seem very smart when it comes to things related to my sister-in-law."
"Don't bother with him at a time like this. After all, Big Brother is relatively smarter, so you can be understanding."
Xu Yanran: "..."
Xu Yanran took a deep breath, looked at Xu Mingxu, and said earnestly, "Brother, you can't say this in front of big brother, understand?"
Xu Mingxu nodded seriously: "I know."
"Big Brother will use his power for personal gain to give us more boxing training, but except for Third Brother, none of us want to practice boxing."
Except for Xu Mingyang, no one in this family wants to practice martial arts, okay?
Not at all!
Amidst Xu Yanran and Xu Mingxu's extremely unhappy complaints, Xu Yu returned to the North Courtyard silently and stretched out his long legs to sit on the steps in front of the door.
Sang Zhixia is in the house.
Just one door away.
Xu Yu didn't want to peek and spoil Sang Zhixia's mood, but he couldn't help but think of possible surprises.
Writing on eggshells?
Zhizhi is not proficient in poetry. What can she write to express her feelings?
Or learn from folk craftsmen to make egg carvings?
Does egg carving require a carving knife?
A small wrinkle appeared between Xu Yu's brows, and he couldn't help but look back.
Just as he was struggling whether to take a few more peeks and decide whether to snatch the carving knife from Sang Zhixia's hand, the candles in the house were blown out one by one, and the tightly closed door creaked open.
The night is dark and there are no lights.
Sang Zhixia was not surprised at all to see Xu Yu sitting on the steps. With one hand behind her back, she smiled and said to him, "Don't move. Close your eyes."
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