Chapter 90
Although the roast chicken was the best dish today, the smoked rabbit and pickled vegetables were stir-fried with a lot of oil. Shu Wanxiu and the others rarely used so much oil in their daily meals, but they still found it quite delicious.
The meal was a success, with both host and guests thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Shu Wanxiu said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Brother Xun."
Shu Shouyi mimicked his aunt's manner, saying, "Thank you for your hospitality, Uncle Xun!"
Xun Yi felt pleased again and picked up the wooden basin under the eaves, saying, "I'll take you back."
"Um."
Xun Yi forced everyone to finish the whole roasted chicken at lunchtime. With good food and rice, Shu Wanxiu and her niece each ate two large bowls of rice, feeling extremely full.
So much so that Shu Wanxiu didn't even try to compete with Xun Yi to carry the wooden basin—she couldn't bend down high enough.
Even going uphill requires slowly lifting your legs and climbing the slope.
Xun Yi sought an opportunity to spend time with Shu Wanxiu, but his journey was slow.
This was the third time they had traveled together in such a leisurely manner.
Shu Wanxiu felt her stomach was extremely tight, which was still quite unbelievable to her.
"I never knew Brother Xun had such good cooking skills."
Xun Yi said, "I didn't know that before either. I learned it all from Xun Ai."
He also mentioned that when he first took charge of the family's meals, he and Xun Ai ate cooked dishes for a year.
"Ha ha!"
Shu Wanxiu couldn't help but chuckle, but she only managed two laughs before swallowing the rest of her laughter back.
There's no way around it, when I laugh, my stomach tightens even more, and my tummy hurts!
She wanted to laugh but couldn't, and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.
Xun Yi quietly admired her smiling face.
It's all been a long time ago. Xun Yi never knew he could make people so happy. If he had known earlier, he would have told them sooner.
...
Before evening, Shu Wanxiu went to the threshing ground early.
Chen Sanhe had been turning over the grain all day long. Even though it was almost sunset, her face still looked like it had been exposed to the sun, her skin was red, and her forehead was covered in sweat.
Shu Wanxiu came to ask her for advice on making rice cakes, but seeing how tired she was, she hesitated to ask.
Who is Chen Sanhe?
Although she was slow to discern the feelings between Shu Wanxiu and Shu Wanxiu, she was still quite perceptive most of the time.
"What difficulties have you encountered?"
"Auntie has such discerning eyes." Shu Wanxiu smiled demurely and explained that she didn't know the specifics of how rice cakes were made.
"I thought it was something serious." Chen Sanhe waved his hand. "You don't need to do it."
"It's true that it's customary for the host to offer rice cakes after a house is built, but last year your family only repaired the roof, not actually built a house. Your Uncle Pang said it was just for fun, so why did you take it to heart?"
Shu Wanxiu's serious nature came back at her.
"No, a promise made in person cannot be broken."
The people of Chen Sanhe's generation all knew how to make rice cakes, but only the Pang family in the village had a stone mill to grind rice into rice paste.
She knew that if Chen Sanhe was determined not to let her make rice cakes, she would be helpless, so she changed her tone and said innocently, "Besides, the rice has already been pounded and soaked."
Ouch!
Chen Sanhe nearly fainted from anger. The expression on his face was exactly the same as Shu Wanxiu's when she saw Xun Yi kill an old hen at noon during the New Year holiday—What a waste! What a waste!
Once rice is soaked in water, it won't keep for long, especially in hot weather; it will turn sour and spoil over time.
Just when Shu Wanxiu thought she would teach her how to make rice cakes, Chen Sanhe said, "In this way, after you soak these rice grains, you can steam them, and after they are cooked, dry them in the sun. They can be stored for a long time."
"Auntie—"
Shu Wanxiu looked displeased.
She used every trick in the book to coax and plead, just like she used to do at home in front of her mother.
Which person who truly loves the younger generation can endure such hardship?
Chen Sanhe tapped her forehead, "You, you're such a nuisance, such a troublemaker."
"Hehe~" Shu Wanxiu responded with a flattering, silly smile.
Chen Sanhe sighed, "You said the rice is soaked, but what kind of rice did you use? How long have you been soaking it?"
"This year's new rice! It was just soaked in water before coming down the mountain."
Chen Sanhe raised an eyebrow. "You know to use new rice, so it seems you know a thing or two about this."
Then she asked Ming Shuwanxiu how much rice she had soaked and how many rice cakes she planned to send to each household.
Once he had a clear idea of what to do, he began to teach formally.
"The rice needs to be soaked for at least four hours. The rice you soaked this afternoon can be ground into rice paste tomorrow morning."
Either don't teach, or teach in detail.
Chen Sanhe explained how to clean the stone mill before grinding rice into a paste.
Shu Wanxiu listened attentively, especially after Chen Sanhe said that if it wasn't done well, not only would the taste be bad, but the rice cake might also not hold its shape. She then recounted the entire process to Chen Sanhe.
"That's right, that's how it is."
"Hey! Thank you so much, Auntie! Once I've finished making it, I'll definitely bring it over for you to try first!"
Chen Sanhe chuckled, "You have a little glutton at home, do you think I'm the one who gets to try the first piece?"
Shu Wanxiu, hands on her hips, said confidently, "Yes! Shouyi is obedient, I can stop him."
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