"Haha, you want to eat raw potatoes?"
This is a completely basic area of knowledge I've never explored before. I won't try to be clever or overconfident; I'll just listen attentively.
“I see you still have some dried dandelions? Blanch them later, put them with the potatoes, and then pour in the prepared sauce. Actually, you can cook the potatoes and dandelions together, but it uses too much oil and seasoning. We just cook them all together and then put them together. The taste is about the same.”
He simply nodded, not trying to be the extravagant, standard version, but rather adapting to local customs and keeping a low profile.
"Yes, I heard back then that old dandelions can be eaten. I think you all said that dandelions are good things, so I dug them up and dried them. I was wondering what to do with them."
"Haha, that's right, this thing is a treasure from head to toe. For the really old ones, just keep the root, you can use it to make tea and drink it to cool down your body."
Jian Dan wanted to ask Sun Xiang for help, but Sun Xiang became the main force, while Jian Dan sat there steadily. She tried to get up to help several times but was refused, which made Jian Dan feel embarrassed.
"You should just sit here quietly. Your aunt said she'll finish this little bit of work in no time, so don't go and cause trouble."
make trouble?
She can't sit still even if she's causing trouble, can she?
"Hehe, don't worry, I definitely won't cause any trouble. I'm planning to learn more from my aunt."
I refuse to believe it. It's just pickled cabbage; how could I not understand it?
Seeing her hands on her hips, looking all sulky, the old lady's wrinkles crinkled into a smile.
"What? You can't learn it in a year, and you're planning to learn it for two or three years? Haha, then you'd better hurry up and go. This is the only skill your aunt has. You should take over it as soon as possible."
There's no secret recipe for pickled cabbage; everyone has their own way of making it. But Sun Xiang's pickled cabbage just happens to be delicious, and it's famous throughout Liujiatun.
Tan Yajun, one of the older educated youth, knows how to do this, so she also took care of Mingzhu and the others. Otherwise, like Jian Dan, they would have had to find someone to help them.
Simple is that I just think Sun Xiangyan tastes good, so I made an appointment early on.
Upon hearing this, he said bluntly,
"Of course! I'm determined to learn your skills, Auntie. I refuse to believe that someone as smart as me is afraid of this!"
Actually, she couldn't really help much; she could only pass her some cabbage or salt, which was less than what Tiger could do.
However, Sun Xiang was indeed teaching her.
"This cabbage, blanch it, then rinse it with cold water, this way it won't rot... For big ones like this, split them in half, otherwise they won't blanch well... Layer them like this, sprinkling salt between each layer, pack them tightly, then weigh them down with a stone, and you're done!"
Just like last year, don't put it in a place that's too hot or too cold. Let me see, it'll be fine in the inner corner of the outer room (kitchen), not too hot or too cold.
After busying herself for half a day, Sun Xiang had pickled a large vat of sauerkraut. She hadn't even sat down for a short while before she started working on the pickled vegetables again.
The old lady said she was there to pickle vegetables, but Sun Xiang could do almost everything the old lady could. Besides, she wouldn't let the old lady get tired; she would just offer occasional reminders. Sun Xiang was a talkative and lively person, busy with her hands and chattering away as well.
"Jian Zhiqing, you have so many kinds of pickled vegetables, you must have used a lot of salt!"
"We can't eat without pickled vegetables here, but we can't eat too much, or it will be too salty."
"Jian Zhiqing, look at this! If I hadn't come to make this for you, my mother-in-law wouldn't have told me this secret. I was wondering why my cooking just didn't taste right. Turns out, you had a secret recipe up your sleeve, old lady!"
The old lady's mouth never closed.
“Look at my daughter-in-law, she’s so rude to her mother-in-law.”
It's easy to see that this is how they get along; in the village, their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have a famously harmonious relationship.
That's Wang Guihua, and she can be quite short-tempered sometimes.
The old lady had been with Liu Sanye for so many years, and had practically traveled all over the country. She had high standards and didn't care about those who tried to act like domineering mothers-in-law. She didn't treat her daughter-in-law like her own daughter, but she was her son's wife.
Although they live together and they only have one son, once their son gets married, they become two separate families. They should be close when necessary, but sometimes they need to be clear about their boundaries.
Therefore, there haven't been any sordid incidents or conflicts over the years.
"Pshaw! I know you two have a good relationship, no need to show off to me."
"You, you!"
Speaking of which, you'll be seventeen next year, right? Any plans?
I was momentarily stunned. Although I was mentally prepared for this to happen sooner or later, I didn't expect it to come so soon.
"Third mistress, I'm only sixteen, I'm still a minor."
The old lady's eyes held a serene composure, as if she had seen through the ways of the world, and she wore a smile.
"I can tell you're not interested in this. You'd rather spend that time eating, or even just go up the mountain. But you need to keep that in mind."
Even if I don't say anything, there are more than a few people in this village who have their eyes on you. I'm not afraid of coming to your door openly, but I'm afraid someone will try to trip me up or do something underhanded. You are skilled and strong, but we can't ignore you. Even tigers have their moments of weakness.
If you're really not interested in this, unless you kill the idea outright and make everyone give up on it, otherwise, as you grow up and become more and more attractive, with better conditions than those in the village and the ability to hunt wild boars, where can you find a wife with these qualities?
We might not have such a heartless person in our village, after all, you've done us a favor. But every family has relatives and friends, and you never know what might happen if someone says something that makes them have bad intentions.
This world is so unfair to women. If they do anything even slightly out of line, there's always someone gossiping, and some people even want to nail them to a pillar of shame.
After a brief moment of stunned silence, not expecting the old lady to see things so clearly, he slowly began to speak.
"I thought you would advise me to settle down and find someone to marry when I get to a certain age."
The old lady sighed.
“I don’t know how to advise you. You have your reasons for not wanting to find someone, but you also need to know that the rural areas are traditional. You are still young these past two years, so you may not have any problems yet.”
In a couple of years, when you're an adult and of a certain age, no matter what you say, there will always be people coming to you wanting to give it a try, whether they're sincere or have ulterior motives. You need to be aware of that.
Jian Dan could tell that the old lady was speaking from the bottom of her heart, so she obediently nodded.
Up to now, she has no intention of finding someone to marry.
Why not live a carefree life with your own money and free time? Why insist on marrying into a stranger's family and becoming their slave?
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