Chapter 25 Noodles with Fermented Vegetables
Spring weather is typically characterized by wearing a cotton-padded jacket in the morning and a light gauze dress in the afternoon, with the temperature rising as midday approaches.
Aman went out in the morning wearing only a thin shirt. She had felt a little cold at first, but now she was so hot that she wanted to take it off.
Fortunately, she had a stroke of good luck today. A big customer came in and, seeing that her bok choy was still fresh, bought it all. Several other people who came after her couldn't buy any.
Ah Man was so happy he grinned from ear to ear, and kept saying he would come again tomorrow, telling them to come again tomorrow.
After packing his things, Aman slung his basket over his shoulder and was about to go look for Mantou when he saw Mantou coming over with the hoe he had just bought.
"Why did you only buy the head?" Aman looked at the hoe in Mantou's hand; it only had the head and no handle.
"The ones with handles are too expensive. They charge an extra ten coins for a wooden pole. I might as well make one myself."
Farm tools have always been the foundation of a farmer's livelihood; they are made of high-quality materials and therefore sell for a higher price.
Having learned from his previous experience of attaching handles to the shovel, Mantou felt it wasn't worth wasting money on a few wooden sticks, since he already had some at home.
After the two met up, Mantou was surprised to find that Aman had actually sold all the vegetables.
Aman told him about the big client, and the two said goodbye to Aunt Hua and Zhao Hu, preparing to go home.
There was still enough food at home, so Aman only planned to buy some meat and go back.
Normally, meat costs thirteen coins per pound, but today is market day, so the price is relatively cheap, only twelve coins.
But it's hot today, and meat won't keep for long, so Aman only bought what she'd be cooking for the afternoon.
The two returned home through the back door. Mantou went to the kitchen to put things away, while Aman ran off to the front yard to share the good news with Fu Yunxiu.
Stepping through the moon gate, Aman saw Fu Yunxiu inside the house through the open window.
He held in his hand the ancient book that the Third Young Master had searched for a long time to find, his brows furrowed slightly, his eyes focused and bright.
A gentle breeze stirs, ruffling strands of hair, creating a scene that looks like a painting from afar.
Of course, this assumes we ignore the few houses in the front yard that were burned and charred.
Seeing this, Aman hesitated to disturb them, yet couldn't help taking two steps forward. The sound startled Fu Yunxiu inside. He looked up from his books, his eyes gleaming, even more dazzling than the sunset. "You're back?"
"..."
Aman suddenly froze, standing there stunned.
It must be admitted that the young master's face is stunning no matter when you look at it, like a masterpiece of nature. Not to mention his innate temperament, which has not been affected by his long illness.
Aman felt that such a person should be vibrant, full of ambition, and capable of making a difference, rather than remaining silent and alone in this small courtyard, drifting aimlessly through the rest of their life.
"Hmm." Ah Man concealed the bitterness in her heart and took two steps forward to ask, "Is the young master hungry? We bought some snacks, let's eat something to fill our stomachs first."
Aman shook the mung bean cake in his hand.
Ever since she discovered that the young master had eaten all the mung bean cakes, Aman knew that Fu Yunxiu's aversion to sweets was a lie. So whenever she passed by that pastry shop, she would always buy him a few pieces of mung bean cakes as a snack.
There's no other way; all the other pastries are too expensive. Not only is mung bean cake cheap, but it also has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, making it perfect for this weather.
Fu Yunxiu shook his head, indicating that he wasn't hungry.
Since he started cooking for himself at home, he hasn't felt hungry for a long time.
“Then I’ll cook later,” Aman said without going inside. She leaned half her body in through the window, took out her purse, opened it, and shared with Fu Yunxiu, “Young Master, let me tell you, we had a great day selling vegetables. Many people thought our vegetables were good, and a few families couldn’t buy any. I told them to come back tomorrow.”
Aman suddenly approached, catching Fu Yunxiu off guard. Her face was so close that he didn't dare to breathe, but the heat emanating from her body still made his face flush red.
Fu Yunxiu gripped the wheelchair handles, instinctively wanting to back away, but with a soft couch on his left and a cabinet on his right, the wheels were stuck in the middle, leaving him in a dilemma.
Fu Yunxiu's face turned even redder, his face and neck turning a light pink, but Aman was completely unaware, pouring all the silver coins onto the small table on the soft couch and counting them one by one.
Because he was always out and about, Aman's skin wasn't exactly fair, but it was very smooth, and there was hardly any fine downy hair in the sunlight.
Her cherry lips, pink and tender, opened and closed as she counted the money, like peaches just picked from a tree.
Fu Yunxiu was so engrossed in watching that he even felt his mouth go dry.
"Ahem." Realizing that he was being a bit inappropriate, Fu Yunxiu coughed awkwardly and looked away.
Ah Man was counting the money carefully and didn't notice his little trick until he put the last copper coin into his purse. Then he cheered, "Young master, there are a total of ninety-six coins!"
Including the twenty coins spent on buying the meat, that's one hundred and sixteen coins, almost three days' wages for an adult man.
Although it may not seem like a lot, as long as she puts in the effort, it will be a steady stream of income.
In this way, they wouldn't have to depend on the second wife's mood to get the money.
"Great, great, I can earn money on my own now." Aman smiled happily, so she didn't realize that she had grabbed Fu Yunxiu's sleeve in her excitement.
The wide sleeves swayed back and forth as Aman led the movement, causing Fu Yunxiu to sway as well. But more than Aman's rudeness, Fu Yunxiu was worried that she might bump her head on the window frame as she jumped around like that.
"Be careful." He said in a very low voice, but Aman was so engrossed in the conversation that she didn't hear him.
"So much income in just one afternoon!" Aman, having finished jumping around, released Fu Yunxiu's sleeve without leaving a trace and fanned herself with her hand to cool down. "It's so hot, young master. Let's have some fermented noodle soup for lunch!"
Fu Yunxiu couldn't understand the connection between earning so much money and what kind of food he ate, but Aman's rambling and disjointed remarks were nothing new, and he was used to it.
With his thin lips slightly parted, Fu Yunxiu gently stroked the sleeve that Aman had crumpled, "Look at you."
Fu Yunxiu understood that those who eat have no right to be picky.
“Alright, let’s have fermented vegetable noodles then. The fermented vegetable liquid I made the other day is just right.” Aman clapped her hands; she knew the young master wouldn’t reject her suggestion.
Young Master is the best.
After placing the pastries that had been on the windowsill on the low table, Aman was about to turn and go to the kitchen when Fu Yunxiu called out to her, "Aman."
Aman turned around and continued, "Take this money!"
Seeing that Aman was puzzled, Fu Yunxiu continued to explain: "From now on, you can keep all the money you earn yourself, and you don't have to hand it over. In principle, since you serve in Wutong Garden, I should give you a monthly allowance. But now that I can't give you a monthly allowance, it wouldn't be right for me to keep your private money."
Fu Yunxiu didn't want Aman's money. He hoped that Aman could keep the money for herself so that she could have her own financial security after leaving Wutong Garden, whether she started a small business or got married.
"But," Aman wanted to say, she didn't really care. In her heart, whether it was the young master or Mantou, they were both her family.
Why make such clear distinctions between family members?
But seeing the determination in Fu Yunxiu's eyes, Aman shut her mouth again.
Take it if you want; it's just a change of storage location, so there's no real difference.
Aman put away her purse and went back to the kitchen to cook.
After sorting and putting away the things that Mantou had just brought back, he went to Fu Yunxiu's place to check in, and then went to the woodpile in the backyard to find a good hoe handle.
Aman was cooking in the kitchen. There was some leftover dough from yesterday afternoon, which she kneaded into a ball and covered it under the bowl. The kitchen was shady, so it hadn't gone sour and was still edible; it was just enough for the three of them.
Aman washed his hands, kneaded the dough again, and then found the jar of fermented vegetable juice he had made the day before under the cupboard.
After two days of fermentation, the sourness of the bok choy had successfully dissipated. As soon as Aman lifted the lid, a strong sour smell wafted out.
On such a hot day, a bowl of sour and cool fermented noodle soup sounds wonderful.
After ladling out half of the fermented vegetable broth, Aman lit a fire and first poured in some oil to stir-fry some wild garlic, which is an indispensable side dish for eating fermented vegetable broth noodles.
She should have planted chives, but the chives she grew had just sprouted; they were not only as tall as a finger, but each one was also as thin as a hair. Zhao Hu said that chives need to have their roots developed before they can be transplanted.
However, the absence of chives doesn't matter; wild garlic is even more fragrant and goes better with rice.
After stir-frying the side dishes, Aman cleaned the wok again to prepare the fermented vegetable broth. He sautéed scallions and garlic, poured in the prepared broth, added the appropriate seasonings, and served it without waiting for it to boil. It was ready as soon as it was slightly steaming.
I didn't eat much steamed buns this morning. After wandering around outside for half the morning, I'm starving by now.
Aman uses high heat to make fermented vegetable broth. The icy cold broth, combined with the unique aroma of scallions and garlic after being stir-fried, and the sour smell of the broth, immediately fills the entire courtyard. The aroma of steamed buns makes your mouth water and makes you even hungrier.
"Aman, is the food ready?" Mantou held back for a long time, but finally couldn't resist any longer. He put down the half-carved piece of wood he was holding and went to the kitchen to help Aman.
With Mantou in charge of tending the fire, Aman could focus entirely on rolling out the dough.
To make the best fermented noodle soup, you have to use long noodles; that's Ah Man's specialty.
Even though she already knew that Aman was skilled at rolling and cutting noodles, Mantou still found it amazing to see it again.
Soon, the chewy and smooth noodles were ready. Mantou went to call the young master, while Aman was in charge of clearing the table.
Because Fu Yunxiu liked noodles, Aman ate noodles at least once a day. It was Fu Yunxiu's first time eating fermented vegetable soup noodles. At first, he found the smell a little hard to accept, but once he tasted it, he realized how wonderful it was.
The fermented bok choy has a unique sour aroma, different from acetic acid, yet it is incredibly appetizing. Stir-fried wild garlic is the finishing touch, elevating the flavor of the entire bowl of noodles.
tasty.
Mantou, who had initially been skeptical, has now fallen silent, focusing solely on eating with his head down. At the entire table, only Aman speaks, with Mantou occasionally chiming in with a few words, mostly about the interesting things he'd heard at the market that day.
Fu Yunxiu was not a talkative person to begin with, and now he couldn't even get a word in edgewise. He just listened quietly as Aman vividly described the scenery outside.
Everything seemed both very familiar and very strange.
*
After lunch, the peaceful courtyard fell into a deep sleep.
Aman originally didn't have the habit of taking a nap, but now he's gradually started doing it.
But it's good that she got a good nap at noon, so she'll have the energy to tend to her vegetable garden in the afternoon.
Perhaps because he got up early this morning and had exerted himself selling vegetables at the market, Aman slept very soundly until he heard the sound of steamed buns whittling wood beside him.
Aman, still half asleep, slipped on her shoes and went out, only to see that Fu Yunxiu was already awake and reading a book under the eaves.
"Why didn't you wake me?" Aman yawned slightly and adjusted her slightly crooked hair bun.
"I thought you got up early today, and there's not much to do in the yard." Mantou didn't even look up, focusing on the work in his hands.
Indeed, in Wutong Garden, she could sleep soundly until dark without being disturbed.
Aman cleared out another plot of land in the backyard, thinking of planting some radishes or something. The soil had already been prepared, and Aman only needed to sow the seeds and level it.
The radish seeds were bought by Aman at the market today. There were two kinds. One was the water radish we usually eat, which comes in red and white varieties. The red ones are spicier, and the white ones are sweeter, but Aman prefers the red ones. The other kind, according to the seller, is called "Donkey Tripper," supposedly because this type of radish can grow very large, and the part that emerges from the ground can trip over a donkey passing by.
Aman listened to him for a while but couldn't tell the difference between the "donkey that trips up" he was talking about and the green radishes grown in her hometown. But since he was promoting it like that, she just listened.
However, planting green radishes takes longer than planting water radishes. They need to be planted in a special ridge. Aman doesn't know why this is necessary. Perhaps it's to make them grow bigger. Anyway, that's how the aunties in the village used to plant them.
After ridge-making and sowing, the afternoon passed quickly, and Mantou's new hoe was finally completed. He immediately hoeed two vegetable plots to celebrate.
In the afternoon, Aman made braised pork as promised. The pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat was first blanched to remove the bloody taste.
Then cut it into evenly sized cubes, caramelize the sugar, add the meat, stir-fry over high heat until it's colored, then add water to stew.
Thinking about how much steamed buns would eat, Aman also cut two fist-sized potatoes into chunks and stewed them halfway through.
The braised pork belly, stewed until tender and glossy red, along with the soft and juicy potato chunks, topped with a spoonful of the original broth, is so delicious with rice that you'll want to swallow your tongue.
Since the kitchen opened at Wutongyuan, Mantou has gone from guessing the weather to guessing what Aman is cooking that day, and he enjoys it immensely.
But he also knew that no matter what Aman made, it would taste good.
Because stewing the meat took some time, it was already dark by the time we finished dinner.
He was so full from eating steamed buns that he volunteered to wash the dishes, so Aman helped him.
As night deepened, a crescent moon hung in the sky.
Fu Yunxiu had eaten too much and didn't want to go back to his room to rest, so he went to admire the moon alone under the corridor of the dining hall.
The candlelight behind him flickered, casting his shadow long and thin, like that of a giant.
A lonely and solitary giant.
Aman held the bowl, staring blankly at the shadow.
She didn't understand why she saw a hint of sadness in something that was clearly a dark, indistinct mass.
"Mantou, how about tomorrow? Let's take the young master with us tomorrow," Aman said slowly after thinking for a long time.
Her voice was very low. Mantou was rambling on about his plans for selling vegetables tomorrow. When he heard her words, he thought for a moment that he had misheard. "What nonsense are you talking about? I didn't drink tonight!"
Taking the young master to buy groceries, how could she even think of that?
“I’m not talking nonsense. I think the young master shouldn’t always stay at home. It’s not good for his illness.”
“Grandma, do you think the young master doesn’t want to go out because I won’t let him?” Mantou pulled Aman into the house, afraid that Fu Yunxiu outside would hear. “It’s because the young master himself doesn’t want to go out, and no amount of persuasion will work.”
As for why she doesn't want to go out, even without Mantou saying it, Aman understands. She used to be such a glamorous and carefree person, but now she can only sit in a wheelchair. She wouldn't be able to bear it either.
But we can't just stay cooped up indoors like this forever!
She had only been in the Wutong Garden for a month, yet she already knew it inside and out, let alone the young master who had been living there for over three years.
"Don't mention that to the young master, lest you anger him. Besides, how could you even think of having him sell vegetables? Anyway, let me be clear from the start, don't go looking for trouble and make everyone uncomfortable."
After finishing his sentence, Mantou didn't care whether Aman had listened or not. He took the swill bucket to the backyard to water the trees. Aman stood by the window, looking at the shadowy trees outside, feeling sad.
Mantou is right. Young Master's status is indeed not suitable for appearing in that kind of place. It was my oversight.
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