Chapter 235: Big Mess of Idle People
The sun rose higher and higher, and people came to get seeds one after another. Before we knew it, noon was approaching.
Su Silang got to know the little kids in the village from strangers until they were familiar with each other. He played until his stomach growled. He ran to Su Ruojin and said, "Sister, I'm hungry. I want to eat something."
At this moment, it is already ten o'clock in the morning and it is time to cook lunch. If it were at home, the little guy would eat some snacks to fill his hunger, such as cakes, twisted dough sticks, glutinous rice cakes, etc. But now he didn't see his sister bring these things, so he didn't know what to eat to fill his stomach.
Su Ruojin looked at the little kids who followed them, took out maltose from her bag, and said with a smile, "If you want to eat, please line up after Su Cheng. Don't fight or grab. Everyone has a share. After you finish eating, I'll ask you to ask my mother at home if she has any cabbage, chicken greens, eggs, pickled meat, etc. If she does, you can bring them to me and sell them to me. The price is based on the market price. No one will be cheated!"
In the countryside, sugar is a precious commodity. The little kids' eyes sparkle with excitement, but they are too shy to touch it.
Su Chengzhi was very proud when his elder sister gave candies to his friends. He quickly turned around and reached out to pull his good friends and lined them up. Influenced by Su Ruojin, he pulled two or three of his best friends and then lined them up from youngest to oldest.
As he pulled, he imitated his elder sister's words: "Don't fight, don't grab, everyone has a share."
Zhao Lan stood under the shade of the tree, watching with great interest, and couldn't help but smile.
The sunlight shines through the branches of the big trees, forming mottled light and shadows, shining on people, like a dream. The young man is like a banished immortal who walked out of a misty ink painting, making people dare not look him in the face.
Yu Shuilian squatted behind the makeshift stove. Lord Su went to the countryside to distribute seeds and found children over thirteen years old in Yi Guangtang to help. He paid fifty cents a day and selected six of them. She was the only young lady.
Seeing that the young lady was young, he originally did not plan to bring her with him. She was the one who begged to come along. Why did she insist on coming along? Besides the fifty cents she could get, the most important thing was that she could see Master Shangguan.
Thinking that Young Master Shangguan was going to work with Lord Su's daughter, she couldn't help but feel sad and overwhelmed. But what she didn't expect was that there was actually a man in this world who was more handsome than Young Master Shangguan.
For a moment, she was stunned.
"Miss Yu."
Mao Ya couldn't help but remind her, "The water is boiling, don't add any more wood."
"Oh oh." Yu Shuilian was caught peeking and her face turned red with embarrassment. She lowered her head and hurriedly took out the wood that she had just stuffed in.
Each of the little kids was given a piece of candy. They held it in their hands as if it were a treasure, and their mouths were grinning from ear to ear with joy.
Su Ruojin reminded them, "If you eat my candy, you have to go home and ask if there is any cabbage!"
A little kid wearing a bellyband immediately raised his hand and said, "Beautiful sister, I have one at home, I have one at home, I will go home now and ask mom to get it for me..." Before he could finish his words, he ran away like the wind.
Other children followed suit.
In the blink of an eye, the group of little brats that were disliked by cats and dogs disappeared before their eyes.
It turned out that this was Ah Jin's idea. Seeing the children running away, he walked over, stretched out his slender hand, and smiled as bright as the sun.
Su Ruojin smiled and took out a candy from her bag, "This is different."
He saw it.
Being treated specially by the young lady, Zhao Lan was like a happy dumpling. He took the candy and put it in his mouth. Wow, it was really sweet.
Hua Ping, who was covered in dog food, almost forgot about the main thing, "Ajin, the master asked what to eat for lunch today, can you bring some for the old man?"
"Yes, of course." Su Ruojin said with a smile, "Mother Dong, how many coarse flour buns have been made? Can we start steaming them now?"
Mother Dong, along with Chunxiao, Qiuyue, Maoya and a few hired little boys, had already mixed the coarse flour and made steamed buns, and were just waiting for the young master's order to put them on the makeshift big stove.
The large steamers are stacked layer upon layer, with twenty to thirty pieces on each layer, for a total of eight layers. That's it, of course not enough for more than a hundred people, so after finishing this pot of steaming, they have to continue steaming.
As the steam rose, the makeshift dining area became as lively as a wedding in the village. There were old men and women watching the fun, and little kids with snotty noses gathered in front of the two large stoves, looking at them stupidly.
"Second Madam, just..." Really eat these things?
Although one cannot be extravagant when doing work in the countryside, this is too simple.
Su Ruojin teased him deliberately, "So what does Uncle Hua want to eat?"
"At least have some soup or some pickles or something." Who can eat just the steamed bun?
Su Ruojin couldn't help laughing, "Look how anxious Uncle Hua is. For lunch today, we not only have soup and pickled vegetables, but also a delicious hotpot."
"Then you need pork belly and mushrooms. Why didn't I see you bring them?"
"This big stew is not the same as that big stew. At least it can satisfy Uncle Hua at noon."
To satisfy him, Su Ruojin had to cook herself.
Hua Ping finally reacted, "So that's it." Even though it was just plain water, he was looking forward to it.
If Su Ruojin knew what Uncle Hua was thinking, she would definitely roll her eyes. However, she didn't have time for that. The little kids who got the candies had already called the female heads of the family over. The women were carrying baskets filled with all kinds of things.
From pine needles to pickled pork belly that had been stored for who knows how long, and the mushrooms that Huaping had been thinking about, in short, there was nothing they couldn't come up with, except for things that you couldn't think of.
Of course, here we only refer to ordinary things that can grow in the village and on the mountains.
After a while, Su Ruojin collected three full baskets, and spent a total of more than two hundred coins, which was only a few coins to each peasant woman. But for the peasant women who had no source of income, this was an unexpected windfall. They praised Su Ruojin as a flower and asked her if she would come tomorrow.
It will definitely come out tomorrow, but not in this village.
Although Su Ruojin bought all the food the women brought, not all of them could be cooked in one pot. Some foods conflicted with each other, so Su Ruojin would take them out first and use them in the next meal.
Mother Dong led a few helpers to wash and cut things by the well.
There is strength in numbers, and it was done in no time.
Su Ruojin rolled up her sleeves, picked up the large spatula and started working.
First, put the sliced pork belly into the pan and stir-fry until the oil comes out. As the oil is simmering, the aroma will rise up, and the fragrance of lard will waft around for two miles. The children are so greedy that they gather around and stand by the stove, drooling unconsciously.
Su Ruojin: …She just got so angry now, is that all?
Is this picnic a bit too much?
No matter what, the aroma of the meat has already come out, and it is impossible to keep it low-key. Who doesn’t love delicious food?
Although it is a hodgepodge, there are rules about which ingredients to put in first and which to put in later. Su Ruojin stood in front of the stove calmly, as if he was commanding thousands of troops, very imposing.
Zhao Lan stood beside her, smiling all the time. Seven years ago, the young lady who carried a small stool to reach the stove had grown into a graceful young lady. The stove was so low that she had to bend down.
The years are sometimes lively and sometimes dull, but there must always be someone to accompany you.
Zhao Lan turned his head and looked at the young lady. As he was busy, a strand of hair fell beside his ear. "Ajin——"
"Ah!" Su Ruojin, who was cooking, turned around.
Zhao Lan pointed at her ear.
Oh, Su Ruojin understood immediately and raised her hand to tuck the troublesome hair behind her ears.
Follow the side face.
The two looked at each other and smiled.
Warm and beautiful.
Ye Huaizhen, who was helping, said: ...turned his head and looked away.
Yu Shuilian lowered her head behind the stove, her whole face burning.
Hanahira: ...Another day of being ruthlessly crushed.
Su Yanli, who had investigated public opinion, led the old man towards the big stove that was filled with fragrant smell, but was unexpectedly dazzled by a young couple.
This…wasn’t this his and his wife’s daily routine before?
Could it be that these actions have unknowingly affected my daughter? Is it too late to curb the behavior now?
The pickled meat, mushrooms, etc. have brought out the flavor of the soup. Now start adding various vegetables to the soup.
When making a big hodgepodge, it is best to tear all the vegetables by hand. This way the dishes are easier to absorb the flavor during the cooking process and the nutrition of the vegetables is not destroyed.
Su Ruojin placed the vegetable basket next to the pot and put the chopped vegetables into the pot according to their degree of ease of cooking.
Zhao Lan couldn't help but put the vegetables into the pot, but Su Ruojin looked down on him and asked, "Have you washed your hands?"
Shuangrui quickly brought water for hand washing.
Zhao Lan turned around, washed his hands, and then put the vegetables into the pot with Su Ruojin.
Su Yanli, who had already stopped walking, said: …
Should I pretend that I saw it or pretend that I didn’t see it?
Su Yanzu, who was so busy that he was hungry, was just about to come over to ask his niece, the cook, for food, but when he saw his brother, he walked up to him in an unkind manner and said, "Brother, where are you going?"
Su Yanli, who was pretending not to see it, said: …
Zhao and Su turned their heads when they heard Su Yanzu's voice: ...
Why do I feel like I've been caught by my parents?
Zhao Lan suddenly waved his hand, quickly stood aside, and looked up at the scenery in the sky.
The sky is very blue today, with almost no white clouds. It is a really sunny day.
Su Ruojin glanced at the guilty Zhao Lan. She was thick-skinned and didn't take it seriously. She said to his father and uncle, "It's almost ready. You can eat it soon."
Northeastern hotpot is simple and easy to cook, contains both meat and vegetarian ingredients, is rich in nutrition, and tastes delicious and fragrant. It is a common Northeastern home-cooked dish in later generations, and is also one of the Northeastern people’s favorite New Year dishes during the Chinese New Year.
Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for a few minutes before you can start eating.
Su Ruojin looked over at Mother Dong. She had already poured the steamed buns into a large basket. Soon two baskets were full and she continued with the second steaming.
"It's time for dinner, it's time for dinner."
Su Ruojin's hodgepodge is also ready.
“Queue up, queue up…”
Magistrate Su took the lead in queuing up and took a coarse earthenware bowl. His daughter scooped him a bowl of hotpot. Mother Dong gave him two steamed buns, which he took, found a place to squat and began to eat with big mouthfuls.
The onlookers were all stunned.
Their handsome and young county magistrate was squatting like them, holding a bowl in one hand and a steamed bun in the other, eating and drinking lavishly? How could he be so approachable?
What a good official.
The old man was pulled to the second place in line. He was very embarrassed and took a big ceramic bowl to receive two steamed buns. He squatted beside the county magistrate with a red face and drank a mouthful of soup carefully. In an instant, his two birthday eyebrows were raised by the delicious taste, "Oh my God, there is such a delicious mixed vegetable soup in the world."
Vegetable soup?
Su Ruojin:...Okay, about the same.
Whether it was the patrol officers in the county government office, Zhao Lan's guards, or the accountant brought by Su Yanzu, they originally thought that the county magistrate was eating steamed buns just to show off, but they didn't expect that the mixed vegetable soup and steamed buns could actually taste like a feast.
Wow, it’s really fresh and delicious. What’s in it makes you unable to stop eating it.
Su Ruojin immediately stewed the second pot, and the third pot. In between, there were villagers and little kids queuing up, but she pretended not to see them and served them food and steamed buns. It was not until the fifth pot that Su Ruojin and others got to eat the big stew she had made.
Su Ruojin, who was already extremely hungry, also felt that the hotpot was the most delicious delicacy in the world, bar none.
Uh... this is a bit exaggerated, but when people are hungry, everything is delicious!
For five consecutive days, Su Yanli's team went to the countryside to distribute seeds, and they became a sight to behold wherever they went. His spirit of hard work also became a good story in Weizhou County. In short, during these five days, the common people had only one belief, that is, this county magistrate was a good person and could be dealt with.
The former chief clerk and the county magistrate did not have any chance to exploit any loopholes in this seed distribution incident, and they were so angry that they overturned the wine table.
"It's ridiculous. The Su guy is such a thief that he actually used this method to bribe the common people."
No one expected that Su Yanli's method of winning over the people would be so quick, efficient, and cost-free.
The former chief said: "This man is so cunning and treacherous."
"Yes, yes, it's all because Lord Su is too cunning and treacherous, so I have no chance to intervene in the grain issue."
The former county magistrate looked at the bribed pawn and glared coldly, "If I can't find another opportunity, I'll think about this filial tribute later."
"Master, we have just arrived. He has just arrived, so he will definitely start a new fire. After these three fires are finished, it won't be too late for us to slowly deal with him."
The former chief clerk and the former county prime minister looked at each other, thought for a moment, and agreed with each other's words.
What else can they do now if not wait for an opportunity? The two of them were preparing to leave dejectedly.
The person they bribed said, "I heard that the county magistrate's brother has found a shop and is planning to open a grain shop here."
"What?"
The two were horrified.
After distributing the seeds, Su Ruojin helped his uncle find a shop and warehouse.
Since the people he brought with him were all experienced, they moved very quickly and set up the shop in just a few days. They also brought in a boatload of grain, including rice, flour, millet and beans. The price was definitely higher than when there were no natural disasters or man-made disasters, but it was much cheaper than Ma's and others.
However, in order to survive until the beginning of next spring, Longmao Grain Store did not open every day. Instead, it opened on odd-numbered days and closed on even-numbered days, ensuring that the people of Weizhou County had enough food in a steady and long-term manner.
Until mid-September, the common people received the silver promised by Lord Su by seeing the sprouts in the fields. People in the entire Weizhou countryside worshipped the county magistrate as a god.
"The sky in our Weizhou County has really become clearer."
"We are going to have a good life."
…
Walking on the street, Su Ruojin could hear the sighs of the common people. She was not in the mood, but asked in confusion, "Brother Jin, you have been here for half a month. Do you have such a long vacation?"
The situation in the capital has changed and it has become the world of the villain Yang Jingzi.
Zhao Lan turned to look at the young lady, "If I become an idle person, will Ah Jin support me?"
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