A bowl of mutton soup
Huizi put the washed lamb ribs and chopped lamb into a pot of cold water. After the soup boiled, she carefully beat the foam, put in the pepper and ground pepper, sprinkled with salt, and then simmered it slowly over low heat.
The drizzle fell silently. Huizi leaned against the kitchen door, watching the mist rising from the pot rising and drifting in the rain and mist. She felt more peaceful than ever before.
"Huizi, sit down and rest for a while. It will take a long time to cook the mutton." The old lady pointed at her bench and called Huizi.
Huizi collected her thoughts, curved her eyes, and quickly walked into the house to help the old lady sit down: "Grandma, please sit down. I will help Xiu'er make steamed buns."
Flat-fried steamed buns are a standard dish for mutton. At Huizi's mother's house, steamed buns made from unleavened flour are served with mutton soup. After dipping them in the mutton soup, they are required to be chewy, flavorful, and smooth. The people in Xiaogou Village eat steamed buns made from leavened dough. The steamed buns are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and have absorbed the rich aroma of mutton soup. Every bite of the bun is filled with the rich aroma of mutton soup. Add a clove of garlic on top, and the taste is so good that even a god would not trade it for anything else.
In the kitchen, Yang Xiu was pinching the dough into even pieces. Xizi took the dough and kneaded it into a round dough in a few strokes. Seeing Huizi coming in, Yang Xiu greeted him with a smile: "Is the pot boiling?"
Huizi nodded: "This is a half-grown lamb. It will be almost done if we simmer it over low heat for an hour." She rolled up her sleeves and said, "Xiu'er, can I fry it for you?"
"Okay..." Yang Xiu nodded. Take the raw dough and make it into small round cakes.
The old lady turned on a low fire, Huizi put the dough into the pot, picked up an awl and poke a few small holes in it, covered the pot and waited for it to be turned over.
…
In the main room, Hu Yufeng was sitting upright, practicing calligraphy stroke by stroke. The room was a little cold, and her hand holding the pen felt a little stiff. She clenched her fist and then unclenched it to stretch it out and prepare to continue writing. But as she smelled the fresh aroma of mutton soup filling the courtyard, her stomach began to growl. Swallowing hard, she simply packed up her books, rushed out of the main room, opened the lid of the pot, and saw the snow-white mutton soup steaming and fragrant.
Qin Shengtian, who had just entered the room, quickly put down his carrying pole and came over. "Is it ready? Can we eat it?"
Hu Yufeng swallowed again. She also wanted to know, is it time to eat?
Huizi heard the noise and took out a pair of chopsticks. She stuck the chopsticks into the mutton and tested it. "It will be ready in about ten minutes..."
Qin Shengtian was disappointed at first, but then he took a few quick steps, picked up the carrying pole and walked towards the tofu shop. It would be time for dinner in about ten minutes, so he had to feed the sheep quickly to prevent the old woman from causing trouble right before dinner.
Seeing that he was sensible, Hu Yufeng followed him into the kitchen without saying anything. The kitchen was also steaming hot. A full bowl of steamed buns was placed on the table, and Xizi was chopping garlic sprouts, chopped green onions and coriander on the chopping board.
"Where's Xiu'er?" she asked.
"I was refining mutton fat, and she left first!" Huizi stirred the mutton fat in the pot with one hand and turned back to say to Hu Yufeng.
"Is this spicy mutton fat?" Hu Yufeng nodded first, then moved closer after watching Huizi's actions.
Huizi nodded. The essence of mutton soup lies in that spoonful of chili oil, which is fragrant but not greasy, fresh but not spicy. Compared with the bland taste of clear oil, the thick mutton oil and chili are the perfect match for mutton soup.
"It just so happened that there was a small piece of mutton fat in the bag that my uncle brought back, and I thought that it would be enough for today's meal. In fact, the authentic mutton fat chili needs to be boiled for an hour or two. We don't have much oil, and we don't have time today, so I might as well boil some and make some oil-splashed chili and try..." Huizi explained.
Hu Yufeng smiled and nodded, praising him: "No wonder people often say that the mutton soup in your hometown is famous. Today, thanks to you, we are all lucky enough to have a taste of it..."
Huizi smiled and said that she was benefiting from the Qin family. She hasn't had a delicious meal since she left home at the age of fourteen. Even if she cooked it, she never put it on the table, and had to make do with leftovers.
It was only during the two months she came to work that she began to live like a human being.
…
It was said to be about ten minutes, and Qin Shengtian was calculating and wandering in front of the big pot. Seeing this, Huizi came out with chopsticks and pricked the mutton again. It was cooked!
Hu Yufeng held the basin, Huizi took out all the meat and bones in the pot, and then Xizi cut the mutton into thin slices for later use.
The stove was lit on high heat, and when the snow-white hot soup boiled, Huizi added the cooked lamb blood strips and soaked vermicelli and tofu one by one, covered the pot and cooked for three to five minutes.
Qin Wenli took the plate consciously. There were several bowls neatly placed on the plate. At the bottom of the bowls were the mutton and lamb chops that Hu Yufeng had grabbed. Huizi took the bowl and scooped tofu and vermicelli into it, then added a full spoonful of soup and passed it to him. Qin Wenli quickly brought it to the dining table in the main hall and called out to everyone in the family: Let's eat!
The red chili oil on the table had begun to solidify. Qin Shengtian quickly scooped a spoonful of chili and poured it on the hot soup. The red oil quickly spread everywhere. He scooped up a large spoonful of chopped green onions and garlic sprouts and sprinkled them on. Suddenly, the red was rich and the green was verdant, coupled with the snow-white tofu cubes that were popping out. Qin Shengtian could no longer hold back and sip. After taking a sip of the soup, his tongue was lifted and his mouth was filled with the spicy and fresh fragrance. He took another sip without feeling it was too hot and sighed comfortably!
If it had been in the past, Hu Yufeng would have started scolding: Have you never eaten? You keep smacking your lips, and you don’t even feel disgusted!
But now, the mutton soup I had been thinking about all morning appeared in my hands. The mutton blood was tender and the vermicelli was thin and long, and the bread that was broken into it was stained with oil and chili, and it looked greasy. Forget about Qin Shengtian and his eating manners; at this moment, she just couldn't wait to take a big bite.
Thinking of this, she blew carefully twice and then couldn't wait to put her mouth to the bowl. It has no fishy taste when you take a bite, and your mouth is filled with the aroma of chili and the warmth of the broth. This hot current slides into the stomach and turns into hot air rising from the stomach, like a thick and warm wool blanket, wrapping up the empty and cold stomach in the severe cold! The next moment, the coldness that had enveloped her whole body seemed to be forced out from her pores by the heat, and her brows immediately relaxed.
I couldn't help but stretch out my chopsticks to pick up a piece of mutton. It was indeed a half-grown lamb, the meat was soft and tender, refreshing and not greasy. Take another bite of the sheep's blood, it's fresh, tender and smooth, without any fishy smell.
Her eyes lit up, "This meat doesn't smell at all, I'll let Xiu'er try it!"
Without giving Qin Wenli time to react, she took two more sips and got up to leave.
In the cold kitchen, Yang Xiu was alone eating pancakes and vegetables, forming a sharp contrast with the hustle and bustle of the main room. Somehow Hu Yufeng thought of the little cabbage in the story.
"Xiu'er, Huizi's soup doesn't smell like mutton at all. How about you try it?" Seeing her daughter-in-law shaking her head, she said, "It's okay if you don't eat the meat, just drink the soup?"
Yang Xiu refused frantically. For her, there was no mutton that didn't smell like mutton, and she would not eat it.
Seeing her resolute attitude, Hu Yufeng had no choice but to persuade her: "Then how about I make you some egg soup or something? Wouldn't you choke on dry biscuits?"
Yang Xiu nodded, indicating that she accepted her mother-in-law's kindness.
In the main room, everyone drank a bowl of hot soup. They felt their mouths numb, their foreheads sweating, and they felt comfortable all over.
Seeing Hu Yufeng coming back, he hurriedly told her to eat quickly. Seeing this, Hu Yufeng also waved her hand and said, "There's plenty of soup in the pot. If you're not full, go add more..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qin Shengtian was the first to rush out with the bowl in his arms. Seeing this, she was so upset that she increased the speed at which she ate her rice, otherwise it would all be drunk up by the old man!
…
After a delicious meal of mutton soup, Hu Yufeng slumped in the chair with her belly protruding. She wiped the hot sweat from the tip of her nose and called Qin Wenli.
"It's the beginning of winter today. Let's wait until the rain stops and then go for a run around Linjiagou, shall we?"
Winter is a season that businessmen love and hate. It is the leisurely season of the year for rural people. In this age of scarcity of entertainment, the only place for leisure is the town fair. In addition, farm work is heavy nowadays, so farmers only gain weight in the winter to store energy. How to make it? Isn't it just eating something oily? We can't eat meat for every meal. Fried twisted dough biscuits can also satisfy our cravings! Therefore, winter is also a season with booming sales for Lao Qin’s products.
But the winter in the northwest is cold. It is different from the bone-deep cold in the south, and it is not as cold as the heavy snow and freezing in the northeast. It is just the dry cold that blows with the dust and seems to want to make a big gap in your face. When it snows, there will be no gentle snowflakes falling on your shoulders, but only cold wind blowing snow foam into your face and hurting it. After a snowfall, the dirt roads were still relatively fine, but on the national highway there were only clear icicles that were crushed into water and then frozen into ice by large trucks, shining with cold light all the way. That thing is so big that even a four-legged cat would have to do splits if it stood on it, let alone a two-legged person or a three-wheeled vehicle.
So once the snow falls, it means the stalls are closed. Fortunately, the inspection is not strict now, and the bus drivers are skilled and brave, so they will drive away as usual even after stabbing people. Otherwise, the family would be completely shut down!
Of course, the Beginning of Winter is just the Beginning of Winter. The real winter is still at least half a month away. But we can’t be complacent. What if God goes crazy one day? So now we are racing against God. As long as they can get it before the snow starts to fall, the family will have more income!
Qin Wenli was also aware of this. He nodded when he heard it and started to think about it.
…
The rain stopped the next day, but the sky was gloomy and looked unhappy.
It doesn’t matter whether you are happy or not, as long as you don’t cry. Qin Wenli packed his things quickly. Hu Yufeng, Xizi and Huizi each wrapped themselves tightly in a cotton-padded jacket and huddled in the truck bed, heading towards Linjiagou!
When we reached Sancha, we dropped the two people off and then roared all the way to Linjiagou.
Linjiagou, as the name suggests, is a ditch. After the fork in the road, the car continued to spiral along the third road, which made Hu Yufeng feel dizzy. Then the car started to climb the slope and continued to spiral. When Hu Yufeng was about to lose her sense of direction, the car finally stopped.
When Hu Yufeng raised her eyes, she saw on both sides not very tall but continuous mountains, one after another, as if there was no end. No, there is an end, and the end is also a mountain. Linjiagou Township is like a gap nestled among the mountains, which makes people feel a little depressed when looking at it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
