Chapter 208 Lin Heng's Bad Intentions
It seemed that it had just snowed; the sky was high and there were not many clouds.
It was just right that the sun was shining at this time, so Lin Heng quickened his pace and returned home at around three in the afternoon.
After moving the things back home and tying the horse, Lin Heng went to take a look at Liu Lan's house. There were quite a lot of guests today, all of them were their relatives.
Seeing Lin Heng coming over, Lin Yue smiled and said, "If you don't want to come, just stay at home for a while. There aren't many people here. I can make the liquor for you."
"Thank you, brother."
Lin Heng patted his eldest brother on the shoulder without any hesitation.
I watched a fortune teller perform some rituals, and there were people singing filial songs and beating drums and gongs, it was quite lively.
A large number of people from the village gathered here to watch, and those who could sing even sang a few lines along.
After watching for a while, Lin Heng lost interest, said something to his elder brother and turned back home.
In the room, Xiulan Xiulan had just boiled some water and made a simple bowl of sauerkraut noodles.
After eating, Xiulan looked at Lin Heng and said, "You roll out the dumpling wrappers, and I'll make the dumpling fillings."
"good."
Rolling out dumpling wrappers is not a difficult task. Lin Heng washed his hands, put the dough that had been left since yesterday on the wooden chopping board and started rolling it.
There is no trick, just roll the dough thin. Lin Heng is very strong, and he has already rolled out the dumpling wrappers before Xiulan has even finished making the dumpling fillings.
Just cut with a knife and the palm-sized square dumpling skins are ready.
They use this kind of square dumpling wrapper here, and the dumplings they make are shaped like gold ingots.
"It's done, let's start wrapping."
Xiulan prepared the dumpling stuffing, brought it over and said with a smile.
At this time, Xiaoxia was riding a wooden horse in the main room. There was no one to disturb them, so the two of them started working right away.
Since there was no refrigerator, not many were packed at one time, only about 150 or 60 pieces, enough for three meals for three people.
"I'll knead some more dough. I can just make the remaining dumpling filling into pies." Xiulan said to Lin Heng.
"Go ahead, I'll get some wheat to make malt."
Lin Heng went out to see Xiaoxia, then scooped two kilograms of wheat from the cabinet and soaked it in water.
To malt the barley, you naturally have to soak it overnight to allow the seeds to fully absorb water.
After finishing this, Lin Heng went out to the yard to pick some coriander and green onions for Xiulan so that she could make vinegar soup later.
Xiulan added some spring onions to the meat filling and made it into a vegetable bun-sized pie. After it was done, she put some oil in the pan and fried it on a low fire until both sides were golden brown. The fragrance spread all the way to the yard.
"It smells so good, I want to eat it!"
Xiaoxia sniffed and trotted towards the kitchen.
She was not as tall as the earthen stove, and she could barely grab the edge of the stove with her hands. She couldn't see into the pot, and she was so anxious just by smelling the fragrance.
"Here I come."
Xiulan smiled and scooped out the pie and placed it on the chopping board.
"I want to eat, I want to eat~"
Xiaoxia kept shouting as she looked at the golden pie.
But it wasn't just her. Lin Heng was also drooling. It was already past five o'clock and he was hungry too.
The remaining dumpling filling was used to make four pies, each ten centimeters in diameter.
After it cooled down a little, the three of them took one each and started eating.
When you take a bite, the skin makes a crispy sound, and the inside is soft and full of stuffing. When you eat it, the aroma of oil residue, walnut, sesame and green onion bursts in your mouth, especially the taste of oil residue and walnut, which is perfect when combined together.
However, Lin Heng was still not satisfied, so he got some fermented bean curd and spread it on the surface of the pie, adding a texture and aroma that made people want to swallow their tongue.
The faces of the three people were all filled with happy smiles. In those underdeveloped days in rural areas, if you wanted to eat delicious food, you had to make it yourself, but the food they made seemed to taste much better than what you buy.
Just with these two bites of pie, Lin Heng felt that the time he spent cracking walnuts yesterday was worth it.
“It’s surprisingly delicious.”
After Xiulan finished eating the pie in her hand, she smiled and said, this kind of life is really happy.
"It also depends on your craftsmanship."
Lin Heng smiled and said that his wife's cooking skills also contributed greatly.
Some women in rural areas cook dishes that are so unpalatable that it makes you vomit.
Xiulan smiled slightly, cut the remaining pie into two halves, and gave the larger part to Lin Heng. They were both full after eating it.
As for Xiaoxia, that one pie was enough for her. Afraid that the pie would cool down too quickly, Lin Heng took her into the bedroom. It was warm in the room and it wouldn't cool down so quickly.
After adding a little fire to the fireplace, Xiulan took out the beef tripe she bought today to clean. This thing needs to be cleaned thoroughly with flour and baking soda.
Lin Hengze cut up the beef he bought this year and hung it outside the house. It would be naturally frozen overnight.
After thinking about it, Lin Heng took out a large wooden barrel from the house, filled it with water and placed it in the backyard.
After all this was done, Lin Heng returned to the bedroom, got some rosin and lit it, put the stove on the windowsill, poured a cup of tea and drank it slowly.
"Dad, tell me a story."
Xiaoxia finished eating the pie and threw herself into Lin Heng's arms with her greasy little hands.
When she was caught by Lin Heng, she still had an innocent look on her face, her big eyes blinking, and she looked like she couldn't stand steadily and wanted a hug.
Lin Heng took her to wash her little paws, then held her in his arms and read a storybook to her.
Sometimes, you can only see the results of some things if you do them and persist. For example, Lin Heng insisted on reading to Xiaoxia. In the short term, there seemed to be no change, but now more than half a year has passed, Xiaoxia is much better than other children of the same age in the village in terms of speaking ability and wisdom.
Many three or four-year-old children cannot speak complete sentences and do not understand basic principles, but Xiaoxia is very smart and can remember many things.
It seemed that Xiaoxia was tired after walking on the street for too long today. Lin Heng had only read for a while when she fell asleep in his arms.
After putting her on the bed, Lin Heng wanted to go to bed, but was stopped by Xiulan. She opened her bright eyes and said, "I'm not sleepy yet. Please read for a while."
"good."
Lin Heng nodded and finished reading this chapter to Xiulan.
It was only half past eight when she finished reading, and Xiulan had unknowingly leaned against Lin Heng, leaning on his arm.
"Take a break if you want. I've heard enough."
Xiulan said softly after seeing Lin Heng stop.
“I suddenly feel like writing.”
Lin Heng looked at his wife and said with a smile.
He had practiced calligraphy quite a bit in his previous life, though it certainly couldn't be called calligraphy, it was just at a level that ordinary people would find aesthetically pleasing.
There was ink in the house, but no brush. He remembered that his father's house had one. But it didn't matter whether there was one or not, he could just go back and buy one.
He can also make this thing himself, but he finds it troublesome and the steps are too complicated.
Although I don’t have a brush, I still have a pen, after all, I need to keep accounts frequently.
Lin Heng found two pieces of white paper and took a poetry collection to copy some poems.
His handwriting with a fountain pen was originally average, but after picking up the pen this time, he unexpectedly found that his handwriting had improved.
He thought about it and felt that this might be because his ability to control his fingers had improved. If he had good pen control, his handwriting would naturally not be that bad.
"Do you want to write, honey?"
Lin Heng wrote for a while, then looked at Xiulan who was leaning on him and asked with a smile.
"Then I'll try."
Xiulan took the pen and started copying Li Yu's "Yu Meiren" from the collection of Tang poetry.
She was from a poor family, and she was a girl who only studied in the fourth grade of primary school, so her education level was not high. However, her handwriting was a little beyond Lin Heng's expectations.
She wrote straight and neat characters in regular script.
"Wife, your calligraphy is pretty good too."
Lin Heng was surprised. He had never noticed Xiulan's talent in this area in his previous life. But when he thought about it carefully, life had made her bent over, so how could she have the chance to hold a pen?
Xiulan looked at him and blinked: "Is this true or just to cheer me up?"
"Of course it's true. Your handwriting is very neat."
Lin Heng said with a smile.
Xiulan smiled gently as she was praised: "No one has ever said this before. When I was in school, my favorite things were drawing and writing."
Lin Heng looked at his wife and said softly, "Then I will find a master painter to teach you later."
Going to school was a luxury in those days. Many rural people only went to school for one or two years and were forced to drop out after learning a few words.
Poverty has blocked the paths of too many people. This is the case with Xiulan, and Caiyun would have been the same if it weren’t for Lin Heng.
"Then I'll be waiting for it." Xiulan blinked, a little expectant.
"Then I will teach you how to write first."
Lin Heng grinned and motioned Xiulan to sit on his lap.
Xiulan rolled her eyes at Lin Heng and thought to herself that this guy could only be serious for three seconds.
But at Lin Heng's repeated request, she still sat on it.
Lin Heng didn't have any bad intentions. He just held his wife's hand and put his head on her shoulder to teach her how to write.
It was late at night, and there was silence outside. The house was filled with the faint scent of pine resin, and flames were dancing in the fireplace. Lin Heng held Xiulan's hand and wrote word by word. The fragrance of her magic was refreshing as he breathed it.
With the company of a loved one, just writing becomes a special feeling. Gradually, both of them are immersed in this wonderful feeling and finish a page without realizing it.
"You are so patient now."
Xiulan put down the pen, turned sideways, put her arms on Lin Heng's shoulders, and looked at him with her eyes as clear as autumn water.
“It seems to have started in May.”
Xiulan looked at Lin Heng again and said curiously.
"Because you always believe me when I tell you that I'm a prodigal son."
Lin Heng smiled slightly.
After a pause, he continued, "Actually, I had a dream before I came back. I dreamed about something that happened a long, long time in the future, and I was scared by what happened."
Xiulan looked into Lin Heng's eyes for a while, then gently hugged his neck: "That must be God's help."
Xiulan wanted to say something, but Lin Heng moved his mouth forward and touched her red lips which were so close to her.
"Oh, you're being so frivolous again... um..."
Xiulan wanted to speak more but Lin Heng blocked her mouth.
Her body softened at that moment, and she cooperated in a daze. The two of them quickly stripped each other on the small bench.
Lin Heng hugged his wife and brought her to the bed.
The lights were not turned off. Lin Heng looked at Xiulan, whose face was flushed, and pounced on her like a hungry tiger, eating from top to bottom, not letting go of anything in his path.
Xiulan looked at Lin Heng's head gradually falling and felt that the door to a new century had been opened.
After a long time, Lin Heng pulled Xiulan's head and wanted to kiss her, but she turned her head away.
“No.”
Xiulan shook her head, thinking about what Lin Heng had just done. If he kissed her, wouldn't that be like eating herself? It was really hard to accept.
Lin Heng suddenly held her head and kissed her.
“Hmm…”
Suddenly, Xiulan's eyes widened.
For the first time since she was born, she knew her own taste.
After a few minutes, when Lin Heng let go, Xiulan glared at him fiercely: "You bad guy, you did it on purpose."
Lin Heng chuckled: "I don't even dislike you, but you dislike yourself."
"If you say that again, you'll die!"
Xiulan grabbed Lin Heng's mouth with one hand and pinched the flesh around her waist with the other hand.
"I don't dare anymore."
Lin Heng begged for mercy quickly, saying that it would hurt like hell if he was pinched.
"snort!"
Xiulan glared at him fiercely, turned around and didn't want to say anything to him. This guy definitely did it on purpose and had been planning it for a long time.
Lin Heng moved his body a little further away, and Xiulan immediately moved closer again.
The next morning, when Xiulan was washing her face and brushing her teeth, her pretty face couldn't help but blush when she thought of the ridiculous things that happened yesterday.
Then he raised his head and glared at Lin Heng fiercely.
Lin Heng pretended to know nothing and didn't dare to say anything.
After washing his face, Lin Heng took out the wheat that he had soaked yesterday, put a layer of cloth on the sieve, and poured the wheat on it.
He was naturally preparing to make malt sugar. In the warm environment of the bedroom, the malt would grow very lush in three days.
"Honey, look at the natural refrigerator I made."
Lin Heng shouted to his wife with a smile.
The water in the wooden barrel he placed outside yesterday was all frozen, except for the water in the center which was still liquid.
Pour out the water in the center and place the wooden barrel against the wall where the sun can't reach. It will become a natural refrigerator that can be used for more than a month.
Xiulan took a look and thought that Lin Heng was quite smart, so she nodded and said, "Put the beef in first."
After that, she added, "Go pick some green onions so we can have dumplings for breakfast."
"Okay."
Lin Heng had been missing these dumplings for a long time, so he went to the front yard to pick some green onions. Xiulan quickly prepared a bowl of fragrant vinegar soup.
Lin Heng went to wake Xiaoxia up and get her dressed. After washing her face, she came over and the dumplings in the pot were ready.
After scooping it into a bowl and pouring vinegar soup on it, Lin Heng couldn't help but drool.
Take another bite. The sour taste, the smell of coriander, the aroma of green onions, chili peppers and other seasonings wrap around the dumplings, which already have a great texture and taste. Lin Heng thinks this is even better than the pie he had yesterday.
And this vinegar soup is definitely the soul that makes dumplings more delicious. With this little sour taste, it seems that all the fragrances have a whole new taste.
Lin Heng and Xiulan were silent, eating dumplings in big mouthfuls. Only Xiaoxia was so pitiful that she couldn't get the dumplings into her mouth after holding the spoon for a long time. Finally, she was so anxious that she just grabbed one with her hand and put it into her mouth.
“Delicious~”
After taking a bite, a smile immediately appeared on her face, and she was conquered by the taste of the dumplings.
"It feels like I've finished these twenty before I even eat them. They're so delicious."
Lin Heng drank a sip of vinegar soup and said with a smile.
"Do you want to go down a little more?"
Xiulan looked at him and asked. Lin Heng and Xiaoxia's expressions made her feel that holding the dumplings was worth it.
"Actually, I'm full, but my mouth still wants to eat, right, Xiaoxia?"
Lin Heng said with a smile while feeding Xiaoxia.
"Yes!"
Xiaoxia was chewing something and mumbling softly.
(End of this chapter)
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