Chapter 361 Making Sweet Potato Flour
Seeing Zhao Dongmei's expression of utter despair no matter what she said, Song Lubai felt that if she said anything more, she would seem less than human.
“Say what you have to say to my face, don’t talk behind my back. If you stay silent now, people will think I’m bullying you.”
Given Zhao Hongying's temperament, if it were anyone else, she would have already started supporting Song Lubai. But with Zhao Dongmei in this state, she was afraid that if she said a few more words, Song Lubai would burst into tears. She simply couldn't bring herself to speak.
Even so, Zhao Hongying still said, "What do you mean by not saying anything? Is what Song Lubai said true or false? Say something! If I've wronged you, at least defend yourself a bit."
Zhao Dongmei's malice rose from the bottom of her heart, and she suddenly became bolder. She looked at Song Lubai and said, "You are the regimental commander's wife, and your husband is the regimental commander. Of course, whatever you say goes. There are plenty of people who want to please you. No matter what the truth is, everyone will flatter you. What do you want me to say?"
When the topic of flattery came up, Zhao Dongmei glanced at Zhao Hongying.
Zhao Dongmei felt that Song Lubai didn't like her at all anyway, and no matter what she said, no one could verify what happened in her hometown. Who knew if what she said was true or false? What could Song Lubai do to her?
Zhao Hongying stood up, ready to argue with her for hundreds of rounds, but Song Lubai grabbed her arm and looked at Zhao Dongmei, asking, "Do you think I don't know much? Do you know how your ex-husband died? He was smashed to death by his uncle with a hammer, right in front of me. He was almost smashed into mincemeat. Do you know what your ex-husband said before he died?"
Song Lubai's meaningful gaze fell on the child Zhao Dongmei was holding.
Zhao Dongmei's heart tightened instantly. She tightened her grip on the child, her eyes immediately shifting elsewhere, and she felt a chill run down her spine.
Last year, after she ran back to the city, she only heard about Lu Jianxi's death, but didn't know how he died.
The days she spent with Lu Jianxi felt like a nightmare she couldn't wake up from. Even after hearing the news of his death, she still felt a sense of unreality. Today, after hearing about what happened on the day he died and seeing the look in Song Lubai's eyes, she began to believe that Song Lubai really did know everything.
Zhao Dongmei hugged her child tightly, beginning to regret her stubbornness earlier.
“I, I, I didn’t, I didn’t say anything. I just heard from my ex-husband that his uncle’s leg was broken by your mother. I didn’t see it with my own eyes.”
Seeing her nervousness making her eyes dart around, Song Lubai said, "You know the truth in your heart. You know your ex-husband was a beast. Even here, you would speak ill of a woman who didn't harm you, but you wouldn't speak ill of a bad man who didn't treat you like a human being. You don't care about the living, but you care about a dead villain. Zhao Dongmei, I really want to know what's going on in your head."
Zhao Dongmei, who had been anxiously waiting for Song Lubai to say something, paused for a moment after hearing these words, and then lowered her head.
After Song Lubai stood up, she said, "If I were you, I wouldn't have given birth to this child. If I ever hear you spreading rumors again, you won't have a peaceful life."
Song Lubai entered the house, and Aunt Lu and Zhao Hongying, who were still confused, glanced at Zhao Dongmei.
Zhao Dongmei walked away with her head down, holding the child.
Aunt Lu asked Zhao Hongying, "Just now, the regimental commander's wife said that someone smashed someone into mincemeat?"
Zhao Hongying said, "Zhao Dongmei's ex-husband was smashed into a pulp by his uncle."
Aunt Lu covered her mouth in shock and said, "Isn't that Xiao Song's stepfather?"
Zhao Hongying said, "Her mother and stepfather divorced. As soon as you hear that those two men are both bad, you know they're both scoundrels. Sister Lu, we can't just talk badly about women like Zhao Dongmei does. It's all those two bad guys' fault. If we're going to talk, we should talk about the people who have done bad things."
Aunt Lu nodded and said, "That makes sense. We only criticize whoever did the wrong thing."
Although they say that, when a man in a family gets into trouble, it is often his whole family that is looked down upon and gossiped about.
Zhao Hongying stroked her chin and said, "I used to think Zhao Dongmei looked honest and pitiful, but now that I think about it, that's not the case at all."
Aunt Lu whispered, "Sigh, she's a pitiful person too. But I heard that Feng Xiaolong is biased. He always puts his own child first. He's not very good to Zhao Dongmei and her son."
Zhao Hongying said, "You feel sorry for her, but she doesn't feel sorry for herself. If she felt sorry for herself, she would just show her temper. What's the use if she doesn't fight for herself or for her child?"
As soon as Zhao Dongmei entered the house carrying her child, Feng Xiaolong asked, "What does the regimental commander's wife want with you?"
Zhao Dongmei shook her head and said, "I'm not doing anything."
Feng Xiaolong instructed, "I told you to get along well with the regimental commander's wife, but you haven't even gone to visit her."
Zhao Dongmei kept her head down and didn't say anything.
It will never be possible again.
She could sense that Song Lubai disliked her intensely. She had offended him again, and it would be good enough if Song Lubai didn't make things difficult for her in the future.
Having obtained the recipe for making sweet potato starch, Song Lubai prepared to try it out.
There was also a pile of sweet potatoes in the cellar; she went down and brought back about five pounds of them.
The sweet potatoes grown here are mostly white-fleshed. The craftsmen said that yellow-fleshed sweet potatoes have a higher starch yield than other varieties.
These five catties won't yield much flour, and it's uncertain whether they can even be processed. She can't afford to waste too much grain.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into small pieces. Then, mash them into a paste with a knife. Put the paste into a bucket and pound it vigorously with a thick stick.
When Song Lubai got tired, Zhao Hongying took over; when Zhao Hongying got tired, Chen Shaohua took over; and when Chen Shaohua got tired, Chen Jingwen took over. The group took turns pounding the sweet potato pulp into a paste.
Seeing that the liquid in the bucket was gray, Song Lubai thought it was about right. She took a bowl, scooped up a bowl of liquid, and poured it onto a bowl lined with a layer of white gauze.
The Chen brothers each held one end of the gauze, watching the liquid slowly filter through it.
The liquid was filtered very slowly. The filtered liquid was poured into a clean basin, and the residue on the gauze was moved aside.
The craftsman said that this step is crucial: there should be no hard lumps or small pieces in the starch, otherwise the texture will be unpleasant.
Several people worked from around 7 p.m. until after midnight, but they only managed to get about half a basin of sweet potato water.
At the end, Zhao Hongying, holding her back, said, "No wonder it's so expensive in stores, it takes so much effort. I don't even know if we can make it successfully."
The Chen brothers were incredibly curious. They had eaten vermicelli before, but they didn't know it was made this way.
The two looked at the water in the basin and asked, "Aren't glass noodles supposed to be solid? Why is it watery now?"
Song Lubai said, "This basin of water needs to be left to stand overnight. After the starch settles out, it can be dried before making vermicelli."
The two nodded as if they understood, "Then we'll help Auntie out then."
Song Lubai nodded and said, "Alright, go to sleep. Your mom has come to call you several times already."
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