Cheng Yue divided the earthen ring into two parts, making one part into pickles and the other into kimchi.
After pickling the dough rings, Chen An also finished polishing the he luo noodle making bed. It was around three o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun was still strong.
Cheng Yue moved the he luo noodle press aside, wiped it clean, and quickly dried it. She estimated that she could make he luo noodles tomorrow.
Before setting up a stall, she had to make the food for her family to taste and get their feedback. She couldn't just go straight to setting up a stall without trying it out; she would always feel uncertain.
Chen An asked Cheng Yue to bring over a few pieces of wood from the base of the courtyard wall, and they started making a bed frame with a clanging sound.
After finishing these tasks, Cheng Yue immediately took apart all the blankets.
Nowadays, the quilts at home don't have covers; they're just made by sewing catkins and willow fluff into the cloth. When they get dirty, we have to take them all apart and wash them, which is really troublesome.
There were several quilts and duvet covers in the space, and Cheng Yue took them all out and changed into them.
There were two small floral print sets that she had used before, but they had been washed clean and were now perfect for her two daughters, Da Ni and Er Ni.
One set of green and white checkered clothes was given to Chen Lin, and two sets of beige clothes were just right for himself and Chen An.
Now that Chen An is covering for her, Cheng Yue can pick up the food openly and generously, feeling much happier. She no longer feels like she can only look but not eat.
"We need to fix this roof quickly, otherwise it will be a real problem when it rains."
Summer is just around the corner, and with the rainy season approaching, Cheng Yue certainly doesn't want to end up living in a water curtain cave.
I don't have enough money to rebuild the house, so I can only make some minor repairs and live there for now. I'll tear it down and rebuild it when I have enough money later.
Chen An nodded and said, "Repairing the roof is not difficult. Just use yellow mud and wheat straw to cover it up. These are readily available."
Ah Yue, why don't you go find Chunlai, Dashan, and Dajiang tomorrow? They're all used to doing this, they can fix it in half a day.
"Okay, I'll find them tomorrow, but I'm afraid they won't accept wages. We can only provide them with a meal."
Cheng Yue originally wanted to use roof tiles, but then she thought that since they had just separated from the family, it would be a bit conspicuous. Yellow mud mixed with wheat straw was also a good option, so she agreed.
"Sure," Chen An replied with a smile.
As the two were talking, Chen Lin, Da Ni, and Er Ni returned, having dug up quite a few more earthen rings.
Chen Lin helped Chen An make the bed frame, while Da Ni and Er Ni went to the spring in the back mountain to wash the floor.
Seeing that it was getting late, Cheng Yue went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
After eating something oily at lunch, Cheng Yue decided to make a light dinner. She thought about it and decided to make a pot of tomato and egg dumpling soup.
I casually picked two tomatoes from my online space, and also pulled up a lettuce and a scallion from the ground.
Sauté tomatoes in oil and salt until they become mushy, then add water and bring to a boil. Add the prepared dough balls, and before serving, sprinkle with shredded lettuce leaves and chopped scallions. A pot of dough ball soup is ready.
"Wow, it smells so good!"
"It's actually a white flour dumpling!"
Da Ni and Er Ni brought their noses close to the edge of the basin and sniffed hard.
Everything Mom makes smells so good, not only fragrant but also beautifully colored. "Huh? What's this red thing? It tastes sour."
Chen An took a sip and found it very delicious. This red stuff? Cheng Yue must have taken it from there.
Cheng Yue replied, "This is called a tomato, also known as a red tomato."
Da Ni and Er Ni blinked; they hadn't heard of it.
Chen An, with a calm expression, played along: "These are dried goods that Dad used to buy when he went out."
The three children didn't think much of it when they heard this. Their father often went out and it wasn't unusual for him to bring back whatever he bought. He must have been afraid that their grandmother would find out, so he secretly hid it.
Cheng Yue and Chen An exchanged a smile and continued to calmly eat their noodle soup.
That evening, Da Ni and Er Ni looked at the pink floral quilt on the bed and exclaimed in surprise, "This quilt...it's so pretty!"
Cheng Yue smiled; she knew no little girl could dislike pink.
As for why she has it, it's because she's old.
Although she was only twenty-seven years old...
Women often fall in love with pink again as they get older, and she was no exception.
Chen An was efficient and finished making the bed before going to sleep. Cheng Yue called Chen Lin to carry it to the empty room next door and then made the green and white checkered quilt for Chen Lin.
Chen Lin's eyes widened in surprise. He not only had his own room, but also new bedding just like his sisters'.
This time, Chen An didn't even need to say anything; the three children all assumed that Chen An had bought and hidden the new blankets in advance, and they slept very soundly that night, hugging the soft and warm new blankets.
Cheng Yue slept nervously next to Chen An, and her sleep wasn't as restful.
I dream about Chen Anbang's rock-hard pectoral muscles and well-defined abs. It's such a sin...
The next day, the whole family was in high spirits, except for Cheng Yue, who had dark circles under her eyes and looked unwell with droopy eyebrows.
After breakfast, Cheng Yue carried her basket to find Zhang Dashan and the others, leaving Chen An and the three children looking at each other in bewilderment.
"Dad, what's wrong with Mom?" Chen Lin scratched his head. He asked his mother this morning, and she only said that everything was fine, but she didn't look like she was fine at all.
"Dad, did you bully Mom?" Erni pouted. Mom was so happy when she slept with them, so why did she stop smiling when she slept with Dad?
Chen An was even more puzzled, as he had clearly slept soundly last night.
Da Ni covered her mouth and giggled, "Dad, it must be your snoring that disturbed Mom."
Chen Lin nodded to Erni. No wonder their mother looked listless; she hadn't slept well.
Chen An: "..." He doesn't snore! Besides, I've never seen A-Yue like this before.
Cheng Yue was unaware that her family was discussing her. After descending the mountain, she first went to the village head's house, where the family had finished eating and were chatting.
When the village head's wife, Madam Feng, saw Cheng Yue arrive, she quickly greeted her with a smile and invited her to sit down, "Chen An's wife, come and sit down, is everything settled?"
Although the original owner didn't interact much with the villagers, everyone knew she had a good personality. This was mainly because Zhao Shi was always gossiping throughout the village, saying that Cheng Yue had gotten a good deal because of her low dowry and good personality.
Therefore, everyone in the village knows that Cheng Yue has a good temper, and even if they are not close to her, they are willing to spend more time with her.
"Aunt Feng, everything is settled. I came here to ask Brother Dashan and Brother Dajiang to help me fix the roof."
Cheng Yue said with a smile, putting down the basket and lifting the cloth to bring out two bowls of chicken. "This is to thank Uncle Lizheng, Brother Dashan, and Brother Dajiang for helping us move. Please accept it."
When a bowl of fragrant chicken was placed on the table, the Zhang family members were all excited.
Although their family was relatively well-off, they could only afford to eat meat twice a year. It was no wonder they were shocked when Cheng Yue served them two large bowls of meat.
The Zhang brothers, in particular, repeatedly refused: "Sister-in-law, please take it back to Chen An to help him recover. We all ate a good meal from you on the day we moved, you can't do this!"
“Chen An’s wife, take this meat back. The brothers are good friends, so it’s only right that they help each other out. There’s no need to be so polite.”
Cheng Yue thought they were good people, and Zhang Lizheng was very pleased, but he absolutely could not accept the gifts. Everyone has their difficulties, and helping each other is just a matter of course. How could he expect anything in return?
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