Under Cheng Yue's hands-on guidance, Chen Ning has mastered the use of the oven and the baking time for various pastries.
Making pastries is actually the most tiring task. Cheng Yue took on most of the work herself, while Chen Ning, being younger, was in charge of baking. In her spare time, she would watch Cheng Yue make pastries and learn from her.
Making zongzi is simple, so Cheng Yue wasn't in a hurry. She spent the first few days making all the pastries first, and then made the zongzi whenever she had a spare moment.
Especially after dinner, since there's nothing else to do, the family can chat while wrapping zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).
The mother and daughter were busy all day. Cheng Yue looked at the time and rubbed her sore wrists, stretched her waist, and walked out of the kitchen.
"Xiao Ning, that's enough for today. We'll stop baking this batch and continue tomorrow."
My heels are sore from standing all day.
Chen Ning immediately brought a small stool for Cheng Yue and said sensibly, "Mom, sit down quickly, I'll massage your legs."
She can sit while staring at the oven, but her mother has to stand all day to make pastries; just thinking about it makes me feel tired.
Cheng Yue felt comforted and smiled, "You're such a good daughter, Mother. But I'm not that delicate. It's alright. Let's sit down and rest for a bit. We'll have to cook again soon."
Ignoring Cheng Yue's attempts to stop her, Chen Ning squatted down and started massaging Cheng Yue's legs.
As the mother and daughter were talking, they saw Chen An and Chen Tong return. Before the oxcart had even come to a complete stop, Chen Tong jumped off and ran into the yard as fast as he could.
Cheng Yue didn't think Chen Tong was that homesick; his expression seemed to suggest he had some good news to tell her.
It's most likely about Zeng Youcai...
Cheng Yue's prediction was correct. Chen Tong ran in and said excitedly, "Mother, some cats and dogs came by today and said that the two beggars who tied people up actually charged five hundred taels!"
Aunt Chen Xianghua was so angry she fainted! Zeng Youcai couldn't come up with that much money and threatened to report it to the authorities.
As a result, the two men threatened Zeng Dabao and Zeng Xiaobao's lives, so Zeng Youcai had no choice but to raise money! The authorities didn't dare report it!
Cheng Yue had long anticipated this outcome, as Zeng Youcai's previous wife had died in childbirth and had not left behind any children.
He later married Chen Xianghua as his second wife, and they had twins, Zeng Dabao and Zeng Xiaobao.
Twins are auspicious and have a good meaning. Zeng Youcai truly doted on them like treasures, even more so than Chen Xianghua, their mother.
These two children are his lifeblood; he can do whatever those two beggars say.
Cheng Yue asked, "Any Tom, Dick, or Harry? Didn't we say we weren't supposed to let them keep an eye on us?"
Chen An, who was unloading the oxcart, replied, "They just said they had enough to eat these past two days and had some money, so they went to take a look since they had nothing else to do."
Cheng Yue shook her head and laughed, "Who would have nothing better to do than run all the way from the county town to Huaihua Town? They're probably here specifically to keep an eye on people for us. They're such honest kids."
Perhaps they hadn't received enough kindness; she had only given them a few pieces of pastry, yet the two children were so concerned about her affairs.
Chen An nodded, "Yes, they came today, and I gave them ten coins, but the two children refused and ran away after saying that."
Although they said they didn't need to keep an eye on them, the two kids had already made the trip, so they couldn't take advantage of them. They were just running too fast for them to catch up with.
The little beggar knew the county town better than they did; he knew where the alleys were and where they led, and he could disappear in a flash.
"It's okay, let's do it next time. We'll help each other out if we have the chance in the future."
As the family chatted, the pastries in the oven were ready. Cheng Yue took them out and arranged them, then prepared to make dinner.
Chen Ning pulled Cheng Yue aside and said to Chen An, "Dad, let's make dinner. Mom's been standing all day, and her ankles are swollen..."
Cheng Yue: "..."
For her, it was a comforting little cotton-padded jacket, but for Chen An, it was a bit of a draft!
Chen An looked at Cheng Yue's ankle and said with concern, "A Yue, there are still more than ten days left. Take your time and don't rush. I'll cook dinner when I get back. You can sit down and rest."
If his two daughters hadn't been there, he would have liked to lift up Cheng Yue's trouser legs to take a look.
Chen Tong covered his mouth and laughed, "Then I'll go cut the grass, Mom. You can rest. Dad will cook dinner!"
She loved seeing her parents like that; it warmed her heart and softened her emotions… As for cooking, her father's cooking was indeed quite good, so she went to cut grass for the cows!
Cheng Yue felt a warm glow in her heart; it felt so good to be pampered. "Since you two sisters are so good at making arrangements, then I'll listen to you!"
Of course, she wouldn't be idle, so she sat down and started wrapping zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).
Chen An: He's really good at making arrangements, he arranges everything for him very clearly, and he's incredibly efficient at ordering his father around!
Chen Tong and Chen Ning went out the door together, carrying baskets on their backs.
Chen An smiled, tied up the oxcart, and picked some vegetables from the garden. The vegetables planted in the spring were almost ready to eat now, some red, some green, and some purple. Half the yard was full of vegetables, which looked quite lovely.
"Oh my! It's Brother Chen An picking vegetables! Sister Cheng Yue, you're so lucky!"
Zhao Xiang came in to mix the chicken and duck feed, and as soon as she turned her head, she saw Chen An. She immediately winked at Cheng Yue.
When her husband was around, he would at most do some farm work, but he never did any housework. Whenever she talked about it, she would say that no man was any different.
She didn't benefit much while she was alive, but she suffered even more after she died, being kicked out by her in-laws.
Cheng Yue is much luckier than her; Chen An truly protects her and genuinely cares for her!
But it wasn't like this before; it must have been trained! She needs to find out more.
It's a bit out of place for a man to cook in this era. Although she didn't think there was anything wrong with it, she couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed when Zhao Xiangxiu looked at her so teasingly.
He touched his nose and said, "Stop making fun of me!"
Feeling uncomfortable being stared at, Chen An waved goodbye with the vegetables in hand and went into the kitchen.
Zhao Xiangxiu chuckled softly twice and asked Cheng Yue in her ear, "How did you train him?"
If Cheng Yue were to drink water, it would spray up to a meter high. Zhao Xiangxiu is quite curious, isn't she?
Liu Dazhuang has been gone for several years, why is Zhao Xiangxiu asking about this?
Cheng Yue teased, "Sister-in-law Xiangxiu, why are you asking this? Do you have something on your mind?"
Zhao Xiangxiu turned her head away, deliberately putting on a stern face, and said, "What? Can't widows have ideas? The imperial court even encourages widows to remarry!"
Cheng Yue chuckled, "Yes, yes, yes!"
I never expected Zhao Xiangxiu to be like this. That's great! She can look for someone if she wants to, and she can choose not to if she doesn't. That's her freedom, and nobody can tell her what to do.
This version of Zhao Xiangxiu made her feel, well... she was more vibrant.
Zhao Xiangxiu laughed after hearing this, nudged Cheng Yue's arm, raised an eyebrow and said, "Then tell me, how did you train her?"
Why can't we get over this? Cheng Yue had no choice but to say, "Just praise him! Praise him to death! As long as he does it, no matter how well or poorly he does it, just praise him."
The more you praise him, the more enthusiastically he works, and the happier he gets! We women should learn to be lazy; a few words are all it takes to get the work done—isn't that a great deal?
Zhao Xiangxiu's eyes widened. "That makes sense!"
It's a pity there's no man she can practice with now, oh wait! She still has two sons she can try with!
"Mom, why haven't you mixed the chicken feed yet?"
Cui Cui came in from outside. I wonder what her mother and Aunt Cheng Yue were talking about? They were so engrossed that they forgot about their business.
Zhao Xiangxiu immediately stood up, slapped her forehead and said, "Oh dear, I almost forgot! I'll get right on it!"
It was Cheng Yue who was talking about it. If it were anyone else, they would have said something about her already. Zhao Xiangxiu cursed herself inwardly. She really got carried away when it came to gossip!
Cheng Yue smiled and said, "It's alright, there's no rush."
There's no fixed time for feeding chickens and ducks. As long as you take good care of them and feed them well, isn't it nice to chat with them?
Who doesn't slack off a little at work?
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