After Li Cuihua left, the house became quiet again. I forgot to ask how to make red bean paste earlier. I have plenty of time now. I can make it myself and put it in my storage space. I can eat it whenever I want. It's even more convenient than a refrigerator.
All I can think about right now is food. I'm struggling to decide what to eat for lunch. It needs to be simple, nutritious, and nutritious.
I couldn't think of anything to eat, so I went to the warehouse. I looked around but didn't see anything good to eat. We're right here in the mountains, but we don't even have any local produce.
I wandered around the cellar and saw a few large pumpkins in the corner. I smiled and thought, "This is it." I quickly went over and hugged it. Oh my god, I almost couldn't lift it. I'll have to climb up it in a bit. I waved my hand and put it into my spatial storage.
After leaving the cellar, I went straight to the kitchen, took out the pumpkin, cut off a piece, and put the rest back in the storeroom, leaving it in the cellar.
Wash the sliced squash, put it on the steamer rack in the pot, cover it with the lid, and start the fire.
Sitting in front of the stove, tending the fire, I wondered whether to eat steamed buns or sweet buns later. Anyway, the steamed buns made from pumpkin flour are sweet, so I'll just have steamed buns, and maybe some stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, and that'll be perfect.
They burned two large bundles of tree branches before extinguishing the fire, waiting for the steam to dissipate and for the steamed pumpkin to cool to a warm temperature before kneading the dough.
It was just past nine o'clock, and I could have pumpkin flour buns for lunch. I checked that the steamed pumpkin was no longer too hot to handle, took out an enamel bowl, scraped the pumpkin pulp into the bowl with chopsticks, added yeast, stirred it well with chopsticks, scooped out two bowls of flour, and started kneading the dough.
After mixing, cover the top with a bowl and put it in the still-warm pot. This will make it ferment quickly, so you can eat it at noon.
I tidied up the kitchen quickly and then went to the cellar to get a cabbage. Lunch will be sweet and sour; it sounds delicious!
Looking at the apron she was wearing, she grimaced. Cooking in a big pot was so dirty; just carrying firewood was the dirtiest part. But there was no other way; the main purpose of the fire wasn't just cooking, but also keeping warm. She wished winter would end soon.
Half an hour later, I lifted the lid of the pot and the covered bowl to see that the dough had risen perfectly.
He added another ladle of cold water to the pot, washed the cloth on the steamer rack again, and then put the work surface on the board to start making steamed buns.
I made sixteen fist-sized steamed buns, which were quite spacious when stacked in the pot. I then covered the pot and started the fire.
I checked the time; it was 10:45. It would be cooked in twenty minutes.
I tidied up the kitchen, washed the other pot, shredded the cabbage, and smashed a clove of garlic. I turned off the heat of the steamer before starting to cook. Just as I took the stir-fried cabbage with vinegar out of the pan, I heard a knock on the door.
Who could come now? A loud reply came and he opened the door. He saw Zhang Hongqi and his wife. "Uncle Zhang, come in and sit down quickly. Have you eaten? I just made some food, let's eat together."
“Hongmei, your uncle and I came to see you. We couldn’t come a few days ago because of some family matters, please don’t mind.”
"How could that be? I'm just telling you the truth since you came to see me."
"Hongmei, have your parents' comrades arrived yet?" Zhang Hongqi was carrying a half-full bag, presumably containing grain.
“I came over the day before yesterday afternoon. My parents have also been buried. Don’t worry, Uncle Zhang.”
The three people had already entered and were supposed to go to Zhang Aiguo and his wife's room, but that room was rarely used for cooking, so Zhang Hongmei led them into her own room.
"Please sit down, I'll go put the table down. You must be hungry after your journey."
"No need, we've already eaten."
"Okay, what can I do?"
The couple spoke at the same time, but said completely opposite things.
Zhang Hongqi glared at his wife. "Hongmei, no need. We've already eaten. Go eat by yourself."
"That won't do. How can you come to my house and not eat?" After saying that, she went out to the kitchen and put the kang table on the ground. The main reason was that Zhang Hongmei was really not used to eating on the kang. The steamed buns were taken out of the pot, and the dishes were served. There was not much to do about the dishes, as they were only enough for one person.
Inside the house, Zhang Hongqi was cursing his wife in a low voice when Zhang Hongmei came in and pulled the couple to sit at the dining table.
Zhang Hongqi's wife, Wang Hongying, glanced at the bright orange steamed buns on the table; this girl was living a good life.
"Uncle Zhang, Auntie, the food is simple, please don't mind." After saying that, he put chopsticks into their hands, and one of them handed them a steamed bun.
Zhang Hongqi felt his face burning; he'd come here to take advantage of an orphan girl. But looking at the chopsticks and steamed bun in his hand, he decided to just go with it!
Wang Hongying, however, thought that since her family had brought over half a bag of cornmeal, what was wrong with her eating a ton of steamed buns? Her family would be at a disadvantage.
Zhang Hongmei ate one steamed bun and then stopped. When she made them, they were about the size of a fist, but by the time they were cooked, they were twice the size they were when she made them.
Zhang Hongqi ate one and then put down his chopsticks, while Wang Hongying ate three in a row, finishing the whole plate of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar. "Hongmei, how much oil did you use to cook this? It smells so good! But we can't live like this, we have to be frugal. Your Uncle Zhang is useless; we don't even have enough oil to eat at home."
Looking at his wife like this, Zhang Hongqi felt powerless. Why did he listen to his mother and marry this woman?
“Auntie, eat whatever you like. I didn’t know you cooked so little today, please don’t mind. Otherwise, I would have cooked potatoes too. I accidentally put all the oil in at home and couldn’t get it out, so I just used it all.”
"We need to be more careful with our daily lives from now on."
Zhang Hongqi didn't even bother to look at her. He would never have brought her along if she hadn't insisted on coming. "Hongmei, don't mind that I didn't come to bury your parents."
"It's alright, Uncle Zhang, don't take it to heart. I'm at peace as long as my parents are laid to rest. I don't want to think about anything else."
After finishing her meal, Wang Hongying wiped her mouth and asked, "Hongmei, have you received your parents' compensation yet?"
Zhang Hongmei thought to herself, "Finally, it's here." "They gave it to me, but Uncle Yu said I was too young and he put it in the bank. He has the deposit slip and said he'll give it to me when I'm older so I don't lose it."
"What do you mean? You should keep the money in your own hands and not trust outsiders. Or, if you get it back, I'll give it to you."
"Wang Hongying, shut up! If you say another word, go back home." Zhang Hongqi felt ashamed. Had he come here to take advantage of her? Oh well, he'd just have to sneak over from now on.
“Hongmei, don’t listen to your aunt’s nonsense. Make your own decisions. We’re going back now. This is some cornmeal we brought for you. It’s nothing special.”
Zhang Hongmei said righteously, "Uncle Zhang, I won't accept it. You must take it back. I have many older brothers and sisters at home, and they are all starving. How can I accept your food when I'm all alone? If you really care about me, then don't send any more food."
"Honey, are we just leaving like this? Didn't you say Hongmei would come to our house?"
"No need, Auntie. I won't go to anyone's house. I'll just stay at my parents' house and live by myself. Don't worry, I won't starve. I can support myself."
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