The family of four had quite a large appetite, and Jiang Yue scooped out five bowls of flour before stopping.
This isn't something you do every day; it's good to eat it occasionally to improve your diet and satisfy your hunger.
Jiang Yue kneaded and mixed the dough without asking him for help; she was exhausted, and her arms were numb from the dryness.
Tsk tsk, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality!
Having gotten used to ordering Da Niu and Er Gou around, it's really hard to adjust to doing some work on my own.
"Mom, you rest for a while, I'll chop the meat."
Er Gou is quick and efficient at cooking. The vegetables were already simmering in the pot when he saw his mother wanting to chop the meat. He quickly took the knife from her and started chopping the meat himself.
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you. I'll go peel the garlic."
Jiang Yue didn't dare pat Er Gou's shoulder, afraid of startling him and accidentally hurting his hand.
In her spare time, she chatted:
"Ergou, I noticed you've been staring at Fangfang nonstop today. Tell me, is it because you've taken a liking to that girl?"
"Mother~"
Er Gou was a little embarrassed at this moment. Although he didn't say it out loud, the silly smile on his face betrayed his thoughts.
"Although Fangfang is a year older than you, that's alright. It's just that she lives in town, and although her family isn't well-off, we can't underestimate her. After I finish taking care of your brother's important matter, I'll go to town and inquire about her family situation..."
Jiang Yue said this partly to tell Er Gou that she would help him find a match, and partly to remind Er Gou not to look down on the girl just because she came from a poor family.
Er Gou's smile grew even wider upon hearing this.
But then he remembered his name, stopped chopping meat, and said with a pitiful expression:
"Mom, I want to change my name to something nicer. Er Gou, Er Gou, it's fine for family members to call me that, but when we're outside, in front of Fang Fang, I feel really embarrassed."
"Well, I've been thinking about giving you brothers and Cao'er some brighter names. But there's no rush. After we finish eating, I'll go to the old house to discuss it with your grandparents."
Changing her name was a big deal, and Jiang Yue dared not make the decision on her own.
Da Niu and the others are from the Wu family. Out of respect for her deceased husband, she has to respect her in-laws' wishes. Changing her name requires their approval.
"Yes, I'll listen to Mother."
Er Gou was overjoyed. He knew that his mother cared about them and would definitely solve these problems for them!
"Knock knock knock~"
My enthusiasm for chopping meat has returned.
Kneading the dough and stretching it to the thickness his mother described, Er Gou could do it all by himself.
The wild vegetables in the pot were cooked, and Jiang Yue ladled them out.
I also washed the pot thoroughly, wiped it clean, and poured in the settled well water. Once the water boiled, I'd cook the noodles...
Er Gou chopped the meat into small pieces, added an egg white, mixed it well, and set it aside. There was more than one pot in the kitchen!
And that's where the other pot came in handy. Heat the oil in the pot until it smokes, then pour in the minced meat.
"Whoosh~"
Flames leaped out as Er Gou flipped the wok, displaying the air of a master chef.
While adding fuel to the fire, Jiang Yue suddenly thought of a way to make money, but she was worried that the children wouldn't be able to endure the hardship, so she didn't say it aloud for the time being. She planned to discuss it with the family when Da Niu returned and they all sat down to eat noodles...
Da Niu was about to leave after delivering his milk to the old house, but his grandma stopped him and asked him to wait for her.
He handed the pork belly to his aunt and then obediently waited for his milk to come out.
Soon, the milk came in. In front of her second aunt, she slipped him a purse and said with a smile:
“Da Niu, in the blink of an eye you’ve reached the age to get married. Your grandma and I have discussed it and decided to give each of you brothers two taels of silver. Don’t think it’s too little. Your grandma and I have done our best.”
Old Mrs. Zhou handed the purse to her eldest grandson, her tone full of affection.
The reason she stuffed the purse in front of her daughter-in-law was that she wasn't afraid her daughter-in-law would find out.
She has three sons, and the third son has the most grandsons. She was indeed a bit biased in the past, but now, when it comes to getting married, the only thing she and her husband can do is give each of them two taels of silver, which is fair.
"Grandma, I can't accept it. My mother has already prepared the dowry. You should keep this money to support Grandpa in his old age."
Da Niu shook his head and pushed it back.
Old Master Wu came out of the house, glanced at his second son's wife, nodded slightly, and then said without a doubt:
“You must accept it. Your mother has had a hard life, being a widow for so many years and raising you all with great difficulty. This is a token of your grandparents’ love. It is a gift from elders, and you cannot refuse it.”
Seeing this, Da Niu had no choice but to nod. He solemnly placed the purse into his chest, took a deep breath, knelt down straight, and kowtowed to his grandparents, saying:
"Grandson thanks Grandpa and Grandma for their help. You two can rest assured that I will not let down my mother's kindness in raising me, nor will I let down your love."
"Alright, alright, get up, Da Niu. From now on, work hard, earn money, and be filial to your mother."
When Grandpa Wu saw Da Niu, he vaguely saw the shadow of his own Sanlang. Hearing his grandson kowtow to express his gratitude, he couldn't help but feel a little sad and shed tears.
After helping the other person up, I gestured for them to go home and have dinner.
After Da Niu had walked a distance away, he said to Erlang's wife:
"Second son's wife, don't worry about it. You can figure out how much money your mother and I have over the years. If your Xiaoshi and Xiaoniu get married, we'll give you two taels of silver, not a penny less."
"Dad, please don't belittle your wife. Of course, she trusts you both. You should lie down for a while longer. My sister-in-law and I are going to cook lunch."
Little Zhou was not a bad person. When she heard her parents-in-law promise that each child would receive two taels of silver for their wedding, she was already extremely satisfied.
After sneaking into the kitchen, she whispered a few words to her sister-in-law, but not anything bad. Instead, she told her sister-in-law what her parents-in-law had said earlier.
After hearing this, Da Zhou felt even more fortunate for her parents-in-law's open-mindedness. Luckily, she had listened to her mother and married into her aunt's family back then; otherwise, she didn't know which family would have mistreated her!
Thinking that Da Niu's major affairs were almost settled, she also thought about her own son Da Shi's marriage. The two children were about the same age, and she couldn't let her child fall behind for too long!
Suddenly, Little Zhou saw the pork belly in the basket and exclaimed in surprise:
"Wow, what a huge piece of pork belly! It must weigh at least two pounds!"
"Yes, it was Da Niu who sent it through my third sister-in-law. She's been sending a lot of meat to the old house these past few months!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhou smiled and unconsciously spoke well of her third sister-in-law.
"Yes, speaking of which, we all have to thank my third sister-in-law. My little girl and little stone are getting a bit chubby now, and when we go out, people say my kids are a few points taller than other kids their age!"
Xiao Zhou nodded and hurriedly gave examples in response to her sister-in-law's words.
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhou thought to herself that it was indeed true.
Thinking of her daughter, she couldn't help but think of her eldest daughter. She wondered how her eldest daughter was doing. It had been three years since she got married and hadn't returned to her parents' home. Her family must be so poor!
Sigh, it's all this child's fault for not listening to advice and insisting on marrying that peddler...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com