Chapter 21 Added Minced Meat
The seventeenth day of the twelfth lunar month was the market day, and the brother and sister bought some meat, dried vegetables and fish and returned early.
At noon, the aroma of fish soup wafted from the kitchen next door. An Zhixia pricked up her ears and heard Liu Yiyue say, "Qi Zhiqing, you are too kind-hearted. You bought all the fish caught by the black five categories. Didn't you see that the eyes of the aunts and daughters-in-law in the village are like knives, wishing to scrape a layer of flesh from you? It's okay once or twice, but if it happens every time, I'm afraid you will be ostracized by the villagers."
"Those kids are so pitiful. Their father has to clear the irrigation canals in winter and can't take care of them. We have to buy fish for the New Year anyway, so it doesn't matter whose fish we buy."
An Zhixia was furious. Those kids were too ignorant. They should have been treated well before. They went back to breaking ice and catching fish. She was on guard day and night, but it was useless! Now, the heroine pretended to be kind, but in fact, she secretly encouraged the kids to risk their lives for money and food.
Even if she was angry, she couldn't let Fang Lixi really fall into the fate of drowning. After all, he was just a nine-year-old child, suffering from hunger and cold every day. How could he resist the temptation of money and food?
She stomped the chopping board loudly, successfully notifying the neighbors that the house next door was not soundproofed.
The two of them fell silent. Qi Yunlan pursed her lips tightly, feeling inexplicably empty in her heart.
Entering the twelfth lunar month, the temperature in the mountains dropped day by day, and the water in the jar was covered with a thick layer of ice. An Zhixia made three large pots of pork, mushroom and cabbage dumplings, and three large pots of tofu, duck blood, wasp and dried vermicelli dumplings. The meat filling was fat and lean pork belly cut into cubes after cooking, which was more flavorful and chewy, and much more delicious than the big meat buns that were the main dishes of state-owned restaurants.
As soon as they came out of the pot, An Zhiqiu ate two of them with a hissing sound, put five in a small basket, and was about to go out.
"Brother, where are you going?"
There was a set of dining tables and chairs in the small kitchen, where the brother and sister ate. Seeing him leave, An Zhixia asked curiously.
"Go back inside and eat, so that some people can smell the food and reflect on themselves," he said with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, and went back into the house and put the basket on the table.
He started eating with big mouthfuls. Eating steamed buns with garlic is the most classic way of eating for northerners.
Nie Yichang couldn't help swallowing his saliva in a cowardly manner, looking at the buns with thin skin and rich fillings out of the corner of his eye. Seeing An Zhiqiu eating with relish, he felt like there was a cat hiding in his heart, scratching his head in every possible way.
Hang Xianglei now had no discomfort except for slightly red and swollen eyes and a dry throat. His nose was clear, so he could naturally smell the aroma of meat, which was rumbling uncontrollably along with his friend's stomach.
An Zhiqiu heard it and smiled, raising his eyebrows: "Qi Zhiqing made fish soup, corn cakes, stewed potatoes, and seemed to have added some minced meat. You guys should go and eat it."
Both of them looked unhappy and got up and went out. Their taste buds had been cleansed by the feast yesterday, and when they looked at the farm dishes made by Qi Yunlan, they felt that the soup was bland. Even though their stomachs protested with hunger, they still had little appetite.
After dinner, An Zhixia wrapped two buns in oil paper and went out.
The weather was freezing, but the sounds of the naughty kids chasing and fighting could still be heard in the village. She watched for a while with her bun in her pocket, then waved to a half-grown kid leader.
The child king looked around and pointed at himself. When An Zhixia nodded, he ran over with a smile, "Sister Zhiqing, is there anything wrong?"
"What's your name? Whose child are you?" She chuckled and took out two fruit candies and handed them over.
The child took it without hesitation, opened one and put it in his mouth, and put the remaining one in his pocket as a treasure. "My name is Fang Lian'an, and my nickname is Niu Wang. My grandfather is the village chief!"
The village chief’s child?
Thinking about the village chief who was really working for the villagers, and looking at the lean and strong boy in front of her, she said with a smile: "Sister does have something I need you to do. Do you know Fang Lixi?"
Niu Wang was a little confused. "Is he from the next village?"
"Do you recognize the three little brothers and sisters who live in the cowshed?"
"Oh, it's them. We each play our own games and are not very familiar with each other. They are young and busy looking for food every day. They should not have bothered their sister, right?" Niu Wang was unsure of what An Zhixia meant and pretended to speak for the younger brother and sister inconspicuously.
An Zhixia was even more satisfied. "No, didn't their father help me and my brother build a kitchen yesterday? Their father is usually busy and is not seen. He is worried about the children, so he asked us to take care of them. There is no need to worry too much, just don't let the children go to the river to break ice and fish.
They are too small and it is easy for something to happen.
There are a lot of things going on at home during the New Year, and I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to take care of everything, so I came to you.”
As she spoke, she handed over the two steaming buns and said, "Their father has paid them in advance. Do you want to take this job?"
Niu Wang's mouth was full of saliva, but he didn't respond immediately. He turned her words over in his mind twice, "Just watch them move away from the river?"
An Zhixia nodded, "Don't be too tough, just give them some advice. If they don't listen, just watch from the side and call for help if anything happens. Don't try to be brave and rush forward to rescue them. The river water in winter is not a joke."
Niu Wang took it with a smile and put the bun in his arms, "Okay, I will definitely help you with this matter."
"Here, sweeten your friends' mouths. Remember, don't let others know, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble." She couldn't help but remind them again.
"Don't worry, sister. I'll keep my mouth shut," he said and rushed out.
He asked his friends to wait for a while, called his younger brother and sister to go home, and then tiptoed into his aunt's room.
"Aunt, this is for you," he took out a big bun and stuffed it into his aunt's hand, and he shared the other bun with his younger brother and sister.
The bun looks big, but there isn't much when it is broken into three pieces. The diced meat inside is visible, half lean and half fat, and it is shiny with oil, which makes people stare.
The three children took big bites, and the aroma of meat exploded in their mouths. They chewed carefully with squinting eyes, savoring it without bothering to talk.
After licking his fingers in a useless way, Niu Wang looked up and saw that his aunt was still holding the bun and not eating it, so he eagerly gave it to her, "Aunt, please eat it. It's delicious."
"Where are you from?" The girl's voice was as clear as an oriole on a tree. She had a pretty face and a pair of shallow dimples on her lips when she smiled.
Niu Wang rolled his eyes, "Didn't I build a kitchen for the new educated youth yesterday? It was given to them as a gift. But don't worry, eat it. Am I the kind of person who would hold me back? I'll pick up some firewood for them later, and I'll pay you back for the money for the two buns."
Poking her nephew's head, she divided the bun into four portions and gave one to each of them and continued eating.
After eating, Niu Wang took his younger brothers and sisters to meet up with his friends. Each of them was given a piece of fruit candy, and they took their tools and went to the fields by the river to catch field mice.
(End of this chapter)
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