Snail soup is not just about snails; it also requires spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and star anise to be simmered to create a fragrant and delicious broth. After an hour, the broth is finally ready.
After letting the broth cool in the pot, Yuan Doudou remembered the pickled green beans. Luckily, she had some at home. It was summer, and every household had long green beans, enough to last all summer. Any leftovers were blanched in the pot and hung outside to dry, so that they could have dried green beans to eat in winter.
She likes sour flavors, and besides stir-frying green beans, she also soaks them in vinegar, making them tangy, appetizing, and perfect with rice.
Yuan Doudou took out the dried wood ear mushrooms and soaked them in water.
We had peanuts at home, which we bought from the market. They cost two coins a pound, which was a good price.
She took the peanuts to the main room so they would be cooler to peel.
"Mother." Anji had just woken up, put on his shoes, and walked over to her.
Yuan Doudou nodded and asked, "Are you hungry?"
Anji shook his head. "Mommy, let me help you peel them."
He picked up a peanut, pinched it in his hand, and pressed hard with his thumb, but the peanut didn't crack open at all.
"Anji, you're still young and don't have that much strength. Go play with your toys over there," Yuan Doudou whispered, trying to comfort him and tell him not to feel guilty.
Angie squatted down, motionless. He thought for a moment, picked up a peanut, and bit into it. The peanut opened.
“Mommy, look, I can do it,” Angie said proudly.
Little White, who was sleeping in bed, heard the noise, jumped down, walked to Angie's side, circled him, and stroked him with his tail.
"Xiaobai, you think I'm great too, right?" Angie grinned.
Little White looked at him and meowed.
"Mommy, look, Little White is praising me." Angie seemed to understand.
Yuan Doudou sensed that Xiaobai was very intelligent; perhaps she had really struck gold.
All afternoon, Yuan Doudou was busy, peeling peanuts and frying them in oil over low heat until they were crispy.
The soul of snail rice noodles is chili oil; she loves spicy food, and it's an essential condiment on her family's dining table.
It's really delicious, but it's also really oily.
In such an era of scarcity, few families could afford chili oil; they usually ate chili powder.
Everything was ready, but after Yuan Doudou ate dinner, she suddenly remembered that the most important thing was not prepared: rice noodles.
She doesn't know how to make rice noodles herself, so she has to buy them from other people.
Aunt Zhang is from the south and is skilled at making rice noodles.
She packed up ten kilograms of rice from home and took Anji to Zhang Aiju's house.
When I arrived at her house, I heard people talking in the yard.
"Mom, everyone in the village is saying that Yuan Doudou encountered bandits. Is it true?" Wang Ningjing craned her neck, somewhat gloating.
Zhang Aiju glared at her coldly, "Who are you listening to? I'll tear her mouth apart."
"Mother, just tell me, is it true or not?" Wang Ningjing asked impatiently.
"The matter has been clarified. There were no bandits at all. It was Li Xueqing who spread rumors at Dou Dou's doorstep. It's all because of your brother's matter. She wants to get revenge on Dou Dou. Sigh, Dou Dou is such a pitiful person."
Wang Ningjing pouted. Her mother was just biased. Whenever Yuan Doudou was mentioned, she doted on her like her own daughter.
They're even closer than her.
Yuan Doudou hesitated, wondering whether to ask Aunt Zhang for help or not. Her daughter didn't like her, and going would only cause trouble for Aunt Zhang.
"DouDou".
Wang Qiqiang watched as the shovel walked up behind her, and when he saw Yuan Doudou at the door of her house, he was overjoyed.
"Brother Wang, you're finally back?" Yuan Doudou scratched her head awkwardly.
Seeing this, Anji quickly stepped forward and whispered to Wang Qiqiang that he had just overheard Wang Ningjing saying something inside.
Wang Qiqiang's face immediately darkened. His younger sister was never easy to deal with. She hadn't even apologized to Dou Dou for what happened last time, and now she was at it again.
"DouDou, don't be angry. Just treat her like air and ignore her." Wang Qiqiang wanted to say that he would just treat her like a fart and let her go, but he felt that was too rude and quickly changed his words.
Yuan Doudou covered her mouth and laughed. What kind of older brother talks to his younger sister like that?
“I’m not angry with her, but I originally wanted to ask the old lady for help, but after hearing her talking about me inside, I hesitated whether I should go in.”
Before Yuan Doudou could finish speaking, Wang Qiqiang pushed open the courtyard gate, which was not locked from the inside.
"Come on, I'll take you inside."
For a moment, Yuan Doudou thought he was quite handsome.
Anji followed behind, clapping quietly, secretly praising: Uncle Wang, so cool.
"Big brother, you're back!" Wang Ningjing greeted Wang Qiqiang with a beaming smile, but when she saw Yuan Doudou, her face fell. "Why are you here too?"
Wang Qiqiang gestured for her to be quiet. He leaned the shovel against the wall, walked up to his sister, and said coldly, "Ningjing, you are my sister. Your second brother and I both love you, but you are arrogant. I will not tolerate this. With Father gone, I will discipline you even more strictly."
Wang Ningjing asked with teary eyes, "Big brother, are you going to hit me because of this woman?"
Wang Qiqiang did not soften his heart; his sister had been spoiled rotten.
Hearing the commotion in the kitchen, Zhang Aiju rushed out and pulled Wang Ningjing aside. "Ningjing, don't talk nonsense. Your older brother isn't an unreasonable person. As long as you don't make a mistake, no one will do anything to you."
After she finished speaking, she noticed Yuan Doudou standing at the door.
"DouDou, what brings you here? Have you eaten yet? I just finished cooking, let's eat together."
Seeing that Aunt Zhang was as polite to her as ever, Yuan Doudou felt a mix of emotions.
"No, Anji and I have already eaten. We came today because we need your help, Auntie." Yuan Doudou paused for a moment, "Of course, I won't let you help for nothing. I'll pay you for your work."
“Don’t worry about money. We’re all from the same village. Just tell me what you need to do. I’ll definitely help if I can,” Zhang Aiju said readily.
Yuan Doudou didn't beat around the bush and directly stated her purpose.
Zhang Aiju readily agreed, saying she could finish it in two days.
"Thank you in advance, Auntie. I'll head back now; I still need to find Li Dahai to make a food cart." Yuan Doudou smiled and bid farewell to Zhang Aiju.
She had only taken a few steps when Wang Qiqiang called her from behind.
He twisted the hem of his clothes, stammering for a long time without being able to say a word. The rumors about the bandits in the village were quite detailed.
Yuan Doudou himself said that this did not happen, and he was probably lying. If he really encountered bandits, he would risk his life to tear them to pieces.
“Brother Wang, I’m fine, you don’t need to worry.” Yuan Doudou said directly, guessing what Wang Qiqiang was hesitating about.
Wang Qiqiang paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, you can go back now, I'm leaving." They could never be partners, so there's no need to worry about them too much.
Watching Yuan Doudou leave without looking back, Wang Qiqiang felt a deep emptiness in his heart.
When they arrived at Li Dahai's house, he had just finished eating and was waiting for Yuan Doudou at the door.
"It's too late, I thought you weren't coming." Li Dahai's tone was worried.
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