After saying that, Lin Chunfang ran away in a flash.
Aunt Li watched her disappearing figure and chuckled, "This girl has probably grown up and become more sensible. Since coming to Longtan, she's been very diligent, and she's not as greedy as before."
Lin Yinan nodded, "People have to go through certain things to grow up."
Children are born like blank sheets of paper; whether the contents of those sheets are good or bad depends entirely on the parents' guidance.
Children spoiled and pampered by their parents will develop bad tempers and bad habits.
Just like trees, if they grow crooked when they are young, it is impossible to straighten them when they grow up!
Lin Chunfang was greedy when she was a child because Yu Suqin favored Lin Zhaohui and Yu Qiutao with all the good things in the family, which fostered her greedy nature.
Lin Dongmei developed her timid and cowardly personality because she had a strong-willed mother.
Having fled south during the famine and gained much experience in Nanzhou Prefecture, her consciousness began to awaken, and she dared to pursue her own life, no longer controlled by Yu Suqin.
Living in this era, Lin Yinan still admires the two sisters for their courage, resourcefulness, and indomitable spirit.
The village chief sighed, "As long as people are hardworking, they won't starve to death; they'll always find a way to survive."
As the group was talking, Lin Chunfang returned carrying a stack of winnowing baskets.
Seeing the clan chief and Lin Yinan turn to look at her, Lin Chunfang lowered her head somewhat embarrassed, placed the winnowing basket on the ground, and quickly picked up the chopped potato pieces and arranged them neatly on the basket.
After all the potatoes were cut, there was a small pile of moldy and spotted potatoes that had been picked out and left on the ground.
The clan chief felt another pang of heartache. "Anan, don't you want any of these?"
"No, thank you," Lin Yinan said.
Yu Niang picked up a potato with moldy spots, peeled off the skin, and revealed the tender yellow flesh inside. She exclaimed in surprise, "A Nan, it's still good inside."
"Even if the inside is good, you can't use it because if it has mold spots, it will rot if planted in the ground. If it's mixed with other good potatoes, the good potatoes will also rot. So, don't be reluctant to throw it away."
Aunt Li looked regretful and asked, "Can we eat that?"
Lin Yinan pondered for a moment, "You can cut off the bad parts and keep the good ones to eat, but you have to stew them until they are very soft and cooked through, otherwise they will cause poisoning."
The clan chief and Uncle Lin stared at the still intact potatoes, swallowing hard. The golden-yellow potatoes looked very appetizing, but neither of them had ever tasted what potatoes were like.
"Chieftain, I'll peel it and cook it for you to try!" Aunt Li's face lit up with a bright smile.
The clan chief nodded eagerly, "Alright, Yuanzhi came back yesterday with a rabbit that he couldn't bear to eat. It's hanging under the eaves. I'll go get it now and stew it with these potatoes. It'll definitely taste good."
The clan chief was so curious about the taste of the potatoes that he turned around and walked home without looking back after he finished speaking.
While flipping the potato chunks over, Lin Chunfang listened to the conversation of the clan chief and the others, occasionally swallowing her saliva in secret. She could never resist food.
Lowering her head to hide her embarrassment, Lin Chunfang saw the potato that had been cut open at the beginning; the cut was already dry.
So she raised her voice and asked Lin Yinan, "Sister Anan, the cut surfaces of these potatoes have dried out. Can we apply some wood ash to them?"
After examining the area, Lin Yinan confirmed that the initial cut of the bean block had indeed dried out.
She picked up a piece of wood ash, stuck it in the basket, and said to Lin Chunfang, "Look, stick wood ash on all the cut surfaces like this."
"Is applying wood ash to them to prevent them from getting bugs?" Lin Chunfang asked.
"That's right, Chunfang is really smart!"
Lin Chunfang lowered her head sadly and said softly, "My second sister used to get her hands chapped from washing clothes. When Mother wouldn't give her money to buy ointment, my second sister would secretly apply wood ash herself. She said that this would prevent insects from getting in."
Lin Yinan did not respond. She had no right or qualification to judge what Yu Suqin had done to the two sisters in the past.
“It’s all in the past. You two sisters can earn money now, so you can buy whatever you want with your own money in the future,” she comforted her.
Lin Chunfang nodded vigorously, "Thank you so much, Sister Anan, for taking us in. It was through your kindness that we sisters found work in Longtan. I will remember your kindness forever."
The two chatted casually like that.
Aunt Li asked the guards for an iron pot, and the clan chief brought out a wild rabbit. Aunt Li and Yu Niang quickly put the peeled potatoes and rabbit into the pot, along with ginger, star anise, and other seasonings.
Everyone was chatting and laughing as they worked in the courtyard. Once all the dried potato chunks were coated with wood ash, the potatoes and rabbit meat were stewed, and the whole county government office was filled with a rich aroma.
Lifting the lid, the potatoes, soaked in broth, were golden in color, and the stewed rabbit meat was tender and flavorful. Aunt Li picked a few scallions from the wall of the mutton house and sprinkled a handful of chopped scallions on top when it was done cooking. Now it was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.
Lin Yiheng and the guards brought bowls and chopsticks, and Yu Niang helped several clansmen serve themselves a small bowl.
Lin Yinan took a bite of the potato, and it still tasted the same as she remembered, unchanged.
After tasting a piece, she handed the bowl to the guards so they could share it. Then she picked up another small bowl and waved to Lin Chunfang, who was hiding behind the crowd.
"Here you go, take this and eat it."
Lin Chunfang thanked him, carefully tasted a bite, her eyes lit up, and then she strode out of the county government office with the bag in her hand.
She wanted to take the potato and rabbit meat in the bowl back and wait for her sister to come home from work in the evening so they could eat together.
When she returned, the bowl in her hand was washed clean, while the chieftain and the others were licking it clean.
Lin Chunfang glanced at him and turned her head away. She put down her bowl and hurriedly went to help Lin Yinan move the winnowing basket to the original kitchen of the county government.
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