Chapter 16: Fat Intestines It turns out that on this day, Chen took advantage of...
It turned out that on this day, Chen took the opportunity to deliver food and went to the clinic to ask for money for medicine.
The middle-aged accountant in a gray robe was using an abacus as he spoke, "The old lady's foot injury is quite serious. It's estimated to take another one or two days. After removing the splint, she'll need to apply some topical medication to help her heal faster, but it's not necessary. It depends on the individual's condition."
As for the circumstances, it would naturally be the economic situation, "but it's best to use it, it will heal quickly."
"How much is a bottle of that medicine?" Chen asked in a low voice.
The accountant looked up at Chen, as if sizing up her attire. "There are expensive ones and cheap ones. There are expensive ones worth 10 or 20 taels, and there are cheap ones worth 3 or 5 qian."
This means the cheapest one costs three cents, and Chen was confused.
So expensive!
With something on her mind, Chen forced a smile and said, "Okay, thank you, Mr. Wen. Let's discuss it."
After saying that, Chen sent the meal to the backyard.
There is a room in the backyard of Huichuntang specially for accommodating patients. The daily fee is 10 wen, and meals are not included. Originally, Wu Pozi and others wanted to go back to live there, but they had to take a ox cart to and from the room, which also cost 4 wen. Later, probably because there were not many patients, the doctor of Huichuntang said that the fee could be reduced by 2 wen, and finally Wu Pozi stayed here.
"Thank you for your hard work, Qingshan's mother." Old man Su took the basket and placed it on the stone table. These past few days, it was Chen who brought meals to the clinic.
"What's so hard about this, Dad and Mom? Come and eat first." Chen tried her best not to think about what the doctor had just said and said with a forced smile.
"I feel uncomfortable living here. Let's go back." Mrs. Wu has lost some weight in the past few days. Her eyes are not as bright as before, and her tone is a little uneasy.
Chen knew that she was worried about the money. "Mom, the doctor said it will take two days. The splint on your leg must be removed before you can go home."
After thinking about it, Chen comforted him again,
"Don't worry about the money. Si Ya, Wu Ya and I pick fruits and sell them every day. We can make a lot of money!"
Only then did Mrs. Wu sit down, but she still felt a little uneasy and guilty. She should have been more careful. How could she have broken her leg so carelessly?
Old Man Su put the food on the table and urged, "Okay, okay, let's eat first."
Today's meal is stir-fried cabbage and cowpea, and a bowl of crispy fried fish.
"These were caught by Si Ya and Wu Ya using a fishing basket. They caught quite a lot."
When she mentioned this, Chen finally smiled. "Wu Ya caught it specially for you. She said your feet were injured and you needed to eat more good food."
Apart from anything else, her daughter is a very filial child.
Thinking of her granddaughter, Mrs. Wu fell silent. But Old Man Su smiled and said, "They are all good children."
"Hey, Mr. Wen, have you eaten yet? Otherwise, we can share some."
At this moment, the accountant opened the curtain and walked in from the front.
In the past few days, Old Man Su and Mrs. Wu have become more familiar with the people in the clinic. They know that the accountant was also hired by the owner of Huichun Hall. His surname is Wen and he lives in the county town. His family brings him meals on time every day, but no one has brought him meals at this time today, so they asked.
Farmers are simple and kind, and they don’t care whether others are willing or not, or whether they despise them or not.
"No need, take your time eating." Wen the accountant refused with a smile, but a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes.
However, Old Man Su thought he was being polite, so he picked up the bowl of fried fish and handed it to the visitor.
"This is fried by my little granddaughter. It's delicious. Mr. Wen, please try it."
Wen, the accountant, looked at the fish in the coarse porcelain bowl that was pressed against his chest and felt inexplicably annoyed. What was wrong with this country guy? He was so rude. He forced the food into his mouth even though he said no. It was really unreasonable.
However, he did not show any sign of abnormality on the surface, and reached out to take a small fish from the bowl.
"Thank you very much."
"Sir, take some more."
"One is enough."
After saying that, Wen the accountant smiled politely, and under the gaze of Old Man Su, he hesitated for a moment before putting the fish into his mouth.
I don’t know whether this fish is cleaned thoroughly or not. Will I get diarrhea if I eat it?
Wen the accountant was thinking about it and planning to spit it out later, but when he actually took a bite, the crispy and delicious taste hit his heart like an arrow.
This taste is so delicious, fresh but not fishy, fragrant but not greasy, and the saltiness is just right, not too salty or too bland. You can taste the original fragrance of the fish. It is not an exaggeration to say that it fills your teeth with fragrance. He has never eaten any fried fish that is so delicious. You know, he used to dislike eating fish the most.
He was a little surprised, and before he even had time to taste it carefully, he swallowed it in one gulp. It was so fleeting that it seemed as if it was just an illusion.
For some reason, Wen the accountant felt a little regretful that he had not taken a few more, but now it was too late to regret it.
I didn’t expect the food cooked by farmers to be so delicious.
Because of this incident, Wen the accountant's lunch meal sent from home didn't taste very good anymore...
.
Having said that, Chen finally returned to her parents' home because she learned that she still needed a large sum of money, intending to borrow some money from her parents. However, not only did she not see her parents this time, she was also ridiculed by her second sister-in-law both openly and secretly.
"They say a daughter who's married is like spilled water, but I've never seen her running back to her parents' home every other day for something, don't you think, little sister?"
Yang was picking vegetables while talking about Chen. She took the opportunity to talk about other families in the village.
"It's no wonder her sister-in-law beat her out with a broom. Do you think there's such a person? Every year, instead of offering good food and wine to show her filial piety to her parents, she even asks them for help from time to time. It's fine if they help her, but it's impossible for them to help her parents-in-law and their children. How can that be justified?"
Yang's words almost mentioned someone by name. Chen understood what he meant, and she felt ashamed.
"Sister-in-law, I just came to see my parents, nothing else."
"Oh, little sister, I'm talking about someone else, don't take it too seriously." Yang said innocently, but her eyes didn't mean that.
"Since my parents are not here, I will come back another day."
"Then take care. I won't see you off." Yang said with a cold face. After Chen left, she spat on the ground.
Who is this person!
Chen was so embarrassed that it goes without saying that she felt very sad.
But I was more worried about how to pay for the medicine. Should I really listen to my father-in-law and sell all the food at home? That would help me in the short term, but how would I live in the future?
Just when Chen was feeling extremely worried, she suddenly remembered what her youngest daughter had suggested about selling food at the dock.
Maybe this is the solution? Chen thought, didn't the accountant praise the delicious food my daughter cooked today? Maybe I can actually sell it!
The more Chen thought about it, the more he felt it made sense.
I was no longer angry or sad, and quickly quickened my pace to go back home.
At the Su family, Su Li and Su Tao had just returned from the river. In the past few days, Su Li asked Su Tao to take her to catch fish and loaches. They also went to catch crabs just now, and the harvest was not small, half a bucket full. Su Li immediately thought about how to eat in the evening.
When Chen came back, she saw this scene. "Mom, you're back. Look, my fifth sister and I caught a lot of crabs."
Su Tao brought the bucket to Chen and said happily, but Chen was not in the mood to look at the crabs, so she just perfunctorily said,
"fine."
"Wu Ya, I have something to ask you. How confident are you in making food?"
At this moment, Chen did not regard Su Li as a 13-year-old girl, but as an adult like her.
Su Li was stunned when she heard this, but then she felt happy. She was just worrying about how to convince her mother, but she didn't expect her mother to bring it up on her own initiative.
Maybe something happened that she didn't know about, but this was exactly what Su Li wanted.
She quickly said, "Mom, although I'm not 100% sure, I'm at least 70% to 80% sure."
Su Li was not exaggerating. She was quite confident in her cooking skills. Unfortunately, a good cook cannot cook without rice. Her family was too poor, otherwise Su Li would have to cook a few good dishes to prove herself.
"Okay, then you can do it yourself. Mom and your fourth sister will help you. We will try it tomorrow."
This was exactly the result Su Li wanted. After all, she was definitely not able to handle selling food by herself. She had to cook and transport the food to the dock. She would probably be exhausted after going through the whole process. It would be great to have someone to help her. Another thing was the food at home, and she couldn't move it without her mother Chen's approval.
"What do you need us to do now?" asked Chen. She knew nothing about cooking. It was not her fault, as that was how her mother taught her. Even if ordinary meals could be cooked well, the taste could not be guaranteed.
Su Li thought about it. As for the vegetarian dishes, she had them at home. As for the meat dishes, Su Li originally wanted to use local ingredients to make fried river clams with chili peppers. After all, river clams were free. However, recently, because the villagers had harvested the rice, most of the river clams were thrown on the edge of the field to dry in the sun.
Su Li and Su Tao haven't picked up anything for several days.
You can fry some small fish or cook today's crabs, but it probably won't be enough. Besides, Su Li knows that people of this dynasty don't like to eat things with shells. If you really cook the crabs and sell them, no one will be willing to buy them.
After thinking for a moment, Su Li said, "Mom, on the first day, we should cook less, maybe enough for about twenty people. For vegetables, we can stew beans with eggplant, and for rice, we can make bean rice. I'm afraid we'll have to buy meat."
Chen had also thought about these things. It would be better to do less on the first day. Unexpectedly, her daughter also considered this.
Then came the meat dishes, which was also what she was most worried about. Meat was not cheap now, at least 18 cents per pound. Now she only had 15 cents left, and could not even afford a pound of meat.
Although her eldest brother now works in a butcher shop, the shop does not belong to him, but to his father-in-law. Moreover, her eldest sister-in-law is there and will definitely not agree to buy on credit. Moreover, Chen does not want to make things difficult for her eldest brother.
"Mom, think of a way, think of a way." Chen thought about all her relatives and friends in her mind, but unfortunately she couldn't think of anyone to borrow some money from. Some families were as poor as hers and had a hard time. Some would definitely not lend money even if they had money, and they might even wish her to be poor all her life.
After thinking about it, Chen couldn't think of anyone.
"Mom, how much silver do you have left now?" Su Li came up with an idea.
"15 cents." Chen said.
"Wu Ya, do you have any ideas?"
"How much is a pound of pork?"
"18 wen."
"Where are the pig hearts, livers and intestines?" Su Li asked again.
Mrs. Chen was puzzled as to why her daughter was asking this, but she answered anyway, "Pig heart is 5 wen each, pig liver is 2 wen a pair, I don't know about pig intestines, they are usually given as a gift when you buy meat."
Su Li thought for a moment and then said, "Why don't you go ask how much pig intestines cost? We can buy two sets of pig intestines and bring them back as meat dishes. What do you think?"
Huh? Chen was stunned. Stinky pig intestines? Cooking? She thought her daughter wouldn't eat them if she gave them to someone else. But she thought her daughter had never eaten pig intestines before and didn't know how bad they tasted, so she patiently explained.
"You probably don't know, the pig intestines smell extremely bad and are inedible. Besides, they are very troublesome to wash... If you can't wash them clean..." Chen hadn't said anything else yet. She was afraid that if she said it, the three of them, mother and daughter, would not be able to eat tonight.
Su Li naturally knew all this, but she also knew that pig intestines were a must-try when cooked, especially the stir-fried pig intestines, braised pig intestines, and blood-soaked pig intestines. No matter how well they were cooked, they were all signature dishes. As for washing the pig intestines, Su Li naturally had her own way of doing it.
"Don't worry, Mom. I can make it well after you buy it."
After Su Li finished speaking, she saw that Chen was still unwilling, so she said, "Just now, mother said she believed me and listened to me..."
Upon hearing this, Chen realized for the first time what it meant to shoot oneself in the foot.
But since the words have been spoken, there is no reason to take them back. Chen gritted her teeth and stamped her feet, "Okay, I'll go buy it, you guys wait for me at home."
It’s just pig intestines, so she bought it.
After saying that, Chen put down the basket in her hand and hurried out.
Here, Su Tao, who had never eaten pig intestines, said innocently:
"Fifth sister, what is pig intestine? Is it delicious?"
"Fat intestines are pig intestines."
"oh."
Su Tao didn't understand what this meant until half an hour later, when Chen came back with two sets of pig intestines. Su Tao kept moving away from her while she was talking and yelling:
"Mom, take it away quickly!!!"
Chen pinched her nose with her right hand while placing the pig intestines in the wooden basin.
"Luckily I met your aunt and the others today, otherwise I would have to go to the county to buy it."
Yes, not long after Chen went out, she ran into her sister-in-law Zhao and others who went to the countryside to collect pigs, so she mentioned it. Unexpectedly, her sister-in-law Zhao and her group not only collected pigs but also sold pork, and they happened to have two sets of pig intestines.
Seeing that she was going to buy some, the eldest sister-in-law's eldest brother directly took out the large intestine and strung it with a straw rope, "What are you buying? It's here, just take it."
Speaking of which, Zhao Da was still worried about how to eat the pig intestines after taking them back.
This thing is smelly and dirty, and no one at home likes to eat it. I happened to meet Chen, and we are relatives, so I might as well do her a favor.
But she still said,
"How can this be so embarrassing? Just pay the money you deserve."
After saying that, he took out some money from his pocket.
"Just take it if you give it to me. Why waste your words?"
Zhao Sanmei, also known as Chen's eldest sister-in-law Zhao, snorted when she saw this.
Zhao always spoke like this, and she didn't mean any harm. Chen had gotten used to it over the years.
"Okay, sit down if you have time. We'll be leaving first."
After saying this, the Zhao brothers and sisters drove the pigs away.
After they had walked far away, Zhao Dacai said,
"Your family is so poor that they can't even afford meat, and they only eat pickled food. From now on, you'd better not ask your Tiezhu to go to her house. If you do see him, tell him to talk less about how much money he earns. Got it?"
"Don't worry, I'm not stupid, I know everything."
However, Zhao still felt a little uncomfortable. Although she usually looked down on her man's sister and despised her for being poor, she felt a little unhappy when her eldest brother said that, so she tried to make amends:
"His younger sister is quite sensible. Tiezhu and I have been married for so many years, and she has never come to ask for money." Unlike my sister-in-law's family, they come to the butcher shop from time to time.
Zhao Da obviously understood what his third sister meant, and his face turned blue and purple.
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