"Dad, if my brother marries Aunt Su, then Xiaoya will become my niece." Hehe, hehe! Gouhua was happy again.
Zhang the blacksmith chuckled, thinking his dog, Hua, was a clever little devil who could think of everything. His round, big eyes swept over his sons, and the more he looked, the more dissatisfied he became. Were they all blockheads? "Those of you who aren't married yet, step up your game! Show your best side! Women like strong, muscular men who can handle all the big and small things in the house. You guys better show yourselves!"
Zhang Erzhu and Zhang Sanzhu swallowed hard, thinking of the delicious food wafting from Su Jiaoniang's courtyard.
And her beautiful face.
How wonderful it would be to eat with such a face every day!
My heart is fluttering!
hey-hey!
The two of them let out laughter just like the dog's.
That night, the Zhang family woke up in the middle of the night and kept hearing "hehe, hehe" sounds.
The next day, the small courtyard where Su Jiaoniang lived was demolished from the outside by the men brought by Zhang the blacksmith. After nearly two months of living in the house since transmigrating, Su Jiaoniang felt a sense of emptiness rising in her heart. Looking at the foundation amidst the smoke and dust, she withdrew her lingering gaze.
She, along with Xiao Changsheng Futu and Xiao Ya's family of four, temporarily stayed at Zhang the blacksmith's house. Zhang the blacksmith had a large family, a big yard, and spare rooms. In addition, the kitchen there was relatively large and close to their own home, making it the best choice for the time being.
She personally oversaw the construction of the house and will not be leaving the village for the time being.
Zhang the blacksmith took all six of his sons to the foundation of Su Jiaoniang's courtyard. At Su Jiaoniang's request, they protected the chili seedlings planted in the courtyard before leading the scattered villagers to work together.
Compared to the other men in the village, Zhang the blacksmith's sons were clearly not normal.
They were all dressed in matching long gowns that exposed their arms and chests. Despite being out doing dirty and strenuous work, their clothes and shoes were brand new. They looked more like they were on a blind date than out working. Every time Su Jiaoniang passed by, she would flaunt her muscles, trying hard to appear strong.
Su Jiaoniang hadn't noticed it at first, but after seeing it so many times, her eyes started to twitch.
A man's naturally flowing and healthy muscles are indeed attractive, especially those who live in mountain villages and do manual labor every day. The muscles that develop naturally are strong and muscular, and you can tell at a glance that his kidneys are in good working order. However, she prefers men who are both good-looking and intelligent!
The Zhang family members aren't ugly, but their simple-minded appearance drags down their overall attractiveness. She felt she could still make a selection.
Su Jiaoniang walked over from this side, thought for a moment, and found Zhang the blacksmith and said in a tactful way that she wanted to keep vigil for her deceased husband. Her words were full of longing for the dead man. As for the young men of the Zhang family, they were reserved and discreet. They knew that this was a house construction project, but those who didn't know might think they were trying to seduce her, a young widow.
Being a widow is really tough; there are people trying to seduce you every day.
Zhang the blacksmith sighed softly and that very evening he called his sons into his room for a meeting.
To subtly convey Su Jiaoniang's thoughts,
However, the Zhang brothers' brains rotate in a different direction than normal people's.
They learned from Zhang the blacksmith that their chances were slim, but they felt that as long as they didn't marry someone else, they still had a chance, and they would try harder!
Zhang the blacksmith's words were in vain.
The next day, the Zhang family men went up the mountain to cut down trees. They took their machetes, bent over to show off their strong figures, and tried their best to show their most robust side. After a dozen or so cuts, they chuckled and kicked the tree down.
Every time he cut down a tree, he would show it off to Su Jiaoniang.
Su Jiaoniang couldn't take it anymore!
Holding a machete, in front of the Zhang family's pillars, he swung it a few times, then kicked it, and the tree fell straight down.
Su Jiaoniang carried the tree home, her light steps showing strength greater than any man's. The brothers posing for photos were no match for her strength.
It didn't last as long as Su Jiaoniang's!
They walked and rested intermittently, but Su Jiaoniang carried the tree directly back home.
Building a house requires bricks, trees, and manpower!
In short, it was a rather tiring and mentally taxing task, but it wasn't too tiring for Su Jiaoniang. She was strong, and Zhang the blacksmith helped her with the things she had to worry about. She would help out whenever she had time. Around noon, she went to the kitchen to cook with Zhang the blacksmith's wife, Jiang.
White rice is placed in a pot, with flames burning under the stove, and soon the aroma of rice fills the air.
While chopping vegetables, Jiang muttered, "Su, why are you so naive? In the countryside, we don't use all white rice when cooking. Mixing in some old rice won't make a difference. These men who do manual labor are like animals. They'll eat you out of house and home by lunchtime."
As Jiang was speaking, she saw Su Jiaoniang cut open a large piece of meat.
Such a big piece of meat, such fatty meat, gulp...
Jiang couldn't help but swallow hard. It was one thing to use good rice, but to add so much meat? Who would give such good treatment when building a house?
Su Jiaoniang proceeded at her own pace, slowly cutting the meat and preparing the side dishes before finally stewing the braised pork.
After preparing the meat, we started processing the large, fat fish we had caught from the river. I don't know why, but the fish this year are exceptionally fat. It's a pity that not many families in the village know how to process fish, otherwise we could have done it ourselves.
"Sister Su, this fish isn't good. It's too fishy. We have pork to eat, so let's not eat fish," Jiang suggested based on her experience.
Su Jiaoniang raised an eyebrow. "The fish doesn't taste good?"
How could it not taste good!
It's important to know that whether it's braised fish, steamed fish, or fish stew with grilled fish, they are all extremely delicious.
"Watch me, it'll definitely taste good." After Su Jiaoniang finished speaking, seeing that Jiang Shi still looked worried, she smiled and said, "Well, the fish has already been brought over. If it doesn't taste good, we won't serve it. If it does, our village will have another meat dish." Fish is still meat, and it's still very nutritious and has plenty of nutrients.
Mr. Jiang nodded.
Following Su Jiaoniang's instructions, they started a fire.
Su Jiaoniang took a gleaming kitchen knife, scraped off the fish scales, removed the gills and internal organs, and then marinated the fish with rice wine, ginger and scallions. Every step was done under Jiang's watchful eye.
But Jiang insisted that he didn't understand it.
A kitchen knife is something we use every day, but why does it seem to work so well in someone else's hands? They can clean the fish in just a couple of swift strokes, and before you know it, the fish in the pot is already cooked.
Su Jiaoniang placed the fish on a plate, picked up a piece of tender white meat with her chopsticks, and fed it to Jiang Shi.
"So, can you still explain yourself?" Su Jiaoniang asked with a smile.
Mr. Jiang nodded repeatedly.
tasty!
It's so delicious!
There was no fishy smell at all. The meat was white and tender, and tasted delicious, even better than what the chef at Qingfenglou Restaurant in the county made.
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