Free Web NovelChapter 434: Chapter 228: Just Staying in Qingnan Village (Part 2)
Now, under Juhua’s influence, she was also paying attention to these things. ’I really should put more care into this,’ she thought. ’If they grow well, not only will our son and daughter have fruit to eat, but when we have grandchildren someday, we can use them to spoil the little ones.’
Juhua looked up at Yang Family and smiled with delight. ’The whole family is following my lead now,’ she thought, ’distracted by these "improper" ventures. Once they realize these "side hustles" make more money than their "main work," they’ll be glad for the decision they made.’
As they talked, the mother-daughter pair shelled two bowls of Huangdou, then began to clean the fish and prepare the meal.
Juhua poured the tender green Huangdou into a pot and brought them to a boil with fresh water. As soon as the water boiled, the beans’ pale green skins slipped off into the water, separating from the kernels. When the Huangdou were half-cooked, Juhua used a bamboo skimmer to scoop out a large bowlful and set them aside, leaving the rest to simmer on low heat.
When the soup was almost ready, she whisked a few eggs and drizzled them into the boiling water, creating a layer of golden egg ribbons. She then sprinkled in chopped scallions and salt, added a bit of lard, and just like that, a pot of fresh, tender Huangdou and egg soup was done.
The broth was a clear, light green, with tender green beans and their downy skins resting at the bottom. Golden egg ribbons and fine green scallions floated on top. A single spoonful was wonderfully refreshing and savory!
The Huangdou she had set aside were, of course, for the fish. That part was simple, too—she just had to add the Huangdou when the fish was halfway cooked.
It wasn’t that Juhua had invented some special new recipe. This cooking method came from her past life in the countryside. To stretch their ingredients, farmers would split a portion of Huangdou to make both a soup and a fish dish. During the busy farming season, this put one more dish on the table. The amount of soup didn’t decrease and the flavor wasn’t watered down, yet the fish dish became more substantial.
Of course, it was also genuinely delicious. The tender Huangdou were savory, and the fresh fish even more so. The combination had no greasy aftertaste, only a pure, refreshing flavor. It was an authentic farmhouse dish!
Ever since Juhua had made it once, the whole family had fallen in love with it. It was just that they couldn’t get fish often, so they had rarely eaten it last year. Now that both Huangdou and fish were readily on hand, it was easy to make whenever they craved it.
At noon, Laixi ate until he was stuffed. After downing a large bowl of soup, he set his bowl down, rubbed his belly, and said to Yang Family in a wheedling tone, "Auntie, when are you all going to move to town? You should hurry up and build your house. It’s a shame to let that land sit empty. Juhua, living in town will make shopping so much more convenient. Once you move, I won’t have to scrounge for a decent meal every day."
Juhua and Qingmu found his pitiful act hilarious.
Juhua deliberately retorted, "Convenient for shopping? Doesn’t that just mean more opportunities to spend money? We’re better off staying here in the country. That way, we save money by not buying things we shouldn’t. Otherwise, you’re staring at the town shops all day. It feels terrible not to buy anything, but then you don’t have the money for it. It’s just sheer torture."
Zheng Changhe, however, slammed his bowl on the table and glared at Laixi. "Who said anything about moving to town? We just finished this house, and it’s finally comfortable. You’d have to be out of your mind to move to town! That place isn’t near the mountains, and it’s noisy with people coming and going all the time. How could it possibly be better than Qingnan Village? We have mountains and rivers here. It’s unbelievably pleasant. You! If you want a hot meal, you should focus on finding yourself a wife. Once you’re married, you’ll have someone to cook for you!" He was absolutely against moving to town.
Qingmu burst out laughing at that, and Juhua couldn’t hold back a chuckle either.
Laixi’s face flushed slightly as he mumbled, "Get a wife? It’s not that easy. Ugh! It’s hard to find a good wife these days!"
Juhua stared at the boy in surprise. ’Why does he suddenly look like a lovesick teenager?’
Yang Family shot her nephew a look. "What do you mean, it’s hard to find one? Don’t be so pathetic. Your business is doing better and better, and you’re a sharp young man. You’re worried you won’t find a good wife? Your auntie will help you look. We’ll find someone who’s right for you—there are plenty of nice girls right here in our village!"
Hearing this, Juhua’s heart stirred. An image of Liu Xiaomei flashed through her mind, but on second thought, she figured Mei probably wouldn’t want to leave the village either, so she held her tongue.
As they were talking and laughing, someone called out from the courtyard, "Uncle Zheng, are you home?"
Qingmu poked his head out for a look, then pulled it back in. "It’s Ershun," he said to Zheng Changhe.
Zheng Changhe stood and called back, "Yes! We’re home. Ershun, have you eaten yet?"
Liu Ershun walked up to the covered porch. When he saw Zheng Changhe offer him a small stool, he quickly waved his hands. "I won’t sit, I’ve already eaten. Uncle Zheng, I’m actually here looking for Young Shopkeeper Yang. I heard from Mei that he was visiting, so I wanted to invite him over to my place. He went to all the trouble of helping me sell my woven goods, and I’d like him to take a look at some other things I’ve made."
Hearing Ershun was looking for him, Laixi quickly got up, went outside, and greeted Liu Ershun. After they exchanged a few pleasantries, Laixi heard that Ershun had made some new items and wasn’t sure if they were sellable. When Ershun asked him to come take a look, Laixi readily agreed.
He turned back to Yang Family and said, "Auntie, I’m going to Ershun’s house for a look, so I won’t be back. I’ll just head straight to town from his place. Auntie, Uncle, come and stay for a few days when you’re free. Juhua, next time you’re in town, your cousin Laixi will take you around. Cousin Qingmu, don’t you have to go to school? Let’s walk together."
Liu Ershun couldn’t help but smile, seeing how Laixi had managed to address everyone in his aunt’s family in just a few moments. ’This Young Shopkeeper Yang is as sharp as they say,’ he thought. ’No wonder his business is doing so well.’
Yang Family knew the general store couldn’t be left unattended and that Yang Defa would be returning to the village that evening, so she didn’t press him to stay. Instead, she just nagged him with a litany of reminders: be careful with the business and don’t get complacent; be diligent about cooking and don’t be lazy, as meals were not something to be trifled with.
Laixi listened and respectfully agreed to everything. Then, he left with Qingmu and Liu Ershun. (To be continued. If you like this work, please consider supporting it with recommendation votes and monthly passes on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation!)
