“Mother, actually, during these past two days of deep sleep, I was not entirely without awareness,” He Mingyu paused, persuading her as well as persuading herself, “I dreamed of the Kitchen God.”
“The Kitchen God?” Wu Chunlan was stunned.
“Exactly.” He Mingyu met her puzzled gaze, her tone absolute and decisive, “The Kitchen God said that the He Er family is entirely virtuous and their lives should not end yet. In the dream, His Holiness taught me many immortal recipes never heard of before. He said that relying on this skill is enough to gain a foothold in Bianjing City.”
She paused slightly, saying word by word: “We will move to Bianjing City over these two days.”
“This… this…” Wu Chunlan found it hard to believe for a moment. In a place as grand and prosperous as Bianjing City, how were they, a widow and orphans, to make a living? Thinking of this, she muttered to herself unconsciously, “Could it be that she is possessed by a nightmare…”
He Mingyu said no more. For some things, just talking was useless. Propping up her still somewhat weak body, she got out of bed and walked into the kitchen one after the other with Wu Chunlan.
Shitou was squatting by the stove hole stuffing firewood, while Yingzi was carefully cracking eggs into a bowl.
“Mother, Elder Sister, why did you come over?” Hearing the movement, she turned her head, her eyes bright, “Don’t worry, the steamed eggs will be ready right away.”
Yingzi had not eaten eggs for a long time. She could not help swallowing her saliva, but she said very sensibly: “Eldest Uncle gave twelve eggs. If Elder Sister eats two every day, they can last for many days.”
He Mingyu’s heart softened slightly. On her face, she merely coaxed them to go to the riverbank to wash wild vegetables. In the third month of spring, it was precisely the good season for eating wild vegetables.
She poured the hot water from the pot into a pottery basin, then cracked ten eggs into a large sea bowl all at once. Watching from the side, Wu Chunlan’s eyelids twitched, and she hesitated to speak.
She melted a bit of lard in the pot again. The golden egg liquid slid into the pot, making a “sizzling” sound. Soon, the egg liquid rolled up a layer of golden, scorched edges, and the fragrance diffused along with the sound.
Beside her, Wu Chunlan secretly swallowed her saliva. They could not bear to eat lard, nor could they bear to eat eggs. The combination of these two forced her saliva to secrete frantically.
Originally thinking she was going to fry eggs, who could have known that she actually poured the hot water from the pottery basin into the pot, and even put on the pot lid, suppressing the aroma that drifted at will? Wu Chunlan hurriedly said: “Yu-niang, what are you doing?”
He Mingyu walked to the flour vat in the corner, mixed a bowl of white flour and a bowl of soybean flour together, added a bit of warm water, and quickly stirred the flour into dough flakes. Subsequently, she kneaded it into a plump, round dough. She was full of confidence: “Mother, you will know in a moment.”
Under He Mingyu’s hands, the dough was extremely obedient and sensible. The more it was rolled, the larger it became; the more it was rolled, the thinner it became, just like a giant full moon, nearly transparent.
Immediately afterward, her wrist turned lightly. Between the rising and falling of the knife, the entire sheet of dough was actually cut by her into the thickness of cotton threads.
Wu Chunlan rubbed her eyes in disbelief. This knife skill, this technique… could it be that she was truly enlightened by the Kitchen God??
When she opened the pot lid again, the water that was just now clear to the bottom had turned into a milky white soup, with golden fried eggs floating on top. He Mingyu was shaking off the fine noodles and dropping them into the pot when Yingzi’s voice resounded in the courtyard: “It smells so good—”
She rushed into the kitchen a step ahead, closely followed by the taciturn Shitou, who carried a bamboo basket of dripping wet wild vegetables.
“You’ve come back at precisely the right time.” He Mingyu smiled and took the bamboo basket, flipping through it casually. Shepherd’s purse, willow sprouts, malan头… there were all kinds of wild vegetables, each one juicy, fresh, and tender. She sorted them out simply and threw them all into the boiling large iron pot.
The fine noodles only needed to be boiled through two rollings of water. She casually scattered a bit of fine salt into the pot, and then chopped a handful of green, tender scallions to enhance the flavor. A pot of steaming hot, fragrant mixed noodles in fresh soup was ready.
He Mingyu even habitually arranged the plating. The fine noodles rested obediently at the bottom, the emerald green wild vegetables were spread on the left side, and the golden fried eggs were immersed in the milky white fresh soup, looming indistinctly. Just looking at it made one’s appetite open wide.
Yingzi and Shitou were quite discerning and carried the noodles into the room. Taking advantage of the fact that the stove fire had not gone out, Shitou deftly set a pot of cold water onto the stove to keep for later use.
The family gathered around the simple wooden table. Looking at this fragrant bowl of noodles before them, Wu Chunlan finally felt a real sense of reality: Yu-niang’s words were probably true.
The edges of the eggs were fried until scorched and crispy. Once boiled by the hot water, the texture became complex, as if there were many holes, each one filled to the brim with soup juice. Taking a bite, it overflowed all over the mouth. The noodles were extremely fine, each strand wrapped in soup juice. With a gentle slurp, they slipped into the mouth, sliding down the throat and into the stomach, giving one a pleasant surprise. Following along the edge of the bowl with another “slurp” mouthful, the crisp fragrance of the wild vegetables burst in the mouth alongside the savory aroma of the eggs. Smacking the mouth twice, the slightly tongue-scalding soup carried freshness, and also revealed the imperceptible fragrance of the bean flour.
The three people were filled with pleasant surprise, and thousands of words turned into two: “Delicious!”
Seeing their reaction like this, a familiar sense of accomplishment quietly surged into her heart. She did not expect that the skills honed in the kitchen in her previous life could still be put to use after traversing a thousand years.
As the saying goes, dumplings for leaving home and noodles for arriving home. He Mingyu did not know if she counted as having “arrived home,” but since she was here, she would make herself at home.
The next morning, the sky was faintly bright.
Wu Chunlan stuffed the only remaining four hens at home into two semi-circular bamboo cages, strung them onto a shoulder pole, and was about to prop it on her shoulder when a voice came from behind her.
“Mother, don’t carry the shoulder pole.” The morning breeze blew gently. He Mingyu tightened her slightly thin collar and took two steps forward, “Just carry them by hand; it saves more strength.”
Wu Chunlan’s eyes were filled with an un-dissolvable sorrow. Tossing and turning all night without sleep, she increasingly felt that this method was too risky: “Yu-niang, are we truly going to…”
The words were not finished, but both of them understood the underlying meaning.
Looking at this woman who was her mother by blood but still unfamiliar in terms of emotion, He Mingyu met her gaze, her voice calm and firm: “Mother, trust me.”
Looking at the steadfastness on her face that did not belong to this age, Wu Chunlan hesitated for a moment, then nodded her head forcefully.
“Mother, Elder Sister, are you going to sell chickens?” Shitou rubbed his bleary eyes, opened his mouth, and let out a large yawn.
“Today Mother and I have business. You take good care of Yingzi at home.” He Mingyu looked at him solemnly and patted his shoulder with force, “If you two are hungry, go to Eldest Uncle’s house to eat, do you understand?”
“Understood.” Looking at them, Shitou seemed to perceive something and questioned further, “When will Elder Sister and Mother come back?”
“At the latest, a quarter past the hour of the Rooster (5:15 PM).”
Hearing this answer, he was like a defeated little rooster, somewhat crestfallen: “So late…”
He Mingyu’s heart softened, and after a moment of thought, she said: “In the evening, Elder Sister will bring you something delicious.”
After all, he was still a half-grown child, and the disappointment on his face was immediately replaced by a smile. He nodded forcefully, his tone carrying a laugh: “When Yingzi finds out in a moment, she will definitely be joyful too!”
The old hens lay obediently in the gently swaying chicken cages, occasionally tilting their heads to gently preen the fluffy feathers on their chests with their orange-yellow beaks, occasionally turning their little heads to observe the changing scenery outside the cages, letting out soft purring noises from their throats. In this way, they entertained themselves within their narrow world.
He Mingyu helped Wu Chunlan down from the donkey cart. Taking advantage of the moment she grabbed the chicken cages, she fished out two wen from her sleeve and handed them to the driver. This was earned from Lady Li yesterday, and was put to use now.
Wu Chunlan was dazzled by the prosperous Bianjing City and became increasingly constrained. She followed closely behind her step by step, unconsciously gripping her sleeves tightly, not daring to relax for a single moment.
While walking, He Mingyu rapidly observed the surroundings. She settled her at a relatively quiet street corner where she could catch the sun, placed the chicken cages to one side, and gently instructed: “Mother, you just wait for me here. I will go find a property broker to ask around. If anyone asks, you just say you are waiting for someone here.”
Upon hearing this, Wu Chunlan’s face turned white instantly, her voice carrying obvious panic and helplessness: “No… Yu-niang, you are a young girl dealing with a property broker alone, I’m afraid you will suffer grievances… They are each as shrewd as spirits… It’s better, it’s better if Mother accompanies you…”
She looked around in a panic, as if this vast Bianjing City hid dangers everywhere. Looking at the slightly trembling Wu Chunlan, He Mingyu felt a bit of intolerance in her heart, but if she brought her along to rent a house, she feared they would be ruthlessly manipulated by the property broker.
“Mother, listen to me.” He Mingyu firmly gripped Wu Chunlan’s cold and rough hands, suddenly lowered her head, lowered her voice, and spoke mysteriously, “The Kitchen God has already taught me the immortal recipes, so he will naturally protect my safety. What you need to do now is to keep a good eye on our chicken cages here; this is an affair more important than renting a house.”
He Mingyu helped her tidy up her scattered hair at the temples, revealing a reassuring smile: “Trust me, Mother, I will be back very soon to pick you up.”
Wu Chunlan recalled yesterday’s astonishing bowl of mixed noodles in fresh soup, and then recalled her thoughts regarding the marriage… She had always known she was weak and incompetent; previously she could rely on He Erlang for everything. Right now, except for trusting this daughter who seemed to have grown up overnight, there seemed to be no other way.
“Alright…” She took a deep breath, and although her voice still carried a tremble, she exerted effort to pretend to be calm, “Mother will listen to you. I will just wait for you here, and go nowhere. You… you must be extremely careful and come back early.”
He Mingyu nodded like a chicken pecking rice, casting a reassuring smile before turning around and quickly merging into the flow of people on the street.
In her heart, she said “sorry” to the Kitchen God three times in a row. Over these two days, she had truly used his holiness’s name to tell many lies. In the future… she feared it would only be more, not less…
Embarrassed, she scratched the corner of her forehead, muttering as she walked, as if truly discussing with someone:
“Kitchen God, you are a great man of large capacity. Once I settle down, on the first and fifteenth of every month, I will definitely offer fresh melons, fruits, and delicious pastries. Thank you, thank you…”