Lin Yuhe indeed had a plan. "Grandpa, I was thinking—since the snail meat I make is so delicious, could our family sell it in town?"
The moment she mentioned going into business in town, Grandma Lin and Mother Lin, who had been outside the house, squeezed into the room.
"Yes, yes, we can sell it. You can fry it at home, and we’ll carry it to town to sell," Grandma Lin said, already thinking about helping the family earn some income, without considering whether she, at her age, could handle the physical strain.
"You two, don’t speak yet. Let’s hear what the child has to say first."
Usually, household matters were decided by his wife, and Grandpa Lin rarely intervened—matters like what to eat or drink, social interactions, and family finances were all managed by Grandma Lin. But when it came to major family decisions, as long as Grandpa Lin spoke up, no one in the family would object.
"Grandma, actually, these snails can not only have their meat picked out but can also be fried with the shells on. Tonight, I’ll fry one batch with shells and one without. You can all taste which one is better."
In truth, Lin Yuhe leaned toward frying them with shells on—first, for convenience and saving time, and second, because if the family bought some snails, those who enjoyed a little drink could sip the snails while drinking, creating a lively atmosphere.
"Alright, alright. The snails we gathered yesterday, your mother and I didn’t finish cooking them all. I’ll go wash them," Grandma Lin said, about to head out.
"Grandma, wait a moment. I’ll show you how to wash them in a bit."
Lin Yuhe continued, "There’s one more thing—the chili peppers used for frying the snails, and that ingredient we bought from Doctor Qian’s place—we don’t have much of it, and we can’t keep buying it from outside."
Grandpa Lin nodded, understanding exactly what Lin Yuhe meant.
"That’s easy to handle. I’ll go back to being an itinerant peddler tomorrow and buy it from another town. If Doctor Qian sells it, other pharmacies will have it too."
Uncle Lin often sold items that other peddlers’ carts didn’t carry, and he understood that the spice blend Lin Yuhe used for frying the snails was the key to their deliciousness.
Actually, Lin Yuhe had another reason for wanting to go to town—to see Lin Changfu, the cheap older brother she hadn’t met once since arriving in this world.
"Grandma, look—we need to scrub each snail clean, then use this small stone to crack the back end of the snail. This will help the flavors soak in."
Lin Yuhe grabbed a handful of straw used for kindling and demonstrated for Grandma Lin and Mother Lin.
"Goodness, this is just as troublesome as picking snail meat," Father Lin said, pulling up a small stool to help.
Father Lin mimicked Grandma Lin’s tone of speech.
"You think eating is troublesome too! Then tie your mouth shut and don’t eat," Father Lin had been getting scolded for everything he said these past few days, yet he still sought attention wherever he could.
"Father, don’t scrub the snails. Go to Third Ancestor Grandma’s house and invite them to eat at our place. I’ll start cooking now," Lin Yuhe had already told Lin Tong to invite the family over, but to show sincerity, a family member still needed to go in person.
"Alright, alright. A little girl like you, always worrying about grown-up matters," Father Lin grumbled about his daughter, but a single glance from Grandma Lin sent him obediently heading out the door.
Ever since Lin Yuhe started helping with cooking at home, she knew exactly what was in the kitchen. Grandma Lin came over to help her tend the fire.
She fried the snails everyone had eaten yesterday once more, and today, she also fried a batch with shells on.
Just then, Father Lin, who had gone to Third Uncle’s Wife’s house to invite them, pushed open the gate of the fenced courtyard. Behind him followed Third Uncle’s Wife’s entire family, each carrying something in their hands.
Leading the way was the loud-voiced Third Uncle's Wife, holding a basket of flatbread. "Sister-in-law, come see if the flatbread I made today is good and fragrant. After you eat one, you'll be thinking about the next."
As she spoke, she lifted the cloth covering the basket to show Grandma Lin.
"You're bringing things when you come to eat—really, you shouldn't have. Haitang, come out quickly and take what your Third Aunt brought," Mother Lin called out, hurrying from the kitchen upon hearing Grandma Lin's summons.
"Third Aunt, you really didn't need to bring anything," Mother Lin said politely.
Following behind were Third Uncle's Wife's son and daughter-in-law. "Sister-in-law, this is wild vegetable stir-fried eggs I made at home, still warm! Take it inside quickly."
The two sisters-in-law exchanged a smile. "Good, we'll have to taste La Mei's cooking today."
La Mei was Third Uncle's Wife's daughter-in-law. Third Uncle's Wife had one son and one daughter in her lifetime. Her son was Lin Shang, and her daughter had married into a village thirty miles away from theirs. Being far, she didn't visit often. Her two grandsons were Lin Hua and Lin Tong.
Perhaps thinking there wouldn't be enough seats, cousin Lin Shang even carried a table. Third Uncle had it easiest, bringing a small jar that looked like it contained wine.
As soon as they entered the yard, the aroma wafting from the kitchen made them swallow their saliva involuntarily. Without hesitation, Third Uncle's Wife ran to the kitchen. "He girl, your cooking skills have really improved! What delicious thing are you making? It smells amazing."
She didn't leave but plopped down in front of the stove to help tend the fire.
Cousin-in-law La Mei felt too shy to enter the kitchen and sat opposite Grandma Lin, helping to clean and crack snail shells. She wisely didn't ask why they were cleaning snails meant for feeding ducks.
Seeing her come in and not sit idle, Grandma Lin chatted with her casually. "La Mei, how is Lin Hua's blacksmithing apprenticeship going?"
It turned out Lin Hua had been apprenticed to a distant relative on his maternal side to learn blacksmithing and had been at it for two years, hardly returning home even once a year.
"I don't know either, and it's not easy to ask him. When children grow up, they don't tell you anything."
What La Mei didn't mention was that her son had told her twice he didn't want to continue. He said that distant relative was unwilling to teach him anything important and always sent him away during crucial tasks.
She had advised her son to endure it a little longer, and she hadn't even told her mother-in-law about this yet!
With many people today, Lin Yuhe stir-fried a whole basin of snails and two large bowls of snail meat, thinking it was better to have leftovers than for everyone to feel they hadn't eaten enough.
She scooped out a small half-bowl of white flour from the flour jar, added a bit more coarse grain flour, sprinkled some water over the washed wild vegetable noodle tips, and mixed them with dry flour until each piece of vegetable was coated. Once the water boiled, she steamed them for fifteen minutes.
The finished steamed vegetables were tossed with her own mixed seasoning, filling a whole basin that looked appetizing.
While there was still fire in the stove, she scrubbed the pot, added water, and made a dough drop soup to complete the meal.
"Everyone, stop working and wash your hands quickly—it's time to eat," Lin Yuhe called out.
The two families, already hungry and their stomachs growling from the aroma in the kitchen, immediately put down their tasks upon hearing Lin Yuhe's call and hurried to wash their hands.
Lin Yuhe busied herself serving rice and passing out flatbread. Those who had washed their hands gathered around the table and were stunned. What was this? There was a large bowl of something that looked like meat, and why were the things meant for feeding ducks also on the table?
The other dish was the wild vegetable stir-fried eggs La Mei had brought.
Those who had eaten snail meat at home yesterday already knew it was delicious, but how were they supposed to eat the ones with shells? Everyone held their chopsticks, unsure how to start.
Lin Yuhe extended her chopsticks to pick up a snail, pursed her lips and gently sucked from the back of the field snail, leaving only the empty shell behind.
"Clink," the shell fell onto the table.