“The firewood is almost gone. I’ll go to the mountain to chop some.”
Su Yunyi responded while tending the fire.
Then she started boiling water in the large iron pot.
She selected a piece of pork rib and chopped it into small pieces. People in this era loved fatty meat, and such bones were usually not worth buying.
So, she was quite shocked when she saw Xiao Ze buying pork ribs earlier.
She added yellow wine, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and a little starch to the ribs, and mashed two cloves of garlic to marinate them.
By then, the water in the pot had boiled, and Su Yunyi put the washed rice in to cook.
Soon, the rice soup boiled over, and the rice grains began to expand. It was time to take it out.
She scooped the rice into a winnowing basket.
She left a little rice soup in the pot, put the scooped-out rice back in, and poured the rest of the rice soup into a large bowl.
Su Yunyi couldn’t help but spill a small bowl of it into her own small bowl. Taking a sip, the fragrance of the rice instantly satisfied her.
She piled the rice in the pot into a small mound, placed the bowl of ribs on top, covered the pot, and leisurely drank the rice soup, only adding firewood.
Before long, Su Yunyi heard the sound of the door, and she hurried to open it.
She thought it was Xiao Ze, but it turned out to be Xiao Ze’s mother.
“Mom, why are you here? Xiao Ze went to the mountain to chop firewood. Come in and sit down. I just cooked firewood rice and ribs. You can take some back for Dad and your brothers and sisters-in-law later. You should eat with us tonight. I’ll stir-fry two more dishes.”
Xiao Ze’s mother was shocked. She had come to help them tidy up the vegetable patch.
But then she heard her daughter-in-law mention white rice? Ribs?
And stir-fried dishes?
As soon as she entered the kitchen, she saw the uncleaned rice and flour all over the floor, and that large bucket of oil. She grabbed Su Yunyi, who was adding firewood.
“Tell me honestly, did Lao San go gambling again?”
Her hand trembled slightly as she pointed to the pile of things on the ground, “Did you win money?”
Su Yunyi looked bewildered.
“No.”
Xiao Ze’s mother thought she was covering for Xiao Ze and raised her voice, “Still saying no? Where did you get the money to buy all this? It’s not a festival, and you two are eating no worse than the commune director’s family.”
Su Yunyi’s eyes instantly welled up with tears when Xiao Ze’s mother yelled at her.
“Mom, Xiao Ze caught rabbits in the mountains, and we exchanged them for money to buy these.”
Seeing her teary eyes, Xiao Ze’s mother regretted raising her voice.
She softened her tone, “Third daughter-in-law, do you know that selling things privately a few years ago could get you shot? Mom knows that selling things outside brings money quickly, but you still need to participate in the team’s labor and earn work points properly. That’s the long-term plan. You should also persuade Lao San. This situation can’t go on like this.”
She leaned closer to Su Yunyi and whispered, “You two don’t go to work every day, yet you can eat meat every meal. The villagers will eventually target Lao San. Mom knows you’re a good child, unlike that scoundrel I gave birth to. You understand things when they’re explained. Listen to Mom, and tomorrow morning, call Lao San and go to work with the whole family.”
Su Yunyi hadn’t expected this.
Although Xiao Ze had a dark expression all day, she didn’t want anything to happen to him.
She nodded in agreement.
Just as the rice in the pot was cooked, Su Yunyi, afraid of burning her hands, prepared to use a dishcloth to hold the ribs. She couldn’t find one for a moment, so Xiao Ze’s mother used two chopsticks to take out the ribs.
Using a spatula to scoop out the rice, Su Yunyi poured off the rice soup, and the fragrant pot-roast soup was ready.
Su Yunyi picked up a piece of rib with chopsticks and fed it to Xiao Ze’s mother’s mouth, “Mom, can you taste the saltiness for me?”
Xiao Ze’s mother was both angry and amused.
As soon as Su Yunyi opened the pot lid, the aroma of the rice mixed with the savory smell of the ribs had already defeated her. She could tell. This child was so endearing.
It was their Xiao family’s good fortune to have married her.
Whether it was catching fish or hunting wild rabbits, it wasn’t the children’s fault; it was just that life was too difficult.
Before Xiao Ze’s mother could finish gnawing on a rib, Xiao Ze’s voice came from the entrance.
He was shirtless, with several arm-thick tree trunks on his tanned shoulders. As soon as he entered the house, he slammed them onto the ground, making a “clang clang” sound.
“Mom, you’re here.”
Xiao Ze’s mother, gnawing on a rib, blushed deeply. Her third daughter-in-law’s cooking was no less than that of the head chef hired for the commune’s events, but it made her feel like she had come to her son’s house to beg for food.
“Go wash your hands first.”
Su Yunyi saw that Xiao Ze’s mother was embarrassed and pushed Xiao Ze away from the kitchen.
Xiao Ze felt the warm touch of the girl’s skin on his arm and couldn’t help but feel a jolt.
Su Yunyi scooped a ladle of water and poured it on his hands.
Xiao Ze’s mother had already come out of the kitchen, “You two hurry up and eat. It won’t taste good if it gets cold. I’ll come back tomorrow to help you tidy up the vegetable patch and teach my third daughter-in-law how to grow vegetables, so it will be convenient for you to eat what you want in the future.”
Su Yunyi ran into the kitchen, scooped out half of the ribs and rice, and stuffed them into her hands.
“Mom, take some back for the nephews to taste my cooking.”
Hearing her say this, Xiao Ze’s mother couldn’t refuse. She held Su Yunyi’s hand and warned, “Third daughter-in-law, think about what Mom told you today.”
She gave Xiao Ze a meaningful glance.
Su Yunyi nodded obediently and saw her to the door.
After Xiao Ze’s mother left, Su Yunyi filled Xiao Ze’s bowl with rice, topped with ribs.
She took a small bowl for herself and filled it with rice, picking up ribs with chopsticks and eating them slowly and deliberately.
After eating only a few pieces, she called it a day and started drinking the pot-roast soup.
Xiao Ze frowned and asked, “You’re only eating this little? It’s not like we can’t afford to feed you.”
Huh?
Su Yunyi looked at the man with an innocent expression.
“I’m full. Besides, I like drinking pot-roast soup. The crispy pot-roast soaked in the soup is delicious.”
Xiao Ze looked at her with disbelief, but his mouth was also busy. He also loved pot-roast soup the most.
In his previous life, lying in a hospital bed, what he wanted to eat most was this firewood rice and pot-roast soup.
After they finished eating, Su Yunyi tidied up the things they had bought, while Xiao Ze washed the dishes, chopped firewood, and used the remaining firewood to heat water and fill the thermos.
When they had finished their chores, it was almost dark. Tang Xin’er took out the kerosene lamp they had bought that day. The dim yellow light shone on their faces, making Xiao Ze’s features appear even more profound and his face more handsome.
Su Yunyi felt a little flustered and pretended to be calm, saying, “I’m going to check on my chicks.”
Xiao Ze lay on the bed, bored. After not seeing the woman return for a long time, he picked up the kerosene lamp and walked out of the room.
What he saw was a scene that made him both laugh and cry.
Su Yunyi was holding a handful of corn kernels, attracting a flock of chicks around her. She picked up a chick and held it in her hands, earnestly talking to it, “You’re the older brother, so your name will be Dazhuang. You have to protect your sister. When you go out to fight, you must charge to the front.”
He coughed lightly to interrupt the girl’s monologue, “Heh, you’re holding a hen and telling her to be an older brother. In a few days, will you expect the rooster to lay eggs?”
Su Yunyi then looked closely under the kerosene lamp and realized that the one in her hand was indeed not the little rooster with the patterned legs she had chosen. She was instantly embarrassed.
“Why did you come out?”