The previous steps had taken nearly half an hour. By the time the preparations were finished, it was almost time for the family’s evening meal.
As soon as Ding Baozhu and Ding Baoqin entered the room, Liu Ping asked, “What on earth are you two sisters making? You’ve prepared so much.”
Liu Ping had found it strange earlier when she saw Ding Baoqin carrying in several bowls, but seeing how rushed the girl was, she hadn’t asked in detail. Now that they had returned together, she finally spoke up.
Ding Baozhu smiled and said, “Something delicious, of course. Mother, just wait a little longer; when the time comes, all you’ll have to do is eat.”
“I don’t know what’s so precious that you have to be so mysterious about it.”
Although Liu Ping said this, she was smiling. In truth, just by looking at the jujube paste and red bean filling, how could she not understand that they were making snacks? She assumed Ding Hong must have given the children some pocket money again.
However, she hadn’t expected this. She had thought Ding Baozhu would just buy some ready-made pastries to share with her sisters, but it turned out the girl had bought the ingredients to make them herself.
Since when did she know how to make pastries? She was proving to be quite full of hidden talents.
“Mother, Big Sister made this filling herself. I tasted it just now; it’s so sweet and delicious. Why don’t you try some too?”
As Ding Baoqin spoke, her eyes were still fixed on the two bowls of dark-colored filling.
Liu Ping glanced at her and said with feigned annoyance, “As long as it’s sweet, you’ll love it. How could it not be delicious?”
While the mother and daughters were chatting, the wooden door to the room suddenly creaked open. Someone had entered without knocking.
The three of them turned to look and saw Wu Tang entering with a dark face. She asked directly, “Second Sister-in-law, did your girl touch my family’s jujubes?”
Ding Baozhu was stunned for a moment. The bag of jujubes was kept with the other grains, and those grains were usually shared by the whole family. How did they suddenly become the property of the first branch in Wu Tang’s mouth?
Before she could say anything, Ding Baoqin spoke up first. “Eldest Aunt, we did use some, but not many. Besides, nobody ever said those jujubes were only for your branch to use.”
Wu Tang snorted. “When the trees bore fruit, the second and third brothers weren’t at home, and you lot didn’t help either. My husband was the one who beat them down and gathered them. Excluding the ones already eaten or sold, Mother said the rest belong to me. Didn’t she tell you as well? Now that you’ve used them, tell me, what are you going to do about it?”
Hearing this, Ding Baoqin couldn’t help but mutter, “It’s just a few jujubes. During the New Year, our branch made a lot of lard; didn’t you lot scoop out as much as you wanted whenever you felt like it? Isn’t lard more expensive than jujubes?”
Liu Ping pressed her hand down to quiet her and was about to speak, but Ding Baozhu interjected first. “My apologies, Eldest Aunt. I forgot for a moment. Tell me then, how much are those jujubes worth? I will compensate you.”
She truly had forgotten; the original owner didn’t have this specific memory. However, since the wife of the first branch had brought it up, Ding Baozhu didn’t want to snap back immediately; she wanted to see what the woman would say next.
Wu Tang let out a sharp breath through her nose. Thinking of something, her expression became even more displeased.
However, she wasn’t one to turn down money. She rolled her eyes and said, “You used about half a catty of my jujubes. Let’s call it ten copper coins. Pay me, and I’ll let the matter go.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Ding Baozhu let out a cold laugh.
She wanted to settle the matter peacefully, but it seemed this aunt wouldn’t allow her to!
She glanced over and said with a fake smile, “Eldest Aunt, is your jujube flesh made of gold, or are the pits made of gold? Do you think I don’t know how much jujubes cost? Even for fresh ones, you can get eight or nine for a single coin. I used about twenty of yours, and you want ten coins? Tell me yourself, is that reasonable? Not even the street vendors would dare to ask for such a price!”
Upon hearing this, Wu Tang didn’t get angry immediately. Instead, she replied in a sarcastic tone, “Hmph, so what if it’s ten coins? Your father can earn money, unlike my husband. Besides, those jujubes were saved by me and Mother to nourish Sheng’er’s body. There were only so many left. My Sheng’er is bound to pass the exams and become an official in the future. Doesn’t that make these jujubes precious? I’d say ten coins is too little!”
Ding Baoqin couldn’t help but interject, “He hasn’t even managed to become a Tongsheng yet, and you’re already talking about passing the high exams? By then, even dried jujubes would have probably gone rotten.”
Wu Tang hadn’t been angry before, but these words seemed to strike a nerve. Rage rose in her heart, but before she could lash out, Liu Ping interrupted.
“Enough, enough. We are one family. It’s just some jujubes; why must it come to this?”
Ding Baozhu and Ding Baoqin felt dissatisfied, but then they saw Liu Ping place two copper coins on the table and say calmly, “Zhu’er used your jujubes, so we will pay for them. However, my husband hasn’t had much money lately. These two coins should be enough. Eldest Sister-in-law, you can go to the market and buy half a catty to dry out yourself, can’t you? The sun has been quite good these past few days.”
“Two coins? Who are you trying to brush off? Everyone knows the second brother can earn several hundred coins for a day’s work! We, on the other hand, don’t even know what a copper coin looks like until the end of the year!”
Wu Tang crossed her arms and didn’t take the money, continuing to ramble incessantly. “And is it not exhausting for me to dry those jujubes? Well, you lot certainly don’t exert yourselves; you’re too busy eating meat and drinking wine, living quite the happy life. Now I’m letting you settle this for a mere ten coins, and you’re still unwilling?”
Liu Ping frowned. “Eldest Sister-in-law, how would you know how much my husband earns? Don’t go listening to baseless rumors.”
“In any case, these two coins are my compensation to you. If you don’t want them, I’ll take them back. Eldest Brother and the eldest nephew should be returning soon. Why are you wasting time arguing with me here instead of hurrying to cook the evening meal?”
Wu Tang glared at the three of them, snorted, but eventually took the two copper coins and left the room.
Ding Baoqin said unhappily, “Mother, Eldest Aunt is just…”
“Alright, the matter is over,” Liu Ping said quickly, letting out a sigh. “Your aunt is just a bit impulsive. Actually, she’s nothing compared to…”
Hearing this, Ding Baozhu fell silent. With the original owner’s memories, she understood exactly what Liu Ping was implying.
The one who was “more impulsive” was likely yet to come.
Sure enough, it didn’t take long before Ding Baozhu heard shouting from outside the door again.
“It was clearly settled how those few catties of jujubes were to be divided. Now they just take them without asking. There were so few to begin with, and we had a use for them. This girl is truly unreasonable; it’s better she gets married off as soon as possible…”
The words were repeated over and over. It was no wonder the original owner had a bad temper. Even Ding Baozhu, momentarily forgetting her place, couldn’t help but ask, “Mother, since things are like this, is there really no way? For example, splitting the household or something?”
“Oh, don’t you dare say that!”
Liu Ping hurriedly covered half of Ding Baozhu’s mouth and whispered in a fearful tone, “Silly girl, the elders are all here; how can there be any talk of splitting the household? Have you forgotten the rules? Stop talking. If you’re overheard, who knows what trouble will follow.”
Ding Baozhu calmed down, and only then did some other memories resurface.
In Xiangshan Village, it was common for large families to live together, or for a family to form after a daughter-in-law was married in. As long as the elders were alive, few people chose to split the household.
Furthermore, there was a crucial reason: when Ding Hong went to learn his trade, Ding Jin and Madam Jiang had taken out all of the family’s savings. Being an apprentice at the Butcher’s Guild meant at least half a year without pay. Back then, the Ding family had endured many hardships until Ding Hong started earning an income.
But this had slowly become a point of leverage. Although the three Ding brothers were obligated to provide for the elders in their old age, the family would always use this past event to control him. If anything didn’t go their way, they would bring it up directly.
If he were to propose splitting the household now, not only would Madam Jiang cause a scene, but a heavy label of “unfilial” would be placed on Ding Hong’s head. That could be lethal to one’s reputation.
So over the years, after Ding Hong earned money, he frequently subsidized the household. He had likely paid back those original savings long ago, but life could only continue as it always had.
Ding Baoqin sighed and suddenly said, “Looking at it this way, maybe it’s better that Big Sister is getting married off!”
However, as soon as she mentioned this, the atmosphere suddenly lightened. Liu Ping smiled and said, “You’re the silly one. Why are you talking about your sister? Aren’t you old enough to get engaged yourself? Since you’re so eager to marry, how about I mention it to your father and find a match for you?”
“No, no, no.”
Ding Baoqin shook her head like a rattle, pouting in denial. “Big Sister and Second Sister haven’t married yet; why should I? I still want to stay and keep Mother company!”
Seeing the mother and daughter joking, Ding Baozhu put the matter out of her mind.
The brilliant, crimson sunset slanted downward. More than half an hour passed, and this time Wu Tang didn’t dawdle. Ding Baozhu took the ingredients and went to the kitchen with Ding Baoqin.
She started with the marinated yellow sparrow. The marinade seemed to have seeped into the bird’s meat, giving it a deep reddish-maroon color.
Ding Baozhu planned to deep-fry one and stir-fry the other with sauce, but both methods required a significant amount of oil. While Ding Baoqin was starting the fire, she opened the lid of the lard jar and discovered that compared to yesterday, a large chunk of the lard was missing again.
…Could it be exactly as she thought?
Ding Baozhu shook her head and scooped out a spoonful of lard into the pot. Once the oil reached the right temperature, she placed one yellow sparrow in for a raw stir-fry.
While waiting for both sides to turn golden-brown, she sliced some ginger and garlic and prepared a bowl of seasoning using bean paste and other ingredients.
Then, she tossed the ginger and garlic into the pot to release their fragrance and poured in the bowl of seasoning. The aroma immediately filled the entire kitchen, and much like yesterday, it likely spread elsewhere.
The yellow sparrow went back in; all that was left was to let the sauce reduce. Once the sauce thickened and coated the bird, the aroma became even more intense.
Ding Baozhu nimbly plated the dish, not forgetting to add a few drops of sesame oil at the end.
Meanwhile, Ding Baoqin, besides tending the fire, had also started the rice.
Seeing the sauce-braised yellow sparrow come out of the pot, she found it hard to look away, staring at it with longing eyes.
“Alright, take this over first. We can eat in a moment,” Ding Baozhu said with a smile as she brushed out the pot.
Ding Baoqin immediately carried the dish away. Ding Baozhu then used the old method: she heated a pot of oil, wiped the moisture off the remaining yellow sparrow, and lowered it into the oil. It made a sizzling sound.
She flipped it back and forth. Deep-frying alone didn’t take much time, and the key to fried food was a crispy exterior and tender interior; heat control and timing were paramount.
Fortunately, Ding Baozhu had made many fried dishes before; it was simply a matter of practice making perfect.
The fried yellow sparrow was pulled from the pot. Unfortunately, there was no chili powder here, nor was there pepper or Sichuan pepper. Otherwise, it could have had more varied flavors. She settled for sprinkling some coarse salt over it.
Just as she was thinking of carrying this plate over as well, she heard a voice from outside the kitchen.
“Oh, what’s being made today that smells so good? I could smell it from inside the house!”