I didn't expect my daughter-in-law to bring fifty jin of rice, fifty jin of flour, at least fifteen jin of mutton, and that large piece of pork with ribs attached, which must be at least twenty jin.
Among these, Li Xiufen was most surprised by the lard.
With such a large lump of lard, it could render at least three jars of lard! The pork cracklings left after rendering the oil alone, if saved carefully, would be enough to eat for half a month.
The rendered lard, when used for cooking noodles, making soup, or steaming egg custard, a single spoonful would make it incredibly flavorful!
"Miaomiao, this lard is quite a lot. I was thinking about our house construction, your Second Great Aunt and her husband helped us a lot. Mom wants to cut off a piece of lard for your Second Great Aunt. Do you agree?"
After all, these were things the daughter-in-law bought with her money, so Li Xiufen first sought her daughter-in-law's opinion.
Gu Chunmiao nodded: "Mother, the things were bought for you to use anyway, you decide how to use them."
Li Xiufen was overjoyed. Fortunately, that Old Gu family couple, who couldn't recognize a gem when they saw one, kicked such a good girl as Gu Chunmiao out of the Gu family. Otherwise, how would she, a country bumpkin, have gotten such a bargain?
Now, such a good daughter-in-law was hers!
If the Old Gu family wanted her back? Sorry, a married daughter is like spilled water; this is what's called "spilt water cannot be retrieved"!
Oh my~ Following a talented daughter-in-law who graduated from Tsinghua University, she, Li Xiufen, seemed to have picked up a bit of scholarly air, even learning to use four-character idioms...
On the way back to the production team, Gu Chunmiao told her mother-in-law and Second Great Aunt everything her adoptive mother had told her on the phone.
"Gu Sisi's days in the Cultural Troupe were not easy."
"She never learned to dance, yet she insisted on competing for the principal dancer position with a girl who had studied Chinese folk dance for over ten years. The principal dancer is the one who stands in the very center during the performance. That girl, unable to stand it, exposed Gu Sisi's backdoor entry and her taking my position in the Cultural Troupe..."
"Gu Sisi thought I was behind it. I don't know where she got a few letters, insisting they were written by me, claiming I found someone to spread rumors in the Cultural Troupe, slandering her, and making it so she could barely stay there."
"My adoptive mother was very angry and told me to go back immediately and apologize to Gu Sisi in front of everyone in the Cultural Troupe to restore her reputation..."
Li Xiulan jumped up: "She, a thief, dares to demand reputation?"
Li Xiufen also spat, "That job in the Cultural Troupe was originally snatched from you. If she can't do it well, it's her own incompetence, what does it have to do with our Miaomiao? And she dares to forge letters to smear my daughter-in-law? If I get really angry, I'll find people to write dozens of big-character posters and personally go to the Cultural Troupe to give her some face!"
Li Xiulan's eyes lit up, "Sister, when are you going to put up big-character posters? I'll go with you! Let Jianjun write them for us."
Li Xiufen looked at Gu Chunmiao.
Gu Chunmiao shook her head: "Mother, Second Great Aunt, forget it. My adoptive mother is an old leader in the Cultural Troupe. Gu Sisi won't suffer there. It's us who might suffer if things escalate. We don't care, but I'm afraid it might drag Zhanjun down."
He Zhanjun is still under my adoptive father, Commander Gu.
Li Xiufen almost forgot about her son.
She was still a bit unwilling: "Are we just going to let it go?"
Gu Chunmiao smiled: "Mother, as the saying goes, if one's virtue doesn't match their position, disaster will follow. Actually, I deliberately let Gu Sisi have that job in the Cultural Troupe. She thinks everything I received in the Gu family all these years originally belonged to her and wants to take it all back... Whether she can handle it after I give it to her depends on her own ability."
Li Xiufen sneered: "With one's own learned skills, no one can take it away."
Gu Chunmiao smiled and nodded: "Mother is right, that's exactly the principle! Actually, if Gu Sisi wasn't so greedy, with my adoptive mother's connections in the Cultural Troupe, she could have gotten by even if she just casually marched on stage. But she's too greedy, always wanting to outdo me. She never learned to dance but insisted on fighting for the principal dancer position..."
"She doesn't know that the more she makes a fuss, the less the people in the Cultural Troupe will like her."
"My adoptive mother has already retired, so even with her connections, she can't protect her forever."
"Mother, actually, I don't need to ruin Gu Sisi's job in the Cultural Troupe at all. On the contrary, I wish she would stay in the Cultural Troupe. If she doesn't stay, how can she cause bigger trouble..."
Gu Chunmiao's tone of voice was still soft and gentle.
But for some reason, Li Xiulan suddenly shivered.
This niece-in-law doesn't seem as weak as she imagined?
..
Back home, Li Xiufen first hid all the purchased items in Li Xiulan's room, then took a kitchen knife and cut about two jin of lard for her cousin.
"Sister, just give me a little to try, why cut so much?"
Li Xiufen directly stuffed the lard into her hand.
"Why be polite with your sister? Besides, this isn't just for you to eat. Jianjun lives at school in the county town. I heard the food in the school canteen is worse than our production team's pig slop. You render a bottle of lard for him, add some soy sauce, and if he's really craving something, have some lard mixed with rice. We can't let Jianjun go to school hungry, can we?"
Li Xiulan had two sons and one daughter. The eldest son, with Li Xiufen's help and connections, got a job at the brick and tile factory run by the commune, which was considered a semi-iron rice bowl. Her second daughter married into the neighboring Xiawan Commune.
Now she only has a younger son, He Jianjun. Because she was pregnant during a famine, he was born with a weak constitution and couldn't do farm work. Fortunately, He Jianjun is smart, so the family has always supported his education.
A few years ago, the school was disrupted by political movements, and classes were suspended. Classes resumed this year, but their commune is too far from the county town. He Jianjun usually lives at school, and to save money, he only returns home once every one or two months.
Thinking of her scrawny younger son, the fierce Li Xiulan's eyes showed a hint of softness.
"Alright then, I'll take this lard."
Worried that if she rendered so much lard at home, the villagers would gossip, Li Xiufen used the excuse that the house was being renovated and the courtyard was full of dust, so she moved everything to Li Xiulan's house and cooked the noon meal there.
Gu Chunmiao brought back quite a bit of mutton. Li Xiufen only cut off a small piece and started rendering the lard. After the lard was rendered and poured out, the pot didn't need to be washed. Using the remaining lard at the bottom of the pot, she stir-fried the soaked and chopped wood ear mushrooms and daylilies, added more than half a pot of water, and after it boiled, Li Xiulan started pulling noodles, dropping the pulled noodle pieces into the pot.
Li Xiufen also finished cooking the mutton nearby, cutting it into thin slices the size of mahjong tiles.
When the noodle pieces were almost cooked, she added the pre-soaked sweet potato vermicelli. The vermicelli cooked quickly, and soon it could be scooped into bowls.
Li Xiufen took a large ladle and scooped two spoonfuls of lamb bone broth into each bowl of noodles, followed by a spoonful of lamb slices. On a red lacquered plate were chopped cilantro and chili oil.
Gu Chunmiao still used her own lunchbox. Li Xiufen filled half of it with noodles and the other half with a generous amount of lamb slices, and also added cilantro and chili oil for her.
Her daughter-in-law likes cilantro and can't eat without spice; Li Xiufen had long known these little habits and now didn't even need to ask her daughter-in-law when serving food.
"The noon meal is ready~~ Let's eat!"
With a shout, the helpers who had already smelled the rendering lard rushed to wash their hands and get their bowls.
"Huh? Isn't today's noon meal pork crackling stew?" He Baoguo looked at the bowls of lamb noodles and asked his wife in confusion.
Li Xiulan, proud as if Gu Chunmiao were her own daughter-in-law, pointed at the lamb noodles on the table and loudly announced:
"Everyone come and eat while it's hot, don't be shy! Today's lamb was bought by our Miaomiao with her manuscript fees. Manuscript fees, do you know what that is? It's for articles published in newspapers!"
"Those who have children studying at school, eat up, eat more, and bring back some scholarly aura. Our Miaomiao is a high-achieving student from Tsinghua University! Today's bowl of lamb noodles is not ordinary noodles; these are noodles made with lamb bought by a Tsinghua high-achiever with her manuscript fees."
When He Baoguo heard this, he immediately grabbed the bowl with the most lamb in it.
"Then I must eat more. My Jianjun needs to absorb some of his sister-in-law's scholarly aura and strive to get into Tsinghua too."
The table full of over a dozen bowls of lamb noodles was instantly emptied.
Listening to her mother-in-law and Second Great Aunt each praising her abilities, Gu Chunmiao blushed, her upturned lips unable to be suppressed. Holding the "extra-large portion" of noodles her mother-in-law had served her, she went to the side.
He Zhanjun also came over with a bowl of noodles.
He originally wanted to give half the lamb in his bowl to his wife, but he didn't expect the lamb in his wife's bowl to be piled up like a small mountain!
He Zhanjun was stunned: "Miaomiao, why is there so much meat in your bowl?"
Gu Chunmiao was taken aback: "Don't you have any?"
He Zhanjun: "..."
Gu Chunmiao continued: "I don't know either. Mother served it to me."
He Zhanjun: "..."
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