Ding Qiao followed Ding Lan’s movements and began sewing the fabric. Holding the needle and thread, she actually looked quite skilled.
Once Ding Qiao got the hang of it, Ding Lan had some free time and comfortably sat nearby, guiding her.
She turned over the sleeve Ding Qiao had already sewn and examined it carefully. The stitches were small and closely spaced, making the seam look very sturdy.
Ding Lan nodded in satisfaction.
“This is much better than what I can sew!”
Seeing her eldest sister nod, Ding Qiao felt extremely proud and hurried to show her determination.
“Big Sister, I’ll definitely learn properly. From now on, I’ll sew clothes for you every day!”
Ding Lan felt embarrassed when she heard this, but seeing how enthusiastic Ding Qiao was, she still had to encourage her.
“Good! As expected of my own little sister. From now on, I’ll only wear clothes made by you!”
Ding Qiao was even more touched.
She absolutely could not disappoint her eldest sister’s expectations!
After handing her work over to Ding Qiao, Ding Lan felt a little guilty.
She carefully reminded her,
“If you get tired of sewing, go outside and play for a while. Take your time with the clothes. There’s no rush.”
Ding Qiao did not even lift her head. She simply answered enthusiastically.
Ding Lan did not say anything more.
Children always became absorbed in their new toys. Once they had played with them for a while, their enthusiasm would naturally fade.
Ding Lan glanced at the sky outside.
The weather was beautiful, and a gentle breeze made the heat almost unnoticeable.
She decided to go check on the family’s vegetable plot.
She found a small hoe tucked away in the corner of the courtyard wall, put it on her shoulder, picked up a basket, and headed out.
There were only a few vegetable plots left for the family now. They were not in a particularly convenient location, either. They were located on the mountaintop behind Ding Family Village, some distance from the village.
She followed the narrow country path uphill.
Along the way, she saw many villagers working in their own fields.
A genuine countrywoman enthusiastically greeted her.
“Xiao Lan, going up the mountain to tend your vegetable garden?”
Ding Lan recognized the woman’s face, but for a moment, she could not remember what she was supposed to call her.
She simply replied with a smile,
“Yes. We don’t have any vegetables at home anymore.”
As soon as the woman heard this, she immediately pointed toward her own vegetable plot.
“I planted a lot of chives this year. Pick some and take them home to stir-fry.”
She even started walking toward her vegetable garden to pick some for Ding Lan.
Hearing this, Ding Lan finally remembered who she was.
Wasn’t this Auntie Ding, who had occasionally given the original Ding Lan vegetables to help her out?
As the memories came flooding back, Ding Lan looked at the simple and kind-hearted Auntie Ding with an expression that was both amused and helpless.
She waved her hands.
“Auntie Ding, there’s no need. We planted some at home too. I was just about to go up the mountain and pick some.”
After saying that, she did not dare continue chatting with Auntie Ding.
According to her memories, Auntie Ding was an exceptionally warmhearted person. She had always looked after the two Ding sisters since they were little.
Although her own family’s circumstances were not particularly good, whenever she saw the sisters, she would always give them some of the vegetables she had grown herself.
Ding Lan thought that Auntie Ding was simply the kind of person who was always willing to help others.
Unfortunately, she had a difficult fate. She had become a widow before her child was even born.
If she ever got the opportunity, Ding Lan would definitely repay her properly on behalf of the original owner.
The farther she got from the village, the rougher and more difficult the country path became.
After walking under the blazing sun for a while, sweat began pouring down Ding Lan’s face.
Fortunately, the original owner’s body was in good shape, so the journey was not too physically exhausting.
The back mountain was covered by a vast stretch of forest.
Only the section near the front had been cleared and turned into vegetable plots. Going any farther into the forest was not advisable.
It was said that there were tigers and black bears inside.
Ding Lan’s father had lost his life precisely because he had entered the forest to hunt and unfortunately encountered a black bear.
The higher Ding Lan climbed, the more desolate the land became.
The Ding family’s vegetable plot was located right at the boundary between the cultivated land and the forest. There were often traces showing that wild animals had come through.
The crops planted on the mountain were mainly sweet potatoes and other common household vegetables.
Rice was generally planted at the foot of the mountain because it was closer to the water source, making it much more convenient for farmers to irrigate their fields.
Ding Lan secretly felt sorry for the excellent farmland the original owner had been forced to sell.
Even if she wanted to buy it back now, there was no guarantee anyone would be willing to sell.
After walking uphill until she was panting, Ding Lan finally saw the family’s vegetable plots.
Because of the terrain, the plots on the mountain were not connected together. Instead, there was a small patch here and another small patch there.
Fortunately, they were not too far apart. Otherwise, taking care of them would have been extremely troublesome.
The forest began directly behind the vegetable plots.
Ding Lan found a large tree and leaned against it to rest for a while.
The tree towered overhead, blocking out the scorching sunlight.
Cicadas chirped incessantly.
It was obvious that the original owner had taken very good care of the vegetable garden. The green leaves were lush and fresh.
The vegetable plot was not large and only contained vegetables the family commonly ate.
The main crop was sweet potatoes, along with some common vegetables such as celtuce, chives, and winter mallow.
Ding Lan first dug up several sweet potatoes.
They were nowhere near as plump as the sweet potatoes she remembered from modern times. Perhaps they had not been growing long enough.
She decided to wait a while before digging up the rest.
After putting the sweet potatoes into her basket, she picked a handful of winter mallow growing closest to her and pulled up several stalks of celtuce as well.
Celtuce was excellent.
Even in modern times, stir-fried celtuce with meat was a popular home-style dish enjoyed by both young and old. The leaves could also be stir-fried on their own.
Fortunately, she was living in the warm southern region.
Otherwise, how could there possibly be celtuce to eat at this time of year?
Finally, she decided to cut some chives.
Stir-fried chives with eggs was practically a classic dish.
Chives grew particularly quickly. Even after being cut, they would continue growing.
Unfortunately, she had forgotten to bring a sickle, so she could only carefully pull and pinch them out by hand.
After picking everything she needed, Ding Lan walked around the vegetable plot once more to see whether anything else needed tending.
Perhaps the original owner had simply been too diligent.
There was not even a single weed.
Satisfied, Ding Lan shouldered her basket and headed back down the mountain.
When she reached the foot of the mountain, Auntie Ding was still busy working in the fields.
Ding Lan took two stalks of celtuce from her basket and called out with a smile,
“Auntie Ding, I brought you two stalks of celtuce.”
Auntie Ding only looked up after hearing her voice.
“How can I take things from you youngsters? Keep them for yourselves to eat.”
Ding Lan placed the celtuce on the ridge between the fields.
“This celtuce grew really well. Take it home and have a taste.”
Afraid that Auntie Ding would refuse again, she quickly added,
“I’m going home to cook now.”
Then she shouldered her basket and hurried away.
When Ding Lan returned home, she saw Ding Qiao still sitting on the edge of the bed, completely absorbed in sewing.
Ding Lan shook her head and went into the kitchen.
Since Ding Qiao had worked so diligently, Ding Lan decided to reward her by showing off her cooking skills today.
But the moment she opened the cupboard, she froze.
There was no meat!
Could a meal even be called a proper meal without meat?
Besides, there was nowhere in the village to buy meat.
If they wanted meat, they had to go to the market in town.
But making another trip to town just to buy meat would be far too troublesome.
Ding Lan was still pondering this great historical dilemma—what should she cook today?—when she heard a loud “cluck-cluck” coming from outside the courtyard.
She poked her head out of the kitchen.
It turned out that one of Auntie Liu’s chickens had flown onto the fence separating their two courtyards.
The hen was flapping its wings vigorously.
Ding Lan was just about to go outside and chase it away when the hen suddenly gave another flutter and flew back into Auntie Liu’s courtyard.
Ding Lan stood on tiptoe and looked into Auntie Liu’s yard.
There were about a dozen hens inside.
She guessed they were probably kept for laying eggs, which could then be sold for money.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
She already knew what was going on today’s lunch menu.
She definitely would not be able to eat meat today, but buying some eggs would be a decent substitute.
Unfortunately, Auntie Liu was nowhere to be seen in the courtyard.
Ding Lan guessed that she had probably gone to work in the fields and had not returned yet.
Ding Lan went back into the kitchen and started the fire first, then cooked the rice.
She rummaged through the seasonings in the cupboard.
She had bought quite a lot of seasonings the last time she went to town.
But there was one fatal problem.
There were no chili peppers!
Ding Lan had been someone who could not enjoy a meal without something spicy in modern times.
This bland taste simply did not suit her.
Right now, she desperately wanted something that would stimulate her taste buds—something like hot pot.
She was still reminiscing about modern hot pot in the kitchen when she heard a noise coming from the neighboring courtyard.
Ding Lan guessed that Auntie Liu had probably returned.
She walked over to the entrance of Auntie Liu’s home and called out,
“Auntie Liu, are you home?”
Auntie Liu’s voice quickly came from inside the courtyard.
“I’m here! I’m here! The door isn’t locked. Come on in!”
Ding Lan pushed open the gate and entered the courtyard.
The first thing she saw was a yard full of chickens.
Although Auntie Liu clearly did her best to keep the courtyard clean, the smell was still rather unpleasant.
Ding Lan did not mind, though. She had grown up in the countryside when she was young, and her grandmother had often raised chickens at home as well.
Auntie Liu was cooking in the kitchen.
Hearing Ding Lan enter, she called out,
“I’m in here!”
Ding Lan closed the courtyard gate and followed the sound into the kitchen.
Auntie Liu was making steamed cakes.
In this era, most people mainly ate various kinds of flatbreads and cakes as their staple food. It was only in the southern regions that steamed rice was particularly favored.
Auntie Liu was very skilled at making these cakes.
She often took the cakes she made to town to sell. Without some real skill, there was no way she could make money from them.
Ding Lan smelled the delicious aroma coming from the pot and sincerely praised her.
“It smells so good!”
Auntie Liu laughed happily.
Hearing someone praise her cooking put her in a particularly good mood, and she generously said,
“Once they’re done, take one and have a taste!”
The delicious smell made Ding Lan swallow repeatedly.
Only after hearing Auntie Liu’s words did she remember why she had come.
She smiled and asked,
“Auntie Liu, do you still have any eggs? I’d like to buy some.”
Auntie Liu secretly found it strange.
How could Xiao Lan suddenly be willing to buy eggs?
Could it be that she was buying them for Ding Jing again?
She tentatively asked,
“Are they for Ding Jing again?”
Ding Lan shook her head.
“I’ve already given up on Ding Jing. I’m buying these eggs for myself and Ding Qiao, so we can have something nutritious.”
Auntie Liu immediately smiled.
“Then you really should have something nutritious!”
After a pause, she suddenly remembered that the eggs from her chickens had already been taken to town and sold by her husband.
Auntie Liu led Ding Lan out of the courtyard.
“The eggs we had before were all taken to the market by Uncle Liu to sell. I’ll go check whether there are any left in the chicken coop.”
Ding Lan nodded and followed her to the chicken coop.
Calling it a chicken coop was actually a bit of an exaggeration.
It was simply a winnowing basket placed in one corner of the courtyard, with some straw spread inside.
Whenever a hen needed to lay an egg, it would naturally settle itself into the basket.
When they went over, they discovered that there were exactly six eggs freshly laid that morning.
There were not many, but at least they were fresh.
As Ding Lan held them in her hands, she could still feel the faint warmth of the eggshells.
With both hands full of eggs, Ding Lan asked,
“Auntie Liu, how much are all of these?”
Auntie Liu knew that Ding Lan was not the kind of person who liked taking advantage of others, so she did not pretend to refuse.
She readily replied,
“Five wen in total.”
Eggs in town sold for one wen each, so she had given Ding Lan a small discount.
Ding Lan was holding the eggs in both hands and could not conveniently take out her money.
“I’ll have my little sister bring you the money later. I’ll go back and cook first.”
When Ding Lan returned to the courtyard, she carried the eggs into the kitchen and put them away.
Then she called toward the room,
“Little sister, come here and run an errand for me!”
As soon as Ding Qiao heard that her eldest sister needed her to do something, she immediately put down her sewing and bounced over.
Ding Lan took out six copper coins and handed them to her.
“Take this money to Auntie Liu.”
After receiving her instructions, Ding Qiao happily skipped over to the neighboring courtyard.
Ding Lan officially began preparing lunch.
She lifted the lid of the pot and saw that the rice she had cooked earlier was already done.
She served the rice first.
For today, let’s make stir-fried chives with eggs!
She soaked the chives in a basin of water, then cracked the eggs into a bowl and beat them thoroughly with chopsticks.
Before long, Ding Qiao returned carrying a bowl.
Ding Lan leaned over to take a look.
It turned out that Auntie Liu had given them two steamed cakes.
Ding Lan could not help laughing.
I’ll have Ding Qiao take some of the stir-fried chives and eggs over to Auntie Liu later.