Chapter 87: Chapter 84: In for a Treat

Li Wu took a bag out from his pack. After Lin Lan paid, she and Yang Liying shouldered the bags of rice and flour, along with their stall equipment, and started walking back.

When she saw someone selling fish mint, she remembered the small intestines at home and bought a few bunches.

“Liying, when you get back, go get Little Yun and Little Li. We’ll all eat together tonight.”

Yang Liying adjusted the basket on her back, nodding with a smile. “Alright! You don’t have to ask me twice!”

****

Lin Guoqiang returned home with the pork and intestines. The two brothers got to work, one chopping the meat while the other cleaned the intestines. Lin Yuezhen sat with Little Douzi before the stove, cleaning scallions.

After he finished chopping the meat, Lin Guoqiang went over to the well and whispered to Lin Guoliang, “Big Brother! I saw that butcher secretly looking at our sister. It looks like he’s interested in her.”

Lin Guoliang said in a low voice, “Don’t talk nonsense. I heard he’s sworn brothers with one of Little Douzi’s uncles and has been looking out for Little Lan.”

“The way he looks at her is just like how you used to look at Sister-in-law!” Lin Guoqiang muttered as he stood up. “The pork is chopped. I’m going to take Little Douzi for a walk.”

“So young, yet so sharp!” Lin Guoliang laughed. “Go on! Don’t go too far!”

“I know, I’ve got Little Douzi with me!” With that, he went inside, took Little Douzi, and headed out.

Lin Yuezhen finished cleaning the scallions and ladled some water to wash them.

Just then, the old woman arrived with a vegetable basket. She looked at Lin Yuezhen and said, “In here is some shepherd’s purse I dug up from the garden. Lin Lan mentioned steaming buns, and shepherd’s purse buns are delicious.”

Lin Yuezhen blushed, nodded, and took the basket.

The old woman smiled warmly and patted her hand. “You’re a good girl. It’s perfect for you to keep Lin Lan company.”

Lin Yuezhen looked at the kind-faced old woman and nodded emphatically.

Hearing the old woman’s voice, Lin Guoliang hurried back to the kitchen from the rear courtyard. He smiled and said, “Grand-aunt, please sit and rest for a while.”

The old woman chuckled. “I can’t. I’m going to the preschool to pick up Dandan and bring her back for the buns.”

Lin Guoliang nodded with a smile. “That’s great. The more, the merrier! Please be careful on your way.”

The old woman smiled, nodded, and walked toward the courtyard.

After seeing the old woman off, Lin Guoliang came back and said to her, “Yuezhen, you should go rest. I’ll wash the scallions.”

Lin Yuezhen just smiled and shook her head. ’What’s an injury like this?’ she thought. ’I’ve had much worse falls, and I still had to work even when I was starving.’

She saw that Lin Guoliang had been washing the intestines for a while but still hadn’t gotten them clean, so she picked up the basin and headed toward the drainage ditch.

Lin Guoliang felt it wasn’t right to argue with her over the task, so he went to cut some thin bamboo stalks to reinforce the melon trellis against the wall.

Lin Yuezhen finished cleaning both the large and small intestines, blanched them, and set them aside.

She blanched the clean shepherd’s purse, squeezed out the excess water, and began mixing the meat filling. ’Thinking about everything that’s happened lately,’ she mused, ’there really are more good people in the world than bad.’

Lin Lan and Yang Liying arrived home, panting. Lin Guoliang hurried out from the vegetable patch to help Yang Liying with her basket.

“This bag of rice is so big! Why didn’t you call one of us to carry it?”

Yang Liying laughed. “For us country folk, a little bag of rice like this is nothing!”

Lin Guoliang chuckled. “No wonder the Great Man said that women hold up half the sky.”

“You know it!” Lin Lan said with a laugh, setting down her basket and bucket. “Liying, I’ll leave this stuff for you to wash. I’m going to go make the buns.”

Yang Liying nodded with a smile. “Okay, you go on ahead.”

Lin Guoliang said cheerfully, “Yuezhen has everything ready. We were just waiting for you to get back to start the cooking.”

“It’s so much easier with someone at home,” Lin Lan said with a smile as she went into the kitchen. She saw Yuezhen pulling weeds in the backyard vegetable patch.

On the stove counter sat two earthenware bowls: one held a scallion and pork filling, and the other looked to be a wild vegetable and pork filling.

She washed her hands and lifted the pot lid to find the dough had already puffed up. When she poked it gently, it sank back, leaving an indent. The dough was perfectly proofed. She rolled up her sleeves and began to knead.

Lin Guoliang came back in and said with a smile, “Here, Little Lan, let me do it. I’m stronger.”

“Alright. A strong hand makes for chewier dough.”

Lin Lan stepped aside and cut off a small portion of the large and small intestines, setting it aside for the old woman.

She cut half of the remaining small intestines into small pieces for stir-frying with pickled vegetables. The other half she cut into inch-long segments and put into a clay pot. She then added some washed mung beans and water, placed the pot on the stove, and started stewing a fish mint and mung bean soup.

She heated a little oil in a wok and added the large intestines, which she had cut into chunks. She stir-fried them until their fat rendered and they turned golden brown. Then, she added baijiu, white sugar, Sichuan peppercorns, black pepper, ginger, garlic, star anise, and broad bean paste, stir-frying until everything was fragrant. Finally, she added enough water to cover the intestines, put the lid on, and let it braise.

Seeing how skillfully she worked, Lin Guoliang laughed. “Little Lan, you’ve really honed your skills over the last few years!”

Lin Lan giggled. “Big Brother, I’m actually quite diligent. I’m just a little lazy sometimes.” ’Thank goodness my predecessor was a decent cook,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, my cover would’ve been blown.’

Lin Guoqiang came in with Little Douzi on his shoulders, grinning at her. “Sis, you’re not just lazy sometimes—you’re the real deal. So lazy you’d rather sun-dry a snake than cook.”

“Mommy’s not lazy!” Little Douzi protested. He struggled to get down and glared at his uncle. “Youngest Uncle, you’re not allowed to say bad things about Mommy!”

“Whoa there!” Lin Guoqiang laughed, happily scooping the boy up and lifting him high into the air. “You little rascal. Uncle won’t say it again.”

Lin Lan smiled and pulled five yuan from her pocket, handing it to him. “Little Brother, go to the general store and buy two bottles of Quanxing Daqu.”

“I’ve got money; Dad gave me some before I left.” With that, he put Little Douzi back on his shoulders, and the uncle-nephew duo ran outside.

After pulling the weeds, Lin Yuezhen cleaned up the greasy mess from the intestines that Lin Guoliang had left everywhere. Then she washed her hands and came over to help wrap the buns.

Both of them were quick and efficient workers. In no time, they had wrapped all the buns with both types of filling. They shaped the two remaining pieces of dough into plain mantou.

She poured water into the wok and brought it to a boil. They took the largest bamboo steamer basket from where it hung on the wall, washed it, and brushed it with a thin layer of oil. Then, they carefully arranged the first batch of buns inside, put on the lid, and began steaming.

After a moment’s thought, Lin Lan went back to the vegetable patch. She picked a handful of choy sum and pulled up some spinach.

She’d stir-fry the choy sum and blanch the spinach for a cold salad.

Just as the first batch of buns finished steaming, the old woman entered the courtyard with Dandan and Yang Liying’s family in tow. A moment later, Lin Guoqiang returned, holding Little Douzi’s hand.

Lin Lan lifted the lid, and the rich aroma of meat buns instantly filled the air. As the steam dissipated, it revealed the steamer basket filled with big, white, plump buns, a few of which were already oozing with savory juice.

The two women quickly used chopsticks to transfer the glistening buns to a bamboo serving basket, and Lin Yuezhen immediately set the next batch in the steamer to cook.

Lin Lan smiled and brought the buns to the table. “The first batch is ready! Kids, go wash your hands and come eat some big meat buns. Grand-aunt, Liying, everyone, please try one and tell me what you think!”

“Yay! Time to eat buns!” the two little boys shouted, running off to wash their hands.

Little Yun and Little Li politely greeted each of the elders in the room before going outside to wash their hands.

The old woman chuckled. “We’re certainly in for a treat today.”

Yang Liying nodded with a smile. “Yes, it is! Life is getting better day by day.”

Little Douzi and Dandan came back inside, grabbed a bun each, and tore them open. After a few haphazard puffs of air to cool them down, they eagerly took huge bites.

“Delicious! Mine is a scallion and pork bun!”

Dandan mumbled with her mouth full, “Mine too.”

The two little girls were much more demure. They picked up their buns, took small bites, and nodded repeatedly. “The buns Auntie made are so delicious.”

Yang Liying laughed. “Has your Auntie ever made anything that wasn’t delicious?”

Everyone gathered around the small square table, each grabbing a bun to eat. The dough was light and fluffy, the pork belly filling was rich and juicy, and the scallion and shepherd’s purse fillings were fresh and savory.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep