Chapter 319: Chapter 7: The Famine Years Without Hunger (Part 7)

Wang Cuicun wasn’t stingy, especially since her proud eldest daughter had returned, bringing so many things with her. She felt delighted.

A big pot of stew made with pork and vermicelli, boiled potatoes, and a plate of boiled radish were prepared.

In the eyes of others, this was considered a feast.

Even Li Dongyun felt that this meal was rather good.

However, Li Rengui and Li Chunhua, who had become accustomed to the dishes prepared by Li Shuning, thought the food was unpalatable. Especially the meal they had when a pig was slaughtered at their home, which was the best meal they had ever had in their lives.

Nowadays, especially the rice, it tasted so coarse.

The pork stew with vermicelli was indeed a solid dish, yet it wasn’t very tasty. The pork lacked flavor; it was just pork and vermicelli cooked together.

If it were in the past, they probably would have found it delicious!

The family of three didn’t eat much.

Li Shuning even gave more than half of her rice to Zhao Jing.

Wang Cuicun, however, felt that this family was going with the flow, as the meal was primarily prepared for the eldest daughter’s family.

Li Dongyun and Zhao Jing ate quite a lot.

Especially the pork stew with vermicelli, which was left with only a little broth at the end.

Although it was cold now, it hadn’t snowed, and the sun was out. It was more comfortable in the yard without the wind than inside the house, so everyone went to the yard to bask in the sun.

Zhao Jing, however, quietly found Li Shuning and gave her two pieces of candy.

The candy packaging was simple, yet it was already quite rare in this world.

“Cousin, take this candy and eat it. My dad got it from the store; it’s scarce and quite tasty.”

At this time, Zhao Jing was well-behaved, sensible, and somewhat introverted. To be able to do this for Li Shuning was already commendable.

Li Shuning felt a bit sorry for Zhao Jing.

Her life turned out as it did in the plot, which is indeed a pity. But if given a chance to start over, why not live well instead of being so extreme, causing harm to herself and others in the end?

“Cousin, let’s each have one.”

The two took one each and ate them quietly.

As if having a shared secret, Zhao Jing became more amicable with Li Shuning.

Speaking honestly, she quite envied Li Shuning for being so beautiful.

Second Aunt and Second Uncle treated Li Shuning very well. At home, her dad and grandma acted as if she was invisible.

Sigh.

By about two or three in the afternoon, Li Xiahua and Li Qiuha also arrived.

Li Qiuha was still picked up by her uncle; their home was too far, with a river in between.

The uncle was the only male in the grandmother’s family.

After another lively gathering and dinner, Li Rengui accompanied by his wife and daughter, prepared to leave.

Li Qiuha’s family planned to follow and stay at Li Rengui’s house.

After all, with large families in tow, their parental home was too small to accommodate everyone; there were only two rooms for the sisters.

Li Qiuha and Li Chunhua were the closest, so naturally, she would follow Li Chunhua.

Li Xiahua, who usually cozied up to Li Donghua, stayed behind at their parental home.

This time, however, Li Donghua suddenly said, “Oh, why don’t Jing’er and I go stay at my brother-in-law’s place? My little nephew is still young, and it’s cold to be moving about.”

Li Qiuha hesitated for a moment but said nothing.

Wang Cuicun, however, interjected, “Oh dear, Dong’er, I’ve already prepared the bedding for you; they’re brand new. Go have a rest; didn’t you say you were feeling a bit dizzy yourself?”

Wang Cuicun doted on Li Donghua the most.

The new bedding was allocated primarily for Li Donghua.

Li Donghua wanted to go to Li Rengui’s house, but her mother’s insistence was too strong, so she couldn’t.

Li Qiuha, however, turned up her mouth and left.

She looked down on her eldest sister’s behavior the most, acting like she was looking after her younger sister while eyeing her brother-in-law with glowing eyes. It was shameless.

Luckily, Second Sister was oblivious; she wouldn’t see through it. What if it were her?

Li Qiuha’s son was only two years old, chubby and especially cute.

He also loved clinging to Li Shuning, finding that his sister smelled nice.

At Li Rengui’s house, Li Shuning immediately went into the kitchen.

Neither lunch nor dinner was enough for her.

Especially at dinner, there was only boiled radish and a bowl of boiled meat.

But the bowls of rice were plenty big.

Li Qiuha naturally hadn’t eaten enough either, as her mother favored her older brother and Li Donghua, followed by Li Xiahua with the good stuff.

The portions for her and Brother Jun were only half a bowl each; their mother just wouldn’t give them more.

In previous years, when they came to Second Sister’s, she would cook a bit extra. Unexpectedly, this year it was little niece who had gone into the kitchen.

Li Chunhua noticed Li Qiuha’s surprised expression and laughed, “In our house, Daya is in charge of the kitchen. Later, make sure to eat to your heart’s content. Daya is a great cook, and after getting used to her cooking, I hardly ate anything at mom’s.”

Li Qiuha was now genuinely curious, indeed. In the evening, she had seen her second sister give the rice to her brother’s son.

Initially thinking it was to take care of the nephew, she didn’t realize it was because she couldn’t eat it.

After a while, as a rich aroma wafted in, Li Qiuha inexplicably understood her second sister’s words.

Indeed, the smell was really fragrant.

At this time, Li Haoge’s elderly parents came in.

“Oh dear, you finally made it back. Without Daya’s cooking, the old man complains that my cooking is terrible, and he’s been fussing all day.”

Li Haoge felt a bit sheepish, “Old lady, why are you fussing? You didn’t even eat much of your own cooking.”

Li Qiuha burst out laughing.

The family atmosphere immediately livened up.

Li Qiuha’s family called out to everyone and then became curious about this young niece’s capabilities.

Li Shuning had actually prepared wheat shrimp.

For late-night snacks, noodle-based dishes are easier to digest.

With her strong spiritual power, she already knew that her grandparents had arrived, so she had added more flour when adjusting the paste.

Wheat shrimp is made by mixing flour with water into a paste, then letting it soak for a period of time.

Li Shuning stir-fried quite a bit of pork in the pot, along with some side vegetables, then added a large pot of water and waited for it to boil.

Once boiling, she drained the water from the prepared paste and took an egg out of the Qiankun Ring, cracked it, and mixed it into the paste.

Ideally, the paste should soak for three to four hours; this time she had to rely on the egg for added elasticity.

After preparing it, Li Shuning took out a knife from the Qiankun Ring. The knives in this world were too cumbersome, and using them to slice wheat shrimp was too difficult.

Fortunately, the Qiankun Ring had several suitable utensils.

With the paste in a bowl, she tilted the bowl slightly, slicing along the rim, dropping fine strips of wheat shrimp into the boiling water.

Eventually, once all the wheat shrimp were in the water, she added the washed bok choy, covered it, and waited for it to boil again before it was ready to eat.

With plenty of pork, it was rich in flavor and smelled enticing.

After serving, Li Shuning called out, “Mom, come in and help bring these out.”

PS: Wheat shrimp is really delicious. Xiao Qing can only eat half a bowl of rice, but with homemade wheat shrimp, she can eat a big bowl and want even more.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep