eurekapd Chapter 23 New Clothes
Chapter 23 New Clothes
Unfortunately, there were no other spices, but having chili peppers was still a good thing.
Seeing that there was still some rice left in the pot, Song Jiaojiao took out the eggs she had collected that morning, cracked them into a bowl and whisked them, added the same amount of water as the eggs, and put the rice in to steam together. She figured the eggs would be ready by the time the rice was done.
Song Jiaojiao stood in the kitchen for a while, looking at the three siblings in the yard. They had been here for more than a week and had meat at every meal. The three siblings looked healthier and were no longer malnourished. Mu Qing was no longer timid and he became more cheerful. Even He Fan had become much more cheerful.
After selling the white fungus tomorrow, and having bought land and renovated the house, we need to start a business. We can't just sit around and do nothing. Besides, we'll need rare medicinal herbs for the space upgrade later, and we're not so lucky to run into Song Jiaojiao every time. We'll have to organize our own caravan to find fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs that aren't available here. If we rely on ourselves, we probably won't be able to upgrade the space to the maximum level until we die.
After thinking for a while, Song Jiaojiao went to check on the food. It was just steamed and the steamed egg custard was cooked. Song Jiaojiao called out to the courtyard, "Dinner is ready! Big sister and second sister, come and get your bowls to eat."
Song Jiaojiao carried the boiled pork slices into the main room, and the domineering smell followed her wherever she went.
Upon smelling it, Mu Xue quickly grabbed her bowl and chopsticks and followed Song Jiaojiao into the house. "Mom, what's this red stuff? It smells so good!" Mu Xue's eyes lit up as she sniffed the air.
At this moment, the eldest sister brought the steamed egg custard to the table, followed by Wang Hefan carrying rice. Mu Xue, seeing the steamed egg custard, no longer fussed over the boiled pork slices and exclaimed happily, "Oh, there's steamed egg custard today! I've never had it before!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and sit down to eat!" Song Jiaojiao said with a smile. "This red stuff is boiled sliced pork, it's quite spicy. If you're not used to it at first, just scoop out more rice. This goes really well with rice."
As she spoke, Song Jiaojiao picked up a piece of boiled pork slices with her chopsticks. Sure enough, it was a bit less flavorful without hot pot broth, but this simplified version of boiled pork slices was also very delicious.
Throughout lunch, all you could hear was the slurping sound of boiling pork slices. It was genuinely spicy, but also incredibly satisfying. Everyone ate until their faces were flushed and they were sweating profusely. In the end, the entire large bowl of boiled pork slices was reduced to broth.
After finishing their meal, Song Jiaojiao and her family chatted and laughed in the courtyard. Looking at the dried wood ear mushrooms drying in the yard, and the taro and kiwis piled up in the corner, they realized that their family was no longer the impoverished family they once were.
"Oh, everyone's home!" Aunt Lin's hearty laughter rang out. "I saw the door wasn't closed, so I just came in."
"Aunt Lin, what a rare guest! Eldest sister, second sister He Fan, please greet them quickly." Song Jiaojiao hurriedly stood up and looked at Aunt Lin with surprise.
Hello, Grandma Lin.
"Oh, Da Ya and Er Ya look much better, and He Fan has grown quite a bit taller too." Aunt Lin looked at the three siblings in front of her and felt that they were completely different from before.
"Eldest sister, second sister, quickly go pour some water," Song Jiaojiao instructed with a smile. "Auntie, please sit down and let's chat."
"Oh, good, good," Aunt Lin said, looking at the many dark things drying in Song Jiaojiao's house and a pile of unknown fruits in the corner of the eaves. Why does Song Jiaojiao always do things that are hard to understand?
"Auntie, have some water. Have you finished all the chores around the house?" Song Jiaojiao asked, handing a glass of water to Aunt Lin.
"Now that the busy farming season is over, and it's the lean time between harvests, your uncle's been sitting at home all day. He even said he's going to town in a couple of days to see if there's any work to do." Aunt Lin took a sip of water and noticed it had sugar in it, making it sweet. "Well, the fabric you brought last time asked me to make some clothes for you. I was thinking it's getting colder every day, so your sister-in-law, my sister, and I made some for you first. You can wear them as soon as it gets colder. Here, take them and try them on to see if they fit."
Aunt Lin put down her bowl and took out clothes from her basket. "I did everything you said. I had a little fabric left, so I made a pair of shoes for your two girls. This color is only suitable for the girls."
"Wow, it's finished so quickly! The stitches are so tight, even better than the clothes made in town. Eldest sister, second sister, He Fan, you go try it on first." Song Jiaojiao praised the clothes and quickly told her three siblings to try them on.
"Auntie, I'm sorry to have taken up so much of your time. Here, have some fruit. We picked it on the mountain yesterday." Song Jiaojiao pushed the washed fruit toward Aunt Lin.
"Alright, Auntie won't stand on ceremony with you. These are grapes and kiwis. You must have gone to great lengths to pick them! The places closer to the village in the mountains have long been ruined by those rascals." Aunt Lin said as she ate the grapes. Mu Qing and Mu Xue had changed their clothes while they were chatting and laughing.
"Mother, we've changed, it's perfect." Mu Qing said softly, unable to suppress the smile on her lips.
"Oh, oh, not bad, Daya looks really good in that. It's true what they say, clothes make the man. Daya is a young lady now, she'll be getting married in two more years." Aunt Lin said with a smile, looking at the graceful Mu Qing in front of her.
Mu Qing lowered her head, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Mother, are these really new clothes for us? They're so pretty!" Mu Xue exclaimed excitedly, carefully touching the clothes she was wearing. Since birth, Mu Xue had never received a new piece of clothing; she always wore hand-me-downs of Mu Qing's outgrown garments.
Song Jiaojiao waved to Mu Xue and patted her head with a smile, "Yes, these are the clothes I made for Mu Xue. Aren't they pretty? I couldn't make them myself. They were all made by your Grandma Lin. Quickly thank Grandma Lin."
"Thank you, Grandma Lin," Mu Xue called out cheerfully, her cheerful demeanor making everyone who saw her feel better.
"Oh, no thanks, no thanks. Your clothes were made by your sister Qing'er. Look, she even embroidered a few flowers for you. The clothes are a little big, but children grow quickly." Aunt Lin looked at the little girl in front of her, whose face had regained its color and was no longer sallow. It was definitely the right decision to break off the relationship with Song Jiaojiao.
"Mother, the clothes fit perfectly, but they're not good for working in." Wang Hefan said, scratching his head as he came out after changing his clothes.
"Great, it fits perfectly! Looking at him like this, my He Fan looks so handsome. He'll definitely charm a lot of girls when he goes out." Song Jiaojiao joked as she looked at Wang He Fan, who had changed his clothes.
"Yes, He Fan, keep dressing like this from now on, and try to get married soon to help your mother with the workload," Aunt Lin said with a smile, echoing Song Jiaojiao's words.
Wang Hefan touched his head as he listened to Song Jiaojiao and Aunt Lin's words, his ears turning bright red with embarrassment.
"Jiaojiao, you should try it on too. If it doesn't fit, I can take it back and modify it." Aunt Lin said quickly when she saw that only Song Jiaojiao hadn't tried it on yet.
"Oh, I won't try it. I trust Auntie's skills. Auntie, we agreed that a set of clothes would cost ten coins, so here's one hundred coins. Count them." Song Jiaojiao placed the money in Aunt Lin's hand and said, "Thank you for your hard work these past few days, you and your sister-in-law."