Chapter 39
Chapter 39: Chapter 39 Consensus in Silence_1
Chapter 39: Chapter 39 Consensus in Silence_1
“I specifically came back to tell you that Uncle San originally wanted you and the kids to come along, but since your aunt stayed in the city to look after your pregnant cousin and hasn’t returned, it’s just Uncle San and Brother Xinglin at home. With so many of us, it’d be hard to make enough food, so I told Uncle San that you and the kids should just eat at home. However, if you do want to come, I can take you with me and let the kids fend for themselves at home.”
“I’d rather not go. What would I do there with you men drinking? But can Uncle San and Brother Xinglin cook? Otherwise, how about I make some dishes to accompany the drinks and you can take them over later?” Lin Yue always felt uneasy about having accepted so much from Uncle San, so upon hearing what Zhao Erhu said, she suggested this.
Zhao Erhu was on the same page as Lin Yue and quickly nodded in agreement, “That would be perfect, but it means you’ll have to be busy again.”
“You, when did you start being so formal with me? Go start the fire, and I’ll get the ingredients ready.” Lin Yue shot Zhao Erhu a glance, and he cheerfully went to make the fire.
Lin Yue considered what Zhao Erhu brought back from Uncle San’s place: the pork, peanuts, and flour, and placed them on the chopping board to prepare. She decided to make a steamer of buns, stir-fried peanuts, and also gathered a variety of vegetables they had at home like tofu, bean sprouts, and dried bamboo shoots, plus a set of smoked pig intestines. With this selection, the side dishes for drinking were more than enough.
After Zhao Erhu got the fire going, Lin Yue directed him to knead the dough, while she cleaned and chopped the vegetables, soaked the dried bamboo shoots, and finished making the buns. When the time seemed about right, she started heating oil in the wok to fry the dishes.
Lin Yue first slowly fried the peanuts until they felt about ready, then took a bowl of cool boiled water and scooped a peanut from the wok into the water—a trick taught by her grandfather. When the peanut floated up, it meant it was done. She scooped them out into a bowl with a spatula, then proceeded to stir-fry the smoked pig intestines and the three types of vegetables. The last dish was Mapo Tofu. Due to limited ingredients, Lin Yue always felt the flavor was somewhat lacking, but it was still delicious compared to the bland methods used by the villagers, less oily and salty. Zhao Erhu couldn’t stop praising how tasty it was after trying it.
All that was left was to steam the buns. Lin Yue saved some dishes for their own dinner and packed the rest into food containers. Because they couldn’t all fit, she selected two items to put in a basket. Once the buns were ready, she added them too, and Zhao Erhu carried one in each hand as he set off for Uncle San’s house.
Over there, Uncle San and Zhao Xinglin both found the tofu pancake made by Lin Yue delicious. After each had one, they stopped eating, in tacit agreement that they wanted to save them to take to their wives in the city.
Since they hadn’t cooked lunch and had only managed a few bites in a hasty meal, both were somewhat hungry. They ate a few more tofu buns until they were full, then chatted about various things. Uncle San rested on the bed while Zhao Xinglin went into the kitchen to start a fire and cook rice. He also brought out two pounds of braised beef to slice and place on a plate, cracked a few eggs, put tofu in a bowl to set on the stove, all waiting for the rice to be ready to fry the dishes. As for the large handful of tender bean sprouts, Zhao Xinglin couldn’t bear to cook them and decided instead to bring them back to the city tomorrow for his pregnant daughter-in-law to enjoy as a delicacy.
Zhao Xinglin rarely cooked, and now with his mother and wife not around, leaving only his father at home, he had no choice but to do it himself. It didn’t make sense to expect great culinary skills. Once the rice was ready, the entire kitchen was filled with the scent of burning. Fortunately, only the layer sticking to the pot was charred, and the middle part was still edible. Zhao Xinglin dished out the rice and took a long time to scrub the pot clean. Just as he was about to start cooking the next dish, Zhao Erhu arrived.