Chapter 81:
Zhou Shi hugged the jar and left, so she got up, put on clothes, and went out.
After making a fuss for about an hour, she made a big commotion when getting up, afraid that others wouldn’t hear, afraid they wanted to sleep in.
Standing in the doorway, she shouted for the Eldest Son’s Family, then shouted for the Third Wife.
She was just short of knocking on the door, repeating tirelessly:
Where she put the corn flour and such, to feed the chickens, wash clothes, wash quilt cover, carry water, sweep the ground, shovel chicken shit, irrigate the vegetable garden…
In spare time, do needlework, that is, make sachets, then take them to the town to sell at the cloth shop.
Explaining one by one the work they had to do today…
That sharp and piercing shouting woke her sweet dream, Luo Zhi’er covered her ears.
Zhou Skinflint!
Tossing and turning on the bed, anyway, she could not sleep.
Going out, sure enough, it was not bright outside yet, not sure what time it was!
Some family’s dog was barking nonstop!
She could not idle, thinking of the pine nuts drying in the bamboo sieve, she had soaked them in water after making termite mushroom oil last night.
Since Zhou Shi was not home, it was just right to take the time to fry them, Li Sanmao had not eaten much last night either…
After getting up, she lightly stretched her muscles in the yard, stretched her arms, twisted her waist, lifted legs high and jumped!
Ancient rural air was good, unlike the modern era with traffic congestion and pollution, smelling the orchid fragrance, feeling refreshed.
Then to the kitchen to scoop water, washing herself clean…
Probably too tired from yesterday, doing a day of physical labor, Li Sanmao surprisingly had not been woken up yet.
She groped in the dark to the backyard where firewood was piled, found some tinder, lit a fire under the pot against the wall, steamed the pine nuts to soften them!
The other pot was to make some pancakes for Li Sanmao and them!
Zhou Shi had scooped out a ladle of corn flour for today’s meal in the morning.
As usual, placed on the cutting board.
As she thought, this stuff was usually placed here, yet Zhou Shi deliberately explained loudly, either to intentionally not let them sleep…
Besides, it was to deliberately let the surrounding neighbors hear, that she this mother-in-law had gotten up to go to town, while the few young wives were still sleeping in.
Although she controlled the rice flour grains and oil, she had not let these young wives go hungry!
Luo Zhi’er took out the matsutake mushrooms picked yesterday, some shepherd’s purse dug casually on the way back, and the half yam not finished eating…
Corn flour mixed with water, stirred into corn batter, matsutake mushrooms washed clean, cut into pieces, shepherd’s purse and yam cut into small bits, stirred into the corn batter.
Then groped in the dark to the yard’s vegetable garden to gather some scallion greens, pulled a white radish!
Washed the scallion greens clean, chopped finely and sprinkled in, simply added some seasonings available at home…
Put animal oil in the pot, spooned the corn batter one spoonful at a time into the pot, fried until golden yellow.
In no time, a big plate of scallion mushroom fried corn cakes was ready!
Golden color, smelling of fresh scallion mushrooms, eating it must also be crispy.
After frying the cakes, quickly cut the shredded radish into fine shreds, blanched in the pot, added some salt, fished out, added seasonings, and made another fried cake with corn flour!
After frying the shredded radish cake, scooped a ladle of sour vegetable water from the pickled mustard greens jar, boiled a sour soup, added some scallion greens and salt, in the morning eating it with these cakes was also delicious!
At least it could fill the stomachs of the few hardworking big men.
Smelling this sour sour soup, she could not help swallowing saliva, she thought of the dried wild boar meat in the room!
Anyway, it had not been sold, yet Zhou Shi was so stingy, the ones carried back some days ago were locked up by her, placed in the next door side room.
Otherwise, stewing a pork leg radish soup early in the morning, how fragrant.
Old Li Tou finished using the latrine, a burst of coughing sounded in the yard.
Looked toward the horizon behind the eastern mountain, still dark, could not help complaining about his old lady.
Got up and had to make such a huge fuss, waking him up, was not it just going to town? Look how capable she thought she was!
Digging the field yesterday really exhausted him!
At this age, sleep was poor, once awake, could not sleep again!
Since he was already up, he planned to go shout Li Sanmao and Li Daqiang, it was time to get up and go up the slope to work!
What was going on, he had only squatted in the latrine for half a day, who got up?
Walked a few steps toward the main hall, saw someone seemed in the kitchen, and smelled the aroma of meal.
Wondered in his heart: Strange, who was cooking in the kitchen?
His family had never had anyone get up this early to make breakfast!
The root cause was naturally Zhou Shi unwilling to work that hard.
Another reason was thinking the early morning meal was superfluous, wasting grain.
They all ate after finishing work and coming back!
“Third Wife! What are you doing?”
Hurriedly tied his pants, lifted foot and walked in, indeed that plump figure was busy at the stove!
The pot against the wall inside did not know what it was doing, steaming with big smoke…
“Oh, Dad, I could not sleep, saw you all going to the field to do farm work, so got up to make some breakfast to pad your stomachs! Farm work is important, but you need to eat your fill to have strength to work!”
“Hehe, Third Daughter-in-law has heart, what did you make, so fragrant!”
Old Li Tou felt warmth in his heart, nodded! Um… for so many years, no one cared about his empty stomach in the morning…
However, did not Zhou Shi say when leaving in the morning that she only left corn flour?
Why so fragrant?
“Dad, this is the corn cake I made, try it!”
Picked up the plate, handed it to him.
“Hey!”
Old Li Tou saw the golden ones, immediately arousing his appetite, without politeness, reached out shakily and took one, put it in his mouth.
Bit into it, crunchy, with mushroom fragrance lingering in his mouth…
“This is made with corn flour? Too delicious!”
“Yes, Dad, this is shredded radish cake, there’s sour vegetable soup in the pot, almost ready, drink some soup, I’ll go shout Sanmao!”
“Hey! Hey!”
Old Li Tou’s eyes showed gratification, this corn flour could make such delicious cakes!
As for shredded radish, it could be made into this kind? Oldest Brother’s wife salted some yesterday with salt, they usually either stewed soup or pickled!
Watched Luo Zhi’er’s plump back leave the kitchen, he went to find a bowl under the cutting board, scooped soup!
Luo Zhi’er pushed the door into the room, Li Sanmao was putting on clothes, surprised, “Wife, why up so early, you went to make food? Why not shout me?”
Wife’s body emitted oil smoke smell, actually quite nice…
“I saw you worked hard yesterday, did not eat dinner, anyway could not sleep, so made pancakes for you, get up quick, Dad is already eating!”
“Good!”
Li Sanmao got up, ran to Eldest Son’s Family doorway, conveniently shouted Li Daqiang to get up and eat breakfast!
While the three men ate breakfast, she started frying her pine nuts, stir-frying in the pot with crackling sound, frying dry the moisture, added salt and such to season, until the pine nuts cracked open, she tasted one, felt it was good to eat, then shoveled them out to cool…
She felt busy for about half an hour, and it was done!
Li Sanmao and them finished breakfast, packed up and prepared to go out, the cakes on the stove not finished, left for the children at home.
She packed a few handfuls of fried pine nuts into Li Sanmao’s clothes pocket! For him to snack on the road!
“Wife, hey, you are really good!”
Li Sanmao shouldered the clamp, silly looking at her, these fried pine nuts that children eat as snacks, gave to him too…
This morning stomach full, going to work like this, very satisfied!
“Is not it just making some breakfast? Sanmao, the weather is hot, drink more water, be careful of heatstroke!”
“Hey!”
Li Daqiang looked envious, glanced at Eldest Son’s Family doorway, wife not up yet, door and windows tightly closed!
“Oldest Brother, you try these pine nuts too, snack when resting!”
“Hey!”
Then Old Li Tou also had some!
The three figures slowly disappeared in front of Li family yard…
Miaomiao not awake yet, this little girl was growing and tired, she also wanted her to sleep more!
She drank some sour soup, of course did not forget to boil medicine for herself again, boiled it, drank it!
Went out, looked at the horizon, gradually brightening!
Village also had other villagers talking and greeting, some going up slope to work, some going to field to add water, some to river to carry water, latrine carrying manure, going mountain to cut firewood…
Rural people were just diligent little bees!
