Chapter 79:
Luo Zhi’er looked at Old Luo Tou, and seeing his sauce-purple face, she knew what was going on.
Her eyes mischievously turned…
“Aiya, Dad, Mom! This is bad!!!”, her gaze panicked as she looked behind them!
Zhou Shi was thinking of some excuse to send her away, but that “this is bad” scared her so much her heart jumped!
In a panic, she jumped up all at once, and Old Li Tou did too, holding his bowl and jumping along!
They looked at their heels, thinking there was something under their feet?
“This is bad? What’s bad? You, Luo Zhi’er, took the white sugar and you’re still startling like this! You scared us to death!”
Zhou Shi saw clearly that there was nothing.
She rubbed her heels and hadn’t stepped in chicken shit, furious,
“You tell me clearly!”
“That’s right, Third Wife!”
“Scare a person and you scare them to death, don’t you know?”
Old Li Tou had been so scared earlier his heart was thumping wildly, thinking there was a snake about to bite, his tobacco pouch even fell to the ground…
At his age, he couldn’t handle scares! He might just drop dead! He hadn’t become the Official Master’s dad yet!
“Dad, what I mean is I know now, our home definitely has a mouse!”
Luo Zhi’er patted her head, suddenly realizing!
Old Li Tou shrank his head upon hearing it, looking deflated, mumbling in agreement: “Oh, so that’s it, cough… yes, that’s possible!!!”
Luo Zhi’er seemed to have made up her mind, nodding foolishly: “That damn stinky mouse, always picking the good stuff to eat, why hasn’t it eaten you to death? It must be raised fat and huge!”
“Um… you wait… I’ll make your greedy mouth pay!!!”
Old Li Tou squinted his eyes, looking at her puzzled.
Luo Zhi’er said seriously: “Dad, Mom, just relax! Tomorrow I’ll definitely buy some rat poison and kill it!”
Old Li Tou swallowed saliva, choked by a mouthful of dry corn paste, eyes bulging: “Cough… cough!”
It took half a day of coughing to spit it out on the ground…
“Why do you care how it disappears? Rat poison doesn’t cost silver?”
Zhou Shi said anxiously, thinking, this vicious fat hoof, who exactly does she want to poison?
“Oh… alright, then I won’t buy it, Mom, it’s agreed, don’t come grab it oh!”
As if suddenly understanding, she grabbed the white sugar and turned to leave!
Zhou Shi spat at her back,
“Pah! Who would eat your crappy thing!”
She knew the hawthorn tree on the back mountain, sour as hell!
“Use it and bring it back quick, don’t use it all up on me!”
Zhou Shi’s face didn’t blush or her heart skip, couldn’t help tiptoeing to call out.
Luo Zhi’er said as she walked: “Mom, it’s just a bit of white sugar, no need to be so stingy!”
“Next time San Mao goes to sell meat, just weigh a jin more, right?”
She called Miaomiao to the kitchen to make her candied hawthorn.
Zhou Shi: “This fat hoof, his father, look at her big tone, it’s just a bit of white sugar, you think we have so much silver at home there’s nowhere to burn it?”
Unfortunately, Luo Zhi’er was already out of sight, so Zhou Shi continued complaining there.
Old Li Tou impatiently glanced at her, listening to her nagging really irritated him, she jumped up like performing a monkey show.
Annoyed, he picked up his bowl and went to the field path, squatting at the field side preferring to hear frog croaks for some peace!
Li Sanmao had nothing to do now, just sitting in the stove cavity with her.
She waved her hand grandly, directing Li Sanmao to the backyard slope to chop a bamboo back, for her to whittle into bamboo skewers, sharpening the tips…
She first boiled the hawthorn, fished it out, and by the time Li Sanmao chopped the bamboo, he was back.
Sitting in the kitchen using a sickle to scrape bamboo skewers…
The two of them strung the thin bamboo strips he scraped onto the hawthorns one by one…
Lit the pot, added sugar, she saw there was just this much and poured it all in with a gurgle!
Melted into liquid…
Put the strung candied hawthorn in rows on a plate, the liquid turned golden yellow when done.
Used an iron shovel to scoop sugar syrup and pour over the hawthorn…
“Mom, so candied hawthorn is made like this? How do you know how to make candied hawthorn?”
Miaomiao asked curiously.
She felt Mom had a pair of magical hands, no matter what ingredients, the food she made was delicious.
This candied hawthorn smelled sweet and fragrant, the best candied hawthorn in the world, better than the ones sold in town.
Though she hadn’t eaten it, anyway, the smell made her drool uncontrollably…
“Um… what’s so hard about this, some things you can figure out just by looking!”
“Besides, hey! Your mom was a total snack fiend when she was little!”
Spread her hands, quite confident!
That posture meant it was simple.
Li Sanmao looked at her childishly, shaking his head helplessly…
After a few minutes, the candied hawthorn cooled.
Luo Zhi’er gave Miaomiao two strings, gave Li Sanmao one, and the two couldn’t help eating.
“So delicious, Mom.”
Li Sanmao: “Wife, this looks better than the ones sold in town, and tastes better too!”
“Thanks to Husband and Miaomiao for the praise!”
Li Sanmao grinned foolishly: “Hehe!”
At this time Muqing ran in thump thump, timidly looking at the candied hawthorn on the plate, swallowing saliva: “Third Aunt, can you give me a string of this candied hawthorn?”
Luo Zhi’er turned back, this kid hadn’t gotten cornbread but didn’t cry or fuss.
Seeing her make treats, he couldn’t help running over, she took three strings from the plate: “Of course, here, this for you, this for Yunliang, this for Liuliu!”
“Thanks, Third Aunt!”
Muqing took the candied hawthorn and licked it first, then happily ran out to find his younger brother and sister.
Luo Zhi’er thought, then gave Miaomiao and Li Sanmao one each, picked up the plate to go out, Zhou Shi came face to face…
Almost bumped into her, Luo Zhi’er went around her to leave!
“Stop, where’s the white sugar?”
“Tell me, did you use up all the white sugar?”
Before Luo Zhi’er could speak, Zhou Shi spotted the bag tossed by the stove, immediately cursing loudly:
“You wasteful woman, I told you to use it sparingly, and you used it all up!”
“What about your ears? You’re deliberately trying to anger me!”
She slapped her thigh, about to roll on the ground making trouble again!!!
“Stop it!”
“Mom, is this necessary? Please stop acting!”
“Didn’t I say? I’ll weigh a jin back for you, tomorrow I’ll go weigh it for you, this little bit can trade for more than a jin, why are you in a hurry?”
With that, she went out the door!
“You go weigh a jin? Where’s the silver coming from?” Zhou Shi grabbed the key point, jumping up and chasing after, looking at her strangely…
Suddenly remembering something,
“You fat hoof, tell me, last time did you hide some private stash?”
“No!”
“Then how can you say weigh a jin? Don’t tell me you’re using tomorrow’s termite mushroom oil silver…”
Saying it, she felt it wasn’t right, after all the deposit was already paid, “Do you have anything else you haven’t confessed honestly?”
“Nothing, anyway, I can get you a jin, that’s it!”
Impossible, a jin of white sugar is eight wen, where would she get eight wen?
“Impossible, right! I just heard Muqing Yunliang say today they got ink and paper, saying you bought it?”
She was busy when they got back, hadn’t had time to ask!
“Hmph! I’m going to ask, what’s really going on? Speak! Confess honestly where the silver came from?”
“Where from? Last time’s termite mushroom oil deposit wasn’t given to you? Shopkeeper Zhu gave me thirty wen reward money, I spent over ten wen buying a book for Muqing Yunliang, five wen for hair clips for Liuliu and Miaomiao, no hiding!”
After saying that, Luo Zhi’er walked straight out, seeing Li Daqiang honestly sitting in the yard enjoying the cool.
Holding a fan made from palm tree in hand fanning, eyes looking at Muqing Yunliang eating candied hawthorn…
She went over and asked: “Oldest Brother, where’s Dad?”
“Went to the road…”
“Oldest Brother, you try this too…”
Li Daqiang didn’t expect he had some too, “Hehe, hey!”
Took it and bit, sour and appetizing inside, coated with sweet syrup outside!
His childhood dream was to eat a string of candied hawthorn, seemed never realized…
Hehe!
Better than imagined.
Gave to Li Daqiang then went to find Old Li Tou, found him at the dark field side, gave him a string too!
When the two came back, Zhou Shi was still in the yard cursing indirectly!
“You woman! What are you cursing again? Will you ever stop?”
Zhou Shi saw Old Li Tou eating candied hawthorn with bulging cheeks, and he was scolding her for Luo Zhi’er, her face turning blue-white with anger…
“Old man, you’ve been fooled by this fat hoof!”
“Last time she got more than fifteen taels, she had reward money and didn’t confess it all to us!”
She shouted sharply!
Old Li Tou looked at Luo Zhi’er puzzled, “Third Wife, is this true?”
“Dad, Shopkeeper Zhu saw me as honest, thought my termite mushroom oil was good, casually gave thirty wen reward money, spent over ten wen on ink and paper for Muqing Yunliang, five wen on hair clips for Liuliu and Miaomiao, no hiding!”
Luo Zhi’er had thought this through, if she didn’t say, Muqing Yunliang using the pen etc., Liuliu and Miaomiao’s hair clips would be worn out.
They would find out anyway, so say it’s reward money!
“See, if I didn’t ask today, I wouldn’t know, no, tomorrow you don’t deliver, I’ll go!”
Zhou Shi jumped high, she was going to deliver, what if more reward money, wouldn’t she pocket it again?
“Also, hand over your remaining reward money quick, no hiding!”
“Mom, didn’t I say the rest is for weighing white sugar…”
“No need, tomorrow you stay home, I’ll weigh it myself!”
Old Li Tou didn’t stop her, didn’t speak up, after all it was Yumian Tower shopkeeper’s reward money to Luo Zhi’er, they couldn’t just grab it.
If word got out, no face!
But letting her keep it, impossible, no family division yet…
Once opened, everyone in the family would hide private money!
Let the old lady be the bad guy!
Luo Zhi’er seemed to see his thoughts, said flatly,
“Dad, you think the few wen left on me should be handed to Mom too?”
Old Li Tou looked embarrassed, didn’t expect her to ask him directly…
“Uh… Third Wife, you know, Old Li Family hasn’t divided, the silver is kept by your mom, amount doesn’t matter, important is not to split… after all, little by little adds up!”
