The corn in the vegetable garden had been sold out, just as the corn in the field had been harvested, and it was at its tenderest. Lian Manman’s family then continued to sell the corn from the field.
During this season, the corn was rapidly filling out and growing solid. It was estimated that this batch of tender corn could only be sold for about ten more days. After that, all they could do was wait for the corn to fully mature and harden before finally harvesting it.
While the cucumber and bean plants were climbing in the vegetable garden, aside from the dozen or so cornstalks reserved for seeds, Lian Shouxin cut down the rest of the cornstalks. The larger cobs had been sold as tender corn, but there were still so smaller, less uniform ones left. So of these corn cobs were too small, and others had kernels that were too sparse—all in all, they had various kinds of imperfections.
These corn cobs were not yet completely solid, and even once they were, they couldn’t be kept for seeds. And if boiled, the corn would be too old to eat.
Lian Manman then snapped off these corn cobs and, along with Wu Lang, Xiao Qi, and Lian Zhizhi, they stripped the kernels off. The kernels from five small corn cobs filled up a whole small basin.
"Sister, how are we going to eat this corn?" Xiao Qi asked Lian Manman.
"We’ll stir-fry it," Lian Manman said with a smile.
"Great!" Xiao Qi cheered. When it ca to food, this little rascal had no taboos and was always brave enough to try.
Lian Manman scrubbed the large iron pot clean. Lian Zhizhi sat by the stove to make fire, and Lian Manman poured all the corn kernels into the pot. Then with a spatula, she spread the kernels out evenly at the bottom of the pot. Once the pot got hot, Lian Manman sped up, stirring the kernels so that each one received even heat.
"Sister, dium heat will do," Lian Manman told Lian Zhizhi.
At this stage, the corn was not tender, but it wasn’t too old either. Stir-fried, it was at its tastiest. Moreover, it didn’t need much fire. When the kernels changed color and the germ wrapped in the middle began to puff up from the heat, the corn was ready.
After scooping the corn out of the pot, the children gathered around the basin to eat. This stir-fried corn was best eaten while hot—sweet, moist, and chewy. If it cooled down, the texture of the fried corn would harden and wouldn’t taste as good.
"Delicious," Xiao Qi grabbed a small handful and stuffed it into his mouth, his words slightly muffled.
Lian Manman then called over Lady Zhang and Lian Shouxin to join them.
"You all are quite imaginative," Lady Zhang said with a smile as she grabbed a handful to taste and found it quite nice.
"It is good," Lian Shouxin agreed after tasting it and nodded, "Actually, this corn might be a bit old, but if you cook it with high heat until it’s soft, as long as you have strong teeth, it’s quite chewy and filling."
Even though their life had improved, Lian Shouxin’s highest demand for food was simply to be full. As for whether it was delicious or not, he didn’t care much. Lady Zhang often laughed, saying that Lian Shouxin was "easy to please," "easy to care for."
After eating the stir-fried corn, Lian Manman rembered another matter.
"Today is Dad’s birthday. What are we going to eat tonight?" Lian Manman asked.
Lian Shouxin’s birthday had been celebrated in the morning by Lady Zhang, who cooked him several eggs—all of which Lian Shouxin shared with Lian Manman and the others. Originally, when the Lian Family was undivided, adults like Lian Shouxin and Lady Zhang didn’t celebrate their birthdays. Only the grandchildren and the elders like Old Master Lian and Lady Zhou had birthdays celebrated.
But since the family had divided and tis had gotten better, the children’s birthdays were much more abundant than before. Lady Zhang, feeling sorry for Lian Shouxin, planned to celebrate his birthday too. Lian Manman, of course, agreed—she believed that everyone in the family should celebrate their birthdays.
"Ask your dad, today’s his birthday, so he gets to decide," Lady Zhang said with a laugh.
"Dad, what would you like to eat tonight?" Lian Manman asked, tilting her face up towards Lian Shouxin.
"Anything is fine," Lian Shouxin said amicably.
"Dad, since it’s your birthday, if you say anything goes, then we won’t know what to make. Dad, just tell us what you’d like to eat," Lian Manman persisted.
"Xiao Qi, what do you want to eat?" Lian Shouxin thought for a mont, turned around, and pulled Xiao Qi over to ask.
"Dad, whatever you want to eat, that’s what I want to eat," Xiao Qi, the clever sprite, hugged Lian Shouxin’s leg and spoke with a sweet, cloying smile.
Lady Zhang and the children all looked at Lian Shouxin, and feeling such attention, warmth filled his heart. He hadn’t celebrated his birthday for nearly twenty years.
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