"...Here, have this, fresh autumn plums. My grandpa brought so back when he helped with the harvest a couple of days ago," Lian Manman said, as she took out a handkerchief and wiped the already clean autumn plums once more before handing one to Shen Qian.
The autumn plums were in season, not very large, but because they were fully ripe, they had a rosy glow all over. Even before taking a bite, one could sll their fresh aroma. The plums were juicy and fibrous, very tasty, and could also stave off hunger. There was a saying in Burner Pot Village, "The plum tree that feeds and kills."
Shen Qian wasn’t picky and started eating the plum right away.
"...They said they were coming to see you. I wanted to co, but Sixth Brother wouldn’t take , saying there were too many people and it was a serious matter. I had to pester Sixth Brother for a long ti before he agreed to bring ," Shen Qian shuffled closer to Lian Manman, "Manman, do you think I’m good to you?"
As he said that, Shen Qian squinted his thin eyes at Lian Manman.
Lian Manman blinked; Shen Qian’s words implied that he had gone through a lot of trouble to see her... Was he fishing for complints?
"Fatty... you’re the best," Lian Manman said with a verbal affirmation, though her expression and deanor unavoidably betrayed a hint of perfunctoriness.
Shen Qian grinned, showing a row of pearly white teeth in an attempt to smile, yet he seed sowhat unsatisfied. On his plump stead-bun-like face, his emotions seed tangled.
Lian Manman quickly took out a Balixiang pear from the storage box and placed it in front of Fatty Shen for him to sll.
"Slls good, doesn’t it?" Lian Manman asked.
"Slls good," Fatty Shen responded honestly.
"This is Balixiang, only available in my grandpa’s village," Lian Manman said, as she wiped the pear and handed it to Fatty Shen.
"Manman, you have so too," Shen Qian reached out his chubby hand, took another Balixiang from the box, and handed it to Lian Manman.
Lian Manman, smiling, accepted the pear, and the two children sat facing each other, eating their pears.
Balixiang pears weren’t as big as duck pears and had greenish skin with a tint of red when mature. Typically, one wouldn’t eat them right after picking; they were ant to be ’sweated’ until the fruit softened, and its fragrance fernted, which made them even more delicious.
That’s why it was called Balixiang; its fragrance after ’sweating’ beca so strong that it could be slled for miles around. Lady Zhang loved to ’sweat’ these pears in the wardrobe, infusing all the clothes with their fruit fragrance.
"Fatty, has your Sixth Brother been particularly busy these days?" Lian Manman asked.
"Yeah," Fatty Shen nodded, "He’s been staying in the barracks for the past few days, hasn’t even co ho."
Lian Manman gave a nod, understanding that when they were harvesting corn the other day, Shen Liu really had been too busy to get away.
Shen Qian swung his little chubby legs and scooted even closer to Lian Manman when she wasn’t paying attention to him while eating her pear.
"Right when we got here, I wanted to get out of the carriage to find you. Sixth Brother wouldn’t let . I couldn’t stay put in the carriage, so I got out by myself. With so many people around, Sixth Brother didn’t say anything, hehe," Fatty Shen seed sowhat proud, chuckling softly.
"Manman, I saw you from the carriage and waved at you, but you ignored . I wanted to find you to play, but with so many people around... Sixth Brother said we had to maintain decorum," he sighed, sounding quite grown-up, "So I waited until you ca out before I found a chance to tell Sixth Brother, and followed you here."
"You’ve had a hard ti, Fatty. When the corn cakes are ready, you’ll get the first one," Lian Manman laughed.
"Really?" Fatty Shen squinted at Lian Manman, "Manman, did you make them yourself?"
Lian Manman looked at Shen Qian’s rosy, fair and tender cheeks and felt an itching in her hands, really wanting to pinch them.
"Yep, I made it with my own hands," Lian Manman replied.
"Then let’s eat it together later," Shen Qian said cheerfully.
"Okay."
While they were talking in the inner room, the corn pancakes, rice cakes, and stead buns were successively coming out of the pot outside. Lian Manman ca out first, served Shen Qian a bowl of corn porridge, and brought him one of each food to eat.
Since she just wanted everyone to have a taste, whether it was the stead buns, pancakes, or rice cakes, they were all made quite exquisitely, aning they were quite small in size.
"This one is coarse, eat less of it," Lian Manman said, pointing at the corn pancakes.
"Mhm, Manman, you eat too."
Shen Qian really wasn’t picky, tasting each one and even rembering to split half of each with Lian Manman.
Watching Fatty Shen eating so deliciously, Lian Manman felt that the corn pancakes in her mouth tasted even better.
"Fatty, which do you think is the tastiest?" Lian Manman asked Shen Qian.
"They’re all delicious," Shen Qian answered and then, after thinking for a mont, pointed at the corn rice cake and the salty vegetable and at-filled corn pockets, "I love these two the most... the porridge is also good."
Lian Manman nodded her head. It seed Fatty Shen’s preference was for sweet things and he loved at.
"Manman, what do you love to eat?" Shen Qian then asked Lian Manman.
"I fancy all of it," Lian Manman answered.
She wasn’t just humoring Fatty Shen, she spoke the truth. Freshly harvested corn, with just a slight processing, was sweet and tasty. Lady Zhang’s cooking skills were excellent; the corn pancakes were cooked to just the right degree, the side against the iron pot was toasted to a golden brown, but not burnt, bringing out the full fragrance of the corn. The corn rice cakes were fluffy, sweet, and sticky. The cornal stead buns and buns each had their own delicious taste.
And then there was the corn porridge; such fragrant and sticky corn porridge could also be had only at this ti. In a few days, once the corn was completely dried out, it wouldn’t be as sweet and soft anymore.
After tasting the corn dishes, Lian Manman was busy taking Shen Qian out to help Lady Zhang pack various foods into food boxes.
"Can Ninth Master eat all these things?" Lady Zhang asked cautiously.
"He can eat them; he also said they were delicious," Lian Manman glanced at Fatty Shen and whispered with a smile. Foodie Fatty Shen seed to be able to eat anything as long as it was food. Because of this, everyone in Lian Manman’s family felt that he was very dear to them.
"Then please invite Sixth Master and all the gentlen to co and taste," she said.
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Here’s one more update; seeking pink.
There will be a second update tonight. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to go to Qidian (qidian) to vote for recomndation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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