Juhua smiled. "Don’t eat any more. I still have more to cook. You can try the other dishes later, or you won’t have room for dinner."
As she spoke, she scooped out four pieces of tofu and cut them into cubes. She ladled so broth from the large pot to serve as a base, added ginger and chili paste, and cut the green garlic shoots into sections. She poured everything into the pot, covered it with a lid, and let it simr. Then, she took a small piece of lean at from the pig’s face, sliced it thinly, and added it to the pot for extra flavor. Tofu absorbs flavor easily, and after just a short while, she sprinkled so chopped scallions on top and took it off the heat.
The large pot held dark red tofu, mixed with vibrant green garlic shoots and scallions. Billowing steam carried the aromas of chili paste and savory at.
This ti, before izi could make a move, Liu Xiaoi was the first to ladle so into her bowl and savor it. She found the tofu both refreshing and smooth. The spiciness was deep and penetrating, and the fragrance filled her mouth. Even after she swallowed, the spicy flavor and the fresh scent of the scallions and green garlic lingered.
Her face lit up, and she bead at Juhua. "This is delicious! So savory and spicy!"
The others didn’t even wait for her to finish before they all dug in.
The spiciness made izi sniffle, and she laughed and hopped about as she wiped tears from her eyes. Only Lanzi was a bit more composed, but even she ate with a huge smile on her face.
Next, Juhua thinly sliced the cooled pig’s face at and mixed it with seasonings to make a cold dish. Then, just as she had the other night, she cooked napa cabbage heart with tofu. After that, she took out the pig’s stomach, sliced it, and red-braised it. Finally, she stir-fried spinach and Big Cabbage.
When Yang Family returned from selling vegetables, she heard waves of clear, pleasant laughter coming from the kitchen. She looked doubtfully at Zheng Changhe—he was sitting in the courtyard, chuckling to himself, and hadn’t gone inside to help Juhua with the fire.
Zheng Changhe told her that a few young girls had co over to see Juhua.
With all the young girls gathered in the kitchen, it wouldn’t be right for him to go in and get involved. Besides, his help wasn’t needed; there were plenty of hands already.
Yang Family was overjoyed to hear this. Juhua was always busy at ho, with no one to talk to besides her brother and parents. Now that she had friends over to play, her mother was naturally delighted.
From the sounds coming from the kitchen, she could tell they were tasting Juhua’s cooking. Worried she might make the girls feel awkward if she went in, she decided against it. She set her carrying pole down in the main hall and joined Zheng Changhe in the courtyard, where they spoke in low voices.
When Qingmu ca ho from school, he saw his parents sitting in the courtyard while constant laughter spilled out of the kitchen. He paused, but seeing that both his parents were all smiles, he thought, ’It must be nothing bad. But who’s visiting? It’s so lively in there.’
Yang Family quickly waved him away from the kitchen, pulling him aside to explain that izi and the other girls were inside.
Qingmu’s face broke into a happy smile when he heard.
He was usually the one who played with his little sister, which ant the only people she really knew were Huai Zi and his brother. Aside from them, Juhua didn’t spend ti with anyone else in the village. Now that other girls had co to play with his sister, he was absolutely thrilled.
When Juhua finished cooking, she wondered, ’Why aren’t Mom and Brother ho to eat yet?’ She ran outside to look and found her parents sitting in the courtyard, talking.
She chided Yang Family playfully, "Mom, why didn’t you say you were back? Dinner’s ready. And where’s Brother? How is he not ho from school yet?"
Qingmu quickly called out an answer from the main hall.
It was only then that Juhua understood. Seeing that she rarely had girls over to play, her parents had deliberately stayed out of the kitchen so they wouldn’t disturb them. She couldn’t help but feel a pang in her heart.
When Lanzi and the other girls realized Juhua’s parents had been ho for so ti while they were still in the kitchen eating and making a racket, they grew embarrassed, their faces flushing red.
Yang Family quickly laughed. "Oh, my! What a wonderful surprise. I’m so happy you all ca to play! I heard you having such a good ti, I didn’t want to co in and spoil the fun. When I was your age, I was the sa way—never wanted my parents around when I was playing with friends. Co on, let’s eat! izi, you’ve been here a couple of tis, so don’t stand on ceremony. Tell the others to relax, too. We don’t worry about all those formalities in this house."
izi smiled and quickly agreed.
The al was incredibly lively. Ordinarily, such a group would never have eaten at the sa table, but they couldn’t very well make Zheng Changhe and Qingmu eat in the kitchen. As country folk, they weren’t so particular about such customs.
The girls were a little reserved at first, but seeing how warm and welcoming Yang Family and Zheng Changhe were, they began to relax. Soon, their chatter and laughter grew louder.
Qingmu, on the other hand, had never eaten at the sa table with so many girls before. He felt a little awkward, and his face flushed. But then he thought, ’These are my sister’s friends. I can’t be rude.’ So, for the first ti ever, he urged them to have more food and not hold back.
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