Qingmu’s deanor was also much better than last ti. Seeing the young girls get along so well with his sister, just as he did with Huai Zi, made him so happy he couldn’t hide it.
It was unclear who first ca up with the idea, but soone took the pickled vegetables and broth from the braised fish, poured it over their rice, and mixed it all together. The result was incredibly fragrant and spicy, and a whole bowl of rice could be devoured in just a few big bites. Instantly, everyone started eating their rice mixed with the pickled vegetables.
Yan scooped up so of the rice flour from the stead pork with rice flour, mixing the glistening, brown powder into her bowl. After one taste, she found it both savory and fragrant. She then added so of the greens and tofu, mixed everything together, and began eating in big mouthfuls until her little mouth was shiny with oil.
Little Shitou was overjoyed to see her eating so heartily. ’With so many big eaters around,’ he thought, ’I won’t seem so greedy, and no one will notice if I eat a bit more.’ He grinned to himself and buried his head in his bowl, eating with all his might.
The unique fragrance of the pickled vegetable fish, combined with the aty aroma of the stead pork with rice flour, was simply irresistible. Every now and then, they would add so greens and tofu for a refreshing bite. Before anyone knew it, they had devoured the entire pot of rice as if a whirlwind had swept through.
When izi went to get more rice, she discovered the pot was empty. Without a second thought, she scraped a large piece of scorched rice from the bottom of the pot and brought it to the table. She broke it into smaller pieces, poured the pickled vegetable fish broth over it, added two pieces of stead pork with rice flour, and dug in.
Jinxiang asked in confusion, "Why are you scraping up the scorched rice? Juhua was going to roast it!"
With her mouth full, izi mumbled, "The rice is gone, and I’m still not full." In truth, she was already full but just wanted to keep eating.
Everyone stared in stunned silence for a mont, then burst out laughing.
izi’s face turned a little red; she thought they were laughing at her big appetite.
Jinxiang, however, just laughed and said to Yang Family, "Auntie, we sure can eat. Next ti we co to see Juhua, I think we’ll have to bring our own rice and corn."
But Yang Family didn’t mind in the slightest. She laughed and said, "What silly talk is this, child? It’s just a little bit of grain, and we grow it all ourselves. Go on, all of you, scrape up so scorched rice to eat. If you finish it, you’ll save the trouble of roasting it. I bet it tastes wonderful soaked in the fish broth."
izi nodded vigorously. "It is! So delicious!" Seeing that no one was making fun of her, she stopped feeling embarrassed.
"Let go get the rest from the pot, then. No need for all of you to keep running to the kitchen," Yang Family said. She stood up and went into the kitchen, scraping up the large remaining sheet of scorched rice. She carried it out to the table in her hands. With a corner already broken off, it looked almost like a small pot itself.
Little Shitou and Yan imdiately held out their bowls. Their movents were so synchronized that their bowls nearly collided. They glanced at each other, pursed their lips, and broke into shy smiles, which made everyone else chuckle.
Yang Family chuckled, giving each of them a piece. Only Juhua declined. She couldn’t help but sigh to herself, ’How can everyone have such a good appetite?’
Qingmu also lanted internally, ’I’m definitely not full yet!’
When he usually ate with just his sister, it was never a mad scramble like this. By the ti he’d finished two bowls and went for a third, he heard izi announce that the rice was gone. He had worked so hard today; two bowls were nowhere near enough. There wasn’t even enough scorched rice to go around. He could only watch as Little Shitou, Yan, Jinxiang, and i carved up what was left, leaving him without so much as a crumb.
Juhua saw the look on her brother’s face and knew he hadn’t eaten enough. She quickly brought out a jar filled with more scorched rice and said to i and the others, "Go on, eat your fill. That piece just now wasn’t roasted, but if you’re still hungry, I have plenty of roasted pieces here. Brother, you have so more, too."
She was worried that if she offered it only to her brother, izi and the others would realize they had devoured all the rice and left Qingmu hungry. ’How awkward would that be?’ So she simply included everyone in her offer. ’Brother has to eat his fill. He’s going to be working at the pond this afternoon. The water is ice-cold; if he has an empty stomach, he’ll be even colder, won’t he?’
Qingmu gave Juhua a grateful look, then smiled as he soaked a large bowl of scorched rice and began to eat.
izi rubbed her stomach, groaning. "Oh! I can’t possibly eat another bite. Juhua, why’d you have to bring out that jar? Are you trying to tempt us?"
Juhua held back a laugh. "Then don’t. After we take a walk over to Tiaozi Pond this afternoon, our stomachs will be empty again, won’t they? Tonight, we’ll just cook another pot of fish and eat until we’re stuffed."
The group thought about how they would be working on the fish pond for the next couple of days and couldn’t help but smile.
i sighed. "Well, we should definitely eat our fill for the next few days. We can’t afford at, but when we get our share of these fish, cooking them this way tastes just as good."
Yang Family asked, "i, is your family not slaughtering a pig this year?"
i replied, "My dad said we’re not. Too many people slaughter pigs for the New Year, so the price of pork is low. My dad asked at the market the other day, and the best pork belly has dropped to eighteen wen per pound. He said it’s not worth it and that we should wait until spring to slaughter and sell. But he also said we won’t sell our share of the fish this year, so it’s fine if we buy a little less at."
Juhua recalled her own family’s past struggles and comforted her, "Once we’re done dredging all these ponds, your family will probably get a share of several dozen pounds of fish. I’ll teach you so great ways to cook them, and I promise you’ll have an abundant New Year."
i was overjoyed. izi chid in, "Juhua, I absolutely have to learn from you! Don’t you dare leave out."
Juhua smiled. "I won’t leave anyone out. Now, is everyone finished? Shouldn’t we get going?" Seeing that her brother had put down his bowl, she turned to izi and the others. She still hadn’t had her fill of watching the work at the pond and, quite uncharacteristically, was getting impatient to go.
It was rare for Yang Family to see her daughter so happy all day, so she urged them on. "Hurry up and go. It gets cold as soon as the sun sets. Juhua, be sure to co ho early tonight so you don’t catch a chill."
Juhua quickly agreed. The group then hurried off toward Tiaozi Pond.
In the fields, they ran into Zhang Huai and his younger brother, Zhang Yang. Little Shitou called out loudly, "Brother Yangzi, why didn’t we see you this morning?"
Zhang Yang gave him a cool glance and replied, "I was at ho practicing my writing."
Juhua couldn’t help but see him in a new light. ’With such a major event happening in the village, he actually had the discipline to stay ho and practice his writing. This boy is true scholar material.’ Seeing his composed deanor, which was so different from just a few months ago, she thought, ’His studies have completely transford him.’ (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to co to Qidian and vote. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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