"Didn't you buy anything?" Seeing that there was only a Lu Hai Ci on Lin Qingqing's bicycle, and there were only tofu and mushrooms in the small basket in front of the bicycle, Lu Cheng was curious why there were so few
Lin Qingqing said: "It's at my sister-in-law's place. I brought back the materials from the supply and marketing cooperative. We have successfully negotiated cooperation with the supply and marketing cooperative." She spoke softly, telling Lu Cheng the good news first, but she didn't want to be too ostentatious and be heard by others.
Seeing that she was so mysterious and couldn't help but share her good news, Lu Cheng flashed a smile in his eyes: "Congratulations." Although he spoke little, he could always clearly express what she wanted to hear.
Sure enough, Lin Qingqing's smile became even brighter: "My sister-in-law has a big bucket of pig intestines, more than 20 kilograms, and half a pig's head. Go get them later. I'm going home to cook first."
Lu Cheng: "Don't bother, just go to the cafeteria and eat."
Lin Qingqing didn't like eating in the cafeteria. She said, "I'll just cook two dishes quickly. I'll leave first." As she said that, she stepped on the bicycle and drove away quickly as if she was stepping on the accelerator.
Lu Cheng watched helplessly, and even more so, he saw his son who was sitting behind him hugging Lin Qingqing's waist, then turning around and looking at him proudly.
"Lu Cheng, your wife was really amazing today." Yu Xiuyao didn't rush to ride her bike. She pushed her bike and shared what happened today with Lu Cheng. She had no choice but to find someone to talk to. She had been holding it in for the whole morning. This person had to be Lu Cheng so that Lu Cheng could know how good Lin Qingqing was. There was no doubt that if she had favored Lu Cheng before, now she was definitely Lin Qingqing's number one supporter.
When Lu Cheng heard Yu Xiuyao mention Lin Qingqing, he was naturally willing to listen: "Did anything happen today?" He asked in a calm tone, expressing his inner curiosity.
On the other side, Lin Qingqing had already arrived at the doorstep with Lu Haici.
"Lu Haici..." Ji Yang was playing with mud and counting ants at home. Today, his friend was not here, so he didn't even have the interest to play. Maybe he was used to playing with two people, and suddenly he was left alone, so he lost interest. Now that his friend was back, he hurried out the door, "Lu Haici, you are back, is the county town fun?" Speaking of which, Ji Yang had also been to the county town, Xu Huijuan had taken him there, but he still couldn't wait to ask this question.
Lin Qingqing took Lu Haici off the bicycle. Lu Haici was happy to see his friends, but... Is the county town fun? Lu Haici said nonsense seriously: "I didn't go to the county town to play today. I went to the county town with my mother to do some business."
Lin Qingqing, who had just pushed her bicycle into the house, said: "..." She almost tripped. But to be honest, I really neglected my little one today. Because I was in a hurry, I rushed back from the vegetable market to the supply and marketing cooperative to discuss things. I haven't taken my little one out to play yet. I don't know if there is a zoo in the county. If there is, I will pick a special day next time to take my little one to the zoo.
"Wow?" Ji Yang looked at Lu Haici with admiration, "You are amazing. You can actually do real work."
Lu Haici said proudly: "Of course, I'm not a three-year-old child."
The two children started discussing the topic of serious matters, and Lin Qingqing also started to make lunch.
It's twelve o'clock now. If we don't hurry, it will be too late for dinner. It's a pity that there is no dough at home, otherwise it can be done in half an hour. Lin Qingqing quickly washed the rice and put it in the clay pot. Today, she didn't even add sweet potatoes, and washing them would take up time.
While waiting for the rice to cook, she washed the mushrooms. The vegetables in the county market are quite complete. Lin Qingqing bought enoki mushrooms. She didn't expect that there would be enoki mushrooms in the market, so she bought two kilograms at once, fearing that she wouldn't be able to buy them next time. She also bought oyster mushrooms and chicken mushrooms. These two kinds of mushrooms were not bought in the market, but traded with a middle-aged man outside the market. These wild mushrooms must have been found by the other party in the mountains. But since the country issued a barter trading policy, even if it is not a market trading day, there are people who will come to the market to set up stalls to trade. After all, bartering is not illegal.
Lin Qingqing traded with tickets. She had planned to go to the carpenter's house today, so she brought enough tickets with her. However, she didn't expect that she would not be able to spare time in the morning, so she had to go in the afternoon to avoid the carpenter's wife waiting.
Lin Qingqing placed the washed enoki mushrooms on a plate, then boiled water in an iron pot and put a steamer on it. Because the water was little, it boiled in just ten minutes.
As soon as the water boiled, Lu Cheng came back. He put the pig intestines and pig heads in the yard, then went to the kitchen and asked Lin Qingqing: "What should we do with these pig intestines and pig heads?"
Lin Qingqing said: "Wash the pig intestines first. By the way, Lu Cheng, how do you deal with the wood ash in the cafeteria?"
Lu Cheng understood as soon as he heard it: "You want to use wood ash to wash pig intestines?" Because Lu Cheng washed pig intestines with wood ash last time, so when Lin Qingqing asked, he understood what she meant.
Lin Qingqing said: "Yes, if the pig intestines given by the supply and marketing cooperative are washed, it's fine. If they are not washed, we have to wash them ourselves. I am worried that the wood ash we use for cooking every day at home is not enough. So if the wood ash in the cafeteria is not used, I want to get it. We can also pay some money."
Lu Cheng said: "Then I will go ask the canteen after dinner. Now I will wash these pig intestines first."
Lin Qingqing: “Okay.” When she was making the fire just now, she had already taken out the wood ash and placed it in the corner behind the stove, so Lu Cheng shoveled the wood ash directly into the yard.
Lin Qingqing wanted to cook, but she didn't go to help.
After the water in the iron pot boils, steam it for another nine minutes and the enoki mushrooms are cooked. Take the enoki mushrooms out after they are cooked, and then pour the hot water from the iron pot into a wooden basin, which can be used to wash dishes. Then add oil to the hot pot. While waiting for the oil to heat up, Lin gently filters the water from the enoki mushrooms on the plate, cuts some chopped green onions and sprinkles them on top, then adds an appropriate amount of soy sauce. After the oil is hot, use a spoon to scoop out the oil directly and sprinkle it on the enoki mushrooms.
A sizzling sound was heard, and the aroma of scallion oil wafted out.
Enoki mushrooms with scallion oil are convenient and delicious, especially the aroma of the scallion oil, which is very, very fragrant.
Lu Cheng was washing pig intestines outside and also smelled the smell. He was a little curious about what she was cooking, but he resisted the urge to look.
Lu Haici was originally playing with Ji Yang. When he saw his father washing things in the yard, he went home curiously. As soon as he got home, Ji Yang followed him happily. Then adult Lu Cheng took the kid to wash pig intestines together.
Xu Huijuan cleaned up the kitchen, washed the dishes, and came out to see Ji Yang washing things next door. She said, "Ji Yang, come back for a nap." Xu Huijuan was a little afraid of Lu Cheng. First, Lu Cheng was in a high position. Second, Lu Cheng was taciturn, and his eyes were like sharp knives. In fact, only Yu Xiuyao and other military wives who usually took care of Lu Haici dared to "point fingers" in front of Lu Cheng.
In front of them, Lu Cheng was always very polite. Because they had taken care of Lu Haici, Lu Cheng respected them very much.
Ji Yang said, "I'll play at Lu Hai Ci's house for a while." It's really fun to use the wood ash from the stove to play with this stinky thing.
For the little ones, the smellier the pig intestines are, the more fun they are.
"Mom, it smells so good." Lu Haici smelled the fragrance, put down the pig intestines and ran to the kitchen to check. As soon as he went, Ji Yang followed him.
Lin Qingqing said: "I just made the enoki mushrooms. I'll make some tofu soup later and it'll be ready. Please wait a little longer."
Lu Haici was stunned when he heard it: "Mom, is Douhu Soup Douhu Brain?" Because his mother told him to make Douhu Brain when she bought Douhu, so he remembered it very clearly.
Lin Qingqing: "No, I'll make the tofu pudding tomorrow morning."
Lu Cheng was sitting outside and heard it, looking forward to tomorrow. He had eaten tofu pudding before, and although the memory was very distant, he vaguely remembered that it tasted good. Hearing it now, he couldn't help but look forward to it.
The tofu soup made by Lin Qingqing is very simple. She puts the mushrooms in a pan with hot oil and stir-frys them. Then pour in water and soy sauce. After the water boils, add the tofu that has been cut into small pieces. Then beat in an egg liquid, stir with a spatula, and then pour in the starch with water.
A bowl of light and delicious tofu soup was ready, and finally a plate of braised pig intestines was cut. I arrived at the family compound at 12 o'clock, and the meal was ready at just 12:30. The speed was already very fast, just in time for the noodles. In fact, using the time to cook to make dishes really saves time.
"It's time for dinner." Lin called softly.
Suddenly, one adult and two children put down what they were holding, quickly washed their hands, and lined up at the kitchen door.
It was another day when Lu Haici was blocked by his father's height.
Lin Qingqing said: "Lu Cheng, take the tofu soup down. Lu Haici, take the braised food down." The tofu soup was hot, so give it to the older one; the braised food was cold, so give it to the younger one.
"Um."
"yes."
The big ones responded calmly, while the small ones responded excitedly, just like new recruits in training.
A big and a small person carried things into the hall, and Ji Yang was standing at the door, looking at them curiously.
Lin smiled and asked, "Ji Yang, can you still eat more? Do you want some more tofu soup?"
Ji Yang swallowed his saliva. He wanted to drink, but he remembered that his mother had said that food was precious in this era, so he should not eat at Lu Haici's house. So, Ji Yang shook his head: "Aunt, I have eaten."
If his tone wasn't so reluctant and his mouth wasn't so chattering.
Lin Qingqing continued: "Then you can have some more tofu soup, just a small bowl, okay?"
Ji Yang was very tempted, but said, "Aunt, please wait for me, I will go home to get some food to exchange with you." Then he ran towards home.
"No, no." Lin gently pulled him back, "How about this, Auntie will treat you to tofu soup, and you do me a favor, then we'll have a deal, how about that?"
How could the little kid have any thoughts? When he heard the adults ask this, he agreed without asking any questions. "Okay, I'll help my aunt."
Lin Qingqing said: "After lunch, can you help auntie wash this pig intestine for a while?"
When Ji Yang saw that it was the thing he had just washed, he said confidently, "Okay, I will definitely finish washing this for Auntie."
That's not necessary. "Just help your aunt wash for a while, then go sit in the living room and we'll eat together later."
"Why."
Ji Yang walked towards the hall, saying, "Lu Haici, my aunt asked me to have dinner with her."
Lu Haici had already sat down obediently: "Then come and sit here, next to me." Lu Haici arranged the seat on his right for Ji Yang, with his mother on his left and his father opposite him. He separated Ji Yang from his mother and praised himself for his cleverness. Although his mother said that she liked Ji Yang because he was his good friend, Lu Haici still hoped that his mother would only like him.
Lu Cheng went to the kitchen again, holding enoki mushrooms with scallion oil in one hand and a bowl of rice in the other, and then he put another bowl of rice between his two hands, which was also a good way to do it. Lin Qingqing held a bowl of rice and a small bowl of tofu soup in one hand. She didn't serve Ji Yang rice, because Ji Yang must have eaten enough at home, and if he came here to eat again, he would be full, so she served him a small bowl of tofu soup that was easy to digest.
After everyone was seated, Lin Qingqing said, "It's time to eat." As she spoke, she took a sip of the tofu soup, which was really delicious. The bean fragrance of the tofu and the delicious taste of the mushrooms blended together, it was really delicious.
Seeing this, Lu Haici imitated his mother and took a sip of the tofu soup: "Wow..." He exclaimed, "Mom, this is delicious." Because it still contained tofu and starch, it looked even thicker.
Lin Qingqing found that no matter what the kid ate, he would say it was delicious. "Then you should eat more. If you eat too much tofu soup, you should eat less rice, otherwise you will get a stomachache."
Lu Haici said: "My belly is very big."
Lu Cheng drank two mouthfuls of tofu soup, and then picked up a piece of braised pig intestine with chopsticks.
Lu Haici added: "But it's not as big as dad's belly."
Lu Cheng almost choked himself. He even looked at his stomach. He was wearing clothes and couldn't see anything. But, his stomach was nothing but abdominal muscles. Wasn't that good
Ji Yang said: "My stomach is bigger than Lu Haici's, and I can eat more than Lu Haici."
When Lu Haici heard this, he said, "Then let's compete to see who eats more."
"No." Lin Qingqing said, "Ji Yang has already eaten. If he eats too much, his stomach will feel uncomfortable. After you finish your lunch, you can compete to see who can wash the pig intestines cleaner. The winner can have an extra slice of salted egg yolk pumpkin in the evening."
"Then I will definitely wash it cleaner than Ji Yang." Lu Haici promised, but, "Mom, what is salted egg yolk pumpkin? Is it the pumpkin pie you've eaten?"
Although Lu Cheng was concentrating on eating, he was listening. Salted egg yolk pumpkin, it sounds like salted egg yolk and pumpkin are cooked together, but can salted egg yolk and pumpkin be eaten together? But he knew that Lin Qingqing's cooking would definitely be delicious.
"It's a secret, I can't tell you." Lin Qingqing said with a smile.
With two little kids, today's lunch was very lively. Ji Yang finished his bowl of tofu soup, and Lin Qingqing asked him to stand in the living room for a while to digest the food. In fact, Ji Yang was still full at lunch, and he couldn't drink a second bowl.
Lu Chengze continued to wash the pig intestines. When the two little ones saw him washing the pig intestines, they immediately joined him.
Lin Qingqing went to wash the dishes. When she finished, she found that Lu Cheng had already washed half of the pig intestines. But it was almost half past one, and he had to go to the army.
Lu Cheng didn't continue washing: "I'm going to the army, I'll wash the rest when I come back."
Lin Qingqing said, "No need, I'll leave it here first. I'll go to the carpenter's house and then come back to ask Sister Xiuyao to wash it together."
Lu Cheng: "That's fine, I'm leaving."
Lin Qingqing said: "Walk slowly."
"Goodbye." Lu Haici imitated his mother and said goodbye to his father in a baby voice.
However, his father was not uncommon.
As soon as Lu Cheng left, Lin Qingqing also wanted to go to the carpenter's house, so she said to Lu Haici: "Haici, I'm going to the nearby village. Can you and Ji Yang play at home?"
Lu Haici immediately said, "Mom, can I go with you?"
Lin Qingqing: "No, because I have to go buy some food. The food needs to be placed on the back of the bicycle. If you go with me, there will be no place to put the food. But I promise you, when I come back, we will go for a walk outside after dinner, okay?"
"Okay." Although Lu Haici was a little sad, he could still go out with his mother at night. His mother had important things to do, and he couldn't be disobedient and make trouble for his mother like a three-year-old child.
Before Lin Qingqing left, she locked the kitchen, in case the kid went in and played with fire or knives.
It was very fast to get to the carpenter's house from the army. It only took more than ten minutes to get there by bike. When Lin Qingqing arrived at the carpenter's house, only the carpenter's wife was left. The rest of the carpenter's family had already gone to work. The reason why the carpenter's wife didn't go to work was because she had been injured when giving birth and couldn't work hard. Fortunately, the carpenter could make money. If it were in someone else's family, a woman who couldn't work hard might be drowned by the saliva of her in-laws.
"I'm sorry, Auntie. I had something to do this morning. Have you been waiting for a long time?" Lin Qingqing explained as soon as she entered the door.
The carpenter's wife said, "No, no, I thought you must have something to do and that's why you didn't come." The carpenter's wife was drying sesame seeds. It was almost time to plant sesame seeds, so she took them out to dry.
Lin Qingqing's eyes lit up when she saw the sesame seeds. There were both white and black sesame seeds, and they smelled fragrant. "Does your family grow sesame seeds?"
The carpenter's wife said, "Yes, sesame is nutritious. Grinding some sesame powder yourself can nourish your body. Also, we ordinary people don't have oil coupons, but we can take sesame to the grain and oil station to exchange for oil. But we can't exchange much, because our sesame is all planted in private plots, and private plots also need to grow vegetables and grains, so there is less space to plant sesame."
When Lin Qingqing heard her say this, she suddenly had an idea: "Auntie, I have oil. Can I exchange it with you for sesame and sesame powder?" If her braised pig intestines continue, the supply and marketing cooperative will provide a certain amount of oil every day, and she will get the oil herself. Of course, she will use the money for the oil to buy bean paste, otherwise she will take advantage of the supply and marketing cooperative. But Lin Qingqing will not do such a cheap thing. Her grandmother taught her since she was a child that people should not do petty thefts, nor should they be greedy for small gains. Sometimes they should learn to take a step back and the world will be broader.
Her grandmother only knew a few words in that era, but in her heart, she was indeed a very wise person.
"Of course you can." To the carpenter's wife, there was no difference between exchanging with the grain and oil station and exchanging with Lin Qingqing. Of course, some things had to be made clear, "But Comrade Lin, when we exchange with the grain and oil station, we exchange two catties of sesame for one ounce of sesame oil. What if we exchange with you?"
Lin Qingqing knew the oil yield of sesame. According to modern technology, one pound of sesame can produce two ounces of sesame oil. However, the technology of that era was definitely a little inferior, so one pound of sesame is equivalent to half a ounce of sesame oil, which is about the same.
Lin Qingqing said, "Then I'll exchange with you this way, too." She didn't say anything extra, "But if I have any tickets, I can give them to you first."
This is great news for the carpenter's wife. "Every year, my family grows two mu of sesame, about 20 kilograms. This year, the sesame is planted in July and can be harvested in late September. I wonder how much Comrade Lin wants?"
Lin Qingqing said, "I'll take them all." You can grind sesame powder to drink, and you can also garnish dishes. "But I want half white sesame and half black sesame."
"Of course, that's no problem." The carpenter's wife was happy. About 20 kilograms of sesame seeds could be exchanged for one kilogram of oil. "By the way, Comrade Lin, I still have last year's sesame seeds at home, but I have stored them well and often exposed them to the sun. Do you want some?" They only planted sesame seeds once a year. There was no other way. The private plots were limited, and sesame seeds were only planted when the weather was hot.
Lin Qingqing said: "Yes, how many do you have?"
The carpenter's wife took out all the sesame seeds from last year and opened them to show Lin Qingqing.
Lin Qingqing grabbed a handful of sesame seeds. The sesame seeds were indeed well dried. There were no borers in the handful of sesame seeds, and she could smell the fragrance of sesame seeds. Seeing the sesame seeds reminded Lin Qingqing of peanut butter, so she asked again, "Auntie, does anyone here make peanut butter?" If she asked about peanut butter, could she not ask about bean paste? Lin Qingqing asked on a whim, because in her opinion, people of this era had excellent craftsmanship and especially liked to make some sauces. For example, the original owner's grandmother was very good at making bean paste.
Thinking of this, Lin Qingqing decided to write a letter to the grandmother and ask her if she could send some bean paste to her so that she wouldn't have to go to the department store to buy it. This would also help the grandmother earn some money.
The carpenter's wife said, "Yes, some people here grow peanuts, and we can also exchange peanuts for oil at the grain and oil station. Two kilograms of peanuts can be exchanged for one ounce of oil."
"The yield of peanuts is higher than that of sesame, right? Why doesn't my aunt's family grow peanuts?" Lin Qingqing was curious.
Talking about this, the carpenter's wife also felt aggrieved: "Because I can't eat peanuts, several of my children follow me. When I was pregnant, I ate peanuts and had an allergic reaction. I almost died, so the child was born prematurely. Both the child and I were injured. The child has recovered over the years, but my health is not as good as before. So we don't grow peanuts at home." Otherwise, it would be much more cost-effective than exchanging sesame seeds for oil.
Lin Qingqing felt a pang of regret.
The carpenter's wife continued, "Comrade Lin, if you want peanuts, I can exchange them for you with the villagers."