Jing Taihe and Hua Xiaomai chatted leisurely for a while, and after about half an incense stick’s worth of ti, Second Madam Hua returned with a basket full of vegetables.
Ever since Hua Xiaomai got married, the two sisters could no longer be together from morning to night as they used to be. It had been a long ti since she had seen her own sister, let alone had a proper chat. Naturally, seeing her today filled her with imnse joy. When she saw Tie Chui at the side, raising his little hands for a hug, she almost forgot her own na and, tossing aside the basket of vegetables, lunged forward to scoop up the baby and smother him with kisses while exclaiming with delight, "My little aty boy!"
Hua Xiaomai, now fully empathizing with the feelings of being a mother, wasn’t in a hurry to chat about household matters. She took the basket to the kitchen, and before long, she had prepared a table full of dishes.
The blacksmith’s shop had just taken root in the city, and Second Madam Hua, the keeper of the purse, lived frugally. Plus, she hadn’t known her sister would co today, so she only bought so ordinary vegetables. But for Hua Xiaomai, this was no challenge at all.
She parboiled the big bones to remove the blood, ticulously trimd the at that was attached, used the bones to stew with lotus roots for soup, and mixed the cooked at with seasonings to make a fragrant and spicy "cold dressed deboned at";
Used cucumber and egg as filling, mixed into batter and slowly cooked in an iron pot until the cucumber cakes were done – on a sultry day, eating one or two of these not only filled you up but also provided a great relief from the heat;
A quick stir-fry of all kinds of vegetables was all that was needed, with just a bit of seasoning to serve them up. She didn’t forget to also make a separate dish for Tie Chui, finely chopping a small piece of beef and steaming it into a soft and tender beef soup. Second Madam Hua, holding her son by her side and claiming to be "helping out," was more like adding to the chaos. Once everything was ready, she called out, "Dinner’s ready!" and Er Zhu propped up the table.
Jing Taihe hadn’t tasted Hua Xiaomai’s cooking for a long ti and ate this al with great satisfaction. Pointing at her with a smile, she half-jokingly said to Er Zhu, "Don’t think this is just an ordinary family al. Today’s al, you won’t get to enjoy easily! Do you know who she is?"
"Isn’t... she the sister of our mistress?" said Er Zhu, scratching the back of his head in a naive manner.
"That’s right, you’ve always heard of the Eight Treasures Conference, right? She’s the champion of this year. Fire Knife Village’s Daoxiang Garden, is its reputation loud enough? That’s her shop! If you ask , it’s only because you beca my apprentice that you got to enjoy such fine food!"
Er Zhu was startled, his mouth agape for a long while before he could make a sound. His goofy expression caused everyone at the table to burst into laughter, and his face flushed red. It wasn’t until Hua Xiaomai passed him another cake, saying, "Eat more if you like it," that he managed to find his way out of the awkward spot.
After the al, Er Zhu quickly took the dishes to the kitchen to wash, while Second Madam Hua, carrying a sleepy Tie Chui, took Hua Xiaomai inside to talk.
Second Madam Hua was quite capable. Although her cooking skills were lacking, she was very good at other household chores. The house was small and cluttered, yet she kept it orderly and clean, giving the impression that though the couple was not wealthy, they lived a very warm and charming life.
Lil’ Tie Chui fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow, and Second Madam Hua, holding onto Hua Xiaomai’s hand tightly, invited her to sit at the table and poured her a cup of tea. She turned to look at her son sleeping soundly with heavy breaths, sighing contentedly.
"It was thoughtful of you to bring Tie Chui here for and your brother-in-law to see, or else with how busy we are now, who knows when we could make a trip back to the village."
She patted Hua Xiaomai’s hand and said, "You’ve had it hard, leaving your own son behind and instead taking care of Tie Chui for ..."
"What you’re saying..."
Hua Xiaomai chuckled, "Little Walnut is always by my side. Even when I went to the Provincial City for the Eight Treasures Conference, he was with . It’s only one day today, what’s the big deal? Even if I were not here, my mother-in-law would take good care of him, I wouldn’t need to worry at all."
"Mm." Second Madam Hua nodded, "That’s true. You gave them their first grandson on the first try, how could your mother-in-law not care about you? We sisters haven’t had a proper chat in so long; tell the truth today, after marrying Yuhuai for so long, how has his mother really treated you? Every ti I ask you, you dodge the question. Haven’t I told you? If she bullies you, I, as your sister, will not hesitate to fight for justice for you even if it costs my life!"
Hua Xiaomai knew she was genuinely worried for her, but she couldn’t help feeling amused, "I’ve already told you, my mother-in-law treats well, why do you never believe ?"
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