After the al, Qin Xi sent Li Xianglu to rest and sat there watching Qin Zhen wash the dishes.
Qin Zhen really needs a beating every three days; he knew there was lunch at ho, yet he vanished and only showed up after everyone had finished their al, with a rascally grin on his face, which turned Qin Xi’s face dark with annoyance.
Li Xianglu brought a basin of hot water to the west cave’s room, closed the doors and windows, took off her outer clothes, and quickly wiped herself clean. Her chest was swelling even more, so painful to touch that it felt like drilling into the heart.
Changing into a small vest and clean long johns, she climbed directly onto the scorching-hot kang bed and lay down, her body instantly relaxing.
As the old saying goes, a golden and silver nest is not as good as one’s own dog nest; this saying is certainly true. It didn’t matter if one slept in snow-white sheets in a guesthouse outside, it wasn’t as comfortable as this heated kang. The soreness in her body dissipated before long.
Li Xianglu dozed off in a daze.
When she awoke, it was already dark outside. Li Xianglu rubbed her eyes, hearing voices outside. She put on her cotton-padded jacket and cover coat, slipped on her bib overalls directly over her long johns, and on top of the overalls, she wore the elastic trousers made specifically for the onset of winter.
These bib overalls and the cover trousers were tailored by Tailor Xue, fitting her perfectly. Li Xianglu thought that next spring, she would definitely make a pair of dark blue khaki bib overalls and wear a white Lenin suit shirt underneath, looking just like the female tractor driver from the propaganda posters.
Once dressed, she saw Li Jianqing, who had beco even leaner, chopping wood in the yard with Qin Zhen under the command of Grandpa Li, while Qin Xi was directing the two of them to stack the wood neatly.
Seeing Li Xianglu coming out of the room, Qin Xi turned her head, "You’ve slept too long, aren’t you going to be able to sleep tonight?"
Li Xianglu nodded earnestly, "Definitely will be able to sleep!" They say that going on vacation and traveling is much more tiring than resting at ho, and that’s the truth, indeed.
Qin Xi, seeing her seriousness, just shook her head, "You better not sleep anymore, otherwise you won’t be able to sleep tonight."
Li Xianglu nodded, "Okay, I’m going to make so food this evening: fry so scallion pancakes, stir-fry so pickled cabbage with shredded potatoes, and cook so porridge and millet congee. Have to take care of the stomach, couldn’t really get accustod to the food outside these past days."
Qin Xi nodded in agreent, "Okay, you decide, just make more." She then glanced over at Li Jianqing.
Li Xianglu nodded and went off to prepare the al. Not a single bit was left from the midday al; there was a surplus of dough that was initially supposed to be cooked into soup noodles, but Qin Zhen ate three bowls, leaving nothing left, not even a drop of the sauce.
Scallion pancakes use a lot of oil, and Li Xianglu, afraid of using too little and compromising the taste, picked out the bits of fat from last ti’s rendered lard and chopped them up to mix with the chopped spring onions and spices.
This way, she could use less oil and still ensure the pancakes were flavorful.
After cooking the porridge, she began to cook the pancakes. The pancake griddle was specially purchased by Mr. Li from the supply and marketing cooperative in the sumr. It cost twelve yuan eighty cents, along with six industrial coupons, expensive compared to a cheap, flat-bottod pan. It had two ears on the sides, with a diater of forty centiters, matching the size of the small stove in the kitchen. Just remove the small pot used for stir-frying and put it on top, very convenient.
Mr. Li helped with the fire, admiring his granddaughter’s skillful handling of placing each pancake in the pan, flattening them with a spatula, and then adding another one - quick and adept. He couldn’t help but praise, "Xiangxiang, your cooking skills are good enough to sell food in the city."
Li Xianglu chuckled, "That wouldn’t do; if I sold food, I’d surely make a loss."
Mr. Li gave a curious "Huh?" and asked, "Why is that?"
Li Xianglu flashed a row of neat millet-like teeth with a proud smile: "Because I use more oil!"
Mr. Li burst into hearty laughter. Exactly, this girl, unlike other household ladies who just dabbed a bit of oil with a cotton ball to grease the pan, she went ahead and poured it in generously whenever there was a at dish, claiming that at dishes aren’t tasty without enough oil.
And it’s true, dishes with more oil do taste better. In the past half year, he himself had gained a good seven pounds, and his health had improved significantly. His chronic stomach ailnt hadn’t flared up, and after a check-up at the county hospital in October, the doctors had complinted him on his healthy complexion.
The scallion oil pancakes were made with two-mixed flour, a delicate blend of fine cornal and wheat flour, made especially fluffy with so baking powder, and enhanced by scallions and lardon bits that wafted an inviting aroma outside the door.
Li Xianglu clearly heard Qin Zhen asking for the eighth ti: "Brother, the food’s ready, let’s eat first!"
After stir-frying a large bowl of pickled cabbage and potato shreds, three people entered from outside as soon as the dish was served. Qin Xi, familiar with the house, fetched water for the two to wash their hands and faces.
anwhile, Mr. Li helped with serving the pancakes and scooping the rice porridge, while Li Xianglu brought over a steaming bowl of vegetables to the center of the table.
Li Jianqing, sowhat embarrassed, was seated at the table and, glancing at his sister’s slightly flushed face, chuckled: "Little sister, you’ve gained weight."
Li Xianglu, in disbelief and panic, touched her own face and incredulously asked Qin Xi beside her: "Have I? Have I gained weight?"
Qin Xi saw the girl’s overreaction and couldn’t help but smile, shaking his head gently and pinching her cheek: "What weight? You’re just a bit plumper than before, but you’re still far from a normal weight." Saying this, his eyes inadvertently drifted towards her flat chest.
Li Xianglu glared sensitively back and bared her teeth grinningly: "I will gain weight!"
Qin Xi, awkwardly touching the temple of his forehead, shook his head: "Sure, you’ll gain weight. It’s good to be a bit heavier."
Mr. Li, not understanding the context, chid in: "Yeah, being plump is good. When looking for a wife in the village, n prefer them a bit heavier, otherwise it’s not easy to have children."
Li Xianglu, who had just taken a sip of rice porridge, was startled by Grandpa Li’s words and choked, bursting into a fit of coughs. Qin Xi hurriedly put down his bowl and began patting her back.
With a hint of helplessness, Mr. Li said: "I’m not talking about you. Why the nervousness? I’m just talking about the villagers. After all, you have a city household registration."
Li Xianglu’s face turned red with coughing, and it took her a long while to catch her breath. She reproached: "Grandpa, please don’t talk about such things during als, it’s scary."
Seeing his granddaughter getting upset, Mr. Li quickly said: "Alright, alright, Grandpa will be careful. We can talk about it after we finish eating."
Li Xianglu...
The al felt like a battle—with ten scallion pancakes, each made with at least three ounces of two-mixed flour. In the end, Qin Zhen even claid he hadn’t had enough, which drove Qin Xi to ask him out of frustration what would be enough for him—would it be enough only if he were to eat until he threw up?
After the al, Qin Xi did the dishes, Qin Zhen was forced to wipe the table, and Li Xianglu went to her room to fetch sothing.
She took everything and carried it to Mr. Li’s room, laying out the items for Li Jianqing and Li Erfu on one side, and those for Brother Qin and Qin Zhen on the other. Grandpa Li’s things she had already sorted out separately.
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