At noon, a large pot was set up on the threshing ground. The master chef placed the de-slled and blanched lamb on the chopping board, and finely shredded the at. He threw several large bones back into the pot to continue boiling, along with a large basin of green onions and ginger.
The master chef sliced half of the at, reserving the other half for dinner. He picked so of the best cuts, placed them in a bowl, and set it aside. Following Shen ng’s suggestion, he hired soone to crush the small lamb bones using a stone mill, mixing them with corn flour, and onions, ginger and radish. This mixture was then ford into radish and bone mud balls.
Initially thinking Zhenping’s wife was rely talking nonsense, he decided to give it a try for the sake of Lu Zhenping, and surprisingly, it turned out well.
Sliced Chinese cabbage, radishes, and glass noodles were all added to the pot. Finally, the sliced lamb was also thrown in. After the pot began boiling, he thickened it with starch and ladled a spoonful of sesa oil on top. The aroma of the lamb soup wafted for miles.
This large iron pot was used in the past for communal als; it was sufficient to feed everyone in the village. As for who had more or less at in their bowl, he couldn’t guarantee.
The news about having lamb soup at the threshing ground at noon today was spread early in the morning, so after finishing their tasks, everyone brought their bowls and pots to the threshing ground.
The master chef thought it was about ti and added chopped garlic shoots to the pot.
"Lamb soup is ready! Everyone line up for your al!"
Those who arrived early peeked into the iron pot and then excitedly turned to tell those behind, "You can see it’s full of at at a glance, it’s so thick. Just go ho and add so vegetables, and you’ll have a hearty al!"
As the front person shouted, the waiting crowd behind grew even more anxious, each of them eager to have a look, but since they arrived late, they could only queue up at the back.
When Lu Zhenping and Shen ng arrived, the master chef called out to them.
"Zhenping is here, co over. I’ve saved a bowl of blanched lamb for your family. It’s all good at. You can have a few more als from it, haha!"
Before Lu Zhenping could speak, Lai Zi, who was at the front, blocked him.
"Hey, hey, hey, how can you say that? If it’s handed over to the production team, then it belongs to the collective. How can it be taken back? Isn’t that like cutting off the tail of socialism?"
"Lai Zi, go away. This lamb was provided by Lu Zhenping. What’s wrong if they take a bit back? You’re eating their stuff, how can you then criticize them?"
"Isn’t it clear? It’s just jealousy. That lazy bear knows only how to lie dead at ho all day, and never works the fields. Yet Lu Zhenping is so capable, he must be envious."
"That’s right. How can you talk like that about soone? Besides, they’re not taking much. If it were , I’d definitely take so back. All this at given away for free, you only eat a few bits at ho, how would that feel okay?"
"What you say isn’t wrong. But Lai Zi’s point isn’t baseless either. The lamb was already given to the production team; it’s the property of the team, the collective, everyone’s. If so is taken back, it’s indeed not right. Zhenping, maybe you should not take it. Pour that bowl of at into the pot to avoid any gossip."
......
The master chef also had a stern look. Those who gossiped just wanted to pressure Lu Zhenping into pouring that bowl of at back into the pot, so they could get a bit more themselves.
Haha, he needs to take a good look, those who gossip, during the ti of serving the mutton soup, not a single piece of at will reach their bowls. Having been in charge of distributing food for so many years, he is highly skilled. He decides who gets more at in their bowl, and only those chosen will get more. If he decides so people shouldn’t get any, they won’t be able to scoop even a bit.
Shen ng silently rolled her eyes at the person putting at into the pot, thinking it must be a provocative tactic!
"Everyone quiet down, whoever is talking nonsense here, this bowl of at was saved by the Head Chef specifically for Zhenping’s house. Hahaha, he just ca back ho few days ago and he managed to let everyone have at. In this chilly weather, sipping mutton soup warms you up, and after a good rest, isn’t it nice to work hard in the afternoon for work points? Why cause trouble? If anyone disagrees, fine, they can skip eating and take their bowls elsewhere. Hmph, those who idle-talk don’t use their brains to think. By making Zhenping upset over a bowl of at, do you think there will be a next ti? Next ti sothing good cos along, will he think of you? Really, one bad rat spoils the whole pot, Lai Zi, if you don’t want to eat, then just scram!"
Lu Debang was quite angry. He had just arrived with Zhang Hongfa and was t with a noisy threshing floor. He thought that everyone was appreciating Zhenping’s selfless contribution, but instead, he heard all these cold remarks.
Seeing it was the village chief and the Secretary, Lai Zi quickly shrank back, retreating to the side, but his eyes, rolling furtively, still kept a watchful gaze on Lu Zhenping and his wife.
The latter, without even glancing at him, went straight to the front of the line. Once the Head Chef filled his bowl with mutton soup, he gave Shen ng a sign and walked off with the bowl of at. The couple didn’t speak from the start till the end and elegantly left.
This left the crowd sowhat confused, looking at each other.
Zhang Hongfa snorted and motioned to the Head Chef, who took a massive spoon and started serving food to the lined-up people.
Those who got more at in their bowls were overjoyed, happily holding their bowls or basins as they returned ho, while those whose ddling didn’t get them any at naturally felt wronged and went straight to the Head Chef.
He had now found a way to vent his frustration.
"What are you yelling about? With such a large pot of mutton soup, I serve it spoon by spoon, how could I know which spoon has at and which doesn’t? When I served you, I didn’t shake the spoon, you know it in your hearts."
The head chef’s words made the complainers choke up, as that was indeed true. Seeing others’ bowls filled with plenty of at, how could they feel at ease?
The Head Chef didn’t care about their complaints; he was sure that even if they racked their brains, they wouldn’t conclude about the special skill of serving food with a flick of the spoon.
Lu Zhenping and Shen ng had just reached their front door when they saw the Lu family mbers with bowls and basins, walking towards the threshing floor. Lu Jiasheng greeted them cheerily, while Liu Sanjin didn’t even look at them, annoyed by the thought of why the sheep weren’t kept at ho; not even considering their parents.
Mingyang and Mingliang were among the four children waiting in the main room, next to a basket of fragrantly sizzling sesa pancakes, all untouched, just waiting for that bowl of mutton soup.
Shen ng first scooped a taste, then frowned. It wasn’t only bland, but it also had a faint gay taste, not very pleasant.
"Hold on, I’ll go to the kitchen and fetch so spices."
She walked leisurely toward the kitchen, and Ming Liang, watching her receding figure for a while, finally said, "Did mother hurt her leg? Why does walking seem so difficult?"
Hearing this, Shen ng’s cheeks flushed, and she stumbled, nearly falling.
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