Chapter 369: Chapter 366: Setting Off
Early the next morning, Old Li brought back the small intestines, pork belly, and ribs for the barbecue. Seeing no one in the house or kitchen, he went out to the backyard vegetable patch and found Lin Lan cutting chives.
"Lin Lan, I left the meat in the kitchen. I’m going to the restaurant to get the in-laws and the kids."
Lin Lan straightened up. "Okay. While you’re at it, bring the barbecue spices and stuff, too. Wait for us on Limin Road, and we’ll come pick you all up."
"Alright. Little Douzi is still sleeping. Remember to wake him up for breakfast," Old Li said before turning to leave.
Lin Lan checked the time. It was only a quarter past six. She brought over a small stool and sat down to clean the celtuce and chives. She trimmed the ends off the chives and tore the old outer leaves off the celtuce, keeping only the tender inner leaves to use for wrapping the grilled meat.
Carrying a wicker basket, she returned to the kitchen. On the stove, she saw two fine cuts of uncured pork belly, a piece of pork shoulder, as well as the small intestines and ribs.
The ribs had already been chopped into inch-long pieces. Lin Lan poured them into a porcelain basin to wash them, then blanched them along with the pork belly. After draining the ribs, she added seasonings to marinate them.
She put the pork belly in the freezer to firm up. Once it was semi-frozen, it would be easier to cut into thin slices.
While washing the small intestines, Lin Lan suddenly remembered the grilled sausages she had eaten before. She set aside three lengths of intestine and then finished cleaning the rest for the barbecue, placing them in the wicker basket to drain.
She found a bamboo scraper in the cupboard, used it to clean the inside of the casings, and washed them again before setting them aside.
She minced the semi-fatty pork shoulder, adding salt, Sichuan peppercorns, pepper, minced ginger, the white parts of scallions, and a cornstarch slurry. After mixing it well and letting it marinate for about ten minutes, she found the bamboo funnel used for making sausages during the New Year. She stuffed the meat filling into the intestine casings and used cotton thread to tie them off into two-inch-long sections.
She added two ladles of water to a pot, along with star anise, black cardamom, and the white parts of scallions. Then she placed the sausages in the pot, brought it to a rolling boil over high heat, and then reduced it to medium to simmer.
Lin Lan washed her hands and saw it was already half past eight. She went to Old Li’s room and found Little Douzi sleeping soundly with one leg draped over the quilt. "Time to get up, little sleepyhead. We’re about to leave."
"Mom!" Little Douzi’s eyes fluttered open. He looked at Lin Lan, still drowsy. "My tummy’s hungry."
Lin Lan gave him a kiss. "Little sleepyhead, do you want some mini wontons or noodles? Get up and Mom will make them for you."
Little Douzi thought for a moment. "Mini wontons. I want some crispy roasted soybeans on top."
"Okay!" Lin Lan pulled him up and gave his bottom a playful pat. "You little sleepyhead."
"HEE HEE! Mom, let me go, I have to use the bathroom!" Little Douzi scrambled out of bed, shuffled into his slippers, and ran toward the bathroom, clenching his butt.
Lin Lan smiled and shook her head, then went to the kitchen to cook his mini wontons.
Just as mother and son finished eating and washed the dishes, Little Douzi went upstairs to look at his picture books. The aroma of the sausages simmering in the pot wafted through the air.
Lin Lan lifted the lid and scooped out the plump, round sausages, placing them on a plate.
Yao Xiuyun and Yang Xiaoman came in with the children. Qiaoling, leading Dandan and Little Hai, ran upstairs carrying several mottled bamboo poles.
Yao Xiuyun and Yang Xiaoman walked to the kitchen doorway, grinning at Lin Lan. "It smells so good! What delicious thing are you cooking?"
"Sausages," Lin Lan said, poking her head out with a smile. "I made some sausages. We can grill them later."
Yao Xiuyun laughed. "I made some boiled dumplings and steamed buns."
Yang Xiaoman added with a smile, "Grandma got up early and made us some spring rolls. I went to the market and bought some mushrooms. I saw some wild tea tree mushrooms, termite mushrooms, and porcinis, so I bought some of those too. For drinks, I got soy milk."
Lin Lan nodded repeatedly. "Today’s barbecue is going to be a real feast."
Yao Xiuyun asked, "Is there anything we can help with?"
"Yes!" Lin Lan handed the chives and celtuce to Yao Xiuyun. "I was busy stuffing the sausages and haven’t had time to wash the chives and celtuce yet. You’re just in time to help."
"You got it!" Yao Xiuyun took the wicker basket and went outside with Yang Xiaoman to clean the vegetables.
Lin Lan drained the small intestines, cut them into short pieces, and seasoned them. The pork belly in the freezer had firmed up to a semi-frozen state, so she took it out, sliced it thinly, and put the slices in a marinade.
Yao Xiuyun and Yang Xiaoman came back in carrying the washed vegetables. "All done. Is there anything else to prepare?"
"Nope, everything’s packed in the baskets," Lin Lan said, looking at the two of them. "We have some sweet fermented rice wine at home. Do you want any?"
"Yes," Yao Xiuyun said with a laugh. "No need to prepare juice, I’ve already got it covered."
Yang Xiaoman looked at her curiously. "What kind of juice did you make?"
"Orange juice." Yao Xiuyun looked at them proudly. "Made from blood oranges, no less!"
Yang Xiaoman laughed. "Looks like we’re benefiting from the kids today, getting to celebrate Children’s Day along with them."
Yao Xiuyun puffed out her cheeks. "They’re so lucky. Back in our day, we couldn’t even get enough to eat."
Lin Lan and Yang Xiaoman looked at her and laughed, putting their arms around her and teasing, "You big kid. We’ll make up for it and celebrate Children’s Day for you today, too."
Yao Xiuyun laughed and held her hands out to them. "Auntie Lin, Auntie Yang, where’s my Children’s Day present!"
"Ah!" Lin Lan slapped her forehead. "Now that you mention it, I completely forgot to get presents for the kids."
Yao Xiuyun tapped Lin Lan on the forehead. "That’s easy. We can just stop by the Xinhua Bookstore later and buy each of them a set of picture books. They can even trade and share."
"Yes! That’s a great idea." As she spoke, Lin Lan brought the baskets out from the kitchen and handed them to Yao Xiuyun and Yang Xiaoman. "I’ll go pour the sweet rice wine."
Yao Xiuyun nodded, took a basket, and stood in the yard. She hollered up at the second floor, "Hey kids, time to go!"
Little Hai poked his head out to look, then turned and said, "Let’s move out, brothers! The Eldest Disciple is calling for us."
"Such a cheeky brat." Qiaoling flicked him on the forehead. "Come on, let’s go." With that, she ignored the others and was the first to leave the attic.
"HEE HEE! Pack up the fishing rods before you go." Little Hai rubbed his forehead and helped a fumbling Dandan gather the bamboo poles from the floor.
The mottled bamboo poles were each over a meter long and as thick as a thumb. A fishing line was tied to the thin end of each pole, and a goose feather was attached to the line to serve as a bobber.
Little Douzi picked one up, still a bit skeptical. "Big Brother Dandan, can these fishing rods we made really catch a fish?"
Dandan nodded confidently. "They can! My dad said they used to bend sewing needles to use as hooks for fishing. We’re using actual fishhooks."
"Well, we’ll find out when we try it at the river," Little Hai said, picking up a glass jar. "We can use this to collect worms by the riverbank."
"Okay." The three of them grabbed their fishing rods, put on their shoes at the door, and CLOMPED down the stairs.
Lin Lan and the others loaded the barbecue equipment into the trailer of the Jeep parked at the gate. Inside the trailer were two small folding tables and two stacks of small woven bamboo stools.
Xu Dong, holding the car keys, closed the courtyard gate and walked to the vehicles. "Little Man, are you driving the Jeep or the sedan?"
"I’ll take the sedan," Yang Xiaoman said, walking toward the car in front. "Lin Lan, I’ll go to Limin Road to pick up Uncle Li and the others. Let’s meet up at the river."
Lin Lan nodded. "Okay. When you get there, ask my dad if he remembered to grab the barbecue seasoning."
Yang Xiaoman gave a wave, pulled open the car door, and got in.
Lin Lan looked in surprise at the bamboo poles in the hands of Little Douzi and his two friends. "When did you guys prepare these?"
Dandan replied, "We made them a long time ago. You guys never take us to play by the river, so we were originally planning to go back to Lexing and fish in the ditch in front of our house."
