Chapter 436: Chapter 226 Making Spring Pancakes_2
"My in-law, with your keen eye, how could I dare to play any tricks?" Zhao Wencai felt very aggrieved inwardly but still had to maintain a smiling face. If it weren’t for the fact that he needed a favor regarding Zhao Xiue’s matter, he also wouldn’t be so constrained by Lian Shouyi at every turn.
Ultimately, Lian Shouyi and Zhao Wencai exchanged a glance before finding an excuse to step outside together, murmuring some unknown things. When they returned, Lian Shouyi changed his tune.
"Dad, how about, before we find a buyer for the house in town, we let Erlang and Xiue stay a few more days?" Lian Shouyi discussed with Old Master Lian, "We really can’t fit everyone here, and we can’t have the newlywed couple living in the same room with our Sanlang and the other young lads."
What Lian Shouyi mentioned was indeed an issue, which was also why Old Master Lian had initially agreed to let Erlang and Zhao Xiue live in town. Constructing a new house required not only money but also time. Buying a house wasn’t something where you could sell it immediately just by saying so.
However, if they agreed to Lian Shouyi’s proposal, it seemed as if things might revert to the initial situation. Old Master Lian was compassionate but not muddle-headed.
"I’ve thought about it: let Jizu and his wife move back to the western room. Let Sanlang and Si Lang move upstairs to live with me. Erlang and his wife will, for the time being, live in the eastern wing room with you and your spouse. Once the house below is built, let them move into the new house," Old Master Lian said.
It might seem unbelievable, but that’s how it was in these tenant farmers’ households: a large kang bed could accommodate old and young alike, and even several couples of the same generation could live together and still have children. Of course, at night, the couples would be separated to create relatively independent spaces, either using something like a kang screen or hanging curtains from the ceiling.
Zhao Xiue certainly didn’t want this, but since Old Master Lian had spoken, it meant the decision was irrevocable. In the end, it was the Zhao Family that convinced Zhao Xiue, who had no choice but to accept.
It seemed in order to avoid any further complications, Old Master Lian immediately arranged for someone to go to town to move Zhao Xiue’s dowry.
"It’s better to empty the house in town, it will be easier to sell," Old Master Lian said, "Otherwise, people might think we’re not serious about selling."
When Old Master Lian said this, he also, intentionally or not, glanced at Zhao Wencai and Lian Shouyi.
Lian Manman felt that Old Master Lian’s handling of this matter was very wise. Of course, her family was also called upon by Old Master to help move things.
Lady Chiang and Lian Jizu also went to the house in town. When they had moved back previously, some boxes and cupboards that were not frequently used were left behind in the storehouse there. Now that the house needed to be cleared out, these items naturally had to be taken back as well.
And so, Zhao Xiue moved into the eastern wing room. She and Erlang, along with Lian Shouyi and his wife carrying Liulang, each occupied half a kang bed.
"Now your second aunt shouldn’t complain about not having a daughter-in-law to serve her," Lady Zhang said softly to Lady He as she happily moved things, her tone not fully convinced.
"Who knows," Lian Manman whispered. Zhao Xiue’s expression had been stern all along. "Our courtyard will definitely be more lively than before, that’s for sure."
Indeed, just as Lian Manman had said, it happened.
In the blink of an eye, the beginning of spring arrived, a time the tenant farmers called "hitting spring." Spring was coming, and everything was about to grow; in the eyes of the farmstead people, this was a big day. In Thirty Mile Camp, there was a tradition of eating spring pancakes, known as "hitting spring pancakes."
The Lian Manman family was no exception. That morning, after the rush at the breakfast stall had passed, Lian Manman carried a basket, accompanied by Xiao Qi, her small assistant, into town to shop.
She bought two jin of lean and fatty pork, two jin of crisp garlic shoots, and two jin of dried tofu. Added to the carrots, large onions, and specially sprouted green bean sprouts already at home, the fillings for the spring pancakes were nearly complete. Because they were out of eggs at home, Lian Manman finally bought twenty red-shelled chicken eggs before returning from town.
Depending on each family’s living conditions, spring pancakes were made with sorghum flour, mixed bean flour, or white flour. The Lian Manman family had initially planned to use a mix of three flours, but after some thought, they decided to simply use white flour for the rare good day, giving everyone a treat. Their family could now completely afford it.
Making spring pancakes involved kneading dough and cooking thin pancakes, which were filled with various ingredients and dipped in thick sauce to eat.
However, there was an even more convenient way, which was to cook thin pancakes as spring pancakes. Thin pancakes were thinner than the cooked ones and were more suited to wrapping fillings. In Thirty Mile Camp, families would make thin pancakes or cooked pancakes according to their preference, or they would simply stir-fry some bean sprouts and eat them without wrapping them in pancakes.
Lian Manman then suggested cooking thin pancakes.
"Mom, yesterday, I talked to Xiao Tanzhi about making spring pancakes, and he told me that the temple had a ready-made pancake griddle. I asked if we could borrow it, and he said yes," Lian Manman told Lady Zhang.
"Well, that’d be great. Manman, go check it out. If we can borrow it, then let’s cook thin pancakes," Lady Zhang agreed.
Lian Manman then went to find Yuan Tan, who had already prepared the pancake griddle and brought it over for her.
This pancake griddle was made of iron and looked very similar to the electric griddle Lian Manman had seen in her previous life, with two round, thick iron plates connected by hinges at the back, and a relatively long handle that ended in a loop for easy handling. Ironware in this era was very heavy, and the pancake griddle was about three or four jin. Although this wasn’t much for Lian Manman, Yuan Tan still graciously brought it over for her.
Cooking thin pancakes did not require kneading dough but mixing the flour with water to form a smooth batter. When the pancake griddle arrived, Lady Zhang had already prepared the batter.
Recently, their old residence has been very "bustling," so the Lian Manman family planned to eat the spring pancakes in their breakfast stall.
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