Chapter 64: Chapter 064: Damn Thing
Translator: 549690339
“What are you looking at?”
Having lingered outside for a while, Mrs. Song drew the attention of Mrs. Wen, who was now scattering the last handful of grains from her small basin onto the ground. Narrowing her eyes, she shot a glare at Mrs. Song.
“What, are some people like dogs, drawn towards anything they catch a scent of?”
Mrs. Wen scoffed.
Mrs. Song shrank back a bit.
Mrs. Wen was not someone she could afford to provoke. Even though Wen seemed to be getting older, the sharp look on her face suggested she could still bring Mrs. Song to her knees.
Once Mrs. Song had been chased down two streets by Mrs. Wen for greedily plucking the toon buds extending over Wen’s yard wall in the spring. Moreover, Mrs. Wen had proceeded to pour the contents of her chamber pot at Mrs. Song’s front door each evening. No change was brought about even when Mrs. Song returned the buds out of helplessness. Mrs. Wen continued to make Mrs. Song’s life miserable.
The fear of Mrs. Wen had gotten real for Mrs. Song.
“I was merely passing by, hehehe…” Mrs. Song chuckled awkwardly a couple of times. Not daring to linger any longer, she hastily started preparing Zhuang Qinghe and Zhuang Yuanzhong to return to work.
Damn you!
With a huff, Mrs. Wen closed the courtyard door and returned to her room.
The weather today was incredible.
By incredible, it didn’t mean a bright sunshine, which could be too hot during a mild spring day like this. The present overcast yet warm weather, which was not too hot and came with a gentle breeze, felt just right.
Given the pleasant weather, a lot of people were outside, which meant Zhuang Qingning’s tofu stall was doing a great business.
The tofu was selling out fast, drawing closer to an empty tray.
When the last piece of tofu was sold, Zhuang Qingning started packing up her stall.
“Do you have any more tofu?” An old woman with white hair, older than Mrs. Liu, shuffled over, her back hunched.
“I’m afraid I just sold out.” Zhuang Qingning apologized. “Please come back tomorrow.”
“Alright then.” The old woman sighed deeply, shaking her head. “Each day I come, each day I can’t get any. If it’s all gone, I’ll come back tomorrow.” “Alright, please be careful on your way,” Zhuang Qingning cheerfully advised the woman.
“Sure.” The old woman responded with a smile: “You’re a sweet talker which makes me feel good.”
“But don’t worry about me, my house is just ahead, very close, only a short walk away.”
“Ever since my husband passed away, my children have been very busy and don’t come back from the county. Ah…”
Being an elder living alone, she often found herself without anyone to talk to. As a result, she had a tendency to chatter incessantly about her family affairs whenever she met someone.
Zhuang Qingning didn’t seem to be put off by this. She simply replied with a smile and, after the woman had moved away, proceeded to collect her belongings and planned to head home early.
She planned to purchase some pork tenderloin and mix it with the fresh green chives from her garden to make scrumptious chive dumplings for a meal.
By the way, she also had to buy some soy sauce and vinegar, and finally pick up some cloth.
Summer was approaching – it was best to prepare summer clothing in advance.
After returning home, she did not sit down to rest but started kneading the dough for dumplings. All this time, Zhuang Qingsui was picking chives from their courtyard to use in their cooking, which she cleaned next to the kitchen door.
“In my opinion, our home-grown chives are the best,” Zhuang Qingsui plucked the wilted leaves off each chive as she remarked, “The chive pastry I had in the town this morning was so bad.”
A smirk curled up on Zhuang Qingning’s lips.
These chives are cultivated using a growth liquid, which naturally makes them taste different.
“Then you should eat more later.” Zuang Qingning gathered the freshly minced meat, combining it with various condiments including ginger and garlic, and mixed it all together in a ceramic bowl.
“Absolutely,” Zhuang Qingning responded, gesturing to her slightly chubby chin.
Zhuang Qingning, with a smile in her eyes, helped clean the chives, chop them and mix them with the meat.
Once the filling was prepared and the dough had risen, they rolled the dough into thin sheets, cut them into small pieces and folded them into dumplings.
Zhuang Qingsui then started helping with shaping the dumplings.
Once all the dumplings were shaped, half of them were cooked in boiling water, then divided between two different plates.
“Qingsui, take this to Aunt He’s house. I’ll take this plate to Aunt Wen.”
“Okay.” Zhuang Qingsui washed her hands, covered the plate with a cloche, and carried it over to Mrs. He’s house.
Zhuang Qingning, on the other hand, headed to Mrs. Wen’s house.
Zhuang Qingning returned home early today, and in her haste, she put in extra effort to make dumplings. At this time, everyone had just started cooking, and some people had just returned home from the fields, not yet having had a chance to start preparing their meals.
At this point, Mrs. Wen was at home choosing the young vegetables from her garden, planning to have noodle soup for lunch.
“Aunt Wen.” Zhuang Qingning walked straight into the courtyard. “Qingsui and I made dumplings for lunch. I brought a plate over for you. Please give them a try and let us know if you like the taste.”
“Leave it there.” Mrs. Wen dusted off the dirt from her hands as she spoke. “Since you made dumplings, you should’ve said earlier. I just went to the field to harvest some vegetables, and now they won’t be used for lunch. By dinner time, they will be wilted.”
Mrs. Wen always spoke bluntly, but Zhuang Qingning was used to it. She merely carried the dumplings to the kitchen, found a clean plate to transfer them to, and covered it with a large bowl to keep them warm.
“Remember to cat while it’s hot, or else it won’t taste as good.” Zhuang Qingning cleaned the plate and stepped out of the kitchen. “I’ll be leaving now.”
Saying so, she turned around to leave.
“Oh right,” Mrs. Wen mentioned while washing her hands, “this morning, I saw Mrs. Song staring at your tofu stall for quite a while.”
Mrs. Song was staring at the tofu stall?
Zhuang Qingning stopped, the corners of her mouth dropping slightly.
“Dogs are attracted to the scent. If there’s a scent of meat at home, it can attract dogs. It’s not a big deal. The only thing that could be a problem is if you’re a pushover yourself. Then don’t be surprised if dogs always follow you,” Mrs. Wen remarked, her eyelids drooping, not even bothering to look up.
“I see.” Zhuang Qingning blinked, her smile returning, “Thank you, Aunt Wen, for your reminder.”
“Don’t mention it, I don’t have the kindness to worry about others.”
Mrs. Wen snorted. “I’m just saying, if you get bitten by a dog and can’t rent the tofu stall anymore, where will I find someone else to rent from?”
“Yes, you’re absolutely right, Aunt Wen.”
A tough exterior but a soft interior – she would rather die than admit her true feelings.
Zhuang Qingning’s eyes curved into a smile as she left Mrs. Wen’s house and walked home.
By the time she got home, Zhuang Qingsui had returned from Mrs. He’s house, holding a plate of bean sprouts in her hand.
Mung bean sprouts..
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