Chapter 244: Loose Lips and Unreliability
Chapter 244: Loose Lips and Unreliability
Today was the town's market day.
Jiang Xia rode her motorcycle with Zhou Chenglei to buy a set of pig liver to nourish his blood.
However, Jiang Xia couldn't control her shopping urge. In addition to the pig liver, she also purchased five pounds of marbled pork, ten pounds of lean meat, a large rack of pork ribs, two large bones, and when she saw beef for sale, she bought ten pounds of beef and two pieces of beef tendon. She even went to the grain station to buy flour and picked up some seasonings from the supply and marketing cooperative before heading home.
The pig liver was meant for Zhou Chenglei to nourish his blood, the marbled pork for making dumplings, the large bones for soup, and the beef tendon for making braised beef. The ten pounds of beef and ten pounds of lean meat were for making beef jerky and pork jerky.
After eating seafood daily, it was a rare opportunity to go out and encounter such excellent meat, and without the need for meat ration coupons, Jiang Xia bought a little extra.
Riding a motorcycle already drew attention, and buying so much meat only made her stand out even more!
Indeed, those who ride motorcycles must be wealthy!
Buying meat is like buying green vegetables!
The market was crowded, and with Zhou Chenglei's injury, Jiang Xia quickly left after buying the meat at the market entrance without browsing further.
Upon returning home, Zhou Mu stopped Zhou Chenglei at the door, asking him to wait outside. She then hurried back to the kitchen, grabbed a bundle of rice straw, lit it, and asked Zhou Chenglei to step over the flames to ward off bad luck. Zhou Chenglei took a step over the flames and entered the house.
Jiang Xia was still sitting on the motorcycle and couldn't enter, so she said, "You go back to bed and rest."
Zhou Chenglei: "..."
It was really unnecessary!
For a minor shoulder injury, he had to lie down!
His brothers would laugh if they knew!
But Zhou Chenglei understood and didn't argue, obediently washing his hands and face at the well before changing into clean clothes. Only then did he take the magazine Jiang Xia wanted him to translate and lay back down in bed, tending to his injury while translating.
Hearing the sound of the motorcycle, Great-Grandma came out and asked, "Is Ahlei okay?"
Jiang Xia waited for the fire to die down before riding her motorcycle in. Smiling, she replied, "He's fine now. The wound has stopped bleeding, and he'll recover after a few days of rest. Great-Grandma, come and eat dumplings later. I'm making dumplings today."
Great-Grandma smiled upon hearing that everything was fine. "That's good. Xia Xia knows how to make dumplings?"
"Yes, I can make them, but not very well," Jiang Xia replied. Great-Grandma's question made her decide to make the simplest dumplings, although she had initially wanted to make them look nicer for Zhou Zhou.
Seeing the large amount of meat hanging on the motorcycle, Zhou Mu came forward to help unload it. Noticing the pig liver, she asked, "What do you plan to do with this pig liver, Xia Xia?"
Jiang Xia answered, "I'm planning to nourish Ahlei's blood with it. What do you think is the best way to cook it, Mom?"
"I'll go pick some goji leaves and make a pig liver and goji leaf soup," Zhou Mu replied.
Great-Grandma added, "The goji leaves in our vegetable garden are newly sprouted. I'll pick some too. I'll also cut some leeks to make dumplings later."
At that moment, Zhou Zhou and his brothers, Guang Zong Yao Zu, rushed home from playing by the sea. When they saw Jiang Xia riding her motorcycle back, they hurried home.
The siblings rushed in, asking, "Aunt Xia, is Uncle okay?"
Jiang Xia smiled and said, "He's fine now. Wash your hands, and I'll teach you how to make dumplings later."
The children immediately ran to the well to wash their hands.
Jiang Xia glanced at the fresh vegetables in the kitchen and assigned tasks accordingly: those peeling corn kernels, chopping pickled vegetables, washing leeks, chopping meat, and washing utensils, each according to their age.
She returned to the room to check on Zhou Chenglei.
Zhou Chenglei saw Jiang Xia enter and immediately said, "I really can't stay in bed."
Seeing him sitting on the bed translating, Jiang Xia said, "You can translate at the desk, just avoid heavy work, and rest when you're tired."
Zhou Chenglei breathed a sigh of relief and smiled, "Okay!"
Jiang Xia then went out to deal with the meat she bought and knead the dough to make dumplings.
First, she put the two pieces of beef tendon into the pot to braise, then she marinated the ten pounds of pork and ten pounds of beef with salt and seasonings to prevent spoilage. She would only make the pork and beef jerky with He Xinghua in the afternoon.
After that, she kneaded the dough and taught the children how to wrap dumplings.
Great-Grandma and Zhou Mu also helped, and later, Tian Caifa came to assist as well.
Tian Caifa saw that Jiang Xia was even teaching the Guang Zong Ya Zu brothers how to wrap dumplings, and she didn't like it. Why did boys need to do kitchen work? But when she saw Zhou Jie happily wrapping dumplings, it seemed more like playing than work, so she remained silent.
In the morning, Jiang Xia led the children in wrapping three large trays of dumplings.
At noon, Jiang Xia cooked a big pot of soup dumplings for everyone.
All three families ate until their bellies were full! Jiang Xia liked corn dumplings, Zhou Chenglei liked leek dumplings, Great-Grandma and Zhou Mu preferred pickled vegetable dumplings, and the children liked everything because they rarely had such treats.
Seeing that there were still over ten dumplings left, Tian Caifa said, "Xia Xia, let me take these dumplings back for your older brother. He went fishing with my older brother, and he probably hasn't had such delicious dumplings before. I don't know how to wrap them."
Knowing that Zhou Chenglei had to stay in the hospital, she returned to her maternal home last night and asked her older brother to come early this morning to go fishing with Zhou Chengxin.
Jiang Xia nodded, "Sure, I was planning to save them for my older brother anyway."
Tian Caifa smiled and thanked her, then took a plate to pack the dumplings.
At this moment, He Xinghuan walked over and asked, "Xia Xia, aren't you making beef jerky and pork jerky?"
Jiang Xia nodded, "Yes, let's do it at your place! We'll move these two basins of meat over there."
Great-Grandma's kitchen was slightly larger than theirs, so Xiaozai had always done her cooking there.
Hearing this, Tian Caifa quickly placed the dumplings in a basket and hung it up, saying, "I'll help too!"
Jiang Xia replied, "No need, two of us are enough. Sister-in-law, you can steam the dumplings! That way, they'll stay fresh and won't spoil by tonight."
The beef jerky and pork jerky that Jiang Xia made were particularly delicious because she had a recipe.
She planned to mass-produce and sell beef jerky and pork jerky when she could buy pork and beef without coupons, and she also planned to open a small food workshop with He Xinghuan, so she was teaching He Xinghuan how to make them. She couldn't have Tian Caifa help with that.
Tian Caifa had loose lips and wasn't reliable, so it wasn't suitable to involve her in this matter.
After saying this, Jiang Xia went to the neighboring house with He Xinghuan.
Tian Caifa: "..."
She didn't understand why Jiang Xia was closer to He Xinghuan, even though she and Jiang Xia were sisters-in-law.
Forget it!
She had a lot of work to do at home, and she still had to go to the dock to pick up the fish catch later. It was better if she didn't help.
Tian Caifa took the tray of dumplings and left.
In the evening, Zhou Chengxin and Tian Caixing returned from fishing at sea.
Zhou Chengxin went back to the old house and said to Tian Caifa, "I'll go see my fourth brother and give him the money we made from fishing today."
Tian Caixing's face changed.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
