Chapter 33 : Harvest Aunt Guard.

Ye Suiwan laughed and squatted down beside the well to help Li Luo wash vegetables and pick beans.  

“Okay, thank you.”  

“You want to stew these eggplants and beans directly?”  

“Yes, yes. In the past, we just stewed them. No matter what it was, we just threw the food in, added water, boiled it, and added salt. We don’t have any seasonings,” Li Luo replied with a smile.  

“Then let’s try some different methods today. I’ll work with you. If it tastes good, we can try different flavors in the future.”  

“And you can also steam the eggplant and mix it with other ingredients.”  

Ye Suiwan wasn’t stingy about sharing her cooking skills.  

“Oh, really? I’ll definitely study hard.”  

“At the end of the year, just tell me what to do. I have a good memory and can remember things well,” Li Luo said, then quickly shut up, realizing she had just boasted about herself.  

“Alright, let’s get started!”  

“How about making a salad with the beans?”  

The key to making eggplant and green beans delicious is being generous with oil.  

But that was obviously unrealistic!  

So instead, she decided to steam the eggplant and cook the beans.  

Then she prepared minced garlic and chili peppers. Although there weren’t many seasonings available at the educated youth camp, they had salt and soy sauce, which were enough.  

“Look, when the eggplant is cooked, tear it into strips, and scoop out the beans, blanch them, and cut them into sections.”  

“Put a little oil in the pan, add the chili, and stir-fry it, then add an appropriate amount of water. Pour the chili water over the eggplant and beans, add salt and soy sauce, stir well, and wait until it’s not too hot. Finally, add the minced garlic or leave it out if you prefer.”  

“It goes really well with porridge in the summer.”  

This was the best way Ye Suiwan could think of to improve the food without extra seasoning or too much oil.  

“Try it first.”  

As she spoke, the cold dish was already ready.  

“Great!”  

Li Luo swallowed her saliva and picked up some with her chopsticks, putting it into her mouth.  

It was soft, glutinous, refreshing, and very delicious. Li Luo’s eyes lit up.  

“It’s delicious! You should try it too, Suiwan!”  

“Alright!”  

Ye Suiwan also took some with her chopsticks. It was indeed good, much better than just boiling everything in water.  

“By analogy, many ingredients can be eaten cold. Of course, this is for summer, but in winter, they can be stewed and eaten hot.”  

But in winter, there wouldn’t be much besides cabbage and potatoes. If they wanted good food, they would need meat.  

At present, the educated youth had to figure that out themselves, she couldn’t do much to help.  

“I see. Thanks, Suiwan!”  

Li Luo brought a bowl of the cold-mixed eggplant and green beans to the dining table.  

At this time, the educated youth started returning in small groups.  

“Hurry up, wash your hands, and eat. Try this cold dish!” Li Luo called out to the first few people who came in.  

“Hmm? What’s different about it?” Song Kai asked curiously.  

“Suiwan taught me this. I tried it, it’s much better than what I made before.”  

Hearing that it was Ye Suiwan’s idea, everyone moved faster.  

They had already been amazed by her cooking skills after having just two meals with her!  

“And today’s porridge has rice and eggs. It smells really good.”  

Li Luo continued enticing them.  

“Hurry up, eat, eat!”  

The door was open, and the people behind saw the ones in front eagerly serving themselves, so they quickened their pace.  

Soon, everyone had a bowl of egg porridge in their hands, and their chopsticks didn’t stop moving.  

Luckily, there were plenty of vegetables in the summer, so there was enough of the cold dish to go around.  

The atmosphere at the dinner table was cheerful, with laughter and conversation. The praise for Ye Suiwan was endless, and several people kept asking her for cooking tips.  

She patiently answered their questions one by one.  

Seeing that everyone had finished eating and was full, she decided it was time to talk about her marriage.  

“I’m going to get the marriage certificate tomorrow, and the wedding banquet will be held the day after tomorrow. Everyone is welcome to come.”  

As soon as she said this, the entire room went silent.  

But soon, the silence was broken by waves of congratulations.  

Ye Suiwan still had to visit the captain’s house, so after saying goodbye to everyone, she went back to the dormitory, picked up the thank-you gift she had prepared, and headed toward the village.  

She deliberately walked empty-handed on the road.  

At this time, the villagers had finished eating and were sitting outside chatting. If she carried the gifts in plain sight, it would be inconvenient and might cause unnecessary trouble.  

“Hey, isn’t that Ye Suiwan?”  

“Where are you going?”  

An unfamiliar aunt called out to her.  

Sensing no malice, Ye Suiwan smiled and responded,  

“Auntie, have you finished eating? I’m going to the captain’s house.”  

“Oh, we’ve eaten. Go quickly and get back to the educated youth camp before dark. It’s not safe at night.”  

The aunt kindly reminded her.  

“Okay, thank you, Auntie.”  

Ye Suiwan continued walking.  

But she could still vaguely hear the discussions behind her.  

“What is Ye Suiwan doing?”  

“Yeah, she’s not carrying anything, so she’s definitely not delivering gifts.”  

“Who knows? Stop nosing around. Doesn’t the pork taste good?”  

“I’m telling you, we should get on better terms with Ye Suiwan. Maybe we’ll benefit from it later!”  

“Fang Huaihua, you’re so smart, but I think you’re right this time.”  

“I’m never wrong.”  

“Do you think the secretary’s daughter will give up?”  

“They’re already engaged, what else can she do?.”  

“I heard she’s coming back tomorrow. When she does, we must support Ye Suiwan and not let anyone bully her. We all know what the secretary’s daughter is like!”  

“I know, I know. You’re just a soft-hearted person.”  

—

Ye Suiwan had no idea that in such a short time, she had already gained a group of aunties as her protectors.  

By now, she had arrived at the captain’s house. The alley was empty, so she took out the basket and knocked on the door.  

“Aunt Hongxia, are you home? It’s me, Ye Suiwan.”  

Aunt Hongxia had just finished eating. Hearing the voice, she quickly ran over to open the door.  

“Ye girl, come in quickly!”  

Aunt Hongxia warmly invited her inside.  

“Hey, I hope I didn’t interrupt you.”  

“No, no, I just finished eating. Have you eaten? I can make you some pancakes.”  

“I’ve eaten. Brother Xiao and I are getting the marriage certificate tomorrow, so I came to thank you.”  

As she spoke, she placed the basket on a stone in the yard. Inside were a pound of brown sugar and two pounds of rice.  

“Girl, why are you being so polite? You didn’t have to bring a thank-you gift!”  

Aunt Hongxia said anxiously.  

Just as she finished speaking, another voice came from the door.  

“Uncle Jiang, are you home?”  

As soon as Ye Suiwan heard the voice, she immediately knew it was Xiao Yuyan.  

She quickly turned and looked toward the door.  

“Boss, come out quickly.”  

“Your Uncle Jiang is in the backyard!”  

“Come in quickly!”  

Clearly recognizing the visitor, Aunt Hongxia took two steps forward to greet him.  

Xiao Yuyan pushed the door open and walked in, also holding a basket in his hand.  

“Wanwan!”  

“Mm!”  

Aunt Hongxia stood aside, secretly smiling as she watched the two of them greet each other.  

“Is Yuyan here?”  

Jiang Aijun also came out from the backyard.  

“Uncle, Aunt, this is a thank-you gift for being our matchmaker. Also, could you help issue a certificate? Comrade Ye and I will be getting the marriage certificate tomorrow morning. The marriage report has already been issued.”  

Now, both Jiang Aijun and Aunt Hongxia understood why the two had come, it was just an accidental encounter.  

“Hahaha, great! When is the banquet? I’ll come to help!”  

Aunt Hongxia said enthusiastically.