Chapter 40 ☆ Sugar-Mixed Tomatoes (Part 2)

Grandma Xie frowned. Cheng Yaoyao had only been in the house for a short while, but she had already charmed both the brother and sister.

Xie San took out the items he had bought: soy sauce, salt, vinegar, and a bag of flour and millet.

Cheng Yaoyao turned her head toward the wall, looking very angry.

Xie Fei tried to lighten the mood with small talk: “Brother, why did you buy so many things? There’s also flour! Look, sister, you just said you wanted to make white flour buns. You can make them tomorrow.”

Xie San put everything away, filling the empty and simple kitchen. He opened a bag of coarse salt to put into the salt jar but found a full jar of white sugar instead. He closed the lid, turned around, and opened the rice jar again, discovering that the rice inside had indeed been moved. A complex emotion flashed in Xie San’s eyes as he closed the lid again.

Xie Fei was thrilled and asked excitedly, “Brother, did you buy this at the village supply and marketing cooperative ^[1]refers to a local store that sells various goods.? This soy sauce smells so good. Is it first-class soy sauce?”

“Yeah,” Xie San finally took a cattail bag from the basket and placed it on the table. Then he went back into the house to shower and change clothes.

Xie Fei opened the bag and happily nudged Cheng Yaoyao. “Sister, look, it’s wild grapes!”

Cheng Yaoyao groaned and wanted to loudly say that she didn’t want them. But since she had never eaten wild grapes before, she couldn’t help but turn around to look.

There were two bunches of wild grapes on the large green leaves. The wild grapes were only half the size of normal grapes and were covered with a layer of clean white frost. Each grape was plump and even, like a shiny black pearl.

Xie Fei quickly washed the grapes with water. The grapes, covered in white frost, were very clean and didn’t need to be washed excessively. The wild grapes, now glistening with water, looked more and more tempting. Under Xie Fei’s persuasion, Cheng Yaoyao finally opened her mouth and reluctantly ate one. The sweet and sour taste burst on her tongue. She tasted the sour and astringent flavors first, followed by a sweet aftertaste.

Grapes are rich in anthocyanins ^[2]which are antioxidants that help protect cells from damage.. Cheng Yaoyao, who cherished her skin, liked grapes. She had eaten grapes from all over the world, including the world-famous, Qingwang grapes^[3]which are a well-known variety of grapes in China..

The taste of wild grapes isn’t the best—they can’t be called sweet and lack the fragrant fruity and floral aroma of premium grapes. However, wild grapes have their own unique advantages: the flavor is particularly rich, and they offer unique health benefits, making them a good choice for winemaking.

As Cheng Yaoyao savored the unique taste of the wild grapes on her tongue, an idea began to form in her mind, but it was quickly interrupted by Xie San.

Xie San had changed into a clean coat, with water dripping from his short black hair. He stood at the kitchen door, looking fresh and tidy, and said, “Grandma said dinner is ready.”

Cheng Yaoyao arched her back like a cat with its fur standing on end and gave him a hateful look.

Xie San said to Xie Fei, “Let’s eat in the yard today. I’ve set up the table.”

“Hey! I’ll go hang up the cold dishes from the well!” Xie Fei quickly agreed and ran out briskly.

Cheng Yaoyao was about to follow him out, but Xie San strode in and blocked her path in the kitchen with his tall body.

“Get out of here!” Cheng Yaoyao said it fiercely.

Xie San grabbed her hands to stop her from scratching him. “You’re losing your temper again.”

“You just said you wouldn’t be mean to me, but you’re being mean to me again!” Cheng Yaoyao was concerned about Grandma Xie outside, so she lowered her voice and bared her teeth at Xie San.

Xie San didn’t give in this time. “You also promised me that you’d be good.”

“Even a three-year-old child knows it’s dangerous by the well.” Xie San looked at her quietly with his dark eyes. “Tell me, are you going to be a good girl?”

Cheng Yaoyao bit her lip, feeling shy about the discussion of whether she was being “good girl” or not. She wasn’t a three-year-old child. She mumbled, “I won’t jump into the well.”

“The well is slippery. What if you fall in?” Xie San almost gritted his teeth as he whispered, “What would I do then?”

“How can it be so exaggerated…” Cheng Yaoyao muttered softly in her heart, but when she met Xie San’s eyes, she couldn’t say anything.

Cheng Yaoyao thought back to when she was lying on the well platform. From behind, it probably did look a little dangerous. When she was a child, she lived in her grandfather’s manor, and no one allowed her to get close to the well. But after so many years, Cheng Yaoyao felt like an adult and had forgotten this warning.

Cheng Yaoyao’s eyelashes trembled like a butterfly flapping its wings. Her rosy lips were flat, and her face was full of “I know I was wrong, but I just want to act coquettishly.” She pouted, “You promised not to be mean to me…”

Xie San gently touched the end of Cheng Yaoyao’s braid. “Don’t be fierce anymore. You have to be obedient, okay?”

Cheng Yaoyao snorted, snatched the braid back, held it in her hand, and pushed Xie San aside to go out.

Xie San thought she was still angry, so he blocked the stove with his tall body and didn’t let her leave.

Cheng Yaoyao stamped her feet, blushed, and said anxiously, “Grandma is still outside! She’ll get the wrong idea!”

Xie San suddenly realized this and stepped aside, allowing Cheng Yaoyao to run past him.

As expected, Grandma Xie’s stern voice rang out, “Brother Zhao, have you taken out the dishes yet?”

“Coming,” Xie San suppressed a smile, picked up the bowl and chopsticks, and went out.

There was a low square table and four small stools in the yard. In the middle of the table were three side dishes and a bowl of porridge.

The four of them sat opposite each other. Cheng Yaoyao and Grandma Xie sat face to face, while Xie San and Xie Fei sat on either side of her.

The setting sun gently enveloped everyone, and the evening breeze gradually cooled the air, bringing a hint of nighttime chill. The three cold dishes on the table had just been taken up from the well, and they were cool and refreshing.

The pink tomato petals were arranged in a lotus shape. The sugar gradually melted, and the pink tomato juice gathered into a small bay at the bottom of the plate.

The shredded cucumbers were arranged in a circle, with green and white colors complementing each other, and garnished with bright red chili sauce.

The green wood ear vegetable ^[4]which is an edible fungus commonly used in Chinese cuisine. still looked crisp, and with the tender yellow garlic, it was particularly tempting.

Xie Fei was even prouder than Cheng Yaoyao and showed off to Grandma Xie and Xie San, “I made all of these by myself. Aren’t they looking good?”

Cheng Yaoyao sat obediently to the side, with her hands nervously clenched under the table, like a primary school student waiting for comments from the teacher.

Grandma Xie glanced at her with a hint of surprise.

In terms of virtue, speech, appearance, and skill, Cheng Yaoyao was already among the best in the last two categories. How could such a delicate girl cook such good dishes?

Grandma Xie didn’t say anything. Xie San simply said, “Hmm,” in an extremely serious and affirmative tone. Cheng Yaoyao immediately showed a smile in her eyes, which she couldn’t hide.

Xie Fei opened the lid of the pottery jar. The mung bean porridge had cooled down, and a layer of porridge crust had formed on the surface. After gently stirring it, it was still the right thickness and exuded the aroma of a blend of mung beans and white rice.

Grandma Xie suddenly asked sternly, “Where did the fine grains come from?”

Xie Fei was startled when he asked this question. She hesitated, and the spoon hit the edge of the pottery jar with a crisp sound. Xie Fei hesitated, “It’s… it’s from Sister’s.”

“This is someone else’s food! How can you eat it?” Grandma Xie said it angrily. “Did our Xie family ever teach you to take advantage of others?”

For some reason, Cheng Yaoyao’s cheeks turned red, and she quickly said, “Grandma, it wasn’t Xiao Fei. I insisted on taking it out to cook porridge.”

Grandma Xie replied politely to Cheng Yaoyao, “Cheng Zhiqing, you can see the condition of our family. We haven’t been able to entertain you as well as we should. We would never dare to take advantage of you. Although our family is poor, we’re not so destitute that we need to eat a woman’s food.”

Cheng Yaoyao’s eyes suddenly turned red, not from anger but from sadness—for Xie San.

She wasn’t stupid. Every word Grandma Xie said was aimed at her, but it was really meant to hurt Xie San. Grandma Xie was exposing her family’s difficulties in front of Cheng Yaoyao to make Xie San give up on any ideas he might have.

She couldn’t help but glance at Xie San. He was such a proud man. What if he actually took it to heart…

Xie San’s face remained calm, and he didn’t even raise an eyebrow. He took the spoon from Xiao Fei and filled the bowls with porridge. His hands were steady. He served the first bowl to Grandma Xie, the second to Cheng Yaoyao, the third to Xiao Fei, and kept the last bowl of thin porridge for himself.

The mung bean porridge in the bowl had white rice that was almost melted, and the mung beans were fully cooked and blossomed. The rice soup was thick, and the heat had been controlled perfectly.

The only white rice in the Xie family had been obtained by Xie San by carrying 100 kilograms of sweet potatoes. He would take a handful of rice every three days and cook it into thin porridge to nourish Grandma Xie. The Xie family hadn’t tasted such fragrant white rice porridge for many years.

Grandma Xie stared at the bowl of porridge. The aroma was so tempting that it reminded her of the prosperous times of the Xie family many years ago. Her brows furrowed tighter, and each wrinkle revealed her anger. “Xiao Fei, pour the porridge back!”

When the gods fight, the little ghosts suffer. Xiao Fei was like a frightened little rabbit, with red eyes, not daring to move.

Xie San said calmly, “Grandma, this has nothing to do with Xiao Fei. This was all my idea.”

Grandma Xie knew her grandson’s temperament very well. He seemed patient, but in reality, he was more stubborn than anyone else. Even after saying this, he remained calm, which made Grandma Xie uncertain.

She worried that she had said too much, which might cause her grandson to have a bigger backlash. She also suspected that Xie San had been deeply hurt by her words, but she couldn’t get angry for the time being.

The table was extremely quiet for a moment, and the only sound was Xiao Fei’s sobbing in grievance.

Cheng Yaoyao was sitting next to Xie San, and she saw his hands hanging on his knees, tightly clenched into fists, with veins bulging on the back of his hands. She didn’t know how much effort it took for him to endure it. She stared at the bowl of porridge in front of her and suddenly felt like crying.

Something sour and bitter in her chest tugged at her heart, making her restless. She wanted to cry, but she also wanted to scream in anger, to vent her frustration on behalf of Xie San.

Suddenly, a chopstick of black fungus appeared in her bowl. Cheng Yaoyao looked up and met Xie San’s soothing eyes. He had come over to comfort her.

Instead of feeling comforted, she suddenly burst out with infinite grievances. She looked up suddenly: “Grandma Xie, Xie San is not like what you said!”

As soon as the words were spoken, the depression in her chest immediately found an outlet and rushed out.

Cheng Yaoyao raised her eyebrows and looked directly at Grandma Xie, her beautiful face exuding an arrogant and domineering aura. “You can’t say that about him!”

“Yaoyao!” Xie San held the back of her hand, remembering that she couldn’t stand being scolded, so he restrained his tone and emphasized, “You can’t talk to Grandma like that.”

Grandma Xie laughed in anger and nodded. “Let her speak!”

Xiao Fei looked left and right in horror, and finally covered her ears like a cornered little rabbit, burying her head deeply in an attempt to hide from the confrontation.

Cheng Yaoyao’s chest heaved, and she firmly pushed Xie San’s hand away. “I want to say it!”

***

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