Chapter 25

Mother He brought the freshly fried radish balls to the table, reminding them, “Be careful, it’s hot.”

The winter radishes were sweet. Every winter, Mother He would prepare some radish balls. She would select the round, firm radishes, wash and peel them, then shred them with a grater.

After mixing a bit of flour to form a batter, she added some chopped green onions and salt. Then, using a spoon, she dropped them one by one into a shallow pan of oil, frying them until they turned golden before scooping them out.

He Guijuan and his siblings loved eating radish balls as children. In the past, resources were scarce, and their family received only a small amount of oil each month.

Since radish balls had to be deep-fried, enjoying them was luxurious. Yet, Mother He would always fry some for the children during holidays and festivals, ensuring they could enjoy themselves.

Whenever she fried radish balls, her children would gather around the stove, standing on their toes to watch. The days of their childhood seemed just like yesterday, but in the blink of an eye, her children had all grown up and started their own families.

Her daughter worked as a doctor at the county hospital and had an excellent reputation among the local people in Qingjian Province.

Her son-in-law was a county committee official, a reliable man who treated their daughter well and had no bad habits.

Despite their daughter not having children over the years, her son-in-law had never voiced a single complaint.

Her son worked as a driver at a transportation company in their original county, responsible for delivering goods to the mountainous areas. His wife, Tang Hongmei, was his high school classmate, beautiful, kind-hearted, and virtuous. She had never argued with her in-laws.

Aside from the lack of grandchildren, their lives were truly free of regrets.

Jiang Jiang picked up a perfectly fried radish ball with her chopsticks, blew on it, and took a small bite.

The outside was crispy and salty, while the inside oozed with juice, carrying a refreshing radish sweetness and green onions’ fragrance. It was exceptionally delicious.

“Jiang Jiang, is it tasty?” Mother He asked as she patted the child’s head.

“Mm-hmm, it’s delicious,” Jiang Jiang nodded.

“Really, I love my mother’s dumplings the most.” He Guijuan replied.

As she spoke, Mother He chatted with her daughter for a while longer before preparing to make dumplings.

He Guijuan and Tang Hongmei got up to help in the kitchen, while He Laohan went to the yard to chop wood to boil the dumplings.

He Xiaojun helped by chopping the filling for the dumplings.

Jiang Jiang wanted to start the fire, but her family wouldn’t let her. So, she could only watch as Mother He made dumplings.

Mother He’s hands were nimble, and her technique was very skilled. With a bit of pressure from her thumb and index finger, she created beautiful pleats in the dumplings.

“Do you want to give it a try?” He Guijuan asked with a smile, noticing Jiang Jiang was watching intently.

Jiang Jiang looked up at her, saying, “I… I can’t make dumplings.”

Jiang Jiang actually didn’t know how to cook at all. After all, she was just a little child with no one to teach her.

Each time, she would wash edible wild vegetables, chop them up, toss them into a pot, and then add some potatoes, sorghum flour, or rice bran to boil together for a meal.

She could hardly cook rice properly, let alone take on the complex task of making dumplings.

He Guijuan said. “Mom will teach you.”

With that, He Guijuan set down the dough she was rolling and came to Jiang Jiang’s side, teaching her how to make dumplings step by step.

“Place the filling in the center of the dumpling skin, then pinch it together with your thumb and index finger like this. Just squeeze it, and a dumpling is ready.”

Jiang Jiang looked at the dumpling she had made. Although it was far from the perfection of Mother He’s, it at least looked somewhat presentable.

“Now, you try it yourself.” He Guijuan released her hand.

Jiang Jiang nodded and picked up a new dumpling skin, but without He Guijuan’s assistance, her movements became quite clumsy. After a lot of effort, she barely managed to make one dumpling, which looked crooked and uneven.

The adults couldn’t help but laugh when they saw the dumpling Jiang Jiang had made.

“You did a great job,” Mother He said, which made Jiang Jiang blush.

The atmosphere in He’s family was warm and cheerful. While the women busied themselves with the cooking, the men helped out, unlike in the Lin family from Dongxi Village, where the women usually toiled away.

Their hands would turn red from the cold water, while the men remained indifferent to anything happening in the kitchen.

They had lamb dumplings made with freshly slaughtered lamb and chopped green onions for lunch. When bitten into, the dumplings released savory juices. Mother He kneaded the dough perfectly—it wasn’t too hard or too soft, making the dumplings particularly delicious.

Jiang Jiang estimated she must have eaten over ten dumplings. Dipping the lamb dumplings in vinegar made them even more flavorful, and her stomach was now round and full.

—o—o—o—

After lunch, He Guijuan checked the blood pressure of her elderly parents. As people aged, they often encountered blood pressure issues.

“Everything seems fine, but you should pay attention to your daily diet. Try to keep it light. If you feel unwell, make sure to come to the county hospital to see me,” she advised.

“Do you remember?”

“Got it,” they replied.

Only then did He Guijuan put away the blood pressure monitor.

Jiang Jiang watched as He Guijuan measured the blood pressure of her elderly parents. After finishing, Mother He called both He Guijuan and Jiang Jiang into the cave home where the couple lived.

The He family resided in a three-cave stone house. The windows were large, and the windows and doors were connected, giving the cave a pleasing appearance. Although it was sturdy and costly to build, living in such a cave was comfortable, staying warm in winter and cool in summer—suitable for all seasons.

The cave where He’s elderly couple lived was not only for sleeping but also served as their kitchen for cooking, eating, and boiling water.

As soon as one entered the cave, they encountered a kang (a heated bed). The kang was covered with a straw mat, and a small table was set up on it. The bedding had already been rolled up in the corner, and it was here that they had just made dumplings and eaten their meal.

Initially, Jiang Jiang had been worried, fearing that her grandparents might not like her, just like Granny Lin did.

However, she quickly realized that her concerns were completely unnecessary upon arriving.

Not only her grandparents but even her uncle and aunt were very kind people.

“Jiang Jiang, come here quickly.” Mother He called.

Jiang Jiang stepped forward, and Mother He smiled warmly, pulling the child to sit beside her.

“Your father and I have prepared a gift for you,” Mother He said to her daughter.

She reached under the pillow, pulled out a small box, and handed it to the mother and daughter. “Your father quietly found a skilled craftsman to make this for you. Put it on Jiang Jiang; may it protect the child from disaster and illness, ensuring she grows up healthy.”

Jiang Jiang opened the box to find a silver longevity lock inside. A necklace passed through the lock’s loop, forming a circle that could be worn around her neck. The craftsmanship looked exquisite.

Jiang Jiang was a bit surprised. She hadn’t expected her grandparents to gift her something like this. Though they were her elders, the gift felt rather precious.

He Guijuan paused for a moment. “Thank you, Mom and Dad.”

In their hometown, it was customary for wealthy families to gift silver decorative locks to their newborn grandchildren.

These silver locks were threaded with a necklace or braided silk ribbon through their loops, creating a circle that hung around the child’s neck. The lock would dangle beneath the chin, and it was believed that wearing a lock could protect the child from misfortune and illness, ensuring healthy growth.

It seemed her parents had accepted Jiang Jiang and regarded her as their granddaughter.

Jiang Jiang said with a smile: “Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma.”

He Guijuan took the silver lock from the box and carefully put it on Jiang Jiang, tucking it into her clothing.

He Guijuan and Jiang Jiang stayed until after four in the afternoon before getting ready to leave.

He Guijuan had to work the next day; otherwise, she would have stayed for another night.

He Xiaojun accompanied his sister and niece to the bus back to Qingjian Province before turning around to head home.