Chapter 79 : Making Mushroom Sauce, Second Cousin Su Yiyuan

After Lu Qing’an returned home, he gave the telegram to Li Yue’e and asked her to deliver it to Su Mo.

“This is a telegram from the third son to his wife. Take it to her. Tell her that I thought something important had happened, so I opened it and read it.”

Li Yue’e took it and, feeling a bit nervous, asked, “What happened?”

Lu Qing’an waved his hand. “It’s fine, just send it and ask her to write him a letter.”

Li Yue’e: …

Is there too much money being wasted? Why send a telegram when you could just write a letter? One word in a telegram is nearly as costly as a whole letter.

At the time, it cost three and a half cents to send a single word by telegram. It was fast, though it could reach major cities in as little as two hours and remote areas in no more than three days.

Li Yue’e took the telegram and went to see Su Mo.

As she approached, she smelled a mouthwatering aroma and asked as she walked into the yard, “Third daughter-in-law, what are you cooking? It smells so good.”

Su Mo, who was chopping meat at that moment, quickly gathered about three-quarters of it into her space when she heard Li Yue’e’s voice.

“I’m braising the pig’s head,” Su Mo replied.

“The third brother sent you a telegram, I brought it to you,” Li Yue’e said. “Your father thought something big had happened, so he tore it open to read it.”

Su Mo hadn’t expected to receive a telegram from Lu Changzheng. Back then, telegrams weren’t a big deal, and people usually sent letters instead. So, she didn’t blame Lu Qing’an for opening it.

“It’s okay, Mom. Dad was just worried.”

Su Mo washed her hands, took the telegram from Li Yue’e, opened it, and couldn’t help but smile.

What a guy! He sent a telegram asking her to write a letter. She had just finished knitting her sweater, so she planned to send it to him tomorrow.

Li Yue’e, seeing Su Mo chopping meat, asked, “Are you planning to make dumplings again?”

Su Mo shook her head. “No, I’m making mushroom meat sauce. I’ll send it to Changzheng tomorrow when it’s ready.”

Li Yue’e smiled and waved her hand. “Okay, then you get back to work.” The third son was still anxious, but even without sending a telegram, his wife would prepare a letter for him tomorrow.

After Li Yue’e left, Su Mo took out the meat and continued chopping it.

After chopping and seasoning the minced meat, Su Mo added some oil to the pan and fried the meat until the water evaporated and the oil started to release. She then added dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, and pepper powder. She fried the meat until fragrant, then added the diced mushrooms, which she had just fried with oil until dry. She added soybean paste and continued stir-frying. Once it was dry and fragrant, she poured in some of the oil she had used to fry the mushrooms, then sprinkled in a handful of white sesame seeds. It was ready to serve.

Su Mo used fresh hazel mushrooms from her space to make mushroom cubes. After washing them, she stir-fried them with oil until dry. These mushrooms turned out fragrant and chewy.

Once the mushroom meat sauce had cooled, Su Mo went to check on the braised pig’s head. Seeing that the meat was tender, she took it out and added the prepared potatoes, cutting them into pieces and placing them into the pot to cook.

She then took out four transparent plastic jars containing snacks from her space, tore off the labels, checked the expiration dates, washed and dried them, and waited for the mushroom meat sauce to cool before putting it into the jars.

By the time the pork was almost cool, Su Mo peeled off the meat, cut it into small pieces, and added it to the potatoes to stew for a while longer. Once the potatoes softened, she took the pot off the stove.

She filled two aluminum lunchboxes she had bought a few days ago and planned to take them to the cowshed for her parents.

The rest of the food was divided into two portions: one for herself and the other to give to the three elderly people later.

Su Mo then filled four large jars with the mushroom sauce: two jars for Lu Changzheng, one for the cowshed, and one for Geng Changqing. The rest was also divided into two portions: one for the Lu family and one for herself.

As for the bones and ribs, she didn’t plan to cook them today. She would store them in the space and use them to make soup later.

After finishing, Su Mo carried a bamboo basket, covered it with cloth, and sent it to the Lu family.

When Li Yue’e saw Su Mo giving her something again, she felt both touched and helpless.

“You kid, you keep bringing us things, what do you eat?”

“There’s more at home, but not much meat, just mushrooms and potatoes,” Su Mo smiled. “Mom, I don’t have enough jars at home, so you can put the mushroom sauce in one. It’s great with noodles or steamed buns.”

“Okay, okay,” Li Yue’e said. When she saw the mushroom sauce, she realized there wasn’t much meat in it. She was worried Su Mo would return half a pound of meat back to her.

This child is so honest, she’s truly lovable.

When Su Mo gave something again, both the first and second wives felt a bit embarrassed.

The second wife was fine with it, they only had one and a half kilograms of meat, and the parents-in-law had received more, so there was nothing to complain about.

The first wife had eight catties of meat and had asked for four this time, including two catties of oil and two of meat. Liu Yuzhi salted one catty of meat and used the other catty to make dumpling filling.

She ate a little at noon and not much at night.

“Xingjun, do you want me to bring a bowl of dumplings over as well?” Liu Yuzhi asked. She had assumed that her parents-in-law would also receive a portion of the meat, so she hadn’t given any to them.

Lu Xingjun waved his hand. “My third brother’s wife just gave some to the old man. He has several mouths to feed and can’t eat that much. We’ll give more next time.”

After thinking for a moment, Lu Xingjun added, “Next time, if there’s something good, think of my parents and give them some, no matter how much.”

Liu Yuzhi became upset upon hearing this, as if she were being harshly criticized.

“I just wanted our parents to have as much meat as we do. They have three people to feed, but we have five. The kids are staring at us every day.”

“If there’s more, give more,

 if there’s less, give less. Even if it’s just one piece per person, it’s still a token of our respect,” Lu Xingjun said. As the eldest brother, it was his responsibility to respect the elderly.

“You are the eldest sister-in-law, you should set an example for the younger ones.”

Liu Yuzhi sneered. “Eldest sister-in-law? The third brother’s family is fine, but look at the second brother’s family. When have they ever treated me as the eldest sister-in-law?”

Lu Xingjun was speechless and choked on his words.

—-

The next day, after breakfast, Su Mo rode her bike to the post office to send some things to Lu Changzheng.

In addition to sweaters and mushroom sauce, she also packed a lot of chestnuts, walnuts, and pine nuts. She had written a letter the previous night, discussing recent events and subtly expressing her feelings for him, asking him to stay safe and take care of himself.

Thinking it would take extra time to send it at the commune post office, Su Mo decided to go directly to the county post office. When packing, she even asked the post office staff to wrap the mushroom sauce in several layers to prevent it from leaking and staining the sweater during transit.

Although the distance was shorter, the cost still came to one dollar.

After sending the package, Su Mo took out the 50 yuan her aunt had sent her. After some thought, she decided to give them a call to update them on her situation.

She provided the operator with the number, and when the call was connected, she was asked to speak with Su Mo.

Su Tingde was not at home that day. Only Fu Manhua and Su Mo’s second cousin, Su Yiyuan, were present, and it was Su Yiyuan who answered the phone.

“Little sister, I heard from my parents that you got married? What’s going on?” Su Yiyuan’s excited voice rang out as soon as Su Mo spoke.

“Second brother, why are you at home?” Su Mo remembered that Su Yiyuan didn’t seem to be stationed with the Guangxi Provincial Army.

Su Yiyuan was four years older than the original owner. He had spent some time in Shanghai as a child and had a good relationship with her. He was one of the people who often sent money and gifts to the original owner.

“Why can’t I be at home? I was transferred to Guangxi Province. Don’t change the subject. Tell me why you got married.”

Su Yiyuan had heard from his parents and was so angry that he nearly lost his temper. If he hadn’t just been transferred and couldn’t take leave, he would have rushed to Heijiang Province to deal with it.

Su Mo had no choice but to explain how Lu Changzheng had saved her.

“Is that really the reason you’re marrying him?” Su Yiyuan couldn’t believe it.

“It’s not just for that reason, it’s mainly because he’s handsome, the type I like.”

Su Yiyuan: …

“Send me a photo of him. I want to see how handsome he is.” Su Yiyuan nearly choked. He wanted to see what kind of man had made his younger sister fall in love with him at first sight.

The Su family members were all good-looking, often described as handsome by others.

“Yes. I mailed some hazel mushrooms and chestnuts to you a few days ago. They should arrive in a few days.” The last time Su Mo mailed something, she had also included a photo.

“Why send those things? Keep them for yourself. If you need money, just tell your me, and I’ll send you some.”

“Brother, I have enough money. I picked those things in the mountains. They’re unique to the north and not available in the south. I wanted you to try them.”

Su Yiyuan nearly cried. His delicate little sister had gone up the mountain to pick things. How hard it must have been for her.

Just as he was about to express his frustration, Fu Manhua slapped him and said, “Long-distance calls are expensive. Make it short and ask your little sister what she wants to talk about.”

Su Yiyuan choked and then asked, “Little sister, what did you want to talk about?”

“Brother, is my aunt there? Let me talk to her.”

Su Yiyuan reluctantly handed the phone to Fu Manhua.

“Aunt, I received the money. You don’t need to send it again. I met Grandpa Zhang and the others. They all gave me money, so I have enough to spend.” Su Mo said.

“Have you seen them? How are they? Is the old man in good health?”

“They’re in good spirits but have lost a lot of weight. I’ll visit them from time to time and remind them to take care of themselves.”

“Okay, you should take care of yourself too.” Fu Manhua reminded.

“I know, don’t worry, aunt. I went to Uncle Geng’s place a few days ago, and he gave me 100 yuan to spend.” Su Mo mentioned vaguely that Geng Changqing had helped her.

“Okay, your uncle Changqing is a good man, but he’s busy with work. You shouldn’t go to him too often.”

With Geng Changqing in charge, those people wouldn’t have a hard time. But if Geng Changqing were implicated, their future would be uncertain.

“I understand, don’t worry, aunt.”

“Okay, I may go to Hai City again in two months and visit you then.”

“Well, let me know when you come, and I’ll pick you up in the county town. There are buses from the city to Qingxi County.”

“Okay, I’ll send you a telegram when the time comes.” Fu Manhua said.

The two of them exchanged greetings and hung up, leaving Su Yiyuan glaring in frustration, still waiting for his turn to speak.

The call lasted ten minutes and cost Su Mo 11 yuan.