Chapter 25: Vegetable Stuffed Buns

“My sister and brother-in-law are back.”

Ruan Xiaohai was thoroughly annoyed by Ruan Xiaomei sitting in his house and refusing to leave. Even worse, she had been crying since the moment she arrived.

This woman, so melodramatic, made him quite disgusted.

Sharing a room with her was driving him crazy.

His eyes kept drifting towards the front door until he heard voices outside. Without bothering to put on his shoes properly, he stumbled out to meet them.

“Sister, Xiaomei is at our house. She’s been here for hours, saying she’s waiting for you to come back.”

Ruan Xiaohai gasped for breath, approaching his sister and giving her a heads-up.

Ruan Xiaotang exchanged a look with Zhou Xingze without showing any emotion.

“Xiaohai, you and I will clean and wash these vegetables thoroughly. Make sure they’re very clean, otherwise they’ll be gritty to eat.”

“Understood. My brother-in-law and I will complete the task.”

Ruan Xiaohai picked up a sieve and poured the vegetables from the basket into it.

Zhou Xingze unbuttoned his white shirt and poured the vegetables into a winnowing basket.

The two of them, each sitting on a small wooden stool, began to pick over the vegetables.

Inside the house…

As soon as Ruan Xiaotang entered.

Ruan Xiaomei, sitting on the kang, with tear-filled eyes, rushed towards her looking pitiable.

She excitedly grabbed her hand, sobbing, “Sister, my mother was too hasty, she completely misrepresented my intentions. My mother and I didn’t mean to blame you, I swear! Please forgive my mother and me.”

Her words were evasive and misleading.

She was completely twisting things and making excuses.

What intentions?

How did your aunt misrepresent anything?

Why should I forgive your ungrateful family?

You’ve said your piece, you’ve done your deed, and now you’re putting on a show for me.

A slap followed by a sweet date.

I’ve had enough of this act.

Ruan Xiaotang smiled thinly, shaking off her dirty hand, a hand that had likely touched countless men.

She glanced at her with disgust, saying indifferently, “Alright, Xiaomei, whether it was misrepresented or not, you know better than anyone. I don’t want to dwell on it. Since Dad passed away, there’s always been a distance between our families. Fortunately, we’re all grown up now and can contribute to our families. From now on, let’s just live our own lives. That’s best.”

“Mom, Brother Zhou and I picked a lot of vegetables from the mountain. We’ll make vegetable stuffed buns tonight. How does that sound?”

“I’ll leave it to you. Xiaomei, stay for dinner. It’ll be more lively with more people.”

Ruan Xiaomei forced a wry smile. “No, my family needs me to cook, Auntie, sister, I’ll go back.”

Liu Guifang was about to walk Xiaomei to the door, but Ruan Xiaotang stopped her.

The meaning was clear.

Liu Guifang sighed and didn’t insist.

As Ruan Xiaomei passed Zhou Xingze, she saw the large, fresh vegetables and couldn’t help but stop and squat down to look.

“These vegetables are so tender. Where did you pick them? I’ll go tomorrow too.”

Zhou Xingze didn’t look up. “The back mountain, on the west side.”

Ruan Xiaomei looked at him meaningfully, her eyes narrowed in triumph, before slowly standing up and leaving.

……………………

The water in the large pot was bubbling furiously.

The steaming hot water vapor blurred her eyes.

Ruan Xiaotang waved a colander with her right hand.

To dispel the steam.

A small amount of salt was added to the hot water to make the leafy vegetables greener and crisper.

She poured a whole basin of thoroughly washed vegetables into the pot.

She pressed down with the colander.

To ensure even heating.

The fire under the stove burned fiercely.

Ruan Xiaotang held the colander handle with both hands and stirred the vegetables in the pot.

When the vegetables turned a bright green.

She scooped them out and poured them into a bucket of cold water.

“Xiaohai, go to the well and rinse them several times, squeeze out the water, and roll them into balls.”

“Right away!”

……………………

A suitable amount of water was added to the hot pot.

Ruan Xiaotang bent down by the pot.

She picked up a small bowl of mixed corn flour and wheat flour, took a small ball with her hands, moistened her fingertips, spread it out in her palm, placed a seasoned vegetable ball on top, and pressed it together with both palms.

The vegetable ball was completely enclosed.

She formed it into a ball and quickly stuck it to the side of the steaming pot.

One after another.

Soon, the entire edge of the pot was covered.

She covered the pot and waited for 20 minutes.

“You must be tired, take a break.”

This work was really hard on the back.

Bending over for so long was quite tiring.

Ruan Xiaotang rubbed her lower back and sat down.

The courtyard was bathed in the warm golden light of the setting sun.

“Tonight, you and Xiaohai will share a room. Do you mind?”

“No.”

“Can you manage?”

“I’m a grown man, what’s there to manage?”

“That’s good.”

“Tofu! Fresh tofu!”

Ruan Xiaotang heard the familiar cry from outside, took off her apron, picked up a pale yellow enamel basin by the stove, and quickly went out.

“Sir, a piece of tofu please.”

“Coming right up!”

The old man put down his shoulder pole, took out a small flat spatula from the cloth bag hanging on his chest, opened the steaming white cloth, and neatly scooped out a piece, placing it in Ruan Xiaotang’s basin.

Two cents a piece.

The old man had been making tofu for 30 years, an honest man with skilled hands. Every piece of tofu he cut was the same weight.

His good reputation over the years had earned him many loyal customers.

Ruan Xiaotang happily carried the white tofu back.

She picked a few of the tenderest shoots from the Chinese toon tree in her yard.

Chinese toon and tofu salad, delicious!

To make it more palatable for Zhou Xingze, who was from the city,

Ruan Xiaotang took four fresh eggs from her space farm and prepared to make a delicious egg drop soup for everyone.

She added a suitable amount of water to the pot.

She beat four eggs and added a pinch of salt.

Once the water boiled, she quickly scooped it out with a ladle and poured it into a large porcelain basin. She picked up chopsticks and stirred the hot water clockwise.

The surface of the water formed a vortex, into which she poured the egg mixture.

The color was golden yellow, and the shape was like beautiful petals floating on the water.

Finally, she drizzled in a few drops of sesame oil.

“Mom, Xiaohai, wash your hands, dinner’s ready.”

Zhou Xingze had never seen such a pleasing egg drop soup.

It looked like flowers floating in the water.

He gave Ruan Xiaotang a thumbs-up.

Her skills were amazing.

………………

After dinner.

It was still early.

Ruan Xiaotang squatted by the water tank, washing Zhou Xingze’s white shirt with chopsticks.

She smelled a fragrance.

Liu Guifang lifted the curtain and came out.

“The soap you bought.”

“Yes, I bought it when I went to the city for a blind date.”

Ruan Xiaotang replied calmly.

She thought to herself: If I told you it was from my space, would you believe me?