Chapter 50

“Cousin, let me help you. Or should I pry them open myself?”

Yin Ning stepped forward, taking the awl and pushing Jiang Wan aside.

Jiang Wan didn’t insist. She turned to the house to find some cloth. Once the three of them wrapped their hands, she carefully taught her cousin how to do it. Then, she went to Xiao Man’s house to borrow another awl.

When Xiao Man heard that Yinzhu was at the Yin family’s house prying open oysters, she immediately grabbed an awl and followed Jiang Wan.

Lately, due to the engagement, her mother had kept her at home, and she was practically suffocating. Finally, there were people to gather with and talk to, so she had to go.

Xiao Man’s mother didn’t stop her; she wasn’t worried about the Yin family.

So, Jiang Wan, who had been working alone to pry open the oysters, now had a team of four.

Oh no, it was actually a five-person team—almost forgot about Xiao Jinbao.

Xiao Jinbao was currently processing the oysters they had pried open, picking out the broken shells.

Most of the village children started working at a very young age.

Xiao Man and Yinzhu were especially diligent and capable. Though they chatted while working, they didn’t slow down, and they pried the oysters much faster than the sisters.

“Yinzhu, the village school will be opening soon. Will you send Jinbao to school?”

Xiao Man casually asked.

Yinzhu looked up in confusion, as though she didn’t believe what she had heard.

“When did the village get a school? I didn’t know about this.”

Yin Ning paused, suddenly realizing that she had forgotten to mention it to Yinzhu.

She had gone to Yinzhu’s house after collecting sea snails earlier that day, and after that, she had been teaching her to sew clothes, never leaving the house. Naturally, she didn’t hear the news that had spread around the village.

“The school is already being built. The clan leader and the village head have spoken about it. Many people are helping with the construction. I heard that it’s because Xiao Ning’s father agreed to teach, so they’re rushing to build the school.”

Since Xiao Man didn’t have children to send to the school, she had wondered about her friend’s family and was surprised that Yinzhu hadn’t heard.

Yinzhu took a while to digest the news and then stared at the Yin sisters with wide eyes, her face glowing.

“Yin Ning, Xiao Wan! Uncle Yin really agreed to teach in the village?!”

The sisters nodded in unison.

“My father said he wants five hundred wen a month, which will be shared among all the children. If there are twenty or so kids, each will need to pay forty or fifty wen a month.”

“Then I’ll definitely send Jinbao!”

Fifty wen wasn’t much; Yinzhu could earn that from her fishing catch each month. Not to mention, she still had some savings from her parents.

In the future, Jinbao wouldn’t need to worry about a house, and she could afford to send him to school.

“Jinbao, would you like to go to school? Big sister will send you.”

Xiao Jinbao immediately shook his head.

“I don’t want to. I want to stay home and help you raise the ducks.”

Yinzhu’s nose tingled, but she suddenly smiled.

“The school is in the village, not in the city. After school, you can still help Big Sister raise ducks.”

Xiao Jinbao seemed to be thinking it over.

“Oh, okay… but does going to school make money?”

The four of them were stumped by the question. Going to school didn’t make money; in fact, it cost money. Moreover, no one could guarantee that schooling would lead to making money afterward.

Xiao Man was the first to react. Seeing the hopeful look in Xiao Jinbao’s eyes, she immediately nodded.

“Yes! There’s Uncle Bai in our village. He learned a lot of characters and was noticed by a rich family to be their accountant. Later, he even brought Grandma Jinhua to the city to live.”

“Xiao Man, you’re lying. I remember everyone in the village, but there’s no Uncle Bai or Grandma Jinhua.”

Xiao Jinbao was young, but he had a sharp memory. He thought for a while but couldn’t recall who Grandma Jinhua was.

“They went to the city a long time ago. You weren’t born yet, so you wouldn’t know them. You can ask your Big Sister. Also, the little stone house that Xiao Wan and the others live in was built by Uncle Bai after he earned money.”

When Jiang Wan suddenly heard information related to their landlord, Grandma Jinhua, her ears perked up.

“Xiao Man, did Grandma Jinhua ever come back after moving to the city?”

“Grandma Jinhua never came back, but Uncle Bai would come to the village every year to give the clan leader and others some New Year gifts.”

Xiao Jinbao, who had been listening, tugged on his sister’s sleeve and asked, “Sister, is what Xiao Man said true?”

“It’s true. Grandma Jinhua even gave me some candy once,” Jiang Wan said.

Yinzhu still remembered how sweet it tasted and how happy it made her feel that day.

Xiao Jinbao was silent for a moment. After a long while, he made up his mind and said that he would go to school.

If Uncle Bai could bring Grandma Jinhua to the city, then he would earn money too and bring his sister to the city to live.

He had heard that life in the city was wonderful, with no fear of typhoons or rain, and there were all kinds of delicious food and fun things. People from the village often spoke of it with envy.

Yinzhu was in a great mood. If she knew how to hum a tune, she would have sung one right then.

The four of them worked together and, after more than an hour, managed to pry open all the oysters, filling a bucket with around thirty or forty pounds.

“Xiao Wan, let me wash the oyster meat for you. There’s all this mucus on it.”

“No, no, it’s fine. Just leave it like this. Xiao Man, Yinzhu, thank you so much today! I’ll treat you to something good!”

Jiang Wan washed her hands and went to the cupboard to bring out a jar, then scooped a big bowl and placed it on the table.

Prying oysters was hard work. Without her cousin’s help, it would have taken them at least two more hours. The girls were kind-hearted, and Jiang Wan was very happy to have friends like them.

Good friends should share good food.

At first, Xiao Man and Yinzhu were hesitant to eat, but when they saw Jiang Wan and Yin Ning eating bite after bite, they no longer hesitated.

Now, who in the village didn’t know that Jiang Wan’s mother was a doctor? If the doctor’s family was eating something, it was unlikely to be poisonous.

Once they started, they couldn’t stop, especially Xiao Jinbao, who, despite sticking out her tongue from the spiciness, couldn’t resist reaching for more with her chopsticks, then quickly drinking some mint water to ease the heat.

So, when they left, Jiang Wan sent them off with another bowl.

After they left, Jiang Wan and her cousin carried the oyster meat into the kitchen and quickly rinsed it with water.

“Cousin, with so much oyster meat, we probably won’t finish it in a few days. Should I go ask the aunties in the village if they have ducks for sale?”

“Ducks are something we’ll need to buy, but it’s not urgent right now. Let’s first cook the oyster sauce meat.”

Jiang Wan decided she would make the oyster sauce today.

Yin Ning watched in shock as her cousin scooped spoonful after spoonful of oyster meat into the large iron pot, filling it up halfway with just one scoop.

Her cousin was planning to cook over ten kilograms of oyster meat at once!

She couldn’t help but recall the slimy, sticky feeling of the oyster meat in her hands, and she felt a little queasy. What if Jiang Wanwanted her to eat some later?

“Don’t worry, cousin. I’m using these oysters to make a seasoning. I’ll cook the leftover oyster meat and make it taste good, so don’t be anxious.”

Jiang Wan added water to the pot and then started the fire to cook.

“Just like that? You’re cooking it directly?”

“Yes~”

The method of making oyster sauce was simple and unadorned.

According to records, the first person to make oyster sauce was a young man from a small fishing village in Zhuhai. In 1888, he was cooking oysters at home and, without realizing it, forgot about them. By the time he remembered, the pot had burned, leaving only a pile of oyster meat and a thick, fragrant liquid.

That was the first oyster sauce.