Chapter 43: Pickled Sauerkraut, Pig Stomach Chicken Soup

Because the matter with Fang Rou and the silly aunt was so bizarre, the fact that Ming Dai bought five pounds of meat and five pounds of ribs was only mentioned by a few people and didn’t stir up much of a reaction.

That evening, Ming Dai cooked braised pork, sweet and sour ribs, and sauerkraut stew with big bones for Zhou Sinian. She also made pig skin jelly.

Of course, she cooked all of this in the space; otherwise, the front yard crowd would have been banging down the door.

They finished a pot of rice between the two of them, cleaning it out completely.

In the end, they both lay on the sofa, burping.

After eating her fill, Ming Dai became sleepy and groggily said, “What is happiness? Eating until you’re full and then sleeping—that’s happiness!”

Zhou Sinian nodded in agreement.

Eventually, they both slept in the space.

Zhou Sinian slept in the guest room on the first floor, feeling the softness of the mattress beneath him as he drifted into a deep sleep.

In the clouds~~~~~~~

The next day was time to harvest the vegetables.

The whole village got together and charged straight to the collective vegetable field.

The land here was vast, and the vegetable fields stretched endlessly.

Ming Dai looked at the endless rows of cabbage and sighed, “How much sauerkraut will we make from all of this?”

Aunt Huang, hearing this, smiled widely. “Wait until the cabbages are harvested and you start piling up the sauerkraut at the drying field, then you’ll know!”

After saying this, Aunt Huang demonstrated how to chop cabbage for Ming Dai. Ming Dai hadn’t quite learned the technique yet when Zhou Sinian snatched the knife from her and began chopping away rapidly.

It had to be said that Zhou Sinian was a master with a knife.

While someone as experienced as Aunt Huang needed three strokes to chop one cabbage, Zhou Sinian took one stroke per cabbage, and his cuts at the base were incredibly smooth. There was no need for a second cut— the outer leaves just fell off on their own.

Soon, he was far ahead of everyone, standing out among the crowd of women in colorful headscarves.

Ming Dai looked at his back and helplessly smiled at Aunt Huang.

Aunt Huang awkwardly smiled as well, “Well, you can follow him and pick up the cabbage leaves. Those leaves are used for drying and feeding livestock.”

Ming Dai agreed cheerfully and dragged a burlap sack to pick up the dried leaves on the ground.

While others had to tug at the leaves to get them off, Ming Dai only needed to touch them, and they fell right into the bag, making the task much easier.

In the end, she was the fastest among the children picking up the leaves!

By the time Ming Dai had gathered half the leaves, Zhou Sinian had already returned from chopping.

Seeing his expressionless face and his swift chopping motions, Aunt Huang immediately stood up and stepped aside, giving him space.

Zhou Sinian didn’t know why, but everything felt so natural, as if he had done this often before.

Had he been a cabbage farmer in a past life?

Eventually, all the women had given up on chopping and focused on picking up the leaves. The remaining few were tasked with moving the cabbages.

In the end, Aunt Huang’s team was clearly the fastest among the many teams chopping cabbage.

As they finished, Zhou Sinian stood in the cold wind, looking at the large fallen cabbages scattered on the ground. He glanced at the gleaming knife in his hand.

The headscarf above him fluttered loudly in the cold wind, and he raised his hand, carefully inspecting the knife he was holding.

Ming Dai happened to walk by and thought that Zhou Sinian might have remembered something.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

Zhou Sinian stared at his hand for a long time before replying, “Numb.”

Ming Dai was speechless. Who wouldn’t have their hand go numb after holding a knife and chopping for two hours straight?

When it came to picking cabbages, everyone couldn’t help but feel envious.

The young intellectual, Xiao Ming, was a bit of a weakling, only able to pick six cabbages at a time—three on each side.

But Zhou Sinian? He could pick up four baskets at a time—two on each side!

Aunt Huang was happily carrying two baskets of cabbage, following behind him. When she was first assigned to work with Zhou Sinian, other team leaders had mocked her.

Now? Heh, who wouldn’t envy her now?

Soon, all the vegetables were brought to the drying field.

Since they were the first team to finish, they had the privilege of using the drying field first.

There were countless large barrels waiting for them.

Because Ming Dai had asked earlier if she could buy some vegetables, they had set aside the cabbages she wanted.

These cabbages would be turned into sauerkraut to be sold to the commune, though they could also be sold to the educated youths.

In the countryside, compared to the city, food was scarce in the cities, while money was hard to come by in the countryside. So, both the village leaders and the members agreed that the young volunteers could use money to exchange for goods during the New Year.

Because Ming Dai needed 500 cabbages—200 for eating and 300 for pickling into sauerkraut—Aunt Huang directly selected the cabbages according to her request. The tender ones were kept for eating, while the larger ones were set aside for pickling.

With the remaining cabbages, everyone began to work together.

Ming Dai was in charge of removing the muddy parts, while Zhou Sinian took on the task of cutting the cabbages in half.

Zhou Sinian worked so quickly that the five aunties couldn’t keep up with his speed. The five older women were exhausted trying to match his pace.

The pickling of the sauerkraut was led by Aunt Huang, who was responsible for sprinkling the salt.

In just one day, their team completed two days’ worth of work.

Once the cabbages were placed in the barrels and pressed down with stones, the other teams were just starting to bring their cabbages to the drying field.

As the first team to finish ahead of schedule, Liu Dazhu waved his hand grandly and awarded full points to everyone.

Aunt Huang, as the team leader, was extremely proud.

After agreeing on where to go to harvest radishes the next day, Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian carried their baskets back home.

Once home, they first collected the pine nuts that had been drying on the ground.

They were completely dried today, and from now on, there would be no need to dry them again.

Zhou Sinian took the cabbages to the cellar, while Ming Dai tended to the stove.

Inside the pot was the pig stomach chicken stew Ming Dai had been making. She had added some pepper, and as soon as she opened the lid, a head popped out from the cellar entrance.

Ming Dai quickly closed the pot again.

“Hurry! After finishing the work, let’s go eat in your room!”

Zhou Sinian really enjoyed the atmosphere of being surrounded by the smell of food, but Ming Dai couldn’t stand it. If there was a smell in the bedroom, she couldn’t sleep.

Fang Rou had the same thought.

The educated youths had just finished their day’s work, looking like delicate flowers battered by the wind. When they returned home, they were met with cold stoves and empty pots.

Frustrated, Liu Daye lost his temper and snapped at Fang Rou, who was leisurely sitting at the sewing machine, operating the pedal.

“You’ve been lying around here all day! Can’t you at least cook dinner? If you can’t cook, then at least boil some water!”

Fang Rou glanced at the group in front of her. No one spoke, but their expressions made it clear they shared the same sentiment—including Qi Zhijun, who had also been idling all day.

Only Qin Fangfang looked innocent, glancing back and forth between them, unsure of what to say.

Meanwhile, Cai Mingcheng kept his head down, his usual silent self.

Fang Rou sneered. “Am I your mother or your sister? Do I have to cook or boil water for you?”

Her words were sharp, and Liu Daye immediately flared up in anger.

But before he could lash out, Fang Rou shut him down with a single sentence.

“The kitchen is mine. Use it or not, if you don’t like it, get out!”

Under someone else’s roof, one had no choice but to swallow their pride. Zhang Xiaojun let out an awkward laugh and quickly pulled Liu Daye away.

Realizing he had messed up, Liu Daye stormed off, still fuming.

Meanwhile, Cai Mingcheng gently tugged on Qin Fangfang’s sleeve, signaling for her to follow him to gather firewood.

Qi Zhijun furrowed his brow, looking like he wanted to say something, but Fang Rou completely ignored him and sat back down at the sewing machine.

Liu Yan looked around, her eyes darting back and forth.

Finally, she went out with Qi Zhijun. After they left, Fang Rou raised her eyes and sneered, “A couple of shameless people!”

Her voice startled Cai Mingcheng, who was about to enter, and Qin Fangfang, who had tripped and looked over.

Cai Mingcheng shook his head and gestured for her to wait a moment.

It wasn’t until the sound of the sewing machine resumed that Cai Mingcheng and Qin Fangfang entered the house.

In the backyard, Zhou Sinian neatly arranged the cabbages and locked the cellar door before quickly climbing back up.

Ming Dai signaled with her eyes, and Zhou Sinian immediately put on his heat-resistant gloves and picked up the pot, heading towards his room.

Ming Dai followed, carrying bowls, spoons, and seasonings.

“Come in quickly!”

When it came to food, Zhou Sinian was more proactive.

He closed the windows and doors tightly. Ming Dai opened the pot, and the fragrant smell of the pig stomach chicken filled the room.

Zhou Sinian swiftly set out the bowls and chopsticks, scooped up a chicken leg, pulled it off the bone, and placed it into Ming Dai’s bowl.

Then he added some pig stomach, lotus seeds, and red dates from the bottom of the pot, along with the pepper-spiced milky broth.

It was pure bliss!

Ming Dai placed the sauce in the middle, dipped the chicken leg in it, and took a bite. The meat fell off the bone, and with the oil-vinegar sauce, it was utterly satisfying.

A sip of the soup and she felt like all the cold from the day had been blown away.

Zhou Sinian, too, was enjoying himself. He pulled the chicken leg, sipped the soup, and occasionally dipped a piece of pig stomach in the sauce. Under the warmth of the meal, he felt revitalized. No longer the skeletal figure from earlier, he was now fully alive.

Even Aunt Huang commented that Zhou Sinian had gained weight and his complexion had improved.

How could he not have gained weight?

With three meals a day plus late-night snacks, and nourishing soups and medicinal broths constantly, it was no wonder he put on a few pounds.

In fact, Ming Dai had gained some weight too, and her complexion had also improved. It was just that they hadn’t seen how she looked before, when she was still the petite Ming Dai.

She had two bowls of the pig stomach chicken soup, a chicken leg, and a chicken wing.

The rest of the food went to Zhou Sinian, who wasn’t satisfied yet and ate two more steamed buns to fill up.

It’s true that young boys could eat their fathers out of house and home—this applied to men of all ages!