Chapter 11: Cooking

The types of wild vegetables that people in Miaoqian Village usually ate were very limited, such as shepherd’s purse and mallard.

Houttuynia cordata had a strong odor, so they didn’t eat it at all, and they wouldn’t even cut it back to feed to the sheep because even the sheep didn’t like it.

And now Li Qingzhi was actually picking its leaves and eating them raw…

Was there something wrong with his brain?

“Are you hungry? Didn’t you just eat?” Jin Xiaoye was a bit anxious. “We don’t even know if this thing is poisonous…”

Li Qingzhi’s appetite was very large now, which Jin Xiaoye had noticed long ago.

This was evident in the fact that no matter how much food she gave him, Li Qingzhi could always finish it.

But she didn’t let him eat more because of this. First, because there wasn’t enough food at home, and second… she felt that Li Qingzhi behaved like this because he had been starving for the past few years, so now whenever he saw food, he wanted to stuff it into his mouth.

Eating too much without digesting properly could ruin the body! Jin Xiaoye didn’t dare to let him eat recklessly.

Li Qingzhi didn’t seem to restrain himself at all, even eating this kind of grass with a foul smell…

“This grass isn’t poisonous, it’s edible. People in my hometown call it Houttuynia cordata , and they love to eat it,” Li Qingzhi coughed lightly, trying to explain. “Its leaves are edible, and the roots underneath can be mixed with cold dishes, which taste very good.”

“Mom, Dad is lying. This grass tastes terrible,” Li Ermao immediately interjected.

For those not accustomed to it, the taste of Houttuynia cordata was indeed awful… Li Qingzhi could only look innocent as he explained to Jin Xiaoye and described what the roots of Houttuynia cordata were like. He also mentioned that it was a medicinal herb and good for the body.

Jin Xiaoye dug with the sickle and indeed found some roots similar to what Li Qingzhi described.

But she didn’t believe that people from Li Qingzhi’s hometown loved to eat this thing. Firstly, it smelled terrible, and secondly… they had stinky pigweed behind their house before, but she never saw Li Qingzhi go and dig it up to eat.

Jin Xiaoye thought that Li Qingzhi must have eaten this because he hadn’t eaten enough during the years he was forced to mine stones.

As for why Li Qingzhi thought it tasted good… In these days, Li Qingzhi didn’t find anything he ate unpalatable. Even the residue from the medicine Jin Xiaoye brewed for him, Li Qingzhi chewed on as if he were starving.

Who knows how much suffering he endured these years.

Jin Xiaoye had a bad temper. If Li Damao and Li Ermao ate recklessly, they would definitely get a scolding from her. But Li Qingzhi was a scholar after all, and he should know better than to eat recklessly?

Jin Xiaoye asked, “Can this really be eaten?”

“It can. It’s written in medical books, and I’ve eaten it before… Xiaoye, can I dig some more?” Li Qingzhi asked.

“Go ahead.” Jin Xiaoye sighed and then said to the two boys, “Damao, Ermao, help him dig.”

After Jin Xiaoye finished speaking, she continued to harvest rice with the sickle.

Seeing this, the people around them also began to work.

Only Li Laogen came to Jin Xiaoye’s side and said, “Xiaoye, is your man stupid? He’s actually eating wild grass…”

“You’re the stupid one.” Jin Xiaoye wouldn’t allow anyone to speak ill of Li Qingzhi. “Li Laogen, what do you mean by ‘your man’? He’s your son!”

“Um… Xiaoye, to me, you’re like my own daughter!” Li Laogen said.

Li Laogen was indeed a scoundrel, and he couldn’t control himself. He always wanted to gamble.

But he wasn’t stupid. He knew that although Jin Xiaoye treated him badly, she was a good person.

In the past, he lived with his brother and nephew. When his sister-in-law distributed food, she only gave him a little rice soup, and he was hungry every day.

In these years with Jin Xiaoye, although he didn’t eat too well, it was much better than before.

He had long figured it out. When he got old, he would still have to rely on Jin Xiaoye.

As for Li Qingzhi, this son of his… he wasn’t useful now that he was back.

“That’s right, go work quickly!” Jin Xiaoye said.

“I’m going right away!” Li Laogen hurried to work.

Meanwhile, Li Damao and Li Ermao helped Li Qingzhi dig out all the Houttuynia cordata, roots and all, while looking at Li Qingzhi eating the stinky pigweed with a puzzled expression.

Today was the first time they learned about stinky pigweed. How could their father love to eat this stuff?

Unable to resist, Li Ermao tasted the roots of the Houttuynia cordata again, feeling more convinced that his father’s brain might truly be damaged.

As the sun began to set, the villagers started to carry the harvested rice back home. Since nobody in the village owned cows, there were no carts to transport the rice, so they had to carry it home one load at a time. Fortunately, their fields were generally not far from their homes.

While Jin Xiaoye and Li Laogen were carrying rice back home, Li Damao and Li Ermao walked around the freshly harvested fields to see if they had missed any rice grains.

After checking their own fields, they returned home with Li Qingzhi.

When they reached the river, Li Qingzhi saw many men soaking in the water, washing themselves after work. A group of men bathing together meant unmarried girls and newlywed brides wouldn’t dare to look. They hurried past with their heads down. However, older women didn’t need to be so cautious and could comment on the men bathing in the river, discussing who was strong and who was too skinny.

Everything was vibrant and lively.

Seeing this, Li Qingzhi felt particularly good.

The villagers couldn’t understand why Li Qingzhi, who was so thin and weak, could still smile so happily!

“I heard Li Qingzhi ate stinky pigweed raw today.”

“I always felt a bit distant from him before… but now he seems so enthusiastic?”

“Jin Xiaoye is really pitiful. She finally waited for him to come back, but not only is his health bad, he doesn’t seem quite normal.”

…

As they talked, the villagers felt even more sympathy for Jin Xiaoye.

Heavy work like harvesting rice was generally not done by women in the village. They mainly took care of children, cooked, and fed livestock at home. Even if they went to the fields, it was usually to help tie up bundles of rice.

But what about Jin Xiaoye? She had to work in the fields!

This was not easy at all!

When Li Qingzhi returned home, he saw their house filled with freshly harvested rice, and Jin Xiaoye hadn’t returned yet. She must have gone to take a bath.

In the winter, people in the village hardly bathed, just wiping themselves with warm water or washing their buttocks and feet. In the summer, they went to the river to bathe. However, young women bathed together in a pond, and in the evening, no men from the village would go near. If anyone did, the other men would gang up and beat him. After all, the women bathing there were their daughters, sisters, or daughters-in-law.

As for older women, they usually didn’t go to the pond to bathe. They would wash clothes or children by the river and bathe themselves in the process. After all, most people in the village bathed in the river while wearing pants or even clothes, scrubbing themselves in the water.

Since Jin Xiaoye wasn’t there… Li Qingzhi quietly finished eating all the Houttuynia cordata he had dug up.

When Jin Xiaoye returned, Li Damao and Li Ermao rushed up to her. “Mom, Dad ate all that stinky pigweed!”

Jin Xiaoye: “…”

Li Qingzhi could only say, “It’s really edible…” He would be more careful about sneaking extra meals in the future and avoid people’s notice…

Since Li Qingzhi had already eaten it and seemed fine, Jin Xiaoye didn’t pursue the matter further.

Jin Xiaoye quickly fell asleep. The next morning, just as the day was breaking, she got up from the ground again, ready to go out and continue harvesting rice.

Seeing this, Li Qingzhi said, “Xiaoye, give me the grains for the morning. I’ll cook today.”

He could have just started cooking, but seeing how Jin Xiaoye usually cooked with a plan, he knew he couldn’t just take grains randomly to cook.

Men in the village generally didn’t cook, but Jin Xiaoye thought about her future prospects and guessed that Li Qingzhi would have to cook at home if she went out to work. She remembered that before she and Li Qingzhi got married, Li Qingzhi used to cook by himself, so he should know how to cook. “Okay, I’ll give you the grains!” Jin Xiaoye gave Li Qingzhi a good amount of grains and six eggs. “We’ll have dry rice today to keep our strength up. And these six eggs, steam them. We’ll have two each, you and I, and two for Dad.”

She and Li Laogen didn’t usually eat eggs, but during busy farming seasons, they had to eat some.

Jin Xiaoye was also planning to cut a piece of meat and steam it for later.

On days like this, there would usually be someone coming by boat to sell meat and tofu, which they could buy with money or exchange for grain.

“Alright,” Li Qingzhi agreed.

After Jin Xiaoye left, he went into the kitchen and observed the situation there.

Iron pots were not cheap in this era; their family only had one pot, which was why Jin Xiaoye rarely cooked, and when she did, she only made steamed dishes.

Of course, the other families in the village were the same. The poorest families didn’t even have a pot and had to cook in clay pots.

This pot was bought by the previous owner, but some other things in the kitchen should have been purchased by Jin Xiaoye.

Back when the previous owner had no money, there were very few things bought for the household. Even now, they didn’t have a table to eat on.

There was no way around it; the previous owner’s father was a county official, but their family didn’t actually have much money.

It was only when the previous owner realized something was wrong and persuaded his mother to leave that she gave him a few pieces of gold jewelry. With these, he was able to buy land in Miaoqian Village. These jewels were part of his mother’s dowry.

Thinking of the previous owner’s relatives, Li Qingzhi sighed silently.

The previous owner’s father was wronged, and the stone quarry that caused the death of the previous owner was full of sins.

If there was a chance in the future, he would avenge the previous owner and his relatives.

Cooking in the countryside was troublesome. Li Qingzhi took water from the tank and soaked the rough rice at home, then went to the field to pick some cowpeas and eggplants.

They didn’t have any oil at home, so he didn’t bother with steaming or frying the vegetables. After washing them clean, he put them in a bowl, intending to steam them with a little salt.

Li Qingzhi stuffed a cowpea into his mouth, eating while slowly building a fire and preparing the meal.

Li Damao couldn’t resist asking, “Dad, can you eat cowpeas raw?”

Li Qingzhi replied, “You can, but they don’t taste good.”

If they don’t taste good, why eat them? And looking at his dad, it seemed like he was enjoying something delicious… Li Damao looked conflicted, and as for Li Ermao, who had wanted to try them, he immediately lost interest.

When it was almost eight o’clock, Jin Xiaoye and Li Laogen returned with some straw, and by then, Li Qingzhi had finished cooking.

Li Laogen couldn’t even move his feet. “Xiaoye, let’s eat first before we go back to work.”

Jin Xiaoye was also hungry and didn’t object. “Then let’s eat first!”

Today, they cooked dry rice. When Li Laogen lifted the lid of the pot, he smiled happily, unafraid of being scalded as he took two eggs, one of which he put in his pocket, and the other of which he began to peel.

After peeling the eggs, he ate the whites first, then split the yolks in half and gave one to Li Damao and one to Li Ermao. “Damao, Ermao, try these… Grandpa treats you well, right? You should be good to Grandpa in the future too!”

Li Laogen didn’t really consider Li Qingzhi his son since they hadn’t spent much time together, but he genuinely treated Li Damao and Li Ermao like grandsons and was generally kind to them.

After giving away the yolks, Li Laogen quickly cracked open another egg and ate it before dishing out the rice.

He filled a bowl with rice, topped it with some cowpeas and eggplants, then squatted down to eat, smacking his lips as he did.

Li Qingzhi, on the other hand, ate in a more refined manner, but… he ate faster than Li Laogen did.

The rice noodles at home were all gone, so Li Qingzhi had to start eating rice these days. Jin Xiaoye couldn’t help but worry every time she saw him wolf down his food.

Eating like this… isn’t he afraid of getting a stomachache?

Right at this moment, Li Ermao chimed in, “Mom, Dad eats raw cowpeas! Are you going to spank him?” He used to get spanked for eating random things!

Jin Xiaoye: “…”

Li Qingzhi: “…”