Chapter 78 ☆ Broken Shoes (Part 1)

“How long has it been since the village interrogated someone? Let’s go and take a look!” Aunt Yingui said, running away with several women.

Xie Zhao approached Cheng Yaoyao, observing the excited backs of the women, and frowned.

Cheng Yaoyao was puzzled. “What kind of trial?”

“Girls, stop talking nonsense!” Grandma Xie yelled from the yard, “Come inside quickly!”

Cheng Yaoyao looked at Xie Zhao innocently, and Xie Zhao said, “Let’s go back.”

Xie Zhao took Cheng Yaoyao’s hand, leading her back to the yard and bolted the gate. Cheng Yaoyao glanced back at the gate, feeling she had missed an important clue.

Seeing her unease, Grandma Xie deliberately asked, “Yaoyao, you cook delicious dishes. How would you prepare this chicken?”

Cheng Yaoyao’s attention shifted. After thinking for a while, she said, “Let’s make a chicken soup with Codonopsis pilosula ^[1]refers to a type of herb used in traditional Chinese medicine..” She glanced at Xie Zhao and added, “Braise half of it, and make braised chestnut chicken with the other half.”

The family hadn’t eaten chicken for a long time. Xie Zhao killed the chicken, bled it, and cleaned it up. Cheng Yaoyao then took over the cooking.

Cheng Yaoyao chopped the chicken in half, removing all the chicken fat. The hen was very fat, yielding a large bowl of tender yellow chicken fat. With oil being scarce these days, chicken fat was very valuable.

Cheng Yaoyao placed half of the chicken into the casserole, added spiritual spring and Codonopsis, and instructed Xie Fei, “Simmer over low heat, don’t add anything. When the soup boils, add the wolfberries ^[2]refers to a type of berry used in Chinese cuisine..”

Xie Fei responded and placed the casserole on the small hole of the stove. The stove in Tianshui Village had two large pots for cooking and a small hole for stewing soup, which was very convenient. The Xie family had previously only had a broken iron pot, making cooking difficult. Recently, Xie Zhao had renovated the stove and bought a big iron pot and casserole.

Cheng Yaoyao chopped the remaining chicken into small pieces, marinated it with cooking wine and ginger slices, and started making braised chestnut chicken. The chestnuts had been picked by Xie Zhao from the mountains last year. Though wild chestnuts were small, Grandma Xie had patiently peeled them one by one. Cheng Yaoyao washed the chestnut meat and soaked it in the spiritual spring.

Heating the pan, Cheng Yaoyao added a small piece of tender yellow chicken fat and melted it. She added rock sugar and stirred until it turned caramel color, then added the chicken. She stir-fried the chicken until evenly coated with the sugar color, then added soy sauce and cooking wine. After adding chestnuts and two bowls of water, she brought it to a boil over high heat, then simmered it over low heat.

Grandma Xie picked a handful of tomatoes and tender greens and said with a smile, “One chicken, two ways to cook it. I’m afraid you’ll get tired of it, so I’ll make some greens as well.”

Cheng Yaoyao smiled and said, “Then I’ll cook the rice.”

The three of them busied themselves in the kitchen, chatting and laughing, and soon a sumptuous lunch was ready.

When Xie Fei lifted the lid of the pot, a rich aroma wafted out. She took a deep breath and exclaimed, “It smells so good! I’ve never smelled anything like this before!”

“You always say that!” Cheng Yaoyao laughed at her. “I think you’re just too greedy.”

Xie Fei responded, “It’s because your cooking is so delicious.”

The table was set with a large pot of codonopsis and wolfberry chicken soup, a plate of pink sugar-mixed tomatoes, a plate of tender green blanched eggplants, and a plate of tender yellow stir-fried pumpkin flowers. The highlight was a large plate of red-braised chestnut chicken. The pieces of chicken were evenly coated with amber sauce, and the hot, fragrant aroma filled the air.

Grandma Xie smiled and said, “Since it’s a festival, let’s have a feast. Don’t just look at us—eat quickly!”

The family eagerly used their chopsticks. As soon as a piece of chicken entered their mouths, they tasted the salty, sweet, and fragrant sauce. The hot gravy burst in their mouths, and the meat was so tender that they swallowed it quickly, their stomachs already clamoring for more.

Grandma Xie, though her sense of taste had diminished with age, found the chicken delicious. Xie Fei poured a few spoonfuls of sauce over her rice and enjoyed it. Xie Zhao remained quiet but ate with increased enthusiasm.

Grandma Xie remarked, “This chicken is well-cooked. The meat is quite old for braising. How did Yaoyao make it so tender?”

Cheng Yaoyao proudly said, “I have a secret recipe.”

Xie Fei nodded and added, “Sister Yaoyao must have a special recipe for cooking. Everything she makes is always delicious!”

Cheng Yaoyao’s heart skipped a beat as she glanced at Xie Fei. Did she taste the flavor of the spiritual spring? Unlike Cheng Nuonuo, who used a drop of spiritual spring for a pot of soup, Cheng Yaoyao had been using spiritual spring water for cooking and making tea to help maintain the health of the Xie family.

Both Grandma Xie and Xie Fei had poor health—Grandma Xie suffered from a chronic illness, while Xie Fei was born with a deficiency. Recently, both had become much healthier. As for Xie Zhao, whether it was due to the spiritual spring or his way of managing emotions, his reaction to it had become less pronounced over time.

After Xie Fei finished speaking, she picked up some chestnuts from the chicken and ate them, praising, “These chestnuts are even better than the chicken! They’re sweet and tender. Brother, please make sure to get more chestnuts next year.”

“Okay,” Xie Zhao agreed. He scooped a bowl of Codonopsis chicken soup, let it cool, and handed it to Cheng Yaoyao, cautioning, “It’s hot, be careful.”

The chicken soup had been skimmed of oil and stewed with Codonopsis and wolfberries until it was fragrant and clear. Cheng Yaoyao blew on it carefully and took a sip. It was indeed mellow and warming, with Codonopsis adding a light medicinal fragrance that relieved the greasiness.

Xie Fei and Grandma Xie soon discovered the deliciousness of the soup and finished their bowls quickly. The braised chicken was also devoured, and Xie Zhao even poured rice into the bowl with the remaining chicken and ate it all up.

Grandma Xie chuckled, “With Zhao’s appetite, he could finish a whole chicken by himself.”

Cheng Yaoyao noted, “There are only three left, so eat sparingly.”

Grandma Xie replied, “These three are still laying eggs. We can eat them after they stop.”

Cheng Yaoyao asked, “What should I do once I finish eating?”

Grandma Xie smiled and said, “After you finish, catch three chicks and raise them!”

Cheng Yaoyao thought about the fluffy little chicks and said wistfully, “It would be nice if we could raise more chickens.”

Grandma Xie sighed, “Who wouldn’t want to? Aunt Yingui next door secretly raised one, but after getting it halfway grown, she had its tail cut off. What a waste of effort!”

Cheng Yaoyao encouraged, “Don’t worry, the policy will definitely relax one day, and then we can raise as many as we want!”

Grandma Xie smiled and said, “Three chickens are enough to keep you busy. If you raised many, would you have time to feed them all?”

Xie Fei quickly raised her hand, “I’ll help!”

Grandma Xie laughed, “You, you only know how to help your sister Yaoyao!”

After the meal, Grandma Xie was weaving straw sandals, Xie Fei was reading in the hall, Xie Zhao took out an axe to chop wood, and Cheng Yaoyao was squatting by the vegetable garden, observing the melon seedlings.

The melon seedlings had palm-sized, patterned leaves and buds had already appeared. Cheng Yaoyao had planted watermelon seeds after eating watermelon last time, and they had grown rapidly in just a few weeks.

Xie Zhao said, “Sister, don’t squat there. It’s dirty.”

Cheng Yaoyao looked back at him and said, “Why hasn’t my watermelon borne fruit yet?”

Xie Zhao replied, “It’s not going to be ready so soon.”

“No way,” Cheng Yaoyao said, staring at the tiny flower bud. She used spiritual spring water to water the melon seedlings daily, so it should be growing.

Hearing this, Xie Zhao set aside his axe and walked over. He examined the area for a while, then pulled out some thick grass and green vegetables around the seedlings, and carefully loosened the soil again. “The nutrients were depleted.”

Cheng Yaoyao was satisfied and went to check the little pumpkins. The pumpkin flowers had fallen, and five small pumpkins had formed, varying in shape and size. The largest ones were palm-sized, and the smallest were fist-sized. Each little pumpkin was cushioned with leaves and a small straw hat to protect them from wind and sun.

Grandma Xie said with concern, “Yaoyao planted melons in the vegetable garden, and Brother Zhao made a mess of it! He pulled up so many of my vegetable seedlings.”