Chapter 20: Spicy Noodles

At the moment, the women under the pagoda tree were all quite shocked. The old woman was the first to come to her senses.

“What? She says she’s married, and only two months after marrying, her husband went to war? And she found ginseng?”

The old woman’s expression was one of disbelief, her mouth wide open, and then she started to mock sarcastically.

“I don’t believe she found ginseng. What kind of luck is that? She’s out picking wild vegetables and happens to find ginseng? I’ve been picking wild vegetables in Taohua Village for over ten years and have never found ginseng. I bet she went looking for a man. Yeah, definitely.”

The old woman kept on talking, her words dripping with disdain.

The others were also shocked, and a hint of jealousy lingered, but they kept it to themselves. After all, what did it matter if she found ginseng? In this era, a household without a man working hard couldn’t survive for long.

Some of them looked at the old widow with some contempt, but they said nothing—after all, they couldn’t compare to her thick skin.

After a while, the old widow was back to her usual self, sitting quietly and gossiping with the other women.

By the time Lin Nuo returned home, the car had been unloaded and the driver paid. Looking at the time, it was already around 3 PM. After organizing the items, she planned to take a nap, feeling a bit tired from the day’s shopping.

Within the hour she spent napping, word had already spread through the village—about her marriage, her husband going off to war, and her discovery of the ginseng. The gossip had already made its way through the entire village, thanks to the old widow and her gossiping friends.

The village chief’s daughter-in-law had known about the ginseng, but she had no idea about Lin Nuo’s marriage.

That afternoon, when the village chief returned from the fields, he had also heard the news. He turned to his wife and said:

“Make sure to keep an eye on Lin Nuo. A young girl who just got married and has to take care of her brother alone isn’t an easy situation. People in the village might be eyeing the money she made from selling ginseng.”

“I will, I will,” the village chief’s wife replied, agreeing quickly.

After her nap, Lin Nuo woke up feeling refreshed. Seeing that it was already 5 PM, she decided it was time to start preparing dinner.

She decided to make a simple bowl of saozi mian (spicy noodles) for the evening.

She went into the kitchen, scooped a bowl of flour into a basin, then added some warm water. From her space, she retrieved some yeast and added it to the mixture.

She used chopsticks to stir the dough into a crumbly texture, then began kneading it by hand. After about five minutes, the dough became smooth and elastic. She found a lid and covered it to let it rest and rise.

While waiting for the dough to rise, she decided to prepare the saozi (spicy sauce).

Just as she was about to start the fire, Lin Lei came running back. He jumped into the kitchen and shouted, “Sister, sister, I’m back!” He rushed in, hugged Lin Nuo’s leg, and looked up at her with sparkling eyes.

Lin Nuo ruffled his hair and said, “I bought you some candied hawthorns and pastries. They’re in the living room. Go eat them, but don’t eat too many, or your teeth will fall out, understand? Tonight, we’re having noodles for dinner.”

She gave him a light tap on the nose as she spoke.

“Okay, sister!” Lin Lei replied, then ran out of the kitchen. In no time, he returned with the treats and was back in the kitchen, watching her eagerly.

“Sister, eat!” he said, holding the candied hawthorn up to Lin Nuo’s lips, his face full of anticipation.

“Alright, I’ll have one,” Lin Nuo replied, taking a piece. It was sweet at first, but then the sourness kicked in.

Now, it was time to prepare the saozi sauce. Lin Nuo lit the fire and got started.

She took the lean pork she had bought earlier, chopped it into small pieces, and placed it in a small bowl. She added soy sauce, a pinch of salt, and cooking wine, stirring it all together. She set the mixture aside.

Next, she minced garlic and ginger. She heated up a pot with some soybean oil, then added the garlic and ginger to sauté until fragrant. Afterward, she added the pork and stirred-fried it. Just before it was done, she seasoned the dish with Sichuan pepper powder, five-spice powder, a bit more salt, and soy sauce, then removed it from the heat.

In the living room, Lin Lei, who was reviewing his homework, could smell the delicious fragrance wafting through the air. He sniffed eagerly, his stomach already growling.

Lin Nuo cleaned the pot, added water, and began rolling out the dough with a rolling pin, folding it over and over until it was thin enough. Then, she used a knife to cut the dough into fine strips. Once the water in the pot came to a boil, she added the noodles. When the noodles floated to the surface, she knew they were ready.

Lin Nuo scooped a bowl of noodles, added the saozi sauce, and carried it into the dining room to the table where she and her brother would enjoy the meal together.