Chapter 41: Is there chili sauce?
Mrs. Liu heard Mu Shuangshuang’s words and surprisingly felt at ease, no longer thinking about Old Mrs. Mu’s matters. However, she truly had never heard of this cold mixed wild vegetable stalk.
"Shuangshuang, do you know how to make that wild vegetable stalk?"
The granddaughter of the Old Mu Family had never cooked, so Mrs. Liu found it quite odd when Mu Shuangshuang mentioned the wild vegetable stalk.
"Don’t worry, Fourth Aunt. You cook your meal, I’ll make my wild vegetable stalk. You just need to boil some water for me."
Mu Shuangshuang took a large sea bowl from the cupboard, placed it on the floor, then squatted down to pick up the wild vegetable stalks from the ground. Since they were amaranth, they were slightly different from other wild vegetables. Even if the amaranth is old, peeling off the outer skin won’t affect the taste.
Curious, Mrs. Liu simply started the fire, boiled water for Mu Shuangshuang, and prepared to watch her make the wild vegetable stalk.
"Fourth Aunt, does our house have chili sauce and dried garlic?"
"Yes, how much do you need?" Mrs. Liu glanced at the earthen jar lying in the corner and said to Mu Shuangshuang.
"Grab another bowl, help me put two spoons of chili sauce, then peel four garlic cloves and dice them."
As soon as the words fell, Mrs. Liu started preparing the things Mu Shuangshuang mentioned: two spoons of chili sauce, four dried garlic cloves, the kitchen soon resonated with the sound of chopping vegetables.
Mu Shuangshuang peeled the wild vegetable stalks, scooped half a ladle of water to wash them, and looked at the boiling water in the pot. It was bubbling joyfully, burst suddenly, and then the whole pot started to roll.
The water finally boiled, and she poured the cleaned wild vegetable stalks into the pot, turning them with a spatula a couple of times before lifting them all out.
The temperature of the boiling water is very high; when scalding wild vegetable stalks, you must be wary of the timing. Too long, and they become tough, making them inedible. Turning them two to three times with a spatula is best, not only ensuring even heat but making them crisp and delicious.
Cold mixed dishes emphasize crispness, placing the lifted wild vegetable stalks aside, rinsing them with cold water once, then putting them into the large sea bowl Mrs. Liu prepared, mixing them evenly with chopsticks, ready to sit for the flavors to meld.
"Fourth Aunt, the cold mixed wild vegetable stalks are ready. They should be flavored by the time you finish cooking. You can first taste them, but don’t tell others I made them." Mu Shuangshuang placed everything back and looked earnestly at Mrs. Liu.
"Why’s that? The dish Shuangshuang made looks really tasty."
The green wild vegetable stalks dotted with red chili sauce made it very appetizing at first glance.
"Because Shuangshuang is lazy and doesn’t want people knowing she can cook and then later have her cooking!" Mu Shuangshuang spoke the truth, trusting Mrs. Liu’s character, but didn’t forget to add, "Fourth Aunt would understand Shuangshuang, right?"
Mrs. Liu understood clearly; if one could avoid cooking, who would want to?
She had no choice, being someone’s daughter-in-law meant serving the in-laws and taking care of her husband, but Shuangshuang was still a child, should play while she could.
"Fourth Aunt understands; you should hurry out to play, don’t let your grandma see you in the kitchen in the future."
"Thank you, Fourth Aunt!"
Mrs. Liu looked at Mu Shuangshuang’s frail figure, her eyes suddenly reddening, feeling heavily in her heart.
Shuangshuang was bullied terribly by Old Mrs. Mu, and as her aunt, she always just watched, never helped once, not even a kind word. But this time, when she was nearly beaten by Old Mrs. Mu, the one who stood up was Shuangshuang; how could she not feel distressed?
"I hope mom stops bullying you!" Mrs. Liu sighed and continued attending to dinner.
Mu Shuangshuang returned to her room, intentionally taking a long detour, just to see if Old Mrs. Mu found anything.
But hearing the unusually harsh curses inside, she feared something had been found.
As the saying goes, a blind cat meets a dead rat. Mu Shuangshuang’s luck was extraordinary, but she did indeed use a bit of her scouting knowledge, understanding the personalities of the Old Mu Family members thoroughly, then analyzing what actions these characters would likely take, getting it right most of the time.
"Alright, Lin Xiaozao, you better explain to this old lady what the thing inside the shoe is."
Old Mrs. Mu was raging this moment. Normally, she only called Yu Si Niang by her maiden name because she greatly disliked Yu Si Niang. Now she directly called Mrs. Lin’s name as well, clearly showing how angry she was.
Mrs. Lin felt terrified and angry, unable to figure out how her silver hidden for three years was discovered by Old Mrs. Mu.
"Mom, this silver was Gou Dan’s uncle’s New Year gift to him. He saved it himself, intending to use it when he went to school next time. Doesn’t Gou Dan’s uncle only have two daughters? Our Old Mu Family has to have someone educated to inherit his legacy."
Mrs. Lin’s mind was as agile as ever, pushing all issues onto her son, and saying it was Gou Dan’s New Year money, meaning it was the children’s own money and silver, leaving Old Mrs. Mu embarrassed to take it away.
Unfortunately, Mrs. Lin was too confident, forgetting Old Mrs. Mu’s reasoning. After big money was stolen from her room, Mrs. Lin’s explanation was useless to Old Mrs. Mu.
"I spit on that, Lin Xiaozao, you must be bitten by a rabid dog. Your family that doesn’t even have a decent tile roof could produce this money? Must have labored on the dock, unable to earn this silver in a lifetime!"
Old Mrs. Mu spat directly onto Mrs. Lin’s face, making her nearly retch with disgust.
"Mom, it’s really the New Year’s gift from Gou Dan’s uncle; check with Dazhong, he was there too." Mrs. Lin was sure if she let her husband know the situation, he would definitely take her side.
Mu Shuangshuang sensed the situation might change, quickly darting into Mrs. Lin’s room. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Mrs. Lin’s room could only be described as a pigsty. The bedding on the kang was overturned, cabinets kicked down, clothes scattered everywhere, and the most conspicuous was the pair of shoes without tops in the center of the room, surrounded by copper coins scattered around.
It was just like when Mrs. Lin brought people to mess up her room.
Mu Shuangshuang felt great, seeing Mrs. Lin finally suffer the consequences of her actions.
"Shuang, what are you doing in my room, out, out!" Mrs. Lin was suddenly alert and immediately tried to shoo Mu Shuangshuang away.
Mu Shuangshuang pouted and said, "It was Gou Dan who said Second Aunt held lots of silver and even bought him some sugar cakes. I’ve never seen sugar cakes, wanted to see, promise I won’t eat it, Second Aunt don’t shoo me away, just one look."
The innocent words, coupled with the pitiful expression, made Old Mrs. Mu not suspect Mu Shuangshuang’s intention, but she caught the phrase about Mrs. Lin storing silver.
"You shameless woman, so you really stole Old Mu Family’s silver! I’m telling you, if you don’t cough up the remaining four hundred copper coins today, you can go back to your Old Lin Family; we don’t have people who eat inside and out like you in the Old Mu Family."