Soon, Yun Qinghuan discovered that Bai Naihan indeed had a talent for chopping vegetables. The shreds were fine, neat, and uniform, much better than hers.
The key point was that he was fast.
His hands moved swiftly, making a “pa-pa-pa” sound, almost too fast to follow.
Watching him, she felt her own hands ache. If she tried to chop like him, she was sure to cut herself.
With the ingredients prepared, the two of them cooperated—one tending the fire, the other busy at the stove.
First, they rendered the pig fat, then used it to stir-fry sour and spicy Chinese cabbage. Finally, they garnished it with some chopped green onions. Perhaps due to the addition of pig fat, even this simple sour and spicy Chinese cabbage tasted exceptionally delicious.
At least better than boiled greens.
Since it was a frying pan, she decided to crush the last bit of pork fat, then tossed in the radish shreds. She added the seasonings and took a glance at the few scattered eggs in the basket, which were clearly laid by the family’s hens—eggs that Liu Yuzhi cherished and rarely consumed.
Gritting her teeth, she made a bold decision and cracked two eggs into the dish.
This way, the whole family could eat the vegetable flatbread.
Otherwise, Liu Yuzhi would definitely be reluctant to eat.
Now that everyone in the family needed to replenish their nutrition, they had to eat when necessary. If needed, she could figure out a way to improve the meals later.
Perhaps her expression showed too much distress when cracking the two eggs; Bai Naihan beside her couldn’t help but suppress a smile.
Yun Qinghuan glanced at him, her expression freezing. “What’s so funny?”
Bai Naihan restrained his smile, coughing into his fist at his mouth. “Sister-in-law, don’t be angry. I just wanted to say, if you want to eat anything, go ahead. I received compensation after leaving the military, enough to support our family for a while.”
Yun Qinghuan glanced at the white bandage tied around his leg, pursing her lips. “That money is yours. Since Mom doesn’t want it, I can’t accept it either. Keep your own money safe, and in the future, you’ll need it to support your own family when you get married.”
His military compensation was earned with his life, and Yun Qinghuan didn’t want to spend that money, feeling a pang of conscience.
Hearing her mention marriage, Bai Naihan smiled bitterly, glancing at his injured leg. “In my current condition, I’m afraid it’s not suitable to delay someone else’s marriage.”
Yun Qinghuan pursed her lips, not saying more, but her gaze towards him held a hint of sympathy.
In reality, Bai Naihan had a girlfriend, and they were approaching the time to discuss marriage. However, returning home injured this time, he hadn’t even caught a glimpse of his girlfriend. It seemed she might not agree to this marriage.
This was still something she had just remembered about him getting married, hastily retrieved from the original host’s memories.
Bai Naihan’s girlfriend was from the neighboring village, a very beautiful girl and the village belle. At first, she looked down on Bai Naihan, thinking he was just a poor boy who wasn’t worthy of her.
Bai Naihan had been away in the military for many years, returning for the first time during the original host’s wedding. At that time, he wore military uniform, presenting a tremendous transformation. He stood tall and handsome, and with the added charm of the military attire, he captivated Xia Yuhua, who attended the wedding. Additionally, Bai Naihan already held a certain position in the military unit, making him a promising candidate.
Xia Yuhua directly pursued Bai Naihan.
She chased him for quite some time, and during the days when he visited, she practically stuck to him every day.
Bai Naihan seemed to maintain a somewhat indifferent attitude towards the girl, but unable to withstand Liu Yuzhi’s perception that her son had grown up, already being twenty-one and frequently away on missions. In the countryside, a young man like him would have been married already, and even had some children capable of handling tasks like buying soy sauce.
Moreover, Bai Naihan’s job was quite dangerous. Liu Yuzhi worried that he might not come back someday. She thought that if he got married first and had a child, he would establish roots here, have someone to care for, and perhaps become more cautious in his endeavors.
Even if something unfortunate happened one day, at least he would leave behind descendants.
Liu Yuzhi had already prepared for the worst. So, even if Bai Naihan didn’t have a favorable opinion of Xia Yuhua, she still forced her son to try being in a relationship with her.
If the original host’s memory served correctly, Bai Naihan seemed to find Xia Yuhua too bothersome at that time. Coupled with Liu Yuzhi’s insistence, he left before his scheduled end of furlough.
Later, he returned for another visit, and during that time, he reluctantly agreed to try being with Xia Yuhua.
However, in Liu Yuzhi’s eyes, this engagement was practically set. She was already arranging to finalize the marriage. Unfortunately, Bai Naihan never came back after that visit, and the engagement remained unresolved.
Nevertheless, Liu Yuzhi had already treated Xia Yuhua as her daughter-in-law, regularly sending gifts to her family during festivals, treating her as a relative.
However, Xia Yuhua showed no sign of concern, especially during this time when Bai Naihan suffered such a severe injury, and the Bai family faced a significant crisis.
Thinking about these aspects, Yun Qinghuan felt like she might have misspoken, possibly reminding Bai Naihan of this heartbreaking matter. After all, he and Xia Yuhua were almost at the marriage stage, and now this incident occurred.
Perhaps these days, he had been avoiding the topic of marriage, and coincidentally, she mentioned this sensitive matter today.
Subsequently, Yun Qinghuan remained relatively quiet, feeling that less said was better, avoiding the risk of saying the wrong things.
After stir-frying the vegetables and steaming the vegetable cakes, she scraped two sweet potatoes and cut them into pieces, planning to make sweet potato dumplings later. At this time, people liked to eat them because they were both refreshing and satisfying.
She intended to use the “Fuqiang” flour to mix with the dumplings, making it suitable for the whole family to enjoy.
After finishing everything, Yun Qinghuan went to brew tea with chrysanthemum and mint, placing it in the well to cool. Liu Yuzhi was working in the field, likely thirsty, hungry, and hot. The water she brought must have been consumed, so Yun Qinghuan planned to take the brewed tea to help her cool down.
Soon, the meal was ready. Yun Qinghuan asked Bai Naihan to eat first, and she prepared two vegetable cakes, a bowl of sweet potato dumpling soup, and some hot and sour cabbage for Liu Yuzhi.
Bai Naihan replied, “I’m not hungry; I’ll wait for you to eat together.”
Knowing he wouldn’t eat first, Yun Qinghuan didn’t insist. “Then I’ll come back quickly.”
Just a few steps away, Yun Qinghuan ran into Jiang Wenxiu, who also carried food. Seeing Yun Qinghuan approaching, Jiang Wenxiu sniffed the air and exaggeratedly said, “Qinghuan, are you delivering food to your mother-in-law? What’s this you made? I could smell the fragrance from afar.
“This smells so good.”
Yun Qinghuan laughed, “Sister-in-law, it’s not that exaggerated, just simple steamed vegetable cakes and sweet potato dumpling soup.”
Jiang Wenxiu seemed surprised, “Really? But I indeed smelled something delicious.”
“Maybe you caught a whiff of the meat aroma. I just used a small piece of pork to make lard for stir-frying vegetables. Considering my mother-in-law and the family have been a bit unwell lately and lost weight, I made something with meat to nourish them.”
“No wonder it smells so good.” Jiang Wenxiu chuckled, “Your family does need some nourishment.”
KNOWLEDGE CENTRE
This is simply for knowledge-replenishing purpose.
富强 (fù qiáng) is a powerful two-character word in Chinese that embodies the aspirations of many for their nation. It’s most commonly translated as “prosperous and strong,” or “wealthy and powerful.”
Here’s a breakdown of the individual characters:
* 富 (fù): meaning “wealthy,” “abundant,” or “prosperous.” Imagine a bountiful harvest or a thriving economy.
* 强 (qiáng): meaning “strong,” “powerful,” or “mighty.” Think of a sturdy fortress or a determined individual.
Together, 富强 captures the desire for a nation that is not only economically successful but also possesses formidable strength and influence on the world stage. It’s a complex concept that encompasses various aspects of national well-being, from economic prosperity and technological advancement to military strength and cultural influence.
The term 富强 gained particular prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a time when China was facing internal turmoil and external threats. It became a rallying cry for those who wanted to see China become a strong and independent nation. Today, 富强 remains an important ideal for many in China, and it continues to be used in official slogans and pronouncements.
When “富强” (fù qiáng) is used with the word “flour” (麵粉, miàn fěn), it doesn’t have the same nationalistic meaning as it does on its own. Depending on the context, it can imply different things.
Here I think it has a Figurative meaning:
In rare cases, “Fuqiang flour” could be used metaphorically. For example, someone might say “用富强麵粉做出来的馒头象征着国家的繁荣昌盛” (yòng fù qiáng miàn fěn zuò chū lái de mántou xiàng zhèng guó jiā de fán róng chāng shèng), which translates to “Buns made with Fuqiang flour symbolize the prosperity and flourishing of the nation.” This is a more creative and figurative use of the term.]
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Translator Note
Next release
– Dec. 25 (3pm)
(There’ll be extra chapters for Christmas, stay tuned!)
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- James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
