Chapter 59: The Fattest Water Flows into One’s Own Field
Yun Qinghuan hurried out of the kitchen, “Granny Chen, I’m here.”
Granny Chen saw her and smiled, “I knew you were here. What are you doing? I smelled a delicious aroma from afar.”
Yun Qinghuan smiled, “I didn’t do much. It’s just that when we were cutting pigweed today, we were lucky to come across a locust tree with lots of flowers. I picked some, and I’m planning to steam them for lunch while they’re fresh.”
“Oh, this thing is delicious. It’s just a pity I’m too old to pick them anymore. Also, it’s not easy to come across locust flowers. They usually only bloom occasionally, and within half a day, they’re almost all picked by someone else.”
She squinted and happened to see a basket of locust flowers that Yun Qinghuan and the others had picked in the yard. She shouted, “You guys picked quite a lot!”
Yun Qinghuan was amused by her manner and said directly, “I steamed some. Later, Granny Chen, don’t leave yet. Have a bowl before you go.”
Granny Chen waved her hand, “No, you have four people, so the food you make is definitely just enough. If I eat, you guys will be hungry.”
She waved her hand even more vigorously.
“It’ll be fine.” Yun Qinghuan smiled.
But no matter what she said, Granny Chen refused to stay for a meal. Helpless, she could only ask Granny Chen if there was something she wanted to discuss.
Thinking to herself, she guessed that Granny Chen had news about the old hen she had asked her to inquire about, and she felt a little excited.
Sure enough, when Granny Chen heard her question, her eyes narrowed into slits, “Qinghuan, my girl, you’re really lucky. I’ve been asking around for several days. I originally thought there were no old hens nearby because people are reluctant to sell hens that lay eggs. Unexpectedly, I did find out. There’s an old lady in the neighboring village with a grandson. They’re poor, and they happen to have a few chickens at home. It turns out that one of them, a three or four-year-old old hen, hasn’t been laying eggs recently and they were planning to sell it. Do you want it? If you do, I’ll let them know.”
“Yes!”
Yun Qinghuan’s eyes gleamed.
A three or four-year-old old hen, the soup made from it would be incredibly flavorful!
She trusted Granny Chen quite a bit, so she immediately took out five yuan from the house and handed it to Granny Chen, “Please trouble Granny Chen to buy it. Here’s the money. I’m not sure if it’s enough, but if it’s not, I’ll give you more later.”
Granny Chen held the five yuan and smiled, “It’s definitely enough. That old hen probably weighs around five catties, and it costs about 1.6 yuan per catty. It’ll probably be a little over three yuan. This money should be enough. Since you want to buy it, I’ll go and get it. I’ll buy a live chicken, and you can slaughter it yourselves. Fresh chicken blood is also delicious, don’t waste it.”
Granny Chen was very warm-hearted, being a rural person.
Upon hearing her words, Yun Qinghuan felt that chicken meat was indeed very cheap, especially for rural people who had no income. For ordinary families, they couldn’t even afford to eat it, let alone consider it.
After Granny Chen finished speaking, she planned to leave. Yun Qinghuan quickly found a bag and filled it with about two catties of locust flowers. Granny Chen couldn’t eat much alone, but Yun Qinghuan insisted on giving it to her. At first, Granny Chen refused, but Yun Qinghuan insisted, and in the end, she left with a smile, carrying the bag.
Lunch was ready. Yun Qinghuan first added a bit of sesame oil to the steamed locust flowers, then stirred them. Instantly, the fragrance of the locust flowers mixed with the aroma of sesame oil, making her taste buds dance. It was so delicious!
She filled herself a bowl full of locust flowers and served a generous portion to Bai Jin’an and Bai Naihan, especially to Bai Naihan, knowing that he, as an adult man, ate more. She deliberately saved a bowl for him and set aside a bowl for Liu Yuzhi, while the remaining half bowl was intended to be taken to Qiao Yue in the afternoon. She planned to let Qiao Yue eat by the pigsty, avoiding the envy of those at the commune.
After quickly finishing lunch, Yun Qinghuan went to deliver food to Liu Yuzhi. As for the pots and pans at home, she didn’t need to worry about them. Bai Naihan was like a diligent little snail girl¹; she was sure that everything would be cleaned up by the time she returned.
Meanwhile, Liu Yuzhi had already been relaxing in the shade under the tree. With the weather getting hotter recently and the harvest season approaching, everyone was working harder, hoping for a better yield in the first half of the year to ensure more grain distribution. Otherwise, the summer would be difficult to endure.
On the side, the others had already finished their lunch. Jiang Wenshuo had also finished delivering food to her mother-in-law and husband. Seeing that Liu Yuzhi hadn’t eaten yet, she looked around curiously, “Auntie, hasn’t Qinghuan come to deliver your food today?”
Yun Qinghuan usually delivered food quite promptly, so it was the first time she hadn’t shown up for so long.
However, Liu Yuzhi didn’t mind. She fanned herself slowly with a leaf and looked at the golden wheat in the field, smiling, “Not yet. Maybe she’s busier today. We’ll definitely have to slaughter a pig during the summer harvest, so we’ll have some fat to eat. Otherwise, it’ll be tough to work without energy. After Qinghuan learned about this, she became even more diligent in feeding the pigs, saying she wanted to fatten them up so that each family could get more.”
Liu Yuzhi never missed an opportunity to promote her daughter-in-law.
Hearing this, Jiang Wenshuo chuckled, “Qinghuan has changed a lot. Whether it’s cooking or working, she’s become very efficient, as if she’s become a different person.”
Yang Guihua, who had been listening all along, heard her comment and said sarcastically, “Of course, she has to change. After all, she doesn’t have a man to cater to her every need now. If she doesn’t earn some work points herself, who knows if she’ll be able to eat enough? Oh, wait, the Bai family still has a disabled man in a wheelchair to fawn over her. He even buys her leather shoes. But it’s strange that this Yun Qinghuan has such poor taste. How could she fall for a disabled person? I wonder if he can perform in bed?”
She smiled maliciously and looked at Liu Yuzhi, saying, “Auntie, you’re quite something. It seems like you’re worried that your disabled son won’t find a wife, so you want your widowed daughter-in-law to become your own daughter-in-law. That’s quite a scheme, directly keeping the benefits within the family.
“I heard that Yun Qinghuan’s parents came to take her back to remarry, and you stopped them so firmly. It seems like there’s a lot of scheming going on here.”
Jiang Wenshuo’s face turned ugly upon hearing this. She quickly looked at Liu Yuzhi’s expression, only to see her face turn livid as she glared warningly at Yang Guihua. “Yang Guihua, mind your language. We’re all neighbors here. Is it necessary to speak so rudely?”
“How come my words are rude? Aren’t I just stating the facts? Everyone in the village knows that Bai Naihan bought a pair of leather shoes for Yun Qinghuan, that fancy shoe store in town, where each pair costs twenty or thirty. But he just went ahead and bought them.
“And Yun Qinghuan even said they were shoes her man wanted to buy for her before, now her little brother-in-law fulfilled her wish. Bullshit!
“Who doesn’t know about these little schemes!”
[Knowledge Centre
There is a Chinese folktale about a “snail girl” (sometimes called the River Snail Maiden). It’s a story about a poor farmer and a magical encounter:
~Figured I should probably grace you guys with a brief summary of the story~
The Story: A kindhearted farmer named Xie Duan finds a large snail. He takes it home and cares for it. Miraculously, the snail transforms into a beautiful young woman! She stays with Xie Duan, cooking delicious meals and taking care of his home. They fall in love and get married, but their happiness faces challenges.
Variations: There are different versions of the tale. In some, the snail girl possesses special skills like weaving or reading. The challenges they face can involve a greedy emperor or a jealous animal spirit.
Symbolism: The snail represents transformation and hidden potential. The story emphasizes kindness, perseverance, and the importance of seeing beyond appearances.
Here are some resources to learn more:
Book: “The River Snail Maiden” (https://www.penguin.sg/book/the-river-snail-maiden/)
Website: You can find variations of the story online by searching for “The Snail Girl” or “The River Snail Maiden folktale”]
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Translator Note
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