Chapter 57: Rebirth in the Nineties: The Tyrant Flower Chapter 57 Evening Breeze

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Protagonist:

Chai Mi

After things quieted down at home, Chai Mi went to gather some firewood, preparing to cook.

With the big iron pot unique to the Northern Region, paired with freshly picked seasonal beans and Chai Family Old House Neighbor's Eggplant, plus small potatoes that hadn't grown much yet, Chai Mi washed them clean, chopped them up, and threw them into the pot, then added some oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, threw in a bit of vermicelli, and the dish began to stew.

Iron Pot Stew is a specialty of the Northeast, a specialty that continued into later generations, not only successfully preserving tradition but also producing several famous dishes: Sour Cabbage Stew with Vermicelli, Iron Pot Stewed Goose, Beans Stewed with Pork Ribs, Radish Stewed with Beef, Potato Stewed with Beans.

Potato Stewed with Beans and Eggplant was really a forced choice because there wasn't that much meat at home; of course, Chai Mi didn't particularly like fatty meat either—she wasn't very picky about food, but if she didn't like it, she'd rather go hungry than eat it.

Then she slapped down several cornmeal corn cakes; since she hadn't leavened the dough in advance, she had to mix and slap them on the spot, estimating they'd be a bit hard, but Chai Mi made them relatively thin, so it shouldn't be a problem.

After finishing these, Chai Mi covered the pot lid, went to the firewood pile in the Courtyard to grab some corn cob stalks, threw them directly under the stove, and no longer bothered with it.

(Corn cob stalks refer to corn stalks left after threshing; they can be burned for fire or used as mushroom substrate for edible fungi, and in Northern Region Nong Cun they're mostly used for firewood—the best choice for burning besides firewood.)

Chai Mi then called Chai Xiu over, and while the rice wasn't cooked yet, helped Chai Mi bathe in the big wooden basin; staying in the hospital all the time, her body was almost rotting.

After helping Chai Xiu wash up, Chai Mi then washed up herself.

In this era, there wasn't really a washroom; just on top of the Toilet in Nong Cun, in summer a water bag filled with water was placed there, and after being sun-baked, the water became hot. When in use, they just used a Shower, and that counted as the most primitive washing equipment.

After washing up, Chai Mi also felt refreshed; enjoying the evening breeze, she changed into a light green short-sleeved shirt, a pair of seven-eighths light-colored jeans, put on a pair of slippers, picked up a Wooden Stool, and sat under the Eaves.

"Sister, you're using corn cob stalks to make the fire; later Dad will say you don't know how to manage a household," Chai Xiu reminded carefully with her head down.

"That firewood has been piled up for several years already; if not used it'll rot anyway—I can't exactly dismantle it piece by piece to burn, can I... Don't listen to him; his way of managing a household would wear a person to death." Chai Mi patted Chai Xiu's head and said: "Being overly fussy about small matters and muddled about big ones—I won't marry you off to someone like that in the future."

"What about Cun Ma..."

"Mom is blind..."

"I know."

Chai Mi and Chai Xiu spent some time, ate dinner; sometimes Chai Mi really did like big-pot stewed things—cooked thoroughly and well-flavored.

Though it was coarse tea and plain rice, it was eaten very comfortably.

Enjoying the cool in the evening, if there were a row of Grape Trellises, or some Virginia Creepers grown, it would be even better.

Chai Mi stared at the Vegetable Garden in front of her and gestured: "The Front Yard doesn't allow planting trees, so we can only plant some grapes; once the Grape Trellis grows big, we can enjoy the cool underneath."

Unlike now, Chai Mi fanned herself with a palm-leaf fan, leaned against a Chair, padded with a Bamboo Mat, and still felt very hot.

But it was just... just very comfortable and carefree.

In her Previous Life, when young and immature, after she grew up she started drifting everywhere, working at the Factory; due to low education, Chai Mi in her Previous Life also engaged in physical labor or work with especially long hours, working twelve hours straight.

It had been many years since she'd rested so comfortably; unknowingly, fatigue gradually surged up, and Chai Mi, leaning against the Chair, fell asleep.