Chapter 290

Nowadays, the days are long and the nights are short, and at 3 o'clock, the sun is scorching. The lush green rushes drying on the cement floor outside soon look wilted.

Song Youde got up and wandered around twice, unable to help but sigh and shake his head again: "You guys nowadays don't know how to do anything!"

Saying this, he went to Grandpa Qi Biao's stove again, took a shovel and scooped up two scoops of wood ash, sprinkling it evenly over the rushes.

"It has to be like this first; it absorbs water and also gets rid of insects, so it can dry thoroughly. Only after the straw mat is woven later will there be less to worry about."

Song Tan didn't feel the slightest bit ashamed: "I've never woven a straw mat, how would I know? Grandpa, as long as you know how! From now on, the straw mats in the house will all depend on you!"

Song Youde triumphantly curled the corners of his mouth again:

"That's right, the old saying goes: having an old person in the family is like having a treasure. Do you think that's just made up?"

Song Tan:... I just praised you twice, why are you so blindly proud? For you, as an old person, to say this yourself, how much like Mrs. Wang you sound!

Looking again at the golden tobacco shreds Grandpa had sliced halfway, she couldn't help but feel a stir in her heart: "Grandpa, slice another two jin, I'll send them to a friend."

Song Youde was a bit reluctant: "What friend? Can't you send something else?"

Two jin of tobacco shreds would take nearly three jin of dried tobacco leaves, and those tobacco stems were quite heavy.

Song Tan thought of her life-saving benefactor—why hadn't his friend placed an order recently?

"This friend introduced me to a big client, and every time they place an order, it's nearly 100,000. You tell me if I should send it or not."

Alright then.

Song Youde sat back on the stool and picked up the kitchen knife again: "Bring me another bundle of tobacco leaves."

Over here, Grandpa Qi Biao was still pondering the evening menu—

With so many people and the weather being so hot, he was also worried.

"Tan Tan, I see the eggplants in the field are growing quite well. How about we eat simply tonight, pan-fry some eggplant pancakes, and boil a bowl of white fungus soup? If that's not enough, we can have a bowl of cold noodles?"

Eggplant pancakes?!

Song Tan's mouth instantly began to water uncontrollably.

Grandpa Qi Biao laughed as soon as he saw her expression:

"Alright, that's what we'll eat tonight. Go to the field and pick a few more eggplants, and pull two handfuls of green onions—if there are red chili peppers, pick a few for me, I'll stir-fry a sauce for the cold noodles."

There were many people in the house, and although he said a few eggplant pancakes, in reality, Song Tan took a basket and went, returning with a basket half-full of eggplants. Beside them were two handfuls of lush, fresh, and tender green onions, exceptionally succulent.

Grandpa Qi Biao called Qiaoqiao over: "Actually, purple eggplants are best for eggplant pancakes, but our purple eggplants aren't ripe yet, and green eggplants are about the same."

"Sometimes, cooking requires using what's available on the spot. When you can pick and choose ingredients, you pick, but when you can't, we have to be flexible."

Qiaoqiao listened obediently: "Got it, use whatever is available."

"Alright," Grandpa Qi Biao was already used to his pithy remarks. Teaching such a smart apprentice, he was also a bit addicted, and now he was even less polite in his commands:

"First, pick those onions and chop them into green onion flowers."

Where did he need to pick them?

Aunt Lianhua and the old lady couldn't wait to take the green onions, and in a few quick movements, they had pinched off the heads and cleaned them thoroughly.

After practicing for this period, although Qiaoqiao's speed at chopping vegetables was still slightly slow, he was already able to chop them into consistent sizes, exceptionally uniform.

Green onion flowers were just a basic skill anyway... Over here, Grandpa Qi Biao was even distracted teaching him: "Chop these eggplants into thick round slices. Since it's for our own family to eat, just chop them horizontally like this; big or small, they can all be eaten."

Compared to other dishes, eggplant pancakes really didn't have the slightest technical content.

Beat some eggs, add some salt, water, flour, and green onion flowers, mix well, stir into a thick batter, then dip the eggplant pieces into the batter one by one and put them in the pan, pan-frying slowly over low heat...

Not long after, that unique aroma of eggplant began to diffuse over the small courtyard.

Qiaoqiao blanched the white fungus and was met with a new question: "Let me ask you, why do you have to blanch all the ingredients first for white fungus soup?"

Qiaoqiao remembered it too clearly.

He said loudly: "Because if you don't blanch them first, when you boil them, they will be slightly sour!"

"When should you add the goji berries?"

"You have to add them when the white fungus soup is basically boiled, otherwise it will also be sour, and the nutritional components inside will be destroyed."

"Hmm."

Grandpa Qi Biao was satisfied: "Good child!"

Qiaoqiao was therefore even more high-spirited.

And now, as the sun set, Song Youde finally sliced out the four jin of tobacco shreds, carefully weighing them into two portions, refusing to give even a tenth of a tael more.

Afterwards, he walked around the pot with his hands behind his back, and went to collect the rushes that hadn't dried thoroughly.

Turning his head, he finally became free, and said again: "Make more. I'll call Xiao Zhu over, and have her take these tobacco shreds back tonight."

He arranged it all by himself, and at this moment, he was exceptionally melancholy: When will a guest come to the house?

His Maotai wine had no one to accompany it, and it didn't taste fragrant when drunk. Mainly, he couldn't show it off, and he couldn't even bear to open the bottle.

But when people came casually on weekdays, he was reluctant again, and at this moment, he was exceptionally anxious.

Secretary Xiao Zhu was now not at all like an outsider; with one phone call, she didn't even refuse, and soon came over strolling.

As soon as she entered the courtyard, she smelled that indescribable salty fragrance, exuding the attraction of deep-frying, making her stomach rumble uncontrollably.

Seeing Qiaoqiao serving the white fungus soup one by one to cool, she didn't act like an outsider and expressed her regret:

"If this were iced, how refreshing it would be!"

"That won't do." The old lady Wang Lifen smiled: "For a young girl, always eating cold things won't do. Summer hasn't even started yet; eating more warm things has its benefits."

Alright then.

Secretary Xiao Zhu accepted it without any obstacles, and even sighed: "It's still the old folks who know how to maintain their bodies. Like us young people, eating one meal and skipping another, either eating something spicy, or something greasy, cold, and raw... After a long time, our stomachs are all ruined."

As soon as Song Youde heard this, he immediately shouted in a loud voice:

"Look, I told you not to be an outsider! From now on, just come over for meals directly. You're still embarrassed, still acting fake!"

Song Tan and Zhang Yanping looked at each other and sighed helplessly.

Secretary Xiao Zhu smiled: "You really care about me too much, old man. Did you drink the wine I brought last time? There's nothing going on tonight, how about I accompany you for a cup?"

"If it feels like it suits your taste, I'll bring you some more next time."

Oh my.

These words were incredible.

Song Youde was immediately overjoyed: "You can drink?"

"Yes." Secretary Xiao Zhu was exceptionally bold: "I've been able to drink since I was a teenager. We won't drink too much, just a small cup!"

"Alright, alright, alright!"

Song Youde was already busy rushing into the house to rummage for his hidden Maotai wine.

And over here, Secretary Xiao Zhu also smiled kindly at Song Tan: "The atmosphere in our family is really good."

Song Tan remained silent.

She thought to herself: I've finally seen someone even better at climbing up the pole than me.

Over here, Song Youde not only took the Maotai, but also brought out the bag of tobacco shreds:

"Come, Xiao Zhu, I sliced this specially for you this afternoon. You can mail it back to your family when you have time; they'll definitely like it!"

Secretary Xiao Zhu smiled and took it: "Alright, when I have some good tobacco at home later, I'll bring it over for you to taste too."

Promoting my "Amazing Magic"... No one is watching, it's so desolate.

It's a short story, I'm not lying to you.

(End of chapter)

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