Zhao Lanxiang thought about how he might have clearly heard what she said just now and felt a little awkward. She wanted to explain something to him, but she remembered the rumor about him and Pan Yu going through the cornfield.
She retracted her gaze and calmly walked to the well to get some water.
She needed to take the initiative to change the habits that she had developed over the years, especially the habit of involuntarily following He Songbai. She had to let nature take its course slowly. Zhao Lanxiang had to admit that the gap between the nineteen-year-old He Songbai and the forty-year-old man was like a natural chasm. When they were forty years old, they were able to help each other in times of need and love each other sweetly.
It didn't mean that they would be able to get together smoothly at nineteen years old. Everything had its own destiny. Zhao Lanxiang's real purpose for coming to his side this time was to prevent him from going to prison, not to fall in love with him and marry him.
With that thought, Zhao Lanxiang suddenly felt enlightened and let go of the burden in her heart.
She rubbed the stinky pig intestines clean with salt. After washing the intestines, she carefully washed the pig trotters. She carefully scraped the pig trotters with the knife and kneaded them with her ten thumbs as if she was massaging them. The white pig trotters with a tinge of red looked very cute under the clear water. Zhao Lanxiang, who was greedy for meat, couldn't wait to use her spices to quickly simmer them.
Half a catty of pig trotters actually wasn't a lot of meat. Even if they were cut into pieces, there would only be a few pieces. However, Zhao Lanxiang, who was embarrassingly short of money, could only suppress her greedy heart for the time being.
Fortunately, these two things were very cost-effective except for the meat coupons. Half a catty of intestines was twenty cents, and the pig trotters were ten cents. She purposely chose pig trotters that were evenly distributed. Thinking that it was still early, she thought that there was still time to stew the five-spice pig trotters.
Sister He hadn't finished work yet, so the He family didn't cook dinner that early. She borrowed the He family's stove.
She blanched the pig trotters with water and soaked them in wine and soy sauce for half an hour. Then, she added oil and ginger to the pot to fry. She wrapped the spices in gauze and put them into a small pot. Then, she put the pig trotters into the small pot and slowly simmered them. When the water was almost dry, the pig trotters had become oily and red.
The water in the pot bubbled. Satisfied, she sniffed the rising fragrance and put the lid on the pot.
He Sanya was the first to reach home. She put down the heavy bag of pigweed on her back and smelled its fragrance. She could not help but walk to the woodshed. This was a rich and overbearing aroma. When a hungry person smelled it, they would feel a sharp pain in their stomach. He Sanya's mouth was dripping with saliva. When she saw Zhao Lanxiang in the woodshed, she was stunned. She looked at him greedily, then ran to the yard and poured herself a big bowl of water. She took a handful of vegetables and drank it with the water.
Zhao Lanxiang, who was concentrating on cooking, was startled by the sudden appearance of this little girl. Then, he saw her lying by the well, drinking raw water and eating wild vegetables. He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.
She led the child into the woodshed and lifted the lid of the small pot. Eight pig trotters were stewed until they were soft and sweet. They were glistening with oil. She took out a bowl for He San Ya. She used a pair of chopsticks to pick up a pig trotter and blew on it. Then, she placed it in the bowl.
"Eat."
He Sanya revealed a row of white teeth. She lowered her head and chewed on the pig trotter like a little animal. She was not shy at all. She did not understand the complicated rules of the adult world. She was used to being looked down upon. She did not cry even when she was beaten up. She was so shy that she was numb like a puppet.
However, as long as she was treated slightly better, the bright smile in her dark eyes would be as warm as the fire in the stove. After she finished eating, she buried her face in the bowl and giggled. Then, she licked the leftover taste in the bowl.
He Songbai saw this scene when he came back from feeding the pig.
In the dimly lit woodshed, a small flame was licking the small pot. The dancing flame outlined the woman who was squatting in front of the stove. That silly girl of his was eating rice and meat around her.
Everything was harmonious, except for the fact that San Ya was eating meat with the woman.
His face darkened and he called out to San Ya.
"Who told you to eat food for free?"
The young man's deep and hoarse voice was filled with uncontrollable anger. He strode over to He Sanya and picked her up with one hand. With a sullen face, he pulled out a few crumpled tickets from his pocket and put them on the table. His voice was stiff as he said,
"Don't give her food so casually in the future."
Zhao Lanxiang could not help but take two steps back. He Songbai's fierce expression made her feel like he was going to beat someone up.
Then, he really beat He Sanya up. He spanked her butt and made her stand in the corner. However, He Sanya was used to being beaten up and was very stubborn. Although she was beaten up by her brother, she still ate two pig trotters. Even when she was standing in the corner, she was still smacking her lips and thinking about the fragrance of the pig trotters.
In reality, she did not know that she was eating pig trotters. How would she know what pig trotters tasted like? This poor child did not have many opportunities to eat pig trotters throughout the year. After that, this meal of pig trotters became a taste that He Sanya would never forget for the rest of his life.
Zhao Lanxiang did not know whether to laugh or be angry. She walked in front of He Songbai and said: "I'm the one who gave her food. What does a child like her know? Why don't you just beat me up too?"
He Songbai stood in the same spot. He could only feel a sense of unbearable sadness spreading throughout his body. He also wanted to let his cute little sister have a good meal. Since she was born, she had never had a good meal. When she was two or three months old, she didn't have any milk to drink. It was his big sister who used sweet potato powder mixed with water to feed her until she grew up. But no matter how hard he worked, he still couldn't get a full meal.
He could only blame the heavens for letting them reincarnate into the He family and suffer with him for nothing.
He Songbai's dark eyes were covered with a layer of dust. He only looked at Zhao Lanxiang once before turning around and going into the woodshed. His large hands grabbed two handfuls of brown rice and began to make the He family's dinner.
Zhao Lanxiang felt that his gaze just now made her feel as if her heart was suddenly broken.
… …
When Sister He came back that night, He Sanya called out to her from the corner of the wall with a smile.
Zhao Lanxiang took out the pig trotters and intestines that she had cooked. She gave them a bowl of rice and said with a smile: "I ate a free meal last night. Let's eat together today."
Sister He quickly shook her head. The meal last night was considered a sumptuous one because there was more rice than usual. However, it was still too shabby. How could it compare to the meat and rice that Zhao Zhiqing had set out?
Zhao Lanxiang had already put a few pieces of intestines into Sister He's bowl and said with a smile: "Although this is meat, it's all pig offal. It's not worth much. Sister, you can eat without worry!"
This friendship was too precious. Sister He looked at Zhao Zhiqing with gratitude. She used hot water to soften the rice and brought it into the room for her grandmother to eat. Whenever the family had something delicious, they would always leave it for her to eat first. The rice that Zhao Zhiqing had bought was all fine grain. It was so soft that it seemed as if it would melt in the mouth. It was soft and smooth with a faint sweetness. It was unlike the brown rice that they ate, which made their throats hurt.
Sister He felt guilty and satisfied as she finished the meal. This meal was almost the most delicious she had ever tasted in her life. After Zhao Zhiqing finished eating, she scraped the bowl clean for her sister to eat. Aside from He Song Bai, the He family's entire family ate until they were full and satisfied.
When Zhao Lanxiang was bathing at night, Sister He groped her way to her room in the dark. She put a stack of money on Zhao Lanxiang's table and carefully pressed it with the celadon vase.
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