Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 45

Chapter 45

Back in the courtyard, Ye Xi started preparing the bird’s eye chili peppers and loofahs, while Lin Jiangshan sat in the courtyard, soaking the river clams in a wooden basin.

The riverbed was muddy, and he inevitably scooped up a lot of mud and sand with the clams, a layer of it settling at the bottom of the basin.

He had to rinse them repeatedly, then add some vegetable oil to the basin. The clams would open their shells when they encountered the oil, making it easier to remove the sand.

Ye Xi first dry-fried the bird’s eye chili peppers in a wok, the pungent smell making him cover his nose and mouth and cough as he stir-fried.

Hearing him cough, Lin Jiangshan went to the kitchen, stood behind his husband, and covered his nose and mouth. “It’s so pungent, don’t make this next time.”

Ye Xi’s eyes were red-rimmed, and his eyes watered from coughing.

Lin Jiangshan’s hand helped, and Ye Xi felt much better, the pungent smell no longer irritating his nose.

He added salt and a little soy sauce to the wok, then took out the fried chili peppers, their skins blistered.

“We probably won’t have this again until next autumn, these bird’s eye chili peppers only grow once a year. Although they’re spicy, they’re delicious when fried and eaten with rice.”

Lin Jiangshan loved spicy food and sniffed the aroma of the chili peppers, finding it fragrant indeed.

Ye Xi asked him, “Have you finished cleaning the clams?”

Lin Jiangshan nodded, went to the courtyard, emptied the water from the basin, and rinsed the clams again. Most of them had opened their shells.

He drained the clams in a basket and brought them to the kitchen, handing them to Ye Xi.

“This is too much for soup, I’ll make stir-fried clams with vermicelli noodles with the other half.”

Lin Jiangshan obediently sat by the stove to tend the fire. The fawn also wandered in from the courtyard. It used to be afraid of Lin Jiangshan, since he was the one who captured it, always avoiding him in the courtyard. But after a while, it wasn’t afraid anymore.

Seeing Lin Jiangshan chewing on a carrot, it curled up beside him, staying with him by the stove, the firelight flickering on them.

Lin Jiangshan pretended not to see it, continuing to munch on the crisp carrot, the crunching sound making the fawn stare at him intently.

He then held out the carrot, and the fawn opened its mouth to bite it, but he pulled it back, teasing it repeatedly.

Ye Xi couldn’t stand it anymore and scolded him playfully, “You’re acting like a child.”

Lin Jiangshan teased it for a while longer before giving the remaining half of the carrot to the fawn, petting its head.

The fawn, having gotten its treat, happily munched on the carrot by the stove.

Ye Xi stir-fried the clams, added some shredded ginger, and simmered them in boiling water. Soon, a delicious aroma filled the air. When the water boiled, he added the sliced loofah, the milky white broth bubbling gently. He added a few red goji berries as garnish and simmered it on the clay stove.

He had soaked some sweet potato vermicelli noodles in hot water, and they were now soft and translucent, slippery to the touch.

He added minced garlic to the wok, stir-fried until fragrant, then added a handful of chopped chili peppers, the spicy mountain peppers he grew, stir-frying them until fragrant before adding the clams, coating each open shell with the seasonings. After stir-frying for a while, he added some water to the wok, covered it, and simmered the clams.

Lin Jiangshan placed his shoes by the stove to dry. “My shoes are wet from sweat, I’ve ruined the shoe soles you made for me.”

Ye Xi stood by the stove. “Are they too thin? I was thinking, since it’s getting cold, I should make thicker shoe soles, so they absorb more sweat, otherwise, your feet will be cold and damp. We have your old clothes, I can cut them up and use them as padding to make you a few pairs of thick shoe soles.”

As they were talking, the clams in the wok were ready. Ye Xi placed the vermicelli noodles on top of the clams, added some soy sauce and a little vinegar, and simmered it for a while longer.

When he lifted the lid, the vermicelli noodles had absorbed the broth, the clam meat plump and juicy, immersed in the garlic-infused sauce.

A plate of stir-fried bird’s eye chili peppers with preserved vegetables, a plate of clams with vermicelli noodles, and a bowl of clam and loofah soup were their dinner.

Ye Xi liked to have soup before his meal. The hot and flavorful soup made him almost raise his eyebrows in satisfaction, and he smiled contentedly as he served a bowl to Lin Jiangshan.

“I’m going to town tomorrow to sell the handkerchiefs I embroidered,” he informed Lin Jiangshan.

Household finances and purchases were managed by Ye Xi, and Lin Jiangshan simply agreed.

“I promised Mrs. Wang in the village that I would embroider two quilt covers for her daughter. Time is tight, and I have to finish them quickly. You’ll have to feed the pigs these days.”

Lin Jiangshan, concerned about his husband, frowned. “I’ll feed the pigs, but isn’t it too much for you, husband? Embroidery strains the eyes, I’m afraid you’ll ruin your eyesight. Don’t take on such jobs next time, although the pay is good, it’s too demanding. I can earn the money, you have to take care of your health.”

He knew how damaging embroidery could be to one’s eyesight. When he was young, their family was poor, his father hadn’t become wealthy yet, and they relied on a few acres of poor land. To make ends meet and save money for his father to buy land and property, his mother would embroider day and night. His mother was from the south and was a skilled embroiderer, her stitches fine and dense, a rare style in Beizhou. He often saw his mother embroidering under the oil lamp at night, stitch by stitch, a single peony flower taking one or two hours. His mother’s eyesight gradually deteriorated, becoming sensitive to wind and tearing up in dim light.

Later, upon hearing the news of his death in battle, his mother cried day and night, her eyesight completely failing, her health deteriorating, and she passed away.

He didn’t want his husband to suffer the same fate.

Ye Xi, rarely seeing him so serious, held his hand and said, “Just this once, Mrs. Wang has been good to me, I can’t refuse her. I’ll just embroider handkerchiefs in my free time later, no more big projects.”

Reassured by his husband’s promise, Lin Jiangshan relaxed, and they ate dinner together.

The quilts aired during the day were fluffy and soft, smelling of sunshine, comfortable and warm. Ye Xi knew his husband had a high body temperature and would get hot under a thick quilt, so he prepared a thinner one for him.

Since they got married, they had always shared a bed and a quilt. Seeing two quilts now, Lin Jiangshan frowned, momentarily confused.

Ye Xi, seeing his displeasure, quickly explained, “I’m sensitive to cold, and although it’s just the beginning of winter, I’m afraid I’ll be cold under a thin quilt. Husband, you’re strong and healthy, if we share a thin quilt, you’ll sweat profusely at night and might catch a cold if you go out in the wind. So, let’s use separate quilts for now.”

Lin Jiangshan wouldn’t agree. He didn’t mind how he slept before, but after getting married, holding his soft and delicate husband every night, the bed was so comfortable and cozy, how could they sleep separately? He wouldn’t allow anything to come between them.

Not even a quilt!

Lin Jiangshan threw the thin quilt back into the cabinet, lifted his husband onto the bed, quickly undressed, and pressed against him.

Soft moans and gasps came from under the quilt.

“I’ll sleep naked, and if I get too hot, I’ll just stick my leg out. Don’t even think about sleeping separately from me, husband.”

Ye Xi got up before dawn, sat on the edge of the bed, yawned a few times, and then started combing his hair.

Lin Jiangshan opened his sleepy eyes, saw that his husband was already up, reached out to touch his long black hair, and said in a husky voice, “Why are you up so early? The rooster hasn’t even crowed yet.”

Ye Xi said, “I made plans with Sister-in-law to go to town today, I’m afraid we’ll be late if we don’t leave early.”

Lin Jiangshan also got up, he couldn’t sleep without his husband beside him. “If you’re afraid of being late, then take an ox cart, it will save you over an hour’s walk.”

Ye Xi smiled. “Not only am I unwilling to spend the money, but Sister-in-law is also reluctant. She feels sorry for my brother working so hard and wants to save money for him.”

Lin Jiangshan said, “She’s a good sister-in-law, your brother is lucky.”

The moon hadn’t set yet, hidden behind the treetops. Ye Xi went to the kitchen, lit the fire, and the coldness that had settled in the room overnight dissipated.

The firelight flickered on the wall, and Ye Xi covered his mouth, yawned, and stirred the clam porridge in the pot. He had stewed the leftover clams from last night with rice in a clay pot.

Lin Jiangshan washed up in the courtyard, then checked the chicken coop and pigsty, mixed wheat bran and pigweed to feed the poultry, and then swept the courtyard.

When Ye Xi finished making the pancakes, he called him for breakfast.

They ate scallion pancakes with clam porridge and a plate of pickled cucumbers.

“I’ve already made the pancakes for you to take today, four of them, you and my brother can share them. I didn’t add any fillings, Sister-in-law said she made new pickles and asked my brother to bring some, you can wrap them in the pancakes.”

Lin Jiangshan nodded and then instructed, “Be careful when going to town with your sister-in-law. If it gets late, take a cart back, it’s not safe to walk in the dark, you might encounter wild animals.”

Ye Xi nodded. “I know.”

After breakfast, the sky was getting brighter, and Ye Xi couldn’t delay any longer. He saw Lin Jiangshan off, quickly cleaned the dishes and the kitchen, went back to his room, packed the embroidered handkerchiefs in a basket, and locked the door.

The fawn was still sleeping soundly in its basket under the eaves. Ye Xi, afraid of returning late, cut a pumpkin for it and added some corn kernels to its food bowl, then locked the courtyard gate and left.

He hurried down the mountain, and before he even reached the Ye family’s house, he heard Li Ran calling out, “Xi-ge’er, over here!”

Ye Xi walked over and saw Li-ge’er with her, still sleepy from waking up early.

“Li-ge’er is coming with us, he said he hasn’t been to town in a while,” Li Ran said.

Li-ge’er pouted. “My mother, after hearing that I’m going to town, insisted that I take this basket of garland chrysanthemum seedlings to sell, saying the money I earn will be my allowance.”

Ye Xi was happy that Li-ge’er was joining them. “Let’s hurry, while it’s still early. By the time we reach town, your seedlings will still be fresh with dew, they’ll sell better.”

In the morning mist, the three of them walked towards town together.