Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 31

Chapter 31

“Mother, Father, I’m back!” Ye Xi called out before even entering the house.

Hearing his voice, Liu Xiufeng hurried out of the kitchen, her eyes filled with joy at the sight of her son, who had been married off.

“Xi-ge’er! Mother has been waiting for you, come in, son-in-law too.”

Lin Jiangshan called out, “Mother.”

Liu Xiufeng’s eyes crinkled with a smile as she welcomed them in, offering fruits and tea.

Ye Xi and Lin Jiangshan sat in the main room, watching her happily bustling about.

“Mother, why do I feel like a guest now that I’m married and back home, not like family anymore?” Ye Xi said, pouting slightly.

Liu Xiufeng laughed at him. “Silly child, Mother is just happy. It’s our new son-in-law’s first visit home, of course I have to treat you well. Come, Lin-ge’er, have some fruit, your father-in-law specially bought them from town.”

The plate contained a few glistening persimmons and some dried fruits and nuts. Liu Xiufeng pushed it towards Lin Jiangshan.

Lin Jiangshan smiled. “Mother, you don’t have to be so polite. It’s not my first time here, just treat me as before, we’re family now.”

His words pleased Liu Xiufeng, and she replied, “Alright.”

“Where are Father and Brother?” Ye Xi asked.

Liu Xiufeng sat down to chat with them. “We’re sowing winter wheat in the fields in a couple of days, they’re plowing the land. Our land isn’t fertile, so we have to plow and fertilize it diligently, otherwise, next year’s harvest won’t be good, and we’ll have less food.”

Hearing this, Lin Jiangshan stood up. “Then I’ll go help Father and Brother.”

Liu Xiufeng stopped him. “It’s your first visit home as our son-in-law, how can we let you work in the fields? Lin-ge’er, sit down, the two of them are enough!”

Lin Jiangshan smiled. “With one more person, we can finish earlier. I have nothing to do anyway, I can’t just sit here drinking tea while Father works hard in the fields.”

Ye Xi said to Liu Xiufeng, “Mother, let him go, he’s being thoughtful.”

Liu Xiufeng finally relented and went back to her room to find Ye Shan’s old clothes for Lin Jiangshan to change into.

After Lin Jiangshan left, only Ye Xi and Liu Xiufeng remained in the room, a good opportunity for some mother-son talk.

“Is your husband treating you well?” As a mother, she was naturally concerned about her married son and had to ask.

Ye Xi smiled. “Mother, do I look like I’m not doing well? He treats me very well, considerate in everything, and I’m living a comfortable life.”

Liu Xiufeng saw her son’s rosy complexion, full of energy, wearing new clothes, a silver bracelet on his wrist, and uncontainable joy in his eyes.

“Then we chose the right person, Lin Jiangshan is a good husband. Seeing you doing well, Mother is relieved. As long as you two live a good life together, everything will be fine.”

Ye Xi listened attentively to his mother’s words.

Liu Xiufeng lowered her voice and asked, “Does he bully you in bed at night?”

It was normal for mothers to ask about such private matters, in case their sons didn’t understand anything and needed some guidance.

Ye Xi’s neck flushed slightly. Talking about such things with his mother was somewhat embarrassing, and he stammered, “It’s just that it lasts a bit long, and it’s hard to bear. Every time, it goes on until late at night, and my back and legs ache a bit.”

Liu Xiufeng covered her mouth and laughed. “Silly boy, if he goes on for too long, just say some sweet words to coax him. Men are all the same, you have to learn to flatter them, otherwise, it will never end. Your new husband is young and strong, full of energy, if he doesn’t expend it on you, where else can he expend it?”

Ye Xi lowered his head and listened, his fingers tracing the rim of his teacup. He didn’t mention that Lin Jiangshan would often pull him into bed, even in broad daylight.

Liu Xiufeng continued, “Men only care about two things, eating and that. As long as they’re happy with these two things, everything else will be up to you.”

“I understand, Mother.”

Liu Xiufeng had said enough and changed the subject, asking about their new home. “Have you bought everything for the house? You should start raising livestock soon, so they can adapt before the weather gets cold.”

Ye Xi replied, “We went to town a few days ago and bought a batch of chicks and ducklings. We built a chicken coop in the backyard and have started raising them.”

Liu Xiufeng nodded with satisfaction, knowing that the young couple were well-organized and she wouldn’t have to worry too much.

Ye Xi said, “But the chicks haven’t grown up yet, so we don’t have any eggs, we still have to buy them.”

Liu Xiufeng stood up and went to the kitchen to get eggs from the basket. “I almost forgot, your husband’s family doesn’t have any chickens, so you two don’t have eggs to eat. Thankfully, our hens lay eggs frequently, and we’ve saved a basketful these past few days. Take some back later.”

Ye Xi agreed and handed over the basket he brought for the eggs. “Twenty is enough, we can’t eat too many.”

Liu Xiufeng put large, round eggs into the basket. “Let’s make it thirty. Your husband is big and needs to eat more. He’s hardworking and restless, always working in the fields or chopping wood in the mountains. He does strenuous work, you need to make him more meaty and oily dishes. Don’t be frugal with food. Do you have enough oil at home?”

Ye Xi watched his mother collecting eggs and replied, “We have a jar of vegetable oil and a full jar of newly rendered lard, enough for a few months.”

Liu Xiufeng was relieved, glad they knew how to stock up on food. “Alright, here are thirty eggs for you, enough for a while.”

Ye Xi took out his money bag to pay for the eggs.

Liu Xiufeng scolded him playfully, “What, you can’t even eat eggs from your parents’ home after getting married? You have to pay your mother?”

Ye Xi smiled. “My husband specifically told me to pay for the eggs! He’ll be angry if I don’t. He said you worked hard raising them, we can’t just take them all, and my brother isn’t married yet, and you need the money!”

Liu Xiufeng asked again, “Did your husband really say that?”

Ye Xi nodded. “I wouldn’t lie to you. He doesn’t like taking advantage of others, not even my parents.”

He knew his mother was afraid that if she accepted the money, his husband would scold him later.

Hearing that it was Lin Jiangshan’s idea, Liu Xiufeng accepted the money. “Your brother’s marriage is settled.”

Ye Xi quickly asked, “Is it a young man or a young woman?”

Liu Xiufeng smiled. “It’s Old Li the butcher’s granddaughter.”

Ye Xi couldn’t recall and asked, frowning, “Which Old Li the butcher?”

Liu Xiufeng reminded him, “The one from Xiushui Village. Old Li the butcher used to come to our village to buy pigs. Remember his daughter, Li Zhuang? She married a man surnamed Lu, and the couple took over Old Li’s butchering business. The girl is their daughter, Old Li’s granddaughter.”

Ye Xi finally remembered. When he was young, Li Zhuang and her husband would give him candy when they came to buy pigs, praising his good looks and saying they had a young son named Nian-ge’er who was just like him, fair-skinned and adorable.

“That’s a good family, not just well-off, but the parents-in-law are also good people, reasonable and understanding.”

Liu Xiufeng was also satisfied. “It was the mole-faced woman from Xiushui Village who told the matchmaker in our village about Old Li’s granddaughter. She’s only a year apart from your brother. It’s just that she’s like her mother, Li Zhuang, and likes butchering since she was young, so people around here think she’s not ladylike enough. We don’t care about that. As long as she’s virtuous and capable, I don’t care if she’s a butcher. It would be worse to have a lazy daughter-in-law who causes trouble for the family.”

Ye Xi nodded and smiled. “Yes, Mother, you’re right. As long as my sister-in-law has a good personality and is capable, then my brother will be lucky to have her.”

At noon, Ye Xi helped Liu Xiufeng chop the two pig’s trotters he brought and soaked a bowl of kidney beans, then put them in a clay pot to simmer over low heat.

Liu Xiufeng, afraid it wasn’t nourishing enough, took out a ceramic jar from the top of the cupboard, which contained red dates, goji berries, codonopsis root, and other medicinal herbs.

Farming families usually wouldn’t use these precious and expensive herbs for cooking, let alone eating them.

Today, since Ye Xi and Lin Jiangshan were visiting, and they were making pig’s trotters stew, she was willing to use them.

She put the clay pot on a small clay stove and simmered it over low heat. The pot bubbled gently, and the aroma of pig’s trotters and the subtle scent of herbs filled the air, drifting into the courtyard, making the neighbors envious.

“The Ye family is having a feast today,” the neighbors thought as they ate lunch, their own food suddenly seeming less appealing.

The woman knocked on her husband’s bowl. “Xi-ge’er brought his husband home for a visit. I heard they brought many gifts, ribs, pig’s trotters. They must be having a good meal today. Stop talking, eat your lunch.”

The man pursed his lips and took a large bite of rice. “I’ll go to town tomorrow and buy some meat, we’ll make stew too! Damn, it smells so good!”

After simmering the kidney beans and pig’s trotters, Ye Xi went to the courtyard and picked some scallions and cilantro to make chili sauce for dipping.

He mixed a few spoonfuls of freshly made chili sauce, two chopped green chili peppers, a pinch of salt, half a spoon of aged soy sauce, some chopped scallions and cilantro, a pinch of white sesame seeds for garnish, and finally, a ladle of hot oil. The chili sizzled and crackled, releasing its spicy aroma.

Liu Xiufeng entered the kitchen, carrying the slab of ribs. “Chop some ribs too.”

Ye Xi said, “Keep them for you and Father to eat. We brought them, and you’re going to cook them all for us today?”

Liu Xiufeng glared at him. “It’s more enjoyable when the whole family eats together. Let’s treat it like New Year’s and have a good meal with meat!”

Ye Xi smiled. “Alright, then I’ll chop some and braise them with potatoes, and also stir-fry a few other dishes.”

“Good, that’s good.” Liu Xiufeng added, “The freshly harvested peanuts are still moist and sweet, we should shell some and have them with wine!”