Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 43

Chapter 43

After sitting for a while, Li-ge’er also came to visit. It had been a while since Ye Xi last saw him, so he quickly got up from the courtyard and called out through the fence, “Li-ge’er, come in, we’re having chestnut cakes.”

Li-ge’er responded and entered, but when he sat down in the courtyard, he still looked gloomy, unlike his usual cheerful self.

Ye Xi handed him a chestnut cake and poured him a bowl of hot tea, looking at him and saying, “What’s wrong? You look so down, this isn’t like you.”

Li Ran, sitting beside them, raised her eyebrows knowingly. “It must be because of Li Xi.”

Li-ge’er nodded. “Sister-in-law Ran guessed right.”

Since Li Ran married into the family, Li-ge’er would visit her every few days to chat, and they got along well. He was willing to share his thoughts with Li Ran.

Ye Xi said, “I heard about it, that Li Xi is making a fuss about separating from his family. Has it been settled yet?”

Li-ge’er sighed. “That fool is determined this time, he insists on separating and living on his own. He said he’s been suffocating in that family for too long, even his filial piety is wasted. He’s completely disheartened. Not only do his parents not take his side, but he also does all the chores and hard labor. Now, even his marriage is about to fall apart, and no one is helping him.”

Li Ran and Ye Xi laughed, and Ye Xi said, “He must really like you, thinking that your marriage might be ruined, he finally exploded after all these years of pent-up frustration.”

Li-ge’er pouted. “Now the Li family blames me for everything, saying I’m a jinx, a vixen, who bewitched their obedient Li Xi, making him turn against his family. Oh, I’m so wronged.”

Li Ran laughed heartily. “That’s a compliment, if you weren’t attractive, how could you be a vixen! I say, just consider Li Xi’s sincerity and wait a bit longer. If he can overcome this, he’ll be a reliable husband.”

Ye Xi nodded. “He has butchering skills and is willing to fight for himself, he can’t be bad.”

Li-ge’er lowered his eyes and said softly, “I know. He’s not fickle or smooth-talking. My mother was worried about his family situation, that’s why she didn’t want me to marry him. Now that he’s willing to separate from his family and turn against them, I can’t be so heartless and reject him completely. If he really separates, even if he leaves with nothing, I’m willing to marry him.”

Li Ran exclaimed, “Then what are you worried about? Just wait. You both like each other. If you get married, you’ll definitely be a happy and loving couple.”

Li-ge’er glanced at her. “Sister-in-law Ran, you must be talking about yourself. Our Ye Shan is a caring husband. I saw him this morning before he left for work, and he said he would buy two catties of meat with his wages today and make you meatballs, because you keep saying you haven’t had any meaty or oily food lately.”

Li Ran smiled shyly and scolded him playfully, “You’re teasing me!”

The three of them drank tea and embroidered in the courtyard. Later, Li-ge’er went home, his mood much better than when he arrived.

After a while, Liu Xiufeng returned from grinding cornmeal. Entering the courtyard, she saw Ye Xi and smiled. “This cornmeal is from the autumn harvest corn, sweet and fragrant. Take some home and make cornbread, delicious and filling.”

Ye Xi said, “We still have flour at home to make cornbread, Mother, you keep it.”

Liu Xiufeng took out a cloth bag and filled half of it for him. “Your husband brought me a bundle of firewood yesterday, he’s thinking of me, how can I not think of you two? Or are you afraid your sister-in-law will say I’m favoring you?”

Ye Xi glanced at Li Ran, his eyes curving into a smile. “Sister-in-law wouldn’t be so petty. She even gave me all the good things she had.”

Li Ran exclaimed, “I just casually mentioned yesterday that I wanted to eat steamed corn cakes, and Mother went to the mill today and ground a bag of cornmeal. She treats me like her own daughter, how could I begrudge her giving you these things?”

Ye Xi and Liu Xiufeng laughed, a harmonious and happy family.

In the evening, Ye Xi took the half bag of cornmeal and went home. When he arrived, the fawn was obediently guarding the chickens and ducks in the courtyard, preventing them from pecking at the plants.

Seeing its docility, Ye Xi went to the kitchen, washed half a pumpkin, and cut it into small pieces to feed it.

As it was getting dark, Lin Jiangshan was about to return from work. Ye Xi quickly washed his hands and went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. His husband had been working all day and would be hungry when he came back.

Ye Xi scooped a ladleful of cornmeal from the bag Liu Xiufeng gave him. The freshly ground cornmeal was fragrant, and even simply mixing it with hot water and adding some sugar would make a sweet and delicious corn gruel, a favorite among children.

The golden cornmeal slipped through his fingers as he added some wheat flour for texture and mixed it with warm water, stirring the cornmeal until it formed clumps. Then, he kneaded it until it formed a large ball.

After covering the dough with a cloth and letting it rest, Ye Xi cut half a piece of cured meat from the stovetop. This was cured meat from last year, made from their own home-raised pig and smoked with pine branches. They had been saving it, and there were still two or three pieces left.

When Ye Xi got married, Liu Xiufeng, knowing that Lin Jiangshan didn’t have much food at home, packed the largest piece for him.

He washed the ashes off the surface of the cured meat with hot water and scraped off the black smoky layer with a knife. This piece of cured meat was streaky pork belly, with three layers of white fat and two layers of pink lean meat. The knife became coated with a layer of grease as he cut, fragrant and delicious.

Ye Xi diced the cured meat, planning to stir-fry it with dried mushrooms and green pepper segments, a flavorful and oily dish.

He divided the rested corn dough into small portions, rolled them into balls, and then made an indentation in each, shaping them into cone-shaped cornbread buns, then steamed them in a pot.

He heated oil in the wok, added the diced cured meat, and stir-fried it until the fat rendered and the wok and spatula coated with oil. The pork skin turned golden brown and crispy, and the aroma of cured meat filled the kitchen, making Ye Xi swallow unconsciously.

When he added the soaked dried mushrooms to the wok, the aroma of cured meat and mushrooms intertwined, further enhanced by the spiciness of green peppers, creating a rich and layered fragrance, enough to make one eat a whole pot of rice.

The heat from the stove gradually dissipated, and the flames in the fire pit subsided. Ye Xi stood at the door, watching the sky darken, and couldn’t help but look towards the courtyard gate, worried about his husband, who hadn’t returned yet.

After a while, a figure gradually appeared on the distant mountain path, blending with the night. Ye Xi’s eyes lit up.

Lin Jiangshan strode quickly along the mountain path, and seeing his husband waiting for him at the gate, he quickened his pace. “Why are you waiting for me at the gate? It’s windy at night, you’ll catch a cold.”

He stepped forward, put his arm around Ye Xi’s shoulder, and pulled him into his embrace, shielding him from the wind.

“I’m wearing thick clothes, I’m not afraid of the wind. Dinner has been ready for a while, and I was worried that something might have delayed you on your way back,” Ye Xi said with a smile.

Lin Jiangshan touched his hand, feeling its warmth, and was relieved. “Today is payday, and it takes time to confirm the working days with the clerk at the government office.”

Ye Xi said happily, “You got paid today!”

Lin Jiangshan agreed. “I’ll give it to you later.”

Ye Xi held his hand. “There’s no rush, let’s eat first, the food will get cold, I steamed it in the pot.”

Lin Jiangshan was truly hungry. He went to the kitchen and helped Ye Xi take out the food from the pot, the aroma instantly filling his nose and making his stomach rumble.

“We’re having cornbread tonight?”

Ye Xi brought the bowls and chopsticks. “Mother ground the cornmeal, and knowing you like it, she asked me to bring some back. I also stir-fried some cured meat with mushrooms tonight, very fragrant, perfect for filling the cornbread.”

Lin Jiangshan picked up a cornbread bun, scooped two spoonfuls of the stir-fried cured meat and mushrooms, but instead of eating it himself, he handed it to Ye Xi. “Mother’s cornmeal is fragrant, and your cooking is excellent, the cured meat is so delicious, I’m afraid I’ll eat three or five of these tonight.”

Ye Xi knew he was being considerate and took the cornbread, taking a small bite. It was truly delicious, the juices from the cured meat and mushrooms soaking into the cornbread, oily and flavorful.

Lin Jiangshan then took one for himself, taking a large bite. After a day of hard labor, this kind of meaty, oily, and filling food was exactly what he needed. After eating three, he felt his energy returning, his stomach satisfied.

Ye Xi, afraid he would choke, also made egg and vegetable soup, simply seasoned with chopped scallions and salt, perfect for filling the stomach.

“Don’t eat too fast, have some soup first,” Ye Xi said, handing him a bowl.

Lin Jiangshan took the bowl and drank half of it in one gulp. The warm soup felt comforting, and he looked up to see his husband’s smiling eyes under the lamplight, gentle and lovely.

It had started raining outside at some point, the cold autumn rain pattering on the leaves, the temperature in the mountains dropping further.

But when he came home, his husband was waiting for him at the door, a warm light flickering in the courtyard, delicious food cooking in the pot, and warm soup for his stomach, everything was perfect.

After dinner, Lin Jiangshan and Ye Xi went back to their room.

He sat on the edge of the bed, watching Ye Xi meticulously counting the copper coins.

“Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five…” Ye Xi counted the coins carefully in his palm, his eyes downcast.

Lin Jiangshan loved watching him like this, so adorable, like a little squirrel storing food for winter, diligently managing their little nest.

“That’s right, exactly nine hundred wen,” Ye Xi said happily, but also felt sorry for his husband. “You worked for thirty days without a single day of rest, every day, to earn this almost one tael of silver.”

Lin Jiangshan didn’t mind the hard work, only that the job wasn’t long enough, it would be finished in half a month. “Winter is coming soon anyway, we can rest when winter arrives. It’s good to have a job and earn some money now.”

Ye Xi took out the clay jar hidden under the bed, carefully sorted their money, set aside some copper coins and small pieces of silver for daily expenses, and put the larger pieces of silver into a small box in the cabinet, locking it with a copper lock.

“My husband is so hardworking, our family’s savings have almost doubled since we got married. If we save a bit more, we can buy a good piece of land next year!”

Lin Jiangshan already had a plan. “There’s a sandy plot of land on the west side, by the mountain, the soil is fertile, I’m planning to buy it next spring and plant cotton or other crops, it should bring in a few taels of silver a year.”

Ye Xi’s eyes curved into a smile, never doubting his decisions. He nodded. “Alright, we’ll buy land next spring!”

The night wind rose, the autumn rain fell, the mountain wind howled outside, and the temperature dropped sharply. Inside the house, the two embraced and fell asleep, entering the same dream.