Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 61

Chapter 61

When he got home, Lin Jiangshan brushed the snow off his clothes and changed into a clean jacket. Ye Xi took his damp clothes to dry by the stove, then made a pot of ginger tea with brown sugar for him to warm up and dispel the cold.

After drinking a large bowl of the tea, Lin Jiangshan finally felt warm, his body temperature rising in the warm room.

“Were there many people in town?” Ye Xi asked.

“Not many, because of the cold weather and snow. It will probably get busier in a couple of days, when the twelfth lunar month arrives. The New Year’s market is scheduled for then.”

“Did the charcoal sell well?”

Lin Jiangshan took out three strings of cash from his pocket, surprising Ye Xi.

“It snowed heavily this year, much colder than usual, and the temperature dropped quickly. Many families in town didn’t have time to stock up on charcoal, so when I arrived, many people gathered around, and the price was also higher than usual. It was eight wen per catty in previous years, but today it’s fifteen. I asked at the shop, and their charcoal is selling for eighteen, so I thought it would sell better at a lower price, I don’t mind the few extra wen.”

Ye Xi held the heavy strings of cash, somewhat in disbelief. “You sold it all? Then all the charcoal we have stored in the cellar is money!”

Lin Jiangshan smiled. “It’s snowing heavily now, and I heard the official road is blocked, so charcoal from outside can’t come in for a while. We should take advantage of this time and sell ours, we can earn a good amount of money.”

Ye Xi was overjoyed. “Your hard work paid off, husband, our family’s fortune has grown! Did my brother’s cured meat sell well?”

“Yes, it did. The meat at the butcher shops in town is more expensive than my brother’s, and it doesn’t smell as good as what Sister-in-law Ran made. The women and young men all came to ask about the price and bought some to try. If they like it, they’ll come back to buy more from my brother.”

Ye Xi was relieved that their efforts hadn’t been in vain.

After chatting for a while, they brought the hot pot to the kang and had dinner together. Tender bamboo shoots and melt-in-your-mouth cured meat, Ye Xi had also added some dried tofu skin, which absorbed the flavorful broth and tasted even better than the meat.

A bowl of meat, a bowl of soup, and rice, a truly delicious meal.

After dinner, Ye Xi brought out the candied winter melon he made today for Lin Jiangshan to try, and he praised it after tasting it.

Ye Xi had an idea. When the New Year’s market started, he and Lin Jiangshan would go together, he would sell charcoal, and Ye Xi would sell vegetables and candied winter melon. They could earn a good amount of money.

After Minor Cold, it was the twelfth lunar month.

On this day, they had to eat Laba porridge. In previous years, villagers would bring a bowl of Laba porridge to the temple to offer incense and pray for blessings, but this year, due to the heavy snow and difficult mountain paths, fewer people went.

Ye Xi had soaked the ingredients for Laba porridge last night: rice, millet, corn, barley, red dates, lotus seeds, peanuts, and red beans.

Ye Xi liked sweet porridge, so he soaked more corn and red beans. Lotus seeds were precious, saved from summer, so he only added a few.

After simmering over high heat for half an hour, the Laba porridge had thickened. He covered the pot and continued simmering over low heat until it became soft, sweet, and fragrant.

Before serving, Ye Xi added a few pieces of rock sugar, making it a sweet porridge. When he was young, he always looked forward to Laba Festival and this special porridge. Sometimes, Liu Xiufeng would even add a few dried longan fruits from the shop, imported from Guangfu Prefecture, two or three wen each. She would only buy five or six, as a garnish and for flavor.

Children loved sweets, and Ye Xi would pick out the dried longan fruits to eat. His family doted on him and would save all the longan fruits in the bowl for him.

This year, he forgot to buy some from the shop, so he just added a few dried red dates.

Lin Jiangshan wasn’t picky about food, always eating heartily. He finished half a bowl of porridge in one go, while Ye Xi sat beside him, slowly eating with a spoon, his movements graceful and elegant.

After eating Laba porridge, Lin Jiangshan helped Ye Xi sort peanuts in the main room, saving them as seeds for next year.

Throwing away a rotten peanut, Ye Xi smiled and said, “It seems we have extra peanuts, and we also saved some lotus seeds and chestnuts. I can make peanut milk cheese for you.”

Lin Jiangshan hadn’t tried this novelty before, and he smiled from across the table. “What is peanut milk cheese? I’ve never had it before.”

Ye Xi said, “It’s a dessert sold in shops, ten wen a bowl. I heard Chef Zhao, the wedding chef, mention the recipe, but I haven’t made it before, I don’t know if it will work.”

Lin Jiangshan always praised him. “As long as you make it, it will be good. You’re so skillful, unlike me, I can’t even cook rice.”

Mentioning this, Ye Xi’s eyes curved into a smile. “You’re truly the worst cook I’ve ever seen. Even my brother, who also can’t cook, can at least steam rice or stir-fry it with lard. The first time I saw the steamed buns you made, I thought they were stale and dried-out.”

Lin Jiangshan laughed along. “That’s why I’m so lucky. I can’t cook, but I married a husband who’s a great cook. I’ve gained weight in just half a year since we got married.”

Ye Xi scolded him playfully for his sweet words. He himself had gained a bit of weight since getting married, and his mother had even teased him about it, saying his face had become rounder.

The two sat by the window, the charcoal brazier warming the room, chatting for a long time, their affection evident. Ye Shan and Li Ran came to visit, but they were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t notice, not until Ye Shan cleared his throat at the door. Ye Xi looked up and saw his brother and sister-in-law.

“Brother, Sister-in-law, what brings you here? Did you miss me and come to visit?”

Li Ran smiled. “Look at you two, so engrossed in your conversation, we stood at the door for a while, and you didn’t even notice.”

Ye Xi quickly made space on the kang for them, brought a plate of dried fruits and nuts, and said, “These are roasted chestnuts and pumpkin seeds I made myself, roasted with salt, a good snack.”

Ye Shan gave a handful to Li Ran, who ate the soft and chewy chestnuts and smiled. “Just now, we heard you talking about cheese, steamed buns, and other things, we thought you were discussing some new dish.”

Ye Xi smiled. “We were talking about making a warm and sweet treat, I’ll let you try some when it’s done, Sister-in-law.”

Ye Shan, in a particularly good mood today, said with a smile, “Your sister-in-law has been craving all sorts of things recently.”

Before Ye Xi could react, Lin Jiangshan smiled and said, “Congratulations, Brother and Sister-in-law.”

Ye Xi looked at his husband, confused, blinking a few times, before suddenly realizing, his eyes widening in joy. “Sister-in-law, you’re pregnant!”

Ye Shan revealed a wide smile. “Yes! At first, we didn’t know, just thought she was craving food and gaining weight, but then her cravings became unusual, sour dates, spicy pickled fish, and yesterday, she even wanted to eat snow!”

Ye Xi and Lin Jiangshan laughed, and Ye Xi asked, “Did you ask the doctor to check? How far along is she?”

Ye Shan replied, “Yes, the village doctor confirmed it’s a happy occasion, two months along, she must have conceived at the end of the month she got married.”

Ye Xi covered his mouth and giggled, “Brother, you’re so capable.”

Li Ran playfully hit him, her face red. “You’re shameless!”

Lin Jiangshan was also happy. “Father-in-law and Mother-in-law must be overjoyed, they’ve been looking forward to having a grandchild.”

Ye Shan beamed with joy. “Yes, Mother said she’s saving money to have a small silver bracelet made for my child!”

Ye Xi stood up. “Since Sister-in-law is craving sweets, I can’t make peanut milk cheese today, but how about pumpkin and goat milk dumplings? They’re also sweet, soft, and chewy.”

Li Ran’s eyes lit up at the mention of it. “Can I have some later?”

Seeing her like a child craving treats, Ye Xi couldn’t help but smile. “Our goat is producing plenty of milk, I’ll go and milk it now.”

After saying that, Ye Xi left the main room, his heart filled with joy at the thought of his brother’s first child, his nephew.

The goat, having been fed pumpkins and radishes recently, was producing plenty of milk, and Ye Xi filled a whole bowl with the milky white goat milk.

Back in the kitchen, he boiled the goat milk, strained it through a cloth, and then kneaded glutinous rice flour into a dough, shaping it into small, round dumplings.

“Do you want it sweeter or with a stronger pumpkin flavor?” Ye Xi asked Li Ran, who was standing at the door.

Li Ran thought for a moment. “More pumpkin, I like it thick and creamy.”

Ye Xi went to the corner, took a pumpkin, peeled it, and steamed the orange flesh in a pot.

Li Ran sat by the stove, warming her hands by the fire, and smiled. “Your brother’s cured meat and sausages are selling well in town.”

Ye Xi rolled the small dumplings. “Sister-in-law’s cooking is excellent, much better than others’, of course they sell well. You’re both capable, you’ll definitely be able to build the fishpond next year.”

The pumpkin in the pot was steamed until soft, and he took it out, added the goat milk, and mashed them together, adding a few spoonfuls of cane sugar. He was generous with the sugar for Li Ran. Cane sugar was a rare commodity in the village, costing thirty wen per package at the shop, and the price would increase further during droughts or floods.

Therefore, every family used it sparingly, storing it away to prevent children from stealing it.

After mixing the pumpkin and goat milk, he simmered it in a small clay pot until it thickened, then added the glutinous rice dumplings, and when they were cooked, he sprinkled some dried osmanthus flowers on top.

Li Ran happily ate the sweet and creamy pumpkin and goat milk dumplings, each dumpling coated in the thick pumpkin puree, satisfying her craving.

Lin Jiangshan and Ye Shan were discussing setting up a stall at the town market during New Year’s in the main room. The New Year’s market was the largest market in the area, and people from all the surrounding villages would come to shop.

Lin Jiangshan planned to sell charcoal for a few days, and Ye Shan planned to sell the remaining half of the cured pork.

Ye Xi, hearing this, said, “I’ll go too, and sell the vegetables from our garden, and the candied winter melon. I made some more, Sister-in-law, take some home later as a snack.”

Li Ran said happily, “I won’t be polite, Xi-ge’er is so good to me.”