Chapter 159 - 159 Grat.i.tude
159 Grat.i.tude
Su Wenzhe paid close attention to his sister’s words and thought of the sheep his third uncle raised. He said happily, “Then Third Uncle won’t have to worry about selling his sheep. We can also raise some for ourselves.”
He also thought of his third uncle and asked, “Sister, did you know it’s tough to sell sheep? Third Uncle raised many sheep when he returned but had trouble selling them. He had no choice but to sell them cheaply and end up with a loss. In the end, Third Uncle decided to raise fewer sheep.”
Su Binglan listened and responded, “Sheep are great things to have, so Third Uncle should raise more sheep in the future.”
The weather would soon become cold because of winter, and Su Binglan had planned to save money to open a hotpot restaurant. She would need a lot of mutton if she wanted to do that.
Su Wenzhe said in a deep voice, “Father and Mother will be thrilled if Third Uncle can sell more sheep to improve his family’s living conditions. He was an excellent chef in the past, and his family’s conditions were good. He and his wife treated us well and would often send us a portion of the delicious food he made.
“In the past, whenever we went to borrow money from him, he would oblige without saying a word. However, his family’s conditions have worsened. It would be great if we could support him by buying his sheep.”
In that era, everyone treated fifteen-year-olds as adults because they matured quicker. The Su family always knew how to repay one’s kindness, so Su Wenzhe remembered how well his third uncle treated them in the past.
Su Binglan patted her brother’s shoulder and said, “Things will get better for Third Uncle’s family. It’s just that his cooking skills are exceptional, so why did he stop?”
Su Wenzhe shook his head. “I don’t know either. Third Uncle didn’t say anything when he returned from Beijing. Still, he looked distraught. Though, his wife has a good personality. She took all her savings to buy a few sheep to raise and sell.
“Fortunately, Cousin Wenchi has a wife and child, so Third Uncle and his wife won’t have to worry too much. Still, Wenchi is only 16, and his parents wanted to prepare a wedding for him.”
Su Binglan asked, “What does Wenchi do?”
Su Wenzhe replied, “He just does farming while helping his parents look after the sheep. Previously, Third Uncle even taught him how to cook because he wanted his son to have some skills. However, he stopped teaching Wenchi when he returned from Beijing.”
After some thought, Su Binglan said, “Third Uncle must’ve experienced something terrible out there. He probably stopped teaching Wenchi because he wanted to protect his son. One must live well before doing other things.”
Su Wenzhe could not figure it out, no matter how much he thought. “Third Uncle is such a kindhearted person. What terrible thing could he have experienced?”
Su Binglan already guessed what had happened. She said, “Things are complicated out there, and there are many things you are unaware of. You also mentioned that Third Uncle has excellent cooking skills, right? Perhaps some were jealous of him.”
Su Wenzhe’s face turned pale when he heard that. “Do you mean to say someone harmed Third Uncle? Then why didn’t he say anything when he returned?”
Liu Yinyin was on the sidelines as she replied, “He didn’t say anything because he wanted to protect everyone. My father once told me that pursuing wisdom could lead to dangers. Some things are better left unknown.”
Su Binglan looked at her sister-in-law and said smilingly, “You’re right, Yinyin.”
Liu Yinyin was excited when Su Binglan looked at her admiringly. She felt that her sister valued her.
Su Binglan looked at the mutton bones and said, “Big Brother, the bones are ready. Wash them and put them into the pot.”
“Okay.”
Then she pointed at one of the ingredients and said, “That is known as mutton offal.”
Su Wenzhe looked at the ingredient and was surprised. “Litter Sister, aren’t we supposed to throw that away?” He did not even realize it was mutton offal because his sister had washed it clean.
Su Binglan said, “That’s a good part of the sheep. It tastes good after cleaning it.”
Liu Yinyin said from the sidelines, “If Binglan says it’s a good thing, I will believe her. So, the dish’s name is haggis soup because there’s offal in it. Also, most ate bark and tree roots during the famine, so why not eat these parts instead?”
Su Binglan revealed a surprised expression when she heard her sister-in-law’s words. She gave Liu Yinyin a thumbs up and said, “Sister-in-law, in time, you will be better than Big Brother.”
Liu Yinyin seemed gentle, but she was tough on the inside. She was also intelligent, flexible, and quickly understood many things.
She smiled embarra.s.sedly and said, “I will work hard, Binglan.”
Meanwhile, Su Wenzhe felt conflicted as he did not want to lose out to his wife. He felt he needed to see and learn as much as possible. He would quickly ask if there were things he did not know.
“I will work hard too, Little Sister!”
Su Binglan saw how enthusiastic the couple was and was happy for them.
She continued to teach them how to make haggis soup. Next, she told Su Wenzhe to boil the soup with its ingredients and skim the oil and sc.u.m on the surface.
Su Binglan looked at the haggis soup and thought of making duck blood fans noodles. However, there were no fans in that era, and she needed them to make that dish.
She had sweet potatoes in her pocket dimension and could make some, but she was too busy. Instead, she thought taking things one step at a time would be better.
After boiling the soup, Su Binglan scooped out the bones and put them in with the washed haggis. Then she turned down the fire to medium heat.
Big Brother, you don’t need to skimp when making haggis soup. You can add a little mutton too. Don’t forget to add salt, scallions, and ginger too. Also, these are the garnishes I had prepared.
“You can leave them in the shop, so the customers can add some if they want. I prepared some chilly flakes, green onions, and coriander.”
Liu Yinyin sighed as she smelled the food. “It’s so fragrant!”
Su Binglan tasted the dish, added more spiritual spring water, and it tasted even better. “Try some, you two.”
Su Wenzhe’s eyes lit up when he tasted the soup. “Whoa, it tastes so fresh. I feel all warm inside after drinking the soup.”
Liu Yinyin added, “There’s also the chewy mutton offal. I like the texture.”
Su Binglan said smilingly, “Since the weather is cold, everyone will feel warm after drinking this soup. Then you can have a pancake for dessert.”
She looked at the noodles and continued, “The noodles have dried. Now we can proceed to the next step.”
Su Wenzhe and his wife could not care less about eating as they hurriedly did what Su Binglan said. Still, the sesame buns were not ready yet.
“Flatten the dough until it’s thin after it has risen. Now, spread the sesame seeds on top.”
Su Wenzhe followed his sister’s instructions and flattened the dough. He rolled it up and spread oil on it. Then he cut the dough into small pieces to bake them.
The fire released the pastry’s fragrance and even aroused Su Binglan’s appet.i.te. She had not eaten such a snack in a long while and missed its taste.
When they were almost done baking the pastries, Su Binglan removed them from the stove.
Meanwhile, Liu Yinyin glued her eyes onto the pastries, wishing she could take a bite and taste them.