Tu Mingcheng went home today, intending only to see Zeng Min and then bring up divorce with Wu Xinxin, but things didn't go smoothly!

We need to think about it more carefully about how to get Wu Xinxin to take the initiative to divorce her husband before she can reveal her feelings to Zeng Min.

Tu Mingcheng would stay in the mountains for three or four days at a time, and when he was in a better mood, he would go hunting.

At noon that day, the sun was shining brightly and a gentle breeze was blowing. Zeng Min sat in her courtyard enjoying the cool air. A gust of wind blew by, bringing a slight chill.

Zeng Min leaned back in her chair, staring blankly at the sky, her eyes lifeless.

"I wonder if Xiao Anlin went to his great-aunt's house again..." Zeng Min murmured to herself.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Zeng Min stood up in confusion, walked to the door, and opened it.

Her mother stood outside the door, holding a dozen or so eggs wrapped in straw, with a bright smile on her face.

"You girl... you're so idle at home that you don't even go back to your parents' house to see them," Zeng's mother complained.

Zeng Min smiled when she saw her, "What brings you here?"

Mother Zeng walked into the courtyard, looked around, and nodded in satisfaction at the clean yard.

"I was just worried about you! If you won't come to see us two old fogies, can't I come to see you?"

Zeng Min: "Hehe, no, I've been busy lately. I was planning to visit you guys in a few days."

“Who knew I wouldn’t come?” Mother Zeng said in her local dialect.

Zeng Min stepped forward, took Zeng's mother's arm, and led her to sit under the eaves by the door to rest and escape the shade.

"Mom, you sit here and rest. I'll go cook for you."

Mother Zeng waved her hand: "No need, I'll eat at home. I just came to see you. You haven't been back to your parents' home since your divorce from Luo Qicai. I thought you were embarrassed. Shouldn't you come and visit?"

As she spoke, Zeng's mother rolled her eyes at her, "What, do you still have any shame? You know you're too embarrassed to go back?"

"I'm not that embarrassed. There are plenty of wild vegetables and mushrooms around these days, so I wanted to pick a lot, dry them, and store them. I'll go back when I'm less busy!" As she spoke, she remembered that her mother hadn't eaten yet.

"Wait a minute, I'll cook for you. You've come all this way, so let's have a good meal," Zeng Min said as she went into the kitchen to start a fire and cook.

When Zeng Min went to cook, Zeng's mother followed her into the kitchen to help.

"Anlinle, where did you go? I've been here for ages and haven't seen him. Tell him to come back so I can take a look. I'm going back this afternoon."

"Mom, you've come all this way, why don't you just stay here for the night and go back tomorrow morning?"

Upon hearing this, Zeng's mother pursed her lips and said, "If I stay here for the night, your father and your brothers will probably not have any food tonight! I have to go back this afternoon to cook for them."

Zeng's mother was destined to worry. She felt that the family couldn't function without her. If she wasn't home, the three men in the house couldn't keep up.

Zeng Min did not refute it; Zeng's mother's reaction was within expectations.

Zeng Min isn't very good at cooking; all she can do is boil everything, the only difference being whether there's oil or not. Since Zeng's mother is coming home today, there must have been oil in the water.

Heat the pan, add oil, then add water, then add vegetables. Once the vegetables are cooked, add salt, then serve in a bowl. Make a dipping sauce, and it's perfect.

Looking at the oily soup in the bowl, I immediately felt hungry. Only when my mother came would she be given the privilege of adding oil.

It's been so hot these past few days that Anlin and I have been boiling vegetables in plain water, making a dipping sauce, and stir-frying another dish. One vegetable and one meat dish is all we need for a meal. If we're feeling a bit better, we'll add some oil to make mushroom soup. It's simple, but delicious.

"Mom, I have mushrooms, houttuynia cordata and cured pork here. I don't know how to cook them, and they won't taste good. Why don't you cook them? I also have some pork cracklings. You can use them to stir-fry the mushrooms. They'll definitely taste good."

As Zeng Min spoke, she went up to the attic of the room to get the mushrooms she had picked yesterday, washed them, and asked her mother to stir-fry them.

Zeng's mother's cooking is delicious, but Zeng Min's cooking just doesn't taste as good when she uses the same steps.

"Okay, I'll cook it. You go find Anlin and bring him back for dinner. I'll have it cooked by the time you guys come back."

"Okay, I'll go then."

He ran off as soon as he finished speaking. When Zeng Min and her son returned, Zeng's mother had already set out the meal in the main room, waiting for them to come back so they could eat.

Zeng Min looked at the fried mushrooms with pork cracklings, the boiled lotus root, and the stir-fried cured pork with houttuynia cordata on the table and swallowed her saliva.

Turning around, she saw Anlin still dawdling behind her and called out, "Anlin, come eat! Grandma's here, come and greet her. We should be polite children!"

Hearing Zeng Min's call, An Lin quickened his pace.

He ran to his grandmother's side and called out in his childish voice, "Hello, Grandma!"

His mother smiled and patted his head, saying, "My dear grandson, come and eat."

The three sat around the table and began to enjoy the sumptuous lunch. Zeng's mother picked up a piece of stir-fried mushroom and put it in Anlin's bowl, saying, "Eat more, so you can grow tall."

Anlin happily started eating, saying, "Thank you, Grandma." Zeng Min felt her heart soften as she looked at Anlin's adorable appearance.

After dinner, Zeng's mother and Zeng Min chatted for a while. As the sun was setting, they had to go back. Zeng Min asked Zeng's mother to wait a moment while she went to get the mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and houttuynia cordata she had picked over the past few days to take back with her.

When Zeng's mother saw this, she said, "These are all over the hillside. I'll pick them when I have time. You can keep them for yourself!"

"Aren't you busy? You have to go to work when you get home, but I don't have to work. By the time you have time to pick them, they'll all be gone."

And these bamboo shoots, I dug up a lot, and I dried some of them and stored them away.

"Take this bag back and pickle some bamboo shoots. Once they're done, bring me some over. I want to eat your pickled bamboo shoots." Zeng Min said, unable to resist being coquettish.

"Alright, I'll take it back then. I'll bring it to you after I've pickled the bamboo shoots. And how did you dry these bamboo shoots? Do you know how? Do you want me to teach you?" Zeng's mother was clearly worried about Zeng Min.

"Mom, don't worry. If I don't know how, I'll go next door and ask my aunt. You can go now, but it will be dark by then and you won't be able to see the road." Zeng Min was afraid that her mother would nag her anymore, so she urged her to hurry home before the sun went down, otherwise it would be dangerous to walk in the dark.

After muttering a few words, Zeng's mother took her leave and went home.

After seeing Zeng's mother off, Zeng Min cleaned up the dishes and, while she was still able to see, washed her feet and face before going to bed.

Over the next few days, she took Anlin to pick mushrooms in the nearby mountains. She wanted to take advantage of the abundance of food on the mountain and pick more wild vegetables, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots to dry and store as provisions.

On her way home after picking mushrooms, Zeng Min ran into Aunt Li from the same village.

"Xiaomin, where did you take Anlin?" Aunt Li asked.

"Hello Aunt Li, I went up the mountain and picked some wild vegetables," Zeng Min replied.

"Oh, these wild vegetables are so fresh!" Aunt Li exclaimed. "By the way, Xiaomin, I heard from Aunt Lu that you have some extra cloth. My Chunhua is getting married, but we don't have any cloth coupons. Can I bring some grain and eggs to your house to exchange for cloth?"

Zeng Min nodded, "Okay, there's not much left. I'll just exchange it for you and that'll be all."

“Okay!” Aunt Li said, “Then thank you, Aunt Li.”

Zeng Min smiled but didn't say anything. Anyway, she had plenty of clothes and didn't know how to make them, so she could exchange them for food.

After returning home, Zeng Min dried the mushrooms in the yard.

Looking at the innocent and adorable Anlin, her heart was filled with happiness. Although life was simple and ordinary, she felt content with it.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like