.
Li Xianglu had attended classes with her third brother for two consecutive days. Initially, Ge Sanmei tried to stop them, citing either too much housework or the clichéd argument that a young girl shouldn't bother studying. However, for reasons unknown, she stopped objecting in the subsequent days and even reminded them to come back early from literacy class every day. This gave Li Xianglu goosebumps - such a reaction from a person like Ge Sanmei was terrifying.
Li Xianglu would never believe that she suddenly had an epiphany to treat her daughter kindly.
By mid-November, heavy snow fell, blanketing the entire Northern Guanzhong in snow. Li Xianglu, a northerner from her previous life, was accustomed to snow, but she had never witnessed snow this intense or white. She joyfully played outside with Li Jianqing for quite a while, almost missing the time to start cooking. Surprisingly, Ge Sanmei wasn't angry but instead fired up the stove and boiled a large pot of water, brought out some flour, and fetched a piece of cured meat hanging outside to make meat Saozi Noodles for lunch.
Li Jianqing was thrilled about eating Saozi Noodles. Li Xianglu felt uneasy thinking something was off recently. Ge Sanmei had started being unusually friendly from the second day after returning from the commune. Having meat dishes at home was already the third time in a row; during her half-year here, they only had meat twice during the busy farming seasons. It had been three times in just this half month alone, which was highly suspicious!
However puzzled she was internally, she didn't show it on her face but became even more alert.
Li Xianglu originally didn't know how to roll dough, but after observing a few times, she learned it. Yet, with her limited strength, rolling needed someone with more force; the dough was harder, blended with some alkaline, then rolled extremely thin using a rolling pin, finely sliced with a sharp knife, bestowed upon it potato and cabbage dices with cured meat Saozi, allowing Li Xianglu to enjoy a big delicious bowl.
During these times, rural meals tasted wonderfully sweet, free from preservatives, with pigs grown for a whole year having a firm quality of meat, not comparable to the feed-grown pigs from her past life.
The Li family had a dedicated cutting board, especially made by a carpenter for rolling out dough. In Guanzhong, hosting guests often involved serving noodle dishes as a highly valued gesture of hospitality, hence almost every household had a rolling board.
Li Xianglu secretly added a few handfuls of flour from her space, kneaded the somewhat darkened flour together, then covered it with a pottery basin to let it rise. Meanwhile, she washed all the potatoes and cabbage that Ge Sanmei had dug out from the vegetable cellar, and finely chopped a piece of fat-rich cured meat.
As Li Jianqing fueled the fire, noticing his sister had nearly finished preparing, he quickly washed his hands and came to roll out the dough following his sister's guidance.
The strength of a boy really made a difference; two lumps of dough quickly turned into paper-thin wraps. Li Xianglu folded the dough, finely cut it, and only then wiped off her sweat, sorting the noodles into heaps as another stove was already heated up.
A few days earlier, their aunt had brought back a can containing about two taels of peanut oil from the commune. Ge Sanmei stored it in a glass jar, carefully placing a chicken drumstick bone inside, wrapped in a gauze, instructing that the gauze was only to be used to grease the pan's perimeter during major cooking events, otherwise a drop was the most to be used.
Today should count as a major meal; eating Saozi Noodles without much oil wouldn't taste good. Li Xianglu, holding the chicken bone wrapped in gauze, smeared the oil on the iron pot which immediately shimmered.
With little oil, it heated up quickly, and she hurriedly stirred in the chopped spicy meat. The Saozi was prepared quickly; after stir-frying, she just needed to add water, along with a large spoonful of chili powder and a bit of vinegar.
While the Saozi was boiling, Li Xianglu swiftly started putting noodles into the pot heated up by Li Jianqing.
The noodles were added in several batches as the Li Family members gradually came in. Li Jianwen, visibly five months pregnant, entered alone with sleep still in the corners of her eyes, looking eagerly at the pot of Saozi with a glint in her eyes. Li Xianglu frowned, she really couldn't stand Li Jianhong who was filthy, fearing she might reach into the pot to pick out meat to eat. This person never washed her hands after using the toilet, god knows how dirty she could be.
Li Xianglu's guess was about right, just as she saw Li Jianhong's hand reaching towards the bubbling soup to try to pick out a piece of meat from the edge, Li Jianqing quickly poked her with the fire stick he was holding. Startled, Li Jianhong hurriedly stepped back, angrily chastised: "Third brother, what are you doing? You almost burned me."
Li Jianqing lazily said, "Big sister, why are you here again? There's no need to always come back home. Besides, you just used the toilet and didn't even wash your hands before reaching into the pot for food. Isn't that disgusting? Are you planning to dirty the Saozi and eat it all yourself?"
Li Jianhong was so angry that she was about to scold him when she saw Ge Sanmei come in with a cold face.
Li Erfu glanced at his eldest daughter-in-law and sighed. Before her marriage, she was lazy and greedy, but thankfully she had been behaving okay at the Yuan family for these three years. Yet, ever since she got pregnant, she totally reverted to her behavior before marriage.
Li Erfu came out holding a basin and washed his hands; Ge Sanmei also washed her hands consecutively, the noodles were ready, Ge Sanmei started ladling them, first ladled a bowl full of noodles, topped heavily with Saozi, then added a bit of soup. It was almost like dry-mixed Saozi Noodles. Of course, the first bowl was taken by Li Jianqing to the west room for Li Jianwen.
Li Jianqing frowned and stubbornly said, "I'm not going. Second Brother acts like an elder every day, even more pretentious than Daddy, always has to be served in his room. I won't go. If he doesn't want to eat, fine."
Ge Sanmei was about to explode in anger, but then she saw Li Erfu's face darken, he muttered, "I'll divide the noodles," and turned his head, exiting the kitchen to deliver food to his beloved son.
Li Xianglu shook her head slightly, scooped the remaining noodles into the basin and continued cooking.
Soon, Ge Sanmei came in hurriedly from outside, relieved to see no one had taken their own noodles yet, she quickly picked up the basin, the remaining noodles barely filled one bowl, she ladled it with soup and vegetables for Li Erfu and sent it over. The noodles cooked quickly, and it was up to Ge Sanmei to distribute them. Li Jianhong, receiving her noodles, immediately complained, "Mom, the Yuan family really doesn't care about me. I'm pregnant and yet these days, there's not even cornbread at home. I've been craving it badly recently, please give me more."
Ge Sanmei gave a dark look, but upon seeing her daughter's pregnant belly, she rolled her eyes and said, "Wait, I'll give you half a bowl more."
Li Xianglu finished cooking all the noodles and, too tired, sat down on a nearby stool. At this moment, Li Jianqing came up with his bowl, smiling, "Sis, you've really made delicious Saozi."
Li Xianglu squinted and smiled, thinking to herself, of course it's delicious, it had spice mixes from another dimension, and I even added a bouillon cube.
Ge Sanmei weighed out more than half a bowl of noodles then poured some clear soup over them, hesitated for a moment then scooped some vegetables from the bottom of the pot onto it before handing it over.
Li Xianglu was a bit startled, her treatment suddenly improved so much? Li Jianhong hastily stuffed her mouth with food but noticed that her younger sister-in-law's bowl had a lot of meaty Saozi. With her mouth full, she complained, "Mom is too biased, why give sister so much meat? I'm pregnant, and yet mom doesn't give me more."
Li Xianglu, seeing Li Jianhong spitting food as she spoke, frowned in disgust and sat down away from Li Erfu. Li Erfu, having finished eating, stood up and checked the cutting board, asking, "Is there any noodles left? Take a bowl up to the child's grandmother."
Ge Sanmei's face instantly darkened and, facing Li Jianhong, she scolded, "Humph, even eating can't keep your mouth shut. If you don't like it, scram, go back to the Yuan family! See if your mother-in-law will make you Saozi Noodles!" Ge Sanmei did not directly answer Li Erfu's question but continued scolding Li Jianhong.
Li Erfu, seeing the situation, sighed and left the kitchen.
Seeing this, Ge Sanmei turned her head and rolled her eyes, paying no heed.
At last, Li Jianhong did receive half a bowl of noodles, it seemed Ge Sanmei was in a good mood. However, the chore of washing dishes fell to Li Jianhong; Ge Sanmei had just walked away.
After finishing their meal, Li Xianglu and Li Jianqing planned to go to the eastern room to study. Li Jianhong yelled a few times, but Li Xianglu and the others ignored her. Li Jianqing even threatened that if Li Jianhong didn't wash the dishes properly, he would call Mom back.
After all, in Ge Sanmei's eyes, Li Jianqing's status was much higher than Li Jianhong's.