A Small Farmer Girl 's Story of Making a Fortune by Farming

57

There was charcoal burning in the small clay stove. Wind blew through the crack in the door into the main room, making the charcoal in the stove flicker.

　　The bottom of the small clay pot on the stove had been burnt black. The radish and pork ribs stewed in the clay pot were bubbling.

　　In the small vegetable basket beside the stove are washed spinach and chrysanthemum. Anyang people like to blanch fresh vegetables when eating hotpot, which is fresh and refreshing.

　　"It's so comfortable to eat such a hot pot in winter." Old man Shen's face flushed. He put down his wine glass and smacked his lips, feeling quite emotional.

　　Shen Yao scooped a spoonful of stewed radish soup, poured it on the rice, and stirred it with chopsticks, nodding slightly in agreement with Old Man Shen as he stirred.

　　"Speaking of pots, when I was still a girl in my parents' home, there was a wealthy family in the town. When their son got married, there was a pot at the banquet."

　　Zhang Chunxiang swallowed all the rice in her mouth and continued, "I don't know where that rich man got the connection to get so much beef. There was a dish of braised beef with pickled vegetables at the banquet that day. It tasted fragrant and spicy, and it was really delicious."

　　Zhang Chunxiang was about to say something when she heard someone knocking on the door. She quickly put down her chopsticks and stood up to open the door.

　　"Oh, Auntie San is just having lunch now? It's really unfortunate that I came here."

　　Niu Er's wife said this, and casually put the cloth bag she brought on the bamboo couch, and said, "The crabapple trees in the yard have produced a lot of fruits this year. I picked some and brought them for Hongmei and the others to eat and play with."

"Why are you being so polite? Just keep it for yourself. It's a waste to give it to Hongmei and the others!" Mrs. Wu said politely and modestly, but rolled her eyes secretly.

　　As the saying goes, one never visits a master without a reason. Niu Er's wife has never been generous, so how could she be so kind as to send food to her grandchildren?

　　Even if they had something to ask for, no one would give them crabapple. The fruit was sour and a little astringent, and none of her children liked to eat it.

　　Mrs. Wu complained about Niu Er's wife's stinginess. Niu Er's wife stared at the steaming pot and swallowed her saliva. While swallowing her saliva, she muttered in her heart, thinking that the whole family was eating, why didn't they ask her to come to the table and eat some more, she really didn't know etiquette. She could see clearly that there was still a lot of meat on the bones of the stewed radish in the casserole. If she took a bite of it, it would be so delicious.

　　But since the host didn't invite her to the table, she was naturally too embarrassed to take the initiative to eat for free, and said a little embarrassedly: "On the sixth day of next month, my nephew from my mother's family will get married. I came here today to shamelessly ask my third aunt for some sweet potatoes to add a dish to my nephew's banquet."

　　Hearing this, Mrs. Wu almost spit out a mouthful of rice.

　　Niu Er's wife is really shameless.

　　Niu Er's family didn't have a deep relationship with the Shen family. What did her nephew's marriage have to do with the Shen family? If she wanted to use yams to add a dish to her nephew's banquet, she could just buy it from the Shen family. Maybe because it was for a wedding, Mrs. Wu would sell it half and give it away. But Niu Er's wife was different. She came up and asked for it.