Chapter 590 - 589: Farmer’s Wife 18
Chen Xi smiled. "I guess so. If Tuantuan wants to make cured meat, then let’s do it. It’s not like we’re busy at home anyway."
It was true they weren’t busy at home. Since Tan You usually had to be at the workshop, she had no time to clean the house. So, a group of aunties in the village had spontaneously organized a team to go door-to-door, cleaning for people.
It was like a rudimentary housekeeping service. As long as a household paid a small fee in silver coins, the women would clean the place until it was spotless.
As a result, with no chores to do at home, Tan You and the children had more free time.
So now, the children were busy making cured meat while Tan You carried two large pig heads into the kitchen. She was usually too busy; when would she have had time to make braised dishes?
Now that she finally had some free time, and with the New Year approaching, Tan You decided to make something a little different.
As the aroma of the braising liquid grew richer, the children’s movements slowed. Chen Yue’s mouth watered. "I wonder what delicious thing Mother is making now. I’ve never smelled anything like it."
Chen Xi tapped on the wooden basin. "Hurry up and spread the marinade. No slacking."
Chen Xing, squatting beside Chen Xi, mimicked her, "No slacking!"
Chen Yue glared. "Yuanyuan!"
Chen Xing blinked. "Second Sister, the sooner we finish, the sooner we can go find Mother."
All eyes turned to Chen Yue. She lowered her head and went back to rubbing marinade on the pork. "Alright, alright, I’m doing it! Big Sister, you’re becoming more and more like Mother."
Nothing made Chen Xi happier than being told she was like Tan You. A smile tugged at her lips, but she tried to keep a straight face. "I’m her daughter, so it’s only natural I’d resemble her. Besides, I’d be more than satisfied if I could learn just a fraction of what she knows."
"So modest," Tan You said, emerging from the kitchen. She casually patted Chen Xi’s hair bun. "Later, you all need to take a holiday gift to Mr. Liu. He puts his heart and soul into teaching you, so you must know how to be grateful."
"We understand," Chen Yue said, looking up at Tan You. "Mother, can we give some of the meat you just made to Mr. Liu?"
Tan You shot her a look. "You can. Though I suspect it’s not Mr. Liu who’s craving meat, but you."
Chen Yue giggled and snuggled up to Tan You, wheedling, "Mother, your cooking is the most delicious! You’re the very best mother in the whole world..."
Tan You gently pushed her away and widened her eyes in mock severity. "You little flatterer. Get back to work. If you don’t finish, you don’t get any lunch."
She wasn’t the type of parent to do all the work herself. Since it was Chen Yue’s idea, it was up to Chen Yue and the other children to complete it. Tan You might help, but she refused to shoulder the bulk of the work.
For instance, she was helping them right now by offering moral support.
Sitting under the eaves with two small puppies in her arms, Tan You watched the four children toiling away, a smile touching her eyes. ’To this day, I still don’t really like children, even though these ones are quite well-behaved.’
’In her heart, Tan You still didn’t much like being around little ones. The only reason she was raising them was to fulfill her client’s wish.’
’Speaking of which, she’d previously asked Xue Guanglin to inquire about Chen Cui’s whereabouts, but so far, there hadn’t been any real leads. As for this kid, An Wen... it wouldn’t be impossible for him to stay with them forever, but his origins really needed to be investigated thoroughly.’
’Since she couldn’t find any news about Chen Cui in town, Tan You prepared to widen the search. Come to think of it, the Beauty System had been off gallivanting for a while now. Maybe she should send it out to do some digging?’
As evening fell, the braised dishes were finally ready. Tan You lifted out the pork head and deftly deboned it.
She sliced off half the meat, wrapped it in oil paper, and said, "Take this to Mr. Liu. Come right back for dinner after you’ve delivered it."
"Okay, we’ll be back very soon!" Except for the youngest, Chen Xing, the other three children each carried a holiday gift and set off for Mr. Liu’s house. They walked with a spring in their step; after all, they were eager to get back home to eat the meat.
When the children arrived at Mr. Liu’s house, his elderly mother was in the middle of preparing dinner. Seeing the braised meat that Chen Xi and the others had brought, the old woman broke into a wide, gummy smile.
Mr. Liu smiled gently. "Then please give my thanks to Ms. Tan. I’ll gladly accept the gift. Will you be staying for dinner?"
Chen Yue replied in a bright voice, "Mr. Liu, our mother is waiting for us at home, so we won’t impose any longer. Goodbye, Mr. Liu."
Chen Xi and An Wen chimed in, "We wish you a happy New Year in advance, Mr. Liu. We’ll be heading back now."
As soon as the children were out of earshot, the old woman smiled. "You’re forty this year, and that lady isn’t even thirty..."
Hearing his mother’s words, Mr. Liu nearly jumped out of his skin. "Mother, you absolutely mustn’t say things like that! Is Ms. Tan someone a person like me could even think about? If word of this gets out, we won’t be able to stay in this village."
"Fine, I won’t say it. I won’t mention it again." The old woman knew what was at stake. The lady was the pillar of the Chen clan. Even if she were to marry, she would surely choose one of her own clansmen. How could she possibly choose an outsider?
Mr. Liu was still uneasy. "You must never say that again. I’m truly intimidated by the lady."
"Alright, I absolutely won’t say another word." Although the old woman thought her son was a wonderful catch, they were ultimately living on the Chen clan’s land. She knew what could and could not be said.
Mr. Liu relaxed, though only slightly. "Let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s eat. Our lives now are so much better than they were before."
The old woman agreed. "That’s true. Before, when you were in town writing letters for people, the work was never steady. It’s nothing like now. You teach the children every day, we have no worries about food or drink, and I even have time to grow some vegetables."
Of course, no one in the Chen household knew about the conversation between Mr. Liu and his mother. The three children raced home like a whirlwind. Dinner was just ready when they arrived. Besides the tender, flavorful braised pork head, there was also sauerkraut stewed with ribs and a dish of stir-fried greens.
Although there weren’t many fresh vegetables in winter, now that every household had a heated kang-bed, people could also grow a few vegetables indoors, like bok choy and chives, or sprout some beans.
Chen Yue, the biggest foodie of the bunch, sniffed the air the moment she entered the kitchen. "Mother, your cooking smells amazing."
Tan You looked at her energetic display. "It’s not enough just to enjoy eating. To know how to eat *and* know how to cook, now that’s what’s truly impressive. If you learn to cook for yourself, you’ll be able to satisfy your own cravings."
Chen Yue poked her cheek. "Alright, then I’ll learn from you over the New Year holiday, Mother. I have to learn to be good at both eating and cooking."
Tan You smiled. ’If Chen Yue actually learns, I can hand over the kitchen duties to her.’
At dinner, each of the children held a large bone, gnawing away until their little faces shone with grease. They had never imagined that they would one day live like this.
They had their fill at every meal, ate meat almost every other day, and had new clothes and even spending money. Instead of following their elders to toil in the fields, the only thing they had to do was study hard.
Compared to before, their life now felt like heaven.