Chapter 61 - Awake (2/2)

Since the dumplings that they had eaten during the New Year, the Yu Family’s meals had only consisted of coarse grain. Not only were the meals unfulfilling, but there also wasn’t even a trace of oil in them. For Little Shitou who had secretly improved his meals from time to time before the New Year, he was already very happy to be able to eat some noodles made from a mixture of bean flour and wheat flour.

Madam Zhang, who was basking in the sun in the yard after breakfast, smelled the scent of lard and rushed into the kitchen. She swiftly took down the basket, carefully inspected the palm-sized bacon, and glanced in the pot. When she didn’t find anything wrong, she purposely shouted, “Do you need to make so much noodles for a bowl of noodles? You bunch of spendthrifts are going to deplete all our family’s resources!”

Xiaocao pointed at the bean noodles on the chopping board and said, “It’s my first time making noodles, so I didn’t get a good grasp of the quantity. But I made the noodles with half bean flour and half wheat flour. So, I didn’t use a lot of the wheat flour!”

Madam Zhang picked up the small bag of flour and saw that there was still some wheat flour inside. Moreover, the noodles were yellow and smelled like beans, so she grumbled as she put the basket back and left.

When the water in the pot boiled, Yu Xiaocao scattered the noodles into the pot and cracked two eggs inside. She covered the pot with the lid and simmered it on low heat for a while. It was ready to be served when the noodles became soft and sticky.

Yu Xiaolian and Little Shitou looked at each other. Little Shitou couldn’t bear to look at the soggy noodles and asked in a low voice, “Is it slightly overcooked?”

Xiaocao filled a bowl for the little guy, and then suggested with a smile, “Try it. How’s your sister’s cooking?”

Little Shitou blew on the noodles and took in a mouthful. He dark eyes instantly lit up as he chewed it in his mouth. In spite of the heat, he swiftly ate another mouthful. While he ate, he also mumbled words of praise, “Delicious! It’s really delicious! It’s even tastier than the plain wheat noodles that I have eaten in the past!”

Xiaocao picked up another radish with good moisture level and cut it into thin strips to make a cold dish. Bean noodles didn’t need to be served with rich side dishes. Cold shredded radish [2] or spicy cold cabbage [3] were the best complements.

Xiaocao added another spoonful of bean noodles to Little Shitou’s bowl, and then filled a bowl for herself and Xiaolian. They swiftly began devouring the noodles in the kitchen. The bean noodles and side dish were made with simple and incomplete ingredients. However, with Xiaocao’s cooking skills and the enhancement of the mystic-stone water, the three kids ate until they nearly swallowed their own tongues.

When Madam Li smelled the aroma and came over with her son, the siblings had already eaten most of the bean noodles, leaving only a large bowl for their father. They had even finished washing the bowls already.

“You two damned brats, you must be secretly eating in the kitchen. Is there anymore? Take it out and give your Brother Heizi a bowl!” Madam Li opened the pot and stared at the bowl of bean noodles with a covetous gaze.

“No, there’s a limited amount of flour at home. Grandfather told us to make a bowl for our father, so we won’t dare to make more. Won’t Grandmother skin us, if we did? Look, there’s only one bowl. Shitou was already salivating, but he still didn’t dare to take a bite!” Yu Xiaocao had an expression that said ‘if you don’t believe me, then see for yourself’.

Madam Li didn’t believe her and looked everywhere in the kitchen. When she didn’t find anything, she stared at the only bowl of bean noodles, “Your father just woke up after a serious injury. He won’t have any appetite to eat so much. Divide it in half and give it to her Brother Heizi…” As she spoke, she was about to pick up the bowl to divide the noodles.

Yu Xiaocao quickly picked up the noodles and ran towards the entrance of the kitchen, while shouting, “My father hasn’t eaten anything for five days. Eating more can help him recover faster… Grandfather, Grandfather! Brother Heizi wants to steal the noodles that we made for our father—”

Seeing that Heizi wanted to grab the bowl in her hands, Yu Xiaocao ran and screamed towards the yard. Heizi wasn’t afraid of anyone, but he feared Grandfather’s glare the most. He was so afraid that he hastily withdrew his hands and allowed Xiaocao to slip away under his nose.

Old Yu usually mended the fishing nets in the courtyard at this time. Yu Xiaocao, who ran out of the kitchen, knew that Madam Li and son didn’t dare to brazenly take the noodles from her in the yard. She glanced back at him proudly, and then went back to her room with the bowl of noodles.

Inside the room, Madam Liu was feeding Xiaocao’s father water with a spoon. Yu Hai’s face was flushed, and he clearly still had a high fever. He moved closer to Madam Liu’s hand and slowly drank the mystic-stone water. Madam Liu carefully wiped off the water that had seeped from the corner of his mouth. Her thin and pale face was full of tenderness. The two of them sat face to face silently and glanced at one another from time to time, as if they were the only ones left in the world…

For a moment, Xiaocao felt that interrupting them was an unforgivable sin. Madam Liu was the first one to notice her arrival. Her eyes were filled with shock when she saw the bowl of noodles in Xiaocao’s hands. In the past, if anyone in their second branch missed a meal, they would had had to starve until the next meal. There had never been a time in which they were allowed to cook again. This big bowl of oily and savory noodles obviously wasn’t something they ate for breakfast…

Xiaolian saw the doubt within her mother’s eyes and laughed, “Grandfather heard that Father was awake, so he allowed us to make this. Xiaocao had deliberately made more. Mother can also eat some!”

Although some bean flour was added into the bean noodles, it was still mostly made of wheat flour. Moreover, it also had a rare trace of oil in it. So, of course, Madam Liu was reluctant to eat it and wanted to give some to her children to eat.

[1]

Bean noodles

[2]

Cold shredded radish

[3]

Spicy cold cabbage