Chapter 18 TGBW

FlamingoBees

Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)

Chapter 18:

Cold Noodles ・The Weather was Scorching Hot

After a few days passed without anyone from the Luo family visiting, Lou Jian Jia didn't think much about it anymore. It was probably not the arrival of the businessman Liu, but rather someone inquiring about business.

As the weather grew hotter day by day, Lou Jian Jia felt her undergarments soaked with sweat upon returning from the docks. After returning home, she boiled some water and cleaned herself up in her room, changing into fresh clothes before coming out again.

Looking at the cucumbers in the courtyard, Lou Jian Jia thought of a particular dish. However, preparing it was quite troublesome, and it would have to wait until evening to be enjoyed.

Today, Lou Jian Jia delegated the cooking task to Madam Zhao, while she herself went to the kitchen to scoop some flour. She added some cold water to it, kneading it into dough before placing it in a basin, covering it, and letting it rest for about two quarters of an hour. During this time, she kneaded it several times.

Afterward, she began washing the dough in cold water to extract the white starch. She continued washing until the gluten in her hands felt firm and the water turned clear.

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Next, she set aside the washed dough water to settle.

Madam Zhao, curious about Lou Jian Jia's peculiar actions, asked, "Sister-in-law, what were you doing just now?"

Lou Jian Jia replied, "Making a type of food."

"Huh? Food? How do you eat this?" Madam Zhao looked at the strange gluten dough in the plate and then at the bowl of dough water. "Can you eat it?"

"Sure. Mother, you'll find out tonight," Lou Jian Jia replied.

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhao immediately looked forward to the evening meal.

"Alright, I'll be waiting," Madam Zhao said with a smile.

During lunch, Madam Zhao brought up a matter at the dining table: "Nowadays, both egg fried rice and stir-fried dishes require vegetables, but our supply of vegetables at home is insufficient."

Recently, they had steamed an extra two pounds of rice in each meal set, and they were using more vegetables. The same applied to egg fried rice. Lou Jian Jia not only used carrots but also other vegetables.

Nowadays, they could earn around one hundred and twenty to one hundred and thirty wen per day because half of the vegetables used in their cooking were from their own garden, while the other half were bought from the town.

Due to the vegetable sales, Old Master Chu had already cultivated more land behind the house to grow vegetables. However, the demand was still too high, and it wasn't enough.

If they ran out of greens and eggplants from their own garden, they would have to buy more from town, which would increase costs significantly.

Making less money and having to run to town every day is quite troublesome.

Old Master Chu and Lou Jian Jia naturally noticed this issue.

This matter would need to be resolved sooner or later.

"We didn't cultivate enough land. If we had known, we should have prepared more land," Madam Zhao lamented.

"It's a bit late to do it now in this season. We'll do it next spring," Old Master Chu replied.

"Don't forget next spring to cultivate more land behind the house," Madam Zhao added.

"Alright, got it," Old Master Chu agreed.

"But for now, we still need to buy some," Lou Jian Jia said.

"Yes, we indeed need to buy some," Madam Zhao confirmed.

Then, they discussed where to buy the vegetables.

These matters had been discussed before, and they planned to buy from the village.

Saving time and effort while also taking care of the neighbors.

"Husband, how about we buy from Brother Sheng's house next door?" Madam Zhao asked Old Master Chu.

Brother Sheng was Madam Wang's son.

"Sure," Old Master Chu agreed without much thought, "I think they have plenty of vegetables in their garden, so their family should be enough for us."

Over the years, their neighbors had helped them a lot, so whenever they benefited, they naturally thought of returning the favor.

"Alright, after we finish eating, I'll go check it out," Madam Zhao replied.

Afterward, they discussed the pricing issue and decided to offer prices based on the market rates.

Not long after finishing their meal, Madam Zhao went to Brother Sheng's house but quickly returned, saying that Madam Wang wasn't home.

After their nap, with the sun not as high in the sky, Madam Zhao could hear the sounds from next door and faintly discerned Madam Wang's voice, so she decided to visit her neighbor's house.

Old Master Chu went to the mountains to chop wood.

Feeling much stronger now and being someone who couldn't sit still, he insisted on going to the mountains to chop wood.

Seeing Madam Zhao's agreement, and observing that Old Master Chu's complexion was still good, Lou Jian Jia didn't stop him anymore.

Seeing some morning glories nearby, Lou Jian Jia looked at the fence, then went to tidy up. She pulled out the weeds nearby and rearranged the morning glories.

After adding the scattered wildflowers planted nearby, the corner suddenly became more pleasing to the eye, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

Thinking that it was about time, Lou Jian Jia started preparing the liangpi.

First, she went to boil some water.

Once the bottom of the pot ignited, she added a few larger pieces of wood to stabilize the fire.

Then, she poured out the excess water from the basin and took out the flat-bottomed tray from the house.

She prepared a basin of cold water on the side.

When the water boiled, Lou Jian Jia poured a layer of water onto the flat-bottomed tray, then placed the tray into the pot to steam for a while until the dough turned color and swelled. Using tongs, she took the tray out and rinsed it with cold water.

After rinsing with cold water, she brushed a layer of oil on the liangpi, peeled it off from the tray, and set it aside.

In this manner, Lou Jian Jia repeated these actions, making about twenty to thirty pieces.

She hadn't controlled the quantity well and ended up making too much.

Considering the current hot weather, leaving them overnight would likely spoil them.

Lou Jian Jia thought for a moment, then decided to go and give some to the neighboring Madam Wang.

~ Part 2 ~

After cutting the liangpi, Lou Jian Jia steamed the gluten that was in the plate.

While waiting for the gluten to cook, she went to the vegetable garden to pick a few cucumbers and shredded them.

Although there weren't many vegetables left in the garden, there were still plenty of cucumbers, enough to eat.

After preparing the cucumbers, she minced some garlic cloves and added some water to make garlic water.

Then, she took out some good quality seasonings she had bought earlier, put them in a pot, and simmered them before letting them cool.

While the seasonings were cooling, Lou Jian Jia started cutting the liangpi.

She deliberately prepared two bowls, one for their own consumption and one to give to the neighboring Madam Wang.

Once the liangpi was cut, she set it aside.

Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao hadn't returned yet, and Lou Jian Jia decided to wait for them before adding the seasonings to the liangpi. Adding the seasonings now could cause the liangpi to stick together easily.

Feeling uncomfortable in the hot kitchen after finishing the preparations, Lou Jian Jia noticed that she had sweat even more.

Since the water she had boiled for the liangpi was still hot, but not suitable for drinking, she decided to scoop some out and went back inside to take a hot bath.

After the bath, she felt refreshed all over her body.

However, just after she finished bathing, she heard some movement outside.

Guessing it might be Madam Zhao returning, Lou Jian Jia quickly changed into a clean and refreshing outfit and walked out of the house.

However, the expected person didn't appear before her.

Instead, standing there was a stranger, a man.

The sun had completely set by now, and the glow of dusk was fading.

The man stood with his back to the light, making it difficult to see his face clearly. Yet, his tall and sturdy figure resembled that of a pine tree, even though his clothes were worn and his appearance unkempt. There was something about his demeanor that suggested he was not an ordinary person.

Although his features were not clear, his eyes seemed remarkably bright.

He stared at her intently, like a predator eyeing its prey, sending shivers down her spine.

The most unsettling part? Lou Jian Jia didn't recognize this man at all!

Lou Jianjia's village was small, and by now, she was a familiar face at the docks. Most of the villagers knew her, especially those who had a good relationship with Old Master Chu's family. Lou Jian Jia had even memorized their faces.

The recent words from Madam Wang had sparked a sense of urgency in Lou Jian Jia.

Could it be that Lou Fusheng had sent someone to take her back home to marry off to the wealthy merchant?

With this thought in mind, Lou Jian Jia tried to keep her composure. She glanced at the doorstopper on the cart beside her and calmly asked, "Who are you, and whom are you looking for?"

The man seemed to ignore her question entirely. Instead, he took a few more steps forward.

Lou Jian Jia pursed her lips and tightened her grip on her side.

She pondered, wondering if one punch from her would be enough to knock the man out.

•••

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Chapter 18 TGBW

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