sjar Chapter 402 Pork Rib Rice Noodles
Chapter 402 Pork Rib Rice Noodles
At this hour, Xu Pinghai had already fallen asleep because he felt unwell.
Xu Yiyi spoke with her great-uncle for a while, then carried Wu Yuan back home.
Upon entering, I immediately heard a noisy commotion.
"Big sister, I've lost my keys."
Er'er sighed deeply, "We couldn't find it anywhere. I guess we lost it while we were out beaching."
"It's gone, it's gone. I'll get you another one later."
"Ok."
Er'er pouted; the rope used to tie the keys was braided by A-Yue.
I'm still a little unhappy that it's gone.
That little bit of disappointment quickly disappeared.
"Big sister, do you think it's as cold in Lingnan as it is here?"
Er'er was packing her bags inside the house, her tone full of anticipation for the trip.
"Who knows, it might be just as cold."
Xu Yiyi was a little unsure which region in modern times this was. But the Qiongzhou Strait area already belonged to the Lingnan region.
According to Qingshan, it's not too far from here; it only takes a day and a half to get there.
The temperatures are unlikely to differ significantly.
"Just bring the clothes I bought for you today. If it gets cold when you get there, just go to the fabric store and buy some more. It'll be lighter."
Xu Yi thought for a moment, then went back to her room and took out the menstrual belt that Xu Honglian had sewn for her. She hadn't used it yet, so she gave it to Er'er.
"Take this, it's hard to buy."
She placed the items on Er'er's bed, and the little girl curiously opened them, her face instantly turning red.
"Big sister, I probably don't need this, do I?"
Er'er said somewhat shyly.
"Just in case, I'll be away for two or three months."
The two sisters were whispering something, and Goyu sat between them, watching curiously.
Xu Yiyi kept talking nonstop, which shocked Er'er.
The eldest sister was much more talkative than usual.
"Alright, go to sleep after you take a shower. We have to leave tomorrow morning."
It takes most of the day to get from here to the prefectural city, and then we have to leave the prefectural city again at night.
During the break in the middle, Mr. Wu can take a rest.
"I know~"
Er'er drew out her words, and only after her eldest sister had carried Wu Yuan out did she quietly smile.
My older sister has become so talkative.
……
The next morning, as soon as the chickens crowed, Xu Yiyi got out of bed.
Wu Yuan was able to sleep through the night much earlier, and she woke up less often at night, waking up full of energy in the morning.
In the courtyard, only Sanchuan was chewing on a willow branch, his eyes glazed over.
"Miss!"
"Hey!"
Xu Yiyi responded and picked up a willow branch, squatting down next to him.
"Big sister, I'm going to milk the goats." Sanchuan wiped off the willow twigs she used for brushing her teeth, went into the kitchen, carried the basin specifically for holding goat milk, and walked to the dairy goats.
The child skillfully tossed a handful of food to the ewe, then squatted down to milk her.
Xu Yiyi quickly drew water from the well.
"Big sister, what's for breakfast?"
Er'er walked in, still half asleep, and was about to help start the fire when Sanchuan pushed her out.
"Second sister, go wash your face, I'll start the fire."
The kitchen was dimly lit, with only the flickering light from the stove opening.
Sanchuan sat in front of the mud-brick stove, making his body appear exceptionally small.
He skillfully grabbed a handful of dry grass to start a fire, then added a few more thin pieces of firewood, and the orange-red flames obediently licked at the flames.
It drove away the coldness from his face.
He kept an eye on the small earthenware pot on his left, where the warm goat milk was gradually forming fine bubbles and emitting a strong milky smell.
He gently poked at the firewood in the large stove next to him with his foot, reigniting the embers that were barely extinguished, and simmering the pork rib soup that had been cooked the night before.
Soon, wisps of steam began to rise from the edge of the soup pot.
As soon as the soup heated up, Xu Yiyi immediately threw the rice noodles she had soaked overnight into the pot.
Breakfast was ready in no time.
"Sihai! If you don't get up, I'm going to hit you..."
Sanchuan stood in front of the bed, hands on his hips, his tone very aggressive.
Xu Yiyi found it somewhat amusing to hear this from outside. Sanchuan had become much more docile after starting school, and she had almost never seen him angry.
But Si Hai always finds a way to provoke him.
"Mmmmm~"
He should have agreed, but the little brat curled up into a pink dumpling, his slender legs wrapped around the thin quilt, and mumbled as he turned over.
She fell asleep again.
"Xu Sihai!"
Sanchuan came to urge him for the third time. As soon as he lifted a corner of the curtain, Sihai immediately whimpered and crawled into bed. The soft strands of hair sticking up on his head trembled with each movement, which looked particularly amusing.
"Sihai, hurry up, the rice noodles are getting cold."
If you leave it for too long, it will clump together and won't taste good.
Xu Yiyi called out from the doorway, and Sihai sighed like a little adult, waving his chubby hands around in the air.
"You didn't go to bed late last night! Why are you so sleepy?"
Xu Yiyi stepped forward and picked up the little bundle of flesh, blanket and all. The child immediately turned into a limp noodle, his head resting on his older sister's shoulder as if he were dozing, but his eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings.
“He was playing all night, I don’t even know when he went to sleep.”
San Chuan said irritably that last night he was reciting the Three Character Classic to Si Hai, but the child said he was sleepy and wanted to go to sleep after only a short while.
Who would have thought that after he fell asleep, the little brat would secretly get up and play?
After saying that, Sanchuan reached out and slapped Sihai on the butt.
"Even the Five Abysses can't deny it like you."
Sihai grumbled and protested.
Xu Yiyi threw the blanket off him, and the child gasped.
"It's cold! It's so cold!"
……
"If you're cold, put on some clothes quickly."
Sanchuan took clothes out of the closet and threw them at him, while Sihai looked at him with a whiny expression.
"I'll help you put it on one more time, and you can put it on yourself next time."
A helpless voice came from behind Xu Yiyi; he was stubborn on the outside but soft on the inside.
"Er'er, eat quickly, stop worrying about feeding the chickens and sheep."
"Know it!"
Er'er brushed the dust off her hands and walked to the dining table.
As dawn broke through, the fog had not yet dissipated.
The aroma of pork rib soup mixed with rice noodles wafted through the courtyard, and the chickens crowed even more merrily.
Xu Yiyi was the first to put down her chopsticks.
The bowl tapped crisply on the stone, and he stood up nimbly, walking briskly to the cradle and bending down.
Wu Yuan was gnawing on his fist when he saw his eldest sister arrive, and immediately opened his arms, which were as thick as lotus roots.
Xu Yiyi skillfully scooped him up, and Wu Yuan's chubby little body sank into her arms, immediately making a muffled "ee-ya" sound.
Are you craving something sweet or hungry?
Xu Yiyi sat down, her left hand steadily encircling the chubby baby, and her right hand taking the white porcelain bowl that was warming in the wooden basin.
It wouldn't eat when I fed it earlier, but now it's gobbling it down.
Sihai sat on a bench nearby, his short legs dangling in mid-air, unable to reach the ground.
He had already finished eating the ribs in his bowl. Now, he was stirring the rice noodles with his chopsticks, when he suddenly stared blankly at the oil floating on the surface of the soup.
Xu Yiyi caught a glimpse of him pouting and blowing air into the bowl, causing the oil to scatter into golden circles.
He was so engrossed in watching that he didn't even notice the scallions sticking to the tip of his nose, and he was busy stirring the shimmering spots of light with his chopsticks.
Sihai picked up a rice noodle and placed it on the table.
Alright, I'm full again.
Xu Yi smiled and was about to speak when she saw Sanchuan reach out and slap Sihai's little hand without hesitation.
"Put it down when you're full. Who taught you to play like that?"
San Chuan had a very serious expression on his face, while Si Hai shrank back and jumped off the stool in a cowardly manner.
……
"Let's go! Otherwise we'll miss our chance."
Xu Yiyi shook the water off her hands, bent down to pick up Wu Yuan, and had Si Hai carry the bundle full of urine rings. The five siblings went out together.
When they arrived at the river, Xu Anyang was already waiting.
"Sihai, what did you have for breakfast?"
Xu Anyang untied the mooring rope and carried Sihai to his boat.
"Pork rib rice noodles!"
Sihai sat in the cabin with his legs spread wide, like an old man.
Xu Anyang slurped his saliva, his tone full of envy.
"If I had known, I wouldn't have eaten at home. I ate sweet potato porridge."
He hands over most of his monthly wages to the household, just so his family can eat better.
Surprisingly, they took the money, but the food was the same as before.
If he hadn't eaten lunch and dinner at a restaurant, he might still be that skinny monkey he used to be.