stingy landlady

Chapter 31 Shepherd's Purse is Delicious

After dinner, Mrs. Li looked at the boy and asked with concern, "Child, have you eaten? What's your name? Where do you live?"

"Lin Xiaoyun!" Okay! Very simple and clear.

"Xiaoyun! Is your home far away? Do you want someone to take you home?" Li asked again, unwilling to give up.

"It's too far! We can't go back!" They're just going to stay here!

Ms. Li stretched out her hands, indicating that she didn't know what to do.

Guizhi said, "Lin Xiaoyun, right? You want to stay in our family?"

Lin Xiaoyun nodded.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "I have nowhere to go. After my father remarried and had younger brothers and sisters, all he cares about are his stepmother and his younger brothers and sisters."

After saying that, he fell silent. Another abandoned child.

Guizhi continued, "Our family doesn't support idlers. As you can see, we're just farmers; we can't afford to support so many people!"

Lin Xiaoyun nodded to indicate that he understood.

"I can do the work!"

Guizhi thought to herself: With such an unlikable personality, it's no wonder her biological father doesn't love her and her stepmother doesn't care about her.

Guizhi added, "Lin Xiaoyun, if you stay at my house, you must learn to be polite. First, you need to learn to greet people. This is my grandfather, and my parents feed you. At least you should call him Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt, and Uncle Zhou!"

Lin Xiaoyun blushed even more, but thought Guizhi made sense. He looked up and called out earnestly, "Grandpa, Uncle, Aunt, Uncle Zhou!"

Guizhi then introduced Daya and Erya: "This is my eldest sister, Wang Guixiang; this is my second sister, Wang Guihong; and I am Wang Guizhi! This is my fourth sister, Wang Guiling. Grandpa, Dad, Mom! From now on, let's call each other by our names!"

Wang Dazhu laughed and said, "Okay, from now on, we'll call each other by name when we go out!"

Lin Xiaoyun blushed even more, unsure of how to greet him.

Hello, sisters!

Er Ya laughed: "You're taking advantage right away! Maybe you're even younger than your older sister!"

“I’m twelve this year!” Lin Xiaoyun said, looking at Er Ya.

"Big sister! He's exactly one year older than you! Wang Guizhi! You're amazing! You've brought us a brother!"

Everyone laughed.

Guizhi smiled and said, "Brother Lin Xiaoyun! Since you're a brother, you should act like one! We're all your sisters, so you have to protect us from now on!"

Lin Xiaoyun thought it made sense and nodded in agreement.

Everyone laughed again. Er Ya laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight, repeatedly shouting, "I'm dying of laughter! I'm dying of laughter!"

The old man smiled and said, "Since Xiaoyun is staying, why don't you stay at my place tonight? Your place is too small, and you don't have much room to move around."

As Li opened the cabinet, she said, "Wait a moment, Dad, I'll find a set of clothes for Dazhu to change into first. Tomorrow, let him wash his own clothes. Then I'll have a set made to his measurements."

Lin Xiaoyun's clothes weren't damaged, but they were filthy, covered in mud. He needed to change and wash them before going to bed.

“There’s hot water in the pot!” Daya said.

"Dad, go back and tell Mom first! I'll help Xiaoyun carry a bucket of hot water to the old house so he can wash up there. It's all dirty here, Mom definitely won't let him get on the kang (heated brick bed)."

The old man went back to the old house first, where the old woman had already prepared the kang (heated brick bed) and was waiting!

"Why are you back so late today? Da Ya and Er Ya both came looking for you! I was wondering why you all went out together, but the two girls came back first. They said you were with that guy repairing the pigsty!"

"Yes! A boy has come to Dazhu's house. His room isn't convenient for him, so he'll stay in our room from now on. I came back to tell you first!" the old man said briefly.

The old lady was surprised. She had guests at home, and there were relatives who didn't greet her.

"Whose family is this? Are they here to see Mrs. Li? Are they staying for a few days? This family is already struggling financially; it's not just a matter of adding another pair of chopsticks to feed more people. And they're even entertaining guests."

As the old man took off his shoes and soaked his feet, he said, "They're not guests, but Dazhu's family has gained another young boy to work with. He's twelve years old, not a child anymore. I saw that the girls in that room weren't comfortable living there, so I invited him to come and stay with us. From now on, they'll still provide for our food and other necessities."

Then he remembered something else: "I'm not home today. Did Li Er's family, who delivers cow dung to us in Erdaogou today, say that they'll come to work tomorrow? Dazhu said that after Li Er's family delivers the cow dung tomorrow, he'll plow the fields and plant the crops in the afternoon."

"I haven't heard anything. After lunch today, I gave him the money for the cow dung and the six hundred coins for the ride. He said he wouldn't come over after finishing his work this afternoon!" The old lady remembered and started nagging the old man.

"There are so many things to do every day, and I'm getting old and forgetful! Today, people from Nangang Village asked me to go catch pigs. Didn't I tell them to keep all ten pigs for us?"

He said he'd been feeding them for several days and they didn't have enough food left. I was thinking that since we're farming, we couldn't go right away, so I asked him to bring it over tomorrow.

We'll keep two, and the rest will be raised by Dazhu. You also finished repairing the pigsty over there. We can just bring them back and put them in there.

"They've caught so many pigs, I don't know what to feed them!"

Just then, a noise came from the outer room.

"Xiaoyun! Just wash up here and change your clothes. I'll watch the door for you." It was Zhou Mingzhi's voice.

Lin Xiaoyun had eaten his fill. Although he was a little weak, he was able to walk slowly on his own.

Zhou Mingzhi wouldn't let Dazhu carry water; he fetched hot water and brought it over to the old house.

Dazhu went into the inner room to greet them: "Father, Mother! Let Xiaoyun stay in this room for now. We'll buy some fabric in the next couple of days and have her mother make another quilt to bring over."

The old lady said with a stern face, "What are you buying! It makes you look like you're so rich! There's an old one that Lao Wu built before, let's build that one first."

Dazhu smiled and nodded, "Yes, yes, Mother is right! Every little bit helps! Thank you, Mother!"

"We're old, and we can't keep up with you young people's antics. Your father and I just hope you can live a peaceful and stable life. We don't want to be the ones worrying about you when we can't move anymore!"

The mother and son had a long heart-to-heart talk. Most of the time, the old lady talked and Dazhu listened. He would either answer with "Yes, yes, yes" or "That's right, that's right."

Lin Xiaoyun changed into Dazhu's clothes and went into the inner room. The old lady laughed: "Dazhu! These are your clothes! They're too big and too baggy. Alterate them during the day tomorrow before wearing them. They're so cumbersome, it'll be hard to walk in them."

"Hurry up and get on the kang! Lao Wu hasn't been home lately and hasn't heated the north kang. You can squeeze in with my grandparents tonight! The kang will be heated tomorrow, and you can sleep on that kang from now on."

The old lady was still soft-hearted.

Zhou Mingzhi washed Lin Xiaoyun's clothes and hung them outside to dry before returning to his own place at the east end of the village.

Inside, Mrs. Zhou and Old Man Zhou were waiting for him. Zhou Xing and Zhou Qiong were tired today and had already gone to bed early.

Old Zhou had already heard Zhou Qiong talk about Lin Xiaoyun's situation, and then asked how things were handled at the old house.

"Father, they say his name is Lin Xiaoyun. He was born because his biological father didn't love him and his stepmother ostracized him."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "Dad, I have a feeling this kid's family must be quite extraordinary. I washed his clothes, and they felt soft to the touch; the fabric was very nice. He took off his belt and then fastened it close to his body. I glanced at him while he was bathing, and he was wearing a jade pendant around his neck. He must be of high status, at least from a good family."

Zhou Mingzhi looked at his father and said again:

"The master and mistress didn't say anything, but the third young lady said that if she stayed, she would have to work, and she'll be staying at the old master's place tonight."

Old Zhou thought for a moment and said, "Our master and young lady are kind-hearted. Now that we have become the master's people, we should think more about the master's family."

You should also keep a close eye on things. If you find anything detrimental to the master's family, you must let the master and mistress know. But there's no need to be jealous or quarrelsome. As long as someone is willing to work hard for the household, we can cooperate with each other.

“Yes, Dad! I’ll be careful. Did you take your medicine tonight? What did the doctor say?” Zhou Mingzhi asked about the old man’s medical examination.

"The doctor said I'm fine now. It's all thanks to the kindness of the master and young lady that my father pulled through. It's so rare to have such good masters. I don't want to go anywhere else for the rest of my life!" Old Zhou said with deep emotion, his words coming from the bottom of his heart.

Another busy day begins! The old man gets up and goes for his usual walk, but this time he has a little follower—Lin Xiaoyun. He claims it's to familiarize himself with the village's terrain.

The others followed the rules quickly and efficiently. Guizhi asked Daya, "Big sister, are we making dumplings with the shepherd's purse we dug yesterday?"

"I had some with dipping sauce last night. Is it good to make dumplings with shepherd's purse?" Daya asked.

"Delicious! It's just a bit oily and meaty, though. Hehe!"

"You're being naughty again. If it tastes good, we'll try making some. If it sells well, we'll dig up more, and then we won't have to spend money on vegetables."

Er Ya agreed, saying, "Today we'll make shepherd's purse dumplings and sauerkraut dumplings. Fresh shepherd's purse is delicious and refreshing; two kinds will do!"

"Eldest sister, second sister! There are so many shepherd's purse, let's keep a basket and give it to the grain shopkeeper! He helped us buy wheat seeds, we don't have anything to give him, let's take some fresh wild vegetables instead."

"Okay! No problem! We'll dig up a bit more this afternoon."

"Let's dig up more shepherd's purse and wild garlic today, so we can give them to the manager of Xiangmanlou to try tomorrow," Guizhi said.

"If Manager Qu were to buy shepherd's purse, that would be great! Our family would have another source of income," Er Ya said with a whimsical thought.

The old man was driving the cart today and insisted on not letting Old Zhou and Lin Xiaoyun go. What a joke! They still have to haul wheat seeds back this afternoon, and everyone has to walk back. Are they going to bring two sickly kids to cause trouble?

Guizhi gently advised, "Grandpa Zhou! Stay home today and take care of your health. Don't worry about not having work to do later. I'm just afraid that you'll be complaining about how hard and tiring it is then!"

The old man chimed in, "The pig catchers will bring the piglets over this afternoon. If we get back late, Old Zhou, you'll have to watch over them and put them in the pigpen."

"Grandpa Zhou, Aunt Zhou! We've brought the piglets back, but don't feed them yet! Give them some salt water to drink first."

Guizhi remembered and instructed, "Aunt Zhou, wash all the pig troughs clean later. The pigs need to eat clean food."

"Zhou Xing, find some dry hay and put it in the pen later, just to one side. That way the piglets will have a place to sleep if they get cold at night."

"Will the piglet poop on it?" Zhou Qiong asked.

"Normally it won't. Just put it in a sheltered spot, away from the wind, and don't make a mess. Pigs are very clean; they usually poop in the same spot, so it's easy to clean up."

Da Ya explained.

“My second sister and I used to feed the pigs that my grandma raised, and we were also the ones who cleaned up the pig manure.”

Since there were no boys in the family to work in the fields, the girls also had to do what they could. This was normal in the village, and no one thought it was wrong.

The shepherd's purse dumplings were indeed a hit, selling out immediately. Many people missed out, saying, "These dumplings are so delicious, we should make more!"

"I've been eating sauerkraut and potatoes all winter, these freshly picked wild vegetables are so refreshing! I'll eat them again tomorrow!"

"Oh dear! I'm late, there are no more shepherd's purse dumplings? Why is there so little?"

Everyone agreed to make more tomorrow.

The three sisters said in unison, "Thank you for your patronage! Okay! We'll definitely make more tomorrow!"

While packing up the food containers, the three sisters whispered, "Eldest sister, second sister! How about we make dumplings for everyone tomorrow?"

"What if some people want to eat boxed lunches?"

"There aren't many dishes available now, and these students are tired of eating the same few dishes every day."

"We've already got the shepherd's purse as soon as it's in season. We've been making dumplings all the time these past few days. In a couple of days, when the celery and cilantro at home have grown bigger, we'll make dumplings with a variety of fillings."