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That night, Yezhi slept exceptionally soundly. "Daughter, wake up and drink your medicine first." Yezhi turned over, rubbed her eyes, and suddenly Aunt Zhou put down the bowl, picked up a candle from the redwood box, and excitedly shouted in the candlelight, "Daughter, it's done! It's really done!" Yezhi touched her face, climbed up from the kang, and looked into the round mirror. Yes, her skin was fair and tender like a freshly peeled egg; no wonder it was a beauty secret. Yezhi was very satisfied. Aunt Zhou smiled with her eyes and clasped her hands, mumbling, "Heaven bless, heaven bless..."
Yezhi decided not to sleep anymore and picked up the medicine bowl, preparing to dispose of it. However, Aunt Zhou insisted that Yezhi drink the medicine to consolidate her recovery. After reluctantly finishing the bitter medicine, Yezhi felt nauseous. Aunt Zhou patted Yezhi's back and stuffed a piece of Peanut Candy into her mouth. The sweetness melted instantly in her mouth, filled with a rich peanut aroma. Yezhi puffed out her cheeks in both annoyance and amusement, feeling like she was regressing; when was the last time she asked for candy after taking medicine? Twenty-two years ago, perhaps.
Yezhi hummed a little tune while stirring the Millet Porridge in the pot. She fished out a few Red Dates, pitted them, and tossed them into the porridge. The rich corn fragrance mixed with a hint of sweetness wafted throughout the kitchen with the steam.
"Sister Ye, are you awake?" One Egg popped into the kitchen and called out happily upon seeing Yezhi.
"One Egg, you're here so early! Have you eaten?"
"I've eaten, Sister Ye. Now that you're better, don't overwork yourself; I'll help you," said One Egg as she put down the basket in her hands and took over the long spoon Yezhi was using to stir the porridge. She stirred it haphazardly while saying, "Sister Ye, I heard you got sick after eating wild boar meat."
"Not exactly; it was my first time eating it and I ate too much," Yezhi thought about taking this opportunity to educate the child not to eat indiscriminately when One Egg proudly declared, "Sister Ye, you're so unlucky! My late grandfather said that having a big appetite is a blessing; being able to eat is good fortune without restrictions. I have a big mouth and can eat anything; I'm truly blessed! I'll come every day from now on to share my good fortune with you." Yezhi laughed heartily until her stomach hurt.
"What good news makes you so happy?" Aunt Zhou entered the kitchen with a hen hanging limply by its neck while brushing off chicken feathers. Yezhi wanted to share One Egg's theory of good fortune with Aunt Zhou but froze when she saw the chicken in Aunt Zhou's hands. She felt a pang of sorrow; after raising it for so long, she had developed feelings for it. Moreover, this hen was one of their main egg-layers.
Perhaps Yezhi's expression of sorrow was too obvious, causing Aunt Zhou to chuckle. "Daughter, what's there to feel sorry about? You're just recovering from your illness and need nourishment. As long as you're eating well, I'd be willing to kill all the chickens."
One Egg also put down the long spoon in her hand and lifted the basket she brought along to stuff it into Yezhi's hands. "My parents asked me to bring you a chicken for nourishment. Sister Ye, once Aunt Zhou finishes with this chicken, we still have more at home. Don't worry about eating; my grandfather said being able to eat is a blessing."
In the past, seeing meat would make Yezhi ecstatic; today was different. Even before tasting it herself, she felt uneasy inside. A chicken wasn't much in the 21st century but in this era where even an egg could be considered a luxury, one chicken seemed precious—especially since Aunt Zhou had slaughtered it and One Egg's family provided layers.
Thinking about the chicken made Yezhi uneasy as she sipped on her Millet Porridge absentmindedly while One Egg enjoyed hers heartily and finished a bowl in no time. Wiping her mouth with her hand and patting her belly, she said, "Sister Ye, your Millet Porridge is really delicious! Is your cooking just as good?"
Aunt Zhou unreservedly praised her: "Of course! Our Yezhi's cooking is delicious; she's made dishes we've never seen before." Yezhi felt a bit embarrassed; Aunt Zhou was definitely exaggerating—her ingredients weren't complete or abundant enough to create any gourmet dishes. It was possible they hadn't seen such dishes before since southerners had diverse cooking styles without using sauces; even making noodles required finesse.
With that thought in mind, Yezhi suddenly had an idea: "One Egg, why don't you go home for now? In the evening call your parents over to our house for dinner so they can taste Sister Ye's cooking." Upon hearing this, One Egg jumped up excitedly but then exclaimed loudly: "No way! Sister Ye just got better; you can't overwork yourself."
"One Egg, Sister Ye is fine now; look how energetic I am!" She immediately sat up straight and turned to Aunt Zhou asking: "Isn't that right, Aunt?"
Aunt Zhou frowned disapprovingly as well.
"Sister Ye, your face is pale and looks weak." What a gaze, so pale, it looks like a ghost. Yezhi was about to correct One Egg when Aunt Zhou spoke up, "Girl, you just recovered from your illness, let's skip today. One Egg, please invite your parents over for dinner tomorrow night." With Aunt Zhou's words, Yezhi had no choice but to comply.
After tidying up the dishes, Aunt Zhou told Yezhi to rest well while she busied herself with boiling water and plucking the chicken. Fortunately, One Egg helped out. Seeing how skilled One Egg was, Yezhi praised him, "One Egg, well done! You truly are the descendant of a hunter." One Egg chuckled foolishly and said, "It's nothing. The chicken I brought was killed by me, cleaning it is a piece of cake. I learned to handle game from my father when I was six."
Six years old! What was Yezhi doing at six? She was in preschool, playing with Young Man, being a television child. Yezhi didn't step forward to help; firstly, she didn't know how, and secondly, she found gutting the chicken quite disgusting. Despite being an offal enthusiast with her specialty being pork intestines, she only bought pre-cleaned ones; otherwise, she probably wouldn't be able to cook them. One Egg quickly cleaned the chicken, and Aunt Zhou praised him for his nimbleness and capability. This made One Egg proud; not only did he rush to do chores, but after lunch when Aunt Zhou took a hoe to the fields, he followed her and quietly assured Yezhi, "Sister Ye, don’t worry. I’ll help Aunt Zhou; I won’t let her tire herself out."
After Aunt Zhou and One Egg left, Yezhi played with Big Yellow for a while. Just as she returned to her room wanting to take a nap on the kang, she heard Meizi and Aunt Li's voices in the yard. Yezhi hurried out of the door and said, "Aunt Li, Meizi! What brings you here? Come in and sit." Meizi put down the basket in her hands and scrutinized Yezhi before smiling and saying, "I heard that allergies can cause red spots. Your face is so fair and tender; it seems you’re better now."
Aunt Li reached out to gently stroke Yezhi's face and nodded, "Thank goodness you're better. Yezhi, don’t eat wild boar meat anymore." She lifted the coarse cloth covering the basket and said, "Eat more eggs; they’ll help you recover." Looking at the basket full of eggs made Yezhi think about how long it would take to gather them all. Remembering how One Gun Brother shocked her with his generosity during meat distribution made her realize the difference between what he gave and what Aunt Li brought.
After chatting with Aunt Li and Meizi for a while, they got up to leave. Yezhi quickly pulled out Five Yuan and stuffed it into Aunt Li's hand. Aunt Li exclaimed angrily, "Yezhi! What do you mean by this? Are you looking down on me?" Meizi glared at her in annoyance as well. Yezhi smiled wryly and explained, "Aunt Li, there are at least forty eggs in this basket. I know how long it takes to raise chickens at home. Since moving to the village, I've received so much care from everyone; I can’t take that for granted. Besides, life isn’t easy for anyone here. I appreciate your kindness; I'll eat the eggs but you have to charge me market price; otherwise I won’t feel right about it."
"Just charge market price! Don’t make things difficult for the child!" Cart Master said as he stood at the door holding two fish.
"This... this...!" Aunt Li was somewhat at a loss.
"Aunt Li, just accept it; this way I can face the village chief when I go over for meals," Yezhi insisted as she pushed the money into Aunt Li's hand again. After some struggle, Aunt Li reluctantly agreed, "Fine, I'll accept it."
With that money accepted, Aunt Li and Meizi decided not to leave just yet; they were eager to watch what would happen next as Yezhi calculated the cost of fish with Cart Master. Since they had already started off well with those two fish, she decided to buy them too. When it came time to discuss the fish price, Cart Master immediately changed his tone and complained about those worthless fish that were everywhere in the river; he was only responsible for bringing them over before walking away. Aunt Li and Meizi exchanged amused glances and mocked him saying: "This Boss only criticizes others without looking at himself." Yezhi called out to Cart Master who was already climbing onto his cart: "Uncle! Bring your wife over for dinner tomorrow night!" Then turning back to Aunt Li and Meizi she added: "Aunt Li! You all should come over tomorrow night too; taste my cooking."
After sending off Aunt Li and Meizi, Yezhi took out a pencil and a notebook to start counting how many people would come for dinner tomorrow night: One Gun Brother's family of three, Cart Master's family of four, the village chief's family of five—plus herself and Aunt Zhou—totaling fourteen people; two tables would be enough.
What dishes should she prepare? With two chickens and two fish on hand, she could make Northeast specialty Little Chicken Stew with Mushrooms along with Sauerkraut Fish and two ribs of wild boar turned into sauced ribs. There were also several kinds of wild vegetables at home that could be made into a mixed salad; she'd have to see what else could be added.
Yezhi went into the kitchen rummaging through cabinets and spent an entire afternoon preparing. During this time several uncles and Aunts came by bringing things for her but she refused them all sternly declaring that anyone who brought anything else wouldn’t be allowed inside. When Aunt Zhou returned home in the evening she smiled as she patted Yezhi's head saying: "My girl is truly a good child." Yezhi didn’t hold back at all: "Of course! Of course!"
The next morning after breakfast Yezhi got busy again washing and chopping ingredients while Aunt Zhou tried to help but was firmly turned down!
Yezhi melted some wild boar fat in a large iron pot; once hot enough she sautéed ginger and scallions before adding in all the salted chicken pieces. While stirring continuously she shielded her face with a small dustpan since rural kitchens with large pots aren’t that prone to splatter; still hearing those popping sounds gave her some psychological trauma. The chicken gradually turned golden brown as she sprinkled some white wine over it before adding water along with various wild mushrooms collected from the mountains.
As Yezhi inhaled the fragrant aroma she couldn’t help but feel proud; this was her first time cooking yet it looked delicious already—she indeed had talent! Covering it with a wooden lid she sat on a small stool controlling the heat until around noon when Aunt Zhou walked into the kitchen saying: "Girl! How many dishes have you prepared?"
"Nothing is ready yet, but the Little Chicken Stew with Mushrooms is almost done."
"What? Nothing is ready? Didn't you start cooking the chicken this morning? How is it not done yet?" Aunt Zhou asked, puzzled.
"It's almost there." Yezhi stood up and lifted the pot lid, and the aroma of chicken mixed with mushrooms wafted out. Yezhi couldn't help but swallow. Aunt Zhou stared at the large pot full of Little Chicken Stew with Mushrooms, a bit dumbfounded. "Girl, did you make Little Chicken Stew with Mushrooms?"
Yezhi felt a bit dizzy. Did she make a mistake? But there was chicken and mushrooms; isn't that what the Northeast's famous dish Little Chicken Stew with Mushrooms is? Isn't it a soup? "Aunt, did I make it incorrectly?"
"Not exactly; it just looks a bit different. But it smells delicious."
Yezhi nodded, took a bowl, scooped some soup, and handed it to Aunt Zhou. Aunt Zhou took a sip and then tasted it carefully, looking confused as she asked, "Girl, why didn't you add salt?"
"I did!" While replying, she filled another bowl for herself to taste. How to describe it? It was extremely fresh and fragrant, a wonderful blend of flavors from the mountains and forests. She licked her lips; the rich gelatin made her mouth feel sticky.
"But why does it have no flavor?"
Yezhi suddenly remembered that she was still cooking according to the 21st-century standards of low oil and low salt. For someone who prefers stronger flavors, this soup might as well have no salt at all. She picked up the salt shaker and handed it to Aunt Zhou so she could add her own.
At noon, Yezhi and Aunt Zhou enjoyed the rich Little Chicken Stew with Mushrooms chicken soup along with some dry rations, sitting in the yard happily having lunch. Big Yellow sniffed around their feet and managed to get a few chicken bones to gnaw on.
After finishing one bowl, Yezhi couldn't resist going for another bowl of soup, savoring it in small sips. Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind picked up, bringing a chill. Yezhi stood up, covering her bowl while looking toward the horizon. Dark clouds were rolling in like giant waves toward Zhoujiatun where she was located. The clouds ahead looked yellowish-brown and quite frightening. Whoosh—another strong wind blew in, carrying sand and stones that made it hard for Yezhi to open her eyes. Hearing something was off, Aunt Zhou poked her head out from the kitchen to check. Just as she was about to call Yezhi inside, they heard a cracking sound. A hailstone the size of an egg fell from the sky. Yezhi hurriedly covered her head and dashed back inside. She stood by the window watching as hailstones of various sizes crashed down onto the ground, bouncing around and making her heart race!
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