Transmigrated into a fat wife, farming, raising children, and picking up husbands

"That's about enough." Lin Xiuer straightened her slightly aching back, glanced at the sun, and said, "If we keep picking them, it'll get late. We can fry a plate of these when we get back; that should be enough for everyone to have a taste."

Chen Mingxuan went ashore with a lingering sense of satisfaction, dried his feet, and put on his shoes and socks.

He held his string of little crabs like a precious treasure, picking them up to look at them every now and then, his face beaming with undisguised pride and satisfaction.

The feeling of personally capturing and anticipating delicious food is far more novel and interesting than spending a fortune to listen to music in a teahouse.

On the other side, with the help of his servants, Wu Liangcai finally dug up most of a basket of wild vegetables.

Each tree inside was personally inspected by him, making them exceptionally meaningful.

His forehead was covered in grass clippings, and his face was smeared with mud, but he smiled broadly, holding up his basket to show off to Lin Xiuer: "Sister Lin! Look! I dug this up! Enough to make wontons, right?"

Lin Xiuer glanced at his half-full basket of shepherd's purse, then at his bright eyes, and nodded while suppressing a laugh.

"That's enough, that's enough! Young Master Wu, you're really something! Go back and wash yourself clean, and you'll have fresh shepherd's purse wontons tonight!"

Ping An had already arranged several bundles of firewood and a basket, and was waiting by the roadside.

The chopped firewood was divided into several bundles. The two heaviest bundles naturally fell on his shoulders, while he looked at Wu Liangcai and Chen Mingxuan with a clear intention regarding the remaining lighter bundles.

The two young masters exchanged a glance, and this time, before Lin Xiuer could speak, they took the initiative to step forward. Two servants also each claimed a small bundle of firewood and held it in their arms.

Although the branches were a bit prickly, and the walking was awkward and unsteady, no one said they didn't want to go.

Hu Yidao laughed and took the remaining firewood and mountain goods baskets onto his own shoulders.

"Let's go home and make wontons! Lin Mei, I'm really looking forward to your incredibly delicious cooking!"

As dusk approached, the group, filled with the fruits of their labor and joyful spirits, walked along the increasingly long shadows cast by the trees towards the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain where wisps of smoke rose from the chimney.

Behind them, the mountains and forests returned to silence, with only the stream continuing its tireless and joyful flow.

Wang, the woman at home, had already boiled water and rushed out to greet them when she saw them return.

"Oh, Xiuer, you're finally back!"

When Wang saw Wu Liangcai and Chen Mingxuan looking disheveled but still very enthusiastic, she was both surprised and amused.

Upon entering, Wu Liangcai and Chen Mingxuan collapsed onto the only two dilapidated wooden chairs in the main room, looking utterly exhausted, like two noodles with their bones removed.

Two servants rushed forward, one massaging the young master's shoulders and the other rubbing his legs.

"My old back..." Wu Liangcai groaned with his eyes closed, his face still covered in mud.

A satisfied smile played on his lips. "It was worth it! Look at this basket of shepherd's purse!"

Chen Mingxuan held his string of small river crabs like a precious treasure.

Besides the original three, Lin Xiuer and Hu Yidao later "sponsored" him with a few more, making a total of about ten small river crabs, which were energetically blowing bubbles in the basin.

He untied the straw ropes and carefully placed them into a wooden basin filled with clean water to expel the mud and sand. He was too tired to move, but his eyes were still glued to the scrambled spoils in the basin.

Ping An neatly stacked the two large bundles of firewood he had carried back against the wall, and then began to process the freshly picked spices.

He sat on a small stool, picking through the wild chilies, lemongrass, and various oddly shaped herbs and fruits, removing withered leaves and impurities.

His movements were unhurried, and his profile appeared exceptionally serene in the twilight.

Hu Yidao then moved the wooden basin containing twenty or thirty small river crabs to the well, changed the water twice, and let them expel the mud and sand.

Xiao Bao was also attracted and squatted down by the basin.

Its big, dark eyes stared unblinkingly at the little creatures that were crawling around in the clear water, holding up their pincers.

She stretched out her little finger, wanting to touch it but hesitant, her little face full of curiosity.

"Here, Xiao Bao, you can play with these two smallest ones."

Old Hu smiled and scooped out the two smallest and most lively crabs, put them in a ceramic bowl, added a little water, and handed them to Xiao Bao.

"Be careful not to get them pinching your hands."

Xiao Bao excitedly held the ceramic bowl and ran to Ping An's legs, showing it to him like a treasure: "Daddy, look, a crab!"

Ping An paused in her movements, looked down at the little guy in the bowl who was baring his teeth and claws, and then looked at her son's bright eyes.

His previously cold and stern expression, which had been displeased that the two young masters were staying at his house, softened, and he gave a soft "hmm".

Inside the kitchen, Lin Xiuer was already busy. She first scooped out the flour, added some salt to the warm water, and began kneading the dough.

The dough needs to rest for a while to become elastic. While the dough was resting, she carefully picked through the wild vegetables that Wu Liangcai had dug up, removing the yellow leaves and weeds, and washing them clean with well water over and over again.

The thoroughly cleaned shepherd's purse is bright green and tender, carrying the fresh scent of the mountains and fields. After blanching, it is squeezed dry, finely chopped, and mixed with scrambled eggs.

Chop shepherd's purse, add scrambled eggs, a little bit of minced pork fat and chopped wild onions, sprinkle with fine salt, drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil, and stir well in one direction with chopsticks.

The aroma of the filling immediately wafted out, carrying the unique sweetness of shepherd's purse and the rich fragrance of eggs.

On the other side, Lao Hu had already quickly and skillfully scrubbed the small river crabs clean, one by one, after they had expelled the sand.

Break off the crab's navel, peel off its back shell, remove the inedible gills and internal organs, and then use the back of a knife to loosen the crab's claws.

Lin Xiuer has also woken up quite a bit.

She kneaded the dough until smooth, rolled it into a very large, thin and even sheet, and then cut it into trapezoidal wonton wrappers of the same size.

Take a wrapper, put in an appropriate amount of filling, and skillfully fold and pinch it closed with your fingers. A small wonton, shaped like a gold ingot, will stand in your palm.

She moved quickly, and in no time, the lid of the steamer was filled with plump wontons with light green filling.

"Old Hu, heat the oil in the wok," Lin Xiuer said to Hu Yidao, who was standing by the stove, after wiping her hands.

Heat the iron wok and pour in about half a wok of lard.

As the oil temperature rises and a light wisp of smoke appears, Lin Xiuer drains the prepared river crabs, grabs a handful of dry starch, gently mixes it, and then slides it into the hot oil along the edge of the pan.

"Sizzle—!"

The hot oil sizzles and releases an amazing aroma as it comes into contact with the moist crab shell!

It was a complex aroma that combined the unique freshness of river fish, the smoky fragrance of oil, and the crispy texture of fried starch, bursting forth from the stove and instantly filling the entire courtyard!

Wu Liangcai and Chen Mingxuan, who were originally slumped in their chairs, sniffed almost simultaneously, sat up abruptly, and their eyes snapped toward the kitchen.

Even the servants who were helping to massage his legs were a beat slow, and unconsciously swallowed.

The river crabs quickly change color in the hot oil, turning from bluish-gray to an enticing golden-red, with fine bubbles appearing on their surface.

Lin Xiuer gently stirred the food with long bamboo chopsticks to ensure even heating. Once the outer shell was crispy and fragrant, she used a slotted spoon to remove them and drain the oil.

Next, leave some oil in the pan, add a few pieces of wild chili peppers, a handful of dried Sichuan peppercorns, and minced scallions, ginger, and garlic, and sauté until fragrant.

Then, return the fried crabs to the pan, stir-fry quickly, and sprinkle with salt and a little bit of her homemade spice powder.

The spicy and savory aroma becomes even stronger, stimulating people to salivate profusely.