The 1960s: The Story of a Country Girl's Journey to the City

"Yes, Gou Dan also helped with the work this morning."

Su Ruyi quickly testified for her son that, to be fair, Lin Laosan and his wife were also afraid of their eldest daughter and dared not utter a single word against her beating their younger son.

"Jiang Yuan brought meat again?"

Grandma Su knew from her mention of pork cracklings that Jiang Yuan had brought meat again.

"Yes, I brought it. It weighs about three pounds and is quite fatty. I'll render the lard when I get back, and use the pork cracklings to make vegetable dumplings for lunch. I'll also steam some buns for dinner and give him a few to take home."

"Okay, you can arrange it. Bring a few more so his parents can have a taste too."

Grandma Su had no objection to Bao Ya's arrangement. Since someone had brought meat, it was only right to return the favor. Even relatives should exchange gifts. Besides, everyone wanted to buy some meat during the autumn harvest to treat themselves.

The only people working in the field were Su Daqiang and his wife, Simao, Su Erqiang and his wife, Su Xiaoyu, Lin Laosan and his wife, plus Gou Dan and Old Lady Su. As Bao Ya walked back, she calculated how many vegetable dumplings she needed to make.

Simao also carried the empty buckets home, planning to go back and fetch some more water.

As I was walking, I heard someone calling Bao Ya from the field next to me.

"Bao Ya, you're such a big girl now, and you don't even know how to help with the housework. What will you do after you get married?"

Just as Granny Fang finished eating her flatbread and was resting under a big tree, she saw Bao Ya and Simao walking over, each carrying a load on their shoulders.

Her eldest son was of marriageable age, but several suitors had failed. When she inquired, she learned that he had taken a liking to Lin Baoya and was even begging her to propose to Old Lady Su.

This wouldn't do! Of all the girls in the village, she couldn't marry Bao Ya. She didn't want to marry a tyrant to worship. So she kept putting it off until Bao Ya and Jiang Yuan got engaged, but she still didn't go. Now her eldest son is always sulking with her at home and doesn't do his chores properly.

"Aunt Fang, which eye of yours saw that I wasn't working? Besides, whether I work or not is none of your business. My boyfriend didn't say anything."

"Hey, you little brat, I was just giving you a few pointers, and you're being so rude."

"Oh, you reminded me, thank you! I'll remind you a few things too, Aunt Fang, you're so mean and mean that you're annoying. No wonder your son can't find a wife. Everyone runs away when they see you."

"Brother Zhu, you're a really good person. It's a pity you have such a blind mother. No decent girl would dare to come into your house. Sigh, what a miserable life for such a good person."

After Bao Ya finished speaking, she ignored them and walked away with her head held high.

"mother!"

When Granny Fang saw the disappointed look in her son's eyes, she exploded in anger.

"Bao Ya, you brat, how dare you sow discord between my son, you..."

Before she could continue her tirade, Old Mrs. Su turned and started yelling at them, hands on her hips.

"You old hag, Fang, what business is it of yours whether my child does chores or not? He's eating your food."

Your own son can't find a wife, your daughter can't get married, and you don't even know how to do anything for your children. You've ruined such good kids with your foul mouth. If you dare say another word about my precious girl, I'll give you a good beating!

After cursing, he glared fiercely at Granny Fang, as if to say, "If you dare to continue, I'll hit you." The daughters-in-law and daughters of the Su family behind him were also looking at Granny Fang with hostility. Granny Fang was so frightened that she shrank back and slunk away to work in the fields.

Bao Ya and Simao went home and filled a bucket with the cooled water from the pot. Simao then carried it away.

Because there were many people eating, Bao Ya used pots from her second uncle's house and the Su family's old house to boil water. After the water boiled, she removed the firewood and let it cool, so that everyone wouldn't get a stomachache from drinking raw water.

After Si Mao left, Bao Ya boiled water in the pot again and went to the vegetable garden to pick vegetables.

Making cabbage dumplings requires a lot of vegetables, so Bao Ya took a basket and picked all the leafy greens from the three families' vegetable gardens. She picked three baskets of vegetables and took them back to the front yard. She washed them clean in a large wooden basin, scalded them with hot water, and then took them out to dry.

After washing the pot, I took out the piece of meat, cut off the fat, washed it with water, cut it into pieces about the size of a fingertip, put it in the pot to render lard, and then took out some spices I bought last time and put them into the pot.

While we're at it, we'll chop the remaining lean meat into filling and put it in a large bowl.

Three pounds of meat, after cutting off the fat, there's only a little over a pound of lean meat left. After making a dozen or so buns, you can only taste a bit of the meat.

Bao Ya scooped a bowl of wheat flour out of the flour sack, kneaded it into dough, and set it aside to rest. She then put cornmeal into a large basin to prepare cabbage dumplings.

There was so much dough in this pot, and it was quite a hassle to knead it. Once the dough was kneaded, the lard was almost rendered. I ladled some out using a lard jar, leaving the rest in the pot.

The blanched greens had cooled down, so I wrung out the water, chopped them on a board, and threw them into a pot. It was a huge bowl of greens, and Bao Ya's hands were numb from chopping them.

I added salt directly to the pot for seasoning, and also added some sesame oil.

Finally, mix the filling in the pot, put it in a bowl, and wipe the little oil in the pot clean.

Bao Ya first filled thirty white flour dumplings with filling and set them aside.

Then, scoop out the filling, add water to the pot, and start steaming the vegetable dumplings. Layer the dumplings in the pot, place a bowl in the middle, put a steamer rack on top of the bowl, and steam another layer. This way, one pot can yield more than forty vegetable dumplings. Cover the pot and start the fire.

The dumpling skin is thin and the filling is generous, so it cooks very quickly, about twenty minutes, and it's ready to serve.

Take out the vegetable dumplings, Bao Ya washes the pot, adds water, and sticks about ten flatbreads to the pot. When the flatbreads are almost done, throw in the vegetable leaves, add some salt, and the soup is ready.

Bao Ya had already washed the bucket that held the mung bean soup that morning, and now she was filling the pot with soup, while the flatbreads were drying in a basket to the side. Just then, she saw Jiang Yuan walking this way in the distance, so she added water to the pot, started a fire, and cooked the thirty dumplings.

Jiang Yuan washed his face as he entered the room, and by the time he sat down at the table, the dumplings were ready.

Seeing that the food basket was full of vegetable dumplings and flatbreads, and knowing that the dumplings were specially made for him, Jiang Yuan could no longer maintain his expression and kept grinning foolishly.

Who doesn't like the feeling of being favored, especially when it's his future wife? This indirectly shows that his wife has feelings for him.

"Eat quickly, and we'll take these over to them later."

Bao Ya even put some vinegar and two drops of sesame oil on a plate for him. At this time, meat was a rare treat, and pure white flour dumplings were also a rare treat. They could only be eaten during the New Year. Sometimes, even during the New Year, other grains had to be mixed into the flour to make dumplings.

"You eat too."

As he spoke, Jiang Yuan went to the kitchen and took out a bowl, intending to give her half of it.

"No need, I'm too hot to eat right now. You eat first, I'll just try two."

At Bao Ya's insistence, Jiang Yuan only allowed her to make three dumplings. She'd only made this one meal all morning, and it was quite tiring.

Autumn has arrived, and the weather is cool in the mornings and evenings but hot at noon. Bao Ya, who has been cooking for half the day, has rosy cheeks and is fanning herself with a large palm-leaf fan.

He then ladled out the dumpling soup to cool, intending to drink it later, while he drank large gulps of the cooled boiled water.

Seeing that Jiang Yuan had almost finished his dumplings, I gave him five more vegetable dumplings. To my surprise, he ate them all in one go and even drank two bowls of soup. He has quite a big appetite.