After this experience, the air between the two of them was quite silent on their way back to the village.
They were approaching the fork in the road leading to Erlizi Village. Zhuang Keqing suddenly stopped and said, "You must take the imperial examination well."
Shen Ling knew what the girl meant.
Not for others, but for himself.
He had always given in before and never thought of fighting, but what would he get in return?
"Well, I promise you."
From then on, Shen Ling also made a decision.
…
Qin Manzhi was busy in the kitchen with Aman on her back.
Looking at the sun, my daughter and son-in-law should have arrived home. I am afraid I am very tired after walking all day. So I made a rich dinner.
Cut the bacon into small cubes, fry it in oil, sprinkle with some accumulated pickled cabbage, and season with salt and sugar. When you put it in a bowl, it smells sour and fragrant. Then put on a plate a dozen yellow rice pancakes, fry them in oil, and they will be crispy on the outside. It's glutinous inside, plus a pot of thick multi-grain porridge. It's even enough for tomorrow's breakfast.
When Zhuang Keqing and Shen Ling returned to the village, they saw smoke rising from the kitchen chimney in their small courtyard.
They opened the fence of the small courtyard and walked in. They saw the chickens cooing and eating in the chicken coop, the green vegetables in the vegetable patch, and the dustpan and broom placed against the wall.
My heart suddenly softened.
"Mom, we are back."
Zhuang Keqing put down his backpack and walked to the kitchen. Qin Manzhi came out to welcome him, "You're back, wash your hands and eat."
Shen Ling followed behind, called "Mother", then picked up Zhuang Keqing's backpack and put it in the kitchen.
The days are long in summer, and it's not dark yet when it's time to eat. Qin Manzhi took the initiative and put the tables and stools in the courtyard to eat.
"It's bright outside," she said.
At the food stall, Shen Ling took a ladle of water from the water tank and washed Zhuang Keqing's hands first, then his own.
The family of four sat in the small courtyard, enjoying the evening breeze and eating farm food. They felt very comfortable for a while. Even Shen Ling looked much more relaxed than usual.
Qin Manzhi gave him a piece of yellow rice cake and a spoonful of pickles and bacon, "You must be starving."
Shen Ling nodded, took the cake and ate it honestly, "Thank you, mother."
"Don't be polite to me, we are a family now."
Qin Manzhi held Aman in her arms, gave the little guy a taste of rice porridge, and smiled.
"Is everything going well today?" she asked.
Zhuang Keqing and Shen Ling looked up at each other while eating, and tacitly concealed their encounter with the Shen family's motorcade.
"Well, Butcher Zhang met Shen Ling and gave him a pig's trotters as a gift. I'll go braise them tomorrow and add some vegetables."
"Then I'll clean it up tonight, put it in the pot before you go out tomorrow, and you can eat it tonight."
Qin Manzhi felt happy.
I heard that the Shen family left today, and now their daughter and son-in-law are getting married. If the tofu business starts again in a few days, won't it become more and more prosperous?
The more she looks at Shen Ling now, the more she likes him. Although this child talks little, his every move can be seen to be interesting. In this case, she must fully support him in his studies.
Qin Manzhi made up his mind and planned to go to Li Guihua next door to ask about the old scholar while the couple went to the village chief's house tomorrow.
After dinner, the whole family washes up and rests.
As for Zhuang Keqing and Shen Ling, they didn't know each other a few months ago, but now they sleep in the same bed, and they have become the closest people to each other besides their parents and brothers.
Early the next morning, Zhuang Keqing took advantage of making breakfast to process the pig's trotters given by butcher Zhang yesterday.
The pig trotters had been roasted over a fire, and the hair on them had been burnt clean and scrubbed. Zhuang Keqing put it directly on the chopping board and chopped it into pieces, then put it into the pot and blanched it first.
The fire was burning brightly in the stove, and the brown rice porridge and yellow rice pancakes left over from yesterday were sizzling hot. When the water in the pig's trotter pot boiled, breakfast was ready. I grabbed a handful of pickled radishes in the pickle jar and put them together.
Quickly stir-fry some minced meat, and a side dish will be ready in a while. Put three eggs in the chicken coop, boil them in water, peel them off, sprinkle them with a little salt, put them on a plate and serve them directly.
Scrub the pot clean, add a piece of lard, and put a cube of sugar in it. When fine bubbles form, the sugar color is ready. Throw the dried pig's trotters in, and there will be a "prick" sound, and the oil will be fragrant.
Overflow. Stir-fry a few more times, add bean paste, sugar and some brine base. Pour hot water on it and cover it, then let it simmer.
This early in the morning, every household either drank porridge or ate steamed buns. Only the smell of meat wafted from the kitchen of the banker, which made many people hunch their noses and keep sniffing.
"Whose family makes such meaty food so early in the morning?"
"It looks like a banker."
"Tch, her family is so poor that she couldn't even afford porridge before. It's only been a few months now and she has to eat meat every morning."
"It can't be compared, it can't be compared~"
Neighbors in the village like to visit each other with a bowl when it's meal time. Your family eats porridge, and his family eats noodles. Whichever family cooks something good, they always eat in secret with the door closed.
But no one here starts cooking meat as soon as they wake up early. This is really something I have never seen before.
The villagers were surprised, but there was always a hint of jealousy behind the scenes.
But Zhuang Keqing doesn't bother to care what others think. He eats whatever he likes without disturbing others.
After breakfast, she divided the things she bought yesterday, two pounds of meat, a piece of suet, a box of snacks, a piece of sugar, and a jar of wine. This belongs to the village chief and will be brought with her later. The other meat, oil, snacks, and sugar
, I was going to give it to the scholar, so I put it aside. There was still a box of snacks left, and I asked my mother to give it to Aunt Li next door, as a thank you for her help at the wedding.
"Mom, Shen Ling and I went out, and the stove is simmering on a low fire. By the way, add a handful of soaked soybeans to make it more fragrant." After the explanation, Zhuang Keqing took Shen Ling out and asked him before leaving.
Mom left the things in the yard until she came back.
"This girl is worried." Qin Manzhi waved her hand and told them to leave quickly and not to miss the time.
Why did you choose to go to the village chief’s house today?
In fact, Zhuang Keqing thought this was a return home. However, she didn't tell Shen Ling. After all, the other party was a bride-in-law. It would always feel weird if she said so carelessly that she was a return home.
Shen Ling and Zhuang Keqing carried their hands full of things and looked at them.
If any villagers go to work in the morning and encounter them on the road, they will always ask a few questions.
"Where are you going?"
"Hello, uncle, we are going to the village chief's house."
"Oh, let's go to the village chief's house, okay, okay, okay."
After everyone had gone away, a few of them gathered together again to talk.
"This bag contains meat and sugar, and I see there is also a jar of wine."
"Isn't it time? I'm afraid the Shen boy will end up living with the village chief, right?"
"I really can't tell that this girl from the banker still knows how to feel sorry for others."
At this point, a few people twitched their eyebrows and curled their lips, and started laughing again without knowing it.
The village chief did not expect that they would come to visit today and bring such a heavy gift. My daughter-in-law, Mrs. Lin, took one look and knew that this was a homecoming gift.
This boy and the girl regard our family as their in-laws' family.
Mrs. Lin felt like she was in the clear mind and was happy. She immediately accepted the call and asked someone to go in and talk.
The village chief watched them get married all the way, and now the two children look good and feel happy. Moreover, I heard that the Shen family left yesterday and may not come back again in the future. The life of this young couple is going smoothly.
"Grandpa Village Chief, Shen Ling and I have never thanked you properly."
After Zhuang Keqing finished speaking, he and Shen Ling solemnly saluted the village chief. The village chief quickly stood up to help him and said, "You just have to live a good life. Just don't miss me some braised food and tofu in the future."
The three of them sat down and chatted for a while. Of course, Zhuang Keqing mainly talked to the village chief, and Shen Ling occasionally answered the question. When there was still a while before lunch, they got up and said goodbye.
"Stay and have lunch before leaving." Ms. Lin persuaded her to stay.
"Aunt Lin, we have something to do in the afternoon, so we won't eat at your place. Let's eat some other time."
"We just got married, why are there so many things going on?"
Zhuang Keqing had nothing to hide, and told him that he was going to consult an old scholar.
The village chief and Mrs. Lin were both shocked. This girl was planning to support Shen Ling in studying?! This study costs a lot of money! It was the Shen family before, who was also a wealthy family in the village, and supported a scholar. How many years did it take to take the exam? How can it be so easy?
But the village chief raised his eyes and looked at Shen Ling.
The young man has clear features and a noble temperament. Although he wears the same coarse clothes, he looks different from them.
Thinking about it, the Shen family came from a scholarly family, and no matter how they treated him badly before, he still had the reputation of being an adopted son. He should have been studying for several years, and he was much better than they were born with weak legs.
The village chief nodded thoughtfully. In short, he would take the exam for a few years before taking the exam. If he really couldn't do it, he would be willing to be a farmer digging in the fields.