084, Stew for the Masses, A Harmonious Scene

Weiwei collected her thoughts, then Jing Qingxin turned and asked, “Xiaomei, do you have any potatoes at home?”

“Yes! Sister Jing, do you need some?” Li Xiaomei asked excitedly.

“That’s right, I’d like to stew some meat. Do you have plenty of potatoes? I’d like to buy a bag,” Jing Qingxin replied softly. In the countryside, vegetables like potatoes and radishes were staples, stored in cellars year-round by every household.

“We still have two bags! I’ll go get them!” With that, Li Xiaomei dashed home.

Jing Qingxin chuckled lightly, then turned to light the stove. She placed the fragrant mushroom chicken into the clay pot, mixed in some fresh spring water, and added a few medicinal herbs. After that, there was no need to fuss over it; she could simply let it stew until the chicken was tender.

Jing Qingxin was not worried about the Li family noticing that Gao Shen had given Captain Li a wild pheasant, or that there was wild pheasant soup simmering at home. The basket was large enough; no one saw what lay beneath, so it could easily be said there was a pheasant in it.

Moreover, knowing the character of the four members of the Li family, Jing Qingxin felt they wouldn’t ask too many questions or spread rumors. Besides, Gao Shen had just brought them a wild rabbit!

Jing Qingxin was mindful of caring for the neighbors next door, recognizing their upright conduct. Most importantly, before she arrived, it had always been the Li family who looked after Gao Shen. Though the army supplied rations, they had never greedily kept Gao Shen’s share for themselves, but had sincerely cared for him.

So, for these reasons, Jing Qingxin was more than willing to be kind to the Li family, and help them as much as she could.

Soon, Li Xiaomei returned carrying a bag of potatoes, weighing about twenty or thirty pounds. Jing Qingxin handed her a coin, having roughly estimated the price.

“Sister Jing, please don’t! How could I take your money? Brother Gao just gave us a wild rabbit! Potatoes aren’t worth nearly as much as that. Please, put your money away, or we won’t dare accept anything from you again,” Li Xiaomei protested, her face flushed.

A few potatoes could never compare to the kindness shown by Sister Jing and Brother Gao. Li Xiaomei felt ashamed at the thought of accepting payment; if she shamelessly took the money, her parents would surely scold her.

Jing Qingxin did not insist, and put away the money. Though she wanted to help, if her kindness caused the other party undue burden, it would be counterproductive.

Seeing Sister Jing put away the money, Li Xiaomei breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried that Sister Jing would insist – her heart was pounding!

“Sister Jing, let me peel the potatoes! I’m fast at it,” Li Xiaomei volunteered. Her family often enjoyed the food Sister Jing sent, which made them feel somewhat embarrassed. They were poor and had little to offer, so being able to help Sister Jing made Li Xiaomei very happy.

Jing Qingxin understood her intentions and decided not to refuse her goodwill. After all, preparing such a large pot of stew would be much slower if she worked alone.

And so, the two began a seamless cooperation: Li Xiaomei deftly peeled the potatoes, while Jing Qingxin washed and chopped them. Just as they finished preparing the potatoes, Gao Shen returned.

After exchanging greetings, Gao Shen naturally took a seat by the stove, feeding wood into the fire.

Li Xiaomei watched Sister Jing busy at the stove, while Brother Gao sat calmly tending the flames. The scene was so harmonious and pleasing that the whole kitchen seemed brighter.

Suddenly, Li Xiaomei felt oddly out of place, as if her presence somehow disrupted the picture before her.

Although it was a strange feeling, Li Xiaomei truly thought Sister Jing and Brother Gao made a good match. If they were together, she would certainly be happy for them.

With nothing left for her to do, Li Xiaomei decided not to linger and disturb Sister Jing and Brother Gao.

“Sister Jing, Brother Gao, I’ll go home to cook now. My parents should be back soon,” Li Xiaomei said, wiping her hands.

“You don’t need to cook at home. In a bit, call Uncle Li, Aunt Li, and Brother Tiger to come eat here! We’ll have plenty of food tonight,” Jing Qingxin said, not breaking her stride.

“No, no, I’ll cook at home,” Li Xiaomei quickly refused.

“Don’t decline. Your family’s big pot is here with us – how can you cook? We’ll be sharing meat with the village children tonight, and there will be plenty of food. It’s just four more bowls!” Jing Qingxin replied cheerfully. Since meat was being distributed, the Li family should not be left out.

“Listen to your Sister Jing,” Gao Shen said firmly.

“Alright, then! I’ll go tidy up at home first. When my parents return, we’ll come over together,” Li Xiaomei agreed, subdued by Brother Gao’s demeanor.

With all the ingredients prepared, Jing Qingxin began cooking. The Li family’s iron pot was the largest, perfect for communal meals.

With such a big pot of meat and potatoes, Jing Qingxin found her hands almost unable to keep up with the stir-frying; she had never cooked so much meat at once.

Gao Shen glanced over and saw Jing Qingxin struggling to grip the spatula with both hands, laboring to stir the pot. He added a few more logs to the fire.

He got up, walked to her side, took the spatula, and said softly, “Let me do it. You just give the orders.”

With Gao Shen taking over, Jing Qingxin was glad to relax; she knew her arms weren’t strong enough for the task. She stood by, directing and adding the seasonings.

The rest was just to stew over a moderate fire. Gao Shen went out to the yard, found a few large stones and planks by the wall, and built a makeshift stove in the middle of the yard, ready for the iron pot to be brought out later.

There would certainly be many coming for meat; their kitchen was small and could not hold so many people. Gao Shen didn’t want the house to become messy, so distributing the food in the yard would be more spacious and orderly.

Jing Qingxin rinsed the wild greens she had picked in the morning, preparing a cold salad. With six people dining, three of whom were strong men with hearty appetites, more food was needed.

She considered the menu: potato stew with meat, mushroom chicken soup, and a cold salad. It still seemed a bit sparse, so she brought out some wood ear mushrooms to make a stir-fried dish.

The staple would be white rice. The army had sent some fine grains, as the Li family knew, though not much, so tonight she would steam less rice and supplement with some egg pancakes.

Before long, the four members of the Li family arrived. Li Xiaomei carried the bowls and chopsticks, Aunt Li brought a basin of food, all four smiling as they entered the yard.

Just in time, the potato stew was ready. Jing Qingxin ladled out a large bowl, then Gao Shen called Li Tiger to help. The two gripped towels and carried the iron pot out of the kitchen, placing it on the stove Gao Shen had built, ready for the children to come and share the meal.

This novel was first published by Xiaoxiang Book House. Please do not reproduce!