Chapter 1001 - 978: Glory in Turbulent Times 46

Chapter 1001: Chapter 978: Glory in Turbulent Times 46

None of Xiao Hui, who learned cooking from Anning, could make some dishes, but they truly couldn’t make flour-based food.

Anning’s family has been in Southern Yi for almost a year now, and during this long time, they have been craving flour-based food to the point of madness.

Now that they have flour, how could they not try all kinds of ways to eat it?

All the way back home, Xiao Yin kept making requests: "Mom, I want to eat big steamed buns, I want noodles, I want dumplings, I want meat pies, and I want dumplings."

Anning laughed, "Alright, alright, we’ll make them all for you. We’ll all eat together; today we’ll eat dumplings."

Anning turned back and said to Xiao Hui, "Take Yi’er to cut some chives, we’ll have chive dumplings."

"Okay." Xiao Hui, with a smile on her face, took Xiao Yi to cut chives.

Anning returned home, found a piece of pork belly with both fat and lean meat, and started chopping the mix.

As she chopped, she instructed Xiao Fu, "Find some Sichuan peppercorn and spices, put them in a pot, add water, boil it, and set it aside to cool."

Xiao Fu went to boil the water, Anning had Xiao Yun crack eggs into a bowl and mix them, and she had Xiao Yin boil shrimps, peel them, and bring out some shrimp meat.

Xiao Yuan returned to find his wife and daughters busy in the kitchen; Aunt Xu, who didn’t know how to make flour food, was also watching and learning from the side.

"Are we making dumplings here?"

Xiao Yuan smiled as he walked over to ask.

Anning laughed, "Isn’t it so? Yin’er just wants to eat this."

"Then we should eat well today," Xiao Yuan said, rolling up his sleeves and ready to help. "I’ve been craving this too. Since we came to Southern Yi, we haven’t had dumplings. Today, we’ll eat dumplings, and tomorrow you make steamed buns for me."

"Alright."

Anning agreed with a smile, "You don’t need to help. We can handle it; you go get some wine, and we can have a drink later."

"Okay, I’ll go buy some wine."

Xiao Yuan smiled as he tucked Anning’s stray hair behind her ear, "People say dumplings with wine, the more you eat, the more you have."

When Xiao Yuan went out for wine, Anning had already chopped the mix. She placed the chopped mix in a basin and set it aside for use.

Xiao Hui and Xiao Yi returned with the chives, and Anning had Aunt Xu take them to pick the chives.

Anning then kneaded the dough to let it rest, scrambled the eggs until finely crumbled, and chopped the shrimp meat to mix with the eggs.

By this time, the Sichuan pepper water had cooled, so Anning poured some into the chopped meat, stirring it in one direction.

"Mom, why do you put Sichuan pepper water in the meat?"

Xiao Yin watched curiously.

Anning explained with a smile, "This helps remove some of the gamey taste from the meat and makes it softer. The meat absorbs the broth, making it easier to cook and release the juices during boiling. When the dumplings are cooked, the meat will feel tender in your mouth, and the juice will be plentiful."

Xiao Yin nodded in agreement.

Anning added soy sauce, salt, and sesame oil.

By this time, Aunt Xu had already picked and cleaned the chives, so Anning asked her to chop them up.

Anning mixed two stuffing styles, one with meat and another with chive, egg, and shrimp.

When Xiao Ying and the others returned, Anning and several girls were sitting in the yard making dumplings.

The boys found it interesting and joined in to learn how to make dumplings.

For a while, the small yard was filled with joy.

By midday, the dumplings were cooked, and Anning set aside some to have Aunt Xu bring them to Zhang Bao and his wife.

In the yard, two round tables were set. Anning sat with the girls at one table, while Xiao Yuan and the boys sat at another. He took a sip of wine, ate a couple of dumplings, and his expression showed utter joy.

Xiao Song and the others were eating heartily; the kids quickly filled their bellies, eating one dumpling after another.

Xiao Yang patted his stomach, saying, "No wonder Brother Ying kept saying he wanted flour-based food and dumplings. These dumplings are really delicious, so delicious! Mom, should we plant wheat this year at our home? Then we can eat dumplings more often."

Anning laughed, "Alright, as our youngest son suggests, our home will plant some wheat every year, just for making dumplings for you."

While the third branch was making dumplings, the fourth branch was rolling noodles.

Xiao Ling, being single, went over to the fourth branch to eat noodles.

In the following days, both branches took turns cooking different flour foods, be it flatbreads, pancakes one day, steamed buns the next; they were enjoying themselves to the fullest.

After eating all eighteen varieties of flour foods, it was time for Xiao Ling’s wedding day.

Anning and Hui Family assisted in handling Xiao Ling’s wedding affairs, opening many banquet tables on the big day, with many villagers coming to congratulate.

Xiao Ling did not give much dowry.

He had money, but it could not be revealed. Nevertheless, the dowry he provided was considered quite generous in the village.

Of course, the Yuan Family did not give much in way of a bride’s dowry either; Miss Yuan did not have ten trays of bridal gifts, which in the Capital would be considered embarrassingly meager, yet in the village, it was the envy of many girls.

As the dowry was dispatched, Marchioness Guangning hugged Miss Yuan and cried till she was breathless: "I hoped to find you a good son-in-law. Since you were born, I’ve been saving dowry for you. Our family might not have a hundred trays, but eighty trays should be enough, yet now... it truly has wronged my daughter."

Miss Yuan, however, was quite optimistic.

She smiled, comforting Marchioness Guangning, "Mother, quickly dry your tears. I’m not wronged. What’s there to be wronged about? I’m glad to be alive, be able to walk this path, and stay with my parents; it’s already really good for me, indeed. Plus, Little Six is very good to me; their family has been divided, even split from the clan’s main line. I marry into the family to be the mistress; I’m in charge, no mother-in-law above to scold, no sister-in-law below to find fault, and two brother-in-laws to support me. As long as I do well, life will be good."

Her words were very sensible, immediately stopping Marchioness Guangning’s tears: "My dear, you must take good care of yourself. We live close by; if you’re ever wronged, come back to us, your father and I will stand up for you."

Miss Yuan agreed with a smile.

Marchioness Guangning further advised, "Once you’re in the Xiao Family, show respect to your Third and Fourth Sisters-in-law. Consult them when needed. Little Six followed his third and fourth brothers from the Capital to Southern Yi. Later, they built houses and settled down, and were always helped by the third and fourth sisters-in-law. Their bonds are deep, so don’t throw childish tantrums in front of people."

"I know," Miss Yuan smiled and said, "Little Six told me before that he is very grateful for his third brother and sister-in-law; if not for them, he might have been gone."

Here, Miss Yuan bid farewell to her family.

Over there, Xiao Ling arrived with people carrying the sedan chair at the Yuan Family.

Here, there was no teasing of the son-in-law nor any difficulty presented to Xiao Ling. Xiao Ling easily led Miss Yuan out, getting her into the sedan chair.

With music and drumming, Xiao Ling returned, and the bride crossed the brazier to enter the house for the wedding ceremony.

However, the Old Master and Old Madam stood by their word; they really did not come over.

Early on, Xiao Ling went personally to the first branch to invite the Old Master and Old Madam over, and the Old Master scolded Xiao Ling but still wouldn’t come.

Later, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Jin also went to invite them, but the Old Master and Old Madam simply ignored them.

When the bride got off the sedan chair and everyone was standing in the main hall, neither the Old Master nor the Old Madam was in sight.

The wedding ceremony was timed, and the host asked anxiously: "What’s to be done? Both parents are here, but they’re not seated. How can we proceed with the ceremony?"