Chapter 5  : Braised Eggplant

“Big sister, you really drove Zhou Hengyang away? Actually, although Zhou Hengyang was indifferent toward you and didn’t like to speak much, he was a good person. But Big sister, if you don’t like him, then forget it!”

“You guys… don’t object?” Su Wen tried to ask.

Su Xiu was puzzled and asked, “What’s there to object to? It’s fine as long as you’ve made the decision.” She was so exhausted that she couldn’t even walk, collapsing on the ground. Her pants were rolled-up, and there was a leech attached to her calf. It was already full of blood.

Su Wen was terrified of leeches, so she jumped up in fright, scaring her sisters.

“What is there to be scared of? You can’t pull these leeches off while they’re sucking blood. You can only slap it hard and it will fall off.” Su Xiu smacked the leech off her leg, poked it with a branch, and threw it out. It would die in a short while under the sun.

“We’re transplanting rice seedlings now, so it’s normal to have leeches. I checked before I came home; there’s no more. Big sister, please sit down!”

Su Wen’s scalp went numb. She was no longer in the mood to continue sitting. She had planted seedlings when she was young, but at that time, she would wear sleeves. Some of them were specially worn on the legs, so she was not afraid of leeches. There was no such thing now!

Thinking of this, she had an idea and found a way to make money.

Make sleeve guards!

“Zhou Hengyang will be your brother-in-law in the future. I don’t intend to give you a new brother-in-law. Alright, you guys take a rest, I’ll cook.”

The two sisters looked as though they were about to burst into tears, but they were still mentally prepared. No matter how bad Big sister’s food was, they would still eat it.

“Big sister, I’ll help you. I know how to start a fire.” Little sister Su jumped and chased after her like a lackey. She wanted to do all the work and was determined not to be an idle person who did nothing.

*****

The Su family was indeed dirt-poor. Besides cornmeal, there wasn’t much other seasoning in the kitchen. There was still a lot of oil left in the enamel jar. The remaining 55 yuan had been given to Zhou Hengyang. so even if they wanted to buy something, they couldn’t.

Su Wen had been doing housework with her grandmother since she was young. Later on, she worked hard alone away from home. In order to save money, she had to cook herself. Her cooking skills were quite good. While she was pondering how to make cornmeal appetizing, she went to the private plot behind the house for a walk.

The three sisters took good care of the private land. May was the season when vegetables thrived. There were green peppers, green vegetables, and purple eggplants.

Su Wen picked a basket of eggplants, washed them, and cut them into thick slices. She planned to roast the eggplants and stick cornmeal pancakes on the side of the pot.

This was convenient and quick. If the eggplant was cooked well, with a liberal use of oil, it would have the flavor of meat.

Little sister Su squatted by the stove to help with the fire. Su Wen moved nimbly and she added copious amounts of oil. The eggplants were all fried in the pan and was very fragrant. These days, vegetables and grains were all grown naturally and tasted much better than in the future.

Half the basket of eggplants were cut up and the rest was reserved for dinner. After half a pot was cooked, she placed the cornmeal paste on the side of the pot, then covered it with the lid and let it boil.

This method was most suitable for rural areas. The iron pot was large, and the fire burned evenly when using firewood. The food cooked would be exceedingly aromatic.

Little sister Su was already drooling. She squatted on the ground and fanned the fire while peeking at Su Wen with admiration. This was the first time that she had realized that her Big sister was actually so amazing. She hadn’t had a full meal in a long time, so she was going to have a big meal that day.

Su Xiu was busy outside, washing clothes with the washboard. She couldn’t wait when she caught a whiff of the fragrance and came in, eyes filled with hunger.

“Big sister, what are you doing? Why does it smell so good?”

“Braised eggplant. Go wash your hands and we can start eating.”

Su Xiu and little sister Su cheered. Su Wen had already washed her hands and put the vegetables and pancakes on the table. Half the cornmeal was soaked in the broth, and it was flavorful and delicious.

“Big sister, you’re so good at cooking.” Su Xiu didn’t mind that it was steaming hot. She couldn’t wait to take a bite of the pancake. It was fragrant and chewy, and very tasty. She took a bite of the eggplant. It was so greasy and delicious that she almost swallowed her tongue.