ā From now on, we’ll eat at this time, though it’s a bit early, but we won’t have time to eat later during the dinner rush. You’ll get used to it after staying here for a while.”
Youyu understood the word “wash” and, though very hungry, quickly got up and went inside to wash the bowls.
Shen Miao glanced at the sky.
Before Ji Ge and Xiangjie left, she had told them to return around three in the afternoon.
By the time dinner was ready, it would be about that time.
So she washed her hands and started preparing dinner.
While making the steamed noodles, she had also washed rice and steamed a large pot, which was now ready.
She took it out and let it cool in bowlsā she planned to make fried rice tonight.
It’s often said that fried rice is best made with overnight rice, but Shen Miao didn’t necessarily agree.
The reason people say to use overnight rice is that after sitting for a night, the rice loses some moisture.
Freshly cooked rice usually has higher water content and is stickier.
Overnight rice becomes drier, making it easier to separate during frying.
Another reason is that as the moisture decreases, the texture of the rice changes.
It becomes more elastic, like being slightly “air-dried.”
When stir- fried, this elastic rice can withstand the force of stirring without breaking easily.
But using overnight rice also has a downside: as the moisture decreases, the rice becomes harder, requiring more seasoning and oil to flavor it, making it greasier and less refreshing.
Therefore, Shen Miao preferred to use freshly steamed rice for fried rice.
As long as she controlled the water content while steaming, using slightly less water than usual, she could achieve dry, fresh rice without waiting overnight.
This way, she could make it whenever she wanted, and eat it whenever she felt like it.
Today, with Youyu added to the household, Shen Miao considered her size and the amount of work she had done, so she added two extra cups of rice while steaming.
Their family used a small bamboo tube, charred to prevent insects and mold, to measure rice.
Usually, for the three siblings and two dogs, three cups were just right.
While the rice was cooling, Shen Miao prepared the ingredients.
She prepared four eggs, a few stalks of green onions, a little pork belly, peas, and assorted vegetables.
She cracked the eggs, separating the yolks from the whites by passing the yolk between the two halves of the shell, then beat the yolks in a separate bowl.
For the vegetables, she used whatever was available at home.
Sometimes, cooking without being too precise or following recipes strictly could result in unexpectedly delicious combinations.
All the vegetables and meat were diced.
In another pan, she heated oil, first frying the egg whites, quickly scrambling them until they turned white and solidified, then setting them aside.
She added more oil to the pan, and when it was hot, she added the cooled rice, reducing the heat to low and slowly stir-frying it.
At first, the rice would clump together, but as she stir-fried, the surface moisture decreased, and with a press of the spatula, it quickly separated.
Even without using overnight rice, the grains could become distinct.
In fact, because fresh rice contained more moisture, the fried rice today had a more lustrous color.
Once the rice was heated, she poured in the beaten egg yolks, quickly stir-frying until each grain was coated with egg.
By then, Youyu had finished washing the bowls.
She stacked them neatly in a wicker basket, then couldn’t help but stand next to Shen Miao, watching with wide eyes.
Shen Miao lifted the heavy iron pan, giving it a few vigorous shakes, causing the flames in the stove to leap up.
The rice in the pan had turned golden, shining like pearls under the intense firelight.
The aroma of eggs and rice was already very enticing.
Youyu watched intently.
Shen Miao methodically added the meat, peas, scrambled egg whites, and other diced vegetables to the pan.
As the ingredients mixed, the aroma grew even stronger.
The sound of Youyu’s “gulp,” “gulp” swallowing echoed in her ears, so loud that the child didn’t know how to hide it.
Shen Miao turned to look at her, seeing her eyes fixed solely on the pan of rice.
Adding soy sauce, salt, and other seasonings, sprinkling in the green onions, and stir-frying a few more times to release the onion’s fragrance, the fried rice was ready.
There was still some pork bone broth left in the soup bucket.
She ladled a few scoops into another pot, brought it to a boil, added some greens and lean meat, seasoned it with salt, and sprinkled scallions before serving, creating a simple and delicious lean meat soup to accompany the meal.
Having not rested well in recent days, Shen Miao didn’t want to make things too complicated, saving some energy for the evening dinner rush.
So tonight, it was just lean meat soup and fried rice for a simple meal.
As Shen Miao was plating the food, the backyard door creaked open, and Jie Geās lively footsteps and cheerful voice rang out simultaneously:
“Sister! Sister! We’re back! Today, Grandpa Zhou closed the shop early and took us to the river to catch shrimp! I caught a crayfish with claws this big! Sister, come see!”
Following that were the welcoming barks of Leiting and the puppy, and finally Jige’s steady footsteps.
She responded from the kitchen,
“Alright, I’ll come out in a moment… Just in time, go wash your hands and get ready for dinner.”
The siblings washed their hands and entered, bumping into Youyu, who was following closely behind Shen Miao.
Both sides were startled, stepping
back: “Who are you?”
Youyu couldn’t say her name, only making “ah ah” sounds.
Jie Ge and her sister were stunned, then silently exchanged glances.
Even at their young age, they could tell that this tall, sturdy girl was a bit different.
Shen Miao carried a large bowl of fried rice past the three of them, who were frozen in place, sizing each other up.
Without saying much, she simply nodded towards Youyu and introduced,
“This is Youyu. She’ll be helping out at our house from now on. She’s a bit simple minded, so treat her like a younger sister. Play together, and don’t bully her.”
Xiangjie’s eyes lit up at the word “sister”:
“She’s a sister! Then I’m the big sister!”
She immediately walked up to Youyu, puffing out her small chest and looking up at her, saying confidently,
“You have to call me ‘big sister.’ If you call me ‘big sister, I’ll protect you.”
Youyu thought hard for a moment, then tried to make a sound similar to “zhizhi.”
It sounded like a mouse squeaking, but Xiangjie was still very satisfied, raising her head and patting her chest, declaring,
“From now on, I’m your big sister. Don’t worry, with me around, no one in this alley will dare to bully you.”
Even though she wasn’t even as tall as Youyu’s elbow.
Jie Ge gently tapped her head, mercilessly exposing her:
“Stop bragging! Last time, I don’t know who got into a fight with Liu Douhua, not only lost the argument but also got her face scratched. And then cried… um… um…”
“Brother! Stop talking!” Xiangjie jumped up to cover her brother’s mouth, almost suffocating him.
Jie GeĀ helplessly pulled her off, then turned to set the table in the yard, perfunctorily agreeing,Ā
“Alright, alright, I won’t say anymore.”
Xiangjie pouted, then turned to Youyu and whispered,
“That was an accident. Don’t listen to my brother. I’m really strong.”
Youyu didn’t seem to understand, just standing there grinning at her.
Jie Ge silently set the table, brought four stools, and fetched four sets of bowls and chopsticks.
Shen Miao placed the fried rice on the table, served four bowls of soup, clapped her hands, and officially announced,
“Let’s eat!”
The sun had not yet set, and the dusk of early summer was much more intense than that of spring, casting a fiery glow over the courtyard.
As Shen Miao led Youyu to sit down, she gazed at the small yard without a trace of shade and suddenly thought that she should buy a semi-mature tree to plant during the next market day.
Preferably a fruit tree-persimmon, pomegranate, peach, or jujube would all be fine.
It would provide shade and bear fruit.
A jujube tree?
If she were to plant a jujube tree, she couldn’t just buy one.
She would need to buy two.
After all, Outside the wall, there are two trees: one is a jujube tree, and the other is also a jujube tree.
Then she chuckled to herself.
This drew a curious glance from Ji Ge, who wondered what his sister was laughing about-there was nothing in the yard, after all.
Shen Miao waved her hand with a smile.
This was a joy only she could understand.
XiangJie had been insisting on sitting next to Youyu and was now contently nestled beside her.
She even promised Shen Miao,
“From now on, I’ll take care of Youyu. I’ll serve her food.”
Shen Miao laughed, “Then I’ll leave her to you.”
XiangJie nodded earnestly.
But soon, Xiang Jie realized she was mistaken-Youyu didn’t need her care at all.
When it came to eating, Youyu was like a whirlwind, finishing her bowl in no time.
Then she would hold her empty bowl, looking at you with pitiful eyes.
Shen Miao would refill her bowl, and she would quickly devour it again, once more gazing at you with that same pitiful look.
Even Shen Miao was taken aback, hesitating for a moment before refilling the bowl.
In the end, Youyu ate four bowls of fried rice, two bowls of soup, and even gnawed on a pear.
Originally, the fried rice had been prepared with Leiting and the yellow dog in mind, but Youyu ended up eating it all.
Shen Miao had to go back to the kitchen to chop up some vegetable leaves and minced meat for the dogs, cooking a simple noodle soup for them.
XiangJie had been so busy watching Youyu eat that she hadn’t touched her own food.
She looked down at her small bowl, then up at Youyu, her eyes wide with astonishment at how much Youyu could eat.
Youyu, now burping, finished the last grain of rice in her bowl and smacked her lips with satisfaction.
She no longer looked at the bowl and put down her bowl and chopsticks.
When Shen Miao came out of the kitchen after preparing the dog food, she suddenly remembered what Youyu’s mother had said: the bigger Youyu grew, the less her son and daughter-in-law liked her.
Could it be because Youyu ate so much?
No wonder she was so tall.
From now on, she would need to add two more cups of rice when cooking.
After the family finished dinner and rested for a while, evening fell.
The evening drum from the Great Xiangguo Temple echoed like rippling water waves, and customers began to arrive one after another.
The shop quickly became lively, and Shen Miao was busy again.
But today, with an extra helper, she felt much more at ease.
She focused on making noodles, while Ji Ge helped serve them and collect money, and XiangJie helped clear the dishes.
As soon as XiangJie brought the dishes back to the sink, Youyu immediately washed them.
After washing, she even helped Shen Miao fetch firewood.
What surprised Shen Miao the most was that Youyu knew how to tend the fire!
In ancient times, tending a fire in a traditional stove was a skilled task.
You had to know how much firewood to add for a strong flame, a medium flame, or a small flame, and you had to keep a close eye on it, sometimes even using a bellows.
Even for someone with normal intelligence, it would take years to become a good fire tender.
Shen Miao had thought that such a complex and quick- reaction task would be beyond Youyu’s abilities.
But to her surprise, Youyu could indeed tend the fire.
When Shen Miao said, “Youyu, turn it to a medium flame and pull out a large piece of firewood,”
Youyu responded with an “Ah,” then firmly grasped the fire tongs and steadily pulled out the firewood.
After pulling it out, she even knew to adjust the remaining firewood in the stove to keep it loose, preventing the fire from dying out.
For a while, when the shop wasn’t busy, Shen Miao didn’t give any orders but instead observed Youyu closely.
She noticed that Youyu would actively use the bellows to maintain the fire.
When the fire grew weak, she would increase the airflow, and when it grew too strong, she would reduce it, controlling the amount of oxygen entering the stove.
When the ashes in the stove piled up, she would silently squat down and clean them out.
The ashes could be used as fertilizer for the vegetable garden, so Shen Miao had her shovel them into the garden.
After watching Youyu tend the fire for a while, Shen Miao felt it was worth it even if Youyu ate four bowls of rice in one meal, it was worth it!
She had truly found a treasure.
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