"Where did this mushroom come from?" Yang Ruoqing asked.
Wang Cuilian raised her head and said with a smile: "Your Aunt Osmanthus and three girls brought it here. They just left and didn't even take a sip of the tea."
Yang Ruoqing raised her hand and rubbed her forehead, "They are so polite. They don't forget anything about our family. Now our family has to eat mushrooms three times a day."
As she said that, she stretched out the big bowl in her hand, which also contained mushrooms.
"This was stuffed in by my fifth aunt just now, let's pretend it together."
Wang Cuilian was surprised, happy and grateful when she saw so many mushrooms in the basket, and she sighed for a long time.
"It's hard to keep mushrooms this season. We also have dried mushrooms at home. Why don't you, Qing'er, send these mushrooms to a restaurant in town?" Wang Cuilian asked.
Yang Ruoqing shook her head, "Send this basket of mushrooms to the restaurant. The portion is not enough. Let's eat it at home. It's too much. Otherwise, I'll ask my uncle to send some to Zhoujiacun to Cousin Zhou Wang's house. I just don't know if the uncle has any. If you have free time, would you like to take that trip..."
Wang Cuilian looked outside the yard. At this time, Blacksmith Luo had already gone to the fish pond. Wang Cuilian said: "This is what we and I said privately. Please be at ease. No matter how busy your uncle is, he can still find time." Came for a run."
Yang Ruoqing smiled knowingly.
Blacksmith Luo's love and protection for his old sister Luo Daye lasted for decades without forgetting his original intention.
However, the Zhou family has completely changed their lives since Zhou Xia's death many years ago.
Luo Da'e stopped making noises and took care of the children at home for Zhou Wang and Xiaohuan. She became a real old woman. Except for visiting Luojia Village every year in the first month to pay New Year's greetings, she rarely left the village at other times.
However, Zhou Wang and Xiaohuan were both sensible and respected Blacksmith Luo as their uncle. They would visit Blacksmith Luo every year and during holidays and buy wine and tobacco for Blacksmith Luo.
So Blacksmith Luo took care of the Zhou family overtly and covertly, while Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang pretended not to see it, as long as their uncle was happy.
Sure enough, when Blacksmith Luo came back from outside and saw the basket full of mushrooms at home, and heard the plans of Wang Cuilian and Yang Ruoqing's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Blacksmith Luo went to the backyard to hitch the carriage.
Yang Ruoqing and Wang Cuilian looked at each other and smiled.
"Look, it's going to rain in the afternoon. You should wear a raincoat and a bamboo hat!"
Wang Cuilian walked to the carriage with her coir raincoat and bamboo hat, and persuaded Blacksmith Luo in a gentle voice.
Because Blacksmith Luo is used to going shirtless when the weather is hot, he considers himself an ironworker in the past, and his body is as strong as iron, so he is not afraid of a little rain.
"No, no, it's too hot to wear those things in this weather. I feel so happy being shirtless!"
Sure enough, Blacksmith Luo refused.
Wang Cuilian had no choice but to turn her eyes to Yang Ruoqing for help.
Yang Ruoqing secretly smiled bitterly. It was not easy for her to persuade her. There was only one person in the family who could speak to her uncle most effectively.
So, she glanced at Baby Luo who was playing with the giant teddy over there.
Baby Luo understood, immediately abandoned Teddy and ran to the carriage, took the raincoat and bamboo hat and stuffed them into Blacksmith Luo's arms.
"Grandpa, you are really disobedient. Grandma asked you to wear it because she cares about you. If you travel a long way and get caught in the rain, you will get sick. If your hair is wet, you will get lice."
"You put it on, you must put it on, you are not allowed to go out without putting it on!"
Luo Baobao stood in front of the carriage with his hands on his hips, looking like a little tigress.
Blacksmith Luo looked at his granddaughter's domineering look, beaming and losing all his temper.
"Okay, okay, grandpa, wear it, wear it!"
"Yeah, you are so good. Come on, my granddaughter will wait for you to put it on."
Luo Baobao immediately put down his hands, put on a sweet smile and came closer. He obediently helped blacksmith Luo put the raincoat on the boat and put the bamboo hat aside first, because there was only a little bit of sporadic rain at this moment.
Later, when the rain gets heavier, Grandpa can pick it up and cover his head at any time without any trouble.
"We'll put on the raincoat later. It's not raining yet!" Blacksmith Luo looked at the tightly wrapped coir raincoat and discussed it angrily.
But he was rejected by Luo Baobao.
"The rain will come at a moment's notice. Grandpa will be in such a hurry to drive that he won't have time to put on his raincoat. My granddaughter will help you put it on first so you don't have to worry when you're driving!"
It seemed reasonable, and from a caring standpoint, Blacksmith Luo was speechless.
"Okay, then get dressed!"
In this way, Blacksmith Luo drove the carriage on the road to Zhoujia Village under the watch of three women, big and small.
Before the girls had even had a cup of tea when they returned to the main room, it suddenly started raining heavily outside.
Wang Cuilian looked worried at the splashing water mist outside: "It's raining so hard, the road may not be easy to walk."
Yang Ruoqing also looked at the sky outside: "The rain clouds are covering our area right now, but the sun may still be shining ten miles away. Don't worry, aunt."
Thunderstorms in summer are like this. The range of rain clouds is limited. Sometimes in the same town, there are strong winds and rain in the north of the town, but it may still be scorching sun in the south of the town.
"Qing'er, do you think your uncle can come back tonight?" Wang Cuilian asked again.
Yang Ruoqing thought for a moment, "If it rains, I will be left at Zhou's house overnight. If it doesn't rain... even if I come back later, my uncle will probably come back."
Wang Cuilian nodded, "Let's do it."
As a result, Blacksmith Luo did not come back that night. He came back the next day.
The basket containing mushrooms that I took with me when I went there was filled with eggs when I came back. There was another basket next to it, and the basket was covered with large duck eggs and goose eggs.
"Well, these eggs are given to our baby by Zhou Wang and others."
Wang Cuilian and Yang Ruoqing both came forward and were busy carrying the basket down. The heavy basket was full of white and round eggs, which looked pleasing to the eye.
"Oh my God, why are Zhou Wang and the others so polite... I got so many eggs and duck eggs in exchange for half a basket of mushrooms. I'm afraid I'll have to eat them for a long time." Wang Cuilian said happily, but also felt a little embarrassed. If she had known it earlier, I grabbed some more mushrooms and gave them away.
"When I left, Da'e warned me not to keep these eggs for a long time and to eat them as soon as possible."
Blacksmith Luo wiped the sweat from his face and said cheerfully.
The girl's family knows how to reciprocate politely, and this will save face, which makes him happy from the bottom of his heart.
Yang Ruoqing suggested: "Auntie, let's go back and pickle some to make salted eggs, and some to make preserved eggs."
"I can make salted eggs, but I can't make preserved eggs!" Wang Cuilian said.
Although I don't know how to eat it, Qing'er brought it back from the restaurant in town after eating it a few times.
The taste is a bit strange. It is absolutely inedible when eaten raw. When steamed, cut into pieces with threads, and then topped with sesame oil and chopped pepper, the umami flavor comes out.
Thinking of that smell, Wang Cuilian wanted to drool.
Yang Ruoqing smiled and said, "I can do it. I'll do it when the time comes."
Seeing the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law carrying baskets into the house and discussing excitedly about making salted eggs and preserved eggs along the way, Blacksmith Luo was in a better mood, humming a little tune and leading his horse to settle down in the backyard.
As the month approaches, it rains more frequently.
