Border Cook

Chapter 72 Being looked down upon

Each grain of rice has the rich aroma of pork ribs, and its color is light brown with a shiny feel of oil. Just looking at it will increase your appetite.

Obviously, the rice was steamed together with the pork ribs.

When you eat it, the rice grains that have absorbed the soup not only have the rich meaty flavor of the ribs, but also the refreshing aroma of the lotus leaves, mixed with the fragrance of the rice grains themselves...

The ribs were not simply soft and mushy like ordinary stewed ribs, but had a slightly chewy texture, which was completely different from the soft and glutinous texture of rice grains. They tasted better and became more fragrant the more you chewed them.

With such delicious lotus leaf pork ribs steamed rice, who cares how many meals you can eat? Just this one meal will make you content!

The lotus leaf pork ribs steamed rice at noon was unanimously recognized by everyone, and the number of times they returned for the bowl proved it.

Wu Jin even licked the lotus leaves used to wrap rice in the earthenware pot clean, but felt it was not enough, so he just scratched Xia Mingyue's instep and scratched the pot with his claws, signaling her to add some more.

Xia Mingyue was afraid that Wu Jin would eat too much seasoning, so she didn't dare to add any more. She just found a cold steamed bun and took out the meat bones that she had prepared for it and gave it to it.

Wu Jin: "..."

Although the steamed buns and meat bones are delicious, but...

It wants to eat steamed rice, pork ribs steamed rice!

Wu Jin was so anxious that he kept spinning around in place, whining and barking at Xia Mingyue, trying to awaken her conscience.

But Xia Mingyue didn't seem to understand it very well.

Wu Jin pointed his claws at the pot again, then at his own earthenware jar, and then turned around. He looked so anxious that he almost spoke in human language!
"What happened to Wu Jin?" Jiang Zhuguo was a little confused.

Xia Mingyue didn't quite understand, "I don't know. This meat bone is its favorite. Today's meat bone is the largest one I specially asked for from Butcher Hong."

Why do you suddenly not like to eat?
"I saw it staring at the pot in the kitchen. Could it be that since our food comes out of the pot, it thinks its food must come out of the pot too?"

Jiang Zhuguo smiled, picked up the black earthenware pot and went into the kitchen.

He held the clay pot in one hand and shook it in front of the pot, and with the other hand he held the spatula and pretended to shovel in the pot twice, deliberately making a clanging sound, and then put the clay pot back in front of Wu Jin.

"It's fried, eat it quickly." Jiang Zhuguo said with a smile.

Wu Jin: "..."

The last time I was so speechless was last time.

It's not a stupid dog. Trying to trick it is such an insult to the dog.

If it doesn't show its ambition, it will be looked down upon!
Wu Jin was a little angry and depressed, and no longer begged for more lotus leaf and pork ribs steamed rice. He just lay aside and sulked, not even looking at the steamed buns and meat bones in the earthenware pot.

However, this situation only lasted until the sun was slightly west.

Because Wu Jin really couldn't stand the hunger and the smell of meat and bones.

Ambition is nothing, flesh and bones are the most practical...

What face does a dog need!
Before dinner, Xia Mingyue smiled when she saw that the black gold earthenware jar had become clean again and that the fish was still licking and gnawing on the bones that were so bare that there was not a bit of meat left.

I mean, how could I not eat meat and bones? I didn’t eat at noon probably because I wasn’t hungry at that time…

Three days later, Xia Mingyue had finished all the housework.

While it was still early, Liu Caisheng and his two companions mixed the remaining quicklime with loess to make mud, and helped Xia Mingyue to plaster the base of the original house. There were also some blue bricks left, but not too many, so Liu Caisheng suggested that they could be returned.

The kilns that burn green bricks are outside the city. Ordinary people cannot return the bricks they buy, but they have been working as bricklayers for a long time. When they work for their employers, they will take their employers to buy bricks and tiles. The kiln owners know them and are willing to give them face.

"I see there are not many left. Let me go back and enclose this vacant lot as a fence." Xia Mingyue suggested.

Now that the courtyard walls are complete and the house looks presentable, Xia Mingyue wants to loosen the soil in the southeast corner and plant some radishes and cabbages during the dog days of summer. Next year, she can plant some cucumbers, beans, etc., which will be convenient for picking and eating, and the bright green color will look pleasing to the eye.

Take the remaining bricks and bury them diagonally in the soil to block water and soil, and provide some protection for the vegetables.

"That's okay."

Liu Caisheng packed up his stuff and loaded it all onto the flatbed truck.

"Thank you, Madam Xia, for your hospitality during this period." The workers who worked with Liu Caisheng thanked Xia Mingyue directly before leaving.

The amount of meat they ate in these few days was more than what they had eaten at home all year.

If you work for a few more days, you will gain weight.

"You're welcome." Xia Mingyue smiled and sent them out. "You did a very careful job. I have to thank you very much."

The same work done roughly and done carefully can be completely different. Xia Mingyue has been watching very carefully during this period. They even built Wu Jin's nest very neatly. A house made with this craftsmanship is definitely strong and durable.

"No, no." The three people who were recognized felt a little embarrassed.

The food is so good, if I don’t work hard for the master, wouldn’t that be a sin against my conscience?

"It's all as we should." Liu Caisheng and the other two expressed their opinions. "From now on, if Madam Xia needs work, we'll call her at any time."

"Okay." Xia Mingyue nodded in agreement.

After seeing the three people off, Xia Mingyue and Jiang Zhuguo cleaned up the new house together.

Liu Caisheng and his two companions were very diligent. After the house was built, they cleaned it. They even swept the dust off the two earthen kangs in the house, and helped to stick window paper on the windows.

The two of them didn't have to spend too much effort and just took Jiang Zhuguo's bedding and clothes.

After a simple tidying up, it already looks like a new house.

Xia Mingyue looked around and said, "There's still a box missing in the room for clothes and other things. I'll buy one for you later."

The reason why he said he would turn back was not to be polite and refuse, but the construction of the house wall had almost used up all of Xia Mingyue's savings. He even owed some of the money for meat to Hong the butcher and flour to the grain shop. He even borrowed two taels of silver from Lu to cover his living expenses for the past few days.

Xia Mingyue is really short of money.

Jiang Zhuguo also roughly knew Xia Mingyue's current financial situation, and hurriedly said, "Don't worry, I don't have many clothes right now, so folding them neatly and putting them on the bedside will be neat."

A box also costs a lot, and Jiang Zhuguo felt that he really couldn't let Xia Mingyue spend any more money.

Xia Mingyue understood Jiang Zhuguo's intention, she just smiled and didn't say anything else.

Business went on as usual. In order to make more money as quickly as possible during this period of time, Xia Mingyue slightly increased the amount of various food he ate every day.

　Thanks to the book friend user 20230609337_ac for the reward, thanks to Ye Ling, Jingzi, Duyun Jiuliang 2, and book friend 20221210175411597 for the monthly votes, and thank you for the support of the little cuties~
　　(End of this chapter)