Chapter 8: A Small Show of Craftmanship

"This is the prescription. You can go to the county pharmacy to get it. I don't have the medicinal materials on it here."

No one know when Qian Yun had already written the prescription and he placed it in Liu Jin's hands.

Liu Jin glanced at the prescription. There were precious medicinal materials on it. How much money would it cost her!

It seemed that letting him heal his injuries at home was really a loss-making business, but she will find a way to earned back the money from him.

Qian Yun didn't know that she was literate, and explained: "These medicinal materials are not cheap. If you have money, you can buy him a few doses so that he can treat the internal injuries."

In fact, the reason why Liu Jin knows how to read was because after she met Xun Ziyu in her previous life, she had specially asked the Master to teach her.

Xun Ziyu likes to write poetry very much. However, every time he writes a poem, he will read it to her excitedly, but she can't understand it at all. She remembered seeing a look of contempt from Xun Ziyu's face once, so she just started to work hard and learned to read.

It was really silly of her when she think of herself at that time.

For him, she was  willing to do anything!

Now when she think about it, she felt that a demon like him was not worth her effort.

But fortunately, it was better to be literate than illiterate. One must know that she will earned money to open restaurants in the future. If she was illiterate, perhaps she can't even read the accounts.

Liu Jin pulled her thoughts back from the distant memory. Seeing Qian Yun packing up the medicine box and preparing to leave, she said embarrassedly: "Doctor Qian, can I give you this consultation money in a few days? Right now....I have no money."

"It's okay, a few days later then, ai! It's not easy for you and your mother." Qian Yun sighed, carrying the medicine box to leave.

Liu Jin hurriedly sent him out.

Back in the room, Liu Jin heard a slight even breathing sound from Mu Feng, and quietly went to the kitchen to clean the bamboo shoots.

The bamboo shoots were covered with mud. After washing them, she wanted to sell some to earned money back.

Now her family was so poor that they were not only had nothing in the pot*, but also owes two debts outside. She has to make some money quickly. However, the best way to make money right now was to sell these bamboo shoots.

*揭不开锅; starve / be short of food / be unable to keep the pot boiling / have nothing in the pot

Luo Shi looked at it with curiosity on her face: "Jin'er, what did you want to do with these bamboo shoots you are digging back?"

"Eat ya!" Liu Jin answered with a smile.

Luo Shi squatted beside Liu Jin, picked up a bamboo shoot, looked at it, and said, "Can this thing be eaten?"

"Yes, these bamboo shoots are not only edible, but also delicious." Liu Jin explained.

Luo Shi still doesn't believe it very much. After all, no one has ever said that this bamboo shoot was edible.

Seeing Luo Shi was still in  disbelief, Liu Jin said, "Mother, you help me wash it together. I will make this for you later for lunch. You will know if it edible or not when you eat it later."

Luo Shi responded, smiling and helping to clean the bamboo shoots.

Soon it was lunch time, and Liu Jin took two washed bamboo shoots and walked to the stove.

There were two pots on her stove, one pot was used for cooking rice, and the other was used for cooking dishes.

Liu Jin knew that there was not much coarse rice at home, and she didn't want to cook too much, so she only scooped one ladle, which was the appetite of her and her mother.

As for Mu Feng, she will make him some millet porridge later.

She washed the coarse rice, poured it into the big pot inside, added water and cover the pot, then went under the stove to make a fire.

But before her hand touched the burning hay, Luo Shi walked over and said, "Jin'er, I'll do it, just do your work on it."

Liu Jin nodded and asked Luo Shi to ignited both pots.

She scooped two scoops of water into the outside pot, and then put the two washed bamboo shoots in and boiled for a while to remove the astringency.

After the bamboo shoots were cooked, she picked it up and waited for it to cool down, then picked up a kitchen knife and quickly cut it.

Luo Shi heard the sound of her cutting vegetables and couldn't help standing up and taking a look in surprise: "Jin'er, when did you become so good at knife skills?"

Liu Jin smiled and said vaguely: "Mother, I don't know. Maybe this bamboo shoot is easier to cut, so I can cut it so fast."

Luo Shi felt that what Liu Jin said was reasonable, so she stopped asking questions, but continued to burn the fire.

After the bamboo shoots were cut, Liu Jin flipped through the vegetable basket and found a few green peppers and a radish, so she washed and cut them together.

This bamboo shoot was very tender. If it was stewed meat or stewed chicken soup, the taste will be more delicious, but her family was poor, let alone meat and chicken, they don't even had a piece of pig skin and a chicken feather, so she can only make green peppers fried bamboo shoots.

"Mother, light the firewood in the big wok outside." Liu Jin put down the kitchen knife and instructed.

When Luo Shi heard the words, she quickly lit the fire for the big wok outside.

After the big wok heated up, Liu Jin picked up the lard that was pitifully less, gritted her teeth and dug a scoop with a spatula and put it into the wok.

When the lard gets hot, it makes a prickling sound.

Luo Shi felt a little distressed when she listened, but she did not speak. She felt that she had treated Liu Jin too badly in recent years and could not let her have a good meal.

After the lard melted, Liu Jin put the bamboo shoots in the pot and stir fry them.

After fried the bamboo shoots for a while, they became soft, and Liu Jin put the green peppers in and stir fry them together.

When the heat was almost done, she put some salt into the wok.

"Mother, set a small fire." Liu Jin said.

Luo Shi picked up the iron tongs and minimized the fire in the stove hole.

After simmering for a while, Liu Jin opened the lid of the pot.

A scent floated out of the wok in an instant, and the whole kitchen was fragrance everywhere.

Smelling the fragrance, Liu Jin couldn't help swallowing.

The hue of the bamboo shoots in the wok was still good, but she knows that the taste was far from what she wanted, but she can't be blamed.

The cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice*. There were no seasonings at home. How can she make delicious dishes?

*巧妇难为无米之炊; (idiom); You won't get anywhere without equipment.

"Mother, you eat a piece and try it." Liu Jin picked up the chopsticks and put a bamboo shoot to Luo Shi mouth.

Luo Shi looked at the bamboo shoots, her appetite increased, and couldn't help swallowing.

Upon seeing this, Liu Jin smiled more happily, and said, "Mother, you eat ya!"

Luo Shi also didn't want to care so much, opened her mouth and ate the bamboo shoot into her stomach.

"How does it taste?" Liu Jin looked at her with expectation.

Luo Shi expression was delighted: "Jin'er, you know, this bamboo shoot tastes so good, it tastes crispy and smooth."

After hearing Luo Shi words, Liu Jin said: "Mother, now you believe these bamboo shoots can be eaten ba."

"Believe, I believe, what my Jin'er said, I have always believed." Luo Shi said as she stretched out her hand and squeezed Liu Jin's small face.

Liu Jin pursed her mouth and muttered in her heart: But you didn't believe what I said just now!

She didn't really get real with Luo Shi, because she knew how deeply Luo Shi loved her.

She walked to the stove and started to make salad shredded radish.

The shredded radish was mixed quickly, and it was ready in a while.

She brought the two dishes to the dining table in the hall and waited for the rice to be cooked.