Chapter 105 Tao Yuan Buys Meat and Cooks Dishes

The aunt was startled by her grandmother's actions and immediately pouted.

"If you don't want to give it, then don't. Look how agitated you are. Anyone who didn't know better would think I'm a child prostitute. Am I even your biological daughter? Honestly, of course I brought a gift for Xiaojiu. It's too far, so I only brought one for myself. I didn't bring much. The rest are on their way. I'll have my brother go to the post office to ask in a few days. I bought a lot of things!"

While complaining, the aunt squatted down and pulled the luggage to their side, opening and showing it off one by one.

She has all sorts of things like baby formula, snacks, clothes, and other dried goods, which shows that she's definitely not short of money.

Of course she's not short of money. My aunt is even wearing a beautiful long dress. Although she's over thirty, she still has two braids, wears small leather shoes, carries a small leather bag, and definitely has makeup on her face. She smells nice and looks clean and radiant. The key is that she has a bright and generous appearance. She looks like a cheerful and talkative person who can't keep anything to herself.

She'd only been here a short while when Grandma started complaining about how noisy she was. If it weren't for the seven or eight nice spring and autumn outfits Grandma had brought her, she probably would have snapped long ago. Haha, this mother-daughter relationship really opened her eyes.

My aunt is quite the shopaholic; the clothes she bought are all too big, big enough for her to wear until she starts elementary school. She even said she'd send her more nice clothes when she starts elementary school.

My aunt is so cheerful; I wonder how my older aunt is doing. She lives in a mountain city, which is also very far away, and she didn't come back this summer.

"Oh, big sister, I called to ask her to come back together, but her mother-in-law is paralyzed. Did my sister not tell you? It seems she only reports good news and not bad news. Her father-in-law has passed away, leaving only her mother-in-law. Her other brothers don't like her, but her only capable son took her in. But don't worry, Mom, we've hired someone. My sister will only help out a little; she still has a job!"

My eldest aunt is a primary school teacher, not as carefree as my younger aunt. Although she is also a junior high school graduate, her husband is reluctant to let her work, so she has been idle for many years. She has gotten used to not working and decided to stay idle. Anyway, she has two sons to support her, so she is not afraid that her husband will have any problems with his behavior.

She's a resourceful person and has earned a lot of extra money over the years. With money in hand and confidence, why would she want to earn a meager salary?

Before she knew it, her aunt had started rambling on and on. Her grandmother listened attentively, occasionally chiming in. When she learned that both of her daughters were doing well, she breathed a sigh of relief, but then fell silent.

With just that one word, she and her aunt knew what she was thinking. She was probably thinking about those two heroic uncles again. If their two sons hadn't sacrificed themselves back then, they would definitely be married and have a good life today. Unlike them, who are thousands of miles away in the Heroes' Memorial Forest. It would be harder than climbing to heaven for them to visit. She was old and couldn't travel far. She was afraid she would never be able to sweep their graves even once in her life.

Every year during the Qingming Festival, my grandmother only pays respects to the cenotaphs of my two uncles here.

Mentioning her two older brothers, even the talkative aunt fell silent until her grandfather came home with a pipe in his mouth, at which point she excitedly went to chat with her father.

Seeing her grandmother's low spirits, Xiao Jiu said, "Grandma, my two uncles must have been reincarnated into good families and are enjoying a life of happiness."

Grandma patted Xiaojiu's hand: "My dear Xiaojiu, Grandma knows. I just can't let go of them. Every time I see your aunt and your father, I can't help but think of them, especially on their birthdays. I can't sleep at all then. It's okay, I'm used to it. Go try on the new clothes your aunt bought you and see if they look good. My Xiaojiu is so pretty, she should dress nicely."

It was a rare occasion for Aunt to come back, so Grandma asked Grandpa to go buy meat. Aunt, holding Xiaojiu's hand, went along to join in the fun and to see if their hometown had changed over the years. On their way back, they ran into Pandi, who had just returned from turning over the sweet potato vines in the wasteland. Taoyuan immediately greeted her warmly.

Tao Changyi had written to his two older sisters about the family situation, so Tao Yuan knew about the three Tang sisters and that this was Xiao Jiu's older sister, so he couldn't help but praise her.

When Pandi returned home, she threw the sweet potato vines from her basket to the sheep and rabbits, and then went to the kitchen to help Grandma Tao cook.

The boys didn't get home until after noon. Grandma had kneaded the dough in the morning, intending to make pulled noodles, but since Auntie was back, it was clearly not enough. And since Auntie loves rice, she simply prepared rice instead. The sorghum and corn hadn't been soaked beforehand, so they couldn't be used. They just used rice and millet together, and also grabbed a handful of mung beans.

There was a butcher selling meat in town. It was a bit late when we bought it, so there was only lean meat left. The butcher was very helpful and gave my grandfather two big, meatless bones as a bonus.

"Although the meat is too lean, the bones make a delicious soup."

Pork costs 8,000 yuan per jin (500g), but regardless of the cut, the price is the same. If you go early, you can buy fatty pork and streaky pork, but if you go late, there will only be some unwanted pork left.

The person who bought the big bone was kind enough to chop it open, revealing the red marrow inside. My aunt didn't say anything and simply paid for the two pounds of meat.

"Dad, try my cooking today. I guarantee the meat won't be dry, and these big bones are good too. The bone marrow soup made from them is also a good thing. Come on, let's go home and cook."

Grandpa wasn't good with words, but he was in a good mood when he saw his youngest daughter return. He smoked his pipe, held Xiaojiu's hand, and slowly followed his daughter home.

"Oh my goodness, is this for rice? Great! We have so many potatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatoes, let's make a Northeastern stew. Stew the vegetables on the bottom, and serve the rice on top. We'll stew these two big pork bones on the stove. The boys will be back soon, right? Forget all the fancy stuff, just a stew. A stew is good, it's practical. Everyone step aside, I'll cook."

Judging from the way my aunt cooks, she must have done a lot of cooking at home. Come to think of it, the three of them can't just eat in the cafeteria all the time, and they're always running around with my uncle. If they didn't have some cooking skills, they wouldn't be able to keep my uncle so easily.

She said she was going to make a mixed stew, but my aunt still made four cold dishes: eggplant with minced garlic, wood ear mushrooms with onions, preserved eggs with cilantro, and Harbin red sausage.

After the bone broth is cooked, sprinkle some chopped cilantro and scallions on top. The green garnish on the white soup looks absolutely beautiful.

When the three older brothers came home, the aroma filling the yard made their mouths water.

"Grandma, what delicious food have you made this time? Oh my, I could smell it from so far away, it smells so good!"

"There must be meat in it, it smells so good! I'm starving! I only ate half a pancake this morning, and now I'm starving!"

Before they could rush into the kitchen, a smiling, beautiful woman came out and made them stop in their tracks. It was the older Tao Ran who recognized her, but she still asked uncertainly, "Auntie? Is Auntie back?"