In midsummer, the early morning sun was already scorching.
The old and young of Dahe Village had been exhausted for a full day and night. Many were catching up on sleep, so the village was especially quiet in the early morning. The parched earth was cracked wide open, as if yearning for heavy rain.
Grandma Zhao was in the courtyard cooking wild vegetable porridge, and also baking twelve buckwheat corn cakes. The filling was made from radishes, and one bite was incredibly fragrant. Eating so much in the morning gave them strength for a new day of work.
"Grandma!"
Zhao Sidan's clear voice rang out from the courtyard gate.
Grandma Zhao looked up and saw the little fellow carrying a steaming hot bowl, which he promptly placed in her hands.
"My mother told me to bring it."
He said, then turned to run.
Grandma Zhao glanced at it and knew it was rabbit meat. Yesterday, the villagers had said that Eldest Daughter-in-law was lucky. Everyone else was busy, but she was resting and still managed to pick up a fat rabbit.
Looking at this piece of rabbit meat, it was all fat. How many good things must it have eaten to get so plump? A large bowl of rabbit stew, with some bamboo shoots added, smelled so good it made one want to devour it, wishing they could drink it all in one gulp.
However, Grandma Zhao was never one to eat alone. She casually poured the bowl of rabbit stew into the pot of wild vegetable porridge and called out to Zhao Sidan, who was about to bolt: "You stand there and wait a moment."
Grandma Zhao went inside and happened to see Sun Shi. She casually said, "Third Daughter-in-law, get ten catties of bamboo shoots."
Sun Shi glanced at Zhao Sidan, who was alone outside, and instantly understood. These ten catties of bamboo shoots were definitely for the eldest branch.
Yesterday, everyone else was busy, only Eldest Sister-in-law sat there resting. She had thought Eldest Sister-in-law didn't care for the bamboo shoots in the mud, but she hadn't expected her to be waiting here, wanting to reach out and ask the old household for food, right!
Sun Shi, feeling indignant, went to get the bamboo shoots.
Grandma Zhao took the bamboo shoots and brought them to Zhao Sidan. She originally wanted to give him a few more instructions, but he already had his bamboo basket and turned to run like the wind.
"This child..."
Grandma Zhao laughed and shook her head.
Sidan seemed a little more lively and clever than before, and much cleaner too.
After Sun Shi finished sweeping the room, a surge of anger in her stomach refused to subside. Finally, she couldn't help but say softly, "If you wanted to eat bamboo shoots, you should have dug them properly yesterday. You could have gotten ten catties of bamboo shoots in a short while, but instead, you come to the old household to ask for them."
Upon hearing these words, Grandma Zhao frowned.
Third Daughter-in-law was becoming more and more unbelievable. The night before last, the Sun family secretly went up the mountain to dig bamboo shoots. She hadn't even settled that debt yet, and now she dared to accuse her mother-in-law of favoring the eldest branch...
Grandma Zhao was about to speak when Zhao Erwang's surprised voice came from above: "Grandma, why does the wild vegetable porridge smell so good today..."
Zhao Chunhua's eyes widened: "Look quickly, there seems to be meat in the pot!"
Grandma Zhao smiled and said, "Eldest Auntie just had Sidan bring it over!"
"Eldest Auntie is too kind!" Zhao Dawang drooled profusely: "It must be that fat rabbit from yesterday!"
"Eldest Auntie gave a bowl of rabbit meat, and I had Sidan take back ten catties of bamboo shoots." As Grandma Zhao said this, she glanced at Sun Shi: "Dawang, do you think ten catties of bamboo shoots is too much?"
Zhao Dawang shook his head vigorously: "If someone gave me a piece of meat, I'd give them twenty catties of bamboo shoots!"
Madam Sun knew these words were deliberately spoken by the Old Madam for her to hear. Her face flushed with shame, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.
A large bowl of steaming hot rabbit stew was brought to the table.
A family of six sat down at the wooden table.
Drinking a bowl of rabbit stew on a summer morning can replenish qi and relieve heat. The rabbit meat, stewed for several hours, was tender and succulent, its rich, fresh aroma filling the mouth. The bamboo shoots, braised until soft, were so delicious with one bite that one wished they could swallow their own tongue.
Taking a wild vegetable corn cake, dipping it into the rabbit stew, and taking a bite was truly a delicacy of the human world.