Three more days passed. The cabbage planted in the yard had sprouted, and Lin Qinghe's sprained right foot had also recovered, allowing her to walk freely.
Lin Qinghe watered the cabbage in the yard. It was already time to prepare dinner, and besides rice, flour, and wild vegetables, there was no more meat in the kitchen.
Lin Qinghe thought about the hundred coins she had in hand and asked You Mu, "Mother, who near us has eggs for sale? I'll go buy a few to nourish your body."
You Mu replied, "Mother is doing fine, no need for nourishment. Don't waste the money. We can just eat sweet potato porridge tonight."
Lin Qinghe knew You Mu was reluctant to spend money, so she changed her approach. "Mother, look at how hard You Rong works outside every day. Buying eggs isn't just for your nourishment; I want to give You Rong some too. He's the pillar of our family. If his health fails, wouldn't that be terrible?"
You Mu's heart ached for You Rong upon hearing this. "You're right... Go to Butcher Zhang's house at the end of the village. They have many hens, and they often collect eggs to sell at the market. They're five coins each. Buy a few for You Rong to nourish himself, but don't buy too many."
Lin Qinghe smiled and agreed, "Mother, don't worry, I know."
Lin Qinghe took her basket and headed straight for Butcher Zhang's house at the end of the village.
Lin Qinghe planned to buy ten eggs first. With the remaining fifty coins, she needed to think carefully about what to do to earn some money. Otherwise, if this continued, their family would go hungry again.
Arriving at Butcher Zhang's house, Lin Qinghe called out, "Auntie Zhang, are you home?"
A woman in her early forties came out of the house and asked Lin Qinghe curiously, "I am Auntie Zhang. You are...?"
"Auntie Zhang, I am You Rong's wife," Lin Qinghe said with a smile. "My mother said you have eggs for sale. I've come to buy a few from you, is that alright?"
Auntie Zhang's eyes lit up. "Oh! So you're You Rong's wife. Our eggs are big and good. How many do you want? You can pick them yourself from the chicken coop."
"Great, thank you, Auntie Zhang."
Auntie Zhang led Lin Qinghe to the chicken coop behind the house. Lin Qinghe went in and collected ten eggs. She took money from her pocket. "Auntie Zhang, that's fifty coins in total. Please take the money."
Auntie Zhang smiled, "Good, good, good... Next time you want to buy eggs, just come over. My chickens lay eggs every day, so there will definitely be eggs."
"Okay, I'll remember that."
Auntie Zhang said enthusiastically, "By the way, I have a lot of chives picked in my kitchen. They're not worth much, so take some back to stir-fry. Stir-fried chives with eggs are the most delicious."
Lin Qinghe thought that she had flour left, so she could make dumplings with chive and egg filling. She smiled and agreed, "That's very kind of you, Auntie Zhang."
"You're welcome. We're all neighbors. Besides, these things aren't worth much, just take them."
Lin Qinghe chatted and laughed with Auntie Zhang as they walked to the kitchen. Lin Qinghe glanced at a pile of pig offal by the door and casually asked, "This pig offal, did Grandpa Zhang bring it back?"
Auntie Zhang replied, "Yes, he helped slaughter pigs for others. This offal couldn't be eaten, so he brought it back to boil and feed the dogs."
Feed dogs?
People in ancient times didn't eat pig offal?
Lin Qinghe remembered the various dishes of intestines and stir-fried intestines in modern times. While pig offal was a bit troublesome to prepare, if cleaned properly, it was a rare delicacy!
Lin Qinghe's eyes gleamed. "Auntie Zhang, could you sell me some of this pig offal? I have a use for it!"
Auntie Zhang was indifferent. "Do you have a dog at home? Coincidentally, my dog can't finish it all, and I was planning to throw some away. If you have a use for it, then take it."
"That won't do. I've already taken your chives, I can't take your things for free." Lin Qinghe insisted on giving Auntie Zhang ten coins before picking up the pig offal in the wooden bucket. "Auntie Zhang, I'll borrow this bucket to take it back. I'll return it to you another day."
"Alright, take it. You child, still being so polite, taking things others don't want and still insisting on paying..." Auntie Zhang, being simple and honest, felt uneasy no matter what. She added, "Wait, I have some beans picked in my kitchen. Take them back to eat as well."
Lin Qinghe refused, but Auntie Zhang insisted on putting them in her basket before letting her go.
Lin Qinghe thanked her and headed home with her purchases.
As soon as she got home, she eagerly began to process the pig offal. Hearing the commotion, You Mu came over and asked with a frown, "Qinghe, what are you doing? This pig offal... are you planning to cook it?"
Lin Qinghe knew that if she said she intended to eat it now, You Mu would be greatly frightened. So, she decided to keep it a secret for now. "Mother, I have a great use for it. Please go back and rest. I can handle dinner myself."
"A great use? This dirty... what great use could it have?"
"Mother, you'll know later. Please go back and rest. Oh, by the way, You Rong's work clothes had a tear yesterday. I haven't had time to mend them for him, so please trouble you to sew it up for him."
You Mu didn't think much of it and nodded, "Alright, I'll go into the house and mend You Rong's clothes first."
After seeing You Mu off, Lin Qinghe took out the pig offal, which she had washed several times with clean water. She poured some flour on it and rubbed it, then washed it clean with water again. She blanched it in boiling water, then took it out and rubbed it with salt to remove the greasy film.
Lin Qinghe cut the thoroughly cleaned intestines into pieces. Half were for stir-frying, and the other half, considering You Mu's poor teeth, were made into braised intestines.
As soon as Lin Qinghe finished, You Mu came, drawn by the aroma.
"Qinghe, what are you cooking? It smells so good!"
"Uh..." Lin Qinghe truthfully replied, "Mother, this is pig offal I bought from Auntie Zhang and prepared."
You Mu looked surprised. "How is that possible... You say this is made from pig offal? Don't lie to me. Someone else cooked pig offal before, but the smell... it was inedible. How can you make such a fragrant dish!"
"Mother, that's because they don't know how to clean it properly. I washed it many times, blanched it, and so on. It doesn't have any smell left. Then I stir-fried it with oil, minced garlic, and scallion segments until fragrant. Besides the aroma, there won't be any other smell."
Lin Qinghe picked up a piece of braised intestine and offered it to You Mu's mouth, saying confidently, "Mother, won't you try it? I guarantee the taste will be good!"
"This..." You Mu hesitated for a long time, but then opened her mouth and took a bite of the braised intestine Lin Qinghe offered. After a few chews, her eyes lit up. "Qinghe, it's really as you said, there's no smell at all. It's fragrant, chewy yet not tough, and the taste is really good!"
Lin Qinghe smiled upon hearing this. "I'm glad you like it, Mother."
As they were talking, You Rong's deep voice suddenly came from behind, "What does Mother like?"