Chapter 56.2

Translated by Aviana

After a day, Yang Tiegen delivered the things that Lin Qingwan wanted to Yang-shi’s house. He then returned to the home to let Lin Qingwan know about it and hand over the rest of the money.

But this time, Yang Tiegen wasn’t in a rush to go back to the town, as there wasn’t any work in the town as of late. Many times, even a day’s worth of wait would be futile. Thus, he planned to stay at home for a day before going back to the town.

The third branch’s husband and wife took the two little girls back to their room. While Lin Qingwan felt too lazy to get up from the bed, she nevertheless decided to get up and go to Yang-shi’s place.

She got up from the kang, tidied her clothes, and put on a big cotton-padded jacket. After informing Yang Tiezhu, she then set off to Yang-shi’s place.

Outside, the weather was way too cold. Though it wasn’t snowing, Lin Qingwan found it very chilling. However, Yao-shi doesn’t seem to fear the cold one bit, perhaps because she was used to this place.

Once she entered Yang jia’s courtyard, Dahei and Erhei rushed to her and circled around with wagging tails as soon as they saw her. Lin Qingwan rubbed their heads and entered the main room.

“Eldest gu, I have come.” Lin Qingwan said as she opened the curtain.

姑(gū): father’s oldest sister

Yang-shi was sitting on the kang while making the shoes. Seeing her come in, she said with a smile, “I heard a voice from outside. But since Dahei and Erhei didn’t bark, I guessed it might be you.”

After saying so, she added, “Tiegen bought everything you wanted. Fearing the rats might eat them if I left them in the kitchen, I put them here.”

Lin Qingwan smiled at Yang-shi in response. Placing the cover in her hand down, she bent down and flipped over the pig’s small intestines in the basin.

The small intestines were intact, without any damages.

Lin Qingwan rolled up her sleeves, intending to take the basin outside and wash them.

But before she could hold them, Yang-shi picked up the basin.

“My great aunt, currently you are pregnant, do refrain from doing heavy works. What do you want to do? Tell me, I will help you.”

Hearing Lin Qingwan say these need to be washed, Yang-shi carried the basin into the yard. Lin Qingwan too quickly followed her out, bringing two small stools along with her.

After Yang-shi fetched water, the two sat on the small stool and began washing the small intestines. Once they were scrubbed clean, they rinsed them with water a few times. Once rinsed thoroughly, they soaked the intestines in the water and carried them back into the house.

Unable to endure the frosty weather, Lin Qingwan decided to scrape the mucous lining of the small intestines in the room.

After watching Lin Qingwan scrape them for a while, Yang-shi got the gist of it. Lin Qingwan also intentionally gave her pointers from time to time, intending to teach her. Thus she got the hang of it rather quickly.

Not long after, Yao-shi also came. A while ago, when she went to speak with the second sao, she found that she had gone to eldest gu’s place from second elder brother and thought they must be making that Lap cheong, so she rushed over here to lend a hand.

Seeing the two were busy, Yao-shi moved a small stool and sat beside them as well. Lin Qingwan once again showed Yao-shi how to do it. The three of them then began scrapping small intestines while engaging in trivial conversations.

This time Yang Tiegen had bought quite a lot of small intestines. Thus, it was already quite late by the time the three were done with the peeling. Thus, Yang-shi asked the two to stay back for dinner. But Lin Qingwan declined, saying that many people were waiting for them back home. Thus, Yang-shi had to let them go home with no other choice. They agreed to continue preparing Lap cheong the next day.

Back home, Lin Qingwan and Yao-shi together quickly cooked dinner, after which all the members from both the second branch and third branch sat together and had their dinner in the second branch’s room.

The next day Lin Qingwan and Yao-shi went to Yang jia’s place. While Yang Tiegen went back to the town to look for odd jobs and also attend Lin Qingwan’s matter – to visit Man Fu House and inquire how Laweixian was selling.

Today, the three of them would be washing and cutting the meat. Thinking that knives at Yang-shi’s place might not be enough for three of them, before leaving to Yang-shi’s place, Lin Qingwan wrapped her kitchen knife along with Yang Tiezhu’s hunting knife in a cloth and brought it along with her.

When she took them out at Yang-shi’s place, Yang-shi was startled.

Glancing at Yang-shi’s astonished and little dumfounded appearance, Lin Qingwan wittily brandished the knife in the air, saying that all this seemed as if they were working in a workshop. And added that in the future, if their business truly begins thriving, all of them would build a small workshop.

Yang-shi and Yao-shi smiled without any words, inwardly thinking it unlikely. However, they didn’t spell their thoughts out, fearing Lin Qingwan might become sad.

Yang-shi and Yao-shi began chopping the meat into long strips with the kitchen knife. While Lin Qingwan began dicing them into small cubes. Once the meat was finely chopped, Lin Qingwan asked Yang-shi to fetch a large cleaned basin and took all the chopped meat into them before seasoning them with condiments and giving them a mix.

All the condiments, including salt, soy sauce, sugar, thirteen-spice, ginger ale, wine, and so on, were brought by Lin Qingwan earlier. The thirteen-spice she ground last time was still left out. Thinking that all of that might get used up this time, she went to the medical center the last time she visited the town and bought a few more herbs.

It took a few basins to season all the meat with condiments. With the filling ready, they could begin making Lap cheong.

Upon seeing the time, Yang-shi decided to start preparing lunch for them. The previous day, when the three of them decided to make Lap cheong today, Lin Qingwan and Yao-shi decided to have lunch at Yang-shi’s place. For this reason, Lin Qingwan had prepared the lunch for Yang Tiezhu and the two girls in the morning itself, just like the other day when she went to the town.

After having lunch, the three gave themselves a short rest before they got busy again.

Since Lin Qingwan was the only one who knew how to make Lap cheong, she taught Yang-shi, and Yao-shi taught how to do it first.

As quick learners as they were, Yang-shi and Yao-shi understood how to do it in a short time. But, as there was only one funnel, only one person could do it.

One stuffed the meat from the top through the funnel while the other two squeezed the filling down into the casing. With the three people working together, the work was done quickly.

But no matter how fast they were, it was almost dark by the time they were done making lap cheong. After hanging them on the roof beams, Lin Qingwan and Yao-shi quickly washed their hands and took their leave.

Back at home, the two quickly made something simple for dinner. After a simple dinner, Yao-shi took the two girls back to her room.

Lin Qingwan knew Yao-shi was extremely tired, but she, too, was tried to death. Her lower back was utterly sore, while she couldn’t even lift her arms anymore.

After a quick wash, Lin Qingwan threw herself on the kang. Only when she laid down and wrapped herself in the quilts, did she feel relaxed from head to foot.

Looking at his wife’s-tired face, Yang Tiezhu felt extremely distressed and said, “Wife, are you tired? Don’t tire yourself in your pregnancy. The silver we have would be enough to get by for the next few days. After a while, all of my injuries will be healed. Then I will earn even more silver and give them to you.”

Lin Qingwan, huddled in quilts, appeasingly smiled at him, “I’m not that tired. Most of the work was done by eldest gu and third dimei. I simply helped them from the side.”

dimiei: younger brother’s wife

Yang Tiezhu caressed Lin Qingwan’s small arms with his big hands without saying anything. And just as he expected, they were extremely stiff.

But he didn’t say anything. He silently and slowly massaged Lin Qingwan’s arm with his uninjured hand.

The beddings under her were thick and comfortable, and the quilt in which she wrapped in was cozy and soft. Coupled with his slow and relaxing massage, Lin Qingwan slowly drifted into a deep slumber.

In her slumber, she felt as if someone was massaging her arms and waist, but she was too sleepy to open her eyes.

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