Chapter 17: Cleaning

The joy of the two little ones was evident, sparking a hint of curiosity in Wen Nuan Nuan about the legendary Leng Xiao.

She knew that Leng Xiao would become incredibly formidable in a few years and that these three younger brothers would rely on and trust him with their lives. But what about him now?

What was he like?

What was the future powerful minister like in his youth?

The man who could teach Eldest Brother about human nature and discernment, who could earn the wholehearted dependence and genuine delight of his two younger brothers—what was that cold-faced, icy-hearted minister in the eyes of the court officials like now?

Wen Nuan Nuan felt a flicker of anticipation for the trip to the city the day after tomorrow.

But that anticipation lasted only a moment, as there was simply too much work to be done in the next two days.

Not only did she need to prepare food for Leng Xiao, but she also had to make preparations for the coming winter.

“Sister-in-law, I’ll handle the cleaning and laundry. You just focus on making the sauce and cooking,” said Leng Yun, his youthful face brimming with determination.

“Alright,” Wen Nuan Nuan agreed. “While the sun is strong, let’s take the bedding out to air.”

“Sure,” Leng Yun replied. He first ran to the courtyard to set up bamboo poles before rushing back to the room to fetch the bedding.

Then, he moved the tables and chairs to the well, drew water, scrubbed them clean, and placed them in the sun to dry.

After filling a wooden basin with water, he took a cloth and a long bamboo pole into the room to start by dusting the high places and clearing away cobwebs.

He worked methodically from start to finish, never needing Wen Nuan Nuan to tell him what to do first or next.

Watching him, Wen Nuan Nuan couldn’t help but feel impressed. Turning to Leng Chen, she asked, “Second Brother, can you make a matching lid for the wooden basin? When we send food to your Eldest Brother, it’s easy for it to spill without a lid.”

“Yes, I can make it fit tightly, but I can’t guarantee that the soup won’t spill,” Leng Chen replied, lowering his head slightly in embarrassment at the latter part of his statement.

Wen Nuan Nuan thought having a lid was enough. As long as the food didn’t spill, she was perfectly satisfied. How could she possibly demand that the soup not spill either?

She nodded with great satisfaction, a warm smile spreading across her face. “That’s excellent! I’ll only fill it about two-thirds full, and there won’t be much soup anyway. As long as the food doesn’t spill, we don’t need to worry about the soup.”

Most importantly, with a lid, the dishes could be stacked neatly in the bamboo basket, saving space.

“Then I’ll head to the kitchen to prepare the food. Call me when you’re done,” she said, waving her hand to indicate that Leng Chen didn’t need to stand up.

She truly admired the three little ones. Despite being so poor they could hardly afford food, they never neglected their manners.

They didn’t fight over food, spoke politely and respectfully, answered every question she asked as their sister-in-law, and always stood up to greet her when she arrived or see her off when she left.

They really were lovable from the bottom of her heart.

Arriving in the kitchen, Wen Nuan Nuan rolled up her sleeves and retrieved the ingredients she needed from the wooden shelf Leng Chen had made for her: cabbage, carrots, white radishes, cucumbers, and green and red peppers.

She planned to make a quick-pickled vegetable dish—refreshing and appetizing.

This dish was quick to prepare; it could be made today and eaten tomorrow. At the current temperature, it would keep for about a week.

If she wanted to pack vegetables for Leng Xiao, only pickled dishes would last for several days without spoiling. However, aside from Pickled Mustard Tuber, she had no other pickled vegetables in her refrigerator. Making pickled vegetables now would not only take too much time but, more importantly, she didn’t have enough salt.

Pickling required a large amount of salt. Although she kept salt in her refrigerator, it was only a small bottle. While there was plenty left for daily use, it was far from enough for pickling.

After much thought, only this water-pickled vegetable seemed most suitable—refreshing, appetizing, and able to retain the nutrients of the vegetables, low in salt and healthy, no wonder it was becoming increasingly popular in modern times.

The method was also very simple: cut the vegetables into chunks and strips, lightly salt them first to remove any astringency, wash them clean, then add the mixed seasonings, stir, and let them soak. Once set aside, no further attention was needed—just take and eat as desired.

She could scoop some out the morning after tomorrow to bring to Leng Xiao.

These past two days, she had been eating a lot and moving little with the three little ones, and she particularly craved something crisp and refreshing to cut through the greasiness.

With nimble hands and feet, she finished making the water-pickled vegetables, then Wen Nuan Nuan took out a local old hen to chop.

As she struggled to chop the old hen, she silently resolved that once they entered the city, she must buy a large stewing pot!

A ceramic stewing pot big enough to hold a whole old hen!

And also buy a red clay small stove, keep it simmering over charcoal fire, bubbling with steaming hot local old hen soup. In the midst of heavy snowfall in winter, just imagining that scene made Wen Nuan Nuan feel warm all over.

After stewing the chicken soup, she lit another stove and heated up the beer duck and sweet and sour pork ribs. She stir-fried some lotus root slices, then while adding water to the pot to heat the steamed buns, she steamed some chopped chili enoki mushrooms. Finally, she made a cold dish of century egg with tofu, and lunch was ready.

In the meantime, Leng Chen had already finished making the small cups and delivered them. After finishing lunch, Wen Nuan Nuan washed the cups clean, filled them with warm water, and placed them in the expanded area of the refrigerator.

Why warm water?

Because she had discovered that although the expanded area looked like it was part of the original space, it seemed as if a transparent wall forcibly separated the two sides, making them distinct and not interfering with each other.

This was also why she had asked Second Brother to make tiny cups instead of trying to squeeze normal-sized cups into the side—they simply wouldn’t fit.

It was precisely because the two sides were distinct and did not interfere with each other that Wen Nuan Nuan suddenly wondered: could the functions of the two sides also be different?

If one side could automatically replenish food every day, what was the purpose of the other side?

So she placed warm water inside, wanting to test it.

“Sister-in-law, the wooden basin and lid are finished. Come out and see if they’re acceptable,” Leng Chen called loudly from outside the door.

Hearing Second Brother’s call, Wen Nuan Nuan adjusted her sleeves, patted her clothes, opened the kitchen door, and walked out.

Looking at the polished wooden basin and its matching lid, Wen Nuan Nuan praised sincerely, “Second Brother, you’ve done an amazing job!”

Smooth and perfectly fitted, it was practically a wooden handicraft.

And entirely handmade!

Leng Chen felt a bit embarrassed by the praise, his face slightly reddening. “If the size and style are suitable, should I make more according to this standard?”

“Yes, that’s perfect,” Wen Nuan Nuan nodded repeatedly, having no objections at all. She was incredibly satisfied.

The craftsmanship and texture were far better than the machine-made wooden bowls and basins she had bought with money in the past!

Turning around, she saw that Little Brother had not only cleaned up but had also moved out all the previously stored dried vegetables to air them. On the wide drying trays were all kinds of dried vegetables and dried fruits.

Wen Nuan Nuan hopped around, looking at this and that, filled with endless curiosity.

It couldn’t be helped—after all, she had always lived in the Jiangnan region. Even in the rural area where she stayed with her grandparents as a child, it was mostly flat plains. Forget mountains, there weren’t even many small hills.

Her grandmother’s house also had wild vegetables, but compared to the variety and quantity from the mountains around the Leng Family, the difference was as vast as between heaven and earth.

Of course, after looking around, apart from the common ones like hazel mushrooms, wood ear fungus, pine nuts, and walnuts, Wen Nuan Nuan didn’t recognize any of the rest.

“Little Brother, is this Ling Zhi?” So much of it?

Although they’re a bit small, isn’t Ling Zhi quite valuable?

Are they about to strike it rich?

“It’s not Ling Zhi, this is Yun Zhi, a type of Chinese medicinal herb. Selling it to a pharmacy will earn us some copper coins.” Leng Yun put down the work in his hands and followed behind Wen Nuan Nuan, explaining.

“All of these laid out to dry are medicinal herbs, but they’re not very expensive. The truly valuable herbs will have to wait until next month.”

“What’s next month?” It’s late August now, so next month is September. What valuable herbs appear in September?