Ye Lan hugged the old lady's arm and insisted, "Didn't my aunt say that we will be a family in the future?" How can there be a reason for my niece to live in the main room and the elders to live in the wing room, or I moved to live in the side room, and my uncle and aunt quickly changed it back. ”

"How? Shanzi still lives next door, and it's not good to hear it. Hu Po's head shook like a wave drum, and she didn't agree.

Ye Lan thought for a while and said compromisedly: "I like this house, why don't I just live in this one, my aunt and uncle live in the east room, so it's done, right?" ”

Hu Po hesitated for a moment, but didn't insist anymore, and responded, after all, there are often contacts between neighbors on weekdays, and it is really difficult to hide the flaws.

When an old man and a novel decided on a place to live, they went to the stove to prepare for cooking.

The old man's baked cake had completely blackened into Bao Gong's face, and the old lady couldn't help but curse a few more words, but it happened that Hu Bo came in with a piece of meat and a piece of tofu, and when he saw that the situation was not good, he put down his things and ran away.

Ye Lan was so amused by the old couple that she couldn't stop giggling, Hu Po blushed a little, and laughed at the end.

Ye Lan stayed overnight with Shanzi along the way, she didn't eat well and slept well, not to mention anything else, the gluttonous worms in her stomach had been protesting for a long time, and she saw fresh meat at this time, her eyes were shining, and she didn't wait for the old lady to open her mouth, she picked up the kitchen knife and washed and cut it non-stop, and asked for Hu Po's opinion happily in her mouth-

"Auntie, let's make a bowl of braised pork to eat, okay? The tofu stewed soup, then steamed a pot of white rice, kept to your heart's content. ”

"Okay, okay." Hu Po was originally going to stop her, for fear that Ye Lan would cut her hand, but Ye Lan was unexpectedly capable, and the kitchen knife under her hand flew over, obviously doing these chores, she was so distressed that her tears almost fell again, and she scolded the eight generations of Chen's ancestors in her heart.

Chen, who is far away in the Prime Minister's Mansion, doesn't know that she has been wronged, if she knows, she must be furious, she is not an ignorant stupid lady, using such a means to rectify her stepdaughter, both leaving a handle and easily ruining her reputation, where is there such a clever means of "praising and killing"?

Ye Lan was completely intoxicated with the joy of cooking food, in her previous life, she worked alone outside by herself, and she practiced good cooking skills, and her mouth was a little tricky. After coming to this world, the eldest lady didn't enjoy the wealth at all, but she has been eating with the original owner, and now she has finally settled down and can cook a hot meal to eat, how can she not be happy?

The small courtyard was soon filled with the aroma of food, and Shanzi took off his jacket and only wore a middle coat, and the cuffs were rolled up to reveal his thick arms, and he slowly chopped the wooden concubine.

Hu Bo hid behind the wooden pile and gossiped with Shanzi, occasionally secretly opening the gourd and taking a sip of wine, narrowing his eyes comfortably.

"Shanzi, are you going to leave in a few days?"

Shanzi subconsciously turned his head to look at the steaming stove, and only after a long time did he respond, "Let's go, there are still some things to deal with outside." ”

Huber didn't notice his strange appearance, and whispered, "If you are not in a hurry, you can stay a few more days before leaving." You're not at home, the eldest lady just came, and the old woman is angry again, and no one helps me play a round. ”

"Okay." Shanzi nodded, his axe fell, and the thick wood at the mouth of the bowl turned into two halves.

The sun rises and sets, and in the blink of an eye, two days have passed.

The fire kang under the west window, I don't know if I found the craftsman's plate, it is really quite successful, every day when the sun sets, burn a few pieces of wooden stumbling, the whole night the kang is hot, to be spread with a thick cotton bedding, a beautiful sleep, no matter how much fatigue has been saved during the day will all be dispersed.

Hu Po prepared two sets of dresses for Ye Lan before, and it was rare that they fit very well, the only thing that made Ye Lan dissatisfied was that the two sets of dresses were satin, and it was very inconvenient to work.

Last night, the old lady couldn't help Ye Lan's entanglement, and found the old mending dress she wore when she was young, and changed it slightly, Ye Lan couldn't wait to wear it out this morning, cooking and laundry, not having to be careful about being dirty and afraid of hooking, it was really much more comfortable.

Shanzi chopped firewood, carried water, lit fires, and swept the yard, and his subordinates were not idle.

When the old couple got up, the yard was clean inside and out, and there were hot bud porridge, finely chopped salted mustard greens, golden scrambled eggs, and a small basket of dry cakes on the table in the hall.

The couple looked at each other, both a little sad and happy. The two have no children, and they don't want to be buried in the ground, but they actually taste the warmth of being filial piety.

Shanzi was as silent as ever, even if he guessed the thoughts of the two elders, he refused to speak, but Ye Lan stepped forward with a smile and hugged the old lady's arm, and said coquettishly: "Auntie, I am suffocated at home, let me go out with you to sell cakes in a while, okay?" ”

Her little daughter was coquettish like a mother, and the old lady's heart was so warm that she couldn't wait to pick the stars and hang them as lanterns in the house, so she naturally replied again and again: "Okay, good, as long as you are not tired, I will take you around the city." ”

"Not tired, not tired." Ye Lan hurriedly served porridge and vegetables to Hu Po, and complained with a smile: "I've been here for a few days, and I don't know where our family lives, in case someone abducts me, I'm afraid I won't be able to find a way back." ”

"Who dare?" Hu Po glared, "In the future, if anyone bullies you on the street, you will report Shanzi's name." This kid doesn't talk much, but he has a good ability, he has killed a tiger before, and the county magistrate has given him a reward, and there is no disobedience to him in and out of the city. ”，

"Really?" Ye Lan drank porridge while looking at Shanzi who was silently eating dry cakes, and the fire of gossip in her eyes was burning.

"Brother Shanzi, is your name surnamed Wu Mingsong, and your hometown lives in Jingyanggang?"

Shanzi frowned, snorted lightly, and refused to say a word no matter how much Ye Lan asked.

Hu Po saw Ye Lan hit a wall, and hurriedly comforted: "This kid is a saw-mouth gourd, three years ago my old man went out to run errands, he didn't know what happened and fainted on the side of the road, but he picked it up and raised it for a few days. ”

The old lady complained in her mouth, but the chopsticks in her hand sandwiched a big piece of egg for Shanzi, which made Ye Lan laugh.

"Auntie, there will be me at home in the future, he can go wherever he wants, and I will stay filial to you two elders."

"Okay, okay." The second elder was coaxed into a smile, and the plate of scrambled eggs naturally divided more than half into Ye Lan's bowl.

Ye Lan generally raised his chin at Shanzi in demonstration, and as a result, he got a roll of the eye.

After breakfast, Hu Bo quickly picked out the dry cakes from the oven in the stove and put them in two baskets lined with white cotton cloth.

Ye Lan followed behind the old lady and carefully looked at the small gravel city. The old lady is a talkative person, and she loves Ye Lan, and explains some customs and customs to her while selling.

This gravel city is located in the north of the Jinghai Empire, three or four hundred miles away from the frontier, and the people live a peaceful life, and they do not have to worry about foreign enemies attacking at all times.

But the resources here are very poor, because of the cold climate, only one crop of grain can be planted a year, the harvest is average, and there are no minerals except for wild beasts in the nearby mountains. The Empire, along with the north-south transportation arteries, did not pass through here, so sometimes this small county town was as lonely and silent as a child abandoned by the Empire.

The successive county officials are all elderly people, who have been officials here for three years, have no merits, and cannot cause any trouble.

There are only three main streets in the county, one of which has a yamen built on it, and some wealthy families live; The second is a commercial street that gathers restaurants and silver buildings, money and medicine stores, and so on, and the last street is a small bazaar, where many people will gather here to sell some home-raised chickens and ducks, fish caught in the river, all kinds of mountain delicacies, or pottery and bathing utensils, and it has become the most lively place in the whole county.

There are not many people in the county, and almost all of them know each other, greet each other when they meet, laugh and say a few common words.

The old lady didn't think anything of it, but Ye Lan liked it more and more. In the previous life, she lived in a city made of steel and concrete for twenty or thirty years, even the neighbors who lived on the other side of the door never spoke, and the interpersonal indifference made people feel cold from the bottom of their bones.

Hu Po was originally worried that a golden branch like Ye Lan would dislike the remoteness and poverty here, but after secretly observing for a long time, she never stopped seeing the smile on Ye Lan's face, so she began to wonder if Shanzi had picked up the wrong person.

An old man and a young man walked half of the county, and only sold more than 20 dry cakes in the burden, Ye Lan was afraid that the old lady would be tired, so she yelled thirsty, so the two found a tea stall and asked for a pot of tea.

The owner of the tea stall is a fat woman in her forties, and she is also familiar with Hu Po on weekdays, and when she saw Ye Lan beside her, she asked, "Hu Pozi, this is your niece?" It's really good-looking, it's not like you at all, don't pick up the wrong person, right? ”

"You old bastard, you're not afraid to slap your mouth. This is my own niece, can I still admit my mistake? When I'm as stupid as you are! Hu Po didn't show weakness, and laughed and scolded the fat woman when she opened her mouth.

Ye Lan couldn't interject, so she pretended to be virtuous and sat aside to drink water, but provoked the fat woman to praise a few more words.

When she got up to leave, Hu Po took two dry cakes from her burden and gave them to the fat woman, but she didn't want the fat woman to wave her hand and said: "Oh, don't be polite to me, it's just two bowls of tea, I can afford it, and besides, I have a bad toothache recently, and your dry cake is too hard, I don't dare to eat it." ”

When Hu Po heard this, she stopped her hand and scolded with a smile: "It's good to let your mouth be unforgiving, and your teeth will fall out." ”

After saying goodbye, she took Ye Lan out of the tea stall and continued to sell along the street.

Ye Lan came to the Hu family for the first few days, although there was meat for the three meals and the materials were new, but she still found that the Hu family was living a little poor, I was afraid that it was because of her arrival that she had filled in a lot of savings, and today I saw that the dry cakes were not selling well, and even were disliked by the fat woman, so she couldn't help asking: "Auntie, this dry cake doesn't sell much, haven't you and your uncle thought about changing their livelihood?" ”

Hu Po shook the burden on her shoulders and smiled: "Your uncle and I don't have any other skills, this dry cake has been sold for more than ten years, although the taste is average, but it is durable, easy not to mold, it is good to go out and carry it as dry food, there are many old customers on weekdays, and the money earned is enough for the family to eat, but in the end, it is not as good as the food in the Prime Minister's house, and you will be wronged to suffer in the future." ”

"Auntie, didn't we say okay, we will be a family in the future? Why are you still so polite, treating me as an outsider, I'm angry! Ye Lan couldn't hear the old lady always talking like this, so she hurriedly protested.

Hu Po really smiled, "Okay, good, my aunt is wrong, let's go home after selling it for a while, and go to Wang's shop to cut a piece of sauce beef and eat it in the steamer at noon." ”

"Okay." Ye Lan did not sweep the old lady's interest, in her opinion, saving money can never be rich, and only finding a way to open source is the right way.

Hu Po Xu was worried that Ye Lan was not used to walking far, so she would take her home before the sun rose overhead.

Hu Bo had just kneaded the dough and had not yet rolled the bread into the oven, when he saw them coming back, he was a little panicked, and hurriedly shouted: "Old woman, I'm not lazy, it's you who came back early." He also pulled Shanzi, who was pulling the bowstring under the eaves, to testify for him, "Shanzi has always been at home, I don't believe you ask him!" ”

Hu Po glared at the old man fiercely and scolded: "I haven't opened my mouth yet, you just said this, and you are not afraid of children's jokes, hurry up and help me unload the burden, I bought sauce beef, and you are allowed to drink two taels of wine at noon." ”

"Really? But that's great. Hu Bo was so happy that he hurriedly stepped forward to help, and said with emotion: "I knew that after taking the eldest lady back, the old woman would become so generous, so I ......"

"What about you?" Hu Po just came out of the house after drinking water, and when she heard this, she glared again.

Huber hurriedly smiled and went into the stove.

Ye Lan remembered Fang Cai's plan on the road, and followed in.

"Uncle, I learned to make a kind of cake from the cook at home, which is softer and tastes better than this dry cake, why don't you let me try this baked cake, okay?"

Hu Bo was rolling up his sleeves, and when he heard this, he stopped, and said with some hesitation: "Miss, I don't feel sorry for this pot of noodles, you have to like to use it as mud to play, but this has to be a fire and a knife, in case it hurts you, the old woman must not kill me." ”

Ye Lan hurriedly said: "Uncle, don't worry, I only do the work on the case, but whenever I use the knife and start the fire, I will bother my uncle to help, okay?" ”

"That'...... All right. Hu Bo was not easy to refuse, and felt that Ye Lan was not so reckless, so he gave up the case.

Ye Lan picked up the dough and kneaded it skillfully on the board, her heart full of excitement and nostalgia. I remember when I graduated from college, there was a time when she was very poor in order to pay off her family's foreign debts, and she even only ate two baked cakes a day.

The seller of baked cakes is also an old lady, straightforward and kind, Xu saw her difficulty, so she said that the store was too busy, and she wanted to ask someone to come to help in the early morning, and the salary was average, but you could eat baked cakes at will.

Ye Lan didn't know that people were helping her at the time, and she was happy to come to work, which could not only earn some pocket money but also fill her stomach.

This craft of making baked cakes was learned at that time, and then after a long time in the society, I naturally wanted to understand that she was taken care of by others, and she also went back to visit the old lady, but unfortunately the old man went back to his hometown to recuperate, which made her regret for a long time, but I didn't expect that today, she may have to rely on this craft to settle down in this other world, how can she not be emotional?

Hu Bo didn't know what Ye Lan was thinking, but seeing her kneading dough, kneading dough, and frying oil noodles, her movements were very neat and skillful, and he was really surprised, and he couldn't bear it anymore and asked one or two.

Ye Lan didn't hide her selfishness, and explained little by little.

Soon, dozens of baked cake dough blanks were placed in the baking tray, Ye Lan carefully instructed what kind of heat they wanted, and then sat on the threshold and waited for the baked cakes to come out.

Shanzi had already picked up the longbow, raised his hand and pulled the empty string twice, and the sound was buzzing and harsh.

Although Ye Lan didn't know weapons, she could also see that this bow was excellent, so she asked, "Shanzi, do you want to go up the mountain to hunt?" ”

As if he hadn't heard this, Shanzi continued to pick up tools without saying a word.

Seeing this, Ye Lan muttered angrily: "Let you ignore me, and I won't give you food when the baked cakes are baked in a while." With that, she went back to the stove and guarded the oven.

Shanzi let go of the bowstring in his hand, glanced at the door of the stove room, listened to the faint laughter, and suddenly felt that this small courtyard had one more person to worry about than before. After this "business" is done, it is time to wash your hands in the golden basin, and you will end up in this small courtyard, and it is not bad to live in peace with this woman......

Under Ye Lan's warm anticipation, the oven burned for two quarters of an hour, and finally opened the door.

Hu Bo put on thick cotton gloves and quickly took out the baking tray and put it on the table, Ye Lan leaned over to take a look, and was very disappointed.

The technology of this time and space is not developed, the oven built of blue bricks is heated unevenly, the baked cakes on the inside of the baking tray are already a little burnt, but the two rows outside are still just cooked, only the middle few are the best, golden, like a small sun.

However, pick one up and break it, the dough is very soft, and there is a faint sweet fragrance to eat, and the taste is really not bad.

Hu Bo was not as picky as her, and while eating heavily, he praised happily: "This bread is much better than dry cakes, and it is not hard at all." ”

As he spoke, he loudly beckoned Shanzi to come in and taste it together, but before Shanzi could respond, Hu Po, who went out to buy vegetables, walked in first.

Regardless of the hot hand of the baked cake, Hu Bo broke a corner and sent it to his wife as if offering a treasure, "Old woman, you can taste it!" This is the bread made by the eldest lady, which is much better than my craftsmanship. ”

Hu Po didn't have time to put down the basket in her hand and was stuffed with a mouthful of baked cakes, she was about to get angry, but she was soon attracted by the soft baked cakes in her mouth.

"Is this cake really made by the eldest lady?" She chewed it quickly, and couldn't help but confirm it again and again in amazement.

"Of course, I've been working on the sidelines, yes." Hu Bo was triumphant, with a look of pride.

Although Ye Lan still felt dissatisfied, the reaction of the old couple had already given her a lot of confidence.

"Auntie, this is the first furnace, and the heat is still not mastered, otherwise this bread will be softer, add some icing or bean paste, or simply put some fine salt, it will taste better."

"Oh, you can conjure up so many tricks. Come on, I'll help you do it this time, let's try again. ”

"Okay, okay."