Here, Fu Xin Ci helped to peel the potato skins. Fang Xiao Yun watched her daughter and also learned to peel the remaining potato skins.
"Ci'er, the potato skin is quite easy to peel."
"Yes, it's easy to scrape off when it's just dug from the ground. With a little effort, it comes off. It won't be so easy after a long time." Fu Xin Ci said, washing the peeled potatoes with water and letting Fang Xiao Yun cut them into rolling chunks.
"Ci'er, is this alright?" Fang Xiao Yun's cooking skills were good, and her knife skills were taught by her mother-in-law. Seeing the evenly sized potato chunks, Fu Xin Ci was filled with admiration from the bottom of her heart. Her knife skills alone showed she was a competent cook.
Originally, she felt a bit resistant about calling Fang Xiao Yun "Mother" with her seventeen or eighteen-year-old soul.
After all, they were strangers before. But now that she had taken over the body of someone's daughter, she had to bear the responsibility of that daughter.
Even though she still felt a little awkward, she had to admit that she would live on under the identity of this daughter from now on.
After thinking this through and doing some self-consolation, speaking became less difficult, and her words felt a little closer to Fang Xiao Yun.
Fang Xiao Yun was unaware of Fu Xin Ci's inner turmoil. She was just a little confused. She had been separated from her two children for over a month, and her daughter's behavior made her feel a bit strange.
She secretly looked at her daughter's face, which had lost more than a circle of weight. Thinking about the suffering her father-in-law and two children had endured during this time, Fang Xiao Yun felt even more distressed.
"Mother?" Fu Xin Ci saw Fang Xiao Yun's expression was off and immediately called out to her. She couldn't let the Madam suspect anything.
"Ah...?" Fang Xiao Yun knew she had been spacing out and quickly tried to cover it up, "Ci'er, is the way to cook this potato the same as other dishes?"
"Mother, it's the same as regular dishes."
As she called her "Mother" more, the psychological barrier gradually broke down, and speaking became much smoother.
Fang Xiao Yun seemed to sense the intimacy in her daughter's voice, and her good mood immediately showed.
"Ci'er, I can do this myself. You're weak, so sit aside and rest." Fang Xiao Yun doted on her daughter. She hadn't expected that after just over a month apart, her originally fair-skinned, well-behaved, and sensible daughter would be worn down into such a frail and weak state, as if a gust of wind could blow her over. Her heart ached.
However, she dared not show too much emotion in front of outsiders and her child. One reason was to avoid frightening the child, and the other was to avoid giving others gossip.
Fu Xin Ci was not a real eight-year-old child, after all. Seeing Fang Xiao Yun's conflicted expression, she could guess some of her thoughts.
However, there were some things she couldn't say, and she couldn't offer advice. She was afraid of revealing herself if she said too much.
Fortunately, Fang Xiao Yun had to cook, so she didn't dwell on this matter any longer.
...
Fu Xin Ci had used makeshift stoves like this in the apocalypse. However, the original body was just an eight-year-old girl, so she didn't venture further and chose to obey the adults.
Seeing her daughter sitting obediently nearby, as quiet as before, Fang Xiao Yun's mood improved considerably. She also asked Yu'er, who was clinging to her like a little tail, to sit with his sister.
Although Yu'er was a little unhappy, he still obeyed his mother and obediently sat next to his sister.
With both children within her sight, Fang Xiao Yun felt energized all over.
She looked up and saw Fu Yu walking over, holding the lard jar that Wu Lao San had just handed him in one hand. Wu Lao Da followed with a fawning smile, speaking to Fang Xiao Yun in a good-natured tone, "Sister-in-law, we only have this one dish today. Use plenty of oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar. Don't hold back for us. As long as the officials are satisfied, I'll thank you and your husband in advance."
After speaking, Wu Lao Da even made a solemn bow.
Fang Xiao Yun understood Wu Lao Da's intention but didn't say much, her eyes, however, kept glancing at her husband.
A moment later, encouraged by Fu Yu, she nodded faintly in agreement.
Qi He, who had been watching them, also came over. Seeing this, Yu'er moved closer to his sister, making a little space and patting the spot with his small hand, inviting Qi He to sit, "Brother Qi, sit here."
"Okay." Qi He said to himself, Yu'er is a good child. He didn't dote on him in vain. He always thought of him, which was much better than his cousins from his uncle's family.
After Qi He sat down, Yu'er's small eyes fell on the cured meat that Fang Shi was holding.
Fang Xiao Yun sliced the streaky cured meat into pieces as thin as cicada wings, one slice after another. This knife skill amazed everyone present.
Qi He's eyes widened, and his mouth was so incredulous that it formed an 'o' shape. If he weren't afraid of gossip, he would have leaned close to Aunt Fu, picked up a slice, and held it up to Yu'er. It would surely have been transparent enough to see through.
Fang Xiao Yun also did not expect that her knife skills would cause such a small sensation here.
Women were not treated too harshly in this era. Women could appear in public and also engage in business. She had been the young mistress of a county magistrate's household for ten years. She hadn't lived a life of pampered luxury, nor had she done much heavy work.
After her family's sudden misfortune, she had been in a daze. It wasn't until she found her son and daughter that she felt she had come back to life.
Originally, her husband had been worried about making a living, and he had complained to her countless times along the way, thinking about what kind of business their family would do after they arrived in Liaodong.
Today, with her slicing of the cured meat, she had made a small display of her skills. From the amazed glances of everyone, she gained a bit of inspiration.
When she had free time, she would discuss it with her husband. Perhaps they could open a restaurant in Liaodong? This was, after all, a family skill.
With a plan in mind, Fang Xiao Yun became even more energetic in her cooking.
She heated the wok and put half a spoonful of lard into the hot pan. The dilapidated temple was immediately filled with the aroma of oil.
"Ah... achoo!"
Someone let out a long sneeze, while more people inhaled deeply.
Especially the gasps from the Meng clan members grew louder and louder, causing Qi He and Yu'er to keep inhaling as well.
"Ah..." Before Qi He could say, "It smells so good, I'm drooling,"
there was a "sizzle" sound, and a cloud of white smoke rose from the large iron wok, followed by constant sounds of swallowing from all directions.
Jiang Tou'er exclaimed, "This is truly a sin!" and unceremoniously sat down next to Meng Qing Ping.
Meng Qing Ping: ...
"Second Brother Meng, where did your daughter-in-law learn her cooking skills? She's as good as a master chef in the capital's best restaurants."
Meng Qing Ping's smiling face instantly stretched long.
"What's going on?" Jiang Tou'er didn't realize he had said something wrong.
Meng Qing Ping was silent for a long while before saying intermittently, "Madam Fang's skills were passed down from my wife."