After chatting for a few more minutes, they heard the laborious grunts of Granny Sun outside the door.
Li Ying quickly got up to help. Only then did she notice that the old lady was always an industrious soul. Seeing that they had important matters to discuss, she simply took Mianmian and went strolling with the neighborhood grannies.
"Auntie, what's all this?"
While moving the large cabbages to the backyard, Granny Sun explained, "Aying, you don't know. The winters in the capital are cold, not like our fishing village. If it weren't for the kind reminder from the neighbor granny, we wouldn't have known we should store some cabbages in the cellar!"
Li Ying saw that the gray hair on the old lady's forehead was already damp with sweat and matted together. She felt so sorry that she quickly pulled Granny Sun to the couch to rest and offered her a cup of hot tea to warm up. Then she and Lu Xunguang put away the mountain - like pile of cabbages, wearing a somewhat helpless smile.
The old lady's busy - body demeanor made Li Ying can't help but think of her own grandmother.
She was raised by her grandmother. The old woman was a great cook. Although her dishes were not fancy, they were all home - cooked and comforting.
Li Ying still remembered that every winter when she was a little girl, she would follow her grandmother like a chubby teddy bear to the town fair to buy winter - stored vegetables. After getting home, they would light a warm charcoal fire. While eating the roasted sweet potatoes that oozed honey in the hearth, she would watch her grandmother turn cabbages into pickled cabbages and kimchi and carefully store them.
In her childhood, there were few kinds of vegetables in winter. The whole family's pickled cabbage and pork soup, pickled cabbage stewed pork bones all relied on her grandmother's skillful hands. Naturally, Li Ying learned all the tricks.
Later, she grew up and became a well - known food blogger. Then she came to the fishing village, and there was even a space "cheat" with constant temperature and humidity on her. Naturally, she no longer had to worry about how to store ingredients.
The iron stove burning coal, her grandmother, parents, friends... All these seemed to have become hazy memories in the day - to - day busyness.
There was a faint look of absent - mindedness on Li Ying's face. Lu Xunguang looked into her eyes and always felt that her gaze seemed to go beyond him, beyond the green - tiled and red - walled Li Mansion, beyond the overlapping mountains on the outskirts of the capital, and drift far away.
He just felt that his heart skipped a beat for no reason.
"Aying?"
He tentatively called her softly.
Li Ying came back to her senses like waking from a dream and gave a charming smile.
"Since Granny Sun has bought so many fresh cabbages, why don't you go back and invite Uncle Lu to have a simple meal with us?"
Lu Xunguang hesitated for a moment. Seeing that she had regained her usual look, he finally nodded and said in a deep voice, "Okay."
Li Ying rolled up her sleeves, peeled off the cabbage leaves one by one, washed them, and made a deep cut along the cabbage stalk. Then she sliced the streaky pork into thin slices and sandwiched them between the cabbage leaves.
After all the slices were in place, she cut the cabbage sandwiches into appropriate lengths according to the height of the pot and stuffed them tightly into the pot layer by layer.
The family always had chicken soup ready. At this moment, she just needed to take it out, add some wild mushrooms and salt for seasoning. It was the most delicious and light soup base. Pouring it into the pot, the sweet juice of the cabbages was stewed out, adding a refreshing taste to the soup.
The cabbages were cooked in the chicken soup until they were like pieces of translucent white jade. They absorbed the fat of the streaky pork. The meat was tender, and combined with the soft and juicy cabbages, it was not greasy at all. Then she drizzled a few drops of sesame oil and fish sauce. A pot of light cabbage and streaky pork stew made people feel comfortable all over, and their internal organs were warm and cozy.
While the stew was cooking, Li Ying recalled her grandmother's appearance when she was a child and followed suit by taking two pickling jars.
She removed the dry and yellow outer leaves of the cabbages, trimmed the roots slightly, cut them in half, and neatly stacked them in the jars.
Making pickled cabbages was a very simple skill. She just needed to sprinkle coarse salt on each layer of cabbages. After stuffing the big jar tightly, she pressed it down with a heavy stone, then poured in the cooled pepper water. When sealing it, she poured a layer of strong liquor.
Next, it was just a matter of waiting for a month. After fermentation, the pickled cabbages turned into a charming light yellow color, golden and extremely sour and appetizing. They would go well with the fat New - Year pigs.
The other big jar was for making kimchi. She chose cabbages with a sweet taste, cut a slit along the root, and gently separated the leaves by hand, not using brute force. She gently tore the cabbages in half.
After washing them, she rubbed each leaf with coarse salt. After waiting for a quarter of an hour until the cabbages released water, she washed and wrung them out.
Only when the cabbage stalks were slightly wrinkled and soft, with a faint sense of transparency, could the kimchi have a more crispy and flavorful taste.
She grated ginger, garlic, white radish, and fresh sweet pears together. Then she mixed a bowl of sticky glutinous rice paste with boiling water, mixed the dried and ground chili powder with the vegetable puree, and sprinkled in chopped chives. It was bright red and looked very appetizing.
The fish sauce brought a salty and umami flavor to the kimchi. The plum juice she brewed by herself in summer, added at this moment, gave the kimchi just the right amount of sweet and sour taste. After spreading the glutinous rice paste sauce evenly on each leaf, she sealed them all in the jar and waited for fermentation.
Li Ying took a small bite. It was spicy but not overpowering, crispy and delicious. It should be great for stir - frying with meat or pairing with barbecued food.
Just as she finished her work, Lu Xunguang came back. He helped her move the two big jars to a shady corner of the yard. The cabbage and pork stew was just cooked to a soft and tender state.
Li Ying took out a small charcoal stove and kept the pot warm on a low fire with a gentle bubbling sound. She also prepared dipping sauce dishes for everyone.
Her cooking skills were always excellent. Naturally, this meal was a great success for both the host and the guests. The elder master and Granny Sun, seeing the affection between the young couple, were very relieved and drank a couple more cups of warm wine.
Li Ying had to accompany them. Maybe it was because she hadn't drunk for a long time and couldn't hold her liquor well, or maybe she drank too quickly today, but she was a bit tipsy.
Under the candlelight, her cheeks were tinged with a faint blush, and her eyes were full of affection. Her bright eyes became even more charming, and her eyes sparkled.
The elder master cleared his throat and said calmly, "Ying girl, it's getting late. I'm a widower. It's not appropriate for me to stay. I'll bring some good wine another day for your celebration feast."
Li Ying smiled gently, bowed, and saw the Lu father and son off. Lu Xunguang put a cloak on the elder master. Just as he was about to escort him back to the Lu Mansion, he took a few steps and then stopped. He whispered, "Aying, wait for me."
Li Ying knew that he probably had something to say. She nodded obediently like a docile little animal.