Greenfield County is located at the intersection of the north and south, so its culinary habits naturally reflect influences from both regions.
More people eat rice, but wheat-based foods are also common. The area under wheat cultivation is only slightly less than that for rice, and wheat is a necessary contribution during the annual grain tax collection. The flour rural people eat is usually self-ground and used to make steamed buns and dumplings. The appearance of these products isn’t as refined as those made with high-quality flour, and they can’t compare with the pure white premium flour.
The taste might not be as fine and smooth as premium flour, but the original wheat fragrance is richer.
Scarlett’s aunt, makes excellent pickles.
The main ingredient is red-skinned, white-fleshed radishes, and the pickle brine contains salt, brown sugar, and even some red chili peppers added by Amanda. The resulting pickled radish is sweet and sour with a hint of spiciness, making it incredibly tasty. Paired with meat, it’s the dish that makes your mouth water just thinking about it.
Mixing the dough was Elizabeth’s task, but the job of making the filling fell to Scarlett. For this, she woke up an hour early, chopping and mixing in the kitchen to prepare dumplings with two pounds of filling. That was all the meat the family had. Scarlett managed to fill two large enamel mugs with dumplings and ate only a few herself, leaving the rest for Michael, who was still in bed.
She felt a little embarrassed:
“I’ll buy more meat when I come back later today.”
Meat is expensive, but eating a pound a day isn’t unaffordable.
Scarlett knew the value of saving money, but she also understood that earning money without spending wasn’t right. She could ignore beautiful clothes and skip buying face creams, living simply on personal items, but she couldn’t let her family go hungry.
Amanda shooed her out. “Your uncle has everything packed and is waiting for you at the door. Hurry up and leave! Don’t worry about buying meat—I asked the butcher to save meat for us yesterday. You and your uncle come back early.”
William’s rice harvest was almost finished. Today, he had hired people to help, so Amanda planned to prepare a nice meal that evening.
William had already loaded the eggs and was waiting with his bicycle.
“Sit on the back seat with your back to me and be careful not to crush the eggs in the baskets on either side. Your mother was heartbroken last night while cleaning up the broken eggs.”
Dozens of eggs had broken, after all—how could she not be upset?
These weren’t free duck eggs picked up by the river but ones that had to be purchased. Scarlett had worked hard visiting different households in the countryside to collect them. Though the 1980s were said to be full of opportunities, even the easiest money required effort and diligence.
Scarlett carefully balanced two enamel mugs in her arms as she sat on the back seat.
William chuckled, “Didn’t have enough dumplings for breakfast? Bear with it; when we get to Greenfield County, your uncle will treat you to something good!”
Scarlett thought to herself that William’s trip to the county wasn’t just about gathering information—he most likely wanted to formally thank Kay and Leo. Regardless of the time, expressing gratitude always involves treating someone to a meal. But this time, William’s treat wouldn’t just be a simple bowl of noodle soup.
Since her uncle hadn’t repaid his initial loan yet and now had to spend money again, Scarlett felt uneasy about it.
“Uncle, you’re so good to me.”
Though he was short and small, to Scarlett, he felt more like a “father” than the tall and imposing Whitaker Chris.
William kept pedaling with his head down, thinking this girl was saying silly things again.
He cared for Scarlett as much as he did for Michael—they were all children of the Miller family. How could he not care for them?
If only he had come to his senses a few years earlier, he might have been able to provide his family with a life free from worry. Then Scarlett wouldn’t have had to endure the hardship of making money by selling eggs.
As William pedaled halfway down the road, he noticed someone waiting by the roadside in the distance and immediately became alert. The sun was just beginning to rise—what kind of idle young man would hang around at this hour? Could he be an accomplice of the hooligans from yesterday, lying in wait to cause trouble for his niece?
“Scarlett, do you recognize the person up ahead?”
Scarlett craned her neck to look. In the dawn light, the figure’s distinctive crew cut and unforgettable features could only belong to Kay.
“It’s Big Brother Kay! He and another comrade were the ones who saved me yesterday!”
William quickly braked, and Scarlett jumped off the back seat.
“Big Brother Kay, what are you doing here?”
The morning dew had soaked Kay’s shoulders, indicating he had been waiting there for quite some time. There were seven or eight cigarette butts on the ground, evidence of how long he had been standing there.
Seeing Scarlett, Kay tossed his half-smoked cigarette to the ground and stamped it out.
“Didn’t I tell you to leave a little later?”
He glanced at William, and Scarlett hurriedly introduced them: “This is my uncle. He wanted to come and thank you both. Uncle, this is Big Brother Kay.”
Kay seemed slightly awkward.
Scarlett was fair-skinned and tall, while William was short and dark-skinned. They didn’t resemble each other at all. Meeting her family so quickly caught Kay off guard. But since he was a straightforward and easygoing person, he followed Scarlett’s lead and addressed William accordingly:
