The Life of a Son-in-Law in a Courtyard House

Chapter 480 Preparing a sumptuous dinner for the family

Yi Zhonghai wasn't that stupid.

After all, food is so important to many families these days.

If people in the yard don't lock their doors and someone steals things, wouldn't that cause chaos?

However, the food crisis eventually passed, and supplies gradually returned to normal.

There are always people in the yard. Some people have gradually gotten used to not locking their doors when they go out, or they leave the key on the windowsill or give it to a neighbor. This is quite normal.

When food is scarce, every household will take good care of its own grain.

This is all food that could kill people.

In many courtyards, there have been cases of children, driven by hunger, stealing and eating their neighbors' food.

If Yi Zhonghai dares to suggest that people not lock the doors at this point, do you think people will tear him apart?

Therefore, it's normal that no one locks the door during the day at the Qi family's house.

As the weather got hotter, a straw curtain was hung on the door of the west wing to keep flies away.

As soon as Yang Dalin entered the house, the door was left open, as the inside of this old house was cooler than the outside.

There was a chill as soon as you came in.

Yang Dalin poured himself a glass of cool boiled water first.

Take the things to your own room.

Take them out one by one.

Yan Bugui could no longer see anything that Yang Dalin had brought.

My room was kept very clean by Aunt Qi and Sister Yanhua.

No one has lived here for more than 20 days, and there isn't a speck of dust on the sheets.

Yang Dalin took out a large piece of his salt-cured mutton.

There was also a fresh lamb hind leg.

A few pieces of fresh lamb.

Yang Dalin wasn't in a hurry to take out those furs; he'd go find Uncle Pi, who tans furs, tomorrow.

Send these fresh hides back to him for tanning.

The wolf pelts and such from before have already been tanned and stored in Yang Dalin's space.

Aunt Qi and the others won't be afraid of the cold this winter.

After thinking for a moment, Yang Dalin took out a few more dried pheasants and rabbits.

I travel frequently for work, so I need to keep plenty of meat at home.

Yang Dalin then went to check on the grain storage jars.

Some of the containers were almost empty, and another one was filled with dark, murky noodles. I had no idea what was in it. It seemed that while I was away, Aunt Qi and the others might not have had enough to eat, or perhaps they weren't eating very well.

I was on a last-minute assignment and didn't bring much meat home.

The main problem was that it was a bit hot at the time, so fresh food just wouldn't keep for long.

Besides, if Aunt Qi and the others cook delicious food every day while I'm not home, it will really cause me trouble.

Yang Dalin thought for a moment and then added more grain jars.

It's not that I don't want to fill it up, it's that I'm afraid to take out too much.

Even so, we had to explain to Aunt Qi that we traded it for the game we hunted ourselves.

Yang Dalin added 50 jin of flour, 30 jin of rice, 50 jin of cornmeal, 10 jin of millet, and 20 jin of sorghum flour.

Yang Dalin added about 20 jin of other beans in small amounts.

This is enough for Aunt Qi and the others to eat for more than two months.

That's right. With Yang Dalin away from home, the four of them only had a little over 20 jin of grain per person per month for two months on average.

If we add a quantitative measure, it will be much better.

Yang Dalin would later instruct Aunt Qi to use cornmeal and sorghum flour more often when there were outsiders present.

Using only cornmeal and sorghum flour, we're already doing much better than many other families.

Many families may not see cornmeal on their dinner table for ten days or half a month now.

In the spring in the north, wild vegetables, locust flowers, and elm seeds are all edible.

Summer is here, some vegetables are ready to be harvested, and winter wheat will be ready for harvest soon.

It's a little easier to get through than winter.

Yang Dalin then hung up some dried wild rabbits and pheasants.

Then Yang Dalin checked the time.

Aunt Qi, Sister Yanhua, and Xiaoning should be back soon.

Yang Dalin planned to cook them dinner early.

Lamb is not suitable for stir-frying, otherwise the flavor will be too strong.

Yang Dalin had no choice but to stew it.

He then took out some braised lamb offal and pork offal from his storage space and cut them into several plates.

This stuff has a mild smell; it doesn't have a strong odor.

It's getting hot, so it's okay to eat dinner a little cold.

We heated up the steamed buns again and waited for Aunt Qi and the others to get off work.

Yang Dalin finished cleaning up, put the plates on the table, and covered the cut cooked food with other plates.

Ma San returned shortly afterward.

After not seeing him for more than twenty days, Yang Dalin noticed that Ma San might have grown a little taller.

She's just a little thinner than before her business trip.

His face is darker now, probably from working outside in the sun every day.

Upon seeing Yang Dalin, Ma San excitedly rushed over and exclaimed, "Brother Dalin, I've missed you so much!"

"Alright, it's so hot, you're all sweaty, don't pounce on me."

Go wash up quickly. Do you have any spare clothes? If so, change into a new set before coming back for dinner.

"Okay, brother, Auntie made the clothes for me, I have them."

I'll be right back.

"Okay, go ahead. Oh, wait a minute."

I also brought you a set.

I'll give it to you.

After saying that, Yang Dalin went into his room and took out a summer vest and pants from his spatial storage.

These are summer clothes that Yang Dalin gave to Ma San in exchange for meat.

Although it had been worn by someone else, it was washed clean.

People lack everything these days.

There was a shortage not only of food, but also of cloth ration coupons, and so on.

Many people wear clothes with patches, and it's quite normal for children to wear hand-me-downs from older siblings.

In his previous life, at the beginning of the new century, Yang Dalin was still wearing his brother's hand-me-downs.

When I was in the second year of junior high school in 03, the jacket I was wearing was a hand-me-down from my cousin in the county town, given to me by my third aunt.

He even wore his older cousins' hand-me-downs when he was younger.

(This is a true story, based on Lao Wu's personal experience.)

Let's not talk about the present.

Ma San took it without showing any disgust.

Seeing the clean, secondhand clothes—a vest and a pair of pants—he happily thanked them, saying, "Thank you, Brother Dalin."

I'll go change it right away.

After saying that, he ran off.

It wasn't that Yang Dalin didn't want to buy him new clothes.

Rather, it's unnecessary.

Sometimes it's necessary to pretend to be poor.

At that time, the family that exchanged clothes was also severely lacking in food, and they really didn't have anything to offer. Yang Dalin gave them some food and an extra small piece of meat.

That was a huge help to them.

After a while, Qi Xiaoning came back first. Her school was closer to Yan Hua's, so she came back first.

Qi Xiaoning guessed that when she reached the back room, she heard Yang Dalin return.

She rushed home like a little madwoman.

"Brother Dalin, Brother Dalin, you're back?"

Did you bring me something delicious?

The voice arrived before the person.

Her voice was still a little choked up.

This little girl may be stubborn and like to tease me, but she often reveals her true feelings.

Once inside, Qi Xiaoning clung to Yang Dalin and wouldn't let go.

Yang Dalin pretended to be disgusted and pressed his finger against her forehead: "Alright, I'm back. Don't come near me, you're all sweaty."

Go wash up quickly.