Chapter 424: Chapter 424

"Shuangshuang, what can I help you with?"

Feng Xiaohua squatted down and quietly asked Mu Shuangshuang, who was facing her.

"Auntie, you can just sit and watch!"

Mu Shuangshuang stood up and headed towards the kitchen.

When she came out again, she held a clean loofah sponge in her hand. A small portion had been snipped off with scissors, leaving a palm-sized piece that was quite handy to hold.

In ancient times, there were no bristle brushes, so old loofah sponges could serve as a replacement to some extent, though not as convenient. Mu Shuangshuang carefully cleaned the crayfish bodies, and finally removed the shrimp vein.

Feng Xiaohua watched with great interest. Unlike the men, she had a special fondness for food.

Mu Shuangshuang was the most enthusiastic cook Feng Xiaohua had met, adding wine and various spices to large dishes, but never masking the true face of the delicacy.

After the crayfish were cleaned, Feng Xiaohua’s limbs got a bit numb from squatting beside her.

Originally, Feng Xiaohua wanted to get up quickly, but she was supported by Mu Shuangshuang.

"Auntie, don’t get up too fast, or you’ll feel dizzy!"

Mu Shuangshuang’s concern was justified, as most women were a bit anemic, and getting up too fast could easily make one fall.

Feng Xiaohua didn’t know this, but because Mu Shuangshuang told her to stand up slowly, she did.

Inside the kitchen, Mu Shuangshuang handed a straw fan to Feng Xiaohua, so she wouldn’t get too hot.

Feng Xiaohua sat beside her, unable to take her eyes off what was happening.

She saw Mu Shuangshuang get a big green onion, wash it, and then cut it into sections. Next was ginger, sliced into pieces.

After preparing these, Mu Shuangshuang went to the stove to start the fire; cooking and going to the latrine were the hottest things in the summer.

Once the fire was ready, Mu Shuangshuang felt like she was at Fire Mountain, feeling unbearably hot. She took a cup of water on the stove, drank it, and finally felt a bit better.

Once the fire was up, the pot started heating up. Mu Shuangshuang poured in two to three times the usual amount of rapeseed oil, and when the oil was hot, she added ginger, green onion, and minced garlic.

She grabbed a big handful of bright red dried chili, tossed it into the pot, and it sizzled immediately, causing the oil to roll in the pot. Mu Shuangshuang stirred it twice and then added Sichuan peppercorns, white wine, fermented soybean paste, and sugar. Once evenly stir-fried, she added the crayfish.

Feng Xiaohua watched in amazement. From her angle, Mu Shuangshuang stood at the stove, wielding a spatula, swiftly stir-frying.

The thing called crayfish, after high temperatures, turned completely red, even deeper than the dried chili’s color.

Feng Xiaohua couldn’t stop swallowing. She just knew the dish would be delicious.

Moreover, the aroma drifting in the air was enough to enthrall anyone.

Feng Xiaohua even felt grateful she hadn’t left today; if she had, she would have regretted it for life.

Mu Shuangshuang scooped a ladle of water, poured half into the crayfish, then added some salt.

While waiting for the crayfish to cook, Mu Shuangshuang began preparing other dishes. Since there was already a big pot of crayfish, Mu Shuangshuang only needed to make a few small dishes: pickled cabbage duck egg soup, stir-fried greens, blanched wild vegetables, and a plate of slapped cucumber prepared in the morning.

Mu Shuangshuang felt that everyone could probably eat a lot tonight, so she deliberately made each dish about half more than usual.

When the crayfish were cooked, Mu Shuangshuang had finished preparing the dishes.

She served the crayfish, filling two large bowls, and the stacked crayfish looked especially appealing.

"Auntie, please help me taste it. Shuangshuang isn’t sure if the salt is enough!"

When Feng Xiaohua swallowed earlier, Mu Shuangshuang knew she wanted to eat.

Using the excuse of tasting, it just satisfied Feng Xiaohua’s curiosity.

Otherwise, with Feng Xiaohua’s personality, she certainly wouldn’t want to eat before dinner.

"Shuangshuang, how do I eat this thing?"

Feng Xiaohua was inwardly excited but faced with the shelled crayfish, she was indeed perplexed.

Mu Shuangshuang helped remove the crayfish shells, pointed to the white meat inside, and gestured for Feng Xiaohua to eat.

Though it was something unfamiliar, Feng Xiaohua didn’t feel scared at all while eating it. After finishing one crayfish, she completely fell in love with its taste.

Spicy, numbing, aromatic, combined with the unique flavor of crayfish, Feng Xiaohua felt this was the best thing she had ever eaten.

Mu Shuangshuang was very satisfied with Feng Xiaohua’s reaction and continued preparing other dishes.

Once the meal was ready, Mu Shuangshuang felt as if she had fought a battle, her whole body covered in sweat. Fresh chapters posted on 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵※𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾※𝙣𝙚𝙩

"Auntie, I’ll head outside for a bit. If you want to learn to cook anything, I’ll teach you tonight!"

After stepping outside, Mu Shuangshuang felt she came back to life, shaking the straw fan vigorously.

At that moment, Mrs. Lin sneakily approached.

Her eyes were fixed on the kitchen of the third branch, and she almost drooled from her mouth.

"Shuang, quickly tell Aunt Lin, what delicious thing did you make in the kitchen? It smells so good. Your brother is hungry, so he sent me to check it out."

Mrs. Lin’s mention of her brother made Mu Shuangshuang pause, and after a moment she remembered the dried-up baby in Lin’s belly.

"Aunt Lin, you’re so funny. Little brother isn’t even three months old, yet he can urge you to find good food. Surely, he’s something special and will achieve great things!" Mu Shuangshuang teased with a smile.

"Shuang, only you recognize it. Your uncle said yesterday he’d send little brother to study, and when he becomes the Champion Scholar, he’ll serve you well as his sister!"

Mrs. Lin had a smile plastered on her face, looking sly and treacherous, causing Mu Shuangshuang to grow wary.

Although Mrs. Lin was indeed thick-skinned, her uncle always wished for her demise. The notion that her uncle would say his son would serve her was truly unexpected.

"Then Aunt Lin, remember to thank little brother and uncle for me. Shuangshuang feels the warmth of family for the first time!"

Mu Shuangshuang still smiled.

Seeing this, Mrs. Lin inwardly cursed Mu Shuangshuang foolish. She casually said one sentence and actually moved her.

Mrs. Lin swaggered towards Mu Shuangshuang’s kitchen to eat the food, but Mu Shuangshuang stopped her.

"Aunt Lin, where are you going?"

Mrs. Lin gave Mu Shuangshuang a look that said, "Are you stupid?" "I’m going in to eat! Shuang, didn’t you just say you really like little brother? He wants to eat good food; you wouldn’t stop him, would you?"

"Aunt Lin, you sure are good at flattering yourself. Little brother can’t eat any good food, so why use his name to deceive and boast here!"

Having been exposed, Mrs. Lin flushed, stuck out her belly, and shouted loudly.

"I want to eat, so what can you do about it?"