Back to the 70s: My Childhood Sweetheart Spoils Me Rotten
Chapter 34 - 33: Mushroom Chicken, One Pot of Freshness

Chapter 34: Chapter 33: Mushroom Chicken, One Pot of Freshness

Listening to the various lively sounds outside, Zhan Jing opened her eyes and saw that Zhao Gang was sleeping soundly beside her.

"Mom, you’re awake." Zhao Xuran entered the room, ready to wake his brother up for chores.

Even the young little Gong Ruini was out helping with the chores; there was no reason for a bigger kid like Zhao Guangran to keep sleeping.

Unexpectedly, even mom was awake, yet the brother was still asleep.

Zhan Jing responded, "I woke up quite early."

"It’s not early." Zhao Xuran turned around to bring in breakfast, "Aunt Cai made porridge, it tastes nice."

Looking at the steaming, thick porridge, Zhan Jing felt sheer happiness. Before Cai Meina and the others came, although the men at home were considerate, eagerly taking on chores, there was always something lacking in the kitchen.

After Cai Meina came, the food immediately improved, and Zhan Jing could even sit on the bed having breakfast. Nothing could be more satisfying.

"Has Aunt Cai and the others gotten up?" Even though she heard the voices of the two children, Gong Ruini and Gong Ruwen, it was in hushed tones.

Zhao Xuran hummed in acknowledgment, moving beside the still-sleeping Zhao Guangran, clueless about the time, and gave his bottom a few pats, "Can you get up now?"

Zhan Jing saw her elder son treating the younger one roughly and instinctively wanted to tell him to be gentle.

"Gong Ruini is even younger than him, and she’s already up." Zhao Xuran knew that their parents were not ones to spoil their children, but when it came to Zhao Guangran, they always seemed a bit partial, often lacking in principle.

Zhao Xuran truly felt grateful for Gong Ruini’s arrival, especially since the little girl behaved so well, serving as an example to urge his brother, and could stop their parents from protesting.

"When dad and the others returned last night, Gong Ruini even got up to help with chores." Though she didn’t do much, at least she served the meal.

Everyone was tired yesterday. Could Gong Ruini really be in a much better state than Zhao Guangran?

Ah, Gong Ruini even got up in the middle of the night? Zhan Jing remembered that when she got up to use the restroom, only Cai Meina was still knitting, while Gong Ruwen and his sister had already fallen into a deep sleep.

"Mom, let little brother toughen up, or else when the others are born, the burden on the family will be even greater." Though the family doesn’t rely on those work points to get by, should they let dad be the only one to go up the mountain to farm?

Even if Uncle Gong Tao and the others didn’t mind, when the parents went to work, who would take care of the two younger brothers then?

Zhao Xuran used to help his parents take care of Zhao Guangran, and now he could take care of the two newborn brothers, but Zhao Guangran needed to develop some responsibility.

The unwilling expression of her own son made Zhan Jing feel a bit awkward, "I mean, tap a bit lighter, otherwise your brother keeps fussing."

"It doesn’t matter if your brother fusses, but your dad got home at midnight and needs to rest." Zhan Jing lowered her head to find a reason to explain why Zhao Guangran shouldn’t be made to cry.

Zhao Xuran found himself both amused and exasperated by Zhan Jing’s words but refrained from pointing out the flaw in her argument, "I understand."

It’s not about being unable to wake Zhao Guangran; it’s very easy to wake him up.

Gong Ruini and Gong Ruwen were in the yard helping Cai Meina with the chickens, "For these chickens, we could stuff some mushrooms inside, and it would definitely taste better."

Originally, Gong Ruini wanted to suggest making Beggar’s Chicken, but lacking lotus leaves, she gave up the idea.

But even without lotus leaves, mushrooms were available, and they were not inferior to lotus leaves at all.

"Mushrooms like this will definitely taste good." Just thinking about it made Gong Ruini imagine the flavors.

Stuffing mushrooms in chicken? This seemed like such a complicated process. Cai Meina had made mushroom stew chicken before, but this method was new to her, and it seemed pretty challenging.

"Actually, Ni Zi, we don’t need to make the dishes too exquisite; what’s important is the quantity." Cai Meina had experienced preparing meals for house construction before and realized there was no need for complicated or high-level culinary skills.

As long as everything was cooked thoroughly, it could be set on the table. Of course, the quantity had to be sufficient, otherwise, no matter how well the food was cooked, it was useless.

Zhan Jing said someone would come to help tomorrow, but Cai Meina couldn’t rely solely on the villagers; she needed to pitch in. Cai Meina had never cooked so much before, so she was understandably anxious.

Already feeling various anxieties, now her daughter added to the confusion, making Cai Meina even more flustered, "With potatoes, I can make potato chicken stew."

"Mushroom eggplant and potatoes can make a delicious trio dish."

"By the way, Ni Zi, how did you find the ’One Pot Wonder’ we made last time?" Cai Meina recalled the dish made under her daughter’s guidance, which tasted quite good.

The best part was its simplicity; all the ingredients were added in and stewed continuously. It had both meat and vegetables, and it was prepared in a big pot, satisfying everyone immensely.

’One Pot Wonder,’ of course! This dish was ideal for winter—a hearty and warming dish with both meat and vegetables, saving the effort of making multiple dishes.

Wait a minute, Gong Ruini suddenly remembered that during winter in the Northeast, there weren’t many dishes at all. It was usually just a few repeated dishes, quite monotonous, but at least better than going hungry.

"That dish is great." Gong Tao turned over wanting to tease his daughter, only to find himself alone on the bed. Upon listening, he realized both kids were outside.

Alright, even though the bed was warm and the blanket was beckoning him back, Gong Tao still got up without hesitation.

"Dad, you’re up?" Gong Ruini lifted her head to see Gong Tao, feeling incredibly happy. She was about to rush over when she noticed the old man hadn’t freshened up yet.

Oh dear, that wouldn’t do. Gong Ruini didn’t want to smell Gong Tao’s morning breath, especially as Gong Tao quickly approached, recognizing the impending situation.

Knowing she couldn’t outrun Gong Tao’s long legs, Gong Ruini realized there was no escaping, but she had a talisman.

She quickly ran behind Cai Meina, holding her clothes tightly, "Mom."

Seeing her husband’s intent to tease their daughter by rubbing his chin against her face, "Alright, go freshen up and shave."

"Don’t you realize Ni Zi’s skin is delicate? You might accidentally scratch her face." Cai Meina worried before about Ni Zi’s skin getting rough in the Northeast, but fortunately, her daughter avoided going out in the harsh sun, which relieved her.

As for Gong Ruwen, his skin turned dark shortly after arriving, but Cai Meina wasn’t concerned. As a boy, being tough was absolutely normal.

Besides, if a boy stayed at home like a girl every day, what would that look like?

Lucky for Gong Ruwen, he didn’t know Cai Meina’s thoughts; otherwise, he would definitely accuse his mom of favoritism.

Gong Ruwen was happy that despite playing outside all the time, his parents didn’t reprimand him, which was a relief. Back home, every time his mom caught him playing crazily outside, she would definitely scold him harshly.