The Game of Life TGOL

Chapter 524: Chapter 522: Boy or Girl?

When Jiang Feng returned to the kitchen with a bowl in hand, he discovered that Sir was draining the glutinous rice in a basin. He had soaked this glutinous rice last night before going to bed, preparing to soak it overnight and make lotus roots stuffed with glutinous rice for Mrs. Jiang this morning.

“You’re back? Deal with the goose.” Sir pointed at the large white goose on the cutting board that hadn’t even been plucked and had died very peacefully.

“Grandpa, let me finish making the glutinous rice lotus for Grandma first, and then I’ll deal with the goose,” Jiang Feng said.

“I’ll make the glutinous rice lotus.” Sir took out the already washed lotus roots from the sink and began to peel them, “Since last night, your grandma has been fussing about glutinous rice lotus, fussing the whole night. If what you make doesn’t suit her taste, she’ll probably fuss all night again. I’d better make it, you go deal with the goose.”

Jiang Feng had no choice but to heat the water to get ready to pluck the goose.

Jiang Feng had done plucking quite a few times before, although it had always been for chickens and ducks, with fewer opportunities to pluck geese, but the principle was the same.

Pour hot water, pluck by hand.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

If he plucked the feathers in the kitchen it would be difficult to clean up later, so Jiang Feng, holding the goose and carrying the hot water, went out into the courtyard to pluck. While plucking, he happened to encounter Jiang Ran who had just gotten up and was fumbling in the kitchen for something to eat.

“Little bro, what do we have for breakfast?” Jiang Ran asked, his hair looking like a bird’s nest.

“There are noodles in the pot, and braised offal is in your uncle’s room,” Jiang Feng replied.

“Why is the braised offal in Uncle’s room?” Jiang Ran expressed his confusion.

“Uncle’s wife thought it was too cold outside and brought it inside,” Jiang Feng decisively chose to let his uncle’s wife take the blame, “Remember to pour some braising sauce on the noodles when you eat them, it’s especially delicious.”

Jiang Ran nodded, memorizing the advice, entered the kitchen, and two minutes later, he came out with a big bowl of noodles and hurried to Jiang Jiankang’s room.

Cold weather is the best booster for work efficiency; against the chilly wind, Jiang Feng rapidly plucked the goose feathers, and soon two clean, plucked, and tender large white geese sat in the basin. As he returned to the kitchen, he saw Sir holding a sugar jar and sprinkling sugar into the soup pot.

Just by observing Sir’s sugar-sprinkling posture, Jiang Feng knew this batch of glutinous rice lotus would be way beyond 4 jin sweet—it must be at least 10 jin sweet. And he wondered whether Mrs. Jiang’s teeth could withstand this 10 jin sweet glutinous rice lotus.

Moving closer, Jiang Feng noticed that the soup pot didn’t just contain a couple of lotus roots, but was filled with a good half-pot. This was the soup pot the Jiang Family normally used for making rich stock, and he estimated there were at least 10 segments of lotus root in there.

“Grandpa, why are you making so much glutinous rice lotus?” Jiang Feng exclaimed in shock. Normally, not many could endure that level of sweetness.

The ones in the Jiang Family who were known for enjoying sweets were only Jiang Jiankang and Mrs. Jiang. This pot of glutinous rice lotus would be enough for both of them to eat until the Lantern Festival.

“Eat,” Sir said concisely, picking up another jar of sugar to sprinkle into the pot.

Jiang Feng: …

“Grandpa, aren’t we going to have too much to eat?” Jiang Feng tried to persuade Sir to abandon this daunting idea.

“It’s not for you guys to eat, it’s for your Meimei,” Mrs. Jiang explained with a smile, having emerged from behind Jiang Feng, quiet as a mouse into the kitchen.

“Meimei?” Jiang Feng looked puzzled, wondering who this Meimei was.

“You child, it’s only been two years and you’ve forgotten about your Meimei? Despite her stuffing you with snacks when you were small. It’s Zhao Mei, your cousin on your mother’s side; surely you haven’t even forgotten your cousin, right?” Mrs. Jiang hurriedly said.

“Oh, oh.” Jiang Feng suddenly remembered, Zhao Mei of course he remembered her.

His only maternal cousin, Zhao Zhuangshi’s only daughter, who spent quite a lot of time with him when they were young but with whom he’d gradually lost contact after high school. Zhao Mei was significantly older than Jiang Feng, being two months older than Jiang Zaidi, and because she was always unable to grab tickets due to her slow reflexes, Jiang Feng hardly ever saw Zhao Mei when he went to visit his grandmother’s house for New Year’s, and over time, he’d forgotten about his cousin.

“Did Meimei get a train ticket for the New Year this year?” Jiang Feng asked.

“What are you talking about? Your Meimei is almost due and is nesting at home. She came back quite early,” Mrs. Jiang chuckled, “A while back, your maternal grandfather called to tell me that after your Meimei got pregnant her taste changed significantly. She doesn’t like sour or spicy anymore and only craves sweetness. Just so happens, this lotus root with glutinous rice is sweet; I asked your grandpa to make extra so we can bring some to your Meimei tomorrow.”

Jiang Feng was truly shocked this time, “Meimei is pregnant?! When did she get married?”

Mrs. Jiang: …

How had she not seen before that this grandson had the potential for a bit of senile dementia.

“Your sister Meimei got married right after she graduated from college, and you’re telling me you didn’t know? It’s been so many years.” Mrs. Jiang shook her head, feeling her youngest grandson was beyond hope, and left.

Jiang Feng stood there for a long time and finally remembered that it seemed like in high school, Mr. Jiang Jiankang once mentioned to him that his cousin was getting married on the weekend, and asked him if he wanted to attend the wedding. At that time, Jiang Feng had arranged to go to a newly opened fried chicken shop with Chen Xiuxiu, so he had casually made up an excuse not to go.

Thinking back now, he really shouldn’t have. Zhao Mei was so good to him back in the day, the only sister who would proactively stuff snacks into his pockets.

Completely unlike his three brothers who only knew how to pin their mishaps on him, and the other two sisters who were always trying to swindle something out from him, she was an angelic sister.

Feeling ashamed, Jiang Feng voluntarily went to look for the sugar bag in the cupboard, and holding a stack of sugar, he went up to Sir and sincerely said, “Grandpa, will this little bit of sugar be enough for so many lotus roots, or should I add some more?”

Sir: ?

“Go chop the goose.”

“Sure thing, Grandpa! Are you really sure you don’t want to add more sugar?”

“Chop the goose.”

The big white goose Jiang Feng chopped ended up as an iron-pot stewed goose on the Jiang Family’s lunch table.

Here, Jiang Feng had to compliment, Jiang Junqing and Jiang Junlian, these two sisters, didn’t have many talents, but their ability to grab things was top-notch. These two geese that they had gotten from their uncle were truly of good quality – large, plump, tender, fat in the right places, strong in the right places – perfect for being stewed in an iron pot.

It’s just unfortunate that the sisters were born in the wrong era. If they had been born in times of chaos, with their size and skills, it would have only been a matter of time before they became overlords of their own hillock by engaging in some robbery and plundering. But alas, they were born into a peaceful and law-abiding society and could only rob their cousin or uncle – wasting their talents.

Only a small dish of glutinous rice-stuffed lotus roots appeared on the lunch table, and everyone just treated it as a common dessert to satisfy their curiosity, without giving it too much thought. With goose, meat, and fish on the table, aside from the sweet-toothed Jiang Jiankang who reached for the glutinous rice-stuffed lotus roots a couple of times more, the others only tried a bit, especially since Sir didn’t usually make this dish.

After finishing the meal, Jiang Feng put his bowl into the kitchen. As he entered the kitchen, he just happened to bump into Mrs. Jiang stealthily sipping syrup from the pot, looking somewhat unsatisfied.

Mrs. Jiang was a bit surprised to see Jiang Feng come in, probably not expecting him to finish his meal so soon. But as the pinnacle of acting in the Jiang Family, Mrs. Jiang was unruffled and leisurely sipped the syrup as if she was tasting it, not sneaking tastes.

“It’s a bit too sweet,” Mrs. Jiang commented as she tested the food.

“Hm?”

Mrs. Jiang put down the soup spoon, “It seems your grandfather indeed hasn’t made glutinous rice-stuffed lotus roots in a long time. His hands have gotten clumsy – he put too much sugar in, now the syrup is a bit sweet.”

Mrs. Jiang was also somewhat disappointed.

Since Mrs. Jiang said it was sweet, then it meant that the glutinous rice-stuffed lotus roots Sir made today were indeed sweet.

“By the way, Feng, don’t bother making dumplings this afternoon. Help your sister Meimei make some sesame glutinous rice balls, but don’t make too many, about 10 pounds should be enough,” Mrs. Jiang instructed.

“Okay, Grandma,” Jiang Feng accepted the task.

“Go to bed early tonight and get up early tomorrow, so you can go over early. Your sister Meimei is still waiting for the glutinous rice balls and glutinous rice-stuffed lotus roots to whet her appetite,” Mrs. Jiang said, “Women suffer during pregnancy. But your sister Meimei doesn’t eat sour or spicy, only sweet. I wonder whether she’s carrying a boy or a girl.”

“It should be a boy, I craved sweets too when I was pregnant with your dad and his brothers. I drank brown sugar water every day,” Mrs. Jiang mused with a contemplative face.

“Definitely a boy!”