The steamed buns were not large. After steaming for fifteen minutes and letting them sit for another fifteen, they would be ready to come out of the pot.
As they prepared to lift the lid, Qi Zhenzhen asked Qi Yi to put away the stone slab and charcoal pencil. After they both washed their hands, they lifted the lid.
As the swirling steam dispersed, white, plump steamed buns in various shapes appeared before them.
Qi Zhenzhen didn't feel much, but Qi Yi beside her jumped up excitedly. It wasn't the shapes that thrilled him, but rather the fact that he hadn't eaten white flour steamed buns in a very, very long time. Soft, white, and plump steamed buns.
Qi Zhenzhen, with her hands damp from the cold water, took out the steamed buns one by one and placed them on the bamboo steamer.
They had staple food, but besides pickled radish, there were no other dishes at home. Yun Shi did not engage in labor and had not cultivated a vegetable garden. While other families had plenty of vegetables to eat, their household's accompaniment to meals had always been pickled radish. This was something Granny Du from the village had helped Yun Shi with, seeing their plight.
Autumn was approaching. There was no hope for other vegetables. They needed to hurry and get some cabbage seeds and radish seeds, so they could store some winter vegetables for the cold season.
After Qi Yi took a rabbit-shaped bun to Yun Shi, he handed Qi Zhenzhen a pig-shaped bun, and finally, took a plump husky for himself.
The freshly steamed buns were fragrant, and even without anything to go with them, they tasted good. Besides, they often ate dried cornmeal cakes in the past, so compared to that, steamed buns were simply a delicacy.
After eating, Qi Zhenzhen picked up two steamed buns, wrapped them in a cloth, called out to Qi Yi, and left.
Her destination was still Physician Mo's house. There was no other way; this was the family Qi Zhenzhen felt most familiar with.
Aunt Mo held the two warm steamed buns, her face beaming with smiles. "Zhenzhen, did you steam these? They look so nice. And you specifically brought them to me and Uncle Mo?"
"It's the old starter Aunt Mo gave me that's good," Qi Zhenzhen said, flattering Aunt Mo without blushing. "Besides bringing Aunt Mo steamed buns, I also wanted to trouble Aunt Mo with something. It's almost time to plant cabbage and radishes... We've never grown them before, and I don't know where to buy seeds."
As the saying goes, "Taking someone's things makes one's mouth soft." Besides, it wasn't a big deal, just a matter of opening her mouth. Aunt Mo enthusiastically explained many things to Qi Zhenzhen.
After the original owner came to Xinghua Village with Yun Shi, she had never left the village. Yun Shi occasionally went to town with the village ox cart but never took Qi Zhenzhen with her. Moreover, Yun Shi only went to town to buy daily necessities; she didn't know how to farm, so she naturally wouldn't pay attention to seeds.
Under Aunt Mo's enthusiastic guidance, Qi Zhenzhen quickly understood many things.
Cuiping Town was twenty li away from Xinghua Village. For those with quick legs who were reluctant to spend money on an ox cart, it took an hour to walk there. Taking an ox cart for two copper coins would get them there in half an hour. Not only was it faster, but they could also bring back their purchases.
Furthermore, Cuiping Town was prosperous, and anything one wanted could be bought there.
As for seeds, they were available at the North-South General Store. From Aunt Mo's explanation, Qi Zhenzhen learned that the North-South General Store was spread throughout the entire Da Feng Dynasty. As the name suggested, one could buy southern goods in the north and see northern goods in the south. Besides that, she heard there were imported goods, said to be from foreign lands.
After obtaining the information she wanted, Qi Zhenzhen exchanged a few more pleasantries with Aunt Mo and prepared to leave. As she was leaving, she saw an old pumpkin vine in the yard and shamelessly asked Aunt Mo for two pumpkins.
"Why are you being so polite, child? They're not precious things. There's still half a yard in the back," Aunt Mo chided. "If you want to eat them in the future, just come and pick them from Auntie. Our family stores hundreds of them every winter, and we can't even finish them by spring. This year, I plan to plant more cabbage and radishes, so there will be even more pumpkins left over."
Qi Zhenzhen walked back home happily, holding the two pumpkins, and sighed inwardly, thinking what a kind-hearted person Aunt Mo was.
"Hey, isn't this the girl who lives at the foot of the mountain? Did you steal these pumpkins from someone?"
Midway, Qi Zhenzhen was stopped by a group of children. The leader was a sturdy boy, dark-skinned, with snot hanging below his nose. As he breathed, it went in and out, looking quite comical.
Qi Zhenzhen frowned and took a step back. She was a bit of a germaphobe, and seeing this dirty, dark boy made her want to keep her distance.
This action, in the eyes of the dark boy, was interpreted as Qi Zhenzhen being scared.
In her memory, this dark boy had bullied the original owner more than once, even shouting for the original owner to be his girl for warming the bed.
The original owner both disliked and feared this dark boy.
"I told you long ago, come back with me to warm my bed, and you'll have food and clothes. Your life will surely be more comfortable than it is now," the dark boy said, rolling his eyes. "Why would you end up having to steal two pumpkins?"
At such a young age, with such dirty thoughts, he would likely be a menace when he grew up.
"Which eye of yours saw me stealing these pumpkins?" Qi Zhenzhen retorted coldly.
The dark boy paused, then grinned. "Did you hear that? This girl actually spoke."
It wasn't surprising that the dark boy was astonished, as the original owner had always remained silent when bullied.
"It's good that she's not mute. I was worried she wouldn't know how to speak, and it would be too boring during that activity. I heard my brother say that the louder a woman screams, the more excited the man gets." The dark boy spoke recklessly. The boys beside him winked and eyed Qi Zhenzhen, whistling lewdly and loudly.
As if encouraged, the dark boy walked up to Qi Zhenzhen and reached out his dirty paw towards her chest.
The cheers from the surroundings grew louder. They were all half-grown boys, at the age of nascent curiosity about the opposite sex. Seeing the commotion, they were more enthusiastic than ever.
Qi Zhenzhen's eyes grew colder. In this situation, the original owner would definitely have been taken advantage of by the dark boy. But she was not the original owner; she wouldn't be paralyzed by fear. She lightly sidestepped, raised her tiptoe, and secretly exerted force, kicking the back of the dark boy's leg.
With a thud, the dark boy knelt before Qi Zhenzhen.
Qi Zhenzhen took two steps back in feigned panic. "Oh, why are you kneeling to me? Have you realized you were wrong and are kneeling to apologize out of guilt?"
The dark boy's contorted face turned purplish-black. How could he kneel to this stinking girl? But his knees had gone weak just now, and he had knelt down. His legs still felt sore and weak, and he couldn't get up.
The boys beside him also chimed in:
"Er Hei, what's wrong? Do you like this girl so much? You haven't even taken her back yet, and you're already kneeling impatiently?"
"Oh, Er Hei, you're so embarrassing, kneeling to a stinking girl."
"You always said you'd make this girl completely obedient, but it turns out you're the one who's obedient to this girl."