Translator: 549690339
âThis snake is a highly venomous Qi Snake. Instead of eating it, it would be a waste. Itâs better to dry and grind its body into powder, which can help expel wind-dampness, relax muscles and tendons, treat severe sores, swollen skin diseases, and relieve itching. Can you grind it into powder after drying?â In response to her question, Xiao Qinghe felt a sense of respect, âYou can decide.â
Qingyue knew he wouldnât object, and the two people on the bed were unconscious, so she couldnât ask them either.
She chopped off the rotten snakehead and removed the snake tail, setting them aside.
She measured the rabbit with a fish-scaling knife, âI canât remove the fur as quickly and well as Second Brother, itâs a pity to for this wild rabbitâs fur.â
âNo matter.â Xiao Qingheâs voice was mixed with regret, âThis job should have been done by a man, but Iâve put you through this.â
âThereâs not much difference between this and slaughtering a chicken. Besides, the rabbit is already dead.â She skillfully made several cuts on the rabbitâs fur, peeled it off, and then made a long cut on the rabbitâs abdomen to remove the internal organs.
She cleaned the wild rabbit and the snake body without head and tail. Xiao Qinghe silently watched. He didnât want his wife to do these chores, but what could be done?
Qingyue marinated the cleaned wild rabbit with salt in the kitchen, letting it hang to drain some moisture first.
She couldnât find any specialized tools for drying, so she decided to make do with something simple.
She used an iron clamp to scrape out a pile of red fire from the burning firewood in the stove pit and placed the fire in a stove used for decocting medicine. She moved two desks from the room to a corner of the kitchen and put the stove between them. She opened the iron clamp used for holding fire and placed it horizontally on the two desks. She cut the cleaned snake corpse into four pieces and placed them on the iron clamp. In this way, there was enough distance between the low stove and the snake segments, and the heat from the fire in the stove wouldnât roast the snake segments but would slowly dry them.
After washing her hands, she stir-fried the half-jin of beef and vegetables she had cut earlier, setting aside a bit of each.
As the fragrance of the dishes wafted in the air, she picked out a few pieces of beef to eat just before it was done.
She couldnât help it; she preferred meat dishes over vegetable dishes.
She served the cooked rice into bowls, only about two full bowls, without cooking dinner for Second and Third Brother, as they wouldnât wake up until tomorrow.
Thinking that her two brothers-in-law had been out all day and must be hungry even if they were unconscious, she quickly washed the pot and simmered brown rice porridge over a smaller stove fire.
âQingyue!â Wang Cuihuaâs shout rang out from outside the courtyard door.
âCome in, Iâm in the kitchen.â Su Qingyue called out as well.
Wang Cuihua and Zhou Fuquan walked in together, with Cuihua carrying a basket, âAh, Qingyue, youâve already made dinner.â She put the basket on the kitchen table, lifted the white cloth covering it, revealing two bowls of brown rice, and a bowl of cabbage, âI thought you and Xiao Qinghe hadnât eaten yet, so after dinner, I brought you some.ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Zhou Fuquan looked at the beef and vegetables on the table and smiled, âSister-in-law, sorry for the poor quality of the dishes we brought. Please donât mind.â
Su Qingyue was really touched; she didnât expect the couple to care so much about her and the Xiao Family. She knew Zhou Fuquan had a good relationship with Third Brother, and this kindness was extended to him as well, âHow could I mind? Iâm grateful for your kindness, Big Brother Zhou and Sister Hua.â
Even though the food they brought wasnât as good as what she had prepared for the night, she picked up the rice bowl brought by Cuihua and ate some of her cabbage with chopsticks..