Bai Fumei in the ’70s Chapter 18
Translated by Serena Love
Proofread by Soupysuspicions
Edited by Ladyhotcomb
Chapter 18
Zhao Lanxiang gathered the shattered glass and dug a hole outside to bury the fragments. She quickly asked an educated youth, who was heading to the city, to bring back another bottle of medicated oil for her.
That night, He Songbai found a new bottle of medicinal oil on his windowsill. Gently unscrewing the lid, he was greeted by a mild yet slightly pungent aroma. He frowned slightly, his sharp, deep-set eyebrows knitting together in thought.
However, Zhao Lanxiang didn’t have the opportunity to check if He Songbai had used the medicine or if his legs were healing. She was preoccupied with strenuous labor. This month, a significant decision was made to dig a ditch on the mountainside. The plan was to reclaim paddy fields in the autumn and winter and to irrigate the fields through canals. Next year, the brigade intended to plant rice on the mountainsides.
It was undoubtedly a move that would benefit the village for a hundred years to come. The province had plentiful groundwater sources and extensive forests. If paddy fields could be established on the mountainside, the forests at the peak would help conserve water. However, such an endeavor required considerable manpower.
So the group of educated youths, including Zhao Lanxiang, found themselves embroiled in this bitter task. Although it didn’t seem to demand physical labor from her, she couldn’t escape the exhausting, monotonous work.
With these thoughts in her mind, she had little time to think about anything else.
...
Three days after Liang Tiezhu agreed to deliver food to Zhao Lanxiang, he arrived at the He family’s house early in the morning, riding his Golden Deer bicycle.
Zhao Lanxiang, who had been sleeping soundly, was abruptly awakened by the hard-working smuggler.
Catching his breath, Tiezhu unloaded a bag of flour, dried mushrooms, bamboo shoots, other dry goods, and a bag of sticky millet from his Golden Deer. Zhao Lanxiang’s spirits lifted immediately. She quickly fetched a kettle and poured Tiezhu a bowl of warm water to drink.
After Tiezhu had quenched his thirst, Zhao Lanxiang said, “Don’t rush. I’ll prepare breakfast right away. It won’t take long. You can try it later.”
Although Tiezhu was accustomed to waking up early for his work, it didn’t mean he wasn’t weary of the repetitive task. When had he ever had the luxury of eating breakfast? For three years, he had grown used to delivering goods to customers before dawn, never once having the chance to sit down for a morning meal.
However, Zhao Lanxiang’s culinary skills were exceptional, and everything she prepared was always exquisite. When she invited him to breakfast, Tiezhu certainly wouldn’t decline! He nodded eagerly, then realized that it was still dark outside the window; morning was far off. How could it be time to cook breakfast already?
Zhao Lanxiang, this educated youth, seemed truly well-suited for his brother Bai. She had a kind heart.
Liang Tiezhu, having been in the trade for years, had never been offered a warm meal by any customer. They usually wanted him to vanish as soon as the goods were delivered, to avoid drawing attention from the authorities.
Zhao Lanxiang went to the kitchen to start breakfast, only to realize there was no meat left. Recently, she had been either too busy or too lazy to go into town for meat. She looked at the wonderful array of dry goods Tiezhu had brought, then turned to him and asked, “How about vegetarian potstickers?”
By this time, Tiezhu had already woken He Songbai and returned to the kitchen, asking with a hint of suspicion, “Vegetarian?”
Zhao Lanxiang smiled. “Don’t underestimate them just because they’re vegetarian. I assure you, these vegetarian potstickers are delicious, even more flavorful than meat ones. You….you just wait and see.”
She stuttered a bit when she noticed He Songbai had also come in. She wasn’t sure when he had arrived, but she quietly moved a small bench for him to sit on.
He Songbai, with his half-closed eyes and handsome face still showing signs of sleep, was clearly still tired. He yawned quietly, leaning back against the wall.
Liang Tiezhu scratched his head shyly. He realized it was awkward for a single man like him to be alone with a single woman like Zhao Lanxiang, so he called his brother Bai to get up and join them.
Zhao Lanxiang turned back to the dough she had just begun working on. Calling them potstickers was not completely accurate. They weren’t actually seared in a pot.
In reality, potstickers are similar to long, crispy dumplings. While their flavor is more pronounced than other dumplings, they are also more troublesome to make.
[T/N: Potstickers are dumplings, but not all dumplings are potstickers. Potstickers is an English name for gyoza or guōtiē for those who are not familiar with it. So it is dumplings which are pan-fried first, then steamed.]
Potstickers require a delicate balance: they must be crispy yet tender and generously filled. This requires a dough that is pliable yet sturdy. If it’s too soft, the skin might tear. It needs to be strong enough to contain the filling while still offering a thin, crunchy exterior with a satisfying chew. To achieve this, Zhao Lanxiang prepared two batches of dough, one with hot water and one with cold, then combined them.
She meticulously wrapped each dumpling, carefully placing them in the hot pan to fry until they turned crisp and golden. The filling, a blend of eggs brushed with lard, various mountain mushrooms, beancurd skins, and bamboo shoots, created an irresistible flavor. The earthy taste of the mountain vegetables was unmistakable, resulting in unique and delightful dumplings.
The aroma of lard mingled with the scent of the potstickers, energizing the two men waiting outside the kitchen. Tiezhu inhaled deeply, the enticing smell promising delicious dumplings.
Zhao Lanxiang served the hot potstickers. Each man received three, while she only needed one to fill her belly.
Liang Tiezhu bit into his potsticker. The skin was thin and crisp, the inside tender and juicy. With another bite, a burst of thick, savory vegetable juice spilled out, releasing a medley of delicious mountain flavors. It was scalding hot, making Tiezhu sneeze. Despite the risk of burns, he couldn’t help but quickly devour these tasty potstickers, their crispy and soft texture making him squint in delight.
They were so good that he wanted to swallow them whole, yet he also didn’t want to rush through them. In the end, he chose to savor them properly.
He Songbai also narrowed his eyes in happiness, slowly savoring each bite.
Zhao Lanxiang went back to her room and returned with ten yuan for Liang Tiezhu. He gave her 60 cents in change before leaving on his Golden Deer bike, his stomach full and a satisfied look on his face.
As the sun began to rise, Zhao Lanxiang returned to her room for a bit more rest, knowing she would soon face intense labor in the fields.
In addition to the villagers’ participation in this project, the local government had contracted a project team to assist the villagers in digging trenches for the irrigation project.
The entire village buzzed with energy. After all, they were very curious about this strange method of moving water from the mountain peak to irrigate the paddy fields at the base below. Their expressions would no longer be so envious of those outsiders after hearing the stories about this! So, when work began, the people who were usually lazy were actually rather engaged in this hard labor.
Zhao Lanxiang noticed that even Jiang Li, typically indolent and coquettish, was working diligently. Zhao Lanxiang felt that it was suspicious, as Jiang Li wasn’t normally the type of person to be influenced by those around her. However, when Zhao Lanxiang was transporting crushed stones to the mountain base, she noticed some officials who had been sent over to supervise the project and realized the reason behind Jiang Li’s sudden change in attitude.
Despite having a hearty breakfast in preparation for the day’s strenuous manual labor, Zhao Lanxiang soon found herself overwhelmed. After a while, her body felt as if it were weighed down by an immovable mountain, and she could barely walk. She’d only been tasked with moving a small cart of stones, and yet it seemed that even this small responsibility had exhausted all her strength.
Suddenly, a strong hand appeared, firmly holding the cart behind her. Turning her head, Zhao Lanxiang saw that it was Sister He.
With a gentle smile, Sister He patted Zhao Lanxiang’s head and vigorously pushed the cart towards the waste-rock pile. “You’re tired, go and rest,” she gestured, “I’ll finish this for you.”
Gratefully, Zhao Lanxiang didn’t insist on continuing and grabbed a kettle to replenish herself with water. She glanced at Jiang Li, who was still diligently digging up the soil, her bright red short-sleeved shirt drenched with sweat under the blistering sun.
Zhao Lanxiang was somewhat surprised by Jiang Li’s unexpected diligence.
But of course, good things don’t last long. At noon, after the work was done, everyone gathered for lunch to eat what they had brought from home. Zhou Jiazhen, sitting under a tree on a rock, enjoying the cool breeze, chided Zhao Lanxiang while eating.
“Lanxiang, you didn’t perform well today!”
Zhao Lanxiang, slowly chewing her rice, looked up in surprise. “What do you mean?”
Zhou Jiazhen hating iron for not becoming steel, smacked Zhao Lanxiang on the head. “Didn’t you come to the countryside for that reason?”
Feeling guilty, Zhao Lanxiang chuckled inwardly. Was it that obvious? She hadn’t paid much attention to He Songbai while working.
However, she realized Zhou Jiazhen couldn’t possibly know about her interest in He Songbai. Confused about what “good performance” Zhou Jiazhen referred to, she asked calmly, “What are you talking about?”
Zhou Jiazhen, thinking Zhao Lanxiang was clueless, replied irritably, “The selection of college students for the workers, peasants, and soldiers university, of course.”
She looked at Zhao Lanxiang as if she were a careless, silly girl, flicking her forehead in annoyance. “Why did you take a break when everyone else was working? I just went downhill to move some stones and left you in charge. You shouldn’t slack off like this... hey!”
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