The next morning, Chen Lan woke up early and opened the car window. A blast of cold wind, carrying moisture, hit her face, making her shiver instantly. The weather forecast had been correct; rain was still drizzling outside, and the temperature was likely even lower than the day before. Chen Lan got back into bed, intending to catch some more sleep. Unable to drift off immediately, she remembered the snow clams she had caught the previous night and hadn't processed yet. It had been too late when they returned, so she had simply tied up the snakeskin bags and left them outside the car.
Chen Lan thought about it. There had been nine of them, including herself, who went to catch snow clams yesterday. They had brought back nine snakeskin bags in total. Today, they could all indulge in a grand feast. Otherwise, eating them all at once would be a terrible waste. It would be better to process them into dried snow clams to supplement the health of her mother-in-law and Wen Rou's mother for later use.
With this in mind, Chen Lan gave up on her nap. She got dressed, washed up, and tidied herself. Checking her reflection in the bathroom mirror to ensure she looked presentable, she opened the car door to go find her mother-in-law. As she casually closed the door, Chen Lan remembered it was raining and she had forgotten her raincoat. Never mind! The distance was only a few steps, and she couldn't be bothered to go back for it.
Chen Lan braved the rain and ran towards her mother-in-law's car.
She knocked on the car door and called out, "Mother-in-law!" The door opened.
Her mother-in-law asked, surprised, "Xiao Lan, it's raining. Why are you up so early? Is something the matter?"
Chen Lan quickly explained, "Mother-in-law, it's nothing urgent. We went with Brother Xiang Dong and the others to the dark riverbank last night to catch snow clams, remember? We caught quite a lot, several large snakeskin bags! I came to ask you what we should do with them."
Her mother-in-law casually replied, "Just have Lin Mai stew them all today. They've all been working hard these past few days, so it's a good time to replenish their strength."
Chen Lan quickly countered, "Mother-in-law, they can't possibly finish them all in one meal. Besides, snow clams are most beneficial for women. They're men, they can eat anything to supplement their health; why must they eat such nourishing snow clams?"
Her mother-in-law asked suspiciously, "You caught a lot last night?"
Chen Lan nodded and replied, "Nine full snakeskin bags." She even made a gesture of nine with her hand.
Her mother-in-law gasped, astonished, "How much? Nine snakeskin bags?"
Chen Lan nodded very seriously. "Yes! Nine snakeskin bags."
Her mother-in-law muttered to herself, "Nine snakeskin bags are indeed too much to eat at once. If we process them into dried goods, we can store them and stew them slowly. When they come back to pick up their families, we can even give them as a generous gift."
"Yes, that's decided! We'll process them into dried goods!"
Her mother-in-law immediately took action, calling out to Lin Mai, who was busy preparing breakfast in the kitchen. "Mai Zi, come here."
Lin Mai immediately turned off the stove, wiped her hands with a clean towel, said goodbye to Cui Qiao who was also cooking, and came out. "Aunt Xu, you were looking for me?" She also greeted Chen Lan, "Xiao Lan, you're here!" Chen Lan nodded and smiled friendly at her as a greeting. Sudangenshu.com
Her mother-in-law asked, "Mai Zi, I remember you saying your master was from the Northeast, right?"
Lin Mai nodded and replied, "Yes! Aunt Xu!"
"Did your master teach you how to process snow clams?"
Lin Mai hesitated for a moment and said, "I didn't watch him do it, but I heard him mention how to process them once when he was drunk."
Her mother-in-law eagerly asked, "Is the processing method he mentioned difficult?"
Lin Mai shook her head. "Not difficult, very simple."
Her mother-in-law immediately made a decisive statement, clapping her hands. "Mai Zi, you don't need to do anything else today. Focus entirely on processing the snow clams for me. Any problems?"
Lin Mai repeatedly shook her head. "No problems, but Aunt Xu, you'll need to assign me a helper."
Her mother-in-law generously and decisively agreed, "One person isn't enough? I'll have all the young people at your beck and call. They'll be at your disposal."
With that said, her mother-in-law turned to Er Hu Ge, who had also finished washing up. "Er Hu, after breakfast, gather all the young people. They are to follow Mai Zi's instructions. Keep only enough for everyone to eat at noon today, and process all the snow clams you caught last night."
"Once they're processed, everyone will get a share. You can stew them yourself for health, or use them to give as gifts – it's up to you."
Lin Mai and Er Hu Ge nodded repeatedly.
"Mai Zi, for the snow clam and potato stew at noon, please teach Cui Qiao, Zhao Xiao Yue, and Hu Yu Zhen how to make it."
Lin Mai quickly nodded in agreement. "Okay! If there's nothing else, I'll go help in the kitchen to finish breakfast."
Seeing that her mother-in-law had everything arranged, Chen Lan realized she was no longer needed. She bid farewell to her mother-in-law and the others and got out of the car.
Chen Lan ran back to her car in the rain. As she opened the door, the aroma of egg pancakes wafted from the kitchen, letting her know that Wen Rou's mother was cooking.
Seeing that the two little babies were still sound asleep, she covered them with their blankets and then went into the kitchen. She saw her mother using an electric griddle to make egg pancakes.
Chen Lan offered to help. "Mom, what else needs to be done? I'll do it. You go rest. Taking care of two babies every day is enough work. It's too much for you to cook for us too!"
Wen Rou's mother casually replied, "Taking care of children isn't tiring. Besides, Xiao Shan's mother is helping out. You all have to worry about the livelihoods of dozens of people every day; that's truly tiring."
"Moreover, the electric rice cookers and griddles in the kitchen are very convenient. Just put the food in and they'll cook it. They turn off automatically when done."
As she was talking, she noticed Chen Lan's wet hair and began to scold her. "You child, you're a mother yourself and you don't take care of yourself. In this cold, rainy morning, you went out without a raincoat. Your hair is all wet. Quickly go dry it with a towel. You mustn't catch a cold." With that, she pushed Chen Lan out of the kitchen.
Chen Lan hurried back and purchased a hairdryer from the system to dry her hair, so as not to catch a cold. After all, she had two precious little ones to look after. She then thought about it and also bought a packet of cold medicine from the system to take as a preventative measure.
Chen Lan drank a packet of the hot cold medicine and broke out in a sweat, immediately feeling much better. As the saying goes, older people are wiser; it's best to listen to your mother.