Mother and Chun Cao saw Chen Lan holding three children alone and quickly got up from the sofa and rushed over, ready to take the children.
Chen Lan, holding three children at once, dared not let go. Seeing them rush over to take the children, she could only anxiously say, "Mother, Sister Chun Cao, please wait to hold them. I can't let go, I'm afraid they'll fall. You can hold them after I put them all on the carpet."
Meanwhile, Mother Liu also ran to the kitchen door and pulled Hu Tou and Xiao Shi Tou, who were reluctant to leave. She held their little hands, one on each side, leading them away from the kitchen door. As she pulled them back, she sternly lectured, "Hu Tou, Xiao Shi Tou, what did Grandma tell you? The kitchen has fire and boiling hot water. Children cannot go there. It's very dangerous, do you understand? Why did you bring your younger siblings to play in the kitchen today? Huh?"
Hu Tou stubbornly retorted, "Grandma, we didn't go into the kitchen. We only smelled the aroma at the kitchen door."
Xiao Shi Tou chimed in, "That's right! Grandma Liu, we just smelled the aroma at the kitchen door because Aunt Xiao Lan's cooking is too delicious!"
Mother Liu was amused by the two little ones. She immediately stopped walking, squatted down, faced the two of them, and said with a stern face, "You two are quibbling. Don't drag your Aunt Xiao Lan into this.
You are both big children now, you are brothers. Didn't Grandma tell you not to take your younger siblings to dangerous places to play? Have you forgotten?"
The two little ones were still huffing and puffing, full of defiance. Chen Lan placed Jia Hui, Jia Yao, and Xiao Dou Zi on the carpet for them to crawl and play.
Turning back, she saw the angry little faces of Hu Tou and Xiao Shi Tou, their mouths pouting high.
So she squatted down and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Are you two little ones still not convinced? Hu Tou, tell me, a few days ago when you were playing in the front yard, you ran into the goji berry bushes to pick up a ball. Didn't your little face hurt when the sharp thorns in the goji berry bushes pricked you? Look, the marks are still there?"
Saying this, she gently touched the white marks on Hu Tou's face left by the healed scars.
Hu Tou also gently touched his face with his finger.
He nodded and said, "Aunt Xiao Lan, I remember, it hurt a lot, and it bled a lot too!"
Chen Lan suppressed a smile and thought, "A lot of blood? It was just a minor scratch that left a bloody mark."
She coughed and looked at him very seriously and solemnly, "Didn't your grandmother tell you that the goji berry bushes are dangerous and warned you not to go near them?"
Hu Tou nodded and then lowered his head in silence.
At this moment, Xiao Shi Tou, the clever little one, said, "Aunt Xiao Lan, it was Jia Hui who was naughty. She was the first to crawl towards the kitchen. We saw her and then followed to see.
Aunt Xiao Lan, what delicious food did you make today? It smells so good! I really want to eat it now!"
Upon hearing Xiao Shi Tou's words, Chen Lan almost burst into laughter. This conversation was going off track. She had intended to reason with them, but seeing their innocent and clueless eyes looking at her.
She decided to let it go! The children were still too young, both less than four years old!
So she stopped talking, pinched Xiao Shi Tou's chubby little face, and said, "You little smart aleck, you know how to shift blame and change the subject.
Aunt Xiao Lan made you a dish you've never eaten before, steamed pork with rice flour, and a big pot of bone broth with your favorite white rice. Smell it, isn't it fragrant?"
Xiao Shi Tou took a deep breath again and nodded, "It's so fragrant! It must be delicious!"
Chen Lan chuckled and patted his little head, "You little flatterer. Aunt Xiao Lan has a task for you. Xiao Shi Tou, go call your Uncle Ming Zhe over. Tell him Aunt Xiao Lan needs him for something. Hurry up!"
With that, she patted his little shoulder.
Xiao Shi Tou excitedly trotted to the small study to find Ming Zhe.
As soon as Ming Zhe came out of the study, he exclaimed, "Oh my heavens! What's this smell? It's so fragrant! Sister-in-law must have made something delicious again.
As soon as he finished speaking, he was already in front of Chen Lan, asking, "Sister-in-law, Xiao Shi Tou said you were looking for me? Sister-in-law, did you make a new dish today? It smells so good!"
Chen Lan nodded and said, "Yes, I made a new dish called steamed pork with rice flour. Ming Zhe, please go to the main kitchen for me and invite everyone who is helping to pickle vegetables in the main kitchen to come over for lunch. Make sure they all come, okay?"
Ming Zhe cheerfully agreed, "Got it! Mission guaranteed to be completed!"
Before his voice faded, he had already run back to the study, put on his warm jacket, and happily skipped out the door.
Chen Lan also hurried back to the kitchen to check the fire, and to steam three large pots of rice in the three rice cookers. These pots were the ones that came with the RV.
Lin Mai and the others thought that rice cooked in an electric rice cooker wasn't as good as rice cooked over a wood fire, so they didn't use them. Chen Lan was left to use them herself, and now they came in handy.
In a short while, everyone Ming Zhe had gone to call had arrived.
They entered one after another. Mother-in-law and Uncle Fu, Uncle De were at the forefront. Behind them came Captain Zheng and Xu Ming Xuan, and others followed.
Everyone smelled the rich aroma of steamed pork filling the room and started discussing it. Uncle De patted Ming Zhe's head and said to Chen Lan, "It's really fragrant! No wonder this boy Ming Zhe said that you, Xiao Lan, made a new dish that smells incredibly good."
At this moment, Captain Zheng also spoke up, "It should be steamed pork with steamed pumpkin, right? This is a taste from my hometown. My hometown is in Hubei province. Every year during the Chinese New Year, families who are well-off would make this dish.
I haven't eaten it for decades. I still remember when I was only ten years old, my father was still alive and well.
That year, the harvest was good. During the Chinese New Year, my father bought a slab of pork from the county town, and my mother made steamed pork with steamed pumpkin. That aroma, I will never forget it in my lifetime."
Chen Lan saw that the atmosphere was becoming somber and couldn't continue. So she immediately spoke up with a smile, "Yes! Captain Zheng, please come in and sit. You are absolutely right, it's steamed pork with steamed pumpkin.
I heard that it's going to snow in a couple of days, so I thought I'd give everyone a good meal. Since Captain Zheng and Brother Ming Xuan are here today, let's all have a simple meal together. Brother Ming Xuan, please chat with Captain Zheng for a while. Please wait a moment, the food is all ready, and we can eat soon."
Saying this, she turned and walked towards the kitchen. Ming Wei, Cui Qiao, Hu Yu Zhen, Lin Mai, and Ru Yi followed her to help in the kitchen.