Chapter 40
The Strong Fragrance
Liu Yinyin came back to her senses when she heard Shen Qiuhua’s voice. She said, “Mother-in-law, I thought of coming to help prepare dinner.”
Shen Qiuhua said, “It’s all right. Binglan is cooking dinner tonight while I help her out. You just take care of Xuexuan and Xuehai.”
Shen Qiuhua and Liu Yinyin’s mother were close. Shen Qiuhua knew that Liu Yinyin didn’t have an easy time taking care of two children. She also understood that there were some things that Liu Yinyin did not need to do.
However, Liu Yinyin also knew that things were not easy for her mother-in-law. Whenever she had the time, she would take the initiative to come to the house and help Shen Qiuhua. Even though Shen Qiuhua did not need her help, she would still do it.
Su Binglan was quiet. She was worried that if she spoke, she would scare her sister-in-law, who had the personality of a mouse. Instead, she paid attention to the things in her hands.
Su Binglan washed the potatoes, peeled them, and cut them into thin strips. She then soaked them in cold water.
The cold water was from the tank, Su Binglan mixed with spiritual spring water from her pocket dimension. She believed they would taste more delicious after soaking the potato strips in this mixture.
Su Binglan soaked the potato strips and drained the water. After that, she filled another pot with some more water. She then prepared to boil the water.
Liu Yinyin quickly squatted down and took out some firewood to start a fire. She said, “Binglan, since I have nothing to do, please allow me to start the fire.”
Su Binglan knew that if she didn’t let Liu Yinyin do this, Liu Yinyin would feel uneasy and think that she had a problem with her, so she nodded and said, “Okay.”
Seeing Su Binglan nod and say yes, Liu Yiniyin smiled coyly.
Su Binglan looked at Liu Yinyin’s expression and was surprised. Her sister-in-law already had two sons, yet she could still smile like a little girl with a coy expression.
No wonder her elder brother liked Liu Yinyin. According to the memories in Su Binglan’s mind, her three big brothers were quite handsome.
When the water came to a boil, Su Binglan put in the potato strips with some salt. She waited for two minutes before scooping them out. She then poured out the water and put in the oil.
Once the oil was hot, Su Binglan put in the potato strips and fried them until they were golden brown, then scooped them out.
It was a standard method of preparing fried potato strips. Even though the method was simple, the intense fragrance of delicious food filled the house.
Su Binglan knew that oil was a precious commodity in this era. Ordinary people were reluctant to put any oil in their daily cooking. It was a bit of a waste for her to use so much in preparing these potatoes.
However, Shen Qiuhua didn’t say a word. She merely smiled and looked at Su Binglan with a joyous expression.
Su Binglan sighed in her heart. She had to work hard and earn a lot of money to give her family a good life.
Su Binglan didn’t want to be limited in cooking and feel sorry for herself. She had this thought because she saw the shock and distress in Liu Yinyin’s eyes when she lowered her head.
Liu Yinyin was probably shocked that Su Binglan could cook in such a way and not feel the heartache. Liu Yinyin probably felt that Su Binglan was wasteful in using so much oil.
Su Binglan knew, though, that Liu Yinyin was clever and would not say anything out loud.
At this moment, Su Xuexuan and Su Xuexhai, probably picking up the fragrance of the french fries, came over.
Although Su Xuexuan stood far away, he was still a young child. He looked at where the French fries were and leaned against the door frame as he blinked his big eyes at Su Binglan. His soft and cute appearance made Su Binglan’s heart melt.
Su Binglan waved at Su Xuehai and said, “Come here.”
As soon as Su Xuehai heard Su Binglan talking to him, he immediately turned around and ran to Luo Jin’an’s side. He held on to Luo Jin’an’s leg and called out, “Uncle Jin’an…”
Su Xuehai seemed to be looking for a sense of security from Luo Jin’an.