Chapter 82: Popcorn

Zhuang Zhuang pestered Qin Anming and followed him wherever he went.

While Qin Anming was steering the donkey cart, Zhuang Zhuang imitated what he was doing. He raised his small whip which was actually made of grass and whipped at the air.

The three of them took breaks in between their work. They managed to finish milling all the wheat by the time the sky turned dark.

The wheat kernels were set aside to air dry. When the weather was good, the grains would be turned over to ensure they were dried evenly. After a few days of drying, the kernels could be stored for future use. When needed, they would be ground into flour.

Xiaoguo rummaged through the corn kernels and felt that there was not much moisture left. After shifting them to a different spot, she returned to the house to make dinner.

After dinner, Zhuang Zhuang carried his books and went to look for Qin Anming.

He said that he was going to check on his uncle—to see if he had forgotten the words he had learnt before, and he was also going to teach him some new ones.

Xiaoguo waved her hands, signaling him to go. She then placed a candle on the study desk so that she could sew some socks for Qin Anming.

She had learnt to make many things from Mrs. Yang. Underwear, outerwear, headgear and footwear—Mrs. Yang taught Xiaoguo everything she knew.

Xiaoguo put in the last stitch, bit off the thread, and unfolded the finished item to take a good look at it.

Not bad! It was no different from what was sold outside!

Xiaoguo set it down happily beside the other sock on the bed. She got up and went to the cupboard to take out a cloth bag.

She came to the bed and sat down before opening the cloth bag to reveal two sets of ready-made clothes and a pair of socks.

Xiaoguo put in the socks she had just made together with the rest of the garments, and tied up the cloth bag. Placing the bag on the desk, she would let Qin Anming bring it with him tomorrow.

“I will just put it in a conspicuous place in case I forget about it tomorrow.”

Zhuang Zhuang told Xiaoguo that he would sleep with his uncle for the night.

Xiaoguo had already guessed it. When she woke up from her afternoon nap, Zhuang Zhuang had not brought back his pillow and blanket from Qin Anming’s house.

Knowing that Zhuang Zhuang wanted to hang around his uncle, how could Xiaoguo get in the way?

Maybe because she was sleeping alone, Xiaoguo tossed and turned on the bed that seemed especially spacious today.

Listening to Zhuang Zhuang’s laughter in the other room, Xiaoguo felt a little upset.

From the minute Zhuang Zhuang laid his eyes on Qin Anming today, he had been sticking to him as if he had endless things to tell him.

He would share everything about what he had done, what he had learnt and even how many bowls of rice he had eaten, with his uncle.

As long as Qin Anming was around, Zhuang Zhuang would never stick to her.

Although Zhuang Zhuang was also very clingy to Xiaoguo, it was not the same as when he was around Qin Anming.

Xiaoguo looked at the flickering candle and thought to herself, So the experts did have a point. Motherly love is different from paternal love.

Zhuang Zhuang was looking for maternal love from her and seeking paternal love from Qin Anming.

Ever since he was born, Zhuang Zhuang didn’t have any male figures around him. He only heard about his father from Mrs. Jiang a few times.

In his living environment, he was surrounded by women and young children. There was not a single male figure who could set a positive example for Zhuang Zhuang.

Now that he had Qin Anming, Zhuang Zhuang directed all his longing for paternal love to his uncle.

Looking at the flickering candlelight on the table, Xiaoguo felt annoyed. She got up and blew out the candle.

She could give him motherly love, but there was no way she could provide him with paternal love. It seemed that she could only bring Zhuang Zhuang to visit Qin Anming more frequently in the future.

She slept in a daze until dawn the next day.

Xiaoguo woke up when the chickens in the courtyard crowed.

Listening to the noises coming from their room yesterday, Xiaoguo knew that Qin Anming and Zhuang Zhuang must have slept late.

Xiaoguo did not wake the two of them. She went to the courtyard first and fed the animals with grass. She also fed Qin Anming’s horse. After all, the animal had to drive the cart back later.

When the two puppies saw Xiaoguo, they got up and followed her with their short legs.

When morning came, Xiaoguo made pork congee with century eggs. She also picked three tomatoes and tossed them with white sugar and three century eggs.

A few flower buns were steaming in the pot and smoke rose continuously from the chimney.

Xiaoguo went to the courtyard and checked on the corn kernels. They were thoroughly dry. There was no dew at night, so the grains did not absorb any moisture.

Xiaoguo brought the kernels back to the kitchen. Fortunately, she saw Mrs. Yang bought some rapeseed oil when they were at the market. She also bought some for herself as she had gotten tired of eating lard.

Otherwise, the popcorn she was going to make would taste like lard.

Xiaoguo brought the heated flower rolls into the house. The porridge was ready and left to cool down.

Zhuang Zhuang and Qin Anming had just gotten out of bed. Xiaoguo called for them to wash up and eat.

Xiaoguo finished her meal first. She put down her bowl and returned to the kitchen to prepare popcorn for Qin Anming.

Xiaoguo washed the pot clean, poured in the oil, and added white sugar. After the mixture had caramelized, she added the corn kernels and stirred them with a shovel. When the corn kernels started popping, Xiaoguo quickly called Zhuang Zhuang over to watch. Yesterday, when Zhuang Zhuang found out that Xiaoguo was going to make the popcorn, he kept reminding Xiaoguo to wake him up. He wanted to see it for himself!

Zhuang Zhuang and Qin Anming had also finished eating. When they heard Xiaoguo call out, they quickly put down their bowls and ran to the kitchen to witness this magical phenomenon.

A corn kernel exploded in front of the three of them. With a stir of the shovel, several more kernels exploded.

At this moment, a piece of corn flew onto Zhuang Zhuang’s body. The child was quick to react. He immediately caught it and stuffed it into his mouth. Mmm… It was delicious!

The kitchen was filled with the aroma of popcorn coupled by a hint of sweetness.

At this moment, more kernels had popped open. Xiaoguo quickly covered the pot with a lid. She could hear crackling sounds coming from underneath the lid.

Qin Anming moved further away. It was magical and a little funny. “This sound is comparable to a small firecracker.”

Xiaoguo listened carefully. That was true!

When there were no more sounds coming from the pot, Xiaoguo turned down the fire and lifted the lid. She stirred the popcorn to prevent it from burning.

A whole pot of popcorn appeared in front of them. Zhuang Zhuang and Qin Anming couldn’t help but exclaim.

Xiaoguo had prepared two clean jars in advance to store the popcorn. They were prone to dampness and had to be kept tightly sealed in jars. They are easily accessible when kept in the jars, and she wouldn’t have to worry about them being exposed to moisture.

Qin Anming held the jar and watched Xiaoguo shovel in the popcorn. To think that so much popcorn could be made from such a small amount of kernels!

Xiaoguo put the popcorn into the jars while it was still hot. There were two big jars in total. Xiaoguo handed one to Qin Anming and let him put it in the carriage to bring back. The remaining jar was left for Zhuang Zhuang.

It was time for Qin Anming to go back. Xiaoguo handed him the cloth bundle containing the clothes and socks she had made.

Qin Anming took it and looked at Xiaoguo. He said solemnly again, “In the future, if you have any work at home, call me. Do you understand?”

Qin Anming only felt assured after seeing Xiaoguo nod and promise him several times. He hugged Zhuang Zhuang and agreed to meet him soon.

The two of them spent quite some time whispering to each other before Zhuang Zhuang finally smiled and nodded at his uncle.

Qin Anming drove off on the carriage. Xiaoguo felt a sense of loneliness in her heart. This always happens. Even though it was only a temporary separation and they would meet again, the sense of loneliness and loss would surface whenever they had to part.

Worried that Zhuang Zhuang would be unhappy, Xiaoguo picked him up and teased him to make him laugh.

Xiaoguo led Zhuang Zhuang to the kitchen and asked him to get five century eggs. Then, she turned around and found a slightly larger piece of oil paper. She poured out half of the popcorn from the jar and carefully wrapped it up before asking Zhuang Zhuang to bring it to Mrs. Yang.

She had been thinking about giving Mrs. Yang some century eggs, but she had forgotten about it. Now that she remembered, she quickly got Zhuang Zhuang to send some over.