xymnovel Chapter 59 Let's push the millstone!
Chapter 59 Let's push the millstone!
Chapter 59 Let's push the millstone!
After returning from Grandma's house, Lu Chen and his family went back to their own courtyard.
Click! The door opened.
The car drove into the compound.
The two-story building, six rooms wide, stood there quietly.
Under the sky.
Wow! This is what the young master's house looks like!
"What a magnificent house!"
"The yard is so spacious! It has a solid iron floor, flower-lined fences on both sides, and even a vegetable garden and flower beds inside!"
Empress Zhangsun excitedly grasped Li Shimin's hand: "Second Prince, look how wonderful your home is! The house is so beautiful! It even has two floors!"
"Modern houses are all so beautiful! I never imagined that the young master's house would be the best in the village! It seems the young master's family is the richest!"
Li Shimin was very satisfied.
"Um."
"Little Sizi is living like a princess in someone else's home!" Li Tai said with envy.
Zhu Yuanzhang also praised it, saying, "If I had a small courtyard like this, it would be perfect for a peaceful retirement!"
"That's good. This courtyard is enough," Ma Xiuying said with a slight smile.
"Brother, is this my home?" Little Si looked at the beautiful white tile house. It was more beautiful than the houses in the whole village that she could see from the rooftop!
"Come on, let's go inside, Sizi, let's try on your new pajamas!"
"Okay~" Little Sizi followed her parents and brother into the house.
"Wow! My house is so beautiful!" Little Si exclaimed.
The spacious room, the light beige sofa, the light wood furniture—everything was so comfortable!
"Come on, Sizi, this is your room." Mom opened the door.
"It's pink! And there's a teddy bear!" Little Sizi ran in excitedly.
I went to the bedside and picked up the teddy bear.
"Thank you, Mom!" Little Sizi's eyes narrowed into crescent moons.
"Okay, let's brush our teeth and go to bed." Mom said, pulling Xiao Sizi along.
The family began to prepare for rest.
Before going to bed, Mom soaked a large bowl of soybeans, just waiting to use them the next morning.
I've had breakfast.
In the morning, the warm sunshine shone on Grandma San's small courtyard.
Xiao Sizi, along with her mother and brother, arrived at her third grandmother's house.
Lin Chen was carrying a large bucket filled with soaked beans.
"Little Sizi, come here and watch Grandma grind beans!" Third Grandma called out, the old-fashioned stone mill in the yard had already been cleaned.
My mother placed a large basin of soaked soybeans on a small stool next to me, and then brought over a bucket of water.
Lu Chen led Xiao Sizi closer.
The little one looked curiously at the round, grooved millstone, his big eyes full of wonder: "Grandma, this stone, for grinding beans?"
"Yes, this is a stone mill." Grandma San smiled, picked up a small wooden spoon, scooped up a spoonful of soybeans, added some water, and poured it into the round hole above the millstone. "Come on, Grandma will teach you, let's push it slowly."
Lu Chen stood behind the millstone handle and began to slowly push the millstone to turn. The heavy millstone made a creaking sound, carrying the weight of time.
"Little Sizi, why don't you help Grandma add beans and water?" Mom handed her a small spoon.
"Okay! Let's make porridge with beans!" Little Sizi clapped his hands quickly.
Mom picked up the little one.
The little guy immediately perked up, imitating his great-grandmother, carefully scooping up a few beans with a small spoon, then tremblingly adding a small spoonful of water, pouring it into the millstone, all the while muttering, "Beans, water, go in, go in!"
Mom and Lu Chen were pushing the millstone from both ends.
"Hahaha! Brother, Mom, you guys are spinning around!" Little Si jumped up and down happily.
"I'm coming with you guys too!" Little Sizi followed Lu Chen, giggling, "Mommy's chasing after us!"
"Yes! Mom is chasing after you. Sisi, don't follow me for a while, or you'll get confused," Mom reminded her.
"Hmm? What does 'muddled' mean?" Little Si asked curiously.
"Then give it a try," Lu Chen said with a smile.
"You'll get sleepy in a bit. When your head starts spinning, call out 'brother'."
"Hmm~~" The little guy started getting excited, and his short legs sped up.
"Chenchen, you naughty boy! What kind of older brother are you, always causing trouble for others!" Third Grandma came out and glared at Lu Chen.
"Third Grandma, it's alright. She didn't get hurt from falling." Lu Chen chuckled.
"Sizi, slow down. If you're feeling groggy, just stand there and call us," Third Grandma instructed.
Tap tap tap! As he ran, the little guy slowed down and his body swayed a little.
"Dad, the house is spinning, the trees are spinning, the ground is shaking, and my legs are weak!" Little Sizi stood still, too afraid to move.
"Haha! That's what a confused person looks like!" Lu Chen said with a laugh as he came over.
Third Grandma came over and took the millstone. "Quickly take Little Sizi to play over there. My two boys have run off somewhere."
"Sizi, watch out. I'll show you what the ultimate scatterbrain is!" Lu Chen hugged Sizi and started swinging him around.
"Look at you, it's no good to let the boy coax the child! He just starts to lose his composure!" Third Grandma said helplessly.
Mom laughed, "It's alright, Third Aunt, the child can handle it. Lu Chen knows his limits."
"Hahahaha! I'm making money so fast! I'm flying high!" Little Sizi laughed heartily, his sweet laughter echoing throughout the courtyard.
"Third Aunt, look how happy the little girl is!" Mom smiled with satisfaction.
"Hmm, this way of playing is quite common, isn't it? You're having a blast." Third Grandma added a spoonful of beans.
"Oh dear! Brother's confused too, he can't turn it! Let's quickly sit on the windowsill." Lu Chen himself was also confused by the turns, so he quickly stopped while he was ahead and sat down with Si Zi.
"Hehehe—the kite is so much fun!" Little Sizi sat under the windowsill, her little brain still working, but the house and trees slowly came to a stop.
Under the sky.
The people of Wanchao were immersed in the joy of grinding grain.
"The little princess is so interesting!"
"The young master is even more interesting! He actually taught the little princess what 'muddled' means!"
"I never imagined such an old millstone would still exist a thousand years later!"
"It turns out that machines can't do as well as our old-fashioned manual labor!"
There's no such thing as having it all in this world!
The people of Wanchao began to feel a sense of感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a complex emotion encompassing feelings, reflection, and a sense of wonder), no longer just envying others.
Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun exchanged a smile. "Young master, you've really come up with a unique idea! Making Sizi experience the feeling of being confused—how thoughtful!"
"Yes, it's not just about playing with the kids."
"We can grind some beans like this too. We can definitely do it! Those idiots, if they can't even make tofu, they're not even human!" Li Tai slapped his thigh.
As the stone mill rotates round and round, thick, milky-white soy milk with fine bubbles slowly flows out from the gap between the two millstones and gathers in the large basin below.
The pure aroma of soybeans was even fresher and richer than the tofu cooked last night, permeating the entire courtyard.
"Wow! White milk!" Little Sizi exclaimed in surprise, pointing at the flowing soy milk. She brought her little nose close and sniffed it deeply. "It smells so good! It smells like soy!"
She was so engrossed in watching that she didn't even notice the splashes of soy milk on her face.
Grandma San looked at the ever-growing amount of fresh soy milk in the basin, a satisfied smile on her face: "The older generation always said, 'Grinding soybeans with a stone mill ensures a stable life.' Soy milk ground with a stone mill is just so fragrant; machine-made soy milk never quite tastes the same. Your grandparents and the others really craved this old-fashioned flavor."
While instructing Lu Chen on the rhythm of grinding the millstone, she softly told Xiao Sizi about the days when grain was precious and they would mix it with green vegetables to make "little tofu" to eat as a meal.
"Little sister! We're here!"
"Look, these are the jars we specially prepared to hold the tadpoles!"
"However, we should eat the canned food first."
Lu Ping and Lu Ning arrived, each carrying a can of food.