To cook dumplings, you had to add tap water three times. Each time the water in the pot boils, just add some tap water, then add some water for two more times. When the dumplings in the pot float, they could be eaten.
There were so many dumplings that could not be cooked in one pot, so they were cooked in three batches, and Mrs. Chen cooked nearly forty dumplings at a time.
Although the dumplings didn’t taste much, they still gave off a steaming hot aroma after they were cooked, and the few people sitting with greed in the room swallowed their saliva.
Xiulan hadn’t eaten much delicious food during that period. Most of the time, she ate coarse grains that were difficult to swallow in the Zhaos’ house. Now that she smelled the dumplings, the gluttonous insects in her stomach stirred up.
After the first pot of dumplings came out, the couple asked Xiulan and Cheng to eat first.
But Xiulan refused, “Uncle Chen, you and Cheng should eat first, I’m not hungry yet!”
“How can this work? Xiulan, you are a guest, so you should eat first. This old man will eat later.” Mr. Chen didn’t follow suit and insisted for Xiulan to eat first.
“Uncle Chen, you are an elder, so you should eat first!”
Mrs. Chen, who was on the side, also persuaded her with a smile, “It’s okay, Xiulan, don’t be polite to your Uncle Chen. You and Cheng are our guests, so you guys should eat first. I’ll cook another pot, it will just take a moment, it won’t take long.”
It probably didn’t take ten minutes for a pot of dumplings to cook. Xiulan didn’t say anything more and agreed to just eat first. There was no need to be so hypocritical.
Mrs. Chen served the dumplings on a large plate and gave two small bowls to Xiulan and Cheng.
Not only they had a broken pot, but their bowls were also not so good, as there were holes in them.
***Original translation is from enchantesstranslations.com. Please read it on the translator’s website.***
Mr. Chen sighed and said, “There are only dumplings and no vinegar in the house. Otherwise, the dumplings will taste much better with vinegar, so you can just make do with it.”
When they hadn’t had a downfall, they lived a good life. The food was not only good, but they were also very particular about many aspects.
But now, there were not even enough foodstuffs to eat and they couldn’t do anything about it. With regards to oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, those things were very rare. They only had a little salt at home and didn’t have any other seasonings.
Now that they were going to eat dumplings without vinegar, Mr. Chen had a little regret, but he was still very satisfied to be able to eat dumplings. He had not eaten such good things for several years.
After listening to his words, Xiulan also felt that the dumplings had to be eaten with vinegar and spicy sauce to make them more delicious.
In her previous life, every time she ate dumplings, she would dip them in vinegar and chili sauce, probably because she had a strong taste. So, she liked to eat dumplings with those and felt that they tasted a little more flavorful.
So, Xiulan said, “Uncle Chen, it’s a coincidence. I brought vinegar and chili sauce today. I originally wanted to take them to the black market to exchange for something. Since it will not work out as I stayed here for lunch, we can just have them here.”
What she said was pure nonsense, she didn’t bring those today. She pretended to say that and she would just take them out of the space later. Everything was in her space and she had everything she wanted.
Mr. Chen was overjoyed and asked, “Xiulan, do you really have vinegar and chili sauce?”
He wondered how many good things could this girl have in her hands. She had foodstuffs and she even had those rare things.
“Haha! Yes, I do! I can’t even lie to you!” Xiulan said that while pretending to go to the basket to get them. But she actually took out a bottle of vinegar and chili sauce from the space.
Vinegar and chili sauce were both in glass bottles. In the beginning, she went to the place of origin to buy them directly. She didn’t ask the manufacturers to put trademarks, so it was much cheaper.
Whether it was foodstuffs or condiments such as oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, she hoarded them all before the apocalypse started and put them all in the space.