The Game of Life TGOL

Chapter 525: Chapter 523: Sweet Rice Balls

“`

Jiang Feng had no clear concept of how obvious the taste changes of a woman during pregnancy could be; after all, his wife wasn’t pregnant yet—no, more accurately, he didn’t have a wife yet.

But since Zhao Mei craved sweets during her pregnancy and wanted the sweetness of glutinous rice lotus, Jiang Feng could only make the tangyuan (sweet glutinous rice balls) sweeter.

Making traditional black sesame tangyuan is not difficult, the challenge lies in adjusting the filling’s sweetness. Too little sugar and it wouldn’t taste like tangyuan, too much and eating a few would become cloying. Fortunately, these tangyuan were for Zhao Mei, and when it came to adding sugar, he could do so without worrying—just sprinkle it on liberally.

The Jiang family routinely added lard to the tangyuan filling, though it’s unclear why tangyuan with lard seem less sickening than those without. The needed lard for over ten pounds of tangyuan was not a small quantity. This year, the Jiang family was short on pork, and subsequently out of lard as well, leading to stir-fried cabbage cooked in vegetable oil instead of lard, which resulted in less vibrant colors and a fainter aroma than usual.

To gather enough lard, Jiang Feng specially borrowed a bowl of it from next-door neighbor Li Cuihua. Zhao Liang (Li Cuihua’s grandson) almost wished he could bring over his entire basin of lard to Jiang Feng.

Everything was ready, except for starting the work.

When it comes to tangyuan, many people immediately think of the Lantern Festival. In the South they eat tangyuan, in the North ‘yuanxiao,’ and while they seem to be the same thing, their methods of preparation are, in fact, different.

Chen Zhisui once gave tangyuan a detailed description in “Zai Jing Tang Collection: Jiangnan Jingshi Poetry Manuscript – Festival Poetry”: As round as dragon’s eyes, each one, the elderly love but need skills to make one. Blended clouds scooped from a silver vat, they’re shaped with light touch like jade in one’s palm. Pushed into the pot to chase away the white ducks, scooped into the sugar bowl, they roll like golden pearls. Every Winter Solstice all families cook, unknowingly adding years—do you know or not?

This poem is highly accessible and aims to convey the chewy and rounded enjoyment of eating tangyuan.

Making tangyuan is similar to making dumplings, but does not require a rolling pin, relying instead on pinching and rolling into shape. Yuanxiao, however, are made by tossing and rolling: Coat the filling with water and repeatedly roll it in sticky rice flour until it’s smooth and does not crack to the touch. Well-made yuanxiao have no visible seams, and they’re a marvel of craftsmanship.

Jiang Feng, the emotionless tangyuan-making machine, sat alone in the kitchen silently making tangyuan. For him, making tangyuan was much easier than making dumplings. When making dumplings, he was often criticized by De and Cheng for not stuffing enough filling and for not making them round enough, but he didn’t have to worry about that while making tangyuan—since neither De nor Cheng liked tangyuan.

The two had little interest in non-meat food that simply filled the belly.

As soon as Jiang Feng finished making the tangyuan, he brought over a kilogram to the neighbors. The surface of the tangyuan was moist and sticky, making them hard to preserve; the best way was to eat them as soon as they were made.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

After delivering the tangyuan, Jiang Feng packed the remaining ones into ziplock bags, sealed them well, and stored them in the freezer for quick freezing.

Having dealt with everything, Jiang Feng walked into the living room, took a little stool and joined everyone by the fire to make dumplings, and meanwhile eavesdropped on some gossip and enjoyed some melon seeds.

The gossip this time centered around the person they were going to visit the next day—Zhao Mei.

Since Mrs. Jiang was the source of the gossip, everyone was seated around her with the braziers marking the boundaries. Sir, although making dumplings and sporting an expression that said he was forced to sit there and listen to these trivial family matters, was actually hanging on every word. At exciting moments, he would even forget about making dumplings, holding the dumpling wrapper without stuffing it, and not realizing until the wrapper almost dried out near the brazier.

“You don’t know, Auntie,” Mrs. Jiang let go of the dumplings and grasped Aunt’s hand fervently, “Recently, when I talked to Tian Lin on the phone, she was so worried. I think a daughter should not be married too far away. Being so distant, she can’t be tended to; making a trip home is also troublesome, and to not see her more than twice a year—can you imagine the pain of being a mother?” she exclaimed.

Aunt, the only one among those present who had a daughter, was deeply moved and nearly in tears, chiming in, “Yes, when a daughter is married off far away, it’s the mother who suffers the most.”

“Moreover, Zhuangshi had always been frail since he was young, just like his mother. The name ‘Zhuangshi’ didn’t make him any stronger. He’s even less capable of work than Tian Lin. With no brothers to look after Meimei, she, who has always been so kind and caring for others and gentle, might get bullied outside but won’t tell when she gets home. The phone call I had with Tian Lin recently really hit me hard. You can’t raise a girl to be too soft; she needs to be independent and assertive, being too gentle is actually not good,” Mrs. Jiang lamented.

Aunt nodded in agreement vigorously, echoing, “Yes, a girl should be raised to… ”

Then, she glanced silently at Jiang Junlian and Jiang Junqing and realized she probably didn’t have much authority to speak and closed her mouth.

After eating melon seeds for quite a while and not quite following, Jiang Feng leaned over and whispered to Jiang Junlian, “What’s happened to Sister Meimei? Was she mistreated?”

“She wasn’t mistreated; it’s just that Sister Meimei is about to give birth. Lately, she’s had no appetite and has lost a lot of weight. Our aunt is always worried about this and that, fearing that Sister Meimei can’t eat because she’s been mistreated by her in-laws,” Jiang Junlian whispered back.

“`

“When did Meimei start losing her appetite?” Jiang Feng asked.

“Seems like last month, not long ago.”

“So, when did Meimei come back?”

“She came back during National Day.”

Jiang Feng: …

His aunt’s ability to make connections was truly remarkable.

“Did Meimei’s husband come back with her?” Jiang Feng asked curiously.

“He did, he came back with Meimei during National Day and left after it ended. He came again before the New Year and is still at the uncle’s place now,” Jiang Junlian shared the juicy details with Jiang Feng without reservation, “Actually, during National Day, Meimei’s in-laws came too, just that they didn’t come over the New Year.”

“What is the aunt worried about then?” Jiang Feng looked puzzled.

Because Jiang Feng and Jiang Junlian were whispering not so quietly, Jiang Zaidi, Jiang Shoucheng, and Jiang Ran, who were sitting nearby, also heard their conversation and joined the discussion group.

“Isn’t it obvious? She’s worried about Meimei! Meimei married off to Jin Province, which is so far away, and since our uncle gets seasick, carsick, and airsick, leaving home nearly costs him half his life. The aunt can’t visit her often, so of course, she’s worried,” Jiang Shoucheng spoke first.

“That’s not right. If she were just worried, she wouldn’t specifically call Mrs. Jiang to talk about it. It must be that Meimei was mistreated by her in-laws, and she told the aunt while she was back home to nurture her pregnancy. That’s why the aunt complained to Mrs. Jiang,” Jiang Zaidi reasoned with tight logic.

“Oh come on, would Meimei ever be bullied? De, have you forgotten how Meimei used a bamboo stick to whack us three at once when we were kids? And with Mrs. Jiang cheering on the side, I think the only one she never hit was Feng,” Jiang Ran instantly refuted Jiang Zaidi’s point, “Who could bully Meimei?”

Reminded by Jiang Ran, Jiang Feng seemed to recall an incident from his childhood when he had indeed seen Zhao Mei, wielding a bamboo stick, chasing Jiang Zaidi, Jiang Shoucheng, and Jiang Ran all over the yard and the beating that ensued. He couldn’t remember the reason, but it definitely had something to do with the Jiang trio asking for it.

Zhao Mei, who since childhood could utilize her age advantage and sisterly authority to fearlessly thrash the three stout Jiang boys, was probably not someone many people could bully in this world.

“So what is the aunt really worried about?” Jiang Feng was still puzzled.

“Don’t know.” Everyone said in unison.

“Ran, you mentioned going to see Meimei at our granduncle’s tomorrow. Do you think Meimei will be as chubby as me?” Jiang Junqing asked.

“Not necessarily. It’s hard to say if she’ll be as chubby as you,” Jiang Ran wasn’t sure.

“I’ve heard that women’s temperaments change greatly during pregnancy. If I see Meimei tomorrow and she remembers that I ate all her cake when we were kids, will she get angry and want to hit me again?” Jiang Zaidi asked worriedly, “Should I run then, or just stay put and let her hit me?”

“Better run. Meimei’s almost due, and her emotions shouldn’t fluctuate too much. If she gets too worked up beating you… De, maybe you shouldn’t go tomorrow,” Jiang Shoucheng advised earnestly, “Or maybe just stay out of Meimei’s way when you see her.”

Jiang Feng: …

De and Cheng’s way of showing sisterly concern sounded so odd, didn’t it?

“Do you guys think, now that Meimei’s pregnant, will the aunt still make braised meat tomorrow?” Jiang Feng asked a soul-searching question.