人多力量大，李志明、李志豪两兄弟的加入让李梦兰的速度也变快了不少；左右不过一个多时辰，整个草甸子的野菊花就被摘得七七八八差不多。
Many hands make light work. With Li Zhiming and Li Zhihao’s help, Li Menglan’s speed increased considerably. In just over two hours, the wild chrysanthemums across the entire meadow had been almost completely picked.
“大哥、二哥我们回家吧！”李梦兰拿出手帕轻轻地抹了抹额头，仰着被秋日的太阳晒得红通通的小脸大声地说道。
“Big Brother, Second Brother, let’s go home!” Li Menglan took out her handkerchief and gently wiped her forehead, then, lifting up her little face reddened by the autumn sun, said loudly.
“好，妹妹篮子跟口袋让大哥和二哥来拿。”李志明体贴的接过李梦兰手里的篮子，顺手将口袋递给了李志豪。
“Alright, Little Sister, let Big Brother and Second Brother carry the basket and the bag.” Considerately, Li Zhiming took the basket from Li Menglan’s hands and casually handed the bag to Li Zhihao.
“走，回家咯！”阳光下，田间的小路上飘荡着一串串银铃般的清脆笑声。
“Let’s go, home!” Under the sunlight, crisp laughter like strings of silver bells floated along the narrow field path.
李梦兰、李志明、李志豪三兄妹并没有直接回家，则是拐了个弯来到了云河边上将小野菊淘洗干净；才拎着湿漉漉的野菊花回了家。
The three siblings—Li Menglan, Li Zhiming, and Li Zhihao—did not head straight home. Instead, they took a detour to the Yun River to wash the wild chrysanthemums clean before carrying the wet flowers back.
回到家里的时候张玉娘正在厨房准备做午饭，李梦兰让自己的大哥从家里找出来一个大圆筛子拜放在院子里面；将那些已经开花的野菊花摊在筛子里对着大太阳暴晒。
When they arrived home, Zhang Yuniang was in the kitchen preparing lunch. Li Menglan had her eldest brother find a large round sieve and place it in the courtyard. She spread the bloomed wild chrysanthemums in the sieve to dry under the blazing sun.
然后又去了厨房里面将那准备用来泡茶的花骨朵放到了锅子里用蒸笼蒸了一遍，蒸好以后的野菊花摊放在另外一个小筛子里面暴晒；等到干了以后直接拿出来用就可以。
Then she went to the kitchen and steamed the flower buds intended for tea in a steamer basket over a pot. After steaming, she spread the wild chrysanthemums on another small sieve to sun-dry. Once dried, they could be taken out and used directly.
“娘，我来做饭就好；你去歇一歇吧！”李梦兰挽起袖子走进了厨房对着正在烧火的张玉娘说道。
“Mother, I’ll cook; you go rest!” Rolling up her sleeves, Li Menglan walked into the kitchen and spoke to Zhang Yuniang, who was tending the fire.
“好，我闺女做的菜好吃；娘就等着以后享我闺女的福。”张玉娘乐呵呵的说道。
“Good, my daughter’s cooking is delicious. Mother will just wait to enjoy my daughter’s blessings in the future,” Zhang Yuniang said cheerfully.
“妹妹，今天中午做啥好吃的？”李梦兰正跟张玉娘母女两个说着话，李志豪突然从外面蹿了进来。
“Little Sister, what are we eating for lunch today?” Just as Li Menglan and her mother were talking, Li Zhihao suddenly darted in from outside.
张玉娘微微一笑：“老二你来得正好，你就在厨房帮你妹妹的忙；娘去给你做新衣服。”
Zhang Yuniang smiled faintly. “Second, you came at just the right time. Help your sister in the kitchen; Mother will go make you new clothes.”
“娘你就放心吧！妹妹这里有我呢？”李志豪当场就拍着胸部做了保证。
“Mother, rest assured! I’m here with Little Sister!” Li Zhihao immediately patted his chest and guaranteed.
李梦兰早上的时候就已经打算好了，今天中午吃饺子吃；李梦兰将自己买的瘦肉跟肥肉全都拿了出来，幸亏现在天气不热....加上那些肉也才在家搁了一天，并没有变味。
Li Menglan had already planned it that morning—they would have dumplings for lunch. She took out all the lean and fatty pork she had bought. Fortunately, the weather was not hot... and the meat had only been stored at home for one day, so it hadn’t spoiled.
两斤肥肉李梦兰切下了半斤左右，其余的全都切成了一小块一小块倒进了锅里面用来炼油；李梦兰先将三斤瘦肉跟半斤肥肉混合切在了一起。
From the two jin of fatty pork, Li Menglan cut off about half a jin. The rest she chopped into small pieces and tossed into the pot to render lard. First, she mixed three jin of lean pork with half a jin of fatty pork and chopped them together.
李梦兰给锅子里的肥肉撒了一点子盐：“二哥，今天我们包饺子吃；你的力气大你来帮我剁陷吧？”李梦兰实在是挥舞不动这古代的菜刀，就这么一会子这小胳膊就已经酸痛得很。
Li Menglan sprinkled a bit of salt on the fatty pork in the pot. “Second Brother, today we’re making dumplings. You’re strong; help me chop the filling.” Li Menglan truly couldn’t wield this ancient cleaver. In just this short while, her little arms were already terribly sore.
“好嘞！”李志豪也就是十二三岁的年纪，一听到中午吃饺子；赶紧接过李梦兰手里的菜刀‘咄咄咄’的剁了起来。
“Okay!” Li Zhihao was only twelve or thirteen years old. Upon hearing they were having dumplings for lunch, he quickly took the cleaver from Li Menglan’s hands and began chopping *thud-thud-thud*.
李福金也拎了一篮子韭菜走进了厨房：“乖孙女，有啥事爷爷可以帮忙不？”
Li Fujin also walked into the kitchen carrying a basket of chives. “Good granddaughter, is there anything Grandpa can help with?”
最近自己家里的日子一天比一天过得好，家里的大大小小都在为了这个家而努力；李福金也想要为这个家出一分力。
Recently, their family’s days had been getting better and better. Everyone in the household, big and small, was working hard for the family. Li Fujin also wanted to contribute his share.
“好，爷爷你就坐在灶门口帮我烧火吧？”李梦兰想了想笑眯眯的说道。
“Okay, Grandpa, just sit by the stove door and help me tend the fire?” Li Menglan thought for a moment and said with a smile.
李梦兰将练出来的猪油用一个小陶罐装了起来，猪油渣也盛在了碗里：“爷爷，现在你就帮我烧一锅开水；等一下用来煮饺子，我现在先去洗韭菜。”
Li Menglan placed the rendered lard into a small clay jar and put the cracklings into a bowl. “Grandpa, now help me boil a pot of water. We’ll use it to cook the dumplings in a bit. I’ll go wash the chives first.”
面粉一早李梦兰就已经发在了小木盆子里，现在就只等陷剁好了以后擀皮包就好。
She had already prepared the dough in a small wooden basin that morning. Now they only needed to wait for the filling to be chopped, then roll out the wrappers and wrap the dumplings.
响午的时候李大柱就从清河镇回来了，同时还给李梦兰带回了两付猪下水：“媳妇，给你。”李大柱从自己的怀里掏出来整整九个一两重的小元宝，另外还有几百文散钱。
Around noon, Li Dazhu returned from Qinghe Town. He also brought back two sets of pork offal for Li Menglan. “Wife, here.” Li Dazhu took out from his chest nine small silver ingots weighing one tael each, along with several hundred wen in loose coins.
“这....孩子他爹，你咋来的这么多银子？”张玉娘瞪大了双眼吃惊地问道。
“This... Husband, how did you get so much silver?” Zhang Yuniang asked in shock, her eyes wide.
“媳妇你别怕，这都是今天买糖炒栗子赚到的；八十斤品相好的八十文钱一斤，总共得了六两四百文钱；五十斤品相稍微次一点的六十文钱一斤，得了三两整；这合在了一起不就是九两多银子。”
“Wife, don’t be afraid. This is all from selling sugar-roasted chestnuts today. Eighty jin of good quality ones sold for eighty wen per jin, totaling six taels and four hundred wen. Fifty jin of slightly inferior quality sold for sixty wen per jin, totaling exactly three taels. Added together, isn’t that over nine taels of silver?”
李大柱一五一十的给张玉娘算了一笔账，呵呵....这个男人真的是老实的过了头。
Li Dazhu gave Zhang Yuniang a detailed accounting. Haha... this man was truly honest to a fault.
“爹，你从镇上回来了；先洗一洗，今天中午我们包饺子吃。”李梦兰在厨房里听到了李大柱说话的声音，满手面粉从厨房里伸出了脑袋笑容满面的说道。
“Dad, you’re back from town. Wash up first; we’re having dumplings for lunch today.” Hearing Li Dazhu’s voice from the kitchen, Li Menglan stuck her flour-covered head out, her face wreathed in smiles.
“好嘞！”李大柱憨厚的笑了笑：“今天就看看我家闺女包的饺子能吃不？”
“Alright!” Li Dazhu smiled simply and honestly. “Today we’ll see if my daughter’s dumplings are edible.”
锅里的水已经翻滚起来，李梦兰将已经包好的几十个白胖胖的饺子下入了锅里；盖上盖子：“爷爷，你再往灶膛里添根柴吧！沸水煮出来的饺子才好吃。”
The water in the pot was already rolling. Li Menglan put the dozens of wrapped, plump white dumplings into the pot and covered it with the lid. “Grandpa, add another stick of firewood to the stove! Dumplings boiled in vigorously boiling water taste the best.”
李志豪盯着锅子里头随着沸水翻滚一个个白白胖胖的饺子，忍不住吸了吸嘴里的口水：“妹妹，这饺子应该已经熟了可以吃不？”
Li Zhihao stared at the plump white dumplings tumbling in the boiling water and couldn’t help sucking back his saliva. “Little Sister, should these dumplings be cooked by now? Can we eat?”
李梦兰一看自家二哥的馋样，忍不住咯咯咯的笑了起来：“二哥，你先跟爷爷将这些饺子盛出来端到堂屋里去；别忘了还有碗柜里我做好的调味酱。”李梦兰提醒着自己有些粗心的二哥。
Li Menglan giggled when she saw her second brother’s greedy appearance. “Second Brother, help Grandpa scoop these dumplings out and carry them to the main hall first. Don’t forget the dipping sauce I made in the cupboard.” Li Menglan reminded her somewhat careless second brother.
前面李梦兰已经做好了一碟子辣椒油，还有一碟蘸酱....其实也就是将酱油跟醋混合在一起；里面搁了一些葱姜蒜之类。
Earlier, Li Menglan had already prepared a small dish of chili oil and a dish of dipping sauce... actually, it was just soy sauce mixed with vinegar, with some scallions, ginger, garlic, and the like added in.
说来也奇怪，这个云良国虽然没有人吃辣椒；可是葱姜蒜这些可以做调味的香料还是有的，有的时候李梦兰自己也常常的犯迷糊；这到底是一个什么样子的世界？
Strange as it was, although no one in the Yunliang Kingdom ate chili peppers, seasonings like scallions, ginger, and garlic still existed. Sometimes Li Menglan herself often felt confused—just what kind of world was this?
李梦兰把剩下的饺子统统下了下去，盖好锅盖以后收拾起厨房来；等到厨房被李梦兰收拾的整整齐齐的时候，锅里的饺子也差不多都熟了。
Li Menglan put all the remaining dumplings in, covered the pot, and began tidying the kitchen. By the time she had the kitchen neatly organized, the dumplings in the pot were nearly cooked as well.
李梦兰来到灶膛前将里面的火炭全都夹进了一旁的坛子里，这些可都是以后用来取暖地！
Li Menglan came to the stove and moved all the embers into a jar beside it. These would be used to keep warm later!
“妹妹，你都弄好了不？”李志明探了一个头进厨房：“爷爷、奶奶、爹跟娘都在等着妹妹你一块吃饺子。”
“Little Sister, are you done?” Li Zhiming poked his head into the kitchen. “Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, and Mom are all waiting for you to eat dumplings together.”
“呃....”李梦兰皱了皱眉头眉头：“大哥，我不是让你们大家先吃；不用等我吗？”
“Uh...” Li Menglan frowned. “Big Brother, didn’t I tell everyone to eat first? There’s no need to wait for me.”
“嘿嘿....”李志明抓了抓脑袋不太好意思的说道：“爷爷说了我们都是一家人，哪有自家的孙女在干活；做父母长辈的先吃起来的道理，所以大家都在等着妹妹你。”
“Hehe...” Li Zhiming scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed. “Grandpa said we are one family. How could parents and elders eat first while their own granddaughter is working? So everyone is waiting for you, Sister.”
李志明说这番话的时候觉得有些尴尬，因为在自己爷爷这么说之前....李志明已经跟李志豪两兄弟偷吃了好几个。
Li Zhiming felt somewhat awkward saying this, because before Grandpa said that... Li Zhiming and Li Zhihao had already secretly eaten several.
不过....妹妹她做的饺子可真是好吃，自己都从来没有吃过这么香这么滑的饺子；特别是蘸上醤以后....啧啧，那味道....光想一想，李志明忍不住又咽了咽口水。
But... the dumplings his sister made were truly delicious. He had never eaten such fragrant, smooth dumplings before. Especially after dipping them in sauce... tsk, that flavor... Just thinking about it, Li Zhiming couldn’t help swallowing his saliva again.
“大哥，你把这一盆子饺子都给端上；我们走吧！”李梦兰自然也看到了自家大哥的囧样，不过她选择了视而不见。
“Big Brother, carry this basin of dumplings; let’s go!” Li Menglan naturally saw her big brother’s embarrassed appearance, but she chose to pretend not to notice.