Chun Xi and La Mei had been sitting in the Jing Family's courtyard for a long time, eating quite a few melon seeds and fava beans, and chatting about so many things that their lips had swollen up. Initially, Hua Erniang found it interesting, but as time passed, she grew a bit impatient. Given their usually good relationship, she couldn't just kick them out the door, so she had to sit there reluctantly, her smile growing increasingly stiff.
Hua Xiaomai was sent back to the western room with nothing to do, so she sat at the table playing with her fingers, bored. In her mind, she memorized recipes.
She wondered, "When will those two sisters-in-law leave? Jing Taihe will be back from the smithy soon, and I need to start preparing dinner." There was still a piece of pork in the house, half fat and half lean. Should she chop it up and stuff it with a lump of pork fat to make hollow meatballs, or mix it with fried rice flour and bean paste to steam as steamed pork with rice flour?
