Chapter Thirty-Five: Potato Chips

Lin Sangqian felt her hair stand on end and quickly shook her head. “N-no, thank you!” Before Lin Hongda could catch her, she darted into the kitchen. Phew, this was the place she felt safest. She loved cooking and studying medicine; as for martial arts... she’d leave that to her three brothers!

There were still plenty of ingredients left from yesterday, and there was rice and flour too. Lin Sangqian cooked a pot of porridge and planned to make a cold shredded chicken dish as well. She boiled the chicken breast for a while, then tore it into fine shreds while it was still warm. After adding soy sauce, vinegar, chili oil, sugar, and salt, the dish was ready to eat.

A simple breakfast was soon prepared, and the three brothers were finally liberated. They willingly followed Lin Hongda to learn martial arts, all so they could protect their mother and little sister. Yet after this morning’s training, only Lin Wenyan remained energetic; Lin Yanbei and Lin Beitao both looked a bit wilted.

Lin Hongda noticed this too. Of his three sons, the eldest, Lin Wenyan, clearly had the most talent. Lin Wenyan quickly finished a bowl of porridge, ate a few bites of chicken, then impatiently announced, “Father, I’m done eating. I’ll head to the yard to practice my horse stance.”

Lin Hongda nodded in satisfaction. “Good.”

Lin Yanbei and Lin Beitao exchanged a glance, then hurried to finish their own food. Their eldest brother was working so hard—they couldn’t afford to fall behind!

“Father, aren’t you helping Uncle Qin’s younger brother today?” one of them asked.

“No need. Things are nearly finished. Yesterday they said I didn’t need to come again today,” Lin Hongda replied.

Lin Sangqian nodded. Liao Shuxia then asked, “Are we still going to town today?”

“We’ll wait until the day after tomorrow. Once the chicken feet are ready, our whole family can bring them to Manager Lu, and we can also buy a couple of new outfits while we’re there.”

“New clothes at last?” Liao Shuxia’s eyes lit up with delight. “Then I’m going to shop to my heart’s content the day after tomorrow!”

Lin Yanbei and Lin Beitao were equally thrilled. After all, it had been a long time since they’d had new clothes, and the ones they wore now were beginning to feel a bit tight.

After breakfast, they cleared the dishes, then joined Lin Wenyan in the courtyard to practice their horse stance.

Liao Shuxia embroidered a handkerchief while Lin Sangqian sat atop a large stone in the courtyard, watching her brothers and thinking about new recipes.

“Old Lin! Hey, what are you all up to?” came a call from the gate.

Lin Hongda turned and saw Uncle Qin standing there, grinning. “Uncle Qin! Nothing much, just getting my sons some exercise,” Lin Hongda said.

“That’s a good thing,” Uncle Qin nodded approvingly. “Seeing your family’s days getting better makes me happy. Here, this is for you.”

Uncle Qin handed over a basket. Lin Hongda looked inside and saw sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, and some runner beans. “Uncle Qin, what’s this for?” Lin Hongda asked in surprise.

“You’ve worked hard these past few days. Keep these vegetables for yourselves,” Uncle Qin said with a smile.

“Uncle Qin, really, there’s no need! We’re all from the same village. Besides, you fed me lunch for several days,” Lin Hongda protested, trying to return the basket.

“These are nothing special—just take them! I’ve given some to every family that helped, and everyone accepted,” Uncle Qin insisted.

Since he put it that way, Lin Hongda could no longer refuse. Smiling, he said, “Thank you, Uncle Qin! Come in and have a drink of water.”

“No need for water. I’ll just come see these boys of yours,” Uncle Qin replied.

He didn’t have any grandsons, so he especially enjoyed watching other people’s sons, growing fonder the more he looked.

Lin Hongda handed the basket of vegetables to Lin Sangqian, asking her to take it to the kitchen.

Lin Sangqian took it, and when she glanced down at the potatoes inside, inspiration struck her. She hurried into the kitchen and checked—there were still plenty of potatoes left from yesterday’s exchange. She beamed.

With so many potatoes, she could make a lot of... well, a certain snack.

She stepped back out and saw Uncle Qin beckoning to her. “Sangqian, come here.”

She went over. “Grandpa Qin?”

Uncle Qin winked mysteriously and slipped something into her hand. “Quick, eat it. This is just for you. Your brothers don’t get any.”

She looked down and saw it was a piece of candy.

Her heart softened. She immediately popped it into her mouth. “Mmm, so sweet! Thank you, Grandpa Qin.”

Uncle Qin smiled kindly. “My granddaughter is a year younger than you, but she’s very shy and doesn’t have many friends. If you have time, do play with her now and then.”

Lin Sangqian searched her memories. Uncle Qin’s granddaughter was named Qin Qiudie, and just as he said, she was extremely introverted. Except for her own family, she would blush after just a few words with anyone else.

The original Sangqian had also been shy, so even though the families lived nearby, the two girls had barely exchanged a word.

“I will! I promise!” she replied.

“Good girl.” Uncle Qin patted her head.

After Uncle Qin left, Lin Sangqian dove straight into the kitchen, rolling up her sleeves to prepare a new treat—potato chips.

Such a snack didn’t exist in this era. Potato chips had always been popular in modern times; surely they’d be a hit now as well. The ingredients were simple—just potatoes.

She could teach the chef at Fortune Restaurant how to make them, so she wouldn’t have to keep delivering them herself. Maybe she could even negotiate for a bit more silver from Manager Lu...

Ahem, no, she shouldn’t be greedy—Manager Lu had helped her so much already!

Smiling mischievously, Lin Sangqian took three potatoes, peeled and sliced them thin, then rinsed them twice in water. She parboiled them in salted water for a short while, then drained them and cooled them in fresh water. After that, she fried them in cool oil, waiting until they turned crisp. Original-flavor potato chips were ready.

Fragrant aromas filled the air, and Lin Yanbei and Lin Beitao, practicing in the courtyard, craned their necks to peek into the kitchen, even swallowing hungrily.

Only Lin Wenyan remained motionless, earning an approving look from Lin Hongda.

Now, Lin Hongda finally knew which son was most suited to learning martial arts from him!

Lin Sangqian divided the chips into two big bowls. Over one, she sprinkled chili powder, leaving the other plain—one spicy, one original.

Carrying the bowls out of the kitchen, she called, “Brothers, come and try this!”

“Hey, you’re interrupting their lesson,” Lin Hongda protested.

“It’s been ages—they need a break,” Lin Sangqian stuck out her tongue at her father. “Dad, you come eat too!”

Seeing his sons’ eager faces, Lin Hongda sighed and nodded.

Lin Yanbei and Lin Beitao finally relaxed and hurried over to Lin Sangqian.

“Little sister, what did you make?”

“These are called potato chips,” Lin Sangqian said. “One spicy, one not—try them and see if you like them!”