163 Tender Hands
Grandma and Gu Qingming returned home with the vegetables they had picked.
Everyone looked at the pumpkin leaves in the basket and the basket of pumpkin flowers. They smiled and said, “We’ll make pumpkin leaves and pumpkin flowers for lunch today.”
Grandma smiled and said, “Ming’er suddenly said that she wanted to eat these, so I went to pick some back.”
Grandma Gu and Grandpa Gu walked out of the house. When they saw these flowers, they asked curiously, “In-law, what leaves and flowers are these? Can they be eaten?”
Grandma smiled and said, “These are pumpkin leaves and pumpkin flowers.”
“Are these pumpkin leaves and pumpkin flowers?” Grandma Gu was a little surprised. “The pumpkin leaves and the pumpkin flowers are so big. There are so many of them. How are you going to prepare them?”
She had traveled extensively with Grandpa Gu and had eaten these things.
However, it was rare to see the real thing before it was made into a dish.
Grandma Shi said, “Pumpkin leaves are delicious when stir-fried. Pumpkin flowers are often cooked. You can stir-fry them, make soup, fry eggs, or deep-fry them. For the next few days, I’ll make them for you to try.”
“Okay, then we’re in for a treat.” Grandma Gu and her husband did not stand on ceremony. “Mingming, why are you suddenly craving these things?”
Grandma Gu was a little curious.
Gu Qingming smiled and said, “Didn’t I buy pumpkin seeds a few days ago? I searched for this on the Internet and read that these things can be eaten. I asked Grandma, and she plucked them back.”
Grandma Gu smiled and said, “Hehe, you must be having cravings. Some time ago, you almost cut off all the chives in your grandmother’s family.”
Gu Qingming smiled and said, “Isn’t this inherited? You and Grandpa like to eat chive dumplings and chive buns. I also like to eat chive buns. How would I know that although there seems to be a lot of chives in the field, they’re gone so quickly? They won’t grow fast!”
“This is a vegetable, not a celestial plant. It cannot grow fast after you have cut it.”
Third Sister-in-law was already holding a small stool and starting to prepare the pumpkin leaves and tender vines.
Pumpkin flowers were easier to prepare. She just removed the petals and stamens and left the petals behind. They were intact and she just had to wash them twice.
However, pumpkin leaves and tender vines were more troublesome.
First, the leaves had to be removed. There were many prickly hairs on the pumpkin leaves. If they were stir-fried and eaten, they would prick the throat and would be difficult to swallow. It was also very difficult to remove these prickly hairs, so ordinary families would not eat these leaves. They would eat only the petiole.
There were also many prickly hairs on the petiole, but these prickly hairs grew on the exterior. One only had to tear off all the skin on the leaves, leaving only the tender stems.
Third Sister-in-law pinched off these leaves and tore them off one by one.
Gu Qingming also came to help with a small stool.
When Third Sister-in-law saw this, she smiled and said, “These leaves are very prickly. Your hands are fair and tender. If you prick your hands, they will probably turn red and itchy. It’s better if you don’t do it.”
Gu Qingming was speechless.
Why did everyone feel that her hands could not handle these things?
“I… I’ll try!” Gu Qingming took a deep breath and said, “If I really can’t do it, I won’t do it!”
She did not think that she could not get these things.
This was just a simple job. These prickly hairs were soft and small. How could they hurt her hands?
In fact, Grandma and Third Sister-in-law were right.
Gu Qingming really could not do these.
Her hands were too tender.
She had never done much work. She had also taken good care of her skin, making it look as tender and fair as that of a newborn baby.
As soon as her hand touched the pumpkin leaves, she felt a prickly sensation. She couldn’t help but shrink back.
When Third Sister-in-law saw this, she put down her work and asked with concern, “Sister, are you hurt?”
Gu Qingming said in confusion, “These fine hairs look so thin, but they’re actually so sharp?”
Third Sister-in-law looked at her fingers that turned red and said in amusement, “It’s not that the fine hair is sharp, but your hands are really too tender. They’re even tenderer than a baby’s! Look at our hands. Haha, they’re much rougher than yours, so they won’t be hurt. Go wash them. They’ll be better after that. Do you feel itchy?”
“A little!” Gu Qingming said.
“That’s fine. As long as you don’t touch it and wash it repeatedly, it will disappear in a while,” Third Sister-in-law said.
Grandma Gu found it interesting and came over to help.
Third Sister-in-law smiled and said, “Grandma Gu, your hands are also fair and tender. I don’t think you can remove them.”
Grandma Gu looked at her well-maintained hands and said with a smile, “My hands are old and tender.”
With that, she imitated Third Sister-in-law and picked up a leaf.
However, it was indeed a little prickly.
When Grandma Shi saw this, she smiled and said, “In-law, why don’t you prepare these flowers? Just get rid of these flower buds and stamens.”
“Okay!” Grandma Gu replied with a smile.
Gu Qingming said eagerly, “I’ll prepare these flowers too!” These flowers could be chosen. They wouldn’t hurt, right?
However, reality proved that Gu Qingming’s hands were really too tender. She could not even do this.
It was mainly because there were also fine hairs on the flower stem that could prick her hands.
Gu Qingming was speechless.
Could it be that she had to bask in the sun every day, tan a little, and make her hands coarse in order to do some work?
Grandma Shi said with a smile, “Our Ming’er’s hands are not for this kind of work. They are for big things!”
Wasn’t inheriting the Gu Corporation something big?
When they were choosing the vegetables, the three children, Shi Junxuan, Shi Jiahao, and Shi Boyu were all at home and were about to help.
Shi Boyu was at the age where he was curious about everything. When he was seven or eight years old, he would go out every day and climb trees and dig out bird nests with the children in the village. He would go into the river to fish. What was he supposed to do? He could not be called out and ignored.
It was rare for him to be at home today. When he saw his two younger brothers sitting on the small stool helping to prepare the vegetables, he also came to help. However, after sitting for a while, he became fidgety and could not sit still.
He put down the food in his hand and said, “It’s boring. I’m going out to play!”
Grandma Shi said, “Little monkey, go out and play. Don’t play with water or climb trees, understand?”
“Got it, great-grandmother!” Shi Boyu replied as he walked.
Grandma Gu smiled and said, “At this age, children are lively and playful.”
“That’s right. Ever since the holidays, he has been running out every day. When it’s time to eat, he doesn’t go home. He can only shout at the door. Sometimes, he doesn’t come back after mealtime and we have to go out to look for him. After finding him, he’s either wet or covered in mud. Yo, when I see this, the fire will burn. First, I’ll beat him up! Then, I’ll go hungry!”
“Haha, children sometimes make people helpless, especially boys,” Grandma Gu said. “You don’t know, but when Mingming’s father was mischievous, heh, he painted the walls of the house with watercolors.”