With the mushroom and egg stir-fry now a substantial main dish, Madam Chen decided to skip the purslane. With only four people in the house, too many dishes would just be wasteful. For Madam Chen, having both pork cracklings and eggs felt like a feast—even better than what they had for the Lunar New Year. Their grain supply was running low, so they had to be frugal; they couldn't afford to eat well for one meal and starve for the next.
Zhao Yan helped carry the food to the table in the main room. Four bowls of rice and one plate of mushroom and egg stir-fry—that was the extent of the meal. Zhao Yun fetched the chopsticks and set them neatly on the table, while Madam Chen finished tidying up the pots and pans in the kitchen.
The courtyard gate creaked open; Zhao Gao had returned with another load of water. This was his fourth trip. The water vat in the kitchen was already full, so he set this bucket aside to be used for washing up that evening.
Chapter 18