Yesterday when making konjac tofu, Xu Zhichun thought of grass jelly while watching the konjac tofu rest and take shape in a large bowl.
When selling konjac tofu, wouldn’t it be better if the grass jelly is also sold together?
There are a lot of books in the harbor warehouse. She spent a long time browsing in them last night before she found the traditional method of making grass jelly. She is a person with strong hands-on skills. She understands thing by carefully going through and making it a few times.
The only thing missing now is the raw ingredients. Stone flower seeds, ficus pumila fruit, and jelly grass are all suitable. She has no memory of ficus pumila fruits and jelly grass, but she seems to have seen a lot of Stone flower seeds in the mountains. She plans to look for them today.
Following the vague impression in her memory, Xu Zhichun spent a long time and finally found the stone flower seeds in a mountain hollow.
A large patch of densely grown shrubs and wild grasses, with small round lantern-like fruits hanging all over the branches.
Stone flower seeds grow short and stout, about half a person tall, making them exceptionally easy to harvest.
With the stone flower seeds, she only needs lime water.
Hmm, lime is also available in the harbor warehouse. She can bring out a pound and a half and she can say that she had not used up the ones she bought last time to disinfect the chicken coop.
In order to prevent chicken plague from occurring in summer, many families in the village buy lime to disinfect chicken coops, and it is indeed effective.
Let’s give it a try today.
After a while, Xu Zhichun picked half a basket of stone flower seeds, weighing about two to three pounds each.
Its just a trial today so its enough.
Xu Zhichun went back after cutting pig grass by the way.
Unexpectedly, Zeng Xiaoyan was wandering in front of her house, holding a chicken in her hand.
Seeing her return, Zeng Xiaoyan trotted over with a smile on her face: "Sister Zhichun, you are back. Look, I brought a chicken over. How about we kill it for lunch? The chicken you cook is so delicious!"
She couldn't stop thinking about it, so when she couldn't bear it anymore, she bought a chicken and brought it over.
She also specially picked a big rooster, which was as heavy as it can be.
Xu Zhichun was speechless with emotion.
As she invited her into the house, she put down her backpack and basket and said with a smile: "Isn't this a bit too much? You bought a chicken and brought it to my house to kill. If your family finds out, wouldn't that be..."
Zeng Xiaoyan disagreed, "I have already informed my mother-in-law, and she didn't object. What others think is none of my business. I bought it with my own money. Once cooked, we'll eat half, and I'll take half back. Aunt Zhu'er wasn't at home just now. I don't know if she'll be back by now. I'll go and call her so she can join us."
Look at how clearly she arranged everything!
Xu Zhichun couldn't help but ask again: "Aunt Liang really did not say anything?"
“Of course, why would I lie to you.”
"Alright, I'll boil the water right now, and then we'll kill the chicken and stew it."
“Okay!”
“Go and check if Aunt Zhu'er is back.”
After the person left, she went to get some dried lilies, wolfberries, and dried shiitake mushrooms from the harbor warehouse to add to the chicken stew.
“I’ll go right away.” Zeng Xiaoyan left happily without doubting anything.
As soon as Aunt Zhuer came back from the vegetable garden, she was pulled over by Zeng Xiaoyan.
Slaughtering a chicken and eating them is always a happy thing. The three of them talked and laughed and got busy together.
Xu Zhichun took the opportunity to introduce konjac tofu to the two of them: "Later, we will use half a chicken to stew soup and half a chicken to stew konjac tofu. You all have a try and see how it tastes. If it is good, we will make konjac tofu and sell it. How about it?"
Zeng Xiaoyan and Aunt Zhuer were very surprised, "Zhichun (Sister Zhichun), You already figured out what business to start? That's great!"
Zeng Xiaoyan was even more delighted: "It seems that I really came to the right place today, haha!"
Sister Zhuer smiled and said: "Then let me stew soup and cook. Zhichun, tell me how to do it."
There is a clay pot at home, just right for simmering soup.
Chop half a chicken into pieces, wash the blood off and put it into a clay pot. Add the soaked wolfberries, dried lilies, and mushrooms into it.
There were no radishes at Xu Zhichun's house, so Zeng Xiaoyan went to Siste Zhu'er's vegetable garden and brought one back.
By the time she came back from pulling out the radishes, the konjac tofu had been cut into small pieces and stir-fried with chicken pieces.
Cut the radish into cubes and stew it in a soup pot. Stir-fry the konjac tofu and chicken pieces until they change color and become fragrant. Add the dried chili peppers cut into sections and add water to simmer.
When it's almost ready to come out of the pan, add a handful of garlic sprouts and stir-fry a few times quickly and then it's ready to serve.
Zeng Xiaoyan sniffed hard, "It smells so good! Aunt Zhuer's craftsmanship is so good!"
Aunt Zhu'er smiled: "I just did what Zhichun told me to do, Zhichun is the one who knows better."
Xu Zhichun waved her hand and said with a smile: "I can only say that I am definitely not as good as Aunt Zhu'er."
After the rice is steamed and simmered in the pot, it will take at least half an hour. Xu Zhichun said: "There is another delicacy from my hometown that I want to make today. I don't have brown sugar at home. Do you have it at home? I don't need much, just a little bit is enough."
In the harbor warehouse, there is not only brown sugar but also white sugar, rock sugar, and various kinds of sugar. If Zeng Xiaoyan and Aunt Zhuer did not come, she could have made it herself and added the sugar to taste.
As long as the thing can be made, that’s fine.
Zeng Xiaoyan hurriedly said: "I still have more than a pound. I usually make brown sugar water to drink. I'll go back and get it."
Xu Zhichun grabbed her and said with a smile: "Listen to me first. Look at this, this is the lantern fruit I just picked. The delicious food I mentioned is made from this lantern fruit. It is delicious with a little brown sugar water. We can sell it together with konjac tofu."
Lantern fruits is what the locals call it. She just followed the locals and called it that way.
Zeng Xiaoyan had never seen them before, so she was very surprised and took two of them in her hand to examine them, "How are you going to make food from this? Is it also meant for cooking?"
Aunt Zhuer was surprised: "There are a lot of lantern fruits on the mountain. They are not delicious when eaten raw. Children sometimes pick them and throw them away for fun. Is it delicious when cooked?"
Aunt Zhu'er has an "I'll try it next time" look on her face.
"Of course not," Xu Zhichun said with a smile: "You will know when I make it later. It is very simple. The main thing is to get the right measure. If you get it right, it will be done in one time. If it is not right in one time, it will be done in two more times."
Zeng Xiaoyan smiled and said, "In that case, I'll go back and get the brown sugar first."
Xu Zhichun said hurriedly: "A little is enough."
“Ah, I know!”
When Zeng Xiaoyan returned, Xu Zhichun and Aunt Zhuer were not idle either, sorting and washing the lantern fruits.
There were not many snacks to eat in the countryside, so Zeng Xiaoyan would buy two kilograms of brown sugar from time to time, give half to her mother-in-law, and keep the rest for herself. When she was craving something sweet, she would brew two bowls of brown sugar water, one for her and one for her husband.
As for others, they have no share.
It’s not that she’s stingy, it’s that it’s something that it is something that is originally hers. It is her freedom to give some or not. If she is happy she gives some and if she is unhappy she might as well not give them any.
Her parents-in-law didn't say anything either, but her father-in-law asked her mother-in-law to tell her that it was best for her to consume these things in her own room and not eat them in front of others as it was not very appropriate.
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