"You--"
This dead girl!
Mrs. Zhang was furious and felt that Xu Zhichun was talking about herself, but she had no evidence.
Mrs. Zhang roared angrily, "They are still elders!"
She became anxious!
Xu Zhichun ignored her and concentrated on her own work.
Mrs. Zhang felt that she had taken the upper hand against her. Look, just one word from her, she would not dare to talk back again. Humph, she was just a tough-talking brat. Finally feeling satisfied, Mrs. Zhang started washing her own clothes.
Xu Zhichun took the washed konjac home and planned to start it today. She wanted go through the process first and then try her best to make adjustments later.
Peel the konjac and cut it into finger-sized cubes about half an inch long. Use a grinding mill in her backyard to grind the konjac cubes into paste.
How she wish there is a soy milk machine and food processor here. Even if she has it on the harbor warehouse, they are still useless without any electricity.
She has just tried making it today. The quantity is small so it’s easy to make.
After grinding it well, a handful of rice straws were burned, and the ashes were used to boil water to obtain lye water.
Mix the lye water and konjac paste thoroughly, pour it in a large bowl and let it sit until it solidifies.
After solidifying for half a day, cut it into large pieces and put it in a pot to cook for about two hours. Then rinse it with clean water. Changing the water every half an hour or so. After changing it two or three times, continue rinsing it in clean water and soak it for one night before it is ready.
When eating, take it out, wash it with water, and cut it into slices or strips. It is delicious cold, stir-fried, or stewed with chicken or meat.
This is to be sold as something fresh and rare. No one else has it, only her family has it.
Fresh things are never hard to sell.
Xu Zhichun smiled with satisfaction while rinsing the konjac pieces in clear water.
Not bad, everything is going smoothly.
Let it soak overnight tonight and she can taste it tomorrow.
After making konjac tofu, she peeled the bamboo shoots and threw all the husks into the pig pen. The tender ones would be eaten by the pigs and the tough ones would be used as bedding to absorb manure.
The peeled bamboo shoots were cut open, spread out in a winnowing basket to dry outside. The mushrooms, were sorted out and also put to dry.
There were a lot of fresh bamboo shoots and mushrooms in the fresh food warehouse of the harbor warehouse. Xu Zhichun found some that could be mixed in with the others, and took about twenty kilograms of them and dried them together.
She'll wait for it to dry before storing them, there are more dry goods in the harbor warehouse, and they can be mixed again.
Perfect.
Looking at the sky, it's getting late. It won't be long before the children come back from school. She needed to hurry and give the chickens and the two pigs a bigger meal.
Chickens are really an animal that loves to eat. She did not have to to cluck at all to lure them back. Right on time they all came on their own, circling around her impatiently with bright eyes and eager clucking sounds.
Xu Zhichun smiled and scooped up a ladle of fragrant chicken feed, added several handfuls of corn kernels and a handful of fish bone meal, stirred it with chopped wild vegetables, and poured it into the trough.
The chickens jumped up with a "whoosh".
She collected five eggs today. She should replenish them to help them lay more eggs.
After feeding the chickens and pigs, she cooked the rice, fryied two crucian carps, and washed the vegetables, She looked outside countless times and finally saw the child of her home coming back.
Xu Zhichun finally put her mind at ease.
“Mingxuan!”
The child's two books were carefully wrapped in and old bundle, and he also held a large armful of fresh pig grass in his arms.
Xu Zhichun hurriedly stepped forward and took the armful of pig grass, "I was wondering why you haven't come back yet. Why did you go cutting pig grass? Come back early in the future, do you understand?"
Liang Mingxuan called "Sister-in-law" and pursed his lips: "I didn't go out specifically to cut pig grass. I saw some on the roadside and grabbed in on the way. Don't worry, Sister-in-law, I won't wander off after school."
Xu Zhichun smiled: "Anyway, come back early, otherwise your sister-in-law will be worried."
"Hmm."
“Go and wash your hands and rest for a while, your sister-in-law is making dinner.”
"Okay."
The child put down his book, washed his hands, and went to feed the chickens and pigs. When he saw that there were not many short pieces of firewood piled in the corner of the kitchen, he went to the backyard to cut the long pieces of firewood into short pieces, and then carried them to the kitchen and stacked them neatly. Then he picked up a bamboo broom taller than himself to sweep the yard.
Xu Zhichun smiled helplessly, shook her head, and let him do it.
Supper was steamed white rice, two crucian carps stewed in shredded radish soup, steamed egg custard with three eggs, and a bowl of stir-fried lettuce.
Where did crucian carp come from? Of course, it was caught in the river. Yes, that is how impressive she is.
“Come on, come on, have some soup first. Sister-in-law got lucky, I caught it with great difficulty. Although it’s small, it great for making soup. The fish soup is delicious and nourishing for the body. Drink it quickly.”
“Sister-in-law have some too.”
“Okay!”
They drank soup first and then ate. After the brother and sister-in-law had dinner, Liang Mingxuan helped clear the dishes and chopsticks, and followed Xu Zhichun around like a little tail.
Liang Mingxuan was very surprised when he saw the konjac tofu soaking in the water, "Sister-in-law, what is this?"
She would have told him anyway without him asking, so she smiled and explained.
Liang Mingxuan nodded: "So that's it. My sister-in-law's hometown must be a beautiful place, she came up with a way to make poisonous things into delicacies."
“You can say that again!”
Xu Zhichun sighed when he thought of the modern era of feasting, entertainment, and advanced technology. She really misses them all.
There is no use in missing it though.
She joked: "Konjak is poisonous. Do you really believe that this sister-in-law can make delicious food from konjac?"
Liang Mingxuan replied without hesitation: "Of course."
“Why?”
“Because my sister-in-law said so.”
Xu Zhichun covered her mouth and giggled, this kid really knows how to talk.
“Because your sister-in-law said it, you believe it.”
“Well, what my sister-in-law said must be true.”
Xu Zhichun was a little touched, and her love for this child was not in vain.
She patted his shoulder lightly: "Of course it's true. Sister-in-law still expects it to make money. Don't worry, our lives will definitely get better and better in the future."
Liang Mingxuan looked up at her: "I will definitely study hard and repay my sister-in-law in the future."
Although Xu Zhichun was full of thoughts about asking the child to repay her, but hearing the child speak so earnestly made her feel a pang of guilt. Her gaze softened and said. "Sister-in-law knows it, so there is no need to say it anymore. Just study hard and do your best, don't push yourself too hard, okay? It's okay, let's take our time."
It doesn't matter if he fails the exam, he can do business with her.
But these words did not sound like words of comfort and were inappropriate, so Xu Zhichun did not say them.
Besides, with the child’s temperament, it would be very difficult to say that he wouldn't be able to pass the exam.
Liang Mingxuan nodded and said he would read a book immediately.
Xu Zhichun lit an extra lamp, "Just read for a while and then go to bed. You might also want to get up early tomorrow to read again. The light is dim and can easily hurt your eyes."
"Hmm."
The next morning, after the children went to school, Xu Zhichun made a big meal for the chickens and pigs at home. She drank the oral liquid for replenishing qi and blood from the harbor warehouse. She found a bird's nest cup yesterday and ate one as well.
She was a little greedy and ate two more pieces of chocolate.
After changing the water for the konjac tofu, she planned to go up the mountain again.
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