Chapter 111 - Two-in-One Corn Tortilla

Listening to this person's words, Lin Chuntao thought for a moment. Wild mushrooms depend on the season and rainfall, but many mushrooms can actually be cultivated. It wouldn't be too difficult for her to exchange for mushroom spawn. When there are no mushrooms left to pick, could she start artificially cultivating mushrooms? Shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, and so on.

But the autumn harvest is coming soon and we'll be very busy, so we'll have to wait until we're done with the harvest before we can even start planting.

After selling rice noodles with Lin Chunxing for a while, Lin Chuntao went to Chai Xingyu's shop. The shop was quite crowded, and Chai Xingyu wasn't there. Zhang Qingqing and Lin Qingqing were busy weighing sauce for customers, while Sanbao and two others were mixing a vat of sauce from the storeroom.

Looking up and seeing Lin Chuntao, he smiled and asked, "Madam Lin, you've arrived. The shopkeeper isn't here right now."

Lin Chuntao said, "I'm fine, I just came to check if there's enough sauce."

After Sanbao finished setting down the sauce jars, he came over and told Lin Chuntao the number of sauces. Then he asked, "Wife, is the new sauce ready? This sauce sold out too quickly."

Lin Chuntao roughly estimated that they could sell for a few more days.

"The new sauce is almost ready, it can be connected."

Hearing Lin Chuntao's words, Sanbao chuckled. Chai Xingyu's shop was almost entirely supported by Lin Chuntao's sauce. Although the other types were also available, the quantities were much smaller. Fortunately, there were many varieties, and the combined daily income from them was considerable.

"I'll tell the shopkeeper when he gets back."

Lin Chuntao nodded. "Where did your manager go?"

"I went to look for pickles. Yesterday a woman came to ask the shopkeeper if he bought pickles. The shopkeeper was busy at the time, but she left an address. The shopkeeper went there today."

"He's alone?"

Sanbao shook his head: "No, Awu went with him."

After saying that, he added, "I'll stay and watch the shop."

People were queuing up to buy sauce. Zhang Qingqing and Lin Qingqing were busy, and Sanbao didn't even get to chat for long before being called away by customers. Lin Chuntao said goodbye to Lin Qingqing and the others and then left.

On the way back, Lin Chuntao exchanged some candy and some dried chili peppers from the system and took them back with her.

Around the village, people were everywhere in the fields. Some corn had not yet been harvested, some people were cutting corn stalks, and some had already started digging.

At this time, Aunt Guizhi and the others were already working in the backyard. Meng Yun had finished keeping accounts and then joined in picking beans and preparing chili peppers. Lin Duo'er went to cut pig feed, and Lin Chuntao was cooking pig feed.

Since the piglet started eating potatoes, it has gotten much fatter, and the speed at which it has grown has shocked Lin Chunhe.

Grain was precious, and people were reluctant to sell it, let alone feed it to pigs. So no household had ever fed pigs with grain, and no one had ever imagined that pigs would grow so fast after eating grain.

She had just boiled and mashed the potatoes, intending to let them cool before feeding them, when she came over to wash her hands and saw Lin Chuntao return.

"Sister, what did you buy?" she asked, following Lin Chuntao over to help carry the basket.

Lin Chuntao said, "I bought some dried chili peppers and two jars of sugar. Aren't we making corn pancakes today? We're almost out of sugar at home."

Lin Chunhe smiled upon hearing this. She liked corn pancakes, especially the sweet ones.

"Sis, our pigs have gotten so fat! We're almost out of potatoes. Should we buy more to feed them?"

Lin Chuntao said, "We won't buy any more. Our corn is almost ready for harvest, and we'll feed it with cornmeal later."

Lin Chunhe nodded. "Should we grind it into flour for it to eat?"

"Yes, grind it into flour. After we harvest the corn and plow the land, we'll plant more radishes. When we run out of pig feed, we'll pick radishes to feed them."

It's difficult to cut pig feed in winter, and pigs don't like to eat dry hay, so many people find their pigs get thin during this season.

Lin Chunhe was still worried about what would happen if she lost weight in a while, when she heard Lin Chuntao's arrangement, which made her feel very reassured.

After putting down the basket, Lin Chunhe took the burlap sack off. "Shall we take this to the back?"

Lin Chuntao nodded. "Give it to Meng Yun."

She packed the chili peppers into sacks but didn't plant them. She carried them to the backyard, but after a few steps, she suddenly turned back and asked, "Sister, how much are these per pound?"

“Six coins,” Lin Chuntao said.

Lin Chunhe responded and left.

Lin Chuntao carried the sugar jar and honey jar into the house, leaving only two jars in the cabinet in the kitchen.

After putting things away, Lin Chuntao went to the backyard. Lin Chunhe had already called Aunt Guizhi and the others to bring out the soy sauce jars that were still drying to dry. She called Meng Yun to weigh the beans and wash and soak them first.

Rinsing beans is not an easy task either, mainly because there are too many beans. Putting them in a basin to scrub and wash them, and changing the water is very heavy.

Meng Yun and Lin Chunhe worked with her for quite a while before washing and soaking the clothes.

Lin Chuntao thought she should install a water drain, with water at the top and a winnowing basket underneath for scrubbing. After washing, the water would drain directly down, making it faster and less strenuous.

But that matter had to be put on hold. Lin Chuntao soaked the beans and went to cook the beans she had shelled the night before, leaving Lin Chunhe to watch the fire. She carried a basket on her back to the field to cut corn, bringing it back along with the corn stalks.

When she got home, the beans weren't cooked yet, so Lin Chuntao carried the corn to the backyard, broke off the corn cobs, tied up the corn stalks, and turned to Aunt Guizhi, saying, "Auntie, take these corn stalks back for the mule to eat later."

Aunt Guizhi responded and, looking at her large winnowing basket of corn cobs, asked with a smile, "Are you chopping so much corn to make corn pancakes?"

Lin Chuntao said, "Yes, Chunhe and the others want to eat it. I thought the corn is tender now, so I'll make some and keep it."

Aunt Guizhi laughed and said, "We haven't made it yet this year."

Lin Chuntao: "I'll make more so I can take some over to eat later. It's too much trouble to make, so I'll make more at once."

As she spoke, Lin Chuntao took a stool and sat down next to her. She took out a knife and cut off both ends of the corn. After she cut off the leaves covering the corn, each leaf was peeled off neatly.

After the cornmeal has turned into a paste, you can scoop it onto these husks to steam, which is very convenient.

Lin Chuntao put the peeled leaves into an earthenware pot and the corn into a winnowing basket next to it.

Grandma and the others were picking beans. This work requires careful eyesight. They didn't pay much attention to her corn. It was Hu who saw the corn in the winnowing basket when she finished picking a basket and picked it up to empty the sack.

Wow, Chuntao, how come your corn cob is so big?

She exclaimed in surprise, and Aunt Guizhi and Grandma all turned around to look. The corn in the winnowing basket looked a size bigger than theirs, at least an inch longer, and the kernels were very plump.

Lin Chuntao peeled out more than a dozen, almost all of them were about the same size.

Madam Deng also gasped, "Chuntao, are you just picking the biggest ones to cut?"

"No, I just cut it from the edge of the field."

Grandma said, "A few days ago, your great-grandfather said that the corn husks in your field looked good, and they were all quite big." As she spoke, she picked one up and took a look, peeling off a few kernels. "The sprouts on these kernels are quite deep, and the kernels are quite large." She peeled around and saw the corn husks inside, which were very thin.

Have you eaten this corn?

Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Not yet." Then she added, "They're still very tender. Grandma, you can take a few back and stir-fry them later."

Grandma and the others didn't stand on ceremony and took a few. Lin Chuntao also gave a few to Aunt Guizhi and Meng Yun.

Lin Chuntao's corn variety is different from theirs, so the harvest will be better. Moreover, the climate in Yizhou is very suitable, and the growing season is short. If they want to grow this, Lin Chuntao should save more seeds so that everyone can plant them together.

After the beans settled in, Lin Chunhe brought them to the backyard, and Lin Chuntao washed the stone mill and ground the beans into a paste.

Lin Chunhe steamed rice, cut a bowl of meat and set it aside, and washed and put away the cabbage that Lin Chuntao had brought back last night.

There weren't many beans, and since they were already cooked, grinding them was quick. Lin Chuntao finished grinding them in no time. She cleaned the stone mill and carried the ground bean paste back to the front yard.

She had just entered the house when Lin Duo'er returned.

Lin Chuntao chopped the cabbage, cooked a pot of vegetables without oil or salt, and then got some wild garlic, chopped it up, and stir-fried half a pot of it.

The dish didn't look very appealing when stir-fried, but it smelled strangely delicious. Lin Duo'er pursed her lips, wanting to slurp up a bowl right now.

Lin Chuntao looked at her and smiled, "There's so much, just bring a bowl and scoop it out if you want to eat."

"We'll eat when my second sister and the others come back."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Chunxing and Pei Ying returned. The two of them carried baskets on their backs and entered the kitchen one after the other. Lin Chuntao helped take the baskets and put them down. Lin Chunxing sat down to rest, while Pei Ying went back to the house to change her clothes.

Lin Chuntao heated oil in a wok and started stir-frying meat and vegetables.

Pei Ying changed her clothes, washed her hands, and came over. The dishes were just cooked, and everyone picked up their bowls and chopsticks to start eating.

Lin Chuntao said, "I've brought back the corn. After lunch, we'll start making corn pancakes."

The younger sisters nodded as they ate. They had made a new dish today. Although the presentation was a bit ordinary, the wild garlic stir-fried with bean paste was very fragrant when mixed with rice. Lin Duo'er mixed a bowl of rice with it and ate it, and then served herself half a bowl.

Eating too many beans can cause stomach upset, so it's best to cook them occasionally. This bean paste with vegetables makes the dishes very fragrant, and it also aids digestion.

After a satisfying meal, the group rested for a while before heading to get some corn.

After the corn was husked, Lin Chunxing went to wash the husks, while Lin Chuntao took a knife and cut the corn kernels off. Since both sides were for grinding, it didn't matter if the kernels weren't intact. In no time, all the corn kernels were off.

This pancake isn't too difficult to make. You just need to remove the corn kernels and grind them into a thick paste. However, it's quite difficult to filter out the outer skin of the corn kernels and the paste itself. Adding too much water will make it too thin.

But there's no way around it; if the crust isn't filtered out, the pancake can't be made delicate, and it will taste rough and irritate your throat.

Lin Chuntao had no choice but to add water and filter it through coarse gauze to make a smooth corn paste. She then added a small amount of flour and sugar, stirred it well, and started steaming the cakes.

From picking the corn kernels to grinding them into a paste and then filtering it, Lin Chuntao and her team worked for two hours to finish. Fortunately, they had a large steamer that was not in use today, so they lit a fire on the stove and put the steamer on it. One tray could steam more than a dozen corn kernels.

Waiting for the steamer to release steam, the whole backyard was filled with the sweet aroma of corn.

Lin Duo'er was sniffling, and the two children from Lin Shuilian's family, who were playing with her, were also sniffling.

When the first batch came out, Lin Chuntao picked out a few for them and set them aside to cool. Lin Chunhe thought it tasted better when it was hot, so she ran over to get bowls and chopsticks and fed each of them a piece.

The peeled corn tortillas have a smooth and shiny surface, and taste even more delicate and soft. With less flour, the corn flavor is still very strong. Lin Chuntao also added maltose, so it's not too sweet and the taste is just right.

After taking out one pot, Lin Chuntao continued steaming the second pot.

It got a little cold, so Lin Chuntao gave one to Aunt Guizhi and Grandma, and everyone sat down to eat together. The corn had a slightly sticky texture, and the cake was soft and chewy inside, but not too sticky. The texture was excellent.

Grandma laughed and said, "Chuntao's skills are such that anything becomes exceptionally delicious in her hands. Take this corn pancake, for example. Doesn't every family make one with a pile of corn husks?"

Lin Chuntao smiled upon hearing this, "But everyone is quite busy, it's troublesome to prepare, and there are many people in the family. With so much food to cook, no one has the leisure to take their time. It's just that I'm dawdling."

Mrs. Hu laughed and said, "How is this dawdling? Actually, we wanted to do it too, but looking at the half-full basin, we thought we'd just steam it like this. We're too lazy."

They realized that Lin Chuntao was quite meticulous when it came to cooking, and she was willing to spend time making things carefully.

She's a great cook and very generous when it comes to food.

While eating her cornbread, the old lady looked at her and said, "Your beans and corn should be ready to be harvested soon, right?"

Lin Chuntao nodded, "We're going to start harvesting the beans in the next couple of days. There are quite a lot of them, and Chunhe and I feel like it will take many days to harvest them, so we were thinking of asking a few people to help us harvest them."

Sun didn't know what Lin Chuntao was planning, but it was just a small job like pulling up bean sprouts. The villagers could hire her for two or three days without paying her, but the adults might weigh the options and not necessarily come to help her directly. However, the adults would probably let those teenagers who spent their days fighting cocks and walking dogs do it.

Thinking this, Sun said, "Pulling up bean sprouts is easy. You can call Lin Jiaye and those half-grown boys. They can pull up quite a few for you in a day."

Lin Chuntao laughed when she heard this, and Hu Shi chimed in, "That's right. There are so many boys in this village who are only a few years old. They eat several bowls of rice and don't have much to do these days. They spend their days jumping around on the mountain or fighting cocks and walking dogs. If you give them two meals and call them to do a day's work, the adults will be very happy."

Hearing their words, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then I'll go and call a few tomorrow morning."

“After dinner, they’ll all be playing around in the village. Call a few of them and tell them to come early tomorrow morning. They’ll have more energy to work before the sun comes out.”

Hearing what Aunt Guizhi said, Lin Chuntao went for a stroll in the village with Pei Ying after dinner. Sure enough, Lin Jiaye and four or five other boys were chasing each other around the village.

Upon seeing Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying, Lin Jiaye stopped and greeted them.

"Sister, brother-in-law, where are you going?"

Lin Jiaye greeted them, and several boys beside him also called out, "Sister, brother-in-law."

Lin Chuntao asked with a smile, "Have you eaten yet?"

The others nodded, and Lin Jiaye said, "We've already eaten."

Lin Chuntao asked, "Are you busy tomorrow or the day after?"

Lin Jiaye shook his head: "It seems like nothing's wrong."

Lin Chuntao looked at them and asked, "Where are you guys?"

There shouldn't be anything wrong with it. The crops at home have been almost harvested, and these past few days have just been spent carrying and cutting grass. Seeing that they had no idea what to do, Lin Chuntao said, "Ask the adults if you have time, and ask them to help me pull up some bean sprouts for a couple of days."

The boys were stunned for a moment. It was the first time someone had asked them to do work, and their minds were still a bit blank. But they quickly recovered and said with a smile, "Sister Chuntao, wait for us here for a bit. We'll go home and ask."

Lin Chuntao nodded. "Go ahead, I'll wait for you here."

Even though they were asked to do chores and weren't paid, the group was still very happy on their way home. This was probably due to the power of Lin Chuntao's housewarming feast. The children who had eaten at the feast exaggerated the story and talked about it everywhere, making the other kids who hadn't eaten incredibly envious.

These teenagers would ask the adults who went to eat, and if the adults were in a good mood, they would also praise Lin Chuntao.

This made them even more eager to eat, but unfortunately, since it was a housewarming party and they could only eat there once, they no longer had the chance to enjoy Lin Chuntao's cooking.

As soon as Lin Chuntao invited them, the group's minds raced. If the adults agreed to let them go, they would be able to eat there.

When the group returned and told the adults, the adults were also somewhat bewildered.

Who hires an adult to do chores? Hiring several half-grown boys? They can eat a lot, but they might not even be able to do the work well.

Two of the men accompanying Lin Jiaye were from Uncle Shi's family. When the two brothers told him about it, Uncle Shi didn't believe them. "Are you sure you're the ones who were invited?" he asked.

Lin Jiayang and Lin Jialiang nodded in unison and said, "They invited us. Sister Chuntao also invited Jiaye."

Aunt Stone asked, "Really? What do you need us for?"

Lin Jiayang replied, "They said it was to pull up bean sprouts."

Upon hearing that it was time to pull up bean sprouts, Uncle Stone said, "Pulling up bean sprouts? Then go ahead."

The two brothers beamed with joy, "Then let's go tell Sister Chuntao."

After saying that, the two ran away.

Uncle Stone frowned. "These two rascals, so happy working? Is there less chores around the house?"

Aunt Stone chuckled upon hearing this, giving Uncle Stone a sidelong glance. "The other day when they were picking corn, there was so much work to do, why weren't they this happy?"

Uncle Stone: "Yeah? Why don't they seem this happy?"

Aunt Shi: "That's because we're craving Chun Tao's cooking. Everyone said the housewarming party the other day was delicious, and all the boys who didn't get to eat it are craving it now. If we go work for Chun Tao now, we can finally get to eat her cooking!"

Uncle Stone: "..."

When Lin Jiaye returned, his family members were all sitting in the courtyard. Because Lin Qingqing had not been found, the atmosphere at Lin Ershu's house was very somber. Wang Shi seemed to be sick and lay in bed every day. Lin Changhua, apart from working, eating, sleeping and smoking, had also become very silent.

Lin Jiaye walked to his parents' side and whispered about it.

Although his voice was low, the whole family heard it. His mother raised an eyebrow slightly: "Did they say what they wanted to invite you for?"

Lin Jiaye: "They said it was to pull up bean sprouts."

"Then go ahead, there's nothing at home that you absolutely need to do."

After hearing his mother's words, Lin Jiaye walked away with a smile.

The other two are Lin Jiatong and Lin Jiachong, who are cousins. When the adults told them about it when they got home, they thought they were being asked to do chores, the kind that pays well. But when the children said it was just pulling bean sprouts, they were a little disappointed. But they were already at home anyway, so since Lin Chuntao had asked them, they decided to go. If the children were efficient, Lin Chuntao would definitely call on those she remembered first when she needed help with chores in the future.

They don't have as many thoughts as adults; all they care about is food.

Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying waited where they were, and not long after, Lin Jiaye and the others came running back.

Seeing that all five of them could come, Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then come early tomorrow and have breakfast."

The group was a little confused. Lin Jiaye said, "Sister, which one do you want to remove first? We'll go and remove it when we get up in the morning."

Lin Chuntao paused for a moment, then realized that everyone usually didn't eat breakfast and only ate lunch and dinner, so she just said breakfast and dinner. The others thought that Lin Chuntao meant to invite them to lunch and then get back to work.

"I get up early and come home first. We have baskets at home, but they are different sizes. If a basket at home is more comfortable to carry, I will carry that one."

Okay.

As they were about to go home, Lin Chuntao suddenly asked, "What do you guys like to eat? Noodles or rice noodles?"

The group paused for a moment, realizing they liked all kinds of noodles and rice noodles.

"It will be all right."

Lin Chuntao nodded slightly. On her way home, she picked some pea shoots. Tomorrow morning, she could cook meat sauce noodles for the butcher shop and add some pea shoots for a fragrant flavor.

Upon seeing Lin Chuntao and Pei Ying return, Lin Chunxing hurriedly asked, "Sister, did you manage to invite them?"

Lin Chuntao nodded, "They've all been invited. Lin Jiaye and Lin Jiayang, five of them in total. Tomorrow when you come back, buy two ribs from the county town and bring them back with you, and also buy five catties of rice noodles."

Lin Chunxing agreed.

As dusk fell, Lin Chunxing and the others boiled water, and Lin Duo'er was already preparing to take a bath. On the first day after moving into the new house, she was still thinking that she was not used to sleeping alone, but after only two or three days, she had already gotten used to it.

She not only got used to it, but also liked it. She slept in a big bed all by herself, and no one scolded her even if she rolled around. Besides, the mattress was so soft, what was the point of sitting? It was much more comfortable to lie down.

After they finished washing up, Pei Yingcai carried water into the house, mixed it, and tested the temperature. The water temperature was just right. He then took Lin Chuntao's clean clothes and put them aside, and also put away her handkerchief before going to call her.

"The water's ready, go wash up."

Lin Chuntao said, "Aren't you going to wash first?"

Pei Ying: "You go first, I'll fetch the water later."

Lin Chuntao thought of the water he had prepared last night, and without saying anything more, she got up and left.