Chapter 110 The Greatest Comfort

"After dinner, let's go to the fields and see if some of the peppers are red. We can pick them and chop them into pickled peppers."

Shu Ziying made this suggestion while eating a simple meal.

The peppers are now at their best picking season and it would be a shame to miss it.

The chili peppers in the vegetable garden are usually only used one or two as seasoning when cooking, so the consumption is not that much.

When cooking, just one or two of them are enough to enhance the flavor.

The peppers that were not picked in time gradually grew older and turned redder, swaying gently in the autumn wind, their colors slowly changing from emerald green to bright and eye-catching.

While Shu Ziying hasn’t gone back yet, I can make some and store them.

After breakfast, the two split up. Shu Ziying took a basket to pick peppers in the field, while Zhao Chunhua got busy at home, starting to clean the jars, basins and knives.

When making pickled peppers, you should choose whole peppers, and the ones with handles are the most ideal. Such peppers not only look good, but also have a richer flavor.

And when washing, do not use raw water. Wash it carefully with running water, so that the peppers will not spoil easily.

The process of chopping chili peppers is also quite particular. Neither the knife nor the basin can be contaminated with raw water or animal oil.

Otherwise, it will affect the flavor of the finished product and even accelerate the rate of spoilage.

Prepare boiling water for the jar in advance, clean it, dry it, and set it aside for later use.

All preparations are carried out in an orderly manner, and every step cannot be neglected.

Soon, Shu Ziying picked the attractive bright red peppers from the vegetable garden, rinsed them gently in clean water, and then spread them out in a cool and ventilated place to dry naturally.

This time, she harvested about two or three pounds. Zhao Chunhua skillfully peeled a large head of garlic, carefully picked out a piece of firm ginger and rinsed it, then put the chopping board into a pre-cleaned basin, ready to start the most important task - chopping peppers.

Chopping directly in the pot is obviously not practical, as it can easily damage the container, so you need to first cut the small peppers with the roots removed into slightly larger slices, and then add the garlic grains and minced ginger that have been prepared.

As time goes by, the three gradually blend into a delicate and uniform sauce, the aroma is fragrant and mouth-watering.

She slowly stopped only when she felt that every ingredient had been chopped finely enough.

Then add 50 grams of fine sugar and 100 grams of salt and stir well to mix the ingredients better.

Before putting it into the sterilized and completely cooled ceramic jar, remember to use a clean large spoon to gently press it down. This is to prevent too much air from entering and causing mold inside.

Once all the peppers are securely placed (ideally they should occupy about one-third to four-quarters of the space), you can pour a small spoonful of high-proof liquor on the top to increase the shelf life. Then seal it tightly and place it in a dry and ventilated place for natural fermentation. After about ten days, you can enjoy your delicious homemade spicy product.

From the initial processing of fresh peppers to the final packaging and storage, all of this tedious and delicate work was done personally by Zhao Chunhua.

After carefully placing the jar in the cupboard, Zhao Chunhua took out the laundry soap, slowly rubbed out rich foam in the basin, and washed her hands carefully.

After washing her hands, she walked to the closet and picked out a clean piece of clothing to change into.

Although the clothes she wore just now did not look dirty, she felt that she should change into cleaner clothes in this situation.

After packing everything up, she gently picked up the child and prepared to go out.

As soon as Zhao Chunhua went out with her child in her arms, Shu Ziying was already ready to follow her with a basket.

On this day, Zhao Chunhua planned to go to the village entrance to buy some meat.

Today is the 16th, which happens to be the village’s monthly market.

In the early morning, the market was crowded with people. What was particularly lively was the bargaining between the vendors and buyers. Among the people selling things, the many children who were helping were more conspicuous than the adults.

After some selection, Zhao Chunhua finally decided to buy a fresh and fat pork leg and two pieces of cut pork belly.

The pork legs were kept for the family to stew with sauerkraut. Considering that there were many people in the family, such a delicacy should naturally be shared with all family members. As for the two pieces of pork belly, they were prepared for the daughters-in-law, intending to let them cook some delicious dishes to improve their lives.

In addition, Zhao Chunhua also bought a few kilograms of fresh peanuts that had just been put on the market from a small stall in the market. These peanuts were brightly colored, plump, and very tempting.

Generally speaking, the prices of fresh products that have just been put on the market are relatively high, but when they are supplied to the market in large quantities, the prices will naturally drop.

However, once the season is over, the prices of these products will rise again.

Therefore, buying at the right time can not only ensure the freshness of the food but also save a lot of money.

After completing the purchasing task, Zhao Chunhua asked her husband Shu Ziying to go home first, carrying the pork leg in her hand, while she picked up two pieces of meat and went to the old house that once belonged to the Shu family to give as gifts.

Unexpectedly, when Zhao Chunhua walked into the old house, she found that Tang Jianxi's mother, Mother Tang, was also there.

It seems that Tang Jianxi sent someone to deliver a letter to her mother, informing her of some important things.

The atmosphere when the elders of the two families met was very harmonious and full of warmth and harmony.

Zhao Chunhua distributed some of the pork she bought from the package to everyone in the room, and after a brief conversation with Tang's mother, she politely said goodbye and left.

Considering that the presence of the biological mother can provide more meticulous care, it is undoubtedly a great comfort, especially for Tang Jianxi who is currently in such a special moment of pregnancy.

Generally speaking, if Zhao Chunhua, as a mother-in-law, leaves at this time, people may feel that she does not pay enough attention to or care about her daughter-in-law.

However, in fact, when learning that Zhao Chunhua actually gave a full one or two taels of silver to purchase supplements and support Mother Tang in taking care of Tang Jianxi here, even Mother Tang, who was knowledgeable and worldly, felt that this approach was quite thoughtful and considerate, and made people feel very warm and touched.

Even though Tang Jianxi's father was also a scholar, his family would not give so much money at once to express their gratitude to their daughter when she was pregnant.

After all, this is not a small amount of money. The family's conditions are limited, and it is not easy to squeeze out a little money.

You have to know that several people in the Shu family can earn money. In comparison, the Tang family has no other source of income except relying on the father's meager salary.

This made the Tang family live a very difficult life, and they often had to budget carefully and save money to maintain basic living.

Over the years, despite many efforts, Mother Tang still failed to win everyone's praise.