Chapter 25: Kimchi has found new ingredients!

"Wow, so many vegetables!" Lin Song was squatting by the door watching the ants on the ground when he suddenly saw his older brother Lin Cheng carrying two baskets of vegetables back, and his eyes were instantly drawn to them.

Lin Yao was startled when she saw Lin Cheng carrying two large baskets of vegetables; she hadn't expected her older brother to buy so many at once.

Lin Yao was also startled when she saw Lin Cheng carrying two large baskets of vegetables into the house; she hadn't expected him to buy so many.

Noticing Lin Yao's expression, Lin Cheng, fearing he had messed things up, quickly asked, "A Yao, did I buy too much?"

"It's alright, the more the better. I'm just worried I won't make enough kimchi to sell." Lin Yao tilted her head back with a touch of smugness. She wasn't just saying this to comfort Lin Cheng. She had previously made a video about pickling vegetables, and she had put in a lot of effort. During that time, she searched everywhere, painstakingly finding over a dozen recipes for making kimchi—kimchi cabbage, cowpeas, radishes, papaya… she could make them all! For a while, kimchi was all she thought about.

Lin Cheng and Wang Xiaoyu worked quickly and efficiently, moving the vegetables to the kitchen and washing off the dirt. Bowls of fresh radishes, cabbages, and cowpeas were neatly arranged on the cutting board.

"Brother, cut these radishes into small pieces. Ah Yu, help me clean the pickling jar, and I'll prepare the pickling sauce." Lin Yao assigned tasks methodically.

Lin Cheng and Wang Xiaoyu nodded, then turned around and got busy with their own tasks, and a series of orderly sounds of busy work filled the kitchen.

Lin Yao divided the seasonings into two portions, one spicy and one non-spicy. She added salt, sugar, vinegar, dogwood, Sichuan peppercorns, and other seasonings to the basin in turn. Once everything was ready, the three of them gathered around the cutting board and began to pack the vegetables into the jar, layering vegetables and marinade until they were packed tightly together.

The jar was slowly filled to the brim with vegetables. Lin Yao carefully sealed the jar. "All set. We just need to wait for these pickled vegetables to absorb the flavor. They're sure to sell like hotcakes!"

Seeing Lin Yao so radiant, as if the sordid incident of yesterday hadn't affected her at all, Lin Cheng and Wang Xiaoyu's moods also lightened.

"Brother, you and Ayu should set up your stall tomorrow. I'll prepare the sauce for the konjac tofu, and tomorrow we'll just need some chopped green onions and cilantro. The braised pork offal is also ready, and the fried eggs and sweet potato pancakes should be made the way I taught you."

Lin Yao's hand was injured, and it would probably take several more days before she could move it freely again. However, she was focused on making money, so she arranged for Lin Cheng and Wang Xiaoyu to set up a stall while she stayed home to make sweet potato noodles and sweet potato peel. She then turned to Lin Song, "Song'er, how about staying home and helping your second sister with the work?"

“Okay! I’m a man, I have to take care of my second sister!” The little guy puffed out his chest and answered crisply.

By the time everything was finished, it was almost late afternoon.

Although Wang Xiaoyu offered to cook for Lin Yao every day, it was still not safe for a woman to travel at night.

Seeing that it was getting late, Lin Yao urged her to hurry home while it was still bright.

After a busy day, Lin Yao was so tired that her back ached and she fell into a deep sleep as soon as she touched the bed.

The next day, when Lin Yao slowly woke up, Lin Cheng had already gone to set up his stall.

Lin Song was lying by the bed, fiddling with the grasshoppers Lin Cheng had made for him. Seeing his second sister awake, the little guy's eyes lit up, and he scrambled onto the bed. "Second sister, you're awake!"

Lin Yao raised her hand and gently rubbed his head. In the past two weeks, the family's meals had improved a lot, and the little guy's hair was no longer as rough as when they first met; it felt much smoother to the touch.

After finishing breakfast, Lin Yao went to check on yesterday's sweet potato pulp.

After having breakfast, Lin Yao went to check on the sweet potato pulp that had settled yesterday. Success!

A layer of murky water floated on the surface of the basin, and the sweet potato starch had all settled to the bottom.

Lin Yao carefully poured out the murky water, and together with Lin Song, the two of them used all their skills to crush the sweet potato starch that had settled at the bottom of the basin.

She took a white cloth from the house, laid it flat on a bamboo winnowing basket, and then spread the crushed sweet potato starch evenly in the basket, saying, "Just leave it here, it will be ready to use after drying for a day."

"Song'er, do you want to go up the mountain with your second sister?" Lin Yao gently pinched the little tuft of hair on Lin Song's head and asked softly.

"Okay! Let's go up the mountain!" Upon hearing this, Lin Song ran back into the house and pulled out his small basket.

Lin Yao planned to go up the mountain to try her luck and see if she could find any valuable medicinal herbs. She also wanted to take Lin Song out for some fresh air.

During this time, Lin Song had been going to their stall with them, either helping out at the stall or playing by himself. He must have been feeling really bored.

The two locked the door and headed towards the mountains. Along the way, Lin Song skipped and jumped, sometimes touching the wildflowers by the roadside, sometimes watching the butterflies fluttering among the flowers.

Soon, they reached the edge of the forest. Lin Yao took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air of the forest.

After wandering around in the mountains for quite a while, Lin Yao didn't even see a single medicinal herb.

This is understandable, given that she majored in marketing and communications in college, not traditional Chinese medicine, but she must have felt somewhat frustrated.

As expected, not everyone is so lucky. She should just stick to her old-fashioned street stall.

Lin Yao was about to lead Lin Song down the mountain when, as soon as she turned around, she was unexpectedly tripped by a protruding clod of earth. Her body swayed violently, and she quickly steadied herself.

Looking down, I saw several familiar plants on the clod of earth – they were cassava!

Cassava, also known as sweet potato, can be steamed and has a rough texture and bland taste.

But in Lin Yao's eyes, it was a good thing. Her mind was now filled with cassava starch, cassava syrup, and cassava fries.

The thought of French fries instantly filled her with energy.

She'd been in this world for over half a month and still hadn't seen a single potato. She figured potatoes hadn't been widely adopted here yet, so she wouldn't be able to get real French fries for the time being. But she wasn't picky about cassava fries.

The two arrived at the cassava plant. Lin Yao squatted down, picked up a hoe, and carefully dug away the soil around the cassava.

Lin Song watched intently from the side, then followed suit, picking up a small shovel and poking around in the soil beside him.

"Song'er, you need to loosen the soil around the cassava first, and then dig slowly, so as not to damage the roots." Lin Yao explained patiently to Lin Song as she dug.

Lin Song nodded as if he understood, and adjusted his hand movements accordingly.

As the soil was gradually dug away, the cassava roots were slowly revealed.

Seeing this, Lin Yao used her hoe even more carefully to clear away the surrounding soil.

Lin Song also curiously came over, his eyes wide open, staring intently.

"Wow, Second Sister, the cassava is showing!" Lin Song shouted excitedly, his voice echoing through the mountains and forests.

“Yes, Song’er, let’s work harder and dig it out.” Lin Yao replied with a smile.

Before long, a plump and large cassava was dug out intact.

Lin Song was overjoyed. He gripped the cassava tightly with both hands, pulled it out of the soil, and held it high. He looked incredibly proud of himself, with specks of mud still on his face, like a little kitten running wild outside.

After digging for a long time, the sun rose higher and higher, and sunlight shone through the gaps in the branches and leaves onto the ground.

The two of them had filled their baskets with cassava. Lin Yao looked at the baskets with their plentiful harvest, and then at Lin Song, who was covered in sweat but still full of enthusiasm. She thought that this should be enough. "Alright, Song'er, let's go home."

Lin Song obediently slung his small basket over his shoulder, and the two of them slowly walked down the mountain along the path they had come from. Just as they arrived home, they saw Lin Cheng preparing to leave.

Lin Cheng stopped immediately when he saw them. "Why did you two go up the mountain by yourselves? A-Yao, you're not fully recovered yet. Didn't the doctor tell you not to overwork yourselves these next few days?"

"It's alright, big brother. I found some cassava today. I didn't dig up too much, it won't be heavy," Lin Yao said with a smile, trying to reassure him.

Lin Cheng took the basket from Lin Yao and said in confusion, "Cassava? This stuff doesn't taste as good as sweet potato."

Lin Song, carrying a basket on his back, followed behind. Upon hearing this, he quickly said, "Second Sister said that instead of steaming it, it can be made into something incredibly delicious!"

Lin Yao smiled and nodded, agreeing, "Yes! I'll make some for you to try in a bit!"

After lunch, Lin Yao went straight into the kitchen and started working with the cassava.

She instructed Lin Cheng to grind some of the cassava into a paste, dry it, and then make cassava flour, following the same method he had used to make sweet potato flour.

She planned to use the remaining portion to make cassava fries.

Lin Yao and Wang Xiaoyu moved the cassava to the cutting board. "Xiaoyu, first peel off the skin of the cassava, then cut it into large chunks."

Lin Yao put the cut cassava fries into clean water. This removes some of the starch from the cassava, making the fries taste fresher.

After washing the cassava, Lin Yao started boiling water in a pot. Soon, the water boiled, and she put the cassava pieces into the pot.

Once cooked until soft, remove with a slotted spoon, drain the water, and then mash into a smooth cassava paste with a rolling pin.

Next, according to the usual procedure, cornstarch should be added. But where can you find that these days? Fortunately, I just made sweet potato starch yesterday, which can be used instead of cornstarch.

The common cassava fries recipes include pepper and garlic powder, but pepper is a rare commodity nowadays.

Lin Yao recalls that during the Ming Dynasty, pepper was even used as a salary for officials at all levels. The value of each pound of pepper was equivalent to ten to twenty taels of silver, which was comparable to the salary of officials.

I can't get any pepper powder, but I can try making garlic powder.

Lin Yao added a small handful of firewood to the stove, making the flames leap merrily. To make garlic powder, the garlic first needs to be sliced ​​and dried, but since she didn't have the means to dry it, she could only slowly fry the garlic over a low flame.

Following Lin Yao's instructions, Lin Cheng carefully sliced ​​the garlic into thin slices and filled two large bowls.

Lin Yao first grabbed a small handful of garlic slices and put them into the pot. After a while, a rich garlic aroma gradually wafted from the pot, and the garlic slices slowly turned golden brown.

With quick reflexes, she scooped out the garlic slices and placed them in a mortar to crush. The garlic slices, having lost their moisture, became very brittle and crumbled into fine powder with a gentle tap.

Following this method, Lin Yao continued to stir-fry and crush the garlic, and soon she had made a large bowl of garlic powder.

She added a few spoonfuls of garlic powder, sweet potato starch, and salt to the cassava paste and mixed it repeatedly until well combined.

Lin Cheng and Wang Xiaoyu shaped the cassava paste into strips of French fries.

Although the shape was a bit crooked and not very neat, Lin Yao was already looking forward to the taste of the finished product.

Lin Yao poured lard into the pot, and after the oil was hot, she gently put the cassava fries one by one into the pot.

As soon as the cassava fries hit the pan, the oil sizzled and crackled, and the white fries gradually turned golden brown, releasing a fragrant aroma.

Smelling the fragrance, Lin Song couldn't help but run over and stand to the side, watching longingly. "Second Sister, it smells so good!"

In no time, the fries were fried until golden brown and crispy. Lin Yao used a slotted spoon to scoop them out, drained the oil, and placed them on a plate.

All three of them had eaten cassava before, but this was the first time they had ever seen it prepared in such a novel way.

The enticing aroma made them almost unable to believe that the food was made from cassava, and they were all very curious.

"Come and have a taste!" Lin Yao placed the cassava fries on the table.

He chewed while his mouth burned and he kept breathing out hot air.

Lin Song was the first to rush forward, eagerly grabbing a French fry with his little hand and stuffing it into his mouth. "Wow, it smells so good, it's so crispy!" The freshly fried French fries were so hot that he kept breathing out steam, but he couldn't bear to put them down.

Little Fish also came over, picked up a French fry, blew on it gently, took a small bite, and exclaimed, "Cassava can actually taste like this!"

Lin Cheng nodded in approval, "Ah Yao, these fries have a really unique texture, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. We can make more and sell them at the market!"

Lin Yao was very satisfied with Lin Cheng's suggestion; he finally had a feel for making money.

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Author's Note: Writing is hard work, so please add this to your favorites, handsome guys and beautiful girls! [Thumbs up]

① Quoted from Baidu