Chapter 32 Peanut Cheese

Zhao Xuan didn't sleep all night.

She went to the toilet four times. On the third trip, she decided not to sleep. There was still half a kettle of water left in the kettle. She poured herself a glass, sat on the bench in the first-floor hall, and slowly drank it.

Diarrhea can easily cause dehydration, so even if she feels very uncomfortable in her stomach, she forces herself to drink some water.

She didn't dare turn on the light, but the moonlight outside was very bright. 460 was curled up asleep on the big sofa again; it had accompanied its owner back and forth several times tonight, and it was very tired too.

It was quiet upstairs; Lu An slept soundly.

After sitting quietly for a while, Zhao Xuan got up and went upstairs to the second floor. In the dark, she found a half-sack of peanuts and a small bag of glutinous rice that she had treasured for a long time.

The glutinous rice was already shelled for commercial use and no longer suitable for cultivation. Some of the peanuts were gathered from the fields, and some were harvested directly from the ground. The large, beautiful peanuts had already been used as seeds and planted in the field in the spring. The remaining small and less attractive peanuts were shelled, dried, and carefully stored away.

There are many foods that can be made from peanuts, such as peanut brittle and peanut butter. However, when she first came to this village, she didn't have sugar or oil, so she didn't make them right away. Later, when the busy farming season came, she forgot about these things.

Scoop up some peanuts, then carefully take a small handful of glutinous rice, scoop it up in his clothes, lock the door, and go downstairs.

Perhaps because they lacked experience in growing glutinous rice, the rice crop was poor this year, making the remaining little bit even more precious, just like the sesame seeds she had saved up, which she didn't know when they would be completely gone.

That half-bag of glutinous rice weighed less than three pounds, which wasn't worthwhile to use for making New Year's cakes or zongzi. Because it was so precious, it hadn't been used for a long time.

In the kitchen, she took a small basin, filled it halfway with water, and soaked the washed glutinous rice in it. Then, by the moonlight, she took a few peanuts, pinched them between her palms, gently rubbed them to remove the red skins, leaving only the white peanuts. She then broke them open and put them into the water to soak as well.

It was a very meticulous task, but Zhao Xuan found herself becoming more and more patient. Before, she could listen to radio dramas, browse Taobao, and even feed her QQ pet at the same time. She wished she could multitask at the same time. Now, without those entertainment options, she could calm down and focus on doing one thing at a time.

Actually, listening to the radio, browsing Taobao, and feeding my pet at the same time isn't very enjoyable. Instead, it gives me a strange sense of anxiety. It's not like the simple joy I had in junior high school, when I would sit with a learning machine, do nothing but listen to the popular songs of that time for an entire afternoon.

It was already four in the morning when Zhao Xuan finished processing the peanuts. She stretched and found that her stomach pain had subsided. In a great mood, she took another basin, turned it upside down on top of the basin of soaking grains, and finally slowly climbed back into bed.

The rustling sound of her moving woke Lu An. He opened his eyes slightly, saw Zhao Xuan, and habitually stretched out his long arm to embrace her, pulling the slightly cool Zhao Xuan into his arms.

When Zhao Xuan got up again, the sun was already high in the sky.

The temperature rose again. In the mountains, autumn during the day is no different from summer; it's frighteningly hot.

Lu An had already gotten up, and now even 460 was nowhere to be seen. In the distance, the chirping of insects and birds could be heard again. Amidst the joyful shouts, Zhao Xuan brushed his teeth and washed his face.

The water tank in the kitchen was full, the rice was simmering on the stove, and both kettles had been refilled with hot water. It seemed that Lu An had gotten up early and finished taking care of everything. However, the basin she had used to soak the glutinous rice and peanuts last night was still in its original place, covered upside down by another basin, completely untouched.

Zhao Xuan lifted the lid of the basin, intending to take out the grains she assumed were already soaked, but her hand paused as she discovered the grains were gone, replaced by a large porcelain bowl of peanut brittle. A stainless steel spoon lay beside it.

She peeked out in confusion and saw a small, clean stone mill placed in a sunny spot in the courtyard.

Lu An, who got up early, saw the peanuts and glutinous rice that she had soaked in the middle of the night and already knew what she was going to do.

She had been running to the toilet all night and wanted to eat something easily digestible, like peanut pudding, which happened to be something both she and Lu An could make.

Grind the soaked peanuts and glutinous rice into a paste, a process similar to grinding rice into milk with a stone mill, then boil it on a stove. Before the apocalypse, she used a soy milk maker to make it with a single button; adding some milk and osmanthus flowers made it taste even better, and she and Lu An often had this for breakfast. She hadn't expected Lu An to be so clever as to see what she wanted to make at a glance and have already done it for her.

She took the large bowl of peanut pudding, stirred it with a spoon to mix it well, and then took a small sip. The creamy yellow peanut pudding had a delicate and smooth texture, with a hint of sweetness and a rich peanut aroma.

Actually, many things taste quite good when stir-fried and ground into a paste: almonds, walnuts, rice, and millet. It's just that she doesn't have many of these things. However, there is an osmanthus tree in the village that has already produced small buds; in a while, she can pick some to make desserts.

When eating alone, Zhao Xuan always likes to sit on the steps in front of the hall. The courtyard gate is half open, so she can eat her food while staring at the gate and enjoying the cool autumn breeze.

She finished the peanut custard very carefully, stretched out her legs, leaned against the steps, and let out a satisfied burp. Her stomach had returned to normal, and after resting for a while, she got up to get back to work.

Lu An was incredibly efficient early in the morning, not only tidying up the kitchen but also feeding the pigs and chickens next door. So Zhao Xuan shouldered his basket, put on his straw hat, and prepared to go to the nearby vegetable garden.

Later on, the autumn eggplants became unpalatable, so she planned to harvest them all and make dried eggplant. Although their half-acre vegetable garden had many birds and insects sharing the fruits of their labor, the vegetables grew too vigorously. Aside from the insect-infested vegetables that could be used as pig feed, some tender ones for their own consumption, and the rest, Zhao Xuan made into dried vegetables.

Many vegetables, when dried, become dark and skinny strips, not very appealing. However, when stir-fried with pork belly, they become fragrant, chewy, and delicious. Of course, pork belly is a versatile ingredient; it tastes great stir-fried with many different things.

Eggplants can also be made into dried eggplants. Zhao Xuan couldn't bear to see the crops she had worked so hard to grow go to waste, even though the amount she made into dried vegetables far exceeded what she and Lu An could eat.

Lu An wasn't in the vegetable garden; he must have taken 460 to the more distant dry fields. The crops in the dry fields were almost ready for harvest, and he could go there to gather many old sweet potato vines to feed the pigs.

Pigs are now major grain consumers. Pigs that eat fruits and vegetables grow slower than those that eat feed. Although they grow much bigger after a year, it's not very cost-effective to slaughter them for food. Although Zhao Xuan came to pick eggplants, he first piled a huge winter melon on his basket.

She doesn't like to eat winter melon, so she feeds the pigs the things she doesn't like.

The eggplants were growing poorly, just like other fruitful vegetables, they were all crooked and ugly. As she harvested the eggplants, she picked off any insects she saw and stomped them into the soil.

Cabbage is also a major attractor of insects; once the leaves have grown, they're quickly eaten away, leaving behind craggy patterns. Zhang Xiaohe knows how to grow vegetables; Zhao Xuan had seen the Yao family's vegetables—each one plump and glossy, almost entirely free of pests. Zhao Xuan had asked Zhang Xiaohe and learned that the vegetable patch needed to be deeply tilled and then burned before planting to significantly reduce pests. Zhao Xuan suddenly understood, but it was too late; burning the ground wouldn't be possible until at least winter.

After picking all the eggplants, Zhao Xuan chopped down a few cabbages riddled with holes from insects, and added the large winter melon from before. With the mountain of vegetables on his back, Zhao Xuan, a small man, struggled to walk home.

She's not very tall to begin with, I wonder if carrying heavy loads so frequently will make her even shorter.

In the apocalypse, tall people have more advantages. They are strong, can work and fight. When jumping out of a car, others can land steadily with one step, but she not only can't touch the ground with her legs, she has to roll several times on the ground.

When they got home, it was past noon. Lu An and 460 were already home and were lighting the stove to cook. When they saw Zhao Xuan, a small person, struggling to carry the mountain back, they went to take her basket, but Zhao Xuan refused.

“You’re carrying such a heavy load that you can’t even put the basket down unless you roll on the ground with it,” Lu An said, scooping the large winter melon out of the water.

The basket suddenly felt much lighter, and Zhao Xuan was a little unhappy: "Do you know that you've prevented me from becoming an independent and self-reliant woman?"

Lu An pretended to put the winter melon back.

Zhao Xuan moved the basket aside.

Lunch was white rice with the leftover pork wrapped in reed leaves from last night. The pork, which had been soaking in the broth overnight, was stewed again today and was even more tender and fragrant. Unfortunately, she only got a small piece.

Lu An said that her stomach had just recovered and she couldn't eat too much meat, while putting a large chopstick of vegetables into her bowl.

Zhao Xuan's face was as green as a leafy vegetable. She looked at Lu An, whose mouth was covered in oil, and asked in confusion, "Lu An, your stomach has always seemed to be in good shape."

In the first few years of the apocalypse, Lu An led her on her wanderings. Lu An would habitually give her the better food. Even in camps where they could only eat beans, Lu An would stubbornly divide the food they begged for in half. But Lu An's health was always better than hers, and he was rarely seen getting sick because of food.

Lu An swallowed a large mouthful of rice and replied, "Maybe this is what you call talent."

Lu An is a man of action; he truly solves problems. He devoured a whole jar of braised pork wrapped in reed leaves. He didn't get an upset stomach from consuming too much oil; on the contrary, Zhao Xuan felt that he looked three years younger after eating.

After finishing his meal, Zhao Xuan began making dried eggplant. Like many dried vegetables, dried eggplant needs to be cut into sections, cooked, and then dried. After drying, it becomes soft and mushy, just like dried cowpeas, and doesn't look very appealing, but it becomes especially fragrant when stir-fried in oil.

Zhao Xuan loves eggplant, but her cooking of eggplant is terrible. When they first arrived in this village, there were still many eggplants growing there. The old eggplants in autumn were so dry that even birds wouldn't bother eating them, but they picked them all like treasures, cut them into chunks, and boiled them in water. Eggplant cooked that way was truly awful, with a grassy taste.

The best way to cook eggplant is to coat it in flour and deep-fry it, but unfortunately, fried food is a luxury for Zhao Xuan these days. However, the peanuts harvested this year can be pressed into oil to fry things for the New Year.

After boiling and drying the eggplant strips, Zhao Xuan arranges them on round bamboo mats to dry in the sun. She's very skilled at this; in the past six months, she's made countless dried vegetables. Half the house where they store food is filled with various dried goods she's made, and she continues to make dried vegetables with great enthusiasm. Lu An believes that even if they have a complete crop failure next year, they can survive for a year on these dried vegetables.