Chapter 15: Boil lard! Make dumplings!

"Uncle, Dad and Third Uncle shouldn't go to the fields this afternoon. Go catch some fish. We'll deliver them to Fourth Brother's restaurant tomorrow morning. I've already agreed with the owner. It's four cents a pound."

Qin Zhizhi's words once again made the Qin family gasp. Four cents per pound, what's the difference between this and picking up money?

"Zhizhi, is this true?" Qin He's hands were shaking with excitement.

"If Daddy doesn't believe me, you can ask Auntie."

Everyone's eyes turned to Li at once, and Li nodded quickly.

Qin Jiang was very excited. If the three brothers caught more fish and exchanged them for silver, they would be able to send their son to a private school soon.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go now, brothers." Qin Shan couldn't wait to go, as this was all money.

Mrs. Qin and Old Man Qin had the same idea. Qin Zhizhi understood their desire to make money and nodded when she saw everyone was looking at her.

Seeing Qin Zhizhi nod, several people were so excited that they rushed out.

"Uncle San, remember to help me catch more river shrimps." Qin Zhizhi thought of the fried river shrimps and felt that they might sell well tomorrow.

"Don't worry, Zhizhi. Uncle San promises to catch it for you." Qin Jiang dotes on Qin Zhizhi, so how could he not agree?

The three of them didn't take a nap and went out happily.

Qin Zhizhi took a nap at Qin's house, then got up and started to fiddle with the things in her backpack.

After Mrs. Qin and the others got up, they saw that she was busy alone, so they hurried over to help.

"Mom, help me slice these fats so I can make lard later." Qin Zhizhi instructed her mother to slice the fats.

"Zhizhi, do we have to cut all this fat?" Zhang didn't know where to start seeing so much fat.

"Mom, cut it all up. When we make lard later, just give Zhizhi a can. The rest will be for you guys to eat."

Gu's family is small, so one can is enough for a while. Plus, she has a system that allows her to cheat, so she doesn't worry about running out of oil.

"When mother is done cooking, you can take some back." Zhang felt sorry for her daughter and decided to find a big jar for her.

"Mom, wash and chop them first, and I'll boil them later. I learned a new method from others, and I guarantee that the lard will be white and plentiful."

Qin Zhizhi knows how to make lard, and she learned it from her grandmother.

"Okay, I'll call you when I'm done." After saying that, Zhang took ten pounds of fat meat and went to the yard to wash it.

"Zhizhi, what can I do for you, Third Aunt?" Seeing that her second sister-in-law had a job, Wang hurried forward to ask her niece.

"Third Aunt's job is a bit tiring. See? This is a big piece of meat, and I need to help Zhizhi chop it all up. Half of it will be used to make dumplings, and the other half will be used to make buns."

"Okay, as long as there is delicious food, Third Aunt won't be tired." Wang moved the chopping board from the kitchen to the yard and cleaned it, then went to wash the meat and chop the stuffing.

"Then go and knead the dough and let it rise." Li arranged the work for herself without Qin Zhizhi's instructions.

"Thank you for your hard work, aunt."

Kneading dough is strenuous work, and Li is strong as she is used to doing farm work. Only when the dough is kneaded well can the buns and dumplings taste good.

"Grandma, come and wash the bones!" Seeing that all three daughters-in-law had received work, Mrs. Qin finally grabbed the job of washing bones.

After they had basically finished all the work, Qin Zhizhi took a basket and went to the vegetable garden behind the house, dug some wild onions and ginger, and dug two large cabbages before coming back.

Remembering that Granny Qin had pickled some sauerkraut, he asked, "Grandma, is your sauerkraut ready to eat?"

After hearing her granddaughter's question, Granny Qin calculated that it was almost time and said to Qin Zhizhi, "Okay, go get it yourself."

Qin Zhizhi opened the jar and her mouth started watering. This was the taste, her favorite.

Sauerkraut and bone soup, sauerkraut buns, just thinking about it makes me happy.

Qin Zhizhi took out some pickled cabbage for later use. Just as she washed the wild onions and wild ginger, Zhang had already cut the fat.

"Zhizhi, the fat has been processed and can be used to make lard."

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Qin Zhizhi walked into the kitchen happily.

Seeing her daughter eager to try, Zhang wanted to laugh and willingly lit the fire for her daughter.

There was too much fat to cook in one pot, so Qin Zhizhi decided to cook it in two pots.

Qin Zhizhi first put the chopped fat into the pot, and added an appropriate amount of water under Zhang's shocked gaze. It was too late for Zhang to stop her.

"Mom, believe me, the lard made this way is better." Qin Zhizhi explained with a smile when she saw Zhang's shocked expression.

After reminding Zhang to cook on high heat, Qin Zhizhi concentrated on boiling the lard, and then simmered it slowly on low heat, and kept turning it over during the boiling process to prevent the bottom from getting burnt.

The oil can only be produced after all the water has evaporated, and it can be fished out after the oil residue changes color.

Although Zhang was lighting the fire, her attention was on the lard in the pot, fearing that her daughter's method was wrong and would waste the lard.

Fortunately, there was no danger and the first pot of lard was ready. Qin Zhizhi found an oil jar at home and poured the lard into it.

Two large jars were filled to the brim, which looked pleasing to the eye. As a farmer, who would be willing to make so much lard?

The remaining fat continued to be boiled into oil. Considering that there were not enough jars at home, Qin Zhizhi called Gu Jingshu and Qin Qinghui.

"Fifth brother, accompany second brother to the house and get all the oil cans. Be careful on the way and don't break them."

Qin Zhizhi was afraid that the two would drop the oil can, so she gave them instructions with concern.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law." Gu Jingshu replied, and then went home with Qin Qinghui.

"Yao'er, wait a while. When your brother and the others come back, you'll have some lard residue to eat."

Qin Zhizhi found a large bowl, grabbed half a bowl of lard residue, sprinkled some salt, stirred it, and handed it to Gu Jingyao.

The little girl happily took the bowl and went to the yard to wait for her second brother and brother Qinghui to come back.

Gu Jingshu went home, said hello to his mother, and went to Qin's house with the oil can.

When the two returned to Qin's house, the second pot of lard was almost cooked.

After Gu Jingshu filled the oil jar he brought back, there was still some oil left. Mrs. Qin helped her granddaughter find another small jar that was just enough to hold the remaining oil.

Looking at so much lard and oil residue, everyone's faces were full of joy. If they saved the lard, they could eat it for a year.

Qin Zhizhi was indeed thinking that it would be better to finish eating early and then wait.

In the pot of boiling oil, Qin Zhizhi put some radishes, cabbages and oil residue and fried a large pot of it. It looked delicious and full of oil.

After boiling the lard, Qin Zhizhi prepared to boil the bone soup first.

Mrs. Qin had already washed the bones. Qin Zhizhi first blanched them in boiling water to remove blood foam and impurities, then washed the pot, poured clean water back into it, put in the bones and started to boil.

Qin Zhizhi told her mother the precautions for making fire, then left the kitchen to see how her third aunt and eldest aunt were preparing.

Mrs. Li had already started to ferment the dough for steamed buns, but was afraid that it wouldn't ferment, so she moved it to the kitchen. The fire was burning in the kitchen all day, so the temperature was higher.

Mrs. Li had also woken up after kneading the dough for dumplings. She was now chopping the meat filling with her third brother's wife in the yard.

The two sisters-in-law were talking and laughing, happier than during the Chinese New Year.