I patted my head; I was really confused after coming here.

In the village, most families were tidying up the things they had brought back a few days ago, and then cleaning their gardens to prepare vegetables for the winter. The main labor force in Liu Sanye's family was his son and daughter-in-law, while the old couple did what they could in the yard.

When we arrived at the door, the old lady was sorting through the chopped cabbages, breaking off the bad outer ears. Of course, she couldn't throw them away, but after trimming them, they would be cooked for the next meal. In the countryside, nothing is wasted.

"Third Grandma, are you preparing cabbage too?"

Everyone was in the yard, and the yard wall wasn't high, so I simply greeted them directly, which also served as a reminder to the visitors.

The old lady looked up and saw it was her, and immediately smiled.

"Come in quickly, what brings you here? Have you finished harvesting the back garden and your private plot?"

Simple and easy to laugh

"You know me so well. I just finished harvesting all the cabbages and radishes."

"Third Grandma, I was just wondering, do we pickle cabbage every winter? I remember you mentioned it before?"

"That's right! It'll be soon. In the next two or three days, the outside will be almost cleaned up, and it'll be cold enough to pickle the sauerkraut."

"You want to pickle some too? Do you have enough cabbage or anything?"

Seeing that the old lady was about to get up and go into the garden, Jian Dan quickly stopped her.

"That's enough, Third Grandma. I've already collected quite a lot. Besides, I'm all alone. How much can I eat?"

I thought I'd follow local customs and pickle some too, but then I forgot, I don't have a vat.

The old lady thought for a moment...

"This thing may not be as precious as that big iron pot, but many families have used it for years. It's not really necessary to have an extra one. As for a small pickle jar, I can squeeze one out for you right here."

To be honest, even if I did have it, I'd have to think about whether someone else had used it.

"Third Grandma, I know these are everyday items. I was just thinking of asking Third Uncle when it would be convenient for me to go to the commune or county town to buy them. Anyway, we need those sauerkraut jars and water jars, and we also need them to pickle cucumbers and such. These aren't things that will break after a year, right? We'll need one sooner or later, so if we need to use them, we should buy them quickly so they can last for a few more years, right?"

"That makes sense. In daily life, you can't do without anything. You never know when you'll need something."

I have to say, you little girl, you've really managed to live a good life all by yourself.

"Old man, come here, come here quickly, take Xiao Jian and go buy the big vat."

Uncle Liu walked over slowly, looked up at the sky, and prepared to go up the mountain, so he was early in the morning, which made the morning much longer.

Jian Dan simply picked some cabbage and radishes and came over. Before leaving, he checked the time; it wasn't even nine o'clock yet, and the sun was still high in the sky.

"Okay, I'll go to the cowshed to feed the cows and harness the cart. You go back and lock the door first, and wait at home. I'll be there in a bit. It's getting colder and colder, so it's good to get back quickly. It'll be inconvenient to do anything when it gets cold in a few days."

Do you know how to pickle sauerkraut?

With a simple shrug,

"I don't know how, that's why I came to you for guidance. Hehe, you've been in the village for so many years, it shouldn't be difficult for you, right?"

"That goes without saying, but my pickling isn't the best."

"ah?"

"Haha, the best pickled cabbage in Liujiatun is made by my aunt. Let me tell you, one of the reasons I chose her was because of this. Not only is she efficient, but the pickled cabbage she makes is crisp and refreshing, and it doesn't rot all winter."

Really?

Simple and easy to understand, great, saves me from having to go to other places.

"My family is also pickling tomorrow. Come over tomorrow and keep an eye on how your aunt is doing it."

"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony. I'll go back and wait for Third Master. I'll come over tomorrow morning to learn his skills."

Sun Xiang heard voices coming from the backyard, and Jian Dan had already run out the door.

"Mom, who are you talking to?"

The old lady was in a good mood.

"Aren't we going to pickle sauerkraut? Let's do it tomorrow. Xiaojian will learn from you."

Sun Xiang was stunned for a moment. There were people who came specifically to learn this?

There wasn't much to tidy up. The vegetables outside were airing out, and she was always cautious about things that couldn't be exposed to light. She took another look around, since there was still a group of people gathered at the foot of the mountain, and her house wasn't far away. She couldn't rule out becoming an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.

She went home and only took the basket she usually used as a cover before locking the door and leaving. As she walked towards the village entrance, she looked down at the foot of the mountain, where the martial law was still in effect. However, the leaders from the morning were no longer there, so Jian Dan didn't pay much attention. Anyway, she wasn't particularly enthusiastic about going up the mountain; she just wanted to go up for some fresh air when she was bored.

The oxcart chugged up, and we quickly got on and set off. It was getting late, and the days were starting to shorten; if we lingered any longer, it would definitely be dark by the time we got back.

"Sit still, we're leaving now. What do you want to buy? Just the big vat? Is there anything else? Let me see if we can buy everything at the commune."

Simply sit on the right side of the cow, swinging your legs.

"I'll buy two large vats, and I'd also like to see if I can buy a few small jars. Third Master, do people here pickle vegetables? I'd like to try it too."

"You're just a little kid, yet you've prepared quite a complete meal. You're all alone, how much can you eat?"

He simply shook his head.

"Third Master, it's not a matter of whether it's edible or not, it's about the sense of ritual. What's done is done. If I can't finish it, I can mail it to my sister. After all, it's something I made myself, it's my heartfelt gift."

The old man understood.

"If that's what you're thinking, then you should definitely make some sticky rice cakes and make two batches of them. They're a local specialty, and they look nice even when mailed as gifts."

I'd heard of this in my past life, but never had the chance to try it myself. My eyes lit up when I heard about it.

"Yes, how come I didn't think of that? Third Master, do we grow sticky rice around here?"

This area is mostly plains, but it is mainly dry land, with very few paddy fields.

"There's no sticky rice. Not many families grow rice around here. The yield is low, and it's a lot of work. If it's like this year, it's a total crop failure."

Here, people use sticky cornmeal and sticky sorghum flour to make steamed buns. Our village doesn't have any. I'll go to the commune to ask. Some families grow it but are reluctant to eat it themselves, so they take it to the commune to exchange for coarse grains. Sticky rice has a low yield and is more expensive than coarse grains. One pound of sticky rice can be exchanged for two pounds of coarse rice. Some families set aside a piece of land specifically for growing sticky rice.

Every year after the autumn harvest, the commune receives enough rice. This year, there isn't even enough regular rice, and it's unlikely that anyone will specifically buy glutinous rice to make steamed buns. Go and check.

There are also red beans; a few families in the village have them. You can exchange them when you get back.

It's obvious she's not short of money, and I didn't tell her anything about saving money; she has her own way of living.