Zhou Qiqi's cheeks flushed, and to hide her guilt, she took a big bite of the persimmon.
But as soon as my teeth hit the fruit, my tongue felt like it had been rubbed raw by coarse sandpaper, astringent, numb, and swollen, and that dryness traveled down my throat.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!"
She reflexively spat all the fruit in her mouth into her hand, her face scrunched up in a grimace.
Upon seeing this, Shen Huaichuan quickly turned around to pour water, but even after rinsing his mouth with warm water several times, the astringent taste still lingered.
Hearing the commotion, Zhouzhou, who was inside the room, stumbled out clutching a piece of fruit candy.
The coolness of the mint candy, mixed with its sweetness, spread out, and Zhou Qiqi finally breathed a sigh of relief. She looked down at the bright red persimmon in her hand, feeling troubled.
"Why do these persimmons look good but taste bad? Did that old lady trick me?"
The persimmons were being sold by an elderly woman with gray hair by the roadside. Seeing that the old woman was quite old, she bought all the remaining ones in the basket.
The old lady assured me that everything was cooked and that I could buy it without worry.
But to my surprise, it wasn't like that at all.
Seeing her pouting lips, looking both aggrieved and upset, Shen Huaichuan quickly explained.
"The old man didn't lie to you. These are astringent persimmons. That's how the variety is. The skin turns red when ripe, but you can't eat them directly. You have to remove the astringency first."
Knowing that the old lady hadn't lied, Zhou Qiqi breathed a sigh of relief and instantly felt much lighter. Her eyes even brightened considerably, but she still couldn't forget the pain her tongue had caused, and she complained playfully.
She poked Shen Huaichuan's arm with her fingertip and scolded, "Why didn't you say so sooner! It's all your fault!"
Her eyelashes fluttered as she spoke, and her watery eyes were both charming and alluring, with a touch of childlike innocence.
Shen Huaichuan lowered his eyelids and let her scold him, his Adam's apple bobbing, "It's my fault."
Zhou Qiqi bit her lip. "How do you remove the astringency from persimmons?"
She bought a big bag of them; it wouldn't be good to waste them.
Shen Huaichuan shook his head; he didn't know much about this.
Zhou Qiqi tore off the cloth bag and stuffed it into Chen Huaichuan's arms.
"Then I'll go ask Sister Cuixiang; she'll definitely know!"
Deng Cuixiang's house is located a few rows behind, and you can smell the tangy aroma of the sauerkraut jars from a distance even before you arrive.
There's a mischievous boy in the family, so the door is always ajar.
As soon as Zhou Qiqi opened the door, she saw Deng Cuixiang standing in the yard chopping cowpeas, the cleaver making a "thump thump" sound on the bluestone slab.
"Sister Cuixiang!"
She waved the persimmon in her hand, "Look at this thing!"
Deng Cuixiang straightened up and wiped her hands with her apron.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, and stray hairs at her temples clung to her skin. "Oh, persimmons? Where did you get such good quality ones!"
She took the persimmon, weighed it in her hand, and rubbed the stem with her fingertip. "Look at these patterns, it's from a tree that's at least fifteen years old! What a good one! It'll definitely taste good once the astringency is gone!"
Zhou Qiqi asked with a smile.
"How do I remove the astringency? I bought a whole bag of them!"
Deng Cuixiang stacked the cowpeas into the jar, dipping her finger in the salt water.
"It depends on what kind you want to eat. If it's crisp, soak it in lime water. Make sure it's clean, add warm water, and soak it for three days and three nights. If it's soft, put it with apples and pears and let it ripen. Remember to find ripe ones. Let it ripen for four or five days before you can eat it."
She nudged Zhou Qiqi with her elbow, "Your cellar was just built, the cool place is perfect for drying persimmons."
Zhou Qiqi's eyes lit up when she heard this, "Anyway, I buy a lot, so I'll make both hard and soft ones!"
He then rested his head on Deng Cuixiang's shoulder, saying, "Sister Cuixiang is amazing! I knew you knew a lot!"
Deng Cuixiang chuckled and rubbed her hands on her apron.
"Okay, I've finished chopping these cowpeas too. I'll wash my hands and come help you."
"No need, no need!"
Zhou Qiqi hurriedly waved her hand, "Your kimchi is important, we need to sell it to make money. If we delay, it won't taste good and it will affect your reputation. Just tell me the recipe, and I can make it myself. Huaichuan, Zhouzhou, and Shitou are all here at home, they can all help, we don't need you."
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from outside the courtyard gate.
Xiangyang peered through the door frame, a clod of mud still clinging to the tip of his nose, his eyes sparkling.
"Aunt Zhou! Count me in! I'll help you warm the persimmons!"
Deng Cuixiang grabbed a ladle as if to hit her, "You naughty monkey! Don't get my jar dirty with all that mud! Go away, go play somewhere else!"
Turning to Zhou Qiqi, he said, "This kid has helped me cover persimmons several times, he's very shrewd! You can let him go and help."
Xiangyang took a big step back, nodding his head like he was pounding garlic.
"Yes, yes, yes! Aunt Zhou, I love persimmons the most!"
Zhou Qiqi pretended to be angry and reached out to flick his nose.
"Didn't you say just a few days ago that you loved Aunt Zhou's popcorn the most? How come you've changed your mind in just a few days?"
The little guy scratched his head, revealing two tiger teeth as he grinned foolishly.
Deng Cuixiang was both annoyed and amused by her son's appearance.
"He's such a glutton! There's nothing he doesn't like to eat! He'll eat anything you give him! He loves everything! He'll probably be obsessed with food for the rest of his life!"
Zhou Qiqi went over and rubbed the little guy's head, smiling.
"Being able to eat is a blessing. If everyone were like Zhouzhou, who can't eat much of anything, then you'd be worried!"
Zhouzhou doesn't really enjoy eating anything, except for the food she makes. She can barely eat a few bites of it, but even then, she's like a little bird, getting full after just a few bites.
She hasn't been feeling well these past few days, and the meals she's been eating at home are all food she brought back from the cafeteria.
Zhouzhou only eats a little bit each time before stopping. The little bit of flesh that had finally grown back on her face recently looks like it's going to sag again, which worries her.
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