"Aunt, you finally came down. If you hadn't come down, I would have gone up the mountain to find you again." Zhang Mingqi picked up a large bundle of firewood. She had been waiting for her aunt at the foot of the mountain for almost ten minutes. When she didn't see her aunt coming down, Zhang Mingqi was about to put down the firewood she had picked up and prepare to go up the mountain to find her aunt.
"Why are you in such a hurry? It's still early for school. Look what I found in the mountains?" Zhang Qiurui handed the oyster mushrooms he had taken out of the trading supermarket to Zhang Mingqi.
"These are mushrooms. Did you find them in the mountains, aunt? They must weigh at least three pounds, right?" Zhang Mingqi took the cloth bag handed to her by her aunt and took a look. Seeing that it was full of oyster mushrooms, she couldn't help but show surprise on her face.
These oyster mushrooms are bright in color and plump in shape, obviously freshly picked from the forest.
"Yes, I found it on a piece of rotten wood. It seems I am lucky today." Zhang Qiurui said with a smile.
"Let's go, let's go back quickly." Zhang Mingqi didn't know what she was thinking. She looked around and saw that there was no one around. She stuffed the bag of oyster mushrooms into the bottom of Zhang Qiurui's backpack and covered it with other firewood. Then she pulled Zhang Qiurui and hurried back to the rented house.
In those days, everything in the mountains was collectively owned, and everyone was welcome to pick or hunt. However, the occasional "little happiness" was an unspoken secret, hidden from everyone, to avoid any unforeseen consequences.
"Qiurui, Mingqi, you two are back. I've prepared the steamed buns and started cooking. I'm going to wash up while you guys cook." Zhang Wenmin put the last steamed bun in the steamer. After seeing Zhang Qiurui and Mingqi come back, he gave some instructions and went to the backyard to wash up.
They are currently renting a large bungalow, and the kitchen is on the left side of the front yard. In addition to two bedrooms and a main hall, there is a toilet and a bathroom in the backyard. There is also an empty space of about ten square meters. They plan to grow some vegetables for their own consumption next spring.
"Mingqi, put a few more eggplants and green peppers into the steamer to make some cold-mixed eggplants, and stir-fry some peppers and oyster mushrooms. I'll cook today." Zhang Qiurui put the firewood he picked up today in a corner of the kitchen, took out the oyster mushrooms, cut off the roots of the mushrooms, and set them aside as an excuse to cultivate them in the future.
"Okay!"
"Mingqi, this place is too small. You go out. I can do it alone." Zhang Qiurui sent Zhang Mingqi out.
"Aunt, the roots of these oyster mushrooms are inedible. There is too much sand and dirt, and it is difficult to clean them. Why are you putting them out separately?" Zhang Mingqi asked curiously after seeing her aunt cut off the roots of the oyster mushrooms and put them separately in a small winnowing basket.
"The mountain people have their own magical uses. In my hands, they are treasures that can be turned into treasures. You will know in the future." Seeing Mingqi being so understanding, Zhang Qiurui raised a mysterious smile at the corner of his mouth, with a cunning light flashing in his eyes.
When Zhang Mingqi heard this, her curiosity was aroused, but when her aunt didn't say anything further, she knew that her aunt didn't intend to reveal it now.
So Zhang Mingqi stopped asking questions and just silently kept this curiosity in mind, planning to find a suitable opportunity to ask the truth in the future.
After Zhang Mingqi left the kitchen, Zhang Qiurui immediately opened the trading supermarket, found the seasoning area, found light soy sauce and chicken essence, and clicked to buy.
There was no light soy sauce or chicken essence in 1975, so the taste of stir-fried dishes in that era was just average, and the main purpose was to fill your stomach.
At this time, the most common ingredients in every household's kitchen are salt, soy sauce and a little homemade bean paste. Occasionally, there would be some lard to enhance the flavor, which was a rare luxury on the dining table.
Even so, whenever the smoke rises, the simple yet humane aroma of food always evokes people's infinite attachment to home.
Zhang Qiurui first prepared a sauce to be used for the cold salad of eggplant and green pepper, with light soy sauce, chicken essence, salt, and some minced garlic.
Tear the steamed eggplant and green pepper into strips and place in a large bowl for later use.
Then, Zhang Qiurui carefully poured the freshly prepared sauce evenly on the eggplant and green pepper. The dark sauce slowly seeped into every gap in the ingredients, instantly adding a bit of attractive luster to the dish.
She gently picked up a few eggplant strips and green pepper shreds with chopsticks and let them roll in the sauce a few times, ensuring that every bite could taste the distinct layers of flavor.
Zhang Qiurui took a sip and the delicious taste of soy sauce, the freshness of chicken essence, the salty fragrance of salt, and the unique spiciness and fragrance of minced garlic intertwined in his mouth to create a feast for the taste buds.
"Well, the taste is just right, refreshing and appetizing. It's really a great cold dish in summer!" Zhang Qiurui said to himself, feeling full of a sense of accomplishment.
Then, he took out a shiny aluminum square box and a plate, and put two portions in each, one to eat with steamed buns in the morning, and the other to take to school for lunch.
Afterwards, Zhang Qiurui fried another dish of green peppers and oyster mushrooms.
With the addition of light soy sauce and chicken essence, this dish of green peppers and oyster mushrooms is even more delicious. The crispness of the green peppers and the tenderness of the oyster mushrooms intertwine, dancing a joyful dance on the tip of the tongue. Every bite is an ultimate temptation to the taste buds, making you unable to stop eating.
I still packed two copies.
"It's time for dinner, Mingqi, come and serve the dishes." After Zhang Qiurui took out the steamed buns, took out an aluminum square box and put four buns in it, and packed the lunch he was going to take to school today, Zhang Qiurui shouted loudly outside the kitchen.
As for the steamed buns they eat, they are naturally not made of white flour, but corn flour.
"Did you pick these mushrooms in the mountains? They are delicious, fresh and tender." At the dinner table, Zhang Wenmin saw a plate of green pepper mushrooms with good color, aroma and taste, and couldn't help but exclaim in praise.
He picked up a piece of mushroom and put it into his mouth. The unique mountain aroma instantly bloomed in his mouth. In one word, it was fresh and tender, leaving people with an endless aftertaste.
"Yes, my aunt picked three pounds of mushrooms today. This cold-mixed eggplant is delicious too." Zhang Mingqi, who was sitting next to him, picked up a piece with chopsticks and put it in his mouth. The cold-mixed eggplant had a sweetness that melted in his mouth.
"It's delicious. Qiurui really knows how to cook." Zhang Wenmin also took a bite quickly. It was so delicious that he took another bite of the steamed bun.
"Let me cook from now on! I think I have talent in this area." Zhang Qiurui volunteered to take charge of cooking.
In the future, when she comes to cook, I can secretly add more food and ingredients to supplement the household expenses.
"Okay, I'll help you, aunt." Zhang Mingqi hesitated.
She is the younger generation, but older than my aunt, so she should be the one doing these things.
"You do the laundry, and I cook. That's how we divide the work."
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