After having a big bowl of plump white dumplings for dinner, everyone started to get busy again.
Chunxi and Liu Da were in charge of boiling the pork fat, while the Wuzhuang couple were in charge of curing the meat.
After the lard is cooked, it is stored in a jar after it cools down. The leftover lard can be used to cook vegetables. When the lard is almost done, the aroma spreads far away. As soon as the first pot is cooked, Xiaokang can't help but go to the kitchen to take a small bowl and go find Tian An.
After the two siblings happily finished their fried dough sticks, Tian An came to the kitchen to bring them bowls. He then used a small casserole to simmer a pot of sweet-scented osmanthus rice wine, scooped out half a bowl of glutinous rice flour, added water, rolled it into small balls, and put them in to cook together.
Zhenniang, who was pickling meat, saw Tian An cooking sweet-scented osmanthus rice dumplings and asked curiously, "Miss, didn't you have enough for dinner? Just tell us what you want to eat. Why bother cooking it yourself?"
Tian An smiled and said, "I ate a lot of dumplings for dinner. These are not for me, but for Brother Yiming as a midnight snack. He will have an exam next spring, and he studies until midnight every day. I'm worried he'll be hungry later."
"The young lady and the young master have a very good relationship. After eating the soup you made yourself, the young master will definitely pass the imperial examination next year." As Zhen Niang said this, she smeared salt on a piece of meat and handed it to Wu Zhuang to put into the big vat.
After the meat is evenly coated with salt, it is first marinated in a jar for six to seven days. When the meat is fully marinated, it is taken out and tied with strips of rice dumpling leaves, hung on a rack, and smoked underneath with firewood lit in a brazier. Finally, it is made into bacon.
After Tian An made the rice dumplings, he placed the casserole, two empty bowls and a spoon on a tray and said, "Thank you for your good wishes." Then he left.
Tian An went to Xiaokang's room first, but the boy was already asleep, so he went straight to Zhao Yiming's room with the things.
Zhao Yiming was afraid of falling asleep, so he would leave the doors and windows ajar when reading at night.
Tian An was carrying things in both hands and couldn't knock on the door, so he shouted at the door, "Brother Yiming, I'm coming in." Then he used his back to push the door open and went in.
Zhao Yiming looked up and saw Tian An carrying a casserole. He quickly put down the book in his hand and strode forward to take it.
"How can you lift something so heavy?"
Tian Ansong handed him the tray and pulled up a chair to sit down. "It's not that heavy! I've done heavier work before."
After Zhao Yiming put down the tray, Tian An took a bowl and handed it to him, "You've been reading all night, eat something hot to warm yourself up!"
Zhao Yiming had been reading all night, so he wasn't particularly hungry. However, his hands and feet had become stiff from being idle for so long. He took the hot bowl, and his hands were warm. After a couple of bites, his body began to warm up as well.
The man ate with big mouthfuls and fast speed. In two bites, half a bowl was gone. He stopped and saw Tian Anguang looking at him, but he didn't eat either.
He frowned and said, "Why don't you eat?"
Tian An pursed his lips and said, "I'm not hungry. Eating at night will make me fat."
Zhao Yiming looked up and down at the thin person in front of him, and no matter how he looked at her, he felt that she had nothing to do with the word fat.
He put down the bowl in his hand, took the empty bowl beside him, filled half a bowl himself and handed it to Tian An: "It's cold, you should eat something hot so you won't feel cold when you sleep at night. Just eat half a bowl, you won't get fat."
Tian An looked at the sweet and tempting rice dumplings in front of him and swallowed his saliva: "Okay then! I'll eat half a bowl!"
Then, coaxed by Zhao Yiming, they ate half a bowl, then another half. Finally, the two of them finished off the entire small casserole of rice dumplings.
Tian An touched his bloated stomach and looked at Zhao Yiming resentfully, "Men are such liars. He said he'd only eat half a bowl, but he tricked me into eating two big bowls."
Zhao Yiming didn't care at all and even teased Tian An, "It's obvious that An An doesn't mean what she says. She says no, but her hands are honest. I'll serve it to you, just take it."
Tian An sighed, "Oh! It's all my damn cooking skills! I made the rice dumplings with fermented glutinous rice too delicious!"
Zhao Yiming: ...and she has become Wang Po.
Tian An stayed with Zhao Yiming in his room. After reading for a while, he took the bowl to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, the meat was already marinated, and Zhenniang was waiting with Chunxi for the oil to boil.
Seeing Tian An coming with the bowl, Zhenniang hurried forward to take it.
Tian An handed her the bowl and looked at the remaining lard, figuring he would need to boil two more pots. "It's too late. After you finish this pot, you two can go to bed! You can boil the rest tomorrow."
Chunxi took a long spoon and stirred the lard that was beginning to float in the pot. "Chinese New Year is just a few days away, and there's still a lot to do tomorrow! Let's wait a little longer until it's cooked before going to bed. It's getting late, go get some rest first, girl!"
Tian An glanced at the snowflakes still dancing outside the door and said firmly, "There's no rush. It's cold now, and the lard won't go bad. It will be the same if you boil it tomorrow night. After you finish boiling this pot, go and rest. I'll wait here for you."
After saying that, he took a small stool from the side and sat down. Then, the three of them chatted while cooking.
Chun Xi thought for a moment and told Tian An some things she had heard a few days ago, "Miss, I heard from some of the older masters in Jiayuan that after a severe drought there will be a severe flood."
Seeing Chunxi speak, Zhenniang also said, "I know about this too. A few old people mentioned it when they were chatting. They said that there was a drought from last year to the first half of this year, but the rain increased dramatically in the second half of the year. There might be a flood next year, and they said they would find an opportunity to warn you."
Hearing the word "disaster", Tian An's drowsy mind instantly became clear. His expression also became serious.
Yes, long-term droughts have caused vegetation to die due to lack of water, and the soil has become loose. Once there is heavy rainfall, the soil and rocks on the surface may be washed down the river channel, causing floods and mudslides.
Furthermore, long-term drought will make people complacent and careless. If there is heavy rainfall and they are not prepared, the losses will be severe.
Fortunately, the current problem is not serious. Winter rainfall is low, so flooding will not occur in the near future. However, after the snow melts after the New Year, we must pay attention to the rainfall and be cautious.
Seeing Tian An's suddenly serious expression, the two of them felt a little uneasy, especially Chunxi. She had been forced out of the country by the drought, and her parents had died fleeing the famine. Her fear of disasters was ingrained in her. Her face paled.
Tian An saw that she looked a little off, and guessed that she was frightened. He stood up, hugged her, patted her back, and comforted her softly: "Chunxi, don't be afraid. It's still too early to tell whether there will be a flood or not. We have to wait and see how much rainfall there is next year. Even if a flood does happen, I will protect you."
"Puchi", Chunxi was immediately amused by Tian An.
"Young lady, I am a servant. Even if there is a disaster, I should protect you. How can I let you protect me?"
…
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