Chapter 65 Appetizer
The shredded potatoes and bell peppers have been cut into thin strips. In order to make the taste more crispy, Wen Zhenyi soaked the shredded potatoes in clean water to remove excess starch.
Seeing that it was almost time, she began to prepare to make a fire.
Wen Yongman was at the stove, instructing her on how to light a fire: "Sister, I'm going to private school now, and there's no one to help you light a fire."
Wen Zhenyi slowly added the firewood to the stove, leaving enough space for it: "I can learn by myself. Learning never ends."
"Do you really want me to go to school?" Wen Yongman was still reluctant to go to the private school.
Wen Zhenyi stopped what he was doing and looked at him: "Xiaoman, have you ever thought about what kind of life you want to live in the future?"
Wen Yongman was stunned by her question and scratched his head: "I haven't thought about it."
Wen Zhenyi pulled her to sit next to him: "Xiao Man, just like my brother and I said, reading and learning to read are not for you to take the imperial examination and become an official, but for you to increase your knowledge."
"Grandpa, Dad and my brother can all teach me, right?"
"It's different. What they teach you is what they know. What if there are things they don't know? These are things they don't like or are not good at. On the contrary, you like what you are good at. Aren't you missing out?"
“Is reading really useful?”
"It goes without saying that they are all useful. I just hope that this will teach you how to behave in society. Even if the government posts a notice, you won't have to ask for help. You can quickly calculate the value of goods sold and distinguish right from wrong."
"Will you need it for business in the future?"
"Of course I need it. To use the simplest example, I gave you one ounce of silver and bought your thirty-six wen worth of stuff. How much silver or copper coins do you have to give me in return?"
Wen Yongman counted on his ten fingers, but after a long time he still couldn't figure it out. He was so anxious that sweat broke out on his head.
Wen Zhenyi smiled and touched his head: "You have to compensate me with nine cents and sixty-four coins."
"Nine cents and sixty-four coins?" Wen Yongman asked again uncertainly.
"Yes, look, if you were to do business in the future, wouldn't you make the customer wait for a long time? If a mean customer couldn't wait any longer and directly asked for nine cents and seventy-four coins, wouldn't you lose ten coins?"
Wen Yongman's delicate little brows wrinkled: "Sister, I understand. I will study hard."
"That's right. Going to a private school is to increase your knowledge, not to force you to pass the imperial examinations." Wen Zhenyi smiled and rubbed his head: "Help me light the fire."
Wen Yong looked at her with a puzzled look on his face: "Sister, didn't you light a fire?"
Wen Zhenyi looked at the extinguished flame in the stove and shrugged helplessly: "It seems that I still haven't learned it."
Wen Yongman covered his mouth and laughed, then said seriously: "Sister, you still need to practice hard."
"Okay, little master."
The brother and sister were laughing happily in the kitchen, and the Wen family members who were processing the ingredients outside also had smiles on their faces.
After Wen Zhenyi waited for the fire to be lit, he boiled some water in a pot and prepared to cook the noodles.
She took out the dough that had been proofed. She didn't plan to make hand-rolled noodles today, so she started making hand-pulled noodles directly.
After Wen Yongman started the fire, he didn't rush out. He saw her stretch the dough into a long strip, then sprinkle some flour on the table, pat it and stretch it, and the dough became a longer strip.
Then I saw her combining the noodles, shaking them in the air, stretching them, and two noodles became four. The number increased, and the noodles became thinner and thinner.
He kept his mouth shut until there were already very thin noodles on the table, making him feel like he was dreaming: "Sister, how did you do that?"
"This is called hand-pulled noodles, a type of noodle that requires a lot of skill."
Wen Zhenyi covered the noodles with a wet cloth to prevent them from drying out: "Xiao Man, help me light a fire on the stove. I'm going to cook."
Wen Yongman immediately ran to make a fire.
Wen Zhenyi took advantage of this free time to prepare the straw raincoat cucumber.
She cut the whole cucumber into very thin oblique slices, but without cutting it off, sprinkled salt on it and marinated it for a cup of tea. During this time, she was preparing the seasonings.
Cut the green onion, ginger and dried chili into sections or strips, then pour soy sauce, vinegar and sugar into a bowl, add some boiled water and dissolve it for later use.
After Wen Yongman's stove was lit, he poured in oil and peppercorns and stir-fried until fragrant. Then he added the chopped onions, ginger and chili peppers. Finally, he poured in the prepared seasonings to let the sugar melt, then served and let cool.
The cucumbers here have been pickled. Rinse them with clean water and pour in the cooled sauce.
The next step is to make the spicy and sour potato shreds. Wash the pot, pour in a proper amount of oil, add the chopped dried chilies and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until fragrant, then pour in the potato shreds and bell pepper shreds that have been soaked in clean water and drained and stir-fry.
Add salt, vinegar and sugar, stir-fry evenly and then serve.
The hot and sour potato shreds had just come out of the pot when Mr. Shen and his grandson came over.
"We, the grandparents, are going to eat and drink for free!"
Old Man Wen smiled and asked them to sit down: "Please sit down for a while. We are preparing tomorrow's ingredients and cooking them one by one. We will have to wait a while."
Old Man Shen looked at what they were handling with curiosity: "Is this cow and sheep offal?"
"Yes, I'm going to make mutton offal soup and husband and wife lung slices tomorrow. I sent them to you two days ago and tried them. They tasted good!"
"Yes, yes, it tastes delicious. Even now I can still taste the aftertaste when I think about it."
Shen Hanxing entered the kitchen and saw that she was the only one busy: "Do you need help?"
Wen Zhenyi turned around and saw the boy standing at the kitchen door: "Aren't you worried that the smell of cooking oil will be too strong and you won't be able to eat?"
"Probably not. Maybe the smell will improve my appetite."
Wen Zhenyi looked at him with a smile: "Can you make a fire?"
"Yes, when my grandfather and I were alone, we would occasionally cook noodles and boil water. I do know how to make a fire." He said and sat down in front of the stove.
Wen Zhenyi looked at his slender fingers. There were thin calluses on his knuckles and fingers, which looked like they were honed by frequent brushwork. "What does Brother Shen usually do when he returns to the village?"
"Read some books and copy some books."
"If you have nothing to do tomorrow, would you like to go with me to the mountains to find something?"
"Ingredients?"
"Um."
"You're not afraid that I'll hold you back."
"Exercise helps with good digestion."
Shen Hanxing looked at her with a smile: "It sounds reasonable."
"That's it."
"Then wait until you come back from town tomorrow."
"Okay, but you have to teach me a few words first."
"Okay." Shen Hanxing nodded slightly.
Wen Zhenyi didn't say anything else and started preparing to make sour soup noodles. Today she saw Ma Yinghe and others bought a few tomatoes, which were just right for making sour soup noodles.
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