During the Spring Festival, all the uncles and elders who worked away from home returned home, and Xu Mo, who had been studying diligently, finally got his annual leave.
But instead of comfortably lying in bed to hibernate, he personally prepared three meals a day for his younger siblings, and in between, he would copy books and flip through cookbooks.
Today he learned a new recipe for braised radishes from northern China and is carefully trying it out.
Peel off the skin of some shriveled radishes and tear them into small pieces for later use.
Cut the pork belly (with alternating layers of fat and lean meat) into small pieces and set aside. Soak a handful of sweet potato noodles, and you're ready to start cooking.
Zheng Ruqian and Fang Heng usually tend the fire, but neither of them were here today. Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan looked at each other, and finally Chang Yan stepped forward.
Jiang Sheng chose it, saying, "Fourth Brother's hands are for treating patients, how can they be used for burning firewood?"
Fifth Brother has a handsome face, but looks can't put food on the table; he can only eat by burning firewood.
Chang Yan's lips twitched, but he had to admit that it made a lot of sense.
So, his hands, which had held a thousand pieces of gold and touched fine jade, grasped the black fire poker and, through repeated failed attempts, finally lit a flame.
Xu Mo took the opportunity to put the pork belly pieces into the pot, fry them to render the fat, then added spices, water, and radish chunks. Finally, he placed thin pancakes on the side of the pot.
Simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes until the pancakes are cooked through. Remove them from the pan. There will still be broth in the pan. Quickly add the glass noodles and simmer for another 15 minutes. The glass noodles will absorb the broth, the radish will melt in your mouth, and the pork belly will be tender and flavorful.
Sprinkle with chopped green onions and cilantro after cooking, and the aroma will waft for miles.
Jiang Sheng took a deep breath, but before she could cheer, she saw two figures pulling a donkey cart stop at the entrance of the dilapidated temple.
Ragged and disheveled, Zheng Ruqian rushed over, took a deep breath, and tears welled up in his eyes. "It smells so good, so delicious. Home-cooked meals are the best."
Fang Heng wasn't much better off; he kept drooling.
After ten days of living outdoors in the wind and rain, both of them had become darker and thinner. Looking at their siblings at home, their eyes welled up with tears several times.
"Second and third brothers are back." Jiang Sheng sniffed. "Why did it take you so long to get back? You...you've gotten so thin."
Xu Mo remained relatively calm, took out two pieces of clothing, and brought out a basin of hot water. "Wash your hands first, then we'll talk after we eat."
After a quick wash, the six siblings gathered around the small stove, each grabbing a small pancake and starting to enjoy their meal.
The tender and flavorful radish is delicious, the plump and smooth glass noodles are delicious, and even the pork belly is fragrant but not greasy.
After the meal.
Zheng Ruqian covered his noticeably bulging belly, lay down in the quilt, and sighed contentedly.
Jiang Sheng licked her white teeth and suddenly rushed over to grab his ear.
Zheng Ruqian was startled and tilted his head to beg for mercy, "Jiang Sheng, little Jiang Sheng, little sister, good little sister, don't pull my ear, let's talk this out."
"Who's talking to you nicely?" Jiang Sheng said fiercely. "Did you talk to me nicely? You took Third Brother with you and suddenly ran away, then disappeared for ten days. If you don't come back, I'll assume you've died out there."
"And big brother, not only do I have to sit in a pile of vegetables and be jostled to and from school every day, but I also spent twenty coins on it. You owe me twenty coins, you owe me!"
Despite her fierce appearance, Zheng Ruqian was not afraid; instead, he chuckled twice.
Only family members get angry out of concern.
However, his smile made Jiang Sheng even angrier, and she gradually increased the force with which she pulled his ear.
Zheng Ruqian quickly surrendered, "Here you go, I'll give you not only twenty coins, but two hundred coins, two thousand coins, I'll give you everything."
He took money out of his pocket, and after a while, he pulled out two copper coins and placed them in Jiang Sheng's palm.
He left with two taels of silver, but came back with only two coins left.
Jiang Sheng let go of his hand with a heavy heart, unable to speak.
Zheng Ruqian took the opportunity to hide behind Fang Heng, hissing as he tried to soothe Fang Heng's ears.
"Second brother, third brother, you were wrong about this." Xu Mo finally spoke, his voice carrying the composure of an elder brother. "You disappeared for ten days without even saying a word. Do you know how worried everyone was about you during those ten days?"
Zheng Ruqian joked and laughed with Jiang Sheng, but when it came to Xu Mo, he only dared to shrink back and honestly confess.
"We spent eight of those ten days traveling, and the remaining two days were spent collecting vegetables in Yunshui County. Fortunately, we did not disappoint, and I collected a whole truckload of vegetables."
“These ten days outside have indeed been tough, with people sleeping in the open and living in the wind. But thankfully we have money, so we don’t have to worry about food and drink.” Zheng Ruqian sighed. “It’s only been ten days, and Lao San and I can’t take it anymore. I really don’t know how Xiao Jiangsheng managed to wander for seven years.”
It's been seven years.
Zheng Ruqian felt just as much heartache for his sister Jiang Sheng as the hardships of living outdoors.
Fortunately, they were there for us in the days to come.
Zheng Ruqian straightened up, pointed to the donkey carts loaded with vegetables outside the dilapidated temple, and said proudly, "Brother, I brought the vegetables back. If the people in this county won't sell me vegetables, I'll go to Yunshui County to buy them. If Yunshui County won't sell them, I can go to other counties."
As long as he has a donkey cart and is willing to work hard, he can transport vegetables from anywhere.
Isn't the essence of doing business transportation?
Zheng Ruqian's smile froze; he seemed to have grasped the key.
The key to truly making a business!
"Not only that, Second Brother also brought gifts for everyone," Fang Heng interjected. "Second Brother really managed to spend those two taels of silver very shrewdly."
Jiang Sheng, who had been squatting on the ground heartbroken, suddenly jumped up and rushed to the donkey cart, shouting, "Where's the gift? Where is it?"
The brothers all smiled.
After all, the younger sister is just a seven-year-old girl.
Zheng Ruqian snapped out of his reverie, took out the pastries he had brought from Yunshui County, and introduced them, "These are Erkuai that I stumbled upon on the street. They're said to keep for a long time without spoiling, and they're soft and chewy. They're even more delicious when dipped in some white sugar..."
Before he finished speaking, Jiang Sheng had already grabbed a piece and put it in her mouth. She took a bite and then quickly spat it out.
"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! This thing is going to break my teeth."
Zheng Ruqian laughed heartily.
Xu Mo stepped forward, picked up the rice cake and pondered for a moment, "If I remember correctly, this rice cake is a specialty of the South. It needs to be sliced and roasted until slightly charred, or boiled in water until soft before it can be eaten."
“Brother is indeed very knowledgeable.” Zheng Ruqian nodded. “This Erkuai is indeed a specialty of Yunnan Prefecture. I just happened to come across it. This time, I bought more local specialties from Yunshui County.”
Although Yunshui County is only one county away from Xieyang County, the temperature difference is as much as four or five degrees.
Eggplants and green beans that had long since frozen to death in Xieyang County were still surviving in the southern part of Yunshui County.
Furthermore, they discovered a food called water bamboo shoots, a common vegetable in Yunshui County, but which had never appeared in Xieyang County due to geographical location and other factors.
Zheng Ruqian pulled out two sticks, and everyone gathered around to admire them with curiosity.
Xu silently took out his books and began to look up information.
the next day.
After resting, Zheng Ruqian and Fang Heng delivered the truckload of vegetables to Youranju.
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