Upon receiving Jiang Tangtang's affirmative answer, Lu Chenyan immediately felt relieved and quickly fell asleep in his mother's arms.
The villagers, who had worked all day, gradually drifted off to sleep.
Listening to the chirping of cicadas and the croaking of frogs, and looking at the stars hanging high in the sky, Jiang Tangtang suddenly felt that this was not bad.
But thinking about the situation outside, she sighed again.
If only there were no war.
Hearing Jiang Tangtang sigh, Lu Shiyan said, "I'll take Xiong Zhuang with me when I go out this time to familiarize myself with the place. If anything happens in the future, just have him deliver a message to me. I'll also try to come back more often. If there's anything you need me to do, you can tell me."
Jiang Tangtang used to bother him often for the sake of points, but she wasn't really being unreasonable.
Knowing the tense situation outside, he was often so busy he barely had time to breathe. How could she trouble him with such trivial matters concerning the valley? She said, "I'll figure out the valley's problems myself, you don't need to worry."
Lu Shiyan rarely saw her so sensible, and he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Jiang Tangtang inexplicably understood the meaning behind his expression, feeling both annoyed and embarrassed.
She said, "You watch over Xiaoyan. I'm going to help my sister-in-law and second sister-in-law make steamed buns. You can take some with you tomorrow morning."
Zhou Qiongniang was currently worried. She had been so happy in the afternoon that she had forgotten to make a starter dough. What was she going to use to leaven the dough now?
As soon as Jiang Tangtang arrived, she saw Zhou Qiongniang looking anxious and couldn't help but ask, "Second sister-in-law, what's wrong?"
A little afraid that Jiang Tangtang would blame her, Zhou Qiongniang said softly, "Third sister-in-law, I'm so sorry, I forgot to make the dough starter this afternoon. I'm afraid I won't be able to make these buns before Third Brother leaves."
Jiang Tangtang smiled and said, "I thought it was something serious! Second sister-in-law forgot to make the dough starter, so be it! Just use honey to leaven the dough."
"Honey can be used to leaven dough?" Zhou Qiongniang's eyes widened. She used to knead a small ball of dough, add some wood ash to it, and use it as a starter after it fermented. This was the first time she had ever heard of honey being used to leaven dough.
"Why not? Dough made with honey is softer and more fragrant than dough starter." She had eaten steamed buns made with honey as yeast at a farmhouse when she was traveling before. The taste was so delicious that she still remembers it vividly.
"If my third sister-in-law says honey can be used as a starter for dough, then it definitely can." Luo Taohua's mouth was watering as she listened to Jiang Tangtang's words. She quickly brought out a jar of honey and asked Jiang Tangtang how much she wanted to pour.
Jiang Tangtang remembered that the old lady from that farmhouse had said to add 15-20 grams of honey for every 500 grams of flour. She estimated the amount of flour in the bowl and added roughly the same amount of honey.
As Su watched Jiang Tangtang put spoonful after spoonful of honey into the basin, her heart ached with heartache.
Sugar is scarce in this era, and honey is even scarcer.
Although Lu Shiyan harvested the honey from the cliff without paying for it, he didn't know when he would encounter such a good thing again.
Moreover, in the eyes of farmers, honey is not just a simple sugar or flavoring agent. To impoverished farmers, honey is also medicine.
There is a long-standing folk belief that giving children honey mixed with warm water can cure diarrhea.
Besides, there are other minor ailments that can also be treated with honey. Mrs. Su treated this jar of honey like a treasure, and wouldn't allow anyone to touch it except for Jiang Tangtang who wanted some.
However, since it was Jiang Tangtang who wanted to eat it, Su Shi didn't say anything even though she felt sorry for her.
Seeing Su Shi's heartbroken expression, Jiang Tangtang found her somewhat amusing. It was just honey; was it really necessary to make such a fuss?
But when she thought about the daily lives of the villagers in Dawancun, she felt a little sorry for herself.
She thought for a moment and said, "Mother, how about we ask my second brother to make a few beehives tomorrow, and we can bring some bees back to raise? That way, we'll have an endless supply of honey at home."
As soon as Jiang Tangtang finished speaking, Su Shi and Zhou Qiongniang's eyes lit up.
Ms. Su hesitated for a moment, "Will this work? Can we really bring back bees to raise?"
Their family used to raise only chickens, cattle, and pigs, and most of the livestock raised by the villagers were also these kinds of animals.
This is the first time I've ever heard of bees being brought home and kept as pets.
"Of course!" Jiang Tangtang's system contains a complete guide to animal husbandry, which includes not only the care of sows but also the mating of bulls, the hatching of chicks, and all sorts of other strange and wonderful animal husbandry techniques.
One chapter is about beekeeping.
Upon receiving Jiang Tangtang's affirmative answer, Madam Su immediately became happy. "Then how do you make the beehives? Tell your second brother tomorrow and ask him to make a few more."
Luo Taohua and Zhou Qiongniang were also full of energy, feeling that their family's life was getting better and better.
As for Jiang Tangtang, their lucky charm, the group became even more careful and attentive.
Zhou Qiongniang and Luo Taohua both advised, "Third sister-in-law, go and rest. We can take care of things here."
Madam Su also said, "It's just steaming some wild vegetable buns, it's not heavy work, why do we need so many people? You've had a long day, go and rest! I'll call you when the buns are ready."
Jiang Tangtang couldn't really be of much help, and after being persuaded by the others, she didn't insist.
However, upon returning to her bamboo bed, she didn't immediately go to sleep. Instead, she pulled out the chapter on beekeeping and read it from beginning to end.
Actually, a few days ago when she was in Puzhou City, she took advantage of her free time and boredom to read through all the books in the system.
That was just a cursory glance; some content wasn't fully understood yet. After reading it again, Jiang Tangtang felt she had mastered a new skill. She was also filled with enthusiasm for bringing bees back to raise.
I mentally planned out the things I needed to do the next day.
Besides beekeeping, he also had to teach his family how to use new farm tools, quickly clear the wasteland, build a house, construct a pond in the backyard, and catch some wild ducks to raise...
Jiang Tangtang drifted off to sleep, filled with hopeful anticipation for the future.
Before dawn the next day, Zhou Qiongniang brought the freshly steamed buns to Jiang Tangtang and whispered, "Third sister-in-law, wake up! The buns are ready. Try them and see how they taste."
Jiang Tangtang opened her eyes, still a little dazed, and didn't react for a moment.
Lu Chenyan, however, reacted quickly. He sat up abruptly, grabbed a steamed bun, took a bite, and muttered, "Wow, it smells so good."
Jiang Tangtang pretended to be disgusted and tapped him on the head, "You didn't even brush your teeth before you started eating. Ugh, you're so dirty!"
"Mommy, it's so delicious. This bun is so soft, it tastes like cotton." Lu Chenyan said indistinctly, his mouth bulging like a mole.
Jiang Tangtang thought he looked incredibly cute, and she couldn't pretend anymore. She kissed his puffed-up cheek and said, "If you like it, eat more."
After saying that, she thanked Zhou Qiongniang again, "Second Sister-in-law, have you eaten?"
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