Chapter 423 Tender Lotus Root Shoots
The next day at noon, as soon as work was over, the crowd surged toward Old Zhao's canteen.
To avoid overcrowding, Cheng Wanwan deliberately delayed the lunch break by 15 minutes to avoid conflict with the schedule at Meishan. The glycerin workshop would close first, and the soap workshop would close 15 minutes later.
"Please don't push, line up one by one." Grandma Zhao stood at the entrance of the cafeteria maintaining order. "Get your bowls and chopsticks here, line up here to get your food, then get your side dishes, and then go to the side to get a bowl of soup. There are tables and chairs outside, find a place to sit, and when you're done eating, don't just wipe your mouth and leave. Throw your dirty bowls and chopsticks in the sink at the back, and keep your bowls and chopsticks separate..."
The people standing here now are the workers from the glycerin workshop.
Although Cheng Wanwan had told them yesterday that meals would be provided, they still couldn't quite believe it. Some of them hid dry food in their sleeves, afraid that they wouldn't be able to get a single bite and would go hungry.
Especially those at the very end of the queue, looking at the long line ahead, are very anxious.
The person who had finished getting their food held a rice bowl in their left hand and a soup bowl in their right, looking happy and satisfied.
"My God, there's even white rice!"
"It's all plain white rice, cooked without any mixed grains!"
"I can smell the pork cracklings! My goodness, white rice mixed with pork cracklings tastes even better than what my family eats during Chinese New Year!"
"There's also a bowl of pork bone soup, but it's all oily!"
The villagers of Chengjia Village slurped their saliva. They had thought that a bowl of wild vegetable porridge would be quite good, but they hadn't expected the meal to be so plentiful.
White rice and pork cracklings—these are delicacies we only get to eat during holidays and festivals!
Does that mean we'll be able to eat this every day from now on?
No, no, no, I wouldn't dare think that way. I'd be happy just to have a meal.
The men of Chengjia Village finally reached the front of the line, took their bowls and chopsticks from the table, and nervously went to the window to get their food.
The person behind the food window is Zhao Youyin. If it's a man, he'll give him a big spoonful of white rice; if it's a woman, he'll give her a little less.
After getting our food, we went to the next window where Ms. Wen was in charge of serving the vegetables. Each person received half a spoonful of pork cracklings, plus a large spoonful of stir-fried wild vegetables with pork lard, filling a bowl to the brim.
Passing through this window, you'll see Mrs. Sun serving soup, with bowls of soup placed on the table for you to take as you please.
The shop was filled with tables, and tables and chairs of varying heights were also casually placed outside. The workers found their own seats and began to eat.
When the first bite of pork cracklings mixed with rice entered their mouths, some honest, unassuming men couldn't help but tear up.
Most of them were from Chengjia Village, a poor mountain village. Last year, they suffered from drought and locust plagues, and they hadn't recovered from the effects. They were just waiting for the spring harvest to have something good to eat. The wheat hadn't even been harvested yet, and unexpectedly, they were eating something they had only dreamed of.
"The pork cracklings are so delicious, they smell amazing!"
"The white rice smells so good. Each grain is white and whole. It's not old rice or broken rice. It's fine rice."
"Second Aunt Cheng is so generous, no wonder Cheng Zhao didn't want to go back as soon as he arrived."
"Grandma Cheng still says every day that her second daughter is stingy and petty. If the second aunt of the Cheng family is stingy, then there is no generous person in this world."
"Enough talk, hurry up and eat, then get back to work!"
"I'm bursting with energy right now!"
"..."
After the men in the workshop had eaten and drunk their fill, they immediately threw themselves into their hard work.
Cheng Wanwan was bedridden for ten days before she finally gained her freedom.
It's already mid-April, time to harvest the winter wheat, and some of the hardworking men in the village have already started harvesting.
Last autumn, she experienced the hardship of harvesting rice, and this year she absolutely did not want to experience it again. She directly asked Dashan to call farmhands to help harvest wheat. Ten farmhands worked together, and the wheat was harvested in three to five days.
After drying, the grains are threshed and stored, and taxes are paid before the spring harvest is truly over. And by now, it's already the end of April.
The lotus leaves in the pond have begun to show their pointed tips, and the curled leaves float on the water, attracting many dragonflies.
"A tiny lotus bud has just emerged, and a dragonfly has already alighted on it."
She finally understood the meaning of the poem.
"Oh right, how could I forget something so important!"
Cheng Wanwan slapped her forehead.
She remembered that when the lotus leaf is at the pointed tip stage, a lotus root will grow from the base, which is the young stage of the lotus root, and it is especially delicious and sweet.
"Dashan, let's go to the lotus pond!"
Zhao Dashan stopped what he was doing and followed him to the back.
The boardwalk here is almost finished. The pond is no longer covered with mud and weeds, but instead has a long wooden path. A pavilion for resting and enjoying the flowers has also been built by the pond.
Go past the pavilion, a set of steps leading down to the pond has been built, allowing you to slowly descend step by step.
"Dashan, take off your coat and go into the water," Cheng Wanwan said. "Follow my instructions and retrieve something from the water."
Zhao Dashan thought his mother wanted to catch fish, so he quickly said, "I'll have Sidan and Sanmao go to the river to catch fish later; the fish there are fatter."
“It’s not a fish, it’s a newly grown jade shoot.” Cheng Wanwan squatted by the pond, pointing to the lotus leaves. “If you look closely at the curled-up leaves, see which way the pointed end is pointing. Then follow the stem downwards. When your hand touches the soil, continue following the pointed end. You’ll feel something thin. Gently pull it out…”
Zhao Dashan selected a pointed lotus leaf and bent down to feel it in the water.
It wasn't yet the height of summer, and the water wasn't too deep. He groped around in the water with both hands, and because he had no experience, it took him a long time before he finally found something thin and long, which he then gently pulled out.
A lotus root, about thirty centimeters long and covered in mud, was taken out of the water.
"Yes, yes, that's it!"
Cheng Wanwan was overjoyed and quickly took it, washed it in the water, revealing the snow-white lotus root shoots. She took a bite right away.
These are freshly grown lotus roots, very tender, sweet, and crisp; they can be eaten raw.
These things only grow for about ten days. If left unattended, they will swell and grow into lotus roots. Lotus roots are delicious, of course, but the lotus shoots have a unique flavor.
Seeing Cheng Wanwan's blissful expression, Zhao Dashan worked even harder.
With experience, he soon pulled out more than a dozen, washed them clean, and placed them on the shore. They were white and tender like fingers, very eye-catching.
"Let's draw another twenty or so." Cheng Wanwan already had more than a dozen recipes in her mind. "Let's make a spicy and sour lotus root tonight."
The most famous ways to cook lotus root are stir-frying and spicy and sour, both of which are delicious, but she prefers something with a stronger flavor.
When she returned with thirty or forty lotus roots, all the children in the yard gathered around to watch, each one extremely curious.
"You'll see how delicious it is once it's done," Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. "Hongyan, you cook the other dishes, I'll cook this one."
Wash the lotus root thoroughly, cut it diagonally into sections, soak it in lightly salted water, and then prepare the ingredients.
The chili peppers planted in the yard have already sprouted some small ones. I picked three or four, chopped them up, and then prepared some scallions and garlic.
Heat oil in a pan, add the seasonings and sauté until fragrant. Then add the lotus root slices to the hot pan and stir-fry briefly. Finally, add vinegar—add plenty for the best flavor…
A crowd had gathered at the kitchen door. Zhao Sidan swallowed hard. His mother hadn't cooked anything delicious in ages; the lotus root shoots she made this time were sure to be amazing. He couldn't wait to eat them…
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