Chapter 646 We Cry Not Because We Feel Wronged
"You can line up to get your meals now!"
With a shout, all the disaster victims became excited.
Dahe Town has organized communal meals many times. There are enough bowls and plates in the village, all placed in several huge winnowing baskets, and people can take them themselves.
Although the bowls and plates are different sizes, the spoons used to serve rice and dishes are all the same size.
A large spoonful of dry rice, plus half a spoonful of braised pork and half a spoonful of red broth, a spoonful of winter melon and a spoonful of wild vegetables, the plate is piled high.
The first person to receive the meal looked utterly incredulous.
"My God, there really is meat, fatty pork, all oily. Dahe Town is so generous."
"Make way, it's my turn... Oh my god, it really is pork, it smells so good, so delicious!"
"If my parents were still alive, they could eat meat too..."
Some sentimental men started wiping away tears, and when one person cried, a group of people began to sob quietly.
"What are you crying for? What are you all crying for?" Old Mrs. Zhao said loudly and irritably. "What's wrong? Are you being treated badly for eating meat? Let me tell you, originally there was no meal allowance. It was our Lady Sui who said that you suffered too much from the disaster. Drinking thin porridge every day in Nanyang is not enough. She wanted you to have enough to eat so you could work properly. So in the end, we decided to provide three meals a day. It is your good fortune to have met such a kind person as Lady Sui. If you don't want this good fortune, then leave quickly. Who are you bothering by crying here?"
"We're not crying because we're upset, we're crying because we're happy. We're so happy to be able to eat meat."
"We will always remember Sui Gongren's kindness. Even if we don't have enough to eat, we will work hard."
"The people of Nanyang will forever remember the kindness of Lady Sui..."
Everyone expressed their heartfelt gratitude, and Grandma Zhao was very satisfied: "Those who have received their meals, hurry up and find a place to sit down and eat."
With over ten thousand disaster victims, Dahe Town naturally couldn't prepare tables and chairs. These people carried their rice bowls, found a clean spot on the ground, and sat down to eat.
When they tasted the first bite of food, their eyes welled up with tears once again.
It really was meat, genuine pork. One bite and your mouth was filled with sweetness. The white rice, soaked in the broth, was plump and irresistible. Wild vegetables were stir-fried with pork cracklings, each leaf coated with the oily flavor, making it incredibly delicious. The stir-fried winter melon was soft, tender, and fragrant, making it impossible to stop eating... For a moment, all you could hear was the sound of people munching on rice.
After finishing your meal, go get a bowl of soup—bone and bamboo shoot soup—it's absolutely delicious.
Even before the disaster, these disaster victims had never eaten such a sumptuous meal. They patted their round bellies, completely satisfied.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, it was already dark. More than 3,000 disaster victims stayed in Dahe Town to sleep, while the others followed Wang Yongcheng to the other two resettlement sites.
The disaster victims slept on the ground in Nanyang City, and did not feel that it was too hard. They found a place and fell asleep with a great sense of security.
The next day, the crowing of roosters filled the air, and the disaster victims woke up early.
The person in charge of this canal project was Magistrate Wei, whose task was to oversee the overall situation. At each of the three resettlement sites, a secretary, a registrar, and Assistant Magistrate Zhao were assigned to look after the disaster victims. The disaster victims at each resettlement site were further divided into groups of 100 people each, which were then divided into more than 30 subgroups. The group leaders were selected based on the performance on the first day.
In addition, specific people will be selected to oversee the tools, someone will be needed to supervise the work on-site, attendance will be recorded, and the logistics department will also need someone to coordinate everything...
In short, anyone who performs well will be promoted, and not only will their work become easier, but their daily wage will also increase by ten coins.
Because of this incentive policy, people in Nanyang are working even harder.
After putting the matter aside, Cheng Wanwan stopped caring about it, believing that Magistrate Wei would definitely deliver a satisfactory answer.
She's currently focusing her energy on crayfish.
After the start of summer, these crayfish seem to have taken hormones, growing extremely fast. Standing by the pond, you can see countless crayfish waving their claws and swimming around arrogantly.
"Little Hammer," she ordered, "have someone catch about twenty pounds and send them to my house. Let's see if we can make any delicious food tonight."
Wu Xiaochui's expression was indescribable.
In the spring, he brought crayfish larvae to Lijia Gou for breeding. The little crayfish were quite cute, but as they grew, they became strange, with hard shells and two large pincers, they didn't look like a dish at all... He was very worried. There were probably 20,000 to 30,000 catties of crayfish in his 50 mu pond, which was about several hundred thousand crayfish. What should he do with them?
Unexpectedly, my aunt said she was going to make it into a delicious dish today.
Is this thing really edible?
Despite being filled with all sorts of doubts, Wu Xiaochui obediently called for help to catch lobsters.
Catching lobsters wasn't difficult; in less than half an hour, they caught over thirty pounds, all of which were delivered to the residence of Lady Sui in Dahe Town.
Even though Granny Ma was very knowledgeable, she was overwhelmed by the sheer number of lobsters and had no idea where to begin.
Cheng Wanwan had a clear idea in mind. Modern crayfish are popular with countless people and can be made into all sorts of dishes, such as braised crayfish, spicy crayfish, marinated crayfish, and steamed crayfish with garlic. Today, she would try these four methods and see which one would be most popular with people of this era.
She asked the maids and servants in the courtyard to come and help clean the lobsters. At first, they were a little afraid of getting pinched by the pincers, but after they found the trick, they were able to clean the lobsters much faster.
Meanwhile, Cheng Wanwan, Wu Huiniang, and Granny Ma were preparing cooking ingredients in the kitchen.
Steamed shrimp with garlic is mainly steamed, and the main seasoning is garlic. This dish is relatively easy to cook, and Granny Ma understood it after hearing it just once.
The most crucial ingredients are braised prawns and spicy crayfish. Both require various spices, such as Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, fennel, bay leaves, cardamom, and dried chili peppers. These spices are stir-fried and simmered in a pot in a specific ratio to create a special sauce for crayfish. Once cooked, the four flavors of freshness, aroma, sweetness, and saltiness are fully integrated into the prawn meat, giving people an ultimate enjoyment.
There is also a dish of delicious braised shrimp, which is similar to the previous braised dishes in terms of cooking process and is mainly prepared by Wu Huiniang.
Soon, a delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen, making people's mouths water.
Zhao Sidan was quietly writing and reading in the study when he was irresistibly drawn in by the smell, and by then, the kitchen was already crowded with people.
Even Zhao Dashan, who usually has little appetite, took the opportunity to do some odd jobs here.
Cheng Wanwan came out of the kitchen: "Dashan, your injuries haven't fully healed yet, so you probably won't be able to enjoy this dish today."
Zhao Dashan chuckled sheepishly, "Then I'll eat it next time."
Cheng Wanwan called over the maids and servants in the courtyard and asked them to give the various flavored lobsters that had been plated up to other people in the village to try. Since it was only thirty catties, which was not much, she gave some to Old Zhao's family, the village head's family, Master Yu's family, Aunt Wang's family, Granny Zhu's family, etc. The main purpose was to let everyone try them and see which flavor they preferred.
After the items were delivered, the family members sat down around the table.
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