Chapter 117 Snow Pear Soup - The Sky Has Collapsed Again
It was a fine, sunny afternoon in early autumn.
The kitchen was filled with bright light, and the two of them, one big and one small, quickly got to work making afternoon tea.
Dongkui and Ningjia, one using a small cutting board and the other a large one, together cut the plump, washed, and peeled pear into crystal-clear small pieces.
Ning Jia gave Dong Kui a thumbs-up, put the chopped pear pieces into a porcelain bowl for later use, and then brought over a bowl of soaked white fungus, introducing it as follows:
"This ingredient is called silver ear fungus, which is also a type of fungus."
Seeing that Dongkui looked somewhat confused, Ning Jia thought for a moment and gave an example:
"You should remember the wood ear mushrooms that we often eat at home, right?"
Dongkui nodded. Wood ear mushrooms were not uncommon in the forest. He had eaten them before entering the city, but the ones his tribesmen made back then were not as delicious as Ningjia's, and he didn't particularly like them.
It was only after coming to Ningjia that he came to like the taste of wood ear mushrooms.
Ning Jia tried to explain it in a simple and easy-to-understand way:
"Hmm... this white fungus, like wood ear fungus, is a very nutritious fungus, but its taste and effects are completely different."
As she spoke, she picked up a large piece of silver ear fungus from the bowl and quickly began cutting it with scissors:
"Although this white fungus looks just as crunchy as wood ear fungus on the surface, once it's cooked into a soup, it becomes soft and chewy, and it's quite delicious."
As she spoke, she gave Dongkui a small portion of the silver ear fungus, placing it on his small cutting board, indicating that he should also cut the silver ear fungus.
"Try to cut it into smaller pieces. This will make it easier to extract the gelatinous substance after boiling, which is one of the keys to making the white fungus soup thicker."
"Um."
Dongkui carefully noted down the points Ning Jia mentioned, then, holding a mini pair of scissors, she imitated Ning Jia's movements and carefully cut the silver ear fungus into small pieces.
After they washed the red dates and goji berries, removed the pits from the red dates, and cut them into small pieces, Dongkui noted down some new points of knowledge—
This fruit called goji berry, although it is quite small, can protect the liver and improve eyesight. It is also easy to eat; it can be used to make soup or tea. It is a very powerful fruit.
"Red dates and goji berries are common ingredients for health preservation. When it gets cold, we'll probably brew some health-preserving tea for everyone at home. I'll have to teach you how to make it then... Never mind, let's talk about that later."
When Ning Jia starts talking about cooking, she tends to ramble on and on, and worried that the child might not be able to process it all at once, she brings the topic back on track:
"Now that all the ingredients are ready, we can start cooking the white fungus."
"Um."
Dongkui responded and quickly ran to her usual cooking spot, then suddenly froze.
Ning Jia smiled as she watched his stunned expression:
"So, Chef Dong? Are you satisfied with what you see now?"
Dongkui nodded her little head excitedly, like Xiaoji pecking at rice, and after saying "hmm" for a long time, she finally remembered to thank Ning Jia.
"You're welcome."
Ning Jia wiped her wet hands with a tissue, stroked Dong Kui's curly hair, and smiled:
"I'm not doing this solely for you. If you learn to cook quickly, you can cook more food, which will make things easier for me in the future."
Dongkui nodded vigorously again, "I will definitely do my best!"
He stood in the "small kitchen" that Ning Jia had specially rearranged for him, feeling quite pleased with himself. He quickly ran to the storage shelf against the wall and began to examine it carefully.
The storage rack is small, only half a meter wide, and not tall either, with each shelf about the height of a miniature human, and there are three shelves in total.
After Ning Jia organized everything, most of Dong Kui's kitchen utensils were stored here:
The bottom layer contains a relatively heavy small frying pan and a small pot that can be used for steaming and boiling, while the middle layer contains light and small kitchen utensils such as steaming trays, spatulas, and spoons.
As for the top of the storage rack, because it's inconvenient to reach, I haven't put any kitchen utensils there yet. I've only put a sticky note that can stand upright for Dongkui to use to write down recipes and the like.
After looking at it for a while, Dongkui understood the general classification.
He then ran to the sink, washed his small cutting board and knife, put the knife in a sheath, and placed it on the second shelf of the storage rack.
Then he returned the way he came, carrying his little cutting board, and placed it on the second shelf as well.
Now, almost all the kitchen utensils have been put away, except for the larger health pot which is placed separately to the side.
As for the induction cooker, the cooking stove is placed directly in the center of the small kitchen, so there's no need to move it around.
Once the novelty of the winter okra wore off, Ning Jia said, "You can gradually change the layout of this place according to your own preferences in the future," and then quickly started making soup with him.
...
About half an hour later, the white fungus soup in both the large and small pots had successfully developed a beautiful gelatinous texture.
With a smile on her face, Dongkui learned about the many benefits of the white fungus and snow pear soup while chatting idly during the wait.
There's so much to learn in the kitchen! Looks like I'll have plenty to write in my diary today.
He was thinking about writing in his diary when he suddenly turned his head, looked at the bag of popcorn on the counter, and asked in confusion:
"Ning Jia, you just said that autumn is dry and we need to drink some nourishing soup to soothe the lungs, but...aren't popcorns very, very dry?"
He was utterly baffled:
"If you eat popcorn and drink soup at the same time, wouldn't that mean you're eating both dry and moist food at the same time, which would be... like eating for nothing?"
Wow, Dongkui is a promising kid! She's even discovered the contradictions in diet!
Ning Jia chuckled, suddenly remembering some netizens who ate hotpot while drinking Wanglaoji herbal tea, or drank alcohol while taking liver-protecting pills...
She whispered to Dongkui:
"Actually, the clan chief and I had already thought of this, so we'll stop supplying popcorn for now after we finish this half bag of popcorn at home."
"By the way, don't tell anyone else yet."
Huh?
Dongkui's eyes widened, and she suddenly regretted asking the question earlier.
He blinked, repeatedly asking, "Really no more popcorn?"
Ning Jia nodded seriously:
"Eating popcorn can easily cause internal heat. If you can't poop in this kind of weather, your little bottom will suffer."
"Besides, you've been eating popcorn almost all summer long, aren't you tired of it at all?"
Dongkui shook her head, wanting to say that summer is really, really short, how could she possibly get tired of it? Then she heard Ning Jia continue:
"Actually, eating nuts can easily cause internal heat, so sunflower seeds, peanuts, walnuts, cashews, um... you know what I mean."
ah? ……
Dongkui was so frightened that she quickly shut her mouth.
That's the downside of spending so much time in the kitchen; you always end up overhearing all sorts of important secrets about food.
He absolutely must hold back and not tell the other members of his tribe, otherwise...
...
Our new afternoon tea item—white fungus and pear soup—received rave reviews from the kids on its debut.
After hearing that the soup was good for the body, everyone drank it even more enthusiastically.
The small pot of white fungus soup made by Dongkui was for Shannai and Zelan; it was a "sugar-free" version without rock sugar.
As for Ning Jia's large pot of white fungus and pear soup, some rock sugar was added to increase the sweetness; otherwise, the two soups were exactly the same.
At the time, Dongkui asked curiously, "Why didn't you put rock sugar in the soup you made for Shannai and the others?"
Ning Jia explained, "People with weak constitutions shouldn't eat too much sugar because their metabolism is already slower, and eating sugar will make it even harder to metabolize."
Seeing Dongkui's bewildered expression, Ning Jia relayed the words of the Canglan clan chief:
"The chieftain said that Shannai and the others have weak spleens and stomachs. It's fine for them to eat some naturally sweet foods, but they should eat less refined sugar like rock sugar, otherwise it may help with dampness and phlegm, and affect digestion..."
This time, Dongkui understood, but she was still a little worried:
"Would this sweet drink still taste good without sugar?"
Ning Jia calmly assured him:
"It's alright. Red dates and goji berries are naturally sweet, and pears also have a sweet taste. Even without rock sugar, it will still taste sweet."
After it was cooked, Dongkui quickly took a small bite and almost burned her tongue. Only after tasting the sweetness in the soup did she feel relieved.
But a major characteristic of beginners is that they are sometimes very confident and sometimes very insecure.
At this moment, while Dongkui was drinking the sweet rock sugar version of white fungus soup, she secretly glanced at Shannai, wondering if the other person was satisfied with today's soup.
Seeing his craning neck and furtive, dog-like appearance, Ning Jia couldn't help but chuckle. She simply picked up her bowl, squatted down beside the coffee table near Shan Nai, and softly asked:
"Xiaoshan Nai, was the white fungus soup delicious today?"
Dongkui, who was secretly observing, immediately perked up her little ears.
Shan Nai held up her small spoon, slowly finished the soup, smiled sweetly at Ning Jia, and spoke in a particularly cheerful, soft voice:
"I think it tastes really good!"
Ning Jia said with a smile, "That's great, then you should drink more!"
"Yes." Yamana nodded seriously.
Whew—Dongkui's shoulders relaxed, and she felt completely at ease, finally able to savor the sweet water in the enamel cup.
He Meng, who was sitting next to him, had already finished her soup and even reminded him:
"Dongkui, the clan chief said you're a bit thin. If you want to be a head chef, you need to eat more so you have the strength to learn martial arts from me."
Sitting next to Dongkui, Su Mu deeply agreed:
"Sister He Meng is right, we need to eat more, otherwise we won't have the strength to practice martial arts."
Hearing this, Xuecao was so surprised that she forgot to drink her soup.
"What? He Meng, when did you start teaching martial arts?"
He Meng chuckled without any modesty:
"It's just Dongkui and Sumu. The clan chief said they're still growing and learning some martial arts might make them stronger, so he asked me to teach them."
When Xuecao heard this, she felt like the sky had fallen. She couldn't even drink the delicious sweet soup anymore. She put the spoon into her small cup, pouted, and went to find Ningjia.
...
Ning Jia was sitting on the sofa, drinking some white fungus soup, when she listened to Xue Cao's complaints and couldn't help but chuckle, almost drinking the soup into her nose...
Cough cough cough—
She covered her mouth with a tissue while coughing, and after her breathing calmed down, she smiled and said to the round-faced little boy who looked anxious:
"How could you have such a thought? Xuecao, your little brain is so smart, have you forgotten why the clan leader made you, Baisu, and Juye have to take lessons alone with Zelan?"
Snow Grass seemed stumped by the question:
"Well... the chieftain said that the tribe needed someone to learn about giants so that they could better survive in the city in the future."
Ning Jia then asked her, "So how are your studies going now?"
Xuecao thought for a moment, "Teacher Zelan said that I am the best at literacy and quite good at arithmetic as well."
"That's settled then."
Ning Jia extended a finger and gently smoothed down the tuft of hair that was sticking up on the top of her head due to anxiety.
"For you now, studying hard is an important task assigned to you by the clan."
"But--"
Xuecao pouted, looking hesitant and wanting to say something:
"I've learned so much, but... but licorice and sappanwood can make clothes, quartz can carve wood, quartz and rice sprouts will grow vegetables, winter melon can cook, orange leaves are doing research and can be the chief's little assistant, and even He Meng will be a teacher..."
She rattled off everything that everyone her age was doing, and then, looking heartbroken, said:
"I'm the only one who hasn't accomplished anything except studying every day!"
Ning Jia was taken aback. She wanted to say that studying hard was a remarkable thing in itself. But when she thought back to her own student days, she couldn't bring herself to say such a thing.
Yes, although Xuecao's current main identity is "student", she doesn't need to take the high school entrance exam or the college entrance exam, and she doesn't need to compete fiercely for a single opportunity. There's really no need for her to make studying the only focus of her life.
The problem is that everyone else is doing things out of their own interests and hobbies, but so far, Xuecao doesn't seem to have any particular hobbies besides reading.
"Xuecao, look, Gancao and the others do those things because they're interested. You can also do things you like when you're not in class."
Xuecao frowned in distress and gave Ning Jia the answer she expected:
"But I don't like any of what they do, and I don't know what I want to do..."
Not knowing what you want to do is a major problem faced by most people on Earth.
Many adults don't even know what they really want to do, let alone ten-year-old Xuecao?
Ning Jia was at a loss. She picked up her phone and searched online for "potential hobbies to develop," then picked out some suitable ones and asked Xue Cao about them:
Craftsmanship? Pass. Xuecao's craftsmanship is much better than Ningjia's, but she's still one of the less skilled ones among the little people.
Reading? Pass. I'm already reading while I'm studying every day.
Sports, pass. Xuecao only enjoys talking; she doesn't like any other sports.
Drawing? Pass. Xuecao completely failed to inherit Baizhi's talent for drawing; she's a complete idiot.
Movies? No. Xuecao is somewhat interested, but it's impossible to show movies all the time; it would be too addictive for everyone. No.
Learning a new language? Pass. Xuecao is already majoring in Chinese and minoring in humanities; if she learns another one, her language system will become chaotic.
Crosstalk? ...pass. Xuecao was somewhat interested, but no one was willing to come every day as a volunteer audience member to listen to her perform.
...
After asking each question, Ning Jia was at her wit's end; she really had no ideas left.
Seeing Xuecao's increasingly anxious expression, she could only comfort her:
"Actually, if you don't have any hobbies, you don't have any. It's not a big deal."
She pointed to herself:
"Look at me, I've never had any hobbies growing up, but I've still grown up happily, haven't I?"
Ning Jia wasn't lying; aside from cooking, she really didn't do anything else much. If she had to say, well...
Hmm, those things don't seem like they're unsuitable for Xuecao to do?
Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she said to Xuecao:
"Xuecao, do you know? When I was in school, every summer vacation... uh, you know, the kind of vacation we had in the summer, the school would let us participate in some extracurricular activities in order to broaden our horizons and develop our abilities."
"These summer activities that allow students to learn about real society and apply what they have learned are generally referred to as 'summer social practice' in our area."
"Although it's already autumn, we don't have summer vacation anyway. We've been studying for so long, why don't we just take a few days off and do some autumn social practice? What do you think?"
Xuecao didn't have any objections, but, "Isn't this kind of practical experience supposed to be done in society, in the outside world? How am I supposed to do it?"
Ning Jia smiled slightly:
"It's okay, this social practice can actually be done at home. Let me discuss it with Teacher Zhelan, and we'll officially start tomorrow."
Wow--
Snow Grass's eyes immediately lit up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
