In early April, the weather gradually warmed up. Since the beginning of spring, there had not been a drop of rain in Northeast China. The irrigation of the farm depended entirely on everyone carrying water into the mountains. Mr. Shi, an expert in ancient architecture, specially directed the team members to build a waterwheel on the farm according to the irrigation system of the imperial capital.
The source of the waterwheel is a spring deep in the mountains. There is a water source there that no one has ever stepped into. Water is pumped from the mountain with pipes and transported to the farmland. Even if the water level drops, the water source will not dry up.
At the beginning of the construction of the waterwheel, Mr. Song and Mr. Shi gathered the families of the farm workers under the platform. The two old men informed everyone in advance that the construction period would be nearly two months, and they would try to arrange for the family members to do the work in the fields.
In order to meet the construction deadline of the waterwheel, the kitchen staff moved the stove next to the farmland. Su Jin was selected to help in the kitchen staff. After the family members finished their work in the fields, they dug irrigation canals in the fields. After the waterwheel was built, water would flow directly into the fields.
"Sister Lu, Sister Lin and I are picking vegetables together. It's already 10:30 and the team members should be coming down from the mountain soon." Sister Qi sat on a small bench and said to Su Jin.
"Okay, I'll make Northwestern soup and rice today. It requires a lot of ingredients." The members of the kitchen team were sent into the mountains to cut trees, so she took over everyone's lunch.
She once traveled to the Northwest, and her favorite food was the Northwest soup and rice. The ingredients were a bit troublesome to prepare, but it was very convenient for the eaters.
"The squad leader's pickled vegetables have also been delivered." Zong Li led the company's team members to carry the mung bean soup. Su Jin ordered them to move the kimchi out first. "The commander said that we can come down to eat in two hours."
Su Jin was preparing her own ingredients and filled up several porcelain basins next to her.
Yunfeng and Mrs. Qi stared at Su Jin's hands, preparing to learn how to make soup and rice.
The squad leader of the kitchen team had already cut the noodles, and Su Jin only had to prepare the base.
As lunch time approached, the taste of the soup base became stronger and stronger. On another stove, Su Jin was cooking white noodles.
At 11:55, Lu Shiyi led the team members down from the mountain. Su Jin took the noodles out of the soaking water and put them into the soup again and again.
After the soup was boiled twice, rice was served to everyone one by one, while the squad leader and two team members of the kitchen team cooked noodles on the side.
Everyone walked to the front with their lunch boxes. Sister Yunfeng used chopsticks to distribute noodles to everyone, while Sister Qi used a soup spoon to scoop a spoonful of soup for everyone.
A bowl of hot soup and rice warms the hands and feet of those who go into the mountains to cut trees.
Until the end, the few people standing in front of the stove started eating, and the white kimchi from the northwest on the table next to them was almost gone.
The rice soup is vegetarian and contains almost no meat.
"Wife, this is really delicious. Let's eat it often at home." After Lu Shiyi finished eating, his whole body was warm. "I have to go into the mountains in the afternoon, so I may not be back until later today."
"Let's have hotpot today." Su Jin remembered that they only had lunch together, and everyone went home for breakfast and dinner. "Wait until you finish eating. Also, ask the team members what they want to eat tomorrow!"
Lu Shiyi nodded: "I guess he'll still want to eat this. Although it's very hot when chopping trees, once you stop, your body won't be too hot."
Su Jin was worried that Lu Shiyi would catch a cold, so she tried to eat more spicy food.
"Wife, send Hanhan to grandpa first and let the two elders help take care of him." Lu Shiyi whispered to Su Jin, "It's not good for you to always leave Hanhan at home."
Su Jin patted his forehead and said, "Let's send Hanhan there together in the evening, and then pick him up in the evening. Don't let Hanhan disturb grandpa and grandma's rest."
"Okay!" Lu Shiyi agreed with a smile, "Wife, with Uncle Yang and Aunt Yang, there will definitely be no problem."
Six old men sat in their private plots, tending to the vegetable seedlings, and led all the guards who came over to the fields to plant crops.
"Okay, do you want to take some of our vegetable seeds to grandma?" Su Jin remembered that Yang Dazhuang didn't buy many vegetable seeds, so he thought of sending some over.
Lu Shiyi shook his head: "If Grandpa and Grandma don't say anything, we'll try to pretend we don't know. They don't want to trouble us too much."
In the eyes of the elderly, try not to cause trouble for the children.
"Make something delicious in the evening and send some to grandpa and the others. Hot pot is the most convenient." After thinking for a while, Su Jin decided to cook dinner by herself.
They were busy with the waterwheel, so the management of the private plots depended on the grandfathers.
After lunch, Lu Shiyi asked the team members to line up and prepare to go into the mountains to cut trees. These trees were not enough to make a waterwheel, so a wooden house had to be built in the field as a place to stay for the team members who would look after the waterwheel.
After seeing off the team members, the family members took their dishes home to wash them. Su Jin carried a bamboo basket home and put all the dishes into the dishwasher in the space.
She took out another bucket of milk powder and some braised large intestines, preparing to give the three old men a snack.
"Four pounds of braised food should be enough for the old men," Su Jin muttered softly as she prepared. "I also got some spicy braised vegetables and some dried tofu that grandma likes."
Su Jin put the things in two porcelain basins, carried one in a bamboo basket, and held the other in his hand.
Walking out of the house from the back and quickly heading towards the last row, Lu Bairen had just woken up and was about to go to the kitchen to get some water.
"Grandpa, please help me open the door quickly!" Su Jin said happily.
Lu Bairen opened the door and smelled the fragrance from the porcelain basin that Su Jin was holding. His eyes lit up instantly.
"Xiao Jin, why are you carrying meat again?" Lu Bairen asked Su Jin in a low voice, "Your grandma will scold you again later. Your grandma is so nagging."
"Grandpa, it's not just meat, there are also some braised dishes. You and grandma both like them, so grandma will definitely not scold you." Su Jin hurriedly explained, "Besides, the braised dishes are offal like pig intestines, not meat!"
Lu Bairen opened the courtyard gate, and Su Jin went straight into the kitchen and placed two porcelain basins on the counter.
"These can be eaten directly in the evening. Grandpa, let's have hot pot tonight. Where is the bamboo basket I asked Ayi to deliver yesterday?" Su Jin asked Grandpa Lu, "Those are all for tonight's dinner. I prepared the base of the pot in advance, you can cook the vegetables later."
Su Jin was preparing to make a big hodgepodge, and while Grandpa Lu was looking at the braised food, he took out an oil-paper bag from the bamboo basket.
Lu Bairen was attracted by the oil-paper package and found that there were beef ribs inside the big oil-paper package.
"These are what Ayi brought back from outside. I braised them specially and used them as the base for the pot!" Su Jin whispered to Lu Bairen, "If we don't eat these quickly, they will definitely go bad."
Lu Bairen felt warm in his heart. It was very cool in the cellar and the food would not go bad if he kept it there for a while.
"Okay," Lu Bairen nodded, "We can cook the dishes in the house later. From now on, let Hanhan stay with me during the day so we can keep an eye on him."
"Grandpa, Ayi and I are busy these days, so I wanted to ask you and the wet nurse to take care of Ayi!" Su Jin said happily.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
