Chapter 398 Pickles]
The food in the lunch boxes was laid out on the table one by one.
A bowl of shredded chicken porridge, a dish of stir-fried pork with bamboo shoots, a dish of scrambled eggs with shrimps, and a bowl of ginseng and wolfberry chicken soup.
After tossing and turning for a whole night and a half, Chen Fenghe was really hungry. Not caring about her image, she picked up the chicken porridge and started eating with the other dishes.
While eating, I couldn’t help but think of the bright red beef hotpot.
When people are hungry, they especially like to think about their favorite food.
Chen Fenghe’s favorite is beef hotpot.
It’s a pity that after coming to ancient times, except for having it briefly once during my exile, I rarely ate it again.
This was mainly because she later discovered that chili peppers, like corn, had not yet been introduced to this dynasty, or even if they had been introduced, they had not yet become popular.
No matter how greedy she was, she had to endure it. Otherwise, how could she explain the pot full of dried chilies and the spicy taste? How could she explain why she knew all this?
However, times have changed.
She started preparing in early spring this year and has already planted peppers in the vegetable garden, including various varieties such as chili peppers, sweet peppers, and screw peppers.
I'll pick some later today, dry some of them into chili peppers, and use some of them to make spicy hot pot.
Although the killing of cattle was prohibited in this dynasty and we couldn't have beef or tripe hot pot, I was still happy to think that we would be able to have mutton hot pot soon.
Seeing that she was in a good mood and seemed to be enjoying her meal, Xiao Yunshuo couldn't help but curl up the corners of his lips and said with a smile, "Is it really delicious?"
Chen Fenghe thought he was hungry too, so she nodded and said with a smile: "Ask the kitchen to add some bowls and chopsticks, you can come too... um..."
Before she could finish her words, her lips were sealed.
Chen Fenghe: “…”
Fortunately, Xiao Yunshuo quickly let her go and said with a smile, "It does taste good."
Chen Fenghe's face couldn't help but burn, and she couldn't tell whether he was talking about her lips or the taste of her lips.
But... besides her cheeks burning, she couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth.
Sure enough, love is still beautiful.
Even though she was calm and restrained, she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions...
Oh, no... this... is somewhat due to the fact that the man in front of me is good at flirting.
If this happened in modern times, wouldn't she be a walking hormone?
She was so addicted to it that she couldn't bear to let it go...
After breakfast and a short rest, Chen Fenghe carefully left the room.
Qin Mengyue was studying with a few children. When she saw her come out, she couldn't help but smile knowingly and came over to greet her. She said with a smile, "Thank you for your hard work. I'll ask the kitchen to make some black chicken soup with angelica for you at noon to nourish you well."
When Chen Fenghe heard this, her face became even hotter, and she could only smile awkwardly.
Angelica and black chicken soup is used to replenish qi and blood. She guessed that Qin Mengyue must have heard about it, regardless of whether she had seen the mattress that was changed in the morning or not.
If it were in the palace, all of these would probably be recorded one by one by the palace servants in charge and kept in the file.
The physical condition of the concubines, when they can be favored by the emperor, and whether they are allowed to give birth to royal offspring are all strictly managed.
Even in this small house, where everything is kept simple, whether the bride has her period or not is something that the mother-in-law should be concerned about, even in an ordinary family.
Chen Fenghe did not feel too much resistance due to being distrusted and being 'secretly monitored'.
Now that you are here, make the best of it.
She is unable to change the overall environment of this era by herself, and out of her own will, she is willing to "temporarily" join the game. Therefore, respecting and accepting some of the secular customs of this era is also the price she should bear.
"Thank you, mother." Chen Fenghe thanked her, then changed the subject and said with a smile, "Mother, the peppers I planted earlier are almost bearing fruit. I'll go to the vegetable garden and pick some. I can use the fresh ones for cooking, set aside some for pickles, and dry some so I can keep them and eat them next year!"
Qin Mengyue asked, "Is this the kind you bought from the merchants in the Western Regions? Although the taste is a bit strong, it does have a unique flavor. It's best eaten in winter to warm the body. Harvest it now and store some for winter. Mother will help later."
"Okay." Chen Fenghe replied, and then found a bamboo basket to go out.
After hearing this, Shen Yichuan, Shen Qingxing, and Xiao Yunhao all put down their brushes and said, "Sister (Sister-in-law), we want to go too!"
Chen Fenghe asked with a smile, "Have you finished your calligraphy? Only if you have finished can you come with me. If you haven't finished, you have to stay home and practice calligraphy."
After hearing this, the three little guys couldn't help but lower their heads. Naturally, none of them had finished writing.
As they were talking, two or three children poked their heads in from the doorway and called out, "Yichuan, Haohao, Qingxing, everyone's going to the river to catch fish and shrimp. What are you still doing sitting at home? Come with us!"
These children were all from the village. The oldest was about ten years old, and the youngest was only three or four years old. When they saw Chen Fenghe and Qin Mengyue in the yard, they all shrank their heads in fear.
When Shen Yichuan and the other two heard that they were going to catch fish and shrimp, they were even more excited than when they had just heard that they were going to pick peppers in the vegetable garden. One by one, they looked up at Shen Fenghe pleadingly.
"Sister, can we finish the calligraphy when we get back? Or, I can write ten more tomorrow. Let's go fishing today, okay?"
"Sister, I also want to catch fish and pick up wild duck eggs! Just let us go!"
"Sister-in-law, I...I want to go too. I'll also write ten more calligraphy pieces tomorrow, okay?"
Chen Fenghe looked at the three expectant little faces, then looked up at the sky.
The weather at the turn of spring and summer is sunny and clear, and the sky is clear blue.
There is a saying that spring is not a good time for reading.
Isn’t today’s weather a reflection of this sentence?
Chen Fenghe sighed and smiled, "Then... let's make a deal. You have to write five more calligraphy pieces tomorrow. Also, you are not allowed to go into deep water, and you are not allowed to run into the reed marshes alone. Do you understand?"
When the three little guys heard that Chen Fenghe agreed, they jumped three feet high with joy.
Shen Yichuan and Xiao Yunhao immediately ran to their rooms and each took out a fishing net made of gauze and bamboo poles, and ran away.
It was Xiao Yunshuo who took the time to make the fishing net for them, and his purpose was naturally to win people's hearts.
After all, he, 'Young Master Yun', had abducted the elder sister and sister-in-law of other children for unknown reasons. The three children, especially Xiao Yunhao, were quite hostile to him at the beginning.
Seeing them run off in a flash, Qin Mengyue couldn't help but laugh. "Alas! These three naughty kids are only willing to listen to you, Fenghe. But, don't let them down too much. They're still in the early stages of learning. If you let them down too much, they won't be able to keep up with their studies."
Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "Mom, once in a while is fine. Besides, reading shouldn't be rote learning. As the saying goes, reading ten thousand books is like traveling ten thousand miles. You have to listen, watch, and think more, so that you can integrate what you learn with practice, form a deep enough impression, and then remember it. The weather is so nice today, letting them go fishing and shrimping is also a very important experience. Just don't get too obsessed with it."
Qin Mengyue nodded and said, "Mother knows what you say makes sense. Hao'er and Yichuan are all good kids. Even if they play, they can still complete their daily homework. However, this village should also set up a school so that all the children in the village can go to private schools. With a teacher to supervise them, they can study when it's time to study and play after class. That's the proper way."
Shen Fenghe agreed with this point.
She smiled and said, "Tomorrow, have His Highness go and talk to Village Chief Wu about this. It's just the cost of repairing the private school building, and the tuition for the teacher, which shouldn't exceed twenty taels of silver a year. Our Yun family will pay the lion's share, and the rest can be done by asking every family in the village with a child who wants to attend school to contribute three to five hundred wen."
Xiao Yunshuo came out and said with a smile, "Building a school and a private academy is indeed a serious matter. I will ask Yuan Xu to discuss it with Village Chief Wu and finalize the matter."
After hearing this, Chen Fenghe said nothing more and went to the vegetable garden.
In a short while, they picked a lot of peppers and other fruits and vegetables.
The peppers include chili peppers and millet peppers, as well as sweet peppers, erjingtiao peppers, etc. The chili peppers and millet peppers have turned red and look very bright.
However, the main vegetables that Chen Fenghe collected were chili peppers and chili peppers. The chili peppers were simply dried in the sun and then stored.
Chili peppers are made into pickled peppers. First, wash and dry the chili peppers, then cut the ginger slices, prepare the Sichuan peppercorns, salt, soup, and the indispensable sorghum wine and rice wine.
Boil water over high heat and add all the seasonings, then simmer over low heat for a while. Then let the seasoning water cool down, then take a container that has been boiled in water and wiped dry, and pour the seasoning water and chili into it.
Finally, pour in white wine, a little vinegar, ginger, garlic, etc., then seal and store.
In addition to pickled peppers, Chen Fenghe also made some chopped peppers. The seasoning used for chopped peppers is similar to that of pickled peppers. The peppers need to be chopped and then mixed with the seasoning. Then, an appropriate amount of sorghum wine is added. Similarly, it is boiled in water and sealed in a sterilized container. It can be eaten after a few days.
Pickled peppers can be used to steam fish, and chopped peppers can be used to make chopped pepper fish head. Both are very flavorful. Just thinking about it, Chen Fenghe couldn't help but feel a little greedy.
She, Qin Mengyue and several maids in the mansion were busy for a long time. In addition to chili peppers, they also pickled some kimchi, sour beans, etc., which could be eaten after fermenting for a few days.
While I was busy, three little guys ran in excitedly.
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