Chapter 130: Wild Vegetable Group Digging Wild Vegetables + Recruiting "Child Labor"
"Lin Xiaopu! What are you talking about, little girl?!" Lin Shu scolded with a red face.
If the person who said this was an experienced old driver, Lin Shu would not have reacted like this, but the one who said this was the naive Lin Xiaopu, who said this with the most innocent expression and said dirty words that made her face turn red. It was simply, simply...
Lin Shu’s mind was filled with one sentence: very pornographic and violent.
But she didn't know how to explain it to Lin Xiaopu. Could this kind of thing be explained?
This kind of thing can only be understood but not expressed in words!
Lin Xiaopu hadn't realized what earth-shattering words he had said. Seeing his elder sister so embarrassed and angry, he just chuckled twice, "Don't worry, elder sister, I understand. Of course, this kind of bedroom matter can't be told to others. I'm only telling you, and I'm really worried about you and Brother A Ye - um!"
Lin Shu's hands were filled with wild vegetables, and there was a strong smell of wild vegetables. She didn't want to cover Lin Xiaopu's mouth with her dirty hands, but if she didn't cover it, who knew what inappropriate words this little girl would say.
Why does that rascal Wang Yingen tell Xiao Pu everything?
Lin Xiaopu pried Lin Shu's hand away and breathed a sigh of relief. "Sister, your hand reeks of grass, and it's all in my nose. If you don't want to hear this, I won't say it anymore. At worst, I can go talk to Brother Aye and ask him to be gentler."
Lin Shu:!!
"Lin Xiaopu, if you dare to tell this to anyone, our sisterhood will end!" Lin Shu laughed angrily.
Lin Xiaopu quickly begged for mercy, "I won't dare to do that anymore, I won't tell anyone, please don't be angry, sister."
But her little face was full of confusion, as if she couldn't understand why her elder sister was so angry, since she was obviously worried about her elder sister.
Lin Shu thought that although she usually acted mature and steady in many things, she was only nine years old, so it was normal for her to be ignorant about these things. After a moment of anger, she let it go and took the opportunity to talk to her about the relationship between men and women. Of course, she didn't go into details, but warned her not to talk about such things casually.
Lin Xiaopu nodded after hearing this. "I understand, sister. This is just like the shit and piss in the toilet. It's a very private matter. You can't talk about it. If you talk about it, it's vulgar and obscene."
Lin Shu was at a loss for words. Why did she think of this kind of thing?
In a way, that's not wrong?
Although Lin Xiaopu only had a vague understanding of the situation, he was still worried when he thought of what Wang Yingen said.
Forget it, my sister is not a fool. She is smart. If making dolls is really hard and tiring, she will definitely tell Brother Aye. Brother Aye loves my sister so much, he will definitely not let her suffer too much.
Lin Xiaopu revealed the matter and said to Lin Shu, "Sister, if you are tired, you can take a rest first. I will dig wild vegetables."
Just as he finished speaking, Lin Xiaopu glanced inadvertently into the distance and saw Wang Yingen and his group.
An idea struck her, and she immediately called out to the other party: "Wang Yingen - Feng Shitou - Sun Laifu -"
Six boys led by Wang Yingen were called over.
Before Wang Yingen could speak, one of them, Feng Shitou, grinned and asked, "Sister Xiao Pu, what do you want us to do?"
This child got a bamboo water gun from Lin Xiaopu today, and another one named Sun Laifu got her bamboo slingshot.
Wang Yingen glanced at Feng Shitou and said, "I'm the boss, you have to wait for what I say." Then he asked the same question again.
Lin Xiaopu handed them a purslane and a cattail root and said, "Do you recognize these two wild vegetables? Come dig with me and help me and my sister fill both baskets."
"It's just weeds. There are plenty of them in the grass."
"This is Pueraria lobata. My mother often cuts this other one to feed the chickens. It's a kind of chicken grass."
"The village head's grandfather also cut this kind of grass, and they used it to feed the pigs."
"Sister Xiao Pu, what are you doing with the grass that the chickens and pigs eat? Are you going to feed the chickens?"
After hearing this, Lin Xiaopu suddenly couldn't say for some reason that this was something he wanted to eat. He stammered twice with his lips but didn't say anything.
Lin Shu glanced at her and explained, "The wild grasses that can be eaten by poultry and livestock like pigs and chickens can also be eaten by humans. These two kinds of wild grasses are wild vegetables. Xiao Pu and I are going to pick them and eat them."
As soon as these words were spoken, a group of children burst into laughter.
"Hahaha, Lin Xiaopu actually wants to cut pig and chicken grass to eat himself!"
"How can anyone eat pig and chicken grass these days? Is Lin Xiaopu's family that poor?"
"My family doesn't even eat much Chinese food. The best thing to eat is the small green vegetables from the fields!"
These were some naughty kids who had never been very convinced by Lin Xiaopu.
"Sister Pu, why do you and your sister want to eat chicken grass and pig grass? This grass doesn't taste good at all." This is Feng Shitou, who just got a water gun today and kept calling her Sister Pu.
Sun Laifu, who had obtained the bamboo slingshot, also scratched his head and asked, "Sister Pu, my family grows quite a lot of vegetables. If you don't have enough vegetables, I'll send you a basket tomorrow."
Lin Xiaopu initially felt a strange sense of shame, but after hearing these words, she was furious. The methods her elder sister had used to deal with Wang Yingen flashed through her mind. She immediately raised her chin and snorted, "How much do you know compared to my elder sister? My elder sister is well-read and has seen everything. These cattail root and purslane are good things. Cattail root can relieve summer heat and reduce internal heat, and it can also protect the liver. Purslane is nourishing and can improve eyesight. You guys don't know anything, yet you're just whining!"
The group of people looked at each other, speechless.
Someone stammered, "But, but this weed tastes terrible. If it tasted good, why don't we villagers dig it up and eat it?"
Lin Xiaopu had more to say after hearing this, "Have you ever eaten it? Do you think it tastes bad? If you think it tastes bad, it's because your mother and grandmother don't know how to make it. My sister is going to use this cattail root as stuffing to make wild vegetable dumplings today. The wild vegetable dumplings she makes are very fragrant!"
When several people heard this, they looked suspicious.
"Is this true? You're not going to lie to us, are you?"
Lin Xiaopu rolled his eyes and asked Lin Shu, "Sister, tell them if the wild vegetable dumplings you made are very fragrant?"
Lin Shu smiled. "Whether it's fragrant or not is not up to me to decide, but I can tell you that the cattail root is stuffed with lard, and chopped eggs and diced shiitake mushrooms are added. The skin of the wild vegetable dumplings should be rolled thinner, and then steamed in a pot. The oil and water inside can be steamed out, and when you bite open the soft skin, the light bitterness of the cattail root mixed with the fragrance of lard spreads in your mouth, and the more you chew, the sweeter it becomes..."
A group of eight or nine-year-old children were stunned when they heard Lin Shu's description, and several of them began to swallow their saliva.
They didn't know if the weeds were delicious, but they had to put lard in them! They also had eggs and mushrooms, which were all delicacies that they rarely got to eat!
Then, Lin Shu changed the subject, "Xiao Pu and I are the only ones digging wild vegetables, and we don't know how long it will take. How about this, if you guys have nothing to do, you can help Xiao Pu and me dig together. Whoever digs the most will get one as a free wild vegetable dumpling when I make it."
When Wang Yingen and the others heard this, they all said that they were not in a hurry and they would be able to help dig wild vegetables right away.
"Sister Ashu, Sister Xiaopu, I know where there are a lot of cattail roots. I will use the hem of my clothes to get them back for you!" said Wang Yingen.
"Sister Shu, there's me too. I'm sure I'll dig up more than Wang Yingen!"
"I dig too, I dig too..."
After the group of boys dispersed and went to dig wild vegetables, Lin Shu and Lin Xiaopu looked at each other and laughed out loud, their expressions of success were almost exactly the same.
Lin Xiaopu had called Wang Yingen and the others over initially with this in mind. However, she wasn't up to the task yet, and wasn't as good at fooling people as her elder sister. Just now, when she heard her elder sister describe the recipe for the wild vegetable dumplings, she was already craving them, let alone Wang Yingen and his group.
"Sister, if they dig the same amount of wild vegetables, who should the wild vegetable dumplings be given to?" Lin Xiaopu asked curiously.
"Then give them all." Lin Shu said.
Lin Xiaopu said hesitantly: "But the gray flour is from Aunt Lin's house. Wouldn't it be inappropriate to use Aunt Lin's bread to make wild vegetable dumplings and give them to others?" Isn't this just borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha?
Lin Shu: "Of course I have to ask Aunt Lin for her opinion, but there are only so many wild vegetable dumplings. Giving away a few large ones won't work. We can make a few small wild vegetable dumplings. I was sure Aunt Lin would agree to give them the gift, so I agreed to it. After all, Wang Yingen and the others helped dig the wild vegetables, and they put in the effort. Given Aunt Lin's personality, she will definitely be willing to give them."
"But taking a step back, if Aunt Lin doesn't agree, then we can just knead some dough ourselves. The skin for these wild vegetable dumplings doesn't need to be leavened. After it's left to rise, it'll look more like a bun. The freshly kneaded dough can be rolled out very thinly. After steaming it, the thin skin will show the green color of the wild vegetables, and the broth inside will also be visible. It's both beautiful and delicious."
Lin Xiaopu said with a grin, "Sister, if you keep talking, I'm going to drool too!"
With the addition of Wang Yingen and his six naughty boys, the two backpacks were soon filled with wild vegetables.
Several children looked at Lin Shu eagerly, waiting to see her inspect the results and pick out the best one.
Lin Shu waved her hand cheerfully, "All good, everyone gets a wild vegetable dumpling as a reward! Come on, come to my house, and I'll give you the hot wild vegetable dumplings as soon as they come out of the pot."
The children cheered when they heard this, especially the youngest and the naughty one who had dug the least vegetables. He thought he had no share, but now he got one too?!
The naughty kids all followed him to Uncle Lin's house happily.
Lin Xiaopu was a little confused at first, but after her sister went back and asked Wang Yingen and others to help wash the wild vegetables, she finally understood.
This is called making the best use of things!
She needs to learn how to order people around from her elder sister. Look, Wang Yingen and the others are all so happy while helping with the work.
Lin Shu didn't want to use "child labor" either, as the amount of wild vegetables was simply too great. She picked out the cattail roots from the two baskets and piled them up with the purslane, each forming a small mountain. Even if she couldn't use all the cattail roots, at most only half, there would still be plenty left.
Cleaning the cattail root is very troublesome, as the roots and serrations of the leaves easily hide mud and sand, so you have to scrub each leaf carefully. After washing once, change the water, and do this two or three times, until the water is completely clear.
Now with six little kids helping with cleaning, Lin Shu's workload has been greatly reduced.
"Ashu, why did you call these little brats here?" Lin Zhaodi secretly pulled Lin Shu aside and asked in a low voice.
Wang Yingen and his gang were notorious mischievous brats, hated by everyone in Tianshui Village. Even though Lin Zhaodi had always hoped to have a child of her own, seeing Wang Yingen and his gang gave her a headache. Especially Wang Yingen, Lin Zhaodi had often heard Li Chunmiao tell her about his misdeeds, and every one of them made her want to spank him with a yellow broomstick.
Lin Shu explained, "Aunt Lin, we have to thank Wang Yingen and the others for this today. Otherwise, Xiao Pu and I would have never finished digging these wild vegetables. I thought we couldn't let them work in vain. There are plenty of wild vegetables. I'll go mix some flour and add a few wild vegetable dumplings to steam and give them to them to try."
When Lin Zhaodi heard this, she patted her arm gently and scolded her, "You kid, why do you need to knead extra dough? They're just six little kids. I can only make 40 or 50 of them with this dough, and I can't spare six for them? Besides, who benefits from their helping to dig wild vegetables? It's me! You're alienating me by doing this."
"I'm worried that Aunt Lin won't have enough noodles. Tonight's dinner will definitely be served to Uncle Zhao and his friends first. Uncle Zhao and his friends have been working all day, and we can't let them go hungry. But since Aunt Lin said there's enough, I won't be polite to you."
Lin Zhaodi then sighed, "That's more like it!"
However, after a while, Lin Shu took out three eggs and a small bowl of dried shiitake mushrooms. Lin Zhaodi frowned again, "Shu, the eggs are fine. I used a few of your eggs these days, and I'll remember them and return them to you later. But these dried shiitake mushrooms are hard to find. It costs a lot of money to buy one or two taels outside. You should take them back."
Lin Shu immediately said, "Aunt Lin just told me not to be estranged from you, why are you being estranged from me now? It's just seven or eight dried shiitake mushrooms. You weigh them, they're very light and not worth much. I can't bear to give away more than that, after all, Aye risked his life to pick them from the deep mountains."
She would never say something like "It's easy to pick these mushrooms, Aye. You can just pick more after you finish eating them." She just wanted people to know that these mushrooms are precious and are good things that she usually doesn't want to take out to eat.
"It's because Aunt Lin and I get along so well that I'm willing to serve it to guests, but I won't serve it to others." Lin Shu added.
Lin Zhaodi felt warm at heart when she heard this, "How come you are so lovable, kid!"
She didn't care about having a son or not. If she could give birth to a smart and capable daughter like Ashu, she would have no regrets in her life.
He Guixiang was cleaning up the table. After mixing the stuffing, she rolled out the noodles on the table. She and Lin Zhaodi rolled the noodles, one while the other wrapped them.
Turning her head and seeing Lin Zhaodi's curious eyes, she felt a little proud in her heart. It was normal for her Ah Shu to be so likable.
With the help of Wang Yingen and a few other kids, half a hill of cattail roots was washed out in no time.
Put the washed cattail root into a colander to drain the water. At this moment, boil half a pot of water, and blanch the cattail root after the water boils.
Don't blanch the leaves too long. Use bamboo chopsticks to gently stir them. Once the leaves soften and darken in color, remove them and immediately immerse them in cold water. This method of blanching not only removes most of the bitterness but also preserves the best flavor.
After it cools down, squeeze out the water directly with your hands. Squeeze it several times until it is dry, otherwise the filling will easily leak water. Then cut it into fine pieces and then prepare the filling.
Lin Shu scooped out a bowl of boiling water, which was just right for soaking the dried shiitake mushrooms. After the mushrooms were soaked, they were cut into cubes. Three eggs were quickly stirred into the pan, stir-fried quickly, and then picked up and chopped into small pieces.
Pour the dried shiitake mushrooms and chopped eggs into the cattail root, add salt, soy sauce and other seasonings, and finally pour in three tablespoons of melted lard.
Lin Zhaodi followed the steps Lin Shu said and stirred the wild vegetable stuffing in the bowl in an orderly manner, with her mouth curled up and she never put it down.
The filling smells delicious just by looking at it, and the wild vegetable dumplings made with it will definitely be delicious too!
Lin Zhaodi is not bragging, this time with Ah Shu's help, the two meals she prepared that day were definitely the most sumptuous meals the village laborers had after work!
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