Chapter 201: The price of rice will definitely rise sharply when exchanging it for grain. A fish for a bowl of brown rice...
Every household that had a pot found a place to build a stone stove. When the man who was sent out came back with firewood and dry leaves and hay for kindling, the hostess of the house hurriedly asked He Guixiang for a fire.
Li Chunmiao's family had a lot of things to bring with them, including their fire cupping jar. A fire cupping jar is a covered clay pot. She asked He Guixiang to take a piece of smoldering charcoal and place it in the cupping jar. With the lid closed, the charcoal slowly smolders, preserving the fire for a long time. When the stove was about to go out, she would place the fire in the cupping jar, preserving it for the next fire.
Those who did not bring fire cups also had other ways to preserve the fire. The unburned charcoal in the stove could be buried with the hot ashes. The deeper the burial, the better, so that the charcoal could burn for a long time. When it was necessary to make a fire, the ashes on top could be removed, some dry leaves and grass leaves could be put in to start the fire, and then they could be blown gently to ignite it.
After each family borrowed the fire, smoke rose up one after another, and each family sat around the stone stove and talked in low voices. It became a rare warm scene after the flood.
He Guixiang had washed the brown rice and was about to make porridge when Liao Dunzi suddenly came over with half a jar of brown rice. "Auntie, all our food has been stored in the cave. I only have half a jar left. If Dad were here, it would be enough for the two of us to eat for three days, but we don't know when he'll be back. This will last me a whole day if I eat it all by myself. I'll give you the brown rice. Can you cook my portion too?"
"Don't be so polite! Even if you don't give me this small jar of brown rice, I'll still give you a bite to eat!"
Hearing this, Liao Dunzi laughed, "We still have to provide food. Before my father comes back, if Uncle Lin and Aunt He need any errands, just call me! The same goes for Sister Shu and Brother A Ye. If they need my help, just let me know!"
Lin Xiaopu put her hands on her hips and asked, "What about me? Why did you leave me behind?" Liao Dunzi quickly added, "Yes, there's also Sister Xiaopu."
Lin Xiaopu then smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm here to protect you."
Liao Dunzi is thin and doesn't look as strong as Wang Yingen, who is two years younger than him. If she can protect Wang Yingen, she can naturally protect Liao Dunzi as well.
Liao Dunzi scratched his head and smiled, "Okay, you protect me."
Lin Shu was afraid that he would feel uncomfortable, so she immediately gave him a task. "Dunzi, I need you and Xiaopu to do something. There are a lot of bamboo fungi that have popped up in the bamboo forest after the rain. You and Xiaopu, help me pick a basket full."
"Sister Shu, what is bamboo fungus?" Liao Dunzi asked embarrassedly.
"It's an edible mushroom. It's easy to recognize. Just follow Xiao Pu and she'll point it out to you. You'll know it at a glance."
Then, he turned around and asked Li Chunmiao and Zhang Qiaohua, "Aunt San, Aunt Li, do you want some bamboo fungus? Cut some bamboo fungus into sections and add them to the porridge. Sprinkle a little salt and you'll have a salty and fresh bamboo fungus porridge. It's delicious and nourishing."
Li Chunmiao quickly responded, "Sure, sure, let my Wang Yingen go with us!"
Nowadays, everyone lives in straw huts, and everyone can see clearly what each family eats. Li Chunmiao used to hide any delicious food he had and didn't want others to know, such as bamboo fungus, for fear that the villagers would go to pick it. But now he can't care about so many things.
Ah Shu is generous and willing to share any delicious food with the villagers. As their aunt, she cannot be too stingy.
Zhang Qiaohua knew that her niece knew a lot, so she naturally followed Lin Shu.
When Lin Xiaopu and the other two returned with a basket of fresh bamboo fungi, the villagers asked, "Aren't these bamboo fungi, Ah Shu? Are they really edible?"
Lin Shu smiled and explained, "My aunts and uncles should have eaten it. We also made bamboo fungus at the wedding banquet when Aye and I got married, but it was served cold and shredded so you couldn't recognize it. Bamboo fungus is a mountain delicacy. It's not only edible but also very nutritious. There are also Acanthopanax, Acanthopanax, and Bletilla striata. These mushrooms are abundant in the mountains. If you trust me, you can come with me to dig these mushrooms and I'll teach you how to cook them."
The aunts who asked the questions naturally answered happily.
"Oh, right. When my family went up the mountain, we took all the fish from the pond. Two large buckets of fish. They're still alive, but they can't survive. If any uncles or aunts want some fish, you can trade them for a small bowl of brown rice. I'll sell them cheaply! I've been raising these fish for a long time with mountain spring water. The meat is delicious, without any earthy smell. If Ping'er takes them to town to sell, they could fetch dozens of coins each!"
Lin Shu's call and the calculations made the villagers eager to try something new. They had been hungry all night, so now was the time to get hungry.
A small bowl of brown rice weighs only three or four taels, which is a good deal to exchange for a big fish.
"Ashu, I have a lot of gray flour at home. Can I exchange it for something else?" someone asked.
Lin Shu replied, "Okay, all is fine. If you want gray flour, half a bowl will be enough. Mixed grains are also fine. One and a half bowls of mixed grains are enough. Oil, salt, sauce, vinegar and other things can also be exchanged. Especially the oil. Scoop a big spoonful of oil for me. You can pick any one of the two buckets of fish and go..."
When the villagers heard this, they all discussed it and scooped up some grain to exchange. Those who exchanged early could even pick out the bigger ones from the bucket.
"I want this one, it looks the fattest!"
"This crucian carp is good. I'll take it over to make soup."
"Ashu girl, I want to change two!"
"My family brought out half a can of oil this time, so Ah Shu just scooped a spoonful."
The two large buckets of fish were almost empty in a short while. When there were only eight left, Lin Shu quickly waved her hand and said, "No more, no more. My family still needs to keep a few for ourselves."
If the bucket wasn't needed, and the fish wouldn't die from lack of oxygen if it were too full, Lin Shu wouldn't be willing to give the fish away so cheaply. She'd have eight fish left, four for this meal, and the remaining four to keep for when she felt like it.
He Guixiang was sorting the food she had just exchanged for. After finishing her work, she said happily, "We only had a few days' worth of food left at home for emergencies, but this is enough to last us another seven or eight days!"
Lin Xiaopu pouted and said, "My sister and I have been raising those fish for a long time."
He Guixiang laughed at her, "I know you're reluctant, but you can't eat fish every meal, right? This bowl of rice can make a whole meal of porridge, enough to feed our whole family. Is one fish enough for us to share?"
If it were at another restaurant, a bowl of brown rice could last for two meals. If you save a little and cook the porridge thinner, it could last for three meals.
Lin Shu also said: "After the flood, the price of rice will definitely rise sharply. It's not a bad deal to exchange a fish for a bowl of brown rice."
As she spoke, Lin Shu had already started to prepare the ingredients.
It is best to wash the bamboo fungus and soak it in warm water until it is softened. However, we need to save firewood at the moment, so this step can be skipped. Just cut it into sections after washing and set aside. When the rice porridge in the pot is almost cooked, throw the bamboo fungus sections in, sprinkle salt and mix well, then simmer on low heat for a quarter of an hour.
Zhang Qiaohua and Li Chunmiao's families followed suit and also cooked a pot of bamboo fungus porridge.
The cooked bamboo fungus porridge was set aside to cool. Since she didn't have her clay pot with her, and couldn't use it, Lin Shu decided to make grilled fish.
Zhou Ye had sharpened one end of the bamboo stick as she said, and had sharpened four bamboo sticks in total. He then strung four big fat fish, which had been gutted and scaled, directly on the bamboo sticks and roasted them on the stone stove.
Li Chunmiao, who had been paying attention to this place, had his eyes light up. "Good idea, Ah Shu, my family also grills fish like you!"
Her family had just changed a fish, and she was worrying about whether to stew or steam it, but then she saw Ah Shu roasting it, so she decided to do the same at home.
Someone muttered, "Stupid!" Li Chunmiao glared at them, "What's wrong with me being stupid? Ah Shu knows a lot, so I'm willing to learn from her. If you have the guts, don't learn anything else!"
Zhang Lamei curled her lips. She would never follow that stupid girl Lin Shu, who dared to eat any kind of mushroom and wasn't afraid of killing people.
"The porridge is ready. There's not much left. Your father will have two bowls, and the rest of you can only have one bowl. Do you understand?"
Zhang Lamei stirred the rice in the pot with a wooden spoon, mixing it thoroughly before scooping it out. Because everyone was hungry, she used a bit more rice this time, making it thicker than usual. However, her two sons were still drooling over the fish they had exchanged for from other families.
"Mother, we brought quite a bit of food this time. Why don't you ask Lin Shu to exchange it for a fish?" Lin Duogu asked.
"Eat, eat, eat, all you know is eating. Who didn't carry our bag of gray flour properly and dropped it into the water? And you still have the nerve to ask me about eating!" Zhang Lamei said unhappily.
Did she not want to eat fish? She wanted to, too, but when she thought about having to look at the faces of He Guixiang's family, especially that damned girl Lin Shu, she became furious.
Ping'er came here even though she didn't eat the fish. Why did she insist on eating her fish?
Lin Duogu stopped talking and just ate his meal.
After being hungry all day, this porridge tastes so delicious!
The eldest brother, Lin Duocang, stood aside, watching eagerly for a long time. Seeing that his mother didn't say a word, as if he and his wife were not there, he had no choice but to ask, "Mom, can my wife and I have a bowl too?"
He had been hungry all day, and his stomach was already growling with hunger. It would have been fine if he was just hungry, but his wife was pregnant. Could his mother really be so cruel as to let his wife starve?
Mrs. Wu looked at Zhang Lamei. She also wanted to see if Lin Duocang could get two bowls of rice.
In the end, she still thought too highly of her mother-in-law.
Zhang Lamei heard her eldest son's words and immediately sneered, "You two unfilial sons, what are you going to eat? I think you might as well eat the shit in the pit! Did you forget what I said yesterday? Forget it, there's no meal for you. When I cooked, I didn't even cook for you two. Aren't you two very capable? You two should figure it out!"
Wu gritted her teeth. She didn't look at Zhang Lamei, but instead cast her gaze directly at the silent Lin Datian. "Father-in-law, do you think so too?"
Lin Datian was guzzling porridge from his bowl. He frowned when he heard this and said, "You and the eldest brother argued with your mother yesterday, and she was very angry. You two should skip this meal and let her cool down."
Wu laughed in anger. Since her father-in-law and mother-in-law were shameless, she didn't want them either. "Father-in-law, I'm hungry, but the baby in my belly can't be hungry. If you don't give me a bite to eat, I'll have to go to the head of the village and ask for a meal. If he asks me why I don't have any food, I'll say that father-in-law and mother-in-law are making a rule and not giving me any food."
Her father-in-law was very concerned about his reputation, and she didn't believe that he would really watch her beg for food.
Sure enough, Lin Datian's face flushed red when he heard this, "If you two dare to ask the village head for food today, don't call me dad anymore!"
Lin Duocang: ...
Of course he didn't dare to go to other people's homes to beg for food, but he thought his wife was really brave.
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