Chapter 214 End of the text: Peace of mind is the place to return to, Ah Shu...
Zhou Ye's eyes were always full of life. Without Lin Shu's instructions, he had already started washing the kudzu and fern roots that had just been dug today.
He looked up at the sound and was met with Lin Shu's smiling face and the bowl of hot kudzu root powder paste in her hand. His stomach, which had not felt hungry at all, suddenly growled twice. The sound was so loud that He Guixiang, who was standing beside him, also laughed.
He Guixiang joked, "Hurry up and eat. Eat first, then get back to work. You and Ah Shu both have big appetites at home, so two meals a day is really hard on you two. This acorn powder, kudzu root powder, and fern root powder are all painstakingly made by you and Ah Shu. Don't worry about the others at home. Just make a bowl of this with boiling water whenever you're hungry."
Lin Shu continued, "Mother, it was Ah Ye who dug all this stuff up in the mountains. He did a lot of work and got hungry quickly, so I gave him some special food. Mother, please don't think I'm partial."
He Guixiang immediately glared at her, "What's the situation now? How can I still be greedy for your food? Besides, you can't bear to eat it yourself."
Lin Shu giggled, "You can eat acorn flour today. I'll add acorn tofu for dinner!"
He Guixiang replied, "Okay, I'll do as you say! Xiao Pu will jump for joy when he finds out."
After Zhou Ye washed his hands, he came over to eat the kudzu root powder paste. He ate most of it and left a small portion. He handed the bowl to Lin Shu, "Ah Shu, you eat."
Worried that Lin Shu wouldn't eat, he added, "We're going to make acorn tofu for dinner. I want to save some space for that."
Lin Shu knew very well that he said that on purpose, because his voracious stomach could eat as much as he wanted.
She took the bowl and ate a few spoonfuls. After brewing, the kudzu root powder became translucent and gelatinous, with a faint herbal fragrance and a bit of the fresh scent of soil after rain. If nothing was added, it would taste slightly sweet at first, and then a hint of astringency would emerge. But because Lin Shu threw a piece of rock honey into it, the original astringency was covered up, leaving only a hint of sweetness, which made people linger in the aftertaste.
After Lin Shu ate a few spoonfuls, she fed the rest into Zhou Ye's mouth.
Zhou Ye secretly glanced at He Guixiang and saw that she was busy with other things and not looking at him, so he opened his mouth to catch it.
Lin Shu laughed at him, "Why are you embarrassed? Mother is not a stranger."
Zhou Ye looked at her deeply without saying anything. After he finished eating the kudzu root powder porridge that Lin Shu fed him, he went back to his work.
Lin Shu: ? ?
What kind of look was that in Aye's eyes? It made her feel uneasy.
With dried acorn powder, acorn tofu is easy to make.
Although acorn powder can be as fine as flour, it can also easily clump together, so you need to crush the clumping dry powder before using it.
One pound of acorn flour can make ten pounds of acorn tofu, which is quite impressive. Lin Shu only scooped a bowl of acorn flour, which can make about two or three pounds of acorn tofu.
You should know that an ordinary piece of tofu is only about half a pound, which can be fried into a large plate. These two or three pounds of acorn tofu are enough to make a large pot, which can fill half a basin after mixing.
The ratio of acorn powder to water is one to ten. After estimating the amount of water needed, put a small part of the water into the pot and boil it. Pour the remaining water into the acorn powder and stir it into noodle soup. Then slowly pour in boiling water, stirring with a wooden spoon while pouring, just like making jam.
He Guixiang took over the stirring task consciously. After all, she was the woman who worked by the stove. She knew that she had to stir quickly to prevent it from getting mushy, without Lin Shu telling her. If it stuck to the pot, the taste would be bad.
He Guixiang was quite surprised to see that the originally light yellow acorn powder soup turned into a light brown translucent thick paste as it was stirred in the pot, which looked very much like the texture of jam.
"Ashu, is it done?"
"Alright, alright, Mom, please move aside so I can pour out the batter from the pot."
He Guixiang hurriedly reminded, "Be careful, don't burn your hands."
Lin Shu smiled and glanced at someone, "Don't worry, mother, this kind of thing has only happened once in our family."
Now that she was strong, she easily picked up a large pot of hot batter and poured it into the ceramic pot while it was still hot. After cooling, it became a whole piece of acorn tofu, which was bright brown in color, with a very delicate surface and was very elastic to the touch. It was very appetizing just by looking at it.
Lin Shu took a thin bamboo stick, cut the tofu into large pieces, and soaked them in water.
The weather is cold now, so this acorn tofu is not suitable for cold dishes. It is best used in hot pot. Unfortunately, the conditions do not allow it, so I will just stir-fry it.
"Ashu, I think this acorn tofu is quite similar to Guanyin tofu. Can they also be used to make ice jelly?" He Guixiang asked curiously.
"Mother is so clever! This acorn tofu is just like Guanyin tofu. The simplest way to eat it is to mix it cold. You can make it sweet or salty, and add any seasoning you like. In the summer, cut it into small pieces, add some honey or sugar water, and throw in a few pieces of crushed ice. It will be a great summer treat, just like ice jelly."
If the acorn powder can be stored, it will be no problem to keep it until the summer of next year, but the key is that there are so many mouths to feed at home, and she and Aye are two big eaters, so how can it be kept until then?
After soaking the chopped acorn tofu in water for a while, Lin Shu took it out and sliced it for later use.
Heat oil in a wok and add green Sichuan peppercorns and dried cornel fruit. Fry until fragrant. Remove from heat and add acorn tofu slices. Add salt and a small amount of water. Simmer for a while before serving. Sprinkle a handful of chopped green onions on top for added color and flavor!
"Wow, it smells so good, I can smell the spicy aroma!" Lin Xiaopu, who was reviewing his homework in the inner room, poked out his little head and said with a grin.
"You have a good nose." He Guixiang joked.
In addition to this vegetarian stir-fried acorn tofu, Lin Shu also made a stir-fried taro stems.
Heat oil in a pan, sauté minced garlic, throw in a few dried shrimps, then add the soaked taro stems and stir-fry over high heat. Season with salt, vinegar and other condiments. It will be delicious and appetizing!
Finally, let's have a dish of kudzu root cakes with wild onions. Kudzu root powder is diluted with cold water into a thin paste, then spread into thin pancakes in a frying pan. Cut into strips, and stir-fry with the wild onions. A spoonful of lard is added midway to enhance the aroma, which is so fragrant that it's almost mouth-watering.
Lin Zhaodi and Zhao Laosan from across the street: ...
Oh my god, why does it smell so good!
It must be Ah Shu making something delicious again!
Living opposite Ah Shu's house is good in every way. The only annoying thing is that I can smell the fragrance of cooking coming from the opposite yard every now and then.
After smelling that smell, the rice in the couple's hands suddenly lost its fragrance.
Lin Laoer and his family enjoyed this dinner very much.
During the famine, although they did not eat to their heart's content, everyone in the family could eat until they were 70% full. In addition, Lin Shu would make some new and novel snacks from time to time, so Lin Laoer's family lived a very comfortable life.
In the middle of the night, Zhou Ye, who had eaten and drunk enough thanks to his wife, hugged his good wife and loved her dearly.
Each time, extremely fiercely and heavily.
He moves a lot and doesn't like to sleep in bed because the bed frame can't bear it and makes noises. Lin Shu is the same.
Therefore, their favorite posture is to stand in the house and entangle themselves, like an old tree and a vine, entangled very tightly and deeply.
"Ashu, how is my waist?" Zhou Ye asked in a hoarse voice, doing it for a long time without even taking a breath.
"Woo, okay... okay." The tone was broken by the collision.
She just accidentally said what was in her heart, so why did it make Aye so excited?
Lin Shu was wrapped around that nice waist, crying as she was shaken.
"Aye, you beast, wuwu."
Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore and opened his mouth to bite Aye's shoulder.
Zhou Ye remained calm, "Why should I be embarrassed? Daddy, Mommy, and Xiao Pu are not strangers."
He actually returned the words that Lin Shu had said to the honest man in broad daylight.
"Hmm~" Great, he is holding back his bad behavior here, Aye is indeed a Ninja Turtle.
But she was also very patient. Even when things got to this point, she could still keep her guard up and not make any loud noise.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Qinshou suddenly said at this time: "A Shu, don't hold it in, I love to hear it, scream more."
Lin Shu understood what he meant immediately, raised her noodle-like leg and gave him a weak kick, then angrily said, "Get lost!"
The two of them quarreled until late at night, and by then Lin Shu could no longer even lift her arms and legs.
Zhou Ye secretly boiled some hot water to wipe her body.
As long as he could eat meat, he didn't mind the trouble at all. After all, he would boil the water and chop the wood, so Ah Shu didn't have to do anything. Ah Shu just had to cooperate wholeheartedly like this.
They were so compatible in this matter. Ah Shu was delicate but strong, and could withstand him, allowing him to safely use the animal nature in his bones on Ah Shu and send her to the peak of ecstasy together.
After cleaning up, Zhou Ye hugged Lin Shu and kissed her fair and smooth skin lovingly.
Lin Shu shrank her neck which was pierced by Zhou Ye's hair and muttered something.
Zhou Ye leaned in to listen and smiled, "Yes, the winter bamboo shoots in the forest should be starting to emerge. Let's go to the bamboo forest together tomorrow and dig some up. Then we'll see if we can find pheasants foraging. I'll hunt a couple of pheasants and bring them back for you to nourish your body..."
The next morning, Lin Shu, who was still in bed, was awakened by the sound of conversation in the yard. She sat up lazily and listened for a while. She found that it was the voice of Old Man Liao. The voice was quite excited, and she didn't know what good news had happened.
"Sister, sister! I heard some noise, are you up?" Lin Xiaopu called out from outside the door, her voice loud and cheerful.
"Come in, what good thing happened that makes you so happy?"
Lin Xiaopu came running in, excitedly saying, "Old Man Liao went to town this morning and brought back good news. He said the relief funds sent by the court will soon arrive in Jingxi Town!"
Lin Shu's face turned slightly red.
So, Old Man Liao went to town and came back? She wouldn't sleep until noon, would she?
Lin Xiaopu paid no attention to this. She was no longer surprised by her elder sister's habit of staying in bed. She was only busy chattering about the good news. "...The source of the news is reliable. It's from the Qian family. Doesn't the Qian family's grain shop regularly go to other counties to collect grain? On the way back, the Qian family's grain team encountered the government's grain team and followed them. They said they would arrive in Taiping County today..."
The news brought back by Old Man Liao turned out to be true. A day later, the government's relief aid, along with the Qian family's grain contingent, arrived in Jingxi Town. Corresponding officials were dispatched to distribute it to the villagers, and the village heads assisted in the distribution. The government not only distributed grain but also brought a batch of high-quality winter wheat seeds.
When the villagers of Tianshui Village heard the news, they burst into tears of joy and rushed to tell each other, "Grain is being distributed! Grain is being distributed!!"
The relief from the imperial court finally arrived!
Bags of grain were transported to the village entrance. The onlookers squeezed each other and stretched their necks to watch.
The village head shouted at everyone to line up according to their households. Several sons helped maintain order, while the eldest grandson Zhang Zongyao set up a table and took notes.
This time, the imperial court only provided relief to the extremely poor and second-poor households, distributing grain per person, one liter per person per day, and half of that, and distributing it every ten days.
In other words, no matter how many adults and children a family has, adults will be given one liter of grain and children will be given half a liter. This is enough food for ten days at a time, and the second round of grain will be given after ten days.
On this basis, extremely poor households with more than five members were given an additional two liters of grain, while households with less than five members were given an additional one liter. Calculated over ten days, this amounted to two and one dou of grain, respectively!
Several extremely poor families in the village rubbed their moist eyes.
The food of several of their families had been eaten up long ago, and they relied on wild vegetables and fruits to fill their stomachs every day. The chestnuts were not enough, so the bitter and unpalatable cycads became their staple food. They also ate pyracantha as a meal, but eating too much made their teeth ache.
If food is not distributed soon, there will be no hope in this life.
The villagers lined up one by one to receive the food, their faces full of hope and joy.
Lin Shu was also happy. She didn't expect that the head of the village would classify her family as a poor household. Then, their family of four adults and one child would be able to receive 45 liters of grain, which is 4.5 dou.
Seeing Zhou Ye staring absentmindedly at the rice he had received, Lin Shu leaned over, looked at him and asked with a smile, "What are you thinking about, idiot?"
Zhou Ye raised the corner of his mouth slightly and replied, "Ashu, it's nothing."
Lin Shu knew what he was thinking. Aye must have been surprised that the relief from the court could arrive so timely. After all, he and his tribesmen were forced to leave their homeland due to famine and had to live a very hard and difficult life along the way.
But those miserable days of fleeing famine and enduring hunger will never happen again.
After all, she had traveled to the end of the book. The hero and heroine in the book all had happy endings, and the world they lived in must be the best period in the book, with peace and prosperity. Even if there were occasional disasters and civil unrest, the court would quickly resolve them.
"Aye, even if we can get food, we can't be lazy. We need to continue to stock up on food. Stock up on kudzu root powder. It's easy to eat. Just rinse it with boiling water and you can eat it. In the future, when we get up early, we can eat a bowl of kudzu root powder porridge before going to the mountains. There are many snacks that can be made with fern root powder, so don't miss out. The pyracantha in the mountains is at its reddest. The villagers probably don't like to eat it now that they have food. Let's not waste it. Pick it, dry it, grind it into flour, and make porridge or steam it. Oh, and there are winter bamboo shoots. I really wanted to see them popping up when I went to the forest last time..."
Zhou Ye held her hand and listened patiently to her counting one by one. He hummed softly, "I'll listen to Ah Shu."
In the past, his heart had never been able to find peace, but now——
He looked at Ah Shu's bright eyes and eyebrows, and his heart was so calm and peaceful.
Peace of mind is the place to return to.
Ah Shu is his home.
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The author has something to say: The main text is finished, and a red envelope will be dropped immediately after this chapter.
I chose to stop here because I think it is appropriate, but the story of Ah Shu and Ah Ye is not over yet, the extra chapters are about to start to spread the blood and gossip. Ah Ye and Ah Shu start to play a big game, the two will go to the border to fight, and later they will return to Beijing to slap the faces of those who mocked her. I am a local dog and I love to watch it haha. You can just read the extra plot selectively [hahaha]
P.S. If you like the author's stories, you can click into the author's column to collect the author. Pen refill [Please][Please]
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