Chapter 25: Braised Pheasant with Taro Stem and Taro Stem, Guaranteed...
There are only a few days left until the market on the 15th.
When Lin Shu came, she only took a quick glance and had not taken a close look at Jingxi Town. She also didn't know whether the market held every Friday was really as lively as her mother said.
However, after spending the past few days in Tianshui Village, she had already thought about selling food.
The people of the southwest have always valued food and drink. As long as they are not too poor to afford food, most of them are willing to spend a little money to fill their stomachs. If she makes some exotic food, she will definitely be able to entice the people to pay for it!
She had this plan for no other reason than to make more money to satisfy her appetite. She herself was a foodie, and only by making money could she have enough extra money to buy all kinds of ingredients and seasonings and make all kinds of delicious food.
Life is short, so eating, drinking and having fun are the most important things.
However, Tianshui Village is too far away from Jingxi Town, and it is not realistic to come to the town every day to do food business. Lin Shu thought that she would do some business when there are many people in the market. If the business is good, she can make a small profit.
Zhang Qiaohua didn't know that her mind had turned to setting up a stall to sell food. After hearing this, she naturally agreed and liked her niece whom she had only met for a few days more and more.
Thinking of the wild boar meat the head of the household had brought back, Zhang Qiaohua hurried inside to fetch the two embroidered silk handkerchiefs she had prepared and gave them to Lin Shu. "The shop owner said my designs were outdated and the stitching wasn't sophisticated enough, and she pushed the price too hard. So, I got so angry I refused to sell them. So, I'm giving them to you, Shu. You can use them to wipe your sweat or something."
The silk handkerchief was expensive, not to mention it was embroidered with flowers. Lin Shu took a look. The stitching wasn't meticulous, but it was embroidered with plum blossoms and orchids, both favorites of literati and poets. How could it be considered outdated? She was probably just making an excuse.
Lin Shu accepted her kindness and said, "This handkerchief is very beautiful. Thank you, Third Aunt."
"Third Aunt knows you've seen all sorts of rare things, but I really can't give you anything nice. I hope you like this handkerchief."
Lin Shu smiled and said, "Aunt San, that was all in the past. I can't afford those rare things now. I like this handkerchief very much."
After Lin Shu left, Zhang Qiaohua put her hands on her hips and laughed out loud, "Hahaha..."
Scholar! She had only dared to think about it in her dreams before!
…
Not to mention that when Lin Dashui returned from the fields, he was ecstatic to learn about this. Lin Shu returned and gave the handkerchief to Lin Xiaopu. Lin Xiaopu was overjoyed to receive the handkerchief. She hid in the house and secretly admired it. She even rolled the handkerchief embroidered with orchids into a flower and wore it on her head, "Sister, do you think I'm beautiful?"
Lin Shu was amused by her and laughed, "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! You are the most beautiful girl of your age in the surrounding area!"
She wasn't lying. A'niang was a natural beauty, but her face had the marks of frost from years of rough labor. She and Xiao Pu were born to the same mother. She was beautiful, and Xiao Pu couldn't be much worse. It was just that she hadn't fully grown yet, and her skin was a little yellow, which reduced her appearance.
"Come on, pretty girl, let's go to the mountain to pick some Guanyin wood. When Brother Aye comes back, we'll make a big bowl of Guanyin tofu and put it in front of him. Let him hold the bowl and eat as much as he wants."
"Okay!"
"By the way, pick some cedar leaves and wormwood leaves. I'll make a simple shampoo. Let's all wash our hair today."
Lin Xiaopu said, "It's only been a short while since we washed it. We usually wash it the day before the market."
Lin Shu was slightly surprised: "Only one episode every ten days, do you have to wash it once every ten days?"
Lin Xiaopu: "Yes, we are considered diligent. There are people in the village who only wash their hair once a month. But Brother Aye is even more diligent. He washes his hair every three to five days. Mother saves all the rice washing water for him. Oh, by the way, we all use rice washing water to wash our hair. If it's too dirty, we add some wood ash."
Lin Shu fell silent after hearing this.
Washing your hair once every ten days is considered diligent? It's summer now, summer!
On her way to Tianshui Village, she would take a bath whenever she came across an inn or post station. It was only because she thought about her family's poor conditions that she only mentioned washing her hair after a few days.
But it is understandable if you think about it. The ancients believed that the hair on the body was given by the parents, and not a single strand of hair could be cut. Both men and women had a lot of hair. It took a long time to wash the hair, and after washing the hair could only be wrung out with a towel. The whole process was very cumbersome.
The ladies and daughters of wealthy families are fine, as they have money, free time, and maids to serve them. People in the countryside have endless farm work to do all day long, so they naturally try to save as much as possible on tedious things like washing their hair and bathing.
"Xiao Pu, from now on you will follow me and wash your hair once every three days. I will ask your parents. If they don't want to, forget it." Xiao Pu said that his family was diligent in washing their hair, so Lin Shu couldn't force his parents to wash their hair more often.
"Okay! Sister, there are soapberry trees deep in the mountains. Brother Zhou Ye sometimes brings back some soapberries from the mountains. They're good for washing your hair, but they haven't grown well yet."
Lin Shu was delighted when she heard this. Soapberry is indeed a good thing. "Why didn't you pick more and save them in previous years?"
"Yes, but not much. We used it up long ago. Brother Aye went to the mountains mainly to look for food, and picking soapberries was just a side job. We didn't pick much."
After hearing this, Lin Shu wanted to take a walk in the deep mountains even more. She didn't want to go deep into the mountains, but just walk around the periphery. Maybe she would find an unexpected surprise.
The sun was already very strong at this time. There happened to be a taro lotus on the side of the road. Lin Shu reached out to break off the leaves of the taro lotus. Lin Xiaopu beside her quickly reminded her, "Sister, be careful not to touch the juice in the stems and leaves. It makes your hands itchy if it touches them."
Lin Shu raised her eyebrows, "Xiao Pu, do you know this thing?"
Lin Xiaopu covered his mouth and laughed secretly, "This is wild taro, it looks the same as the taro we grow in our fields, how could I not recognize it. But sister, this wild taro only looks like taro on the top, taro doesn't grow underground. If you want to eat taro, sister, wait another month or two, our own taro will be ripe, enough to eat all winter."
Lin Shu was slightly surprised, "We also grow taro at home?"
Taro is a good thing. It is delicious whether it is used in cooking or made into desserts, such as taro rice cake, taro pork rib soup, taro paste, and taro ball soup.
Not only that, taro can also be used to make wine. Both taro wine and taro rice wine taste good!
The more Lin Shu thought about it, the more greedy she became.
But judging from Xiao Pu's expression, I guess his family only knows how to simply roast, boil or steam it.
This taro is not like fragrant taro. It has a rougher texture, a tougher taste, a lighter flavor, and is not easy to preserve. After it is harvested, it must be eaten continuously and at every meal. Only after the taro is eaten up can rice and flour be eaten. If you don't vomit after eating it, it's because your stomach is lacking food. It's good enough to have something to eat.
Lin Xiaopu replied, "Every household in Tianshui Village grows taro. It's a good way to feel full. We have three acres of paddy fields and two acres of dry land. We grow rice in the paddy fields and one and a half acres of dry land. After the wheat is harvested, we plant beans. The remaining half acre of land near the stream is planted with taro. The dry land is on the other side of the hill, so my sister didn't see it. We take this to town to sell, but not many people buy it. We usually keep it for ourselves."
The small earthen slope that Lin Xiaopu mentioned is next to the farthest paddy field. It is smaller than the mountain but larger than the slope. Because of the small earthen slope, the water from the big river cannot be diverted there. Only a small stream can divert water for irrigation, so it is classified as a dry field.
"When the taro is cooked, I'll make you some taro cake!"
Lin Shu was in a good mood and still broke off two taro leaves with stems attached. Each of them held a taro leaf on their head to shade themselves from the sun.
Then, Tong Lin Xiaopu explained, "The wild taro you're talking about is also called taro. It looks like taro, but they're not the same thing. The taro stems are edible. They're delicious when braised with duck or fish, and they're also excellent when pickled. Next month will be the best time to pick them. We'll pick a bunch then, go back and kill the pheasant in the chicken coop, and stew them with the taro stems. I guarantee you'll be drooling!"
Lin Xiaopu quickly wiped the corner of his mouth and laughed, "Sister, I remember everything, taro cake, taro stem braised chicken!"
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