Chapter 104 Fern Root Powder
Liu Guizhi of course saw Fubao and Gu Shengtian tinkering with fern root powder.
Watching the two children sweating profusely, she couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude. She was heartened by their kindness, thinking of how they'd prepared food for others even after they'd already eaten their own. Life was tough these days, and some children, clueless, were eager to stuff all the good food into their mouths.
But the heart was good, but the thing was not done right.
Although the two children have read a lot, they have never experienced anything and don't know the situation in the mountains. Fern roots are of course not edible, so they are probably working in vain.
However, Liu Guizhi did not stop them. She thought it would be good for the two children to try it on their own. After all, no matter how well they studied, they would most likely come back to tend the fields in the end. They had to know that things in the fields were not something they could easily learn from books.
With this thought in mind, Liu Guizhi just went along with them, so when Fubao brought something that looked like white flour to her, she was startled.
She usually cooked with cornmeal, perhaps red sorghum flour, mung bean flour, or black bean flour, but rarely used white flour for steamed buns or pancakes. White flour was a rarity in her eyes, something she rarely encountered, let alone prepared.
But now Fubao can bring out half a basin of white flour in one go, and it’s snow-white!
Liu Guizhi was also shocked: "Where did this come from?"
Fubao suddenly laughed, his face bright with smile: "Mom, this is fern root powder!"
Liu Guizhi couldn't believe it, and looked down again: "Is this fern root powder? It comes from the fern roots from last night?"
Fubao nodded and explained to Liu Guizhi that the white soup from yesterday had become water on top and starch at the bottom after settling overnight. Now she poured out the water and filtered it again with gauze, and it became this white powder.
Of course, this kind of flour is far inferior to white flour, and even inferior to sorghum flour and sweet potato flour. The taste cannot be said to be good, but it is indeed edible.
Liu Guizhi was stunned. How could this be possible? Wasn't this just a magic trick?
White flour appeared out of thin air!
Fubao placed the bowl of flour in front of Liu Guizhi: "Mom, we can use this to make steamed buns. Once we make steamed buns, we can use them as food."
Liu Guizhi still couldn't believe it. She squatted there, her hands tightly gripping the edge of the basin, staring at the white flour. This flour was filtered from the fern root powder she'd collected yesterday. Although she didn't know how it tasted, it was still flour. As long as it was flour, no matter how unpalatable or bitter it was, it could be made into steamed buns, baked into pancakes, or stuffed into the stomach. As long as she could eat it, she would survive and not starve to death.
Liu Guizhi was so excited that she wanted to cry and tears almost fell.
She wasn't short of food, and neither was she nor her children or her family. But she also hoped that every member of the Pingxi Production Brigade would be able to survive hunger. Who wants the people around them to be miserable? If everyone could live a good life, wouldn't she feel good too?
It was just that she didn't have the ability before. Now, seeing Fubao produce such a small half basin of white flour like a magic trick, she suddenly saw hope.
She said excitedly: "Fubao, come, let's take out this noodles and take a look at it, and steam a pot of steamed buns to try."
Fubao nodded quickly and said, "Okay, let's steam some steamed buns and give them to the commune members who are going to work. After they eat them, they will think that this fern root powder is edible, and then everyone will believe it."
——
After leaving Gu Weidong's house, Chen Youfu went straight to the construction site. By this time, Wang Baiou had already assigned the members to their respective jobs according to the previously agreed-upon distribution plan. However, this was clearly not enough. As the production team leader, Chen Youfu needed to ride his bicycle back and forth to see how the members were doing, to see where there was a shortage of manpower, or where there were too many and everyone was slacking off. He needed to make adjustments and take care of all of this.
When he rode his bicycle to the cotton fields behind the village, the cooperative members were weeding the corn fields. Normally, they weren't so meticulous, but this year, with such a severe disaster, they had no choice but to work even harder, even if it meant harvesting even a little more.
As soon as Chen Yongfu arrived at the corn field, he heard everyone talking about fern root powder.
Chen Yongfu now gets a headache whenever he hears about fern root powder. Can't these members just give him a break and work hard to grow food? Why are they daydreaming about growing white flour buns from fern grass? Why aren't they just dreaming of pie in the sky, or ducks popping up from the ground?
Chen Youliang was chatting away, saying that he had collected sixty kilograms of fern roots last night and that he was about to eat white flour buns. He was so excited that the few hairs on his chin twitched.
Nie Laosan's wife was also there. She had already been a laughing stock in the production brigade, especially since she'd gotten last in the Shengyin exam. She hadn't even managed to find a single word to say. But now, seeing Chen Youliang's silly look, she felt that at least she wasn't the most unlucky person in the production brigade.
She burst into laughter and said sarcastically, "Chen Youliang, Chen Youliang, you said you named yourself Chen Youliang, but you really thought food would fall from the sky, right? How can white flour buns come out of fern root powder? Aren't you stupid? That little girl Fubao doesn't understand herself, and she's just deceiving you. You've been fooled."
The sarcasm in his tone was an obvious joke.
Chen Youliang looked at the smug look on Nie Laosan's wife's face and immediately became unhappy. "How can you say you've been fooled? How can you say you've been fooled? This fern root powder that Fubao made is edible. I can also turn these 60 kilograms of fern roots into white flour buns later. If you don't believe me, just wait and see. How can it be inedible?"
There were also a few people around who had gone out to dig for fern root powder last night. When they heard what Chen Youliang said, they nodded in agreement: "That's right, this fern root powder is edible. We all drank soup yesterday, and today we will eat white flour buns. You are talking nonsense now. If you don't believe it, then if you have the guts, then don't eat it. If you have the guts, then don't go digging for fern root powder!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone started to cheer and agree.
Haha, isn't this treating them as fools? They are not stupid, the stupid one is Nie Lao San's wife!
A family of idiots!
Shen Hongying happened to be there too. She listened with wide eyes and began to wonder, could this fern root powder really be eaten? Fu Bao was no ordinary girl. She had really managed to come up with this thing. She regretted it the moment she thought about it. If she had known earlier, he would have gone to dig yesterday. She was delayed yesterday and didn't go. Could it be that he couldn't dig it up now?
But then she thought again, there were ferns everywhere, how could she not be able to dig them up? Besides, maybe she had been fooled and her efforts were in vain. She decided to wait and see the situation.
When Nie Laosan's wife heard what Chen Youliang said, she immediately became angry and curled her lips: "Just wait and see, if you can make steamed buns out of the fern roots, my work points for today will be yours. If you can't dig it out, your work points will be mine!"
Chen Yongliang grinned when he heard this: "Okay, okay, everyone heard it. She said today's work points are mine!"
Everyone around started to make a noise and secretly laughed, "I'll testify for you. Let's see if Chen Youliang can conjure up white flour buns today. If he does, then your work points, Nie Laosan's wife, will belong to Chen Youliang."
When Chen Youliang thought about this, he thought it was great and clapped his hands in agreement!
Who knew that just when he was getting excited, he suddenly found that the people in front of him were silent and their faces were stiff.
Chen Youliang turned around in surprise and saw his cousin Chen Youfu, who was looking at him with a stern face.
He was immediately shocked. Although Chen Youfu was his relative, he was the team leader and was responsible for recording work points. He couldn't let him see him slacking off.
Chen Youliang quickly chuckled, pretending that he was busy working, lowered his head and dared not speak.
Chen Youfu sighed deeply. He stood there with his hands behind his back and began to lecture Chen Youliang: "There's grain, there's grain. Back then, you insisted on selling the old grain. I wouldn't let you, but you kept going like honey. Now you regret it. Do you know you were wrong? It's wrong, so what? Let's all work together to find a solution. If we work hard, we can still have food to eat. But you refuse to do your good work and live a good life. Instead, you insist on going to the mountains to dig fern roots, hoping to turn them into white flour buns. Aren't you just talking big? Can you live like this? Can you live a stable life like this? Can you get married like this?"
Chen Youliang was most afraid of Chen Youfu educating him like this. It was like chanting a sutra, and it gave him a headache.
Anything else would be fine, but the word "getting a wife" really hit Chen You's conscience. He is still a bachelor and has not married yet.
He raised his head, sighed, and said, "I'm blessed. Don't say that to me. I definitely won't be able to marry a wife, but I still have a chance of eating steamed buns."
Chen Youfu listened and shook his head: "You really won't give up until you reach the Yellow River!"
Who knew that just as he finished speaking, he heard a soft voice saying, "Uncle Youfu, try it. My mother steamed it today."
Chen Youfu turned around and saw Fubao standing there wiping her sweat. She had a basket on her arm, which was covered with a cloth. The cloth seemed to be emitting faint steam, and it looked like it had been freshly steamed.
Chen Youfu felt embarrassed: "Fubao, are you sending food to your father? Then hurry up and send it to your father. Don't delay."
Fu Bao smiled and said, "Uncle Youfu, this pot of wowo was steamed by my mother and given to us to eat. Please eat it while it's hot."
Everyone was a little puzzled when they heard this. You know, every family has something to eat these days. Food is life, so no one would easily take other people's food.
At this time, Fubao had already opened the cage cloth and took out small steamed buns one by one. He gave one to Chen Youfu first, then to Chen Youliang and the others.
Everyone looked down and saw that the steamed bun was dark brown with some shredded radish mixed in. It was elastic when squeezed and it was warm. It looked - like it was delicious?
What is this? I've never seen it before!
Fubao was distributing the cakes at this time. When there was one left over, she was going to give it to Nie Laosan's wife.
Nie Laosan's wife said with a stern face: "What is this? I don't want it! Don't make me sick from eating it!"
After hearing this, Fubao immediately took back the small steamed bun and said, "Uncle Youliang, you are big, so how about having one more?"
When Chen Youliang heard this, he quickly took it.
Whatever it is, as long as it’s edible!
After Chen Youliang took it, he stuffed it into his mouth first.
When others saw it, they also tried it.
To be honest, the taste is average, with a fresh fragrance from the wild. The texture is okay, delicate and soft, but not sticky, and it feels full after swallowing.
After Chen Youliang ate one, he quickly swallowed the other one.
"What is this? Not bad, not bad, very delicious!"
In fact, it may not be very delicious, and it may not be better than the sweet potato flour steamed buns we are used to eating, but when people are extremely hungry, anything that can fill the stomach is delicious. At least this thing is food, and it tastes better than those wild vegetable leaves!
After everyone ate it, they all thought it was delicious and looked at Fubao in confusion: "What on earth is this?"
It's strange that they took out this rare steamed bun and generously distributed it to everyone.
To be honest, at that time, food was life, and no one would just divide it up like that. Everyone would feel embarrassed to eat other people's food.
Fu Bao pursed his lips and smiled: "This is made of fern root powder. Apart from some shredded radish and fern root powder, I didn't add anything else!"
Mix the fern root powder with flour, then cut the white radish into thin strips and mix it in. Then you can steam it in a pot. It’s that simple.
This thing may not be as nutritious as sweet potato noodles, and may not taste as good as sweet potato noodles, but it can definitely fill your stomach!
Fern roots?
When Chen Youliang heard this, his eyes lit up. "Is this really from a fern root? Isn't it white?"
Fubao: "I don't know either. It's this color after steaming. Maybe adding radish changed the color?"
As for other people, they don’t care about color at all!
No matter if it’s red, black, yellow or even poop color, it’s all fine. As long as you can eat it and feel full, and as long as you don’t feel hungry after eating it, then it’s a good color!
Everyone was excited: "This, this really works?"
Chen Youfu was dumbfounded. He couldn't believe it. "What do you mean? This is steamed buns made from fern root flour? It's not your food?"
Fubao nodded, feeling a little proud in his heart, but trying to pretend to be calm: "Yes, my family only had half a white radish left, and the rest is all fern root powder, which I made on the well platform yesterday."
Chen Youfu stood there blankly, savoring the taste in his mouth, his eyes staring blankly into the distance, not saying a word.
The others were immersed in their own excitement, thinking about going to the mountain to dig fern roots as soon as possible.
Shen Hongying thought frantically, "Wrong, wrong, I should have followed others yesterday! I'm a step too late, a step too late!"
I'm so upset and angry.
Fubao looked at Chen Youfu like this and became a little worried: "Uncle Youfu, are you okay? What happened to you?"
Looking at him like this, his eyes were wide open, as if he was stupid.
The people around him only then noticed Chen Youfu and were shocked: "Youfu, Youfu, what's wrong with you?"
Chen Youfu finally came to his senses slowly amid everyone's calls. His gaze shifted from everyone's face to Fubao's face, and finally fell on the fern root steamed bun with only a little bit of residue left.
"No need to starve anymore!! We have food!!"
Chen Youfu suddenly let out a roar that shook the mountains and rivers.
Everyone in the audience was almost scared to death by him!
After the shock, everyone suddenly burst into laughter while crying: "Let's go dig fern root powder!"
Nie Laosan's wife next to her was stunned. She was really stunned.
Is that fern root powder really edible? And, is it quite delicious?
Then she, she wants to try it too!
She rushed over: "Fubao, let me taste it, what does it taste like?"
Fubao spread his hands: "It's gone!"
Seeing this, Shen Hongying sneered and pulled Fubao over. "Fubao, let's go dig fern roots. Then you can tell your aunt how these fern roots turned into steamed bread."
As she spoke, she turned around and glared at Nie Lao San's wife with disdain: "Bah, what did you just say? If you have the guts, don't eat it, don't eat it!"
Everyone just remembered that, and Chen Youliang laughed out loud: "My work points, remember, my work points, I will settle the account with you later!"
After saying that, he followed everyone into the mountains.
Going to dig fern roots!
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