Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Pheasant Soup with Mushrooms
"Yes, the backpack is still at the intersection below. I'll be back soon. Come visit me when you have time."
Lin Chuntao got up to see them out, but before they had gone far, she heard Chen scolding the children.
Lin Chunhe pouted and opened her mouth to speak, but Lin Chuntao hushed her and she swallowed her words.
After the others had gone far away, Chun He muttered, "Why didn't she just tell us to share half of the mushrooms we picked with her daughter and sell them together?"
Lin Chunxing frowned slightly, "Sister, do they know that we picked mushrooms and sold them?"
"Well, just now when we were carrying the buckets back, they asked me what I did to make a lot of money, and I just said I picked mushrooms and sold them."
"Will they also have to pick mushrooms to sell later?" Lin Chunhe asked worriedly.
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "It's possible, but it's normal. The mountain is so big that anyone can go and pick it up."
"Besides, there are so many people in the county town, and only a few people pick mushrooms to sell, so it won't have an impact."
As they were talking, the water in the iron pot had already boiled. Pei Ying went into the house, took out a clay basin, brought out the two chickens, and began to scoop water to scald the chicken feathers.
When they were almost burned, Lin Chuntao said, "Let me do it. Aren't your palms peeled?"
Pei Ying stopped her and said, "There's no bleeding. I can do it."
As he spoke, he began to pluck the chicken feathers skillfully.
When the sisters heard that Pei Ying's hand was scratched, they thought Lin Chuntao had fallen with him and asked hurriedly, "Sister, are you okay?"
Lin Chuntao didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "I'm fine, your brother-in-law just scraped his hands while pulling a frightened horse." She then recounted the story of what happened at the market entrance, and Lin Duo'er's eyes widened.
Seeing them like this, Lin Chuntao quickly reminded them.
"If you encounter something like this, don't just stand there and do nothing. Stand up and run."
The sisters nodded vigorously, "Got it."
Pei Ying worked very quickly, and in a short while, he had almost plucked all the feathers from the two pheasants. Lin Chuntao stood up and scooped water over with a ladle.
"Do I need to burn the fluff with a flame before washing it?"
"These two don't have much hair, but the heads and combs need to be burned."
Lin Chuntao found some pine branches and put them into the fire. When it started, the flames were higher. Pei Ying picked up the chicken legs and hung the chicken head upside down above the flames.
All I could hear was the crackling sound of the flames, and soon the smell of burning began to appear.
Pei Ying picked it up and took a look. The skin was burnt to a slightly yellowish color. He handed it to Lin Chuntao and said, "This one is ready."
Lin Chuntao took it and put it in a clay basin, then poured in hot water. Pei Ying continued to boil the other one before taking it over to wash together.
After washing, Pei Ying opened the chest, took out the internal organs, and chopped the chicken into pieces. He did it smoothly and in one go.
Although they were two pheasants, they only weighed about two or three pounds after being slaughtered, and there was not much meat due to the heavy bones. It felt like it was only enough for the five of them to have a meal.
Lin Chuntao quickly took a pan, heated oil, put the chicken pieces in and stir-fried them.
Pei Yingze started to use chicken feathers as a sharp weapon to cut open the chicken intestines in the corner of the yard, and repeatedly rinsed them with wood ash.
By the time he washed it and brought it over, the chicken in the pot had already given off a rich aroma.
After the chicken was stir-fried until golden brown, Lin Chuntao added water and salt to the pot, poured in the offal and cleaned chicken intestines, covered it with straw and started cooking.
"Sister, can we eat it after it's cooked?"
"Yeah." Lin Chuntao responded and asked them, "Shall we have buckwheat rice for lunch?"
Lin Chunxing and the others looked at her in confusion. Lin Chuntao suddenly realized that in her original memory, no one seemed to have made buckwheat rice. Most people made buckwheat pancakes and buckwheat steamed buns. She hurriedly explained, "I just came up with a new recipe. I tried it to see if it tastes good."
"Okay, okay, what should I do?"
Lin Chuntao went to get a clay basin, scooped water and made soybean-sized lumps, then poured the lumps into the steamer.
She called Chunhe and the others to bring firewood and started a fire inside the house. Pei Ying came in and asked her, "Why don't we switch the pots and steam the rice outside while we cook the chicken inside?"
"Okay." After Lin Chuntao agreed, Pei Ying turned around and walked out, brought in the iron pot, and took the clay basin and steamer outside to steam.
Cook the chicken while steaming the rice inside and outside.
Lin Chunhe and Duo'er watched the fire in the house, Lin Chunxing and Lin Chuntao washed mushrooms in the yard, and Pei Ying took a bamboo pole and a ball of hemp rope and started tying the fence in the yard.
Buckwheat rice needs to be poured out and sprinkled with water again after steaming for 15 minutes. The process is similar to steaming rice, but it takes a little less time.
When the mushrooms were almost done, Lin Chuntao took them down, sprinkled some water on them, and steamed them again. Lin Duoer couldn't stay in the house any longer, so she ran out to help wash the mushrooms.
It was too crowded for three people to squat around a basin, so Lin Chuntao gave her place to Duo'er and stood up to help Pei Ying tie the fence. One person cut the rope and the other tied it, which was much faster. The chicken was not cooked yet, but the fence was already tied. She shook it gently and found that it was much more stable.
Pei Ying installed the bamboo door he had made earlier, which could be latched from the inside. A simple courtyard wall was almost completed.
After washing the mushrooms, Lin Chunxing took Duo'er back to the house. Lin Chuntao suddenly remembered that green peppers seemed to be edible at this time of year, so she ran back to the house and asked Lin Chunxing, "Do you know whose peppers are ready to be picked?"
"Tender chili peppers are available at everyone's house now. Do you want any chili peppers?"
"Well, get some green peppers and cook them in chicken soup. They're delicious."
Lin Chunxing pursed her lips, feeling a little worried. Other people did have it, but fruits and vegetables had to be given by others before they could be accepted. If she asked for them, they would be unhappy.
"Then I'll go ask around and ask who to get a few from."
As she spoke, she stood up and prepared to leave. Lin Chuntao quickly grabbed her and said with a smile, "If you want to be sure, it's not good. Tell me which family grows more vegetables and peppers. I'll go with my little bamboo basket."
The sisters' eyes widened when they heard this, and they exclaimed in unison: "Sister! You're going to steal!"
Pei Ying beside them couldn't help but burst out laughing. Lin Chuntao was helpless seeing them like this, "Why would I steal anything? I can buy some from someone who has more. They should be able to sell it if I pay."
Lin Chunxing breathed a sigh of relief: "Of course, it happens. At Aunt Guizhi's house, she grows some tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers every year and brings them to the market to sell. She grows a lot."
"Then let's go to her house." Lin Chuntao said as she touched some copper coins, picked up the small bamboo basket and prepared to go. Lin Duoer immediately stood up and jumped to her side: "Sister, I want to go with you."
"Then let's go." She turned around and told Chun Xing: "Watch the fire, bring the pot and call your brother-in-law."
When Lin Chuntao and her friends arrived, Aunt Guizhi was having lunch.
"Aunt Guizhi, are you eating?"
Aunt Guizhi asked with a smile, "Have you eaten yet? Sit down and eat something?"
"Chun Xing is cooking at home. I wanted to come to you to buy some chili peppers."
She explained the reason, and Aunt Guizhi smiled and said, "You don't need to buy some peppers. Just go to my field and pick them."
"There are more than a few. I thought that Aunt Guizhi, you grow a lot of different vegetables. Can I directly order vegetables from you for a month?"
Aunt Guizhi raised her eyebrows slightly, a hint of suspicion flashing in her eyes. "How do we decide?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "I'll come to your field every seven days to pick vegetables. I'll pick a little of everything and fill this small bamboo basket. You give me a fixed price."
After she said this, Aunt Guizhi was silent for a while and then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Chun Tao, you have a pretty good brain. Come on, I'll take you to the fields to see."
"Don't worry, Auntie, you eat first."
"I'm full, I don't want to eat anymore."
As she said this, she put down her bowl and chopsticks and pulled Lin Chuntao outside.
Aunt Guizhi's vegetable garden is just behind the village. She grows a lot of vegetables, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cabbage, beans, broad beans, radishes, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. She has two large plots of vegetable garden filled with them, and she takes good care of them. There are not many weeds, and they look very pleasing to the eye.
"Pick whatever vegetables you like."
Aunt Guizhi spoke, and Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Aunt, why don't you tell me the price in advance?"
Aunt Guizhi said with a smile, "I have to see how much money you can get from my vegetable basket."
Lin Chuntao did not waste any time. She first picked some peppers and put them in the bamboo basket. Then she turned around and picked four eggplants, four tomatoes, three small round-headed melons, three cucumbers, some melon tips and flowers, and pinched some green onions and garlic sprouts. The small bamboo basket was almost level. Finally, she pulled out two cabbages and filled the small bamboo basket.
"Aunt Guizhi, I've picked them."
"Give me ten cents for this basket of vegetables."
Lin Chuntao was a little surprised, "Auntie, why are you giving me such a good price?" She had been to the market before, and the vegetables ranged from three to eight cents. The vegetables she picked would cost at least nearly twenty cents.
Aunt Guizhi heard this and said, "At the market, cabbage is three cents, eggplant is five cents, cucumber is five cents, leek is four cents, and tomato is four cents." After she finished speaking, she suddenly asked Lin Chuntao, "Do you have anything to do after lunch?"
"What are your plans, aunt?" Lin Chuntao said, "I don't have anything important to do."
"Come and help me load the food."
Lin Chuntao smiled and asked, "Would you like to pack it up and sell it at the market?" Aunt Guizhi nodded, and Lin Chuntao replied, "No problem. I'll come back after dinner."
After she finished speaking, she took out some money and handed it to Aunt Guizhi. "Thank you for taking care of us, Auntie. I'll get some vegetable seeds in a few days and plant some vegetables in those empty plots. When the vegetables are grown, I'll send some to you."
Aunt Guizhi looked at Lin Chuntao gently. She felt that Lin Chuntao was very different from before. She used to never look up when talking to anyone and would blush easily. She also didn't talk much. Now she is sweet-mouthed and polite.
But it's good like this now, it's pleasing.
It doesn’t matter whether Lin Chuntao will send her food in the future. Just hearing these two sentences makes her feel comfortable.
The two came out of the vegetable garden, Lin Chuntao thanked Aunt Guizhi and went straight home.
Seeing Lin Chuntao coming back with a basket of vegetables, Lin Chunxing hurriedly asked, "Wow, so many? How much?"
"Ten cents." Lin Chuntao put down the basket and gathered some straw to spread out in the corner. As she spread it out, she said, "These vegetables will be enough for us to eat for at least five or six days."
They didn't quite believe it, but they saw Lin Chuntao take out one fruit after another from the basket, and finally grabbed two full handfuls of peppers. In an instant, the piece of straw was covered with vegetables.
Lin Chunxing smiled and said, "Sister, Auntie won't be angry if you pick so many cassia twigs, right?"
Lin Chuntao raised her eyes and looked at her. "No, she only mentioned ten cents after I picked them."
"Stop hanging around me and go wash some peppers." She handed over two handfuls of peppers. Lin Chunxing took the peppers and walked out the door. Lin Chuntao turned around and asked, "Is the chicken not cooked yet?"
"It's almost done." Pei Ying said.
Lin Chuntao stood up and picked up the steamer, washed the clay pot for steaming rice, poured the chicken into the pot and continued to cook. She scooped some chicken soup to cook the big bowl of chicken blood.
When it is almost cooked, cut some garlic sprouts and throw them in, add some salt and serve. A faint fragrance will waft through the house.
After cooking the chicken blood, she scooped up chicken soup again to stew mushrooms. It is not easy to eat a chicken meal. If you put the mushrooms in directly, the taste of the chicken soup will change. So she simply cooked them separately so that she can take care of both.
Lin Chunxing washed the green peppers and brought them in. Lin Chuntao broke them into several pieces with her hands and threw them into the chicken soup.
"When the peppers are cooked, they will be filled with soup and taste delicious." Lin Chuntao said, and her sisters all swallowed their saliva.
While waiting for the peppers to cook, Lin Chuntao tasted the saltiness and then a piece of meat. It was already cooked. She turned around and called out, "Grab the bowls and chopsticks, scoop up the rice and start eating."
As soon as she finished speaking, her sisters hurriedly moved. Pei Ying brought over the chicken, a bowl of chicken blood, a bowl overflowing with chicken soup with mushrooms, and a large pot of chicken soup with golden fat floating on the surface. Tender green peppers were swirling in the broth. Lin Chuntao heard the system voice in her mind: "Today's points have been credited to one hundred and sixty-eight, and the remaining points are four hundred and eighty. Host, keep working hard. Four more sign-ins will unlock the redemption area."
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