After a noisy chatter, the group finished picking grapes and it was noon. Xu Milu had already finished preparing and set up a charcoal grill. People from the neighborhood had all driven there, bringing barbecue ingredients, and planned to grill meat on the ridges of the fields next to the greenhouse.
This radish field was planted with new, giant, delicious radishes before the Lunar New Year. The tender, green radish leaves have just started to grow, and they are a delight to behold.
Aunt Zhou and Wenwen's mom unloaded all the ingredients from the car: sliced beef, lamb, large chunks of pork ribs, fresh shrimp, big bones, and various skewers. The way they laid them out really gave it a picnic feel.
"Wow, these are really beautiful, Xiao Liu. Send these photos to our group chat later so I can show them to my son. Look, in the dead of winter, everywhere else is bare, but your field is still green. That's wonderful."
Aunt Zhou pulled Liu Hongmei aside to take pictures, and a group of people gathered together chattering. In the end, they pulled Xu Lanjuan to join their planting group.
Xu Lanjuan sold all the radishes from her family's several acres of land when the market was good. Although batches of giant, delicious radishes are gradually entering the market now, she can be considered one of the first growers and naturally made a fortune.
With money in her hands, Xu Lanjuan felt more confident, and she smiled more often. Sometimes, Xu Milu would even hum a song while watching her work.
"Dami, you're off today. I'll grill some meat for you later. You'll have to open the shop after the New Year, so you need to rest well now. Look how thin your face has become from focusing on cooking lately."
Liu Hongmei felt sorry for her daughter, so she took the skewers from Xu Milu's hand without saying a word and told her to go play on her phone.
"Mom, I really don't feel tired—"
Xu Milu was both amused and exasperated. After returning from the Gourmet Dimension, she felt incredibly energetic. She could carry a bucket of water up to the tenth floor without even breaking a sweat, and grilling skewers was a piece of cake for her.
But she didn't argue with Liu Hongmei. Instead, she turned to the black van on the other side and soon took down the large pot that Sanette had given her.
She always keeps ingredients and spice packets in her car, just in case she needs them sometime. She can easily find a big bag of peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon, and the like.
"Hey, is Da Mi making braised dishes?"
Aunt Zhou immediately and generously gave her half a rack of pork ribs, along with some dried tofu and bean curd sheets that she had originally planned to grill:
"What you make must be delicious. Oh my, if the people in the group knew that I came out with your family today, they would be so envious. I have to tell them in the group."
"You still have groups?"
Xu Milu found it somewhat amusing.
"Of course, nowadays there are all sorts of parent groups, student groups, sales groups, and work groups, so our rice and food shop naturally has its own group too."
Aunt Zhou showed her the WeChat interface, where the group name, "Crowdfunding for Rice Food Shop Opening," was prominently displayed.
Xu Milu: "..."
You can really feel everyone's eagerness to eat.
...
Xu Milu still had quite a few bicolor mandolin peppers on hand, and planned to make a pot of braised dishes today while there were many people around. However, she was still missing some ingredients to make the braised dishes, so she simply called Li Ning and asked him to send some over.
Li Ning originally didn't want to go out, but when he heard there were free Ping Pong grapes, he brought his whole family over.
"Little Aunt, I couldn't find authentic Sichuan and Chongqing peppercorns, so I'll just use the local ones. Aren't you going to make braised dishes? I also bought some chicken feet and duck wings, which are all scraps, so they'll be just right for braising."
Li Ning showed off the large and small bags in his hands, but Xu Milu didn't answer him. Instead, she stared straight at the three young people behind him.
They were all young people in their mid-twenties, dressed quite fashionably, and one of the young men wearing glasses even had a camera slung over his shoulder.
She tilted her head, gesturing for Li Ning to explain. Li Ning immediately chuckled, the burly man over six feet tall grinning obsequiously.
"I have to film a video! I haven't updated for almost half a year. If I don't show up soon, my fans will start telling everyone I'm dead. Don't worry, Junior Sister, I definitely won't film your face. I can also promote your 30-plus acres of grapes while I'm at it, right?"
"Yes, but you can't damage the grapevines. Strictly speaking, those grape seedlings belong to the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Also, don't take pictures of their experimental fields."
Xu Milu readily agreed, saying that this batch of grapes could yield at least one million catties of Ping Pong grapes when they ripened. Although it wasn't yet the time for them to ripen in large quantities, more publicity was always a good thing.
When she first got into the fruit business, she was almost scammed by Zhao Jin. This time, after the grapes were harvested, Xu Milu planned to contact other buyers before making any further plans.
Li Ning agreed readily:
"Alright! Junior Aunt, let me introduce you. This young man with glasses is my team's editor and photographer. You can call him Da Yang. This is my assistant, Xiao Sun. She and Sasha are in charge of my account operation. Come on, let's get to know each other. This is my Junior Aunt, my master's right-hand closed-door disciple. She's even older than me."
A hint of surprise flashed across the faces of the group. Li Ning was Cui Shengguo's last disciple, which was quite prestigious. Didn't they see that Li Ning had already won numerous awards at such a young age?
The group quickly stepped forward to shake hands and exchange pleasantries, with Li Ning affectionately calling her "Little Martial Aunt."
"Then you guys go ahead and take pictures. I'll make some spicy braised dishes now and send them to my master and grandfather later. Spicy edamame goes best with wine. I'll also store two jars of medicinal wine in the future. It won't be a problem for the elderly to drink a little every day."
Xu Milu took the ingredients Li Ning had bought and looked them over, then she knew what to do.
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