After leaving Xiaoman's house, Xu Errui's basket was full of cleaned meat.
Most of the meat he and Xiaoman found today, aside from what was cooked in the pot, is still here.
Originally, the leftover meat was to be divided equally between the two families, but because Jiang Zhi said that kudzu root was good for the patient, Xiao Man's grandmother kept it for the exchange.
Jiang Zhi had no choice but to give her all the kudzu root, while leaving some meat for herself.
I repeatedly told him to make sure he ate his fill and not to be stingy, as there were plenty of kudzu roots on the mountain.
This is true. Knowing that there is no custom of eating kudzu root here, Jiang Zhi believed that kudzu root powder alone could support two families.
When the three of them returned to their home, Jiang Zhi was stunned once again.
When was the house repaired?
She went to Xiaoman's house at the foot of the cliff as soon as she came back from her trip in the morning, and hasn't had a chance to go home yet.
Xu Errui was also a little stunned. He put down his basket, grabbed a torch, and ran to the front of his house to look around. "Qiaoyun, what happened? When I went out this morning, the roof was bare. Who put it on now? Where did these stone pieces and tree bark come from?"
The wildfire burned half of the thatched roof, and I've been busy collecting meat these past two days, so I haven't had time to repair the roof.
I thought it would take a few days to finish before I could fix it, but it turned out that it had already been repaired by then.
Qiaoyun didn't hide anything at this point: "It was my uncle who came to repair it. He didn't want to tell you beforehand because he didn't want to hear any more thanks. He also said that my family has been busy finding food these past few days, and he should do something too."
"Oh! Mother, your two burnt coats that you and Errui wore have been taken by Auntie to be taken apart and washed. She said she'll bring them back after they're finished."
Oh! What a fool!
The clothes Jiang Zhi and the other person wore while fighting the fire were burned and covered in mud and soot, so they couldn't be worn again without being washed.
Jiang Zhi was too busy to help at the moment, so she asked Qiao Yun to take it apart first and then clean and mend it when she had time. How could she let Xiao Man take it away to help?
Jiang Zhi raised her hand in annoyance, pretending to hit her on the head: "You idiot, you just won't talk when people tell you to. Don't you even think about how your great-uncle climbed onto the roof at his age, and how your great-aunt couldn't even see properly to thread a needle!"
It was all bark and no bite; her action startled Qiaoyun, who shrank back, but she didn't actually knock.
Qiaoyun said aggrievedly, "I didn't want my aunt to take it either, but I couldn't persuade her otherwise."
Jiang Zhi was also annoyed, thinking that if she had known that Xiaoman and the others had done so much for her during the day...
We should at least say a few more words about Xu Dazhu's matter, even if it's useless, it will make the two old people feel better tonight.
well!
Well, this elderly couple was afraid of becoming a burden to others and being abandoned, so they tried their best to prove their worth.
Since Grandpa Xiaoman is willing to do it, I accept it without hesitation, and I will help him as much as I can in the future.
Now that the burned roof had been repaired, Xu Errui and his wife returned to their room to rest.
Jiang Zhi didn't rush to sleep. First, she hung all the meat on the horizontal bar above the fire pit to smoke it. Then she busied herself cleaning the houttuynia cordata she had dug up, picking it into small pieces, and sprinkling it with a little salt to marinate it.
Just now, when she was getting kudzu root from Xiaoman's house at the foot of the cliff, everyone saw houttuynia cordata and said they didn't recognize it. They even made a cold salad but didn't eat any of it, saying it smelled bad and should be kept away.
Jiang Zhi didn't offer much explanation for this reaction; some people like it, some don't—one man's meat is another man's poison.
If you don't like the food, you can't force yourself to eat it; you have to deal with it first.
Simply marinate for a few hours, drain the water, add fresh seasonings, and all the fishy smell of houttuynia cordata will be gone.
The rest has a crisp texture and a unique refreshing taste, rather than a fishy smell, which makes it easy for people to accept.
The first time someone dared to eat something raw without even salting it, they were just a fool!
That night, Jiang Zhi tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling asleep.
The wildfire on another mountain peak was not extinguished, and the sky was gray during the day with a constant acrid smell of smoke.
It was alright when she was busy, but now that she was quiet, she could hear the distant screams of wild animals in the wildfire, which still gave her a chill.
Think about those things down the mountain...
Sigh! Jiang Zhi suppressed her thoughts, curled up in the blanket, and wanted to return to her dream, back to her comfortable beanbag chair, to listen to the audiobook again, and know what was happening to the protagonist and the outside world.
She did fall asleep, but she didn't dream at all.
The hard kang (heated brick bed) and the hard quilt made her feel stiff all over. When she woke up in the morning, her back ached and her bones were cracking.
In the kitchen, Qiaoyun was already cooking, but Xu Errui was nowhere to be seen.
As Qiaoyun scooped hot water for Jiangzhi to wash her face, she said, "Errui saw that his mother was tired and wanted to sleep a little longer, so he went to Jiashan Gully and carried the kudzu root back by himself!"
These two kids are so well-behaved!
Jiang Zhi sighed inwardly, thinking that although the original owner of this body had suffered, it was a blessing that the child was sensible.
While cooking breakfast, Jiang Zhi went to clear some more land in the nearby terraced fields.
Now she drives a section of it every day, and little by little, she will eventually build up a fertile field.
They built stone embankments, dug level ground, and Jiang Zhi collected ash from the fires outside and piled it up in the fields.
When Xu Errui and Xiaoman returned with a large basket of kudzu roots, Jiang Zhi had already opened up a field more than ten meters long.
Everything is ready now except for the spring breeze. As long as the weather is warm and the rain comes, we can start sowing.
Breakfast was again Qinggang flatbread and pickled vegetables, but today there was an extra dish of cold houttuynia cordata salad.
Looking at this strange-looking thing, Xiaoman, who had been specially asked to stay for dinner, had a miserable expression on her face.
Xu Errui had the same expression as him: "Mom, can we not eat?"
Last night, out of curiosity, they noticed that the white and tender houttuynia cordata looked much more pleasing to the eye than the thin grass roots.
Xiaoman took a bite without hesitation, but unexpectedly, a strange taste, neither astringent nor bitter, rushed straight to her head, and she almost vomited.
Now, Aunt Jiang wants to eat by herself again...
Jiang Zhi urged, "This one's different, it's delicious, and so crunchy!"
Xiaoman looked utterly rejected. He suddenly realized he wasn't hungry yet and didn't even need to eat breakfast.
Xu Errui dared not refuse like that.
Under Jiang Zhi's coercion, he reluctantly picked up the thinnest and shortest white root.
I put it in my mouth and chewed it haphazardly, wanting to swallow it without even tasting it. But as I chewed, a flavor started to emerge in my mouth. It wasn't that strange, fishy taste, but a crisp, sweet one.
"Hey! This tastes different! It's delicious, so delicious!"
Xu Errui quickly picked up another plump root and put it in his mouth. This time, the sensation was even more intense. Moreover, the seasoning contained dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, which made him feel salty, spicy, and numbing all over.
Soon, Xiaoman's eyes widened in shock as she watched Xu Errui wolf down his food, chewing loudly like a cow eating grass...
"Brother Errui! Is it really delicious?" He was both eager and a little scared.
Xu Errui's mouth was full of houttuynia cordata, so he didn't have time to talk. When asked questions, he would nod or shake his head, which confused Xiaoman.
Jiang Zhi chuckled. Another one has fallen into the trap. He can't live without it now, so he can eat with his mother.
"Xiaoman, Qiaoyun, you two should try some too!"
Jiang Zhi turned her attention to the two individuals; the followers of Zhe'ergen needed to continue expanding...
For this rare houttuynia cordata, she even brought out several dried chilies that she had kept at home for seed production.
Without rapeseed oil, we could only use roasted, charred chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns ground into powder as seasoning, which was enough to feed these three novices their first taste of food.
Sure enough, the novel flavor quickly captivated the three young men.
Like Xu Errui, Xiaoman also drank it all in one gulp.
It took Qiaoyun three tries to taste the delicious flavor, and she couldn't stop eating it.
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