Chapter 66 Ginger Rice Tea
Upon returning, Zhao Xuan immediately began drying fish.
In just one day, they caught a lot of fish of all kinds and sizes. After cleaning the larger fish, they salted them for a day, then used thin bamboo poles to flatten them into a board and laid them out to dry in the sun. Because the air was too humid during this period, Zhao Xuan was afraid that the fish would get moldy, so he first dried them with charcoal before drying them to ensure that the fish would not get moldy in the first two days of drying.
As for the small fish, it's a bit more complicated. Cut a small opening in the belly of the small fish, squeeze out the internal organs, marinate it with salt, and then pan-fry it over low heat. The oil and heat will make the small fish meat more chewy. This process requires a lot of patience. You need to pay attention to the heat and keep turning the small fish until it turns from bluish-white to golden yellow and then emits an enticing oily aroma.
The dried anchovies fried this way are crispy and crunchy. If you like a stronger flavor, you can add some chili powder and stir-fry. After frying, store them in the refrigerator and they can last for a long time.
In the morning, pick out a few fish to make a dish. The fish meat is oily and tender, and you can even chew the bones. It's best eaten with congee.
Zhao Xuan's favorite way to eat dried anchovies is pan-fried. The only drawback of this dish is that it requires a lot of oil, but this year they pressed a lot of peanut oil, so there is no shortage of oil.
Knowing that Zhao Xuan liked to eat dried small fish, Lu An often went to the reservoir to catch fish to eat. When Zhao Xuan had time, he would go with him; when he didn't, Lu An would go by himself. It was only a day's journey, so no one was worried.
When Lu An went to the reservoir again, he climbed up the slope to look for that wisp of smoke. Around mealtimes, he would occasionally catch a glimpse of the rising white smoke, so he concluded that people had indeed settled on the other side of the mountain.
As for who those settlers are, and how long they've been here, Lu An has no intention of crossing the mountains to find out.
He told Yao Yuan about the situation, and the two families discussed it and felt that more and more people might enter the mountains in the future. They had been living too comfortably in the second half of last year and had gradually lost their vigilance, which was not a good thing. They decided that it was necessary to increase the security of their house.
Zhao Xuan and Lu An decided to add more broken glass and long iron nails to the top of their wall, and then reinforced the doors and windows, especially the main gate.
They originally wanted to dig a trap around the house, but firstly, it might hurt 460 and its ping-pong team, and secondly, it might accidentally injure the Yao family members who came to visit, so they had to give up the idea.
Later, Yao Yuan came to our door again and suggested that the two families build a fence for the field together to prevent wild boars from destroying the crops again.
This was a huge project. It would obviously take more time and effort for each family to build their own fence. Since the two families' fields were about the same size and adjacent to each other, it was better for them to work together. Two strong men went to the mountains to cut bamboo, while the women were responsible for building the fence.
Bamboo cannot be used immediately after being cut down. If fresh bamboo is used without drying it, it is prone to cracking. Therefore, the fresh bamboo needs to be transported from the mountains first. Lu An and Yao Yuan spent several days cutting a path through the bamboo mountain. The path was very steep, and the potholes were filled in. Then, every short section of bamboo was placed across it, with the bamboo poles slightly above the ground. This way, the bamboo cut from the height was thrown onto the path, and the bamboo slid down like a slide all the way to the bottom of the mountain.
The amount of bamboo needed to make the fence is large, so opening up a bamboo slide path would solve the problem once and for all.
Lu An and Yao Yuan transported the felled bamboo back to dry, removing excess moisture before splitting it, sharpening one end, and tamping the other end into the ground to make the fence posts. The posts were spaced half a meter apart, and Zhao Xuan and Zhang Xiaohe tied bamboo railings between them. They would also wrap the railings with collected wire and some thorny brambles.
Both cutting and splitting bamboo and driving foundation stakes are strenuous tasks. The bamboo needs to be straight and thick, and the foundation stakes need to be driven very deep. Lu An and Yao Yuan leave early and return late every day, their clothes soaked with sweat. Even with gloves on, Zhao Xuan can still see the cuts on Lu An's arms from the bamboo leaves.
Zhao Xuan's own work wasn't easy either. The work of nailing the fence was tedious and arduous. Zhao Xuan and Zhang Xiaohe would squat by the field for a long time, and when they stood up, the whole world was covered in flowers. Zhang Xiaohe couldn't tie the fence with one hand, so she could only do things like wrapping wire and thorns. Her hands were often pricked by thorns, which made Zhao Xuan's heart pound. It was okay to be scratched by thorns, but if she was scratched by rusty wire, it would be dangerous.
Zhao Xuan took on the task of tying up the fence all by herself. By the end of the day, she felt as if her hands were still tying fences in her dreams.
Both families worked with all their might, but everyone knew that such a large project, which had taken them more than two months, would likely be abandoned in two or three years. Farmland cannot be continuously cultivated without the support of industrial fertilizers. As the cultivation period lengthens, the soil will lose its fertility, resulting in reduced grain production. They would have to switch to other fields, and at that time, the fence would be abandoned, and they would need to rebuild the fence on the new fields.
However, not building a fence is not an option. Last year, Zhao Xuan and Lu An's second-crop rice was almost completely destroyed by wild boars. They cannot repeat the same mistake this year. Besides, both families plan to plant double-crop rice this year, which takes a long time, and it is hard to guarantee that wild boars will not be attracted again.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xuan sighed as he tied the fence: "People really have a hard time just to make a living."
The two families were working hard, so they decided to eat together. Both families brought out their ingredients, and the dog took charge of cooking at Zhao Xuan's house.
Although the dog is small, it has a lot of work to do. From last year to this year, the Yao family's flock of sheep has grown by two lambs. The dog still herds the sheep, goes to school, and now helps the adults in the family cook, making it even busier.
Both families knew how hard this child had worked, so they each brought out some pickled food to cook for the dog. All he had to do was cook the rice and steam some pickled vegetables and salted meat.
For a long time, the humidity in the mountains was very high. In the morning, there was often fog. If it was a sunny day, the fog would not dissipate until the sun had been shining for a while. If it was a cloudy day, the fog would linger in the mountains and would not dissipate all day long. At this time, the dog would brew a large pot of ginger rice tea and bring it to them.
Ginger rice tea is made by dry-frying ginger shreds and rice in a pan, resulting in a spicy flavor with a strong rice aroma.
Zhao Xuan loves rice so much. Whether it's rice cake, rice juice, rice noodles, or ginger rice tea, it tastes especially good.
The ginger rice tea that the dog brewed was kept in a thermos, so it was warm and cozy when it was first served in the morning.
Temperatures are still rising, but it will still be a bit cool in the morning. Zhang Xiaohe said that drinking ginger rice tea is perfect for dispelling dampness and nourishing the spleen in this kind of weather.
Zhao Xuan's favorite thing to do is to drink a large cup of ginger rice tea until her back is slightly sweaty, and then eat a thick rice cake with pickled vegetables and a fried egg. Sometimes, when the morning breeze blows, she feels refreshed and works even more efficiently.
Perhaps the work of tying up the fence was just too tedious, because Zhao Xuan and Zhang Xiaohe would chat idly, mostly about their lives before the apocalypse. Zhang Xiaohe talked about her work at the hospital, the people she met, the things she saw, and even who she met in the camp after the apocalypse and what skills she learned. She said that she wasn't actually good at cooking; nurses are too busy to have time to study food. She learned her cooking skills from the older women in the camp after she entered. Those women in their forties and fifties were responsible for the food preparation in the entire camp. They were amazing, making the camp as lively as a small town. Zhang Xiaohe quietly followed behind them and learned those skills as well.
Zhao Xuan would talk about her college graduation. She said she wasn't particularly smart, but she was hardworking. She had good grades in college and found her dream job upon graduation. That was the most carefree time of her life. Her job and Lu An's job were in the same city. She was about to graduate, she was about to start a job, and she was about to settle down. She said that her and Lu An's small apartment had just been renovated. On their housewarming day, their friends came to celebrate. Everyone was a fresh graduate and couldn't afford expensive gifts. Some brought milk, snacks, and some basic necessities. Thanks to these friends, boxes of milk, biscuits, candy, and various snack gift packages saved her and Lu An's lives during the lockdown.
Human conversations are mostly self-centered. Zhang Xiaohe would tell a story about herself, and Zhao Xuan would tell a story about herself. The two would chime in with a word or two about each other's stories. Neither of them were the type to ask for anything from the outside world. They didn't need each other's understanding or advice; they just needed to listen to each other. Sometimes, Zhao Xuan even felt that it wasn't even listening.
The world was quiet. When she was working, someone was talking to her, and when she wanted to talk, someone else was quietly by her side. This made her feel very comfortable.
What she said, what Zhang Xiaohe said, she actually forgot after a few days. What she could remember was that in the deathly silence after the wind blew across the wilderness, there was a steady breathing sound accompanying her.
The two families worked on building the fence on and off. Construction was sometimes interrupted by farm work, and sometimes by continuous rain. During this period, the weather was hot and cold. Often, after a few days of almost summer-like heat, there would be a cold rain that made people have to put on two layers of clothing. After this happened several times, the Dragon Boat Festival arrived.
After the Dragon Boat Festival, snakes and rats will emerge from their burrows, and the weather will never get cold again.
Before the Dragon Boat Festival, the two families had already built the fences, one around the dry land and the other around the paddy fields. The fences themselves were sharpened and covered with thorny vines. Zhang Xiaohe said that a ring of mint could be planted around the perimeter, as wild boars hate the smell of mint and would stay away from it if they could smell it from afar.
With a few days to go before the Dragon Boat Festival, Zhao Xuan began preparing for the holiday.
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