Chapter 35 Osmanthus Lotus Root Starch
While Zhao Xuan was busy picking all the ripe fruits inside and outside the village, Lu An and Yao Yuan prepared to go to Xiwei Village again—the lotus roots there were ripe.
This time, the men from both families went alone. Zhao Xuan prepared waders for Lu An and also gave Yao Yuan a pair. For lunch, she prepared some roasted potatoes and steamed salted duck for Lu An. The duck was a wild duck that Lu An and 460 had hunted and made into dried duck. Zhao Xuan cut off a large piece of drumstick, chopped it into strips, and put it in a stainless steel lunchbox with pickled vegetables. She steamed it for two hours. The duck meat absorbed the aroma of the pickled vegetables and was steamed until it was tender and falling off the bone. There was no need to change the container. She put it in a small basket along with a few roasted potatoes and a large pot of tea, and neatly arranged them in the back of Lu An's tricycle. There were also rope, an axe, a sickle, a straw hat, and other necessities for going out. Zhao Xuan also gave him an extra raincoat, even though the cloudless sky didn't look like it would rain.
The temperature has risen a bit these past few days. Autumn in the south is always like this: the weather suddenly cools down, and people are wearing two layers of clothing, but then the temperature suddenly spikes again for a few days. Zhao Xuan knows this is called the "autumn tiger," and autumn always has a few of these spells.
It just so happens that Lu An went out on the day of the lingering summer heat. What was originally a cool and pleasant morning turned hot in the blink of an eye. Zhao Xuan clicked his tongue in dismay and told Lu An to be careful.
“You’re bound to get tanned from all this back and forth, hehe, you’re destined to be darker than me this year.” Zhao Xuan grinned, revealing her inexplicable competitive spirit.
Lu An and Yao Yuan set off early in the morning. They rode empty bikes, so they could ride very fast without any loads. If nothing unexpected happened, they would be back in the afternoon.
Yao Yuansheng had a gentle and harmless appearance, but he was exceptionally brave when riding a bicycle. It was as if he had wheels of fire under his feet. He pedaled the bicycle very fast, making it very difficult for Lu An to catch up.
“Let’s go and come back as soon as possible. If we come back early, I can do some more farm work. Otherwise, I’m not comfortable leaving all the work to Xiaohe.” He said.
They set off early in the morning and arrived at Xiwei Village before noon. The lotus ponds outside the village were half withered and half green. The lotus leaves had withered and sunk to the bottom, turning brown, but lotus leaves were still growing on top, already tall enough to cover the withered leaves. From a distance, the green and brown were clearly distinguishable. Lu An also saw some old lotus pods left in the pond full of lotus leaves. Some of the lotus pods had broken off and sunk into the water.
As Lu An approached, a flapping sound of wings suddenly rang out from the desolate landscape, and a huge white bird took flight from the pond, startling him.
The ponds were still full of water; they needed to drain them before digging for lotus roots. Lu An and Yao Yuan were at the inlet and outlet, respectively. Lu An used a hoe to block the inlet with silt, while Yao Yuan widened the outlet, causing muddy water to gush out. They repeated this process for the three ponds. By the time they widened the outlet of the last pond, the first pond was almost empty.
Lu An had never touched a lotus root.
He put on his waders and looked at Yao Yuan, who was also putting on his waders. Yao Yuan turned his head away and said, "Just go with the flow. I've never done this job before."
Zhao Xuan probably didn't know how to harvest lotus roots either. If she did, she would have explained it to him in detail before they left.
Lu An decided to go into the water first.
The pool wasn't completely drained; the outlet has a certain height, and the water was drained about two-thirds full before stopping. So, in addition to the thick silt at the bottom of the pool, there was also a layer of water covering it.
The stench of mud hit him, and the water was about thigh-deep. He pushed aside the withered lotus leaves and struggled through the mud. He found an old lotus pod, bent down, and felt his way down the stem until he reached the root. The mud was very difficult to navigate, so he dug it out with both hands and gently pulled the large section of lotus root upwards.
Retrieving lotus roots is not something that can be done overnight. Lu An worked for a long time but still couldn't pull the lotus root up. The waterproof height of his waders was below his chest. At 1.88 meters tall, he could always wear many clothes in a shrunken style. At this moment, his chest and face were close to the water surface, and his hands were too deep. The water soaked his sleeves that were rolled up high.
A gust of wind came, and the umbrella-like lotus leaves above bent over in the wind, making a rustling sound.
The temperature keeps rising, rising.
In such a tranquil and relaxing world, the physical sensation is anything but comfortable.
The sun shone through the gaps in the lotus leaves onto his face, making it very itchy. The moisture, after being evaporated by the high temperature, hit his face again, and Lu An's face quickly turned red. He felt like a steamed bun.
He didn't know how long he had been digging aimlessly when Lu An used too much force, and with a crisp "crack," the lotus root broke in the water. He only managed to lift up a section of lotus root less than a meter long.
He washed the broken lotus root in the water and carried it with difficulty toward the shore, shouting as he went, "Brother Yuan! Next time we come, we have to bring a wooden basin to carry the lotus root with us. Otherwise, we have to go back to shore every time we pick a section of lotus root, which is too much trouble!"
From not far away came Yao Yuan's reply: "Great idea!"
When Lu An was back on shore, he was covered in sweat. He felt that his waders were also full of water, which was the sweat he had shed. With a determined heart, he simply took off his only T-shirt and threw it on the handlebars of the tricycle, leaving him wearing only a pair of overalls.
This scene was witnessed by Yao Yuan, who had just come ashore. He was stunned: "The pervert used to like to dress like this too."
"Where does this pervert wear pants?"
"You really know your stuff."
"You flatter me."
Lu An, lightly equipped, became noticeably faster at gathering lotus roots after a few tries, but most of them were still broken. He noticed that Yao Yuan's harvest was similar to his own, all broken into pieces.
Just then, from a pile of lotus leaves not far away, Yao Yuan's slightly low voice came from the effort he was putting in: "Xiao Lu, how about we pick a few good sections of lotus root, cover them with mud, and go to our village to see if we can plant them... Hey, I broke this lotus root again."
Lu An asked, "Can this even be planted?"
"Is it possible? I'll dig up a few sections in the spring and try planting them. They'll grow in two years, and I won't have to travel so far to harvest lotus roots."
The two chatted on and on. Yao Yuan said that he and Zhang Xiaohe had discussed it and decided to stay in Xiaxi Village long-term because their serious illness forced them to live in solitude. The resource-rich mountains were just the right place to support their family of three.
“It’s fine for our family to be neighbors with you two. We’re not too far away, so if one of us gets sick, it won’t affect the other,” Yao Yuan said.
“Xuanxuan and I were still homeless around this time last year. We heard from people we met that there were still people in the capital researching a vaccine for this virus. Maybe in a few years when the vaccine comes out, we can go back to the big city if we want.”
“I heard about this when Xiaohe and I were still at the camp. We could still occasionally receive broadcasts back then, but…” Yao Yuan’s tone shifted, “Who can say for sure? Maybe a vaccine will be developed next year, or maybe it will never be developed. In the second year after the outbreak of the major disease, didn’t they say there was a cure? My dad got sick then. This kind of disease can only last a few days in the hospital. My mom spent 400,000 yuan to buy that medicine, but she was scammed out of it. That was all their savings. Later, my dad passed away, and I was trapped in a big city and couldn’t come back. The high-speed rail was suspended, and I couldn’t use the highway. Then… communication was cut off, and my mom and I lost contact.”
Lu An couldn't see Yao Yuan, only hear his calm voice. Lu An noticed that Yao Yuan and Zhang Xiaohe were somewhat similar; they both harbored many things in their hearts, but always appeared indifferent on the surface.
It makes sense when you think about it. Everyone in the post-apocalyptic world carries immense sorrow in their hearts, and those who cannot accept the reality and subsequently suffer a mental breakdown either go mad or die.
Yao Yuan continued, “Actually, I don’t like big cities anymore. You don’t know how terrifying it was back then when a city of ten million people was in a state of social disorder. There were dead people everywhere, and people were calling for help everywhere. To survive, you had to kill others, and to avoid being killed, you killed others… But just a few months ago, everyone was clearly a very kind person.”
The initial collapse of societies is always accompanied by violence and bloodshed. After a long period of killing and selection, the survivors either leave this bloody center to survive alone, band together to protect themselves, or become addicted to it, turning themselves into true animals. The peace and tranquility five years after the apocalypse was actually bought with countless lives.
Sunlight filtered through the thin lotus leaves, casting a pale green glow on Lu An's handsome face. He lowered his long eyelashes and said, "I know, that time was difficult."
Yao Yuan had an overly gentle, scholarly face, and his body was thin due to malnutrition. In the post-apocalyptic world, he would appear as a cowardly figure to be bullied. Lu Ansheng was very handsome, but always seemed a bit simple-minded and not very bright. He was naive and had a lot of strength, so he was also easy to bully—but if they were really easy to bully, they wouldn't have survived this long.
Even though both families are now showing each other the utmost goodwill, they can't erase what they did in the past. They seem to know it all, but they've never really talked about it.
Lu An looked up and glanced at the surrounding scenery. The lotus leaves scattered across the pond were truly beautiful. As the weather grew colder, the sky seemed to rise higher. From above, the three ponds looked like three deep eyes.
Lu An opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't ask the question: Brother Yuan, you... weren't you and Sister Xiao He originally a couple?
Lu An could tell that Yao Yuan treated Zhang Xiaohe very well, and Zhang Xiaohe treated him very well too, but Lu An vaguely felt a faint sense of estrangement and excessive politeness between them. He had seen this feeling in many people who were temporarily paired up as husband and wife after the apocalypse.
After that, the two remained silent for a long time.
Lu An pulled out another section of lotus root, and slowly walked towards the shore, holding it in his hands. Just as he climbed up, he saw Yao Yuan already there. Yao Yuan had been mocking Lu An for not wearing a shirt and only wearing waders, but now he was doing the same thing. At this moment, Yao Yuan was arranging the lotus roots neatly. When he saw Lu An come up, he looked up and gave him a gentle smile: "Your sister Xiao He knows how to make lotus root starch. After we transport these lotus roots back, I'll make some lotus root starch and send it to you."
“No need,” Lu An declined. “Xuanxuan and I have discussed it and will try to make some lotus root starch when we get back. If we really can’t make it, we’ll ask you for some to try.”
The topic shifted there. Yao Yuan and Lu An were both efficient workers. After harvesting the lotus roots from the three ponds, they needed to re-block the outlets. They also collected some crops from the surrounding area of the village, several bundles of sugarcane, and a large pile of fruits and vegetables. In the evening, Lu Yuan returned home fully loaded with over two hundred kilograms of fresh lotus roots and some fruits and vegetables.
After a day of scorching sun, Lu An's face and neck were bright red, which distressed Zhao Xuan greatly. She cut cucumber into thin slices and applied them to Lu An's sunburned areas. As she did so, she said, "Rest after you finish eating! You don't feel it now, but tomorrow, if you move even slightly and tear the skin, it will hurt terribly." Then, as if remembering something, she asked, "Why aren't you wearing a hat?"
"There's no way to wear it. When we're picking lotus roots, our faces are almost touching the water, so we can't wear a hat."
Zhao Xuan slapped his forehead: "It was my mistake! Next time I'll bring you a cloth hat with a narrow brim."
Two hundred pounds of fresh lotus roots was more than enough for Zhao Xuan, so she planned to pick out the broken ones first. The broken roots were filled with mud, so she figured they wouldn't keep for long. But upon closer inspection, she discovered that almost all the lotus roots dug by the novice lotus root digger, Lu An, were broken!
So Zhao Xuan could only pick a few that looked good and planned to use them for dinner.
After washing the lotus root, Zhao Xuan didn't slice it, but instead cut it into long strips along the nodes. The sound of cutting the lotus root was particularly satisfying, with each slicing sound bringing a sense of comfort.
Zhao Xuan couldn't resist picking up a strip of raw lotus root and stuffing it into his mouth, savoring the sweetness of starch and the delicate fragrance.
"It just doesn't taste as good as I imagined!" she thought to herself.
Rinse the sliced lotus root with water to remove the surface starch, then stir-fry it with a few cloves of garlic, a few pieces of dried red chili peppers, and some vinegar over high heat for a few seconds before serving.
Raw lotus root may not taste good, but stir-fried lotus root is crisp and fragrant.
The two ate a large bowl of rice with spicy and sour lotus root shreds—Zhao Xuan called it "carb with carb."
The next day, Zhao Xuan handed over all the farm work to Lu An, and rolled up his sleeves to prepare to make lotus root starch.
Zhao Xuan picked out all the broken lotus roots, and kept the remaining intact ones wrapped in mud to preserve them. These whole fresh lotus roots are delicious whether used for soup or stir-frying.
She carefully washed the broken lotus root that wouldn't last long and prepared to grind it into pieces.
She sat in the courtyard with a large plastic basin between her feet. Inside the basin was a grater, similar in principle and usage to a grater. She would hold a tender lotus root segment and swirl it across the grater, from which ground lotus root juice would seep out. She grated very slowly and carefully, because if she wasn't careful, the juice would be mixed with the aroma of meat.
So for the entire day, Lu An, who was going in and out of the house, saw Zhao Xuan seemingly nailed to a small stool in the yard, head down, vigorously rubbing lotus root.
He prepared the meal, inspected the fields, fed the pigs, and brought the clothes back in the late afternoon, but Zhao Xuan still hadn't moved. Only when he passed by her would he occasionally hear her say "Hey—" with exhaustion.
Lu An offered to help, but Zhao Xuan refused. His reason was that doing this kind of mindless work allowed him to clear his mind.
So, during their free time, Lu An, the little black boy whose nose was peeling from the sun, and 460, who was even darker, squatted on the steps together. They saw Zhao Xuan mechanically wiping lotus root, but the light in his eyes was getting dimmer and dimmer.
Lu An asked curiously, "Xuanxuan, do you know how to make lotus root starch?"
"Ah!" Zhao Xuan, who was lost in her own world, was startled. She turned her head and saw the two dark figures blending into the shadows. Their eyes were so innocent and naive that she couldn't bring herself to get angry directly: "How come you two were standing there without making a sound!" Then she answered Lu An's question: "No way!"
This was the answer Lu An had expected, but Zhao Xuan added, "But I've seen others do it on TV!"
—Her agricultural knowledge comes primarily from watching movies and reading books, with absolutely no practical experience.
But she can not only put theory into practice, but also apply what she has learned to other situations. This is how lotus root starch is made, and the methods for making sweet potato starch and potato starch are not much different. They all require grinding, settling, and drying.
For nearly a year, Lu An watched Zhao Xuan busily picking and drying fruit, filling the once empty little house to the brim.
The lotus root juice, ground into a fine paste, is filtered through cheesecloth and left to stand overnight. The cloudy juice separates into upper and lower parts. The water on top is poured off, leaving behind a fine, white starch, which is lotus root starch. It is then hung up to dry and pressed into a fine powder. This process sounds simple, but it took Zhao Xuan more than a week.
The remaining lotus root residue can be used to feed pigs, so it's not a waste. However, Lu An brought back more than 200 catties of lotus root. After deducting the amount that was stir-fried and stewed in the past few days, only 5 catties of lotus root starch were produced from the 200 catties of lotus root. The starch yield was frighteningly low.
Zhao Xuan packed the finely ground lotus root starch into two glass jars she had brought from Taiping Town. She sealed them, and they would last her for a year or two. She placed one jar in the storage room on the second floor and the other on a shelf in the living room on the first floor. The shelf was now neatly arranged with various foods she had carefully prepared: dried mushrooms, dried bamboo shoots, dried vegetables, and other dried goods; as well as chili sauce, candied chestnuts, peanut butter, and other agricultural products; and the jar of gleaming lotus root starch. The various colors, packaged in uniform glass jars, looked quite appealing.
The chestnuts were gathered by Zhao Xuan and Lu An a while ago. Some were ground into powder and wrapped in rice cakes, which they ate; others were stewed with pheasant meat; and the rest were preserved in sugar. When she craved them, she could pick out a few with clean chopsticks—sweet, chewy, and they could be kept for a long time. The peanut butter was made from freshly sun-dried peanuts, roasted, and then ground by Zhao Xuan herself. She added some sesame seeds to enrich the flavor, but since it was her first time making peanut butter, she didn't dare make too much, only a fist-sized jar.
Zhao Xuan was very satisfied with the abundance and variety of food she had collected after autumn. She laid out all the glass jars and filled them with various homemade foods, making it very convenient to take out what she needed. Most importantly, looking at the colorful display on the shelf made her feel good.
Lu An said that if they encountered robbers, the bandits would know what kind of grain the homeowner had hidden as soon as they entered the hall.
Zhao Xuan rolled his eyes at him and ignored him.
The lotus root starch she made was pinker than the commercial lotus root starch Zhao Xuan remembered buying, truly returning to the original color of fresh lotus root. She took two large bowls, scooped a spoonful of lotus root starch into each bowl, added a spoonful of white sugar, poured in a little boiling water to cook and stir, then continued to add water until the bowls were full, until the lotus root starch became a transparent jelly-like consistency.
Next to the lotus root starch jar was a smaller glass jar containing recently dried osmanthus flowers. Zhao Xuan sprinkled some into the two bowls of lotus root starch, and the osmanthus lotus root starch was ready.
Lu An glanced at it and felt that the osmanthus should be brewed with lotus root starch to maximize its fragrance, but he glanced at Zhao Xuan again and chose not to say anything.
The two sat back down on the steps in front of the hall, each holding a bowl of lotus root starch, and ate silently.
Zhao Xuan always liked to sit on the steps when she ate snacks. Here, she could get sunlight and see the green mountains beyond the wall. She would eat popsicles and drink goat milk here, slowly sipping her food while looking at the distant scenery.
So Lu An often sat here with her.
Zhao Xuan and Lu An hadn't eaten such finely processed food for many years. She ate each hard-won dish with great care. The lotus root starch was thick, sweet, and fragrant. She slowly rubbed it with her tongue, savoring it with seriousness and focus.
After a long silence, Lu An suddenly said, "Brother Yuan said that the lotus roots will be transplanted here next spring. In a year or two, we won't have to go all the way to Xiwei Village to pick lotus roots anymore."
Zhao Xuan turned his head and asked, "Does he know how to do the transplant?"
"I don't know, but maybe it'll work if we give it a try?"
"That's true. Their family is quite capable. They can farm and make things. Xiaohe taught me how to make peanut butter. Yuan-ge wants to transplant lotus roots. Maybe it will work."
"Xuanxuan, do you think Brother Yuan is a good person?"
Zhao Xuan's attention was still on the lotus root starch, and without thinking, he replied, "Yes, of course! He even promised to share half of the vat of soy sauce they're making next year with me!"
Lu An retorted incredulously, "So sharing half of my soy sauce with you makes me a good person?!"
"Wow! In this day and age, anyone who's willing to share half a soy sauce with you isn't just a good person, they're a living saint!"
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