Chapter 221 Loach, Eel and Snail

"Oh my god, that lightning could kill someone! How dare you touch something so dangerous?"

"Why not say that people are smart? Or that some people are smart enough to store the electricity and then release it for use later!"

"Oh... I heard that a commune in the next town had already installed electric wires this spring! Every household has electric lights now!"

"Yes, yes! I heard that too! They say it's much brighter than a kerosene lamp! Oh... you tell me, when will our commune be able to put up electric wires..."

The word spread.

Later, the commune held a meeting and someone brought up the issue of laying electric wires.

Secretary Zhao had been to school, so of course he knew that electricity was not a new thing; it had existed for sixty or seventy years.

However, now everyone is hungry, where can we find money to install electric wires?

You can apply, but when you pull electric wires to the commune and even to every household in the village, you have to pay for the poles, the wires, the meters, and the installation fees. Although the government will pay the bulk of the cost, the commune will also have to pay a portion of the cost. If it is distributed equally to each household, it is not a small amount for farmers who have little income.

This is not to mention that after the power lines are laid, the village will have to pay electricity bills for using the electricity, which are all expenses!

However, this time Secretary Zhao saw that everyone was very enthusiastic about pulling the wires, so he also thought about it seriously and said with a smile:

"I've actually thought about this before. It's really convenient to use electricity. If you all agree and promise to pay the electricity bill honestly and not owe the public, then I'll apply.

Everyone in our commune is very active this year. The chickens and ducks raised by each family have a good harvest of eggs. The households raising pigs and sheep have also worked hard. By the end of the year, it will definitely be a bumper year. After the autumn harvest is over, we will calculate the accounts and see how much each household needs to contribute. Then we will lay the wires! We will strive to ensure that everyone in our village can celebrate the New Year in a bright house on New Year's Eve!"

Everyone could not help but yearn for it. Although you will have to pay monthly electricity bills after you connect to the electricity, which is a considerable expense, but I heard that the electricity is connected to a meter, and if you connect it but don't use it, the meter won't move, and people won't care about your electricity bills.

Anyway, let’s connect it first. It’s up to you to decide whether to use it or not, right?

In the next few days, the topic of conversation among the villagers of Qingshui Village after dinner was all about the issue of pulling electric wires.

Xia Juanjuan saw that the problem of the electric wires was getting better. Although it would take half a year, she was still very happy. At least next summer, there should be fans blowing.

However, we still have to be patient this summer.

In midsummer, there are some wild peach trees in the mountains, all of which are full of peaches. The peaches are almost ripe in summer, and the villagers have picked all the peaches around them, but if you go deeper into the mountains, you can no longer pick them.

Xia Juanjuan used the space and was not afraid of going too deep, so she went deeper into the forest. Every time she came back from the mountains, she could pick some wild peaches. She would then take some peaches out of the space and mix them in, bring them home, and chill them in the well in the yard. When she felt too hot to bear, she would take them out and eat them.

In addition to peaches, there are also large watermelons grown at home, which are also placed in a bucket of ice in the water.

Another dish is mung bean paste. When the mung beans are cooked until they are soft and sandy, scoop them out and let them cool down. Add some sugar and eat them to reduce internal heat and relieve summer heat.

Another way to cool down is to take a bath.

Xiaowen and Xiaowu were fine since they were originally boys. There was a place by the river where the water was relatively shallow and the bottom was covered with pebbles and large rocks. It was renovated by the commune in the past so that the women in the village could wash clothes there.

Because the water is shallow and there are usually adults around, the children in the village like to go there to play in the water in the summer.

Xia Juanjuan knew it was safe there, so she didn't stop Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei. She just sewed some swimsuit-like clothes for them and let them wear them to play in the water.

However, you must not leave that area and swim into deep water.

Even though Xiaowen and Xiaowu learned how to doggy paddle and freestyle swimming from the older kids in the village, it still didn't work.

The little ones were quite obedient and splashed around in the shallow water.

While playing in the water, the kids would also catch fish, dig out loach nests, etc. It was really fun.

As for Yanyan, Yeye and Yaoyao, the little guys are now more than eight months old. They can't stand yet, but they can already crawl very fast using all fours.

Xia Juanjuan no longer confined them to the stroller, but put them on the floor in the house and let them crawl around and play.

The little ones are very active and curious at that time, so they really... crawled all over the house, making their clothes very dirty in a short time.

Xia Juanjuan and Lin Yuru fetched some well water, heated it up a little, and then put the three kids in a large wooden tub to bathe.

It's hot in the summer, and taking a bath will cool them down, so there's no need to worry about them catching a cold.

When building this house, Xia Juanjuan specifically asked Xia Shuangshan to build a "bathroom" next to the kitchen. A large bathtub was built inside, and the inner wall was painted with cement. Xia Juanjuan also asked Director Zheng of the town's supply and marketing cooperative to help inquire about it, and used industrial coupons to buy some tiles that were only used in big cities, and then pasted the tiles, making the construction look very decent.

Although there is no shower, there are two water inlets that come from the kitchen. You can boil hot water in the kitchen and pour it directly into the bathtub. Of course, you can also add cool water to adjust the temperature.

Taking a shower in the summer is more comfortable than anything else. Xia Juanjuan sometimes takes a shower in the morning, noon and evening.

Or, sometimes, when Lin Yuru took the triplets out to visit friends, they would just go straight into the space to take a shower and enjoy the cool and comfortable environment.

That afternoon, Xiaowen, Xiaowu, and Beibei came back from the river, each carrying a small bucket. They were very happy. When they saw Xia Juanjuan, they said proudly, "Mom, look! We caught a lot of loaches, eels, and snails!"

Xia Juanjuan came over to take a look. Isn't that right? In the three people's buckets, Xiaowen's had about ten yellow eels, Xiaowu's had about ten loaches, and Beibei's bucket was filled with snails.

When the triplets saw their older brothers and sisters coming back, they took advantage of Lin Yuru and Xia Juanjuan not paying attention and crawled over using their hands and feet to look at what was in the bucket.

Xia Juanjuan and Lin Yuru ran over and picked them up, saying with a smile, "Where did you catch so many? Let's eat them tonight."

The loach is braised in brown sauce. The loach has a strong earthy smell, so you need to sprinkle salt on it and then wash off the mucous membrane on the surface. This will remove most of the earthy smell. Then add thick red sauce and braise it with more ginger slices.

For the eel, just cut it into sections and stir-fry it with green peppers, onions, etc. It is also very delicious.

As for snails, they taste best when made spicy. First put them in clean water with salt and sesame oil, let the snails spit out the sand, change the water several times, and when the sand is almost spit out, use a knife to chop off the tip at the bottom of the snail, and then blanch it in boiling water.

The next step is to prepare various seasonings, peppers, spices, etc., stir-fry with oil, then add the snails and stir-fry quickly, add water, boil and collect the juice, then leave it for some time. After the snail meat has fully absorbed the flavor of the sauce, use a toothpick to pick out the snail meat. It is a very good side dish and snack!

However, considering that the kids at home are still young, Xia Juanjuan made the taste slightly spicy, which Xiaowen, Xiaowu and Beibei can eat.