Chapter 102: Do what you are good at
The two sisters-in-law came and put the herbs they had brought into the basins they had brought and filled them with water.
Lin Qingqing taught them how to wash the herbs, because she was afraid that they would rub them like they did when they washed vegetables.
"Soak the herbs in water for about ten minutes before washing."
"Look, just put your palm in the middle and stir it, about ten times, then gently pick the herbs out of the water."
"Pour all the herbs into a basin of clean water and stir it. The dirt will fall off, and then you can gently scoop it out."
"Put it on the bluestone slab to dry, then you can start processing the herbs."
As long as you are careful and attentive in this step, there will be no problems for your sister-in-law who works often.
The two sisters-in-law learned how to do it immediately and started cleaning. After they were done, Lin Qingqing took a look and found nothing wrong.
Nowadays, the sun is strong in summer, and the water on these herbs can dry up in a short time.
While the herbs were drying in the water, Lin Qingqing grabbed a handful of Xiaomei's herbs and taught the two how to process them.
The three of them sat under the awning, with Xiuhong and Hongxi sitting on either side of Lin Qingqing.
Lin Qingqing picked up a herb and picked off its leaves. She first removed the hard stems and then pinched off the red tips of the leaves.
This step tests both people's hands-on ability and learning ability.
Lin Qingqing patiently picked all the leaves from a herb and processed them for the two of them to see.
Xiuhong and Hongxi each held a herb in their hands. After Lin Qingqing finished speaking, they started to work.
Hongqi has delicate hands. She picked all the leaves of a herb first, and then began to process the leaves. Soon she finished processing the whole herb.
Xiuhong picks the leaves one by one and then processes them.
Lin Qingqing sat aside and watched for a while. It was obvious that Hong Xi worked faster. The basket next to her was so full that she couldn't even see the bottom.
There were not many leaves in Sister Xiuhong's basket. She was afraid of making mistakes, so she worked very carefully. Her hands were slower than Hongxi's, so the gap between them widened immediately.
She looked up at the leaves of the red-bellied twig and her head began to sweat.
After a while, Hongxi had finished processing all the herbs, and Xiuhong still had half of them in her hands.
Lin Qingqing stopped Xiuhong and took the two people's baskets to check whether they were qualified.
She looked at it carefully. Although Sister Xiuhong was slow, all the work was qualified. Only a few parts were not done thoroughly enough.
Because she always picked the leaves first, some of the leaves were torn, but the ends of the leaves were well handled.
She looked at the two of them and said, "Sister Hongyu handled it quickly, which is a plus, but some leaves are torn, but everything else is fine."
"Sister-in-law Xiuhong handled it very well, there was no problem."
After hearing this, Xiuhong, who felt that she had slowed down a lot, finally smiled.
Lin Qingqing glanced at the two and suggested, "The two sisters-in-law can work together. For example, Sister Xiuhong is familiar with the mountains and knows where the grass is abundant. She will definitely be able to collect herbs faster and more than Sister Hongxi. Sister Hongxi is quick with her hands and is suitable for processing herbs."
"If we cooperate, Sister Xiuhong will pick the herbs, wash them, and dry them in the sun, and Sister Hongyin will just process them. This way, we'll have more processed herbs than if you did it yourself. You can give it a try first."
After hearing this, the two of them were silent for a moment, and then they looked at each other with shining eyes.
They think this is reasonable. Isn't this just doing what they are good at and not touching upon their weaknesses? Isn't this more than two people doing together?
Xiuhong smiled: "Qingqing, you are really smart, we didn't even think of it."
Hong Xi also agreed. She looked at Xiu Hong and said, "I think it's okay. Why don't we try it out in the next few days?"
Xiuhong certainly had no objection. She stood up, took her backpack and shovel, and went to the mountain to collect herbs.
"I'll do it now. I'll pick more and then wash and dry them when I get back."
"Hongxi, come to my house tonight and we can finish all this in one day."
Hong Xi nodded: "Okay, you go ahead and I'll look over the herbs. Once they're dried, I'll start."
Xiuhong glanced at her adopted son who was hanging around Xiaomei for a while and said, "Gou Wa, I'm going up the mountain. You and Aunt Xiaomei and Aunt Hongxi are playing this. Do you hear me?"
Gou Wa looked up at his mother, then lowered his head again, without a trace of reluctance on his face.
Xiuhong glared at Gou Wa, then walked away quickly with the bamboo basket on her back.
Lin Qingqing felt thirsty after talking for a while, so she went to the living room and poured two porcelain cups of water and handed one to Hongying.
Hongxi drank a few sips of water and then turned over the herbs on the bluestone slab.
Bluestone slabs absorb water naturally and are heated by the sun, so when the herbs are placed on them to dry, the water dries quickly.
Lin Qingqing sat down under the awning with a cup in hand and said, "Sister-in-law Hongyin, I'm close to the mountain. After you pick some herbs, you can come to my house to wash them. Then you can put them on the bluestone slab to dry. It will be lively for everyone to sit together."
Xiaomei also looked up and said with a smile: "Yes, we will do it in our yard today. If you can't finish it in the evening, you can take it back."
Hong Xi knew that Lin Qingqing meant well. It was inconvenient for them to dry the herbs in the tube-shaped building they lived in. Qingqing's yard had a large area paved with bluestone slabs, so the herbs could dry quickly once spread out.
She flipped through the herbs in her hand, smiling: "Okay, we can keep each other company."
Sister Xiuhong was quick on her feet and came back in just over an hour, carrying a bamboo basket full of winter melons.
When she entered the yard, she didn't even drink the water and started washing the herbs.
Hongxi was already busy processing herbs under the pergola.
When she saw the almost full basket in Hongqi's hand, the smile on her face became even wider.
Gou Wa has now become a little helper, running back and forth between Xiao Mei and Hong Xi. He will take the basket from whoever's basket is full.
Xiuhong washed the herbs and hung them on the bluestone slab to dry, then went out again.
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