While the eldest child was chopping firewood and the second child was washing vegetables, Xia Manni was not idle either.
She was thinking about their future food problem. Currently, they had wild sweet potatoes, which she planned to dry into dried sweet potatoes. Dried sweet potatoes have a longer shelf life, and dried sweet potatoes have a higher sugar content, which she could give to the children as snacks.
The only other things left were bamboo shoots. She thought they could be dried in the sun, and the weather was pretty good, with the autumn air being clear and crisp.
In this era, there was no weather forecast, and farmers relied on years of farming experience to predict the weather.
But if it rains, it will be a disaster for their family, so she has to find a way to store food for a longer time.
In addition to drying bamboo shoots, they can also be pickled. Pickling requires salt, and since there is only a salt brick at home, there is certainly a limit to what you can do.
As for the chestnuts, they will need to be stored. If they are prepared properly, they can be stored for half a year without any problems.
She only had ten taels of silver in her hand, which was enough to buy rice and noodles, and some other things for the house. She also wanted to buy a chicken, so there would probably not be much money left.
Moreover, there are five people in the family, so at least two taels of silver must be kept for emergencies.
I have to look for a small river in the afternoon to see if I can be lucky enough to catch some fish.
I also have to find time to go to the fields, so going to the market will have to be postponed.
Oh, when will these little kids grow up?
Xia Manni sat on a small chair and looked at the four busy children. She couldn't help but think with her chin in her hand, if only she could reach old age with just one click, then she could retire directly.
But fantasy is fantasy and can never become reality.
She should just live her life honestly, living day by day and eating mouthful by mouthful. Sooner or later, she will enjoy her retirement life, while these kids will just have to rely on their own luck.
"Mom, we've divided it." Sanwa ran over and called Xia Manni to come over and take a look.
"Mom, look, I have divided them very well. Look, this is the chestnut you mentioned, and this is the sweet potato..." After Sanwa pulled Xia Manni over, he began to introduce them one by one.
I saw that the three full baskets they picked today were divided into five small piles, and of course the highest pile was chestnuts.
"You divided things very well." Xia Manni just observed that it was Si Ni'er who was arranging things all the time, while Sanwa was more focused on taking things out.
These kids are not simple. Are the rules so clear at such a young age?
"Come, let me teach you how to store chestnuts better."
"Mom, what does storage mean?"
"Storage means keeping something for a longer period of time. You have to know that everything will go bad after a while."
"But we can use some methods to make it take longer to spoil. For example, if these chestnuts are left like this, they will become moldy in a few days."
"But if we process it, it will be fine if we keep it for more than half a year. Wouldn't it be better if we could just take it out and eat it whenever we want?"
Xia Manni explained carefully to the four children. At this time, the eldest and second children had finished their work and ran over.
She looked at the stove, where firewood was burning and sweet potatoes were cooking in a pot above.
"Mom, I understand." After listening, Da Wa nodded seriously.
"Then let's do it quickly, mom. Otherwise it will be a shame if it breaks later." Erwa said worriedly.
"Okay, I'll tell you what to do. First, get a bucket of cold water and soak them for seven to ten days. When the time is up, take them out. After taking them out, put them in a bamboo basket and hang them high in a well-ventilated place. Once they dry, they can be kept for a long time."
After listening to this, the four kids all nodded.
"I'll go get some water." There were three wells in their village, and there was still half a tank of water left at home, so it was time to get some water.
In the past, it was never the eldest son's turn to fetch water for the family, but since grandpa passed away, grandma no longer took care of the water fetching task.
Once, the third child was very thirsty, so the eldest child went to fetch water by himself, carrying a bucket. After a few times, he became very skilled at it, and later the eldest child also followed him, carrying a bucket.
Although Da Wa is the eldest, Xia Manni has observed that Da Wa's body does not seem to be as strong as the second child. She will have to talk to Da Wa about this matter when she has the chance.
"Do you need my help?" Xia Manni asked symbolically. She knew that there was a high probability that Da Wa would refuse her help.
"Mom, no need. I'll ask Erwa to come and help me. You still have to cook after the sweet potatoes are ready."
"Okay, Mom will listen to you." Xia Manni grinned at the eldest child. Having a hardworking child is really the happiest thing in the world.
"Sanwa and Sini, wash the chestnuts and sweet potatoes. I'll go roast some for you."
"Mom, can these chestnuts still be roasted?"
"Of course, Sanwa. Go wash with your sister. I'll let you try some roasted chestnuts soon."
Xia Manni grabbed two handfuls of chestnuts and took them to the stove. When roasting chestnuts, the fire should not be too big, otherwise they will easily be burnt.
Before roasting, she had to use a knife to cut a cross into each chestnut. She planned to throw it into the stove after cooking.
She first took out the cooked sweet potatoes from the pot, then poured out some hot water and started cooking.
There were no seasonings at home, so she had to add salt to the stir-fry. She didn't dare to add too much salt, so she decided to use chives to enhance the flavor.
There is actually not much difference between wild leeks and real leeks, and they are completely suitable for stir-frying.
She put the chopped wild leeks into the pot, and then threw all the wild vegetables she had picked today into the pot. There was no other way, with five people in the family, these dishes were only enough for one meal.
As the saying goes, pressure creates motivation, so everyone picked more in the afternoon.
She only added a little salt when stir-frying wild vegetables. Not only are wild vegetables not expensive, they also don't need salt. It should be okay to eat them simply like this.
When she was young, the two things Xia Manni was worst at were cooking and sewing.
She believed that both of these were delicate jobs that required someone with a patient temper, and that it would be difficult for someone with an impulsive temper like her to grasp the right balance.
Speaking of slow-tempered people, she thought of Si Ni'er.
These four girls...
"Si Ni'er, why are you standing here? You scared me." Xia Manni raised her eyes inadvertently and saw Si Ni'er standing behind her. She was standing on a small chair and watching her cook.
"Si Ni'er, you like watching cooking, right?"
Si Nier nodded and asked, "Mom, can I try?"
"Haha, good Si Ni'er is such a good kid. But you have to wait until you are taller than the stove."
"When will Si Ni'er be taller than the stove?"
Xia Manni seemed to be thinking seriously and said, "At least he should be as old as your eldest brother."
After she finished speaking, she noticed that Si Ni'er jumped off the small chair and lowered her head.
"What's wrong, Si Ni'er? Why are you suddenly unhappy?"
"That lasted a long time..."
This kid really wants to try it. Maybe Si Ni'er likes things that require hands-on effort.
At this time, there was a sound coming from the yard. It seemed that the eldest and second children had returned.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
