As the weather got colder, the villagers discovered the benefits of the Chen family's heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed), and each family quickly contributed grain to build their own heated kang.
Unbeknownst to them, the villagers gradually improved along with the Chen family, and their lives became even better than before the disaster.
Many villagers are now marveling at how amazing this invention was back then. They can still find work in winter, and as long as they work hard, are diligent, and don't slack off, they can eat their fill and even have some left over. They can also exchange bracken root powder for any missing daily necessities. Life is getting better and better, and there is more and more hope for the future!
Outside the village, people were dying every day due to famine and cold.
Because the Chen family invested heavily in water-powered mills, a factory-building boom began in the county and town, and fern root powder factories of all sizes sprang up.
As the fern root powder was sold, the county's economy gradually recovered, and many disaster victims were rescued.
However, as the county's economy recovered, more and more disaster victims flocked to their area, causing the county magistrate a great deal of trouble. He could only encourage everyone to set up factories in order to provide more jobs.
While everyone was busy setting up factories, the Chen family came up with new food products: acorn tofu and acorn cold noodles. This caused quite a stir. Although the Chen family only disclosed the raw materials and not the secret recipe, everyone knew that many people would definitely plant acorn trees next year.
Acorns can be processed into acorn flour through a series of processes, including harvesting, drying, shelling, water milling, filtering, sedimentation, water bleaching for decolorization, deastringency removal, natural drying, and grinding.
Make acorn tofu.
First, take one pound of acorn powder (one pound of powder can make about 10 pounds of acorn tofu), put it in a container and soak it in water. Crush the powder and stir it well. After it settles, pour off the water (the water will be slightly yellow). Stir it well and let it settle several times. Filter the settled powder for later use.
Next, take 10 jin (5 catties) of water and boil about 4 jin (2 catties) of it. Pour the remaining water into the settled acorn powder and stir well. Then, slowly pour the stirred acorn powder and water into the 4 jin (2 catties) of water that is still being heated, stirring quickly while pouring slowly to prevent sticking to the pot. (Work quickly to avoid creating burnt rice that will affect the texture). Stir until it becomes a thick, slightly brownish, semi-transparent liquid.
Finally, pour the hot liquid into a prepared container (a ceramic container is recommended, and it should be slightly larger). After it cools naturally, cut it into small cubes and soak them in cooled boiled water (the water should completely cover the tofu). After a while, the acorn tofu is ready and can be eaten.
And to make acorn-flavored cold noodles.
First, place the acorns in the sun to dry until the shells crack. Then, peel off the outer shells and soak the pulp in clean water for 3 days, changing the water several times during this period. Once the water used to soak the acorn pulp is clear, add water to the pulp and blend it into a paste, then let it settle.
Next, add water to a pot and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, add acorn powder, and stir continuously in a clockwise direction until the mixture forms sheets. Then pour it into a container to cool, and you will get acorn cold noodles.
In Anping Village, the thing everyone likes to do most now is get together and discuss where factories are being built.
One villager said, "Have you heard? A while ago, Taohua Village bought more than a dozen watermills from the Chen family, and they want to open a small factory."
An older woman said dismissively, "Only a dozen or so? It's not even as big as the factory that our village chief started."
An older man said, "Hey, I heard that the biggest factory outside belongs to someone else, right?"
One of the people who worked for the Chen family said, "No matter how big it is, it can't compare to the Chen family."
Others chimed in, "That's right, that's right, Chen's fern root powder factory in Anping Village is the largest fern root powder factory in our county."
One villager said, "That's right, the Zhou family's fern root powder factory will definitely be number one for the next few years."
The Chen family's massive investment in production this time is truly insane; they've gone to extreme lengths to utilize water-powered mills.
Besides their main base in Chishan Village, the Chen family also got involved in the fern root powder factory in the yamen. In addition to the ones they had given them before, the Chen family also invested forty watermills for free, with the profits split 50/50.
As for the other wealthy households, they would be served in order, but each household would only make ten watermills the first time, and then they would be served in order afterward, so that everyone could have a share and no one would be offended.
The people in the Chen family who are in charge of assembling the watermill have been incredibly busy lately.
The village chief had previously thought that the appearance of the water mill would definitely bring a lot of trouble, and that their Anping Village would definitely not be able to survive. But he did not expect that the Chen family would play by their own rules.
The Chen family not only provided the blueprints, but also the finished products and took care of the maintenance.
Few of them care about blueprints, and even if they have them, few can understand them. Moreover, even if they can understand them, it takes a long time from production to assembly to putting them into use, which they can't wait for; time is money.
The people here don't care, but that doesn't mean people outside don't care. So someone sold the blueprints to unsuspecting people outside at a high price.
The village chief never expected that although there was some fighting, the whole thing was going wrong; they were just fooling outsiders.
Before they knew it, it was Chinese New Year. This was Chen Kai and Xiao Tian's first New Year here, which also meant they had grown a year older.
Every household burned bamboo at their doorsteps. When the bamboo exploded, the sound was like firecrackers. In addition, every household pasted the character "福" (fortune) on their door.
Anping Village was filled with a joyous atmosphere.
The New Year's Eve dinner was incredibly lavish, featuring not only meat, which they rarely ate, but also white rice. Chen Kai was so moved he almost cried.
"Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year!"
After exchanging blessings, everyone began to eat.
After dinner, it's time for the part the kids love most: the adults give out lucky money.
The Chen family had many relatives, and they were all present, so each of them received a small bag of lucky money.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, groups of children gathered together to pay New Year's visits to the village chief's house and the Chen family.
In the past, they wouldn't dare to go to the Chen family's house to join in the festivities during the Spring Festival, but now it's different. They all work for the Chen family, so the Chen family is their employer. Going there to pay a New Year's visit and ask for a red envelope is no problem. That's how simple the kids' thinking is.
When they went to the village chief's house, they startled the village chief's wife, but she still gave them all red envelopes.
The village chief's wife was naturally delighted to have so many children come to wish them a Happy New Year, but she was truly heartbroken about giving away so many red envelopes. Although each red envelope only contained one coin, with so many children coming to wish them a Happy New Year, she didn't know how much she would have to give away.
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