Chapter 28 Chapter 028 Villagers Grind Wheat Flour, Tofu Recipe, Chapter...
This winter is indeed much colder than in previous years. Not only that, it even snowed much earlier. Last year it snowed in December, but this year it is only November and it is already snowing. No one can imagine how cold it will be in the future, but having more food to eat is a very important thing for everyone in the village.
This wheat is tax wheat and must be planted every year. Part of the wheat grown must be taxed, and the rest is for the family to eat. However, most people in Qinjia Village mainly eat beans, whether it is soybeans or black beans. They are easy to eat and can be eaten by just throwing them into the pot and cooking them with wild vegetables. Ordinary people eat these.
As for wheat and chestnuts, which are grains that need to be shelled, my family is already exhausted just from tending the fields, so how can they have time to deal with these?
Most families are like the Qin family. Every time they cook beans, they mix a little wheat into the beans, which makes their throats sore after eating.
In fact, the most important reason why people eat bean rice is that beans can mature quickly when boiled in water, so there is no need to waste so much firewood. This saves a lot of firewood invisibly. If wheat is turned into wheat flour, you can just roll it into lumps and boil them and eat them!
The village chief Qin Xingsheng was so happy that he immediately told his sons when he got home. He had six sons in total and had planned to inform the villagers tomorrow. He was still excited and after thinking about it, he took his eldest son Qin Feng to visit the stonemason Qin Shi.
It was dark outside and the cold wind was blowing. Hearing the movement at the door, Qin Shi was the first to become alert, and Qin Gouzi, who was sleeping opposite him, woke up immediately.
"Master, there seems to be a voice, it seems to be the village chief?"
After he said that, Qin Shi listened carefully again and found that it was indeed the village chief. Although he didn't know why the village chief came here in the middle of the night, Qin Shi still got up and gave instructions to his apprentice.
"You go and guard Awen's door. I'll go out and see what's going on."
What he was most worried about was his daughter, and at this moment he was only thinking about her.
"Okay." Qin Gouzi didn't think much about it. He got up, wrapped himself in the rat skin coat given by his mother, and walked towards his fiancée's room, intending to wait outside.
Qin Shi came out of the house. It was a dark sky with a cold wind blowing. It was chilly and a little chilly. He unconsciously reached out to touch his cheek, which felt wet. It seemed like it was going to rain, no, maybe it was going to snow.
When he walked over, he saw the village chief Qin Xingsheng and his son Qin Feng.
"Village Chief, why are you here now? What's the matter?"
It was the middle of the night, so it was naturally not appropriate to welcome people into the house. So Qin Shi just stood at the door, opened the door, and talked to the village chief in the cold wind.
Qin Xingsheng and his son were very cold, with their hands stuck inside their clothes, but his heart was still warm.
"Shitou, I can't sleep. I learned from Dali during the day that you made this stone mill yourself. Dali told me that he wanted the villagers to grind wheat into flour for winter consumption, but this one stone mill isn't enough, so I came to you to ask if you could make another stone mill for the village, four more to start with. Here's the money, take it."
The village chief even prepared ten taels of silver and handed it over directly. He stuffed the cold silver into Qin Shi's hand, and Qin Shi was also stunned.
"Did Dali agree? This thing doesn't belong to the Qin family. If we do this..."
He was a stonemason, so he naturally knew that as a craftsman, he could not disclose other people's things without the owner's consent. If everyone did this, wouldn't there be no rules?
"I agreed, and it was his good wife who told me herself that this winter was unexplainably cold, and she was afraid that the villagers would have a hard time in the future, so she asked Dali to grind wheat flour for the village blind date. I will gather the villagers tomorrow to talk about it. It's just that I couldn't sleep tonight, so I hurried to find you."
Qin Xingsheng also knew the rules and knew Qin Shi's hesitation.
In fact, which village doesn't have people dying in winter? The elderly and children die every year, and a few deaths are considered a small number. There is also a village where dozens of people die in winter, usually from starvation and freezing.
Everyone in Qinjia Village has the same surname, so they take care of each other and store food in advance in the summer. However, if the winter is too cold, people will still die. More food means more hope for life.
"Okay, since Dali said so, I will accept it. But I don't have enough manpower here. Can you arrange for strong men from the village to prepare the stones for me tomorrow?" Qin Shi agreed, thinking that this was also for the good of the village. It was a blessing to be able to save a life.
"I'll notify the villagers tomorrow and pick out a dozen people to help you. Just use them. Dali is soft-hearted and doesn't expect anything in return for giving such good things to the village. If other villagers ask you to make this stone mill privately, you know what to say."
Qin Xingsheng reminded Qin Shi that after all, there were several wealthy families in the village, and perhaps they had a lot of grain stored at home, so it was normal for them to find Qin Shitou.
"Of course I know. Village chief, you plan to grind all the wheat in the village first, right? That way, the young and old in the village will have a better life."
Qin Shi smiled. He liked the life in Qinjia Village very much. He was adopted by foster parents as an orphan. Although the Qin family seemed to have no support, they were very united. Every year, they would collect some food from every household in advance to distribute to the elderly and children in the village in winter. No one resisted, but they always handed over wheat. Although wheat pricked the throat, it was also life-saving food.
Providing support for the young and old, this is what the Qin clan strives for every year.
It is precisely because of this that every time when fighting for water in the summer, the strong men in the village are willing to risk their lives, because they know that even if they die, their parents, wives and children will be taken care of by the villagers.
"Well, that's right. I'll also arrange for people to grind the wheat flour tomorrow. You should work harder and faster. The people I give you are just for use. Let them help you."
Qin Xingsheng nodded, feeling his eyelids become cold and the wind blowing him was wet. Qin Feng on the side did not say anything, but he also knew that only by uniting together could their Qinjia Village survive again and again.
"Okay, then you should hurry back. It looks like it's going to snow, and the water will fall on my face."
Qin Shi touched his face and found it was wet. He knew it was going to snow again tonight. He couldn't help but feel a little worried. If it kept snowing, the villagers might not have enough food. If it got really cold, it would be fatal.
It’s only November, and there are still a few months to go. What should I do?
Qin Xingsheng also raised his head and looked at the sky with dark clouds covering the city. It was already dark, and now he only felt that the sky was filled with rolling clouds. With the coldness falling on his eyes, the heat in Qin Xingsheng's heart seemed to be extinguished by the ice and snow.
It's going to snow again.
It hasn't even been ten days since the first snow of winter! And it's snowing again! If it keeps snowing for a few more days...it might be freezing cold.
He nodded with a frown, then left with his son Qin Feng. The figure in the darkness seemed to be staggering for some reason. Qin Shi stood at the door, watching the village chief's back as he left. He knew that deaths were inevitable every year. Even if the village chief worked hard every year, there were nearly 5,000 people in the village. How could it be that easy?
Even if you are the head of a village, you cannot protect every household.
For some reason, Qin Shi sighed, turned around and went into the house. Seeing his stupid apprentice still guarding his daughter's door, he coughed twice.
"Come and sleep. The village chief just came."
He got on the bed and put the ten taels of silver given by the village chief in the cabinet. He felt that it was worth taking the money. Although the four large stone mills were not a surprising job, with the news that the village chief gave them money, the other people in the village could not say anything.
Qin Gouzi didn't know all this and fell asleep in bed soon after. Listening to the snoring of his silly apprentice, Qin Shi couldn't help but sigh.
"Fools are lucky..."
With Qin Gouzi's personality, he was lucky to be born in the Qin family.
It really snowed that night. In the dark night, the entire Qinjia Village was extremely quiet. It seemed that the only sound was the rustling of snowflakes falling from the sky.
Qin Yu slept with Xie Yaer today. It was a rare occasion for the couple to lie in the same bed. After feeling the temperature drop, he got up and added the silver charcoal on the ground. Then he returned to the bed, hugged his wife and patted her shoulder gently.
"Go to sleep."
Even in her sleep, Xie Yaer frowned and finally buried her forehead in her husband's arms.
And where is Qin Yuan?
Today, Qin Yuan slept at her aunt's side, and the bed that Wang Pandi had carefully prepared was finally put to good use. However, Xie Yaer was still worried and gave up the quilt. It was the first time for Wang Pandi to sleep on such a quilt, and he washed his feet thoroughly before going to bed, for fear of getting them dirty.
Of course Qin Shan couldn't sleep, so he found two stools and built a bed with wooden boards, with silver charcoal underneath.
Qin Yue also came to sleep with her mother, which was a rare occasion. She and Wang Pandi protected Qin Yuan in the middle tightly. Seeing Youyou sleeping, she knew that her mother would probably have to stay up all night tonight. Just like in the past, when the elders in the family accompanied Youyou to sleep, they would always stay up all night, for fear that something might happen to Youyou.
This time, Yoyo recovered so quickly from her illness, and it started to take turns keeping watch. Qin Yue understood what her grandmother meant.
Qin Yuan beside him was soft and fragrant, with a mixed aroma of pear and milk on her body. Qin Yue looked at her sister for a long time, and then looked at her mother hesitantly.
She asked her mother with her eyes if she wanted her to keep watch for a while. Before, when she saw that her mother was really tired, she would help keep watch until midnight.
Because it is really fun to watch her sister sleep, Qin Yue quite likes this feeling.
Wang Pandi shook his head and spoke softly.
"Go to sleep and get some rest."
The daughter has been tired these days. She has been busy day and night making clothes, pants and shoes for the family. Her hands have been pricked several times. Wang Pandi can see the wounds on her daughter's hands, but these days are happy. Last year, everyone was still wearing linen clothes, but this year everyone is wearing rat fur coats, and her daughter is wearing rabbit fur satin.
Now, on this bed, a mink fur coat as big as the bed was covering the three of them. They felt warm and soft all over. It took who knows how many wild minks to make this thing. Now they were covered with it, and their daughter was covered with it too.
Wang Pandi likes her current life. She treats Xie Yaer as her own daughter and Youyou as her sweetheart, but these actions are also for her daughters' own good. Watching her daughter close her eyes and sleep, she has grown into a graceful young lady. She no longer has to be beaten like a beast of burden at home like her, and no longer has to do endless work. In winter, she has to huddle in the hay without even a piece of clothing. This is already a good life.
Qin Yuan didn't know that it was snowing again tonight, and she slept comfortably in her aunt's arms.
The next morning, Liu Chunhua woke up and found that the silver-wire charcoal basin on the ground had gone out. When she opened the door, she saw that the snow at the door was higher than her shoes. Looking at the white outside, she couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
If you were born in a wealthy family, you would definitely enjoy such a snowy scene, but how could a peasant family have such interest? A few snowfalls in winter could destroy a family.
She skillfully picked up the broom beside her and wanted to sweep the snow, but was stopped by someone behind her.
"I'll sweep. You go to the kitchen and boil some water. Yoyo will need some hot water when she wakes up."
Qin Dali snatched the broom from his wife's hand and urged her to boil some water. With some sparks in the kitchen, it would be warmer.
"Yeah." Liu Chunhua nodded without saying much.
She went to the kitchen, and Qin Dali started sweeping the snow outside. The sound of sweeping snow was heard by the men in the house, and they all got up and hurried to help. In this family, everyone was living seriously.
They are all farmyards. Every time the snow falls, it must be swept clean, otherwise it will turn into mud when it melts. The snow on the roadside had not melted last time, so the mud was sometimes deep and sometimes shallow when we went in, but the yard was quickly cleaned by several men.
Zhou Yan, who had rested all night, also took her daughter to the kitchen. They had an agreement that the women in the room where Yoyo slept would not have to get up, so Wang Pandi and Qin Yue did not have to get up early today.
"Mom, let me help you. It snowed again last night. What are you going to cook today?"
She came up to help, Liu Chunhua was very straightforward and said.
"The colder it gets, the more we need to eat something good for our health. The mutton can't be kept for too long, so I cooked it first and let the family eat it first. I also cooked some pork. I'm afraid a lot of people will be coming to the village today, so let everyone eat it early."
After she said that, Zhou Yan immediately went to the west room to get mutton and pork. Then Qin Feng'er also helped her mother to cook the dishes. There were only these three women in the kitchen. After Zhou Yan cut the meat and cooked it in the pot, she saw that her mother-in-law was making medicine for Youyou, so she carefully went over.
"Mom, the mutton is almost gone, and Youyou can't eat it because you're sick. How about...when Youyou recovers, I'll go to my mother's house and get some mutton? It just so happens that the lamb at my mother's house is about to be born. Why not get some more goat's milk for Youyou?"
Zhou Yan spoke very cautiously. Qin Feng'er, who was standing beside her, kept silent, but actually she had guessed what her mother was thinking.
Liu Chunhua was looking down at the bird's nest. When she heard her second daughter-in-law's words, she understood in an instant and looked up at her.
"Yoyo likes to eat lamb meat. Is your family willing to give it away?"
Her words made Zhou Yan laugh dryly, but she still gritted her teeth and said.
"If Yoyo really recovers from her illness, what if I go back to her parents' house and get her a lamb to eat? I raised Yoyo with my own milk, so she's almost like my own daughter. At most, I can give money to my parents."
Zhou Yan said this with confidence. After all, Liu Chunhua was not a bad mother-in-law. Therefore, it was normal for each family to keep some private money if they had any business. Qin Yue also learned embroidery from Xie Yaer and made some money from it in recent years. However, Zhou Yan was not a stepmother, so all the money was saved for her daughter, and it would be her daughter's dowry in the future.
"Come on, just say what you want to say. Why are you beating around the bush here? You're acting like this in front of Yoyo, too?"
Liu Chunhua couldn't help but give her daughter-in-law a cold look, which really made Zhou Yan's ears blush.
"Mom, I'm not embarrassed. You've already said that to me, so please don't blame me."
She really felt that she was thick-skinned and said this with a licking face.
"Yesterday, I heard Dad say that he was going to grind flour for the villagers. He also has a lot of wheat stored there, so I was thinking about whether I could ask him to come over and grind it into flour. My parents have bad teeth, so they can't chew the wheat. It would be great if they could eat noodles."
She had a very good relationship with her family. Normally, girls would go back to their parents' home to give them gifts during festivals, but Zhoujia Village happened to be next to Qinjia Village, so she had to bring something back every time she went back. During the two years when Yoyo was breastfed, she always went to her parents' home to ask for money. Even after she was weaned, she had to go to her parents' home to get some goat's milk for Yoyo.
This goat milk has a strong smell, but Yoyo just likes it. Zhou Yan's family raises sheep, so she goes to get it every now and then.
"I was going to tell you this yesterday. You know the situation in the old family. We've severed ties, but your parents on your mother's side and your brother and sister-in-law are really good friends. I'll have my second son go to your house today and explain the situation. If your father is willing to bring food over, then he can. If not, forget it."
Liu Chunhua agreed, and Zhou Yan immediately laughed.
"Mother still loves me. Don't worry, my parents will definitely be willing to come over when they hear such good news."
Zhoujia Village is actually less than half an hour away from Qinjia Village, so it is okay to go back and forth several times during the day.
"Well, after dinner today, you can go back with me and take a look."
Liu Chunhua added another sentence, which immediately made Zhou Yan burst into laughter, and made Qin Feng'er beside her laugh as well.
"Grandma, don't worry. When Mom goes back, I'll help you with the chores. I'll also help you look after my younger sister. She's getting better now. When she's fully recovered, I'll go to Grandpa's house and catch a lamb for her to eat!"
Qin Feng'er was the most noisy, but she was also very well-behaved at this time. During the two days that Qin Yuan was sick, Qin Doudou and Qin Feng'er, the most noisy children in the family, became well-behaved.
"My Feng'er is really considerate, but your sister's grandparents will buy whatever she wants to eat."
Liu Chunhua rubbed her granddaughter's hair and continued to make bird's nest.
Qin Yuan finally got up from the warm bed. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw her aunt and her eyes immediately lit up!
Wang Pandi stayed up all night, and when he saw Youyou wake up, he immediately lowered his head to look at her.
"Good morning, Auntie!"
Qin Yuan raised her chin, and her action was self-evident. Wang Pandi came over, and Qin Yuan left a soft and sweet kiss on her aunt's face.
Qin Yue, who was standing next to her, also woke up. Seeing her sister kissing her mother, she felt a little shy for some reason. But after just two seconds of shyness, she saw her sister suddenly turn over in the quilt, then turned her head and kissed Qin Yue's fair face.
"Good morning, sister!"
Qin Yuan is back to life! The disease has been defeated!!!
Qin Yue was stunned by the kiss. She used to stick to her mother but they were never so close. But when she was kissed by her little sister, she couldn't help but smile.
"Good morning, sister."
Wang Pandi also touched Qin Yuan's forehead and smiled after making sure that Qin Yuan was okay.
"Good morning, I'll ask your uncle to bring some water to wash your face."
Wang Pandi’s husband Qin Shan had gotten up early and stood outside the door when he heard the noise in the house.
"Dashan, bring some hot water."
Qin Shan said hello outside, and soon went to the kitchen to bring in hot water, followed by Liu Chunhua who brought in bird's nest.
The door was quickly locked, and Qin Yuan stayed in bed obediently, letting her aunt wipe her face and hands. Only then was she surprised when she looked at her own white and tender little hands.
"Grandma, look! My hands are no longer swollen, and my chilblains are gone!"
That's right, seven days after applying the medicine, Qin Yuan's hands had no signs of frostbite at all. They were now white and tender and very cute. Wang Pandi also brought some frostbite cream and continued to apply it to her.
"It's healed, but you still need to apply frostbite cream, otherwise it's too cold."
She rubbed Qin Yuan's hands carefully, and Liu Chunhua beside her also smiled.
"Yes, not only you, but your cousin's frostbite on her hand has also healed."
This magical medicine is really powerful. In less than ten days, the frostbite on the hands has healed a lot. Even Liu Chunhua felt the same way. Qin Yue also took the initiative to stretch out her hand to show her sister.
"Sister, look, my hand is healed too. Thank you for the medicine."
She loves her younger sister so much. Just like her mother said, her younger sister must be a fairy from heaven.
"You're welcome. Everyone, please take care and don't get sick."
Everyone felt warmed by Qin Yuan's words. They thought that this child was only five years old, yet he cared so much for everyone. Who wouldn't feel soft-hearted?
After applying the ointment, I started taking medicine. I continued to take cold medicine and then started drinking bird's nest.
The bird's nest is made with herbs and honey, so it tastes really good.
After Qin Yuan finished drinking, Liu Chunhua began to explain.
"It snowed again last night, and it's very cold outside. Yoyo, don't go out in the snow today. Third daughter-in-law hasn't gotten up yet. She's been too tired these past few days. Let her have a good rest. Yoyo, why don't you just stay with your aunt? Can your sister Yue'er accompany you?"
The villagers are coming today and it will be noisy, so Liu Chunhua is a little worried.
"Okay!" Qin Yuan nodded obediently. She also knew that everyone in the village would know about the stone mill today. There would be a lot of people there, and she was not well yet, so of course she could not join in the fun.
After giving instructions, Liu Chunhua went out. She took her eldest son Qin Shan to deliver meals to Wang Pandi and Qin Yue. Today they had mutton soup, which was hot and delicious.
After eating, Wang Pandi felt a little tired, so Qin Yuan asked her aunt to go to bed first. After Qin Yue nodded, Wang Pandi lay down to sleep, leaving her daughter to play with Qin Yuan.
Of course, this situation was still worrying, so after a while, Qin Feng'er was also brought in to look after Qin Yuan.
The village once again fell into silence after the wind and snow. In the early morning, only the Qin family was bustling with activity. The firewood of ordinary families could not withstand the consumption of boiling water every day.
The village chief Qin Xingsheng, who had been excited all night, got up and asked his sons to hold gongs and start notifying the entire village.
At about 9:30 in the morning, the sound of violent gongs suddenly came from the quiet village. With such a sound, many people in the village thought something had happened. The laborers at home quickly comforted the family and then came to the door.
"Something's happening in the village! Something's happening in the village!!!"
The men all came out, wearing all sorts of clothes, just to keep warm. Some families have nearly ten people in them, but they only have one set of clothes to go out in winter. This is normal.
"Brother Feng! What's going on? Why are you still beating the gong?"
Qin Yong stopped Qin Feng and asked hurriedly.
"It's important. Please send a laborer to the ancestral hall to wait! Hurry up!"
Qin Feng urged, and the gong in his hand rang again.
It’s just the rule of Qinjia Village that once the village chief’s gong sounds in the village, all the villagers of Qinjia must choose a strong man who can speak from his family to go to the ancestral hall to listen to the matter. The last time the gong was sounded was when people were fighting for water in the summer. Now it’s winter and everyone is staying in bed. Who wouldn’t be scared when they suddenly hear this?
For a while, many people in Qinjia Village were in a panic. Could it be that bandits appeared in this winter?
But Ming County has always been peaceful, so where did these bandits come from?
Although everyone was worried, every laborer who had a say quickly put on his clothes and went to the ancestral hall.
The ancestral hall is very important to the Qin family. It is a place dedicated to worshipping ancestors and is also the place used to compile the family tree. Compared with other ancestral halls that only keep male descendants, the Qin clan was afraid that there were few family members when they first wrote the family tree, so they tried their best to write as many as possible on it, regardless of whether they were male or female, as long as they were included in the family tree!
Generally speaking, children born in Qinjia Village who are able to stand on their own feet by the age of ten will all be included in the family tree, so that even if they fight with other villages, they will look more impressive.
After being notified by the sons of the village chief Qin Xingsheng, half an hour later, hundreds of people in the village gathered in the ancestral hall. It was true that there were nearly five thousand people in the village, but in reality, only a few hundred people could come to the ancestral hall to ask questions on behalf of their family members, less than seven hundred at most.
In this way, these people were already discussing noisily whether there was a recent bandit problem or something, and why the village chief suddenly asked them to come over. Some people were even a little worried and took weapons with them... The weapon was the hoe at home.
Seeing that most people had arrived, Qin Xingsheng asked his son to keep beating the gong. Only under the crazy sound of the gong did everyone quiet down.
Qin Xingsheng found a platform, stood on top of it, and shouted.
"I asked you all to come here today because I have something great to tell you!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the originally silent crowd suddenly became noisy, but soon fell silent again. Everyone looked at the village chief eagerly, wanting to know what good news was going on.
"The third daughter-in-law of the Qin Dali family in our village, the daughter of the Xie family, is very knowledgeable and talented. She couldn't bear to see her elders having trouble swallowing wheat, so she found a recipe for a stone mill in a book. This stone mill can grind wheat into edible wheat flour. Now there is a stone mill in Qin Dali's house. From now on, everyone can grind wheat according to the number of people in the family, which can be regarded as more food for the winter."
This was the statement agreed upon with Qin Dali. The villagers were shocked when they heard it, and someone shouted afterwards.
"Village Chief! How much manpower does it take to grind wheat into flour?"
The manpower required just to shell the shells is enough to kill people, let alone grinding them into powder?
The others were silent, thinking the same thing.
"With the stone mill here, anyone in the village who can work can eat wheat flour. If you're willing to eat wheat, I won't force you! But every household in the village has elderly people who need help, and their speech is not good. If we have wheat flour, it will make life easier."
Qin Xingsheng is over 50 years old this year and his speech is not very good. After eating the noodle dumpling soup yesterday, he thought it was good and it saved him from grinding his teeth.
"Then how do you arrange it, village chief? Can our family go?"
Those who have elderly people at home will immediately want to take action. After all, there are too few easily digestible foods these days, especially in winter. Many elderly people starve to death because they cannot eat in winter. If the elderly can eat this wheat flour, at least they can survive.
"Of course you can, but we have to follow the rules. If they're willing to give us the stone mill, we have to do the work ourselves." Qin Xingsheng added, "I've already purchased four more stone mills on behalf of the village. They'll be ready in two days, and everyone can go and grind wheat flour. As long as everyone is willing to put in the effort, everyone can have wheat flour."
In fact, Qin Xingsheng knew that even if all the villagers were notified now, they might not be willing to replace wheat with wheat flour. People are always afraid of unknown things. But Qin Xingsheng also understood that those who have elderly and children at home would definitely be willing to give it a try. After all, this wheat is really hard to swallow.
After that, it was all about how to make arrangements. The village was divided into east, west, south, north and center, with Qin Dali's home as the center and spreading outward. The order was based on whether there were elderly people or children in the family. Now it was November, and as long as the families with wheat in the village could eat wheat flour before January, it would be fine.
Everyone listened to the village chief's arrangements. Some people disagreed, but some were very excited. Therefore, after the official announcement, the five families selected at the beginning followed the village chief to Qin Dali's house to grind wheat flour, and others could also go and take a look.
Everyone was curious. Some went home cursing, while others followed out of curiosity. Qin Dali was smart. He knew that there would be a lot of people today and the yard would be noisy, so he arranged for his sons to move the stone mill outside his yard. After a while, when the villagers arrived, everyone saw with their own eyes that the wheat was turned into flour, and the manpower used was acceptable, so everyone could accept it.
Besides, there is nothing to do in winter, so I still have the energy to grind some wheat flour.
"Oh my god! This wheat has really turned into flour. It's so fine..."
"My mother has bad teeth and has difficulty eating this year. If I had this wheat flour, my mother would have survived this year."
"My son's teeth are not in good condition, so I also want to grind this wheat flour."
"Village Chief! When will it be my turn? My family also wants to grind wheat flour!"
"But how do you eat this wheat flour?"
Everyone was talking at once, and their curious voices were about to drown out the village chief, but they were all very active, and Qin Xingsheng also shouted to everyone with a smile.
"This wheat flour can be used to make vegetable pancakes! It can also be used to make dumpling soup! You can also just mix it and heat it with eggs to make soup. There are many other cooking methods. Once everyone grinds the wheat flour, I will definitely tell everyone one by one!!!"
Seeing everyone so excited, the village chief was also happy.
Qin Dali, the head of the family, gave up the stone mill and allowed the village chief to work at his doorstep. They were all from the same family, so he always hoped that everyone would be well.
Although it was more than thirty meters away from outside, Qin Yuan could still hear people talking in the house, it was very lively.
But it was snowing outside and it was especially cold today, so she was definitely not allowed to go out.
"Outside, the village chief and the villagers are looking at the stone mill. With your stone mill, the elderly and children in the village will have an easier time this winter."
Xie Yaer had also woken up and came to accompany her daughter. Seeing her daughter staring out the window, she understood her daughter's curiosity.
"But there's only one millstone, which is not enough."
Qin Yuan also knew that the effect of a stone mill was too small.
"It's okay. The village chief has already arranged for Old Qin to do it, and many villagers have gone to help. Let each family grind five pounds of wheat flour at a time and take it home to try. When the villagers think it's edible, they can grind more."
Otherwise, if a family grinds a lot of wheat at once, it will really be impossible for everyone to get a turn.
Liu Chunhua just came in and told Xie Yaer about this, and Xie Yaer was also happy.
"Oh, your grandparents also like wheat flour. They are old and always have toothaches. They can't eat anything hard. In winter, there is nothing to eat, so they can only eat meat, which makes them feel uncomfortable. The elders in this village are all like this. There are many filial sons and grandsons outside who grind wheat flour for the elders at home."
After telling her daughter this, and letting her know how much help her things were to everyone, Qin Yuan also smiled and was really happy.
She always liked to help others, and the Qin clan would be her support in the future, so she spoke immediately.
"Mom, I like this kind of liveliness, and I also want everyone to be healthy."
She suddenly remembered a kind of food that was most suitable for the elderly and children, but it was very complicated to make. Now, hearing the noise of the crowd outside, she actually felt a little hesitant.
It is said that the most difficult thing in the world is to grind tofu, which is one of the three difficulties.
It was obvious that there was no tofu in Dayong Dynasty now, and she didn't know whether she should give other recipes, so she was a little embarrassed.
Xie Yaer noticed her daughter's hesitation and asked softly.
"What are you thinking about, Yoyo? Can you tell mother?"
The child is very thoughtful at a young age. When she occasionally sees outsiders, she always has a compassionate look on her face, which makes Xie Yaer know that her daughter must be worried about these people outside.
"Mother, I... I just thought of something. This thing is perfect for the elderly to eat, and I can sell it to the nobles and dignitaries at a high price. However, making this food requires many steps and is very painful. I want to tell the villagers about this method and let them make money from it, but I'm worried that everyone will work too hard and the gains will not be worth the loss..."
It is really hard to describe the hardship of grinding tofu. Once you start grinding tofu, you will be busy every day around the stone mill.
But when Xie Yaer heard that her daughter actually had a way to help the whole village make money and was so generous, she really felt that her daughter could not bear to see the suffering in the world.
"Yoyo, there are countless kinds of suffering in this world. Do you know why the Qin family has always been farmers?"
Qin Yuan shook her head. After all, she didn't know much about Dayong.
While the two were talking, Qin Yue and Qin Feng'er were already secretly watching their third aunt and their younger sister. They just thought their younger sister was really amazing. She actually had a way to make the whole village make money!!!
"Because they don't have any skills, the kind you call manufacturing. The reason aristocratic families have been able to survive to this day is because they have the ability to make a living in this world. But farmers can only work around the fields their entire lives, and apart from the food they produce, they don't make any more money. Do you know that the hard work you talk about is the ability to make a living that they haven't been able to obtain for hundreds of years?"
Xie Yaer knew that whatever her daughter was going to do would be extraordinary. The method of hard work she mentioned might really allow the Qin family to rise. If they could really make a living in this world, who would care about the hard work?
Isn't farming hard? Is there anything more difficult than farming?
Qin Yuan understood what her mother meant in an instant. Yes, she came from the most peaceful and technologically advanced era, so it was natural that making tofu was hard. However, in the Dayong Dynasty, making tofu was a job that could really help one make a living, and it could even become a way for the clan to slowly rise.
"Mother, I understand. Then... can I tell you how to make this tofu? You write it down and tell Grandma so she and the others can start trying to make it. If it works, we can pass it on to the villagers to make together. There's strength in numbers. If we make a lot of tofu, we can have the village chief take people to sell it to the county, to where the rich are. That way, the villagers will have money and can have a good winter."
These words were so innocent that Xie Yaer couldn't help but stroke her daughter's hair gently after hearing them. Qin Yue and Qin Fenger beside her were hesitant to speak. Wang Pandi, who was originally sleeping, secretly opened his eyes, but closed them again, with something flickering in his eyes.
She just casually took out a recipe that could change the fate of a village, like a selfless god. She couldn't bear to see the people on earth suffer, so she even said that this method was hard work.
But living in this world is full of suffering...
Except for Qin Yuan, everyone present understood the pain and cherished this fairy in their family even more.
In this era where everyone wants to pass on their skills to their sons and daughters and keep it secret from outsiders, the fairy in this family wants to tell people about the skills that may be from heaven just because she heard the noise outside and knew the suffering of the world. She is even afraid that the person who learned this skill will have to work hard.
For some reason, several of them felt like crying, but they tried hard to hide it in front of Qin Yuan.
"Okay." Xie Yaer nodded. Qin Yuan didn't realize that she had said anything extraordinary. After her mother took the paper, she began to talk seriously about the process of making tofu.
Speaking of which, making tofu is really simple, but the steps are too complicated. She had made tofu for her daughter before, so she naturally knew the process. As long as there is a stone mill, everything else is easy.
Qin Yuan explained the steps one by one, and the other three were actually listening, but Xie Yaer gave them a look, telling them not to avoid it, so while Qin Yuan was talking, Wang Pandi, Qin Yue and Qin Fenger all memorized the tofu-making process.
There are many steps, but after hearing Qin Yuan’s last words, everyone was looking forward to the tofu.
"Mom, that's all the steps. When the tofu is ready, it will be a soft white color, so it can also be called white jade tofu. Its color is like white jade, and its texture is delicate and fat-like, so it can also be called 'white jade fat'. Not only that, this tofu is as tender and delicate as lamb meat, so it is also nicknamed 'little slaughter lamb'. When it's ready, it will taste like any other meat when paired with it. It's especially delicious! Even elderly people with poor oral hygiene can easily digest this."
Of course, the same goes for children. Qin Yuan and other names are enough to make Xie Yaer and Wang Pandi look forward to what this so-called white jade fat is...
Xie Yaer carefully wrote down the recipe and planned to have the kitchen make it later.
After thinking about it and seeing that his sister-in-law had woken up, he took the initiative to speak.
"Sister-in-law, please take care of Youyou first. I'll go out and tell mother about this. Yue'er and Feng'er can help in the kitchen."
This magical tofu cannot be made by one person. Xie Yaer needs to look at the recipe and others need to make it. Qin Yue and Qin Fenger immediately got up and followed their third aunt to the kitchen.
Wang Pandi nodded, hugged his fairy in his arms, nodded to Xie Yaer, and waited until the door was closed before he couldn't help but leave a kiss on Qin Yuan's hair.
"Oh my dear, how can you be so nice? You take all the good things out."
If it weren't for a daughter-in-law like Xie, even in the Qin family, it would be easy for something to happen if someone targeted her.
But the fairy in his family couldn't bear to see the suffering in the world, and even Wang Pandi became jealous.
Before, I just thought that Qin Yuan was different from other children and had some magical skills. But now I have truly seen the bodhisattva heart of my own Yoyo. When she sees people suffering, she wants to help. If she is not a bodhisattva, what is she?
Qin Yuan felt embarrassed by the praise and could only pretend to sleep.
But soon, she couldn't sleep anymore because her daughter called! !
Sitting in her aunt's arms, Qin Yuan quickly turned on the video, and Qin Huanhuan's happy face immediately appeared.
"Mom! Good morning!"
Qin Huan first glanced at Qin Yuan's condition, and only after confirming that his mother looked normal did he become extremely happy.
"Good morning, Huanhuan. What did you have for breakfast?"
The two seemed to have returned to the past. Qin Yuan asked about family matters and Qin Huan responded.
"I had a nutritious meal. Sister Xu asked Jiajia to bring it to me. By the way, Jiajia is my assistant and usually takes care of my daily life."
With these words, Qin Yuan felt more relieved. After all, her daughter already had an assistant, so her life should be okay.
"That's good. I drank soy milk yesterday. The soy milk here is very thick. Do you want to try it?"
Now Qin Yuan’s first thought was to share her favorite drink with her daughter, and then she thought of something.
"I have some bird's nest here. It was given to me by the county magistrate's wife. I'd like to make you a bowl of it. Can you try it? Let me tell you what the difference is between the bird's nest here and the modern ones."
Qin Huan nodded immediately because he always wanted to share good things with his daughter first.
"Okay, I'll try it too. What do you want to eat, Mom? Does your mouth have no taste when you're sick? Do you want me to buy you some delicious food and send it to you?"
It would take some time to send other valuables. Qin Huan and Qin Yuan have now regained their daily companionship.
"No, Mom wants to ask you for a favor today."
"Oh?" Qin Huan was also curious. "What's the matter?"
"Just yesterday, didn't I ask you to send some writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone to my mother? Actually, my eldest aunt and second aunt also raised me since I was a child. My eldest aunt took good care of my mother. My second aunt was still breastfeeding my cousin Feng'er at the time, so I drank her milk for two years. Later, for some reasons, they would take turns to keep watch over me at night. And my grandmother also loves me very much. I gave gifts to my mother before, so I want to give them some gifts as well."
In fact, grandma is also envious, but she won't show it. The closer Qin Yuan is to everyone, the more she can see this.
A few small gifts can't actually compensate for everyone's care day and night for the past five years. Now Qin Yuan doesn't dare to tell her daughter that the family members are keeping vigil day and night because she always wants to commit suicide.
"Oh, is that so? I've thought of this before. Besides preparing a gift for Grandma, I also want to prepare some gifts for your family over there, Mom. I just don't know what to give them. Do you have any ideas, Mom? Gifts for women are simpler. What are your plans?"
Generally speaking, gifts given to female elders include cosmetics, tonics, skin care products, clothes and bags, but these are modern methods. If it were the Dayong Dynasty... Qin Huan really couldn't think of it for a while.
"Actually, I can't think of anything to give to my grandmother and aunts. They work hard at home and are very tired. There are many people in the family, and almost all the money is spent on food and drink throughout the year. I have never seen any woman in the family wear jewelry, except for my mother's dowry."
Even my mother has only had a wooden hairpin on her head since she married into the Qin family.
Qin Yuan discovered that ear piercing did not seem to be popular among women in the Dayong Dynasty, and even her mother did not have pierced ears.
"How about some gold jewelry? A gold bracelet?"
Qin Huan suggested that after all, he had hundreds of thousands of dollars in his hands, so he could afford a gold bracelet.
But Qin Yuan shook her head.
"Forget it. They definitely won't be willing to wear gold bracelets. Besides, you only have so much money right now, so it wouldn't be a good idea to buy all gold. I think it's better to buy silver jewelry. Modern silver jewelry is more beautiful, and if it's given by me, they will definitely like to wear it. Silver bracelets are best! If there are beautiful silver hairpins, that's fine too! You can choose from my grandmother, my eldest aunt, my second aunt, and my mother. Oh, I also have two cousins. One cousin is engaged at the age of fifteen, and the other is only eight years old. It would be best if I can buy them all!"
Modern gold shops have everything, and items made of silver are countless. Considering that the family still has to work, Qin Yuan plans to give silver bracelets and silver hairpins to the women in the family first, one silver hairpin for each person, and a pair of silver bracelets would be best.
"It would be best if all the patterns were different. My mother seems to like orchids, my grandmother likes pear blossoms, and my cousin Qin Yue likes peach blossoms..."
Qin Yuan said all these things one by one and was able to remember everyone's preferences. Qin Huan knew that his mother cared about these people and remembered them carefully.
"Okay, Mom, I will definitely buy it for you and send it to you today."
But it weighs two kilograms... should be okay, right?
Qin Huan thought so, then remembered the matter of the handkerchief and hurriedly asked.
"Mom, I actually have one more thing to ask. Isn't there a small portrait of me on both sides of the handkerchief grandma gave me? I posted it on Weibo and found out it doesn't seem to be double-sided embroidery. It looks like a kind of handicraft called kesi. Can you ask grandma if it's kesi? Sister Xu said the Kesi Intangible Cultural Heritage Activity Center has contacted me and wants to see the craftsmanship of this double-sided kesi. If it's finally confirmed, I might become the spokesperson for the kesi intangible cultural heritage activity. This opportunity is rare."
Her question stunned Qin Yuan.
"Ah? What kesi?"
That’s right, Qin Yuan didn’t know because she was sick at the time. She made this thing because Xie Yaer was always having wild thoughts and was afraid that something might happen to her daughter, so she forced herself to stay calm while staying up late and made this double-sided kesi handkerchief.
"...It seems that you don't know either, Mom. Wait until Grandma comes and ask her. Then tell me tomorrow whether this is kesi or not."
Qin Yuan understood her mother. After all, her mother had been sick for the past few days and had just recovered.
"Well, okay, then I'll ask my mother, Huanhuan, do you want to be the spokesperson?"
Qin Yuan felt a headache when she thought of the dramas her daughter had acted in. After all, she had only watched two of them, and the male lead seemed like a madman. Fortunately, the role played by her daughter was normal. Are TV dramas so popular these days?
"Think about it. If this is promoted, it might be broadcast on CCTV, which will be very helpful for my future career. If everything goes well, Sister Xu said that with CCTV, I might have the opportunity to attend the gala in the future."
This is a series of benefits. Even though Qin Huan is not very ambitious, he doesn't want to miss it.
"Okay, then I will definitely ask for you." Qin Yuan also felt happy for her daughter.
"Oh, Mom, by the way, there's one more thing. I went out today and got certificates for the warm jade and bracelet you gave me. I did it according to the antique certificates. Now I have the certificates. Can you guess how much these things you gave me as grandma's dowry are worth?"
Qin Huan was very mysterious, but Qin Yuan guessed that these things were very valuable, especially the warm jade, which must be priceless. However, she was willing to cooperate with her daughter and pretended to be surprised and ignorant.
"How much? I can't guess!"
Qin Huan was indeed flattered and said immediately.
"My bracelet was appraised and is worth around five million! And then there's the warm jade! The warm jade was appraised and valued at eighty million! Oh my god, I've never seen eighty million in my life, but now I wear eighty million and five million around my neck and on my hands!"
She raised her hands again to let her mother see her Jiangnan Magpie and Nuan Yu. She looked so happy that she looked just like a child.
When Qin Yuan saw her daughter happy, she was so happy too that she couldn't help laughing.
As a mother, she just likes to give her daughter all the best things.
"It's okay, just wear it. Mom will earn you more good things in the future. But this is your grandmother's dowry, so you should carry it with you and never sell it. When Mom gives you other good things in the future, you can sell them to buy a house or a car."
Qin Yuan was happy. She liked her current mother and loved her daughter, so she was also happy that her daughter liked her mother.
"Okay! Then I'll eat my mother's soft rice! Hehe! Soft rice smells so good!"
Children with mothers are treasures. Qin Huan has been so happy these days that she almost forgot how painful the past five years were. As long as she can see her mother and continue to be with her mother, she feels happy every day.
"Okay, I'll give you some free food, eat as much as you want."
Qin Huan made her laugh so hard that the two of them were closer than ever before even through the video.
After the 30-minute call, Qin Yuan was tired and fell asleep in her aunt's arms. She didn't know that the atmosphere in the kitchen was already tense.
Xie Yaer told her mother-in-law Liu Chunhua about the recipe, which made Liu Chunhua slap her thigh.
"Look at this child! Why can't she bear to see others suffer? I should have known not to let the villagers come outside our house. If she heard this, she would be so soft-hearted that she can't bear to see others suffer. She has some good things but doesn't know how to use them herself and eat them, and she has to share them with her family. Now she feels sorry for the villagers outside and wants to take out the recipe. What can I say?"
Liu Chunhua's eyes were red, she was really distressed. She didn't know how the recipe worked, but her own fairy was a truly soft-hearted person who couldn't bear to see others suffer...
But the Bodhisattva's kind face is because of the wrathful Vajra. But how old is my own Yoyo? How can he bear the suffering of this world? At only five years old, he wants to save people from suffering?
She was already very old, and at this moment she was both angry and distressed, with tears really falling from her eyes, causing Qin Yue and Qin Feng'er beside her to burst into tears.
No one was happy about this recipe. If the person who came up with the recipe was an adult, everyone would be extremely excited.
But the person who came up with this recipe was a five-year-old child, and because he heard the voices of the outsiders and felt that everyone was having a hard time, he gave it to everyone to make money, and even worried that this recipe would make everyone work hard...
Xie Yaer understood why her mother-in-law was crying. She took out a handkerchief and gently wiped her mother-in-law's tears. She knew that her mother-in-law had always been strong-willed and was crying for her own daughter.
"Mom, please don't cry. Youyou is a fairy who has come down to earth. She can't bear to see the suffering of the world. Now that it has come to this, we might as well listen to her. Let's make the ingredients in this recipe first, and then let the villagers get through this winter. I think there will be a turnaround next year. My father will definitely return next year. Then we will do our best to protect Youyou and prevent her from seeing these things again..."
If a child is always exposed to the sufferings of the world, it will increase the possibility of the child dying. This is why many families do not allow their children to go out at a very young age.
Liu Chunhua said nothing and let her daughter-in-law wipe her tears. In the end, she could only nod dejectedly.
"That's it."
"Don't let the villagers come to our house anymore. Yoyo will feel bad if they see you."
Among the many gods in heaven, which one is as unwilling to see the suffering of the people on earth as his own Yoyo? If they really opened their eyes and sent down some grace, the people of this world would not have to suffer so much.
But... it just so happened that our own fairy came to the human world to save us from such a disaster, and she has such a kind heart.
Liu Chunhua was really heartbroken. She would rather suffer herself than let Qin Yuan suffer.
Finally, the kitchen fell silent. Only Xie Yaer explained how to make tofu. Liu Chunhua ground the tofu herself, as if to vent her discomfort. Qin Yue and Qin Fenger helped, determined to make this tofu!!!
Qin Yuan was unaware of all these bitterness and deep hatred as she had already fallen asleep. The modern Qin Huan happily took Zhang Jiajia to the gold shop to buy a silver bracelet.
Still wearing hats, sunglasses and masks, Zhang Jiajia and Qin Huan arrived at the gold shop and were immediately greeted by the waiter.
"What would the guests like to see?"
"I want to buy a silver bracelet and a silver hairpin."
Qin Huan spoke, and the waiter immediately took them to the silver jewelry counter. They found that there were indeed many varieties, which were dizzying.
"I want flower-shaped silver hairpins, and I want a few pairs of bracelets, each one a different size."
He told the waiter his request. This was easy to do. There were hairpins made of silver with various flowers, such as orchids, lotus and chrysanthemum. They were made with modern technology and were very delicate. Qin Huan touched it, roughly determined the weight, and took it directly.
The bracelets are similar. I directly chose bracelets with matching flowers. After talking about the age of the wearer, I chose the size, which should be about the same.
After the purchase, Qin Huan returned to the ward. Zhang Jiajia would always accompany her sister Huanhuan to buy strange things, but she would not ask too many questions and would just help.
Qin Huan quickly sent the silver jewelry to her mother by express delivery.
Qin Yuan had just woken up in her aunt's arms. Suddenly she heard a ding-dong sound. Still dazed, she took out her phone to confirm the call.
Wang Pandi was holding Qin Yuan and resting when he saw a bunch of silver bracelets suddenly appear on the quilt in front of him. The bright silver color almost dazzled Wang Pandi's eyes.
Qin Yuan also felt the coldness of these silver bracelets in a daze. She looked at the front in a daze and then discovered.
A bunch of silver bracelets my daughter bought have arrived!!
These bracelets, with different styles but all shining with silver, are really beautiful! Her eyes suddenly widened and she was no longer sleepy.
Wang Pandi looked at the things in front of him in shock. He naturally knew that this was a silver bracelet, and he also saw a silver hairpin.
She didn't even dare to think about this thing, but Qin Yuan was picking and choosing among them, and quickly picked out an apricot blossom hairpin, and then two bracelets with apricot blossom patterns. It was obvious at a glance that they were a set.
She took these, turned around, and put the things in her aunt's hands.
"Aunt, your favorite apricot blossoms, do you like them?"
Wang Pandi was stunned for a moment, holding these in his hands. He didn't know how to answer, but his eyes suddenly turned red, and tears flowed out faster than words...
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