They don't need to grind the grain themselves; donkeys can do it during the off-season, and everything can be done at once, saving time during the busy season.
The stone mortar and pestle are different from those used in the village, where you have to use your hands to pound things. It takes a lot of effort and you can't get fast. Here at the landlord's place, they just use their feet to pound things!
The stone mortar is placed on the ground. The pestle is a large stone with a wooden bar running horizontally across it to the other side. The middle of the bar is raised, and a person on the other side steps on the horizontal bar, causing the large stone bar connected to the other side to rise high and fall heavily, instantly cracking the kudzu root and then crushing it into dust.
It's effortless!
The results were surprisingly good!
The master is a smart man, which makes a big difference; those of us who are servants are much more relaxed as a result.
The kudzu root, now crushed into pieces, needs to be repeatedly rinsed with clean water, then filtered through gauze into basins and buckets. After a day or two, the wastewater on top is poured off, and the white powdery slurry at the bottom of the basin is dried to make kudzu root powder.
After successfully making it the first time, Shuiqing brewed a large bowl of it with boiling water, sprinkled it with white sugar, and gave everyone a bowl to try.
After stirring the water to let it cool down a bit, I scooped a spoonful into my mouth and tasted a refreshing fragrance and a rich kudzu root flavor—it was truly authentic.
She looked at everyone with satisfaction and asked with a smile, "Make sure you see clearly and remember this step. You can follow this procedure in the future and you'll be guaranteed to get crystal clear results!"
If it fails, it's okay. Just put it back in the pot and boil it again. It will be successful when it turns transparent.
Da Ni and Er Ni, keep this safe. You can use it to thicken soups and stews later. I'll bring you a bag of white sugar later. You can also make a bowl of it for breakfast during busy farming seasons.
"Feng Damancang, you guys should try it and see if you like it. How about we take it as rations for our journeys?"
Da Ni, Er Ni, Zhou Yu, and the other three had previously thought that kudzu root powder was the same as the fern root powder they made on the estate—a food to fill their stomachs. But the lady made them bring white sugar to go with it.
It's just breakfast, can I really use expensive white sugar to go with it?
No, no, Madam is definitely using this as an excuse to help them recover!
Oh, my wife is so kind!
On the other side, Feng Dahong, Mancang, and other men held their rough earthenware bowls, reluctant to eat.
They saw with their own eyes how much white sugar the lady put in. White sugar is much more expensive than brown sugar. Did she put in so much white sugar just to let them try something new?
"Madam, we are all men, it's too wasteful to give us white sugar."
"Mancang is right, we can eat the ones without sugar too."
They are all men and don't need any tonics; the sugar can be left for the women to use to nourish their bodies.
Shui Qing laughed and said, "It's alright, go ahead and eat. We've stocked up on a lot of sugar. It would be a waste if it melted in the summer heat."
Hearing Shui Qing say it was a waste, the men finally decided to pick up their rough earthenware bowls and take a sip.
One bite and it's so sweet and refreshing, no wonder it sells for eighteen coins a pound.
"It really is medicinal material. What Uncle Ding was talking about, yes, it quenches thirst and promotes salivation! It tastes so good."
"It's so sweet, just like sugar."
"Nonsense, with so much sugar in it, how could it not be sweet? Think about the fern root noodles we used to make, without sugar, they would probably taste almost the same."
This is all thanks to the lady's willingness to add sugar!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
