Chapter 113 Clams and White Porridge
Ye Feng and Su Yun finally returned to that familiar little courtyard.
Life returned to its former peace and tranquility.
Su Yun and Xiao Yu went to the back mountain to chop firewood, intending to stockpile it.
Winters in the apocalypse are particularly cold. Their strongholds are mostly in the south, but their current location is between the north and south. They can only rely on the most primitive wood for heating, so stockpiling firewood is essential.
Because of his injury, Ye Feng could only sit on the meadow not far away, quietly basking in the sun. Suddenly, he noticed that the firewood he had cut was a bit loose, so he stood up again and bundled the firewood into a pile. Although Su Yun told him not to move around, he still did some small things as much as he could.
Su Yun continued her busy work, searching for suitable dead wood with Xiao Yu Mao in the pine forest.
"Thump, thump, thump—" The rhythmic sound of chopping wood echoed through the pine forest.
With winter approaching, household chores are not easy, and everyone is preparing for the winter.
Winter vegetables need to be planted quickly, timber needs to be stockpiled quickly, pine needles and fallen leaves for starting fires need to be collected, drafty houses need to be repaired, and vegetables can't withstand the frost, so greenhouses need to be built...
The weather is getting colder and colder; in the morning, the dew has turned into tiny ice crystals.
The weather is getting colder and colder, and it looks like it's going to snow soon. All of this needs to be done before the heavy snow arrives...
Ye Feng wasn't fully recovered and couldn't do heavy work. With a strong laborer missing from the household, the work piled up on Su Yun and Xiao Yu Mao. The two of them often worked from day to night. Ye Feng saw this and was anxious, always wanting to help out. But Su Yun was worried about his injury and wouldn't let him help...
Watching the two working so hard they were practically flying, Ye Feng couldn't resist going up to help, but Su Yun stopped him each time: "Don't touch the hoe, or your wound will reopen!"
Night Wind silently put down the hoe again, its tail drooping. It just wanted to share some of the burden with her.
Su Yun reached out and touched his head, comforting him, "Once you're better, there will be even more work to do next spring."
"But you're too tired..." Ye Feng looked at Su Yun with some concern. She hadn't had a proper rest since she came back; she was either working or on her way to work. A look of exhaustion had appeared in her eyes.
Su Yun reached out and pulled the other person's scarf tighter to make sure no cold air would get in. "It's okay, I can rest after this busy period is over."
Winter is generally the time when all things rest and recuperate.
Su Yun looked up at the distant mountains. The white fog hadn't dissipated by noon, and it looked like it was going to snow soon.
...
Several more busy days passed.
Finally, everything was almost ready. Perhaps because I was too exhausted, the temperature dropped that day.
Su Yun woke up to find that her nose was a little stuffy.
Su Yun checked the weather and it seemed like there wasn't much to do today, so he could go to the river to dig up some herbs.
Dandelion, isatis root... these root-based herbs are at their most robust at this time of year.
I dried them and stored them before it snowed.
Su Yun and Xiao Yumo wielded their small hoes, searching for herbs along the field ridges.
Night Breeze followed them slowly, occasionally picking up a handful of leaves, or gathering some hemostatic herbs for himself.
Little Feather was digging for medicinal herbs for the first time and didn't understand. "Why do we have to pick herbs? We can't eat them! Su Yun! Let's go into the mountains to pick chestnuts. Last time, so many chestnuts fell and we didn't pick them all. It's such a pity!"
Su Yun brandished her small hoe without looking up: "These aren't weeds, they're medicinal herbs! After we finish digging these up, we'll go pick chestnuts tomorrow."
"But, but, can't these be found everywhere?" Little Feather asked again.
Su Yun: "We won't be able to find them when it snows, so let's dig them up and dry them first."
Su Yun heard from Qing Ji that winters here are very cold, and even some southern regions that don't usually see snow have started experiencing heavy snowfalls. Once winter officially begins, the snow often falls continuously. Qing Ji repeatedly reminded Su Yun to be sure to stock up on firewood, food, and essential medicinal herbs, as without these, it would be difficult to survive the winter.
Su Yun kept it firmly in mind and, without even resting after returning, immediately began preparations.
In fact, Su Yun had been stockpiling food since spring: dried vegetables, pickled vegetables, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes...
The medicinal herbs are harvested continuously throughout the year.
However, she glanced back at Ye Feng. He still looked somewhat weak after his serious injuries. The little bit of weight he had gained as the days went by had disappeared, and he was starting to look like the thin boy he used to be.
Ye Feng stood behind, reaching out to pick the small wild chrysanthemums unique to autumn and winter. Seeing Su Yun looking at him, he held up the bunch of small chrysanthemums in his hand and happily handed them to Su Yun. "Aren't they beautiful?" The small yellow chrysanthemums, slightly damp, were delicate and cute, very pretty.
Very good, it clears heat and detoxifies, quite good.
Su Yun put the flowers into her basket and said happily, "They're great, they're good for clearing heat and reducing internal fire. I can pick more."
The cat's ears tilted slightly. It didn't understand the first half of the sentence, but it understood that Su Yun wanted it to pick more. "Okay, I'll pick more."
The three of them searched for various herbs along the riverbank.
During a break, Su Yun took out some dried sweet potatoes that she had brought with her and shared them with the two of them. They then sat down together on the edge of the field and started eating them.
The sweet potato chips were sun-dried for a little too long, so they were soft and chewy with a little moisture and a bit sticky.
Su Yun took a bite. It was fragrant and soft, with a hint of honey flavor from the sun-drying process. It was delicious, but it didn't keep for very long. Su Yun stared at the dried sweet potato in her hand and muttered to herself, "It probably needs to be dried a little more."
Little Feather, however, really liked the soft texture. "No, it tastes great like this. It's a bit like dried persimmon, hard on the outside and soft on the inside. It's delicious! This is perfect... No need to dry it anymore, it won't taste good if it's too dry!"
"How come I remember... the dried persimmons weren't dried yet? Little Feather, how did you know what the dried persimmons tasted like?" Su Yun looked at Little Feather thoughtfully, her eyes full of doubt.
Little Feather, munching on a dried sweet potato, stammered, "This...that..." Oh no, she'd forgotten about that...
"Ah, I'm finished eating. I'm going to the river to catch some fish so we can have more dishes when we get back tonight." Little Feather quickly changed the subject and left this "troublesome" place.
Night Breeze looked at Little Feather with suspicion, then at the riverbed, which was nearly dry during the dry season. "Are there any fish at this time of year?"
It was winter, and the river beside the village was in its dry season. The water had receded, leaving only pebbles and damp silt. There were hardly any fish to catch, and the little fish was clearly just making an excuse to escape.
Although there are no fish, there might be other small things to catch.
Su Yun casually picked up a few thin, long wooden sticks. "Let's go take a look together."
Night Breeze: "Hmm?"
The three of them went down to the riverbed together. The water had receded by more than half, leaving only the central water area and the shallow mud and water along the banks.
Little Feather stared at the few tiny fish in the middle of the riverbank, hesitating whether to catch them: "They're so small... these few wouldn't even be enough to fill a tooth gap..."
"These fish are so small, stop looking at them and come catch some clams together." Su Yun patted the other person on the shoulder.
"Huh? A clam?" Little Feather looked at Su Yun with a puzzled expression. "What's a clam?"
"Come on, watch me." Su Yun waved the small twig in his hand and began searching for something on the riverbed.
A moment later, a clue was discovered in a shallow patch of mud. A small crack appeared in the soft mud, seemingly unremarkable at first glance, just like any other muddy mark in a river. But—
Su Yun raised the branch in her hand and carefully inserted it into the opening—
In an instant, the small crack began to change. Just as the branch was inserted, the crack suddenly closed, but it was too late; the branch was already trapped inside.
Clamping it in at this point will only—
Su Yun suddenly lifted the branch upwards, and a dark, muddy river clam was fished out. "Clang! Clam!"
"Wow!" Little Feather and Night Breeze stared wide-eyed.
Little Feather: "Su Yun, you're amazing! You can even fish it out like that."
Night Breeze: "Was that fished out? That's amazing!"
"It's very simple. There are clams everywhere on this riverbed. Just stick a branch into the gap where they're breathing, and when the branch gets caught, just pull it up. Quickly, one branch per person, we can catch a lot and take them back to make porridge." Su Yun had discovered this when he came down. Usually, when the water is high, you can't see them, but he didn't expect there to be so many clams on the riverbed. Now that the water is low, they've all burrowed into the silt, only showing a crack to breathe. This makes them easy to catch.
Su Yun excitedly explained to the two how to catch river clams.
Little Feather and Night Breeze took the branch and started fishing for river clams, just like Su Yun.
Having gone through the night to fish for frogs and fish, Ye Feng was already quite familiar with the tools, especially those that were easy to use. He took the branch and began to catch river clams according to Su Yun's method, one after another, with great ease.
Little Feather was still a bit unfamiliar with it. Usually, she would just use her hands directly. Sometimes, the stick was too thick and the crack closed too quickly, so she couldn't grab it. Then she would get angry and start using her hands again, saying as she grabbed, "Actually, you don't need a stick, you can just scoop it out directly."
Su Yun looked at his hands covered in mud and said dismissively, "Whatever makes you happy."
......
After the freshwater mussels have expelled all the mud, they are gutted and their excretory glands are removed.
Then it's ready to be cooked.
Su Yun marinated the clams with ginger slices, white wine, and a few scallion segments, then poured them into the boiling white porridge. She simmered the porridge over low heat until it was soft and tender, then added fresh river clam meat and simmered it. Finally, she sprinkled a small handful of green scallions on top.
The rice is soft and mushy, the river clam meat is fresh and delicious, and it's served with scallions, piping hot.
Little Feather held a small bowl of white porridge, carefully blew on it, and took a sip: "So delicious!"
River clams have tender, delicious meat with a unique freshness.
One bite and you'll be hooked.
"So fresh~" The clam porridge was very fresh with a slightly salty taste. One sip warmed the mouth. The three people clinked their porcelain bowls together, gathered around the stove, and drank with satisfaction and happiness.
Little Feather, holding the porcelain bowl, said with regret, "I should have picked more." At first glance, the river clam looked dark and didn't seem to be a good food at all. She only picked a few in a hurry before going to pick chestnuts.
Seeing the other person's regretful expression, Su Yun rummaged through the stove and pulled out a few roasted chestnuts, "Here! Roasted chestnuts~"
Chestnuts roasted over charcoal have a unique, smoky aroma.
It's soft, sweet, and glutinous.
After finishing her meal, Little Feather smacked her lips, then instantly switched her affections, "Chestnuts are pretty good too—"
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