Chapter 66 Dried Papaya and Rice
Rose absolutely refused to drink Su Yun's so-called herbal tea this time.
I just occasionally soak in herbal water to sweat it out, detoxify my body, and relieve the inexplicable heat in my body.
Su Yun then let her go as she pleased, after all, there was still a lot of work to do.
As the weather gets warmer day by day, the rice in the fields turns golden and plump.
We can finally collect it.
Su Yun, carrying a sickle and a burlap sack, prepared to begin the harvest.
She followed Ye Feng to the edge of the paddy field. The abundant grains of rice weighed down the rice stalks, each one plump and golden, which delighted Su Yun. She prepared to start harvesting.
"Like this, hold the rice by the front, then cut it off at the root with a sickle," Su Yun demonstrated, holding a sheaf of wheat.
"Mmm." Night Breeze listened intently, perking up its ears.
"Cut it off, tie it up like this, and then just stuff it into a sack. There aren't many anyway."
"Uh-huh."
Su Yun looked at the "harvest." Since most of the rice in this field grew naturally, the yield was not very high. The rice was scattered here and there. After removing the husks, it would be considered very good if the rice could barely fill half a sack.
Therefore, there is no need to pile them up at the edge of the field first; simply stuffing them into burlap sacks can prevent the grains from falling out.
After teaching Ye Feng, the two split up and began harvesting the rice in the fields, each heading in a different direction.
After a busy half-day, searching through the paddy fields and ditches, we finally managed to gather all the millet into sacks.
Once home, they immediately poured it out again and started threshing.
Su Yun had already prepared the rice threshing machine.
This is an old-fashioned foot-operated rice threshing machine. It looks very old and bulky, but it is quite rare in this era without electricity.
The advanced electric threshing machines are basically unusable because of the lack of electricity. She found this old-fashioned, purely manual threshing machine in a corner, probably because she couldn't bear to throw it away and had been piling it up there.
The machine looked very old, with worn-out wooden boards and rusty machinery. Fortunately, it was made of sturdy materials. Su Yun dug it out again, cleaned it, applied expired peanut oil, and stepped on it to test it. Although it made a "creaking" sound when shaken, it was still usable.
Ye Feng was in charge of stepping on the machine, while Su Yun was in charge of stuffing the rice bundles into it. After passing through the machine, the plump rice grains were peeled off the rice stalks and fell into the wooden bin.
After threshing several bags of rice, the wooden bucket was about half full.
"There's more than I expected!" Su Yun was very happy as she looked at the grains of rice that had fallen into the wooden container.
"It's almost ready to be spread out to dry."
Finally, Su Yun picked up the fallen wheat stalks and spread the rice grains out on the cement floor of the yard. Since there wasn't much of it, there was no need to go to the small playground at the village entrance. He could just dry the rice grains in the yard while the sun was still strong.
The remaining rice leaves and stalks were spread out to dry in the night breeze. These dried rice stalks are excellent fuel for fires and also good material for making chicken coops; in short, they can be used for both purposes.
The rice harvest has temporarily come to an end.
Su Yun still needed to check on Rose's condition. Stepping into the main room, he saw her fast asleep, sprawled on the bamboo sofa.
Su Yun reached out and touched the other person's forehead; the burning heat from before was gone.
This special period for roses came quickly and went quickly.
For the first three days, the attack was fierce. Rose was burning up and her mind was blurred. All she could think about was solving certain problems.
After that, apart from feeling a little dizzy, weak, and sleepy, there didn't seem to be any problems.
I don't know if it's because of my excellent medical skills.
As Su Yun poured herself a cup of iced tea, she marveled at how kind and compassionate she was, a doctor with miraculous healing skills.
Rose was groggily awakened. She opened her eyes in a daze and found Su Yun squatting next to her, drinking water, with a sweet and refreshing fragrance wafting from her.
She suddenly felt a little thirsty. "Su Yun, what are you drinking? I want some too..."
"Oh." Su Yun kindly poured her a glass.
Rose grabbed the cup, tilted her head back, and took a big gulp. The cool, sweet water flowed down her throat, dispelling the heat in her body. Rose immediately felt refreshed and invigorated: "Sweet, so delicious! What is this?"
Su Yun: "Herbal tea!"
"That can't be!"
Upon hearing the words "herbal tea," Rose's face immediately changed, and her stomach seemed to start churning again. But the taste of the water was clearly off. "Ah, how can this herbal tea be sweet?"
"Night Breeze likes sweet drinks, so I added some sugar on purpose."
Upon hearing this, Rose's stomach immediately rumbled loudly.
Then Rose sat up abruptly, threw off the covers, and rushed to the toilet, followed by another series of loud splashing sounds.
After a while, a loud, energetic shout came from inside: "Waaah! Su Yun, you quack doctor, you've ruined me again!"
Rose has been drinking cold water and iced tea lately, which makes her very sensitive stomach and intestines, even though she has a lot of energy. She gets diarrhea whenever she drinks something cold.
Su Yun spread her hands to show her innocence: "You asked for it yourself."
Rose: "Waaaaah, I didn't know that was herbal tea!"
Finally, there was another "splashing" sound, and it wasn't until half an hour later that Rose finally emerged from the toilet, her legs weak.
"How are you feeling? Any better?"
"Waaaaah, Rose is no good at all, Rose is going to die!"
"Seeing how energetic you are, I'm relieved."
Although Rose was clutching her stomach and looked very weak with her legs trembling, her complexion was noticeably better.
Seeing that the other person was gradually regaining their energy, Su Yun finally felt relieved. "Since you look so pitiful, I'll cook you something to soothe your stomach!"
The fresh rice grains were dried in the sun for an afternoon.
Su Yun flipped through it several times during that time.
Night Wind also stood guard nearby, preventing the birds from stealing the food.
The golden grains of rice were slightly wrinkled by the scorching sun. Su Yun picked one up and easily peeled off its husk, revealing a plump and glistening grain inside. "This should be fine now."
As she spoke, she picked up a bowl, grabbed a small handful of grains, and went to an old-fashioned hand-cranked hulling machine.
"It's your turn!" This is what she found: a hand-cranked threshing machine. Her grandmother's house used to have one too. It's very easy to operate. You just pour the grains into the inlet, then hold the handle and keep cranking, and the bright white grains will come out from below.
With one hand she slowly poured out the grains, and with the other she cranked the creaking handle. Slowly, the glistening white grains of rice slid out of the outlet.
After more than two months of hard work, a small bowl of glistening white rice finally arrived. Su Yun was so excited that she almost burst into tears, exclaiming, "It wasn't easy, it wasn't easy at all! Every grain of rice is truly hard-earned!"
Having never eaten rice before, Night Breeze and Rose clearly couldn't understand her excitement.
Looking at Su Yun's excited face, he had no idea what was going on.
In their eyes, the only staple food is meat.
So Su Yun decided to use this hard-won bowl of rice to change their minds, "Watch me!"
Su Yun patted his chest, indicating that he would definitely amaze the two of them tonight.
But the ideal is beautiful, while the reality is sad.
Su Yun only had a bowl of rice in her hand. It was truly a case of "a clever cook cannot make a meal without rice." Oh well, although she couldn't cook rice, millet porridge would still be a good alternative.
Su Yun carefully picked up the bowl, began washing the rice, and then poured it into the pot with utmost reverence, preparing to start cooking porridge.
Since it's porridge, how can we forget the side dishes? Su Yun decisively took out the dried papaya she had dried earlier. It didn't need to be dried very dry, just enough to remove the moisture. It could be taken back when it was about 70-80% dry. She had picked a lot when she went to the orchard last time, and since she couldn't finish them all at once, Su Yun cut them all into strips and dried them.
She's planning to take it out now and make a side dish: papaya jam.
The method is very simple: put the dried papaya back into boiling water and blanch it for about 4 or 5 seconds, then take it out, drain it, and let it cool.
Next, make the sauce for soaking the dried papaya. Chop the chili and garlic, put them in a bowl, then add rock sugar, white wine, and a little of Su Yun's homemade straw mushroom "soy sauce". Stir well, then pour in the dried papaya and continue stirring to let it soak and absorb the flavor.
Su Yun tasted one with satisfaction; it was crisp and refreshing, and would be perfect with some white porridge.
By this time, the white rice porridge had boiled, its fragrant aroma filling the air.
The night breeze and the roses were both captivated.
Ye Feng came into the kitchen several times to ask if she needed help. Su Yun refused but didn't leave. Instead, she stared intently at the fragrant millet porridge in the pot.
"Go take a shower first, then we can eat." Su Yun pushed him out of the kitchen.
The night breeze finally left, reluctant to depart.
In contrast, Rose was much more direct, rushing straight to the kitchen window, sniffing the air: "Ah, it smells so good! When is dinner? Rose is starving..." Having had diarrhea again, Rose's stomach was empty, and she was already starving. Weakly clutching her rumbling stomach, she kept urging Su Yun to hurry up and serve dinner.
"Can we eat now?"
"Soon, right?"
"Are you done?"
......
Under immense pressure, Su Yun stir-fried a plate of green beans, which had been ripening in the garden recently.
They were fresh and crisp at the right time, so Su Yun picked a handful without hesitation and stir-fried them directly.
Then I stir-fried tomatoes and eggs.
The night breeze carried the aroma of food. He took a quick shower, and by the time he finished, the food was already on the table.
The dish included bright green stir-fried green beans, classic scrambled eggs with tomatoes, a plate of diced papaya, and a large bowl of white rice porridge.
Everyone was starving.
After Su Yun announced that dinner was served, everyone picked up their bowls and chopsticks and began to eat!
Su Yun ladled out a bowl of rice porridge, took a sip, and felt the warm rice soup flow into her stomach.
More than three months later, Su Yun tasted rice again and was so moved that tears almost fell from her eyes.
The newly harvested rice carries a faint fragrance of rice stalks. Each grain of rice is cooked until soft and tender, and it warms you up in your stomach. Paired with a bite of crisp dried papaya, it's absolutely delicious!
Su Yun ate some dried papaya and then sipped a large mouthful of porridge, instantly feeling completely satisfied.
Fresh green beans taste sweet and refreshing.
The only downside is that the rice grains are a bit watery.
Rose took a big gulp of porridge with the dried papaya, and sighed with great satisfaction, "The rice is so delicious!"
"Of course! Rice is the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese nation!"
"There's just not enough rice," Rose said, scooping up the rice porridge from her bowl with a hint of regret.
"Food is hard-earned, and there's only so much, so cherish it!" Su Yun teased Rose on purpose.
Upon hearing that this was all, Rose's ears immediately drooped, and a look of regret appeared on her face. "That's all? What a pity!"
As she spoke, she "cherished" another large bowl of wine.
Ye Feng turned his gaze to the concrete ground outside the window, where golden rice was still drying. After a day's work, he had figured out where rice came from, and there was still a lot of rice drying in the yard.
His eyes were filled with anticipation as he looked out the window.
Su Yun also noticed his gaze and realized that the other party had successfully gotten the point. The two looked at each other and smiled knowingly.
Seeing the expressions on their faces, and then glancing at the rice paddies outside the window, Rose instantly understood. "Is this the rice that's drying outside? Is it the same rice that was covered in grass before?"
Thankfully, this guy still remembered the paddy fields. Su Yun looked at Rose with admiration and said calmly, "Not bad, you actually guessed it!"
Rose was furious: "Who are you looking down on? How could someone as smart as Rose not know that?"
Su Yun picked up some food and said dismissively, "Okay, okay, you're the smartest!"
Rose: "Oh, good that you know. By the way, there's so much rice, how come you've only cooked this little bit?"
"Porridge tastes better when it's thinner, and it's better for your stomach. Also, eat less dried papaya, or your stomach will feel uncomfortable again!" As she spoke, Su Yun slapped away Rose's hand that was reaching for the plate again. Rose just loves to eat these spicy and fragrant things, so she has to keep an eye on her, otherwise her stomach will always be upset.
Rose retorted defiantly, "No way! It's all your fault for the herbal tea! It's all your fault!"
Su Yun: "How can you blame me? Without my herbal tea, you'd still be lying in bed right now. You should be grateful!"
Rose: "No, it's your herbal tea that gave me diarrhea."
So the two of them started arguing again...
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