Chapter 11 Drying Vegetables
Another new day begins.
As usual, Su Yun quietly woke up when the sunlight streamed into the room.
Although it was already the third day since the apocalypse, she was always somewhat disoriented when she woke up.
Where is she? What is she doing?
It wasn't until they saw the somewhat gray ceiling that their bewildered and confused state turned into a moment of astonishment. Where were they? It wasn't until they turned around and looked at the cat-eared beastman sleeping soundly beside them.
Only then did she belatedly realize—oh, she had traveled through time.
A scene that I was utterly astonished no matter how many times I opened my eyes.
Su Yun always needs to take a few deep breaths before she can slowly regain her composure.
Today is the fourth day since I traveled to the apocalypse.
I'm probably very busy and tired during the day, so I usually fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow at night, and because I go to bed so early, I usually wake up very early.
Compared to my previous life of staying up late, my lifestyle here is incredibly healthy.
Su Yun could clearly feel that her skin had improved a lot.
My figure has also become slimmer (mainly because I was hungry).
Su Yun gave a wry smile.
He then turned to look at Ye Feng, who was fast asleep. He decided to let him sleep a little longer, since he was injured.
She tiptoed out of bed, gently opened the door blocked by heavy pillars, and quietly went into the courtyard.
The first thing Su Yun did after getting up was to check on the fish. Although he hadn't heard any noise last night, he was still worried, as they were his food for the next few days.
Fortunately, the rat that escaped yesterday did not return, and the winnowing basket on the water tank remained firmly covered, showing no signs of theft.
Su Yun breathed a sigh of relief. The importance of food was always etched in Su Yun's mind. Well, in order to survive, there were still many supplies to collect and many farm chores to do. He should try not to waste too much time looking for food.
After all, compared to searching for food, planting and raising livestock is the path to sustainable development!
Fortunately, she transmigrated in early spring, a good time for planting. If it were winter, she would probably be freezing by now.
This is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
So Su Yun did some mental planning and decided to first start stockpiling food, and then slowly begin to grow vegetables.
Although she had never actually grown anything before, and the things she learned from her grandmother when she was a child were all a bit hazy, she decided to give it a try anyway.
Thinking about it, Su Yun put the handful of red chilies she had picked yesterday into a winnowing basket, intending to dry them and save them as seeds, planning to cultivate a field for chilies in the future.
It's best to sun-dry the chili seeds to improve their germination rate. Su Yun wasn't quite sure of the specific reason behind it, so she could only follow her grandmother's instructions step by step as she remembered them.
In my memory, chili peppers were easy to grow; they were drought-resistant, cold-resistant, and produced huge yields.
Moreover, chili peppers are very practical; they can be dried or made into chili sauce, which can be added to dishes for seasoning and also warm the body and ward off the cold in winter. Su Yun remembered what Ye Feng had said—that winters here would be extremely cold—so she had already begun preparing for winter.
After drying the chili peppers, I sorted through the supplies I had collected yesterday, spreading out all the cotton quilts to dry in the yard.
These quilts had been sitting there for who knows how long, and they all smelled musty, but Su Yun didn't dare to be disgusted and accepted them all, just in case.
I don't know if I can go back. These things are nowhere to be bought anymore, and I doubt anyone can make new ones. So, I'll keep whatever little bit of what human industry made before. I don't know if I'll be able to find them again in the future.
It seems we need to set aside a separate room just to store these things.
Okay, okay, let's put it in the outer room.
I'll clean it up and bring it out today.
Find a few more good cabinets and boxes, and once they're dried, put them inside.
Thinking about it this way, there really are a lot of things to do, but fortunately there isn't much danger here. Although it's tiring, at least I can survive.
Su Yun sighed softly, gently picked up the water glass placed under the windowsill, and began her daily washing routine.
Then she started preparing breakfast. She first took out two fish, cleaned them, chopped them into several pieces, and threw them into the pot. She cooked them into a soup with the mustard greens she had just picked from the backyard.
She hadn't had much of an appetite in the morning, so she only drank half a bowl of vegetable soup before putting the lid back on, grabbing the laundry to wash, and heading out.
Before the sun got too strong, Su Yun, familiar with the routine, went to the riverbank to wash clothes again. He casually caught a few stupid fish, ate them on the spot, and then twisted some grass from the riverbank into a rope and strung them together.
By the time she finished doing all that, the sun had risen slightly into the sky, bringing a warm glow.
I don't even know what month or day it is. Should I find a pen or some kind of charcoal to write it down?
Let's not record it anymore. What if we draw it for decades and still can't go back? The dense drawings will only make people despair. It's better to just let things take their course.
But is this really a good idea?
Is it a blessing or a curse to live out one's life in a daze?
But even if you understand, you can't change it, wouldn't that make life even more painful?
She wasn't sure if she could stay there for long. What if there was danger? What if zombies or mutated animals came again? Or what if there was no food? Would it be better to go out and find a new human survivor base?
But since she was a time traveler, she wasn't very confident that she could coexist peacefully with them, nor did she have the courage.
That's enough, let's leave it at that and not think too much about it.
Let's start by figuring out how to feed ourselves. We might starve to death before we even encounter any zombies, so why bother thinking about such unrealistic things?
Su Yun has this kind of personality; sometimes she can be very optimistic, but she also often worries.
"It's truly a contradiction."
Su Yun silently complained to herself, then sighed softly. She always tended to think a lot when she was alone. Looking at the azure sky, Su Yun pulled herself out of her somewhat chaotic thoughts.
She carried the tin bucket of washed clothes, walking and stopping, resting by the roadside when she got tired.
A gentle breeze blows, causing layers of golden rapeseed flowers to sway and undulate, their slender bodies moving like golden waves.
It's such a huge field of rapeseed flowers! They're so tender right now, and she and Yefeng only eat a small piece a day. In a few more days, the rapeseed flowers will be old and produce seeds.
Although we can continue planting, it's really a waste to have such a large area.
Hmm, how about cutting off a little bit and drying it? Will it be able to be preserved?
Anyway, there's so much of it, I don't care. What if it succeeds?
Sun-dried vegetables can be stored for a long time, one or two years is perfectly fine. When needed, soak them in hot water, add a handful when braising pig's trotters, they will absorb the meat juices, neutralize the greasiness, and taste delicious.
Just thinking about Su Yun makes my mouth water, and dried vegetables can also play an important role in supplementing the body with vitamins and preventing colds when necessary.
The benefits are huge.
Whether it was the craving for dried vegetables and pig's trotters or the release of pent-up inner strength, Su Yun slammed his fist into his palm and immediately decided to get to work.
So Su Yun excitedly carried the bucket home and hung the clean clothes out to dry.
Then, carrying a sickle and a basket on his back, he went out to harvest vegetables.
At this time, the rapeseed flowers are in perfect bloom and ready to eat. Most of the flowers are not yet fully open, the buds are very tender, and the leaves and stems are also very tender, so they are just right to eat. In another week, as the weather gradually warms up, the petals will fully open, and with a slight shake, they will all fall off, leaving behind the stems with tough, chewy skin, which are old and hard and not tasty.
Su Yun bent over and worked hard in the field cutting rapeseed flowers. In no time, she had cut a large bundle and stuffed it into her basket.
Hmm, let's go wash ourselves clean by the river first.
Su Yun went to the riverbank to wash the rapeseed flowers. The petals of the flowers, which were in full bloom, fell as soon as they touched the water and flowed away with the clear water, attracting the fish in the river to peck at them.
Be bolder, you even took advantage of Su Yun washing the vegetables to peck at quite a few flower petals. It seems you still haven't learned your lesson. So many brothers have perished on these cauliflowers, and you're still eating them.
However, Su Yun ignored them this time. He had eaten fish for several meals. Although he had changed the cooking methods, eating fish every meal was getting a bit tiring. Besides, he still had some fish stored at home. He decided to take a sustainable development approach.
"Eat up, eat up. I'll come back to you when you're all plump and healthy."
Su Yun smiled as she washed the bok choy and went home to dry it.
How do you make dried vegetables?
This was Su Yun's first time doing this. When she was little, she had seen her grandmother dry green beans. It seemed that she would blanch them in water and then leave them in the yard to dry.
Su Yun first washed the pot and the basins, winnowing baskets and other utensils she would use later repeatedly. It seems that it's best to dry vegetables without any oil or water. Well, there's no dish soap now, so she can only boil water and rinse the pot, basins, winnowing baskets and chopsticks.
However, the food here isn't very oily; it's all quite bland.
After repeatedly washing the pot clean, Su Yun boiled a large pot of water and patiently waited for it to boil before adding a handful of salt.
Finally, the bok choy was added in. When it was about six or seven tenths cooked, the whole pot of bok choy emitted a fragrant aroma. Su Yun picked up her chopsticks and scooped them out, placing them in a bowl that had been prepared on the side.
Finally, he picked up the basin, went into the yard, and laid the stalks one by one on the wire under the eaves to dry.
When the night breeze woke up, she was already halfway through basking in the sun.
Ye Feng watched her movements, his eyes filled with confusion: "What's this?"
Su Yun: "This is dried vegetables, which means drying green vegetables so they can be stored for a long time."
Upon hearing this, Ye Feng looked somewhat surprised: "Can it be kept until it snows?"
Su Yun: "Yes, if done well, it can be kept until it snows."
Night Breeze couldn't help but exclaim, "That's wonderful!"
Su Yun smiled: "It's a good idea. In order to prevent having nothing to eat when it snows, it's necessary to dry the vegetables. I don't know if it will be successful."
Night Breeze: "Su Yun, you're so amazing, you'll definitely succeed."
What's so great about it?
Her fingers were slender, and after only a few days of farm work, her back ached all over. She had no sharp claws, couldn't outrun mutated animals, and couldn't fight off zombies.
Is it really impressive to just have the heart of an old farmer?
However, looking at the glittering eyes in the night breeze, it seems they are quite envious.
It seems the winters here are truly terrifying. Mastering the secrets of storing physical goods is equivalent to mastering core technology!
Looking at the bright eyes of the night wind, it seemed to have some expectation.
Su Yun tentatively asked, "Would you like to give it a try too?"
"Okay!" Ye Feng agreed readily and was about to take the bok choy from her hands.
Su Yun turned aside to avoid him. "Hey, hey, don't rush. Let's eat breakfast first. We still need to go pick vegetables later. No need to hurry."
"Hmm." After hearing her words, Ye Feng reluctantly retreated, picked up his toothbrush and towel, and began to wash up, but his eyes were fixed on her hand movements, almost as if he were preparing to eat.
Su Yun chuckled inwardly. It seemed everyone harbored the dream of an old farmer, and Ye Feng's dream was about to awaken.
"Stop looking, hurry up and start a fire to heat up some soup. Throw the chopped fish over there in too, and I'll eat with you after I'm done."
"Hmm." Hearing her words, Ye Feng finished washing up and went into the kitchen to start a fire and heat up the food. After learning, he had almost mastered the basic actions of starting a fire and heating food.
Because of his injuries, Ye Feng hadn't let him do much, but whenever he had the chance, Ye Feng would always come over to help start a fire.
It's okay to let him do it occasionally for now.
Night Breeze seemed quite willing as well.
With a smile in her eyes, Su Yun continued to speed up the drying of the vegetables.
Finally, they made it to lunch, and the two of them finished the pot of fish together.
Next, I taught Ye Feng how to dry vegetables. Drying vegetables is actually not very difficult. Just wash them clean and put them in boiling salt water to cook them slightly.
Then put them all together in a cool, well-ventilated place and let them air dry slowly.
The key point is to avoid direct sunlight. Vegetables, in particular, have low water content and will easily dry out and crack if exposed to direct sunlight, eventually breaking apart in the wind.
Air drying is the best option.
So the rack that this family originally used to hang corn and garlic was a good choice. It was early spring, and the long eaves only got a couple of moments of sunshine each day, making it perfect for drying vegetables.
"Yes, like this, just until it changes color slightly. Don't cook it for too long." Su Yun held the chopsticks and instructed very carefully.
"Just like cooking vegetables!"
"No, no, this one is a little unripe, so it's a bit different."
"Um?"
"...Um...actually, it's about the same..."
There are countless techniques and methods for cooking, including braising, frying, boiling, and stir-frying.
Su Yun couldn't explain it clearly, so he could only let the other party do it. Anyway, the orcs had a strong ability to observe, and they would understand after observing it a few more times.
The two of them, one cooks and the other dries the food.
They worked for most of the noon, drying vegetables all over a large wall. The green vegetables looked spectacular.
"To make life bearable, you need a little greenery. Oh wow, these vegetables should last for a month or two, right?" Su Yun was quite satisfied.
Night Wind disagreed. He frowned and said with a deep look in his eyes, "But winter lasts for a very, very long time."
As Ye Feng picked up his sickle and basket, watching the other person's determined departing figure, Su Yun was slightly stunned. Finally, her eyes widened, and she only let out a soft "Ah?"
It's not just dried vegetables; dried fish, dried meat, and other dried foods will also work.
But seeing the child's stubborn figure, Su Yun couldn't bear to stop him, so she could only roll up her sleeves and keep encouraging him.
The children, terrified of hunger, rolled up their sleeves and spent the entire afternoon cutting bok choy, almost cutting down the whole cauliflower, until Su Yun gave them a long lecture on the hard truths of sustainable development, which finally stopped them.
"Let's rest first. Besides dried vegetables, there are many other things we can dry, so there's no rush," Su Yun said, both helpless and amused.
"Mmm." Ye Feng had been busy all afternoon, her face pale with exhaustion, and she answered softly.
"I'll go boil some water first. I'll take a shower before it gets dark. Oh, and by the way, throw the fish innards far away, just in case they attract that rat from yesterday." Su Yun instructed, giving instructions on how to throw away the trash, before going into the kitchen to boil water.
Completely unaware that Ye Feng's eyes lit up.
......
Twenty minutes later, the water in the large pot boiled. Su Yun filled the pot with hot water, only to find that Ye Feng was nowhere to be found.
"Strange, the door is open, where did they go?" Su Yun walked to the door with some worry, her mind racing with countless possibilities, a sense of unease creeping into her heart. "Just taking out the trash... could they have run into some danger?"
Su Yun was very worried and prepared to turn around, go back into the house to get his equipment, and go out to look for someone.
But then they saw Ye Feng running towards them from afar, carrying something in his hand and walking briskly.
"Night Breeze!" Seeing the other person appear unharmed at the other end of the road, Su Yun immediately felt relieved and shouted loudly.
Night Breeze waved happily, her eyes and brows beaming with joy. She ran briskly to Su Yun and handed him what she was holding. "Look what I caught!"
It was a rat as thick as half an arm, now dead, limply held in the night wind's hand.
"Wow, a mouse—yay!" Su Yun cheered excitedly, then suddenly stopped, realizing something was amiss. Upon seeing the terrifying mouse again, her first reaction wasn't fear or disgust, but rather the joy of having meat to eat.
When Su Yun realized what was happening, her first thought was, "Oh no, Su Yun, you've changed..."
Su Yun, you've changed. You're no longer that weak young woman who was terrified when she saw a mouse in her room. You've become a wow, muscular, tough woman.
Ugh~ How scary!
She doesn't want to.
Night Breeze noticed her varied expressions and tilted his head in confusion: "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
Look at the kitten's bright, happy eyes, waiting for praise.
How could Su Yun bear to say that she was unhappy about her change? Of course, she denied it three times in a row, "Ahem, no, no, I'm not unhappy because I have meat to eat. Uh—but this rat looks familiar? Ah—is it the one from yesterday?"
Seeing that she had guessed it, Night Breeze gently swayed its tail, its eyes sparkling, but its face remained calm, only letting out a soft "hmm."
"Wow, Yefeng, you actually caught it! That's amazing!" Su Yun couldn't help but exclaim. Yesterday, she saw the mouse run away and was worried that it would come back to steal their fish. This time, Yefeng solved the problem at its source!
Hearing Su Yun's generous praise, Ye Feng's ears perked up, and his tail wagged even more: "Wow, Ye Feng, how did you do that?"
Night Breeze scratched his head sheepishly and replied, "I threw the fish's innards in the corner to lure it out, and then caught it when it came out to eat."
Su Yun!!!
Is it that amazing?
She only mentioned that she was afraid the fish's innards would attract rats, and Ye Feng immediately thought of using that to catch the big rat.
Not bad, not bad at all, as expected of her!
A single sentence can guide the other party to catch the mouse.
Ahem, a slip of the tongue, of course it wasn't her.
Rather, it's because the orcs' learning and thinking abilities are truly exceptional.
Su Yun was too embarrassed to admit that she wasn't as quick-witted and thoughtful as Ye Feng, so she could only force herself to act out the role silently.
Well, since orcs are already so powerful, they shouldn't mind learning another skill, such as killing rats or processing rat meat.
So, Su Yun, watching Ye Feng basking in the joy of having meat tonight, subtly raised his "fox tail," coughed lightly, and said, "Ahem, we can have an extra meal tonight. Then, I'll trouble Ye Feng to deal with these rats again!"
In order to maintain her image as a delicate and cute girl, Su Yun naturally decided to hand over this bloody and violent task to Ye Feng.
I'm confident that the night breeze will be able to handle the task perfectly!
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