The news that the Ji family had hidden grain in their small courtyard in Dama Lane spread like wildfire.
The families who were short of food were ready to make a move, but when they thought about how they themselves were starving every day while the Ji family could have rice for every meal, their mentality suddenly collapsed.
The Ji family is old and young, and the only capable person is a woman. This is the perfect family to rob for food. If you don't rob, you will be sorry for the person who spread the news.
The news spread quickly and soon reached the ears of the Hu family.
After hearing the news, Secretary Hu made a special trip to the Ji family. Seeing that Ruan Tang was not there, in order to avoid Grandma Ji worrying, he just chatted with her for a few minutes and then left.
After leaving Ji's house, Secretary Hu had the word spread: All criminals, once discovered, will be sent to the police station and their entire family will be expelled from the village.
The families who had been ready to make a move, however, gave up their thoughts after hearing what Secretary Hu said. Regardless of how much food the Ji family had hidden in Dama Lane, they weren't starving to death, nor were they committing a crime.
Besides, there is more food on the black market, so if you want to do something, just do something big. You will end up in jail anyway.
Thinking of this, everyone is a good citizen, and they secretly curse the bad person who spread the news, saying that he wanted to trick them into committing a crime and then take the opportunity to eat their food.
Du Xueqing waited and waited, but who would have thought that the village was quiet all night long, while the Ji family next door was still awake at night, making a lot of noise and laughing for no one knew what.
Early the next morning, screams were heard above the village.
Herds of wild boars came down the mountain.
They rushed into the homes of several families at the foot of the mountain and destroyed the vegetable gardens.
Having harvested nothing from the spring ploughing and with no hope for the autumn ploughing either, the savages went up the mountain to dig for edible things. The wild boars, unable to find food, rushed down the mountain in droves.
The villagers worked together to drive away the wild boars. Although they killed two, no one was happy. It was only August, and the wild boars were already coming down the mountain. The situation would probably be even worse in winter.
Under the arrangement of the team leader and Secretary Hu, the villagers began to distribute wild boar meat according to the amount of labor, and the rest was distributed according to work points.
No one in the Ji family earned work points this year, and Ruan Tang had also resigned from his job as a foot doctor, so he tactfully did not go to share the meat.
Ruan Tang watched Pang Peng treating the wounded man, and when she saw that he was doing it awkwardly, she left.
When passing by the threshing ground, I saw that the oil beans that were originally neatly piled were destroyed beyond recognition by wild boars.
Ruan Tang stared at the oil beans on the ground carefully, afraid that the round oil beans would fly away if she stepped on them.
One step, two steps...
wrong.
Ruan Tang stepped back, squatted down, and picked up a bean that was half eaten.
There were still a lot of oil beans on the ground that had been eaten by wild boars.
They have always known very little about oil beans, only knowing that oil mills use them to refine oil.
Perhaps, if wild boars can eat it, they should be able to eat it too.
Ruan Tang thought of the jasmine flower. The oil beans and the jasmine flower had similar shapes and sizes, and they were found underground. Perhaps he could try using a stone mill.
Ruan Tang scooped up a large bag with the corner of his clothes and poured it into the stone mill beside the threshing ground. From the mill came the dark red liquid and a pile of bean dregs...
Ruan Tang took a sip of the soy milk, which was sweet and delicious, and tasted just as good as milk!
She suddenly had an idea and immediately brought all the soy milk and soy dregs home.
After tinkering with it for an afternoon, I made bean dregs cakes, and the oily bean juice precipitated into powdery lumps.
The August sun was scorching. In one afternoon, the powder blocks were dried to produce oil bean flour.
She took these things to Widow Cow's house. Widow Cow caught some chicks, and she fed these things to the chicks.
The little chicks ate happily. After finishing the bean curd buns with bean dregs, they were still chirping and circling around Ruan Tang's feet.
Widow Cow picked up a chick and rubbed her belly. "They seem alright? Are we not feeding them enough? How about feeding them a little more?"
Ruan Tang fed the chicks a lot more until they were full and then they slowly pecked at their feathers and walked around the yard.
"Tiewa, go find Secretary Hu!"
When Secretary Hu heard that Ruan Tang was looking for him, he hurried over with his son.
Ruan Tang did not keep the secret. As soon as Secretary Hu arrived, she showed him the food she had made and the little chicks jumping around happily.
He had seen the chicks in Widow Niu's house a few days ago. They all looked listless. His wife even said that Widow Niu didn't know how to raise chicks and these chicks wouldn't survive the summer... But aren't they just living a miserable life?
"Have these chickens eaten something made with oil beans?" Secretary Hu suddenly thought of something. "Quick, catch the pigs from the cowshed!"
After saying this, Secretary Hu felt that he was getting old and confused. Catching the pigs would not be as fast as them taking them away!
The group went to the cowshed and fed the piglets bean dregs and bean curd. The piglets grunted and dug at the trough. "You want more food?"
Ruan Tang poured the remaining food into the trough.
The piglets ate everything and kept grunting!
Not enough!
"Ruan Zhiqing! These oil beans are edible! Pigs can eat them, so can we!"
Secretary Hu was so excited that he wanted to pounce on the trough and take a lick. He searched through the cloth bag and the wooden barrel, scooped out a handful of bean dregs cakes, and put them in his mouth to chew...
"Eat! This stuff smells delicious. No wonder chickens and pigs love it!"
Ruan Tang didn't hide anything and told Secretary Hu the truth about how to make oil beans. "The bean dregs taste a bit bitter to me. Peeling the skin and grinding the beans makes them taste much better."
"Ruan Zhiqing, would you be willing to go with me to the commune and tell the leaders about this great discovery?"
"I told you this because I wanted you to report it to your superiors. As for me, I need to take advantage of these two days of rest to move."
Secretary Hu praised loudly: "Ruan Zhiqing is so righteous! Your discovery can save thousands of people! No, thousands of families!"
Ruan Tang was so flattered that she didn't even feel comfortable.
At the invitation of Captain Li, Ruan Tang explained various cooking methods for the oil beans to everyone in the threshing ground. "The women and sisters-in-law in our team are much better cooks than I am. Everyone can try to make some food on their own. Mixing it with some flour will at least fill your stomach."
"Captain, is what Ruan Zhiqing said true? Can oil beans really be eaten?" the villagers asked excitedly.
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