As soon as Sheng Xiping stepped out of the east room, he saw his sixth son standing guard in front of the stove like a little puppy, waiting for the oil to be cooked.
Sheng Xiping shook his head. This sixth brother is obsessed with eating; he's really something else.
The water in the pot had evaporated, and the fatty meat began to render oil, making a sizzling sound.
So some people also call the residue left over from oil refining "oil stains," but perhaps it's a difference in accent; the Sheng family calls it "oil stains."
Anyway, whatever you call it, it's the same thing.
Oil residue and oil scraps were the food that children longed for most during those impoverished years.
Every year during the Lunar New Year, when the family slaughters a pig and renders oil, the children eagerly await it.
Once the oil is rendered and taken out of the pan, you'll have two fragrant, glistening oil stains—it'll be absolutely delicious!
Keep the heat low over the bottom of the pot, allowing the oil to continue to render out.
Zhang Shuzhen pushed the slightly yellowed fatty meat to the side of the pot, revealing the bottom in the middle.
Then, using a spoon, scoop out the clear, shiny grease and put it into an enamel basin.
The oil is too hot when it comes out of the pot; I'm afraid it will explode if I put it directly into the jar.
Therefore, you should put it in a basin to cool it down a bit before pouring it into the oil jar.
"I estimate that this meat can yield half a jar of oil. If we're careful with it and mix it with soybean oil, we can eat it until winter."
"It's a good thing we have someone in our family who has this skill; otherwise, the limited amount of oil we get each month wouldn't be enough."
As Zhang Shuzhen scooped oil out, she chatted with Sheng Xiping, who was leaning against the door frame.
At this time, it wasn't just the Sheng family that was like this; every household was in the same situation.
When stir-frying vegetables, you almost want to just dip a little oil from an oil bag and wipe the bottom of the pan.
If you're reluctant to put oil in vegetable buns, add some roasted pumpkin seeds instead, and they'll taste incredibly delicious.
As for what to fry, you have to start accumulating it months in advance.
Only when we've saved enough for the Lunar New Year can we make a small token offering.
There's nothing we can do; everyone's struggling in this environment, so we don't really feel anything special.
As the fat from the meat continues to seep out, the remaining meat gradually turns yellow, shrinks, and becomes crispy.
The whole room was filled with the aroma of charred meat, a smell that could make anyone's mouth water in this era of meat scarcity.
At this point, the rest of the people from the west wing couldn't hold back any longer and all came out.
"Mom, can we have some fried dough sticks? They smell so good, I'm so hungry, how will I be able to sleep tonight?"
The two girls sniffed, their mouths watering. For children, this was simply an irresistible temptation.
"You're all such gluttons, we still need to save this for stir-frying."
Zhang Shuzhen glanced at the children, then reluctantly took out a plate and used a spatula to scoop up some of the oil stains.
"That's all. Don't eat too much. This stuff is so oily, it'll make you feel bloated."
Older people usually say this, which roughly means that if you eat and then sleep, you won't digest properly and your stomach will feel uncomfortable.
Why would the kids care about that? Let alone this small plate, even if we gave them twice as much, they could eat it all.
Sheng Xikang carried the plate directly to the west room.
The children gathered around the plate, each grabbing a piece and eagerly putting it in their mouths.
The oil was still very hot from the pan, but the kids didn't care whether it was hot or not, as long as they had something to eat.
When she was frying the oil, Zhang Shuzhen added some salt.
It was oily and salty, fragrant and crispy. You put it in your mouth and chewed it, your mouth full of the smoky aroma of oil.
The taste was indescribable, absolutely wonderful.
The small plate was greasy, but within minutes the children had devoured it all.
The older children are alright; they know to control themselves and understand that their families have it tough, so they don't worry about it after they've finished eating.
The youngest, Sheng Xitai, looked at the empty plate, smacked his lips, and looked a little hungry.
So he peeked out into the outer room and saw Zhang Shuzhen pour half of the oil stains back into the jar, while locking the other half inside the cabinet.
"Mom, could you give me some more?" Sheng Xitai stared at the cabinet with pleading eyes.
"Get lost, hurry up and get ready for bed. It's good enough if you just eat something to taste the flavor."
Don't think I don't know you've been stealing my oil jars all this time.
"Sheng Xitai, if you stir the oil jar again and make it rancid, I'll teach you a lesson!"
Zhang Shuzhen turned around and glared at her youngest son.
The bear has gotten used to eating ghosts, and it's incredibly greedy; it even dares to touch the oil jars in the house.
Generally speaking, it's best to fry oil in winter, especially in the twelfth lunar month, as the oil will keep longer and won't spoil even in the summer.
At other times, unlike in winter, especially in summer, the oil cooked in the oil won't solidify. If you stir it haphazardly, the oil will easily spoil.
The term "roasted" often refers to the smell of oily or fried foods that have gone bad.
Once the oil goes rancid, it becomes extremely unpalatable, irritating the throat and nose, which is a waste.
After being scolded by his mother, Sheng Xitai pouted and went back to the west room.
Before long, the Sheng sisters, Sheng Yunfei and Sheng Yunfang, slipped back from the west room to the east room. Everyone tidied up and went to bed.
Zhang Shuzhen also tidied up the kitchen, covering the pots without washing them.
Pour the slightly cooled oil into the jar, then soak the rest of the meat in cold water, cover it with gauze to prevent flies from getting in.
The next morning, Zhang Shuzhen specially picked some bok choy from the vegetable garden and made a soup.
I didn't want to wash the pot I used to fry the oil last night, so I just used it to make soup.
Add a little bit of thin vermicelli, sprinkle some chopped green onions before taking it out of the pot, and then put it directly into the enamel basin that held the oil last night.
The basin wasn't washed last night, and there's a thin layer of oil on the bottom.
The weather was hot in the summer, so the oil didn't completely solidify.
The bok choy soup was hot, and the hot oil melted into the soup.
So this soup is incredibly popular in the morning; the kids always say it smells delicious and tastes great.
Seeing his younger siblings' satisfied expressions, Sheng Xiping felt both amused and heartbroken.
Compared to children in later generations, they were truly deprived of resources.
Take it slow, things will get better.
While we were eating, we heard the loudspeaker in the stadium announcing that the club was being repaired and that all staff and their families were to volunteer their labor.
Sheng Xiping suddenly remembered that there was such a thing.
Qianchuan Forest Farm has always held meetings and watched movies in the old canteen that was converted into a new building.
With the increase in the population of the forest farm, and the fact that members of the Dajianchang commune also came to watch movies, the old club was no longer sufficient.
It's okay in the summer; we can show outdoor movies in the yard. But not in the winter.
When a movie is shown, the room gets packed to capacity, which poses a significant safety hazard.
Having a tall and spacious staff club became the most urgent wish of all staff and their families, including students.
Based on the actual situation, the situation was reported to higher authorities.
The location for the new club has been decided, and all the necessary documents have been approved. The only thing missing now is manpower.
The opinion within the organization is that everyone should volunteer their time, without taking up regular working hours, and instead work in the evenings.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
