"No, you'll definitely hit me if I go down. Unless you promise not to hit me when I go down, I won't come down."
"You dare to bargain with me?" Su Meihua was furious, pointing the vine at Lei Xiaojun in the tree, "Aren't you coming down or not?"
When Yu Yao went outside, she saw Lei Xiaojun climbing higher and higher up the kapok tree, winking at Su Meihua as he climbed, saying, "You can't hit me, you can't hit me."
That kind of attitude, so cheeky.
As he moved, the kapok flowers fell from the branches, merging with the existing ones on the ground, turning the ground a vibrant red.
Lei Xiaojun saw Yu Yao as if she were his lifeline, and immediately put on a pitiful expression, "Aunt Yu, my mom is going to hit me, please help me!"
"Lei Xiaojun, let me tell you, calling you Aunt Yu won't help. You can't get down."
Lei Xiaojun looked at Yu Yao pleadingly, "Aunt Yu."
"Yu Yao, ignore him. He actually used bugs to scare female classmates. He deserves to be punished today."
Yu Yao glanced at Su Meihua, then shrugged, "As you can see, Aunt Yu can't help you."
Her gaze fell on the kapok flowers on the ground. These were a great ingredient for making pork bone soup, much more unique than the other vegetables in her private plot.
If Lei Xiaojun hadn't made such a fuss, Yu Yao wouldn't have remembered.
Kapok flower. (Image included)
Kapok flowers, also known as Panzhihua flowers, have the effects of clearing heat and dampness, strengthening the spleen and stomach, and unblocking the meridians. They are excellent whether used to make flower tea or soup.
Yu Yao selected freshly fallen or unrotten kapok flowers from the ground and piled them together.
From February to April each year, the kapok flowers bloom. At this time, it seems like only a blink of an eye, and when you think about it again, the kapok trees are already covered with red flowers.
Locals will pick up the flowers to cook, or dry them to make soup or salad.
Seeing her actions, Su Meihua looked puzzled: "Yu Yao, what are you doing picking kapok flowers?"
As Yu Yao picked them up, she said, "I plan to use them to make pork bone soup."
"This thing can be eaten?" Su Meihua asked in surprise.
Yu Yao told Su Meihua what she knew about Jian Dan, and Su Meihua's gaze towards the kapok flowers on the ground changed.
Every family in the military compound had their own plot of land, and they had more fresh vegetables than they could eat. Apart from the locals, outsiders had no idea that these vegetables were edible.
For someone like Su Meihua, who is used to being frugal, nothing is too good to pass up if it's edible.
Especially from what Yu Yao said, this stuff not only tastes good, but also has the effect of dispelling wind and dampness.
Moreover, once dried, it can be stored for a long time, and can be sent back to parents and children in the hometown along with kelp and dried oysters.
Su Meihua's gaze fell on Lei Xiaojun in the tree. "Xiaojun, if you don't want to get beaten, you'd better help me shake the flowers."
As for safety, Su Meihua is not worried.
Children in rural areas are generally resilient; climbing trees is a common occurrence for them.
If it weren't for the children, she would have climbed the tree herself.
Upon hearing that shaking the flower would save him from a beating, Lei Xiaojun nodded vigorously, fearing that Su Meihua might change her mind, and even knew to bribe Yu Yao.
"Aunt Yu, I'll shake a little more flowers. You can be my witness. If my mom hits me when I come down, you have to help me."
"You little rascal, I'm your mother, would I lie to you?" Su Meihua said, both amused and exasperated.
Lei Xiaojun nodded seriously, "This isn't the first time you've gone back on your word. Aunt Yu, be my witness."
Su Meihua had no choice but to say, "Yu Yao, you should be his witness."
Yu Yao thought Lei Xiaojun was really precocious for his age, and nodded with a smile, "Okay, Aunt Yu promises you."
When Lei Xiaojun heard that Yu Yao had agreed, he was overjoyed and hugged her and shook her vigorously.
The fiery red kapok flowers fell softly.
Yu Yao picked up enough for today and then stopped picking; she went back to cook.
After blanching the fresh kapok flowers, put them into a clay pot with pork bones and simmer them on the stove.
Kapok flowers are cold in nature, so Yu Yao didn't add too many, just a few flowers were enough. After the water boiled, she added the chopped carrots.
Lu Ze likes sweet things, so Yu Yao added a few red dates.
If you have the means, you can also add Job's tears and fox nuts for even better dampness-removing effects.
Once the soup was on the stove, Yu Yao started making pineapple fried rice.
I picked fresh peas from my own plot of land, shelled a small bowlful, and added shrimp, cashews, and other side dishes.
Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise, then use a fruit knife to cut it into a grid pattern to hollow it out. Don't throw away the pineapple pieces you get out; put them in a small bowl for later use.
Crack two eggs into the cooked rice and stir well, so that the white rice is tinged with egg liquid and turns a light yellow.
Blanch diced carrots, peas, and shrimp and set aside. Heat oil in a cold pan, stir-fry the diced carrots and peas until cooked, then add the rice and stir-fry.
When the rice is almost cooked, add the reserved pineapple chunks and cashews and stir-fry evenly. Pour the mixture into the hollowed-out pineapple and cover it with the other half of the pineapple as a lid.
A delicious and visually appealing pineapple fried rice is ready!
The finished pineapple fried rice has a light golden color and is filled with red shrimp, orange carrots, green peas and yellow pineapple. The colors are appealing and the taste is sweet and sour.
Yu Yao finished making the pineapple fried rice, and then Lu Ze returned.
Lu Ze saw the kitchen filled with various chopped vegetables. "You made so many dishes today?"
"We can finish it. We have guests today. Senior Brother Jin has helped me a lot lately, so I'll cook extra tonight and bring some for him too."
Lu Ze paused in his fire-starting motion. "Who is Senior Brother Jin? Is he the man you were chatting and laughing with last time?"
Yu Yao looked up, her face full of confusion: "Chatting and laughing?"
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