Sun Xiang was delighted to be praised all day and kept agreeing to the compliments.
"Okay, okay, this is easy, I'll be done in a bit."
Doing what she loves, Sun Xiang's expression became much more serious.
"Xiao Jian, do you have any alcohol at home? Preferably something with a high alcohol content,"
"It seems so. I'll go inside and look for it. Auntie, is there anything else you need? I'll find it for you too."
Sun Xiang waved her hand.
"This doesn't require many ingredients, mainly high-proof liquor and salt. Do you have bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon? If so, take some. If not, it's best to use fine salt; it spreads evenly and absorbs the flavor well."
Putting everything else aside, this thing is simple, after all, our base has a professional and well-established kitchen. Turning around and going into the room, I headed straight for the shelf at the end of the kang (heated brick bed).
The shelf had a curtain hanging on it, which was usually drawn so that the contents couldn't be seen from the outside, making it easy to cheat.
She took out a jug of loose liquor, a large bag of fine salt (with the sachet torn open), and several other seasonings. Sun Xiang clicked her tongue in amazement.
"My goodness, you're being so wasteful! We can't possibly use this much."
This wine is just enough to wet the duck eggs until they're coated with salt. Oh, this salt is so fine!
At that time, the salt commonly used in rural areas was still coarse-grained salt, similar to the kind used for pickling vegetables today. Even so, it wasn't cheap, and it was a considerable expense for farmers.
I've bought simple seasonings from the supply and marketing cooperative before, but I only displayed them as a showpiece. I usually use the seasonings from the farm, so I was a little stunned this time before realizing what they were and quickly finding replacements.
"Right? I just casually mentioned that I bought some salt grains or something, and my sister ended up buying me this huge bag of fine salt. Tell me, how long am I supposed to keep eating this by myself?"
Although it has a bit of a Versailles feel to it, it has to be said that it is a very good excuse. After all, everyone in Liujiatun knows that Xiao Jian, the educated youth, has an uncle and an older sister who often send her large packages. Especially after last year's cloth scrap incident, everyone is full of curiosity and surprise about her packages.
However, although they still communicated and sent things that year, Jian Dan mostly kept them. She understood the principle that a little kindness is appreciated, but too much kindness breeds resentment.
Last year, she was on the verge of starvation, and she couldn't bear to watch it happen. But this year is different; in fact, it's a year of good weather and abundant harvests. So, she's been keeping a low profile since spring, which is really unnecessary.
Offering help in times of need and adding flowers to brocade have completely different effects. There is absolutely no need for her to go to such lengths. If this goes on for too long and happens too often, it might just make some people's appetites grow. She is not going to do something so foolish as to dig a hole for herself.
Fortunately, although Sun Xiang was envious, she wasn't easily swayed. After saying a few words, she started working.
Add water to a large pot, then add bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil over high heat.
"If you have a few ingredients, you don't need fine salt. Since it's going to be boiled anyway, coarse salt will do."
I sprinkled in a large handful of coarse salt, stirred it vigorously with a spoon until it was completely dissolved, and then scooped it out and set it aside to cool.
Fill a large basin with water, soak the duck eggs in it to clean them thoroughly, then pick them out and place them in a winnowing basket. In this autumn breeze, they will dry quickly.
They were carefully placed into the jar one by one.
By this time, the large basin of water had cooled down considerably. Sun Xiang then poured in the white wine and stirred it well before pouring the mixture into the jar, filling it almost to the brim.
"Alright, find something to seal the jar and put it in a cool place. It will be ready to eat in a month to a month and a half."
Looking at her smooth and effortless movements, I can't help but admire her; this is her weakness.
"Okay,"
He immediately went back inside to find a piece of plastic sheeting, tied the mouth of the jar tightly with a rope, looked around, and decided to put it all in a row with the other pickle jars. Once he was done, he stood up, clapped his hands, and...
"All done! Third Aunt, Auntie, are you tired? Why don't you eat here tonight and try my cooking?"
Putting everything else aside, she's quite skilled at making stew in an iron pot.
But the two of them shook their heads repeatedly.
"Alright, stop messing around. It's been a long day, so calm down and rest. We're going back now."
Sun Xiang also refused.
"Xiao Jian, why are you being so polite with us? This is no tiring work, it's a piece of cake. You can clean up the rest yourself, and we'll head back now. If you need anything, remember to come find us. Hu Zi is always coming this way, so just ask him for help. Don't be shy."
Okay, she guessed they wouldn't stay for dinner.
"Alright, then I won't stand on ceremony with you. Let Tiger and Little Flower stay and play, and we'll go back later."
Neither the mother-in-law nor the daughter-in-law turned around, clearly quite relieved.
"Tiger, stop causing trouble!"
Tiger and Little Flower were playing with Jixiang and the others. When they saw their mother leave, they weren't sad at all and came running over.
"Sister Jane, is there anything I can help you with?"
He only helped transport cabbages and radishes; his mother took over all the work in the afternoon, which made Tiger very unhappy.
I took a quick look around and told her to clean it up herself, but there wasn't much left. There were just some vegetable scraps on the floor, and it looked like she could just sweep it up and be done with it.
"Could you help me tidy up these vegetable leaves? And then could you deliver some things to me later, okay?"
Tiger will do whatever you say and he'll be all happy about it.
It wouldn't be right for her not to show her appreciation since they were helping her with the work, but she also knew that they couldn't accept too much or too expensive stuff.
After thinking about it, since we're not eating here, I'll make it and have Tiger take it back.
For now, the only dish she can make that's stew in an iron pot, so that's all she can do for now.
Green beans, potatoes, and squash were all readily available. I couldn't put too much meat in them, otherwise they wouldn't accept it. After thinking for a moment, I put in a fish and a pheasant. Anyway, they all knew she was going up the mountain, and they knew what she was doing, so this was acceptable.
To avoid them overthinking, I put in a lot of green beans, potatoes, and squash, almost half of the dish. When it was finally cooked, I buried my head at the bottom of the plate before holding it out to Tiger.
"Tiger, can you carry this?"
A deep enamel basin, covered with a lid, is quite safe to place in a basket, as long as it's not dropped.
Tiger lifted it up.
"This isn't heavy, I can carry it. Sister, who should we deliver this to?"
Simply snoring his short hair,
"Go and deliver these to your sister's house. If you have time tomorrow, please bring the basin and basket back to me. Can you do this task?"
Xiaohua was stunned. Huh? Delivering it to her own home?
Tiger scratched his head too.
"Sister, is this for us to eat? But my grandma said she doesn't want to eat."
"You're still worrying about it? Just go back and give it to your grandma."
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