Chapter 206: It's good to be home
Fu Yucheng squatted down and gently dug up the thin surface soil along the mound pointed by Fu Yuanshan. Sure enough, he saw a subtle trace of bamboo whip. He held his breath and carefully dug the soil along the bamboo whip with a hoe. After a while, half of a winter bamboo shoot wrapped in brown skin was exposed, plump and fresh.
"I really dug it up!" Fu Yucheng's eyes lit up, and his hands moved more gently, for fear of damaging the winter bamboo shoots. "Second brother, your method is really effective. I used to dig blindly for a long time, but either I didn't find anything or I dug up the bamboo shoots and it was all in vain."
Fu Yuanshan smiled and squatted down to help him dig out the winter bamboo shoots intact: "You have to be patient when digging winter bamboo shoots. Don't be impatient. Look how intact these bamboo shoots are. They will definitely be delicious when stewed with meat."
He put the winter bamboo shoots into the bamboo basket and pointed to another bamboo not far away. "Look at that bamboo. The leaves are growing vigorously, and the bamboo shoots underneath must be strong too. Go and try it. Follow the method I teach you, and I guarantee you will be able to dig some."
Fu Yucheng followed his brother's instructions, walked to the bamboo, carefully observed the direction of the bamboo whip, and sure enough, found a bulging mound of earth at the root.
He imitated Fu Yuanshan and gently dug the soil with a hoe. Not long after, he dug out a bigger winter bamboo shoot, which was even stronger than the previous one.
"Brother, look! This one is even bigger!" Fu Yucheng shouted excitedly while holding up the winter bamboo shoots, his face full of a sense of accomplishment. "From now on, I won't have to worry about digging winter bamboo shoots anymore."
The two worked in the mountains for a whole morning. The bamboo basket was filled with winter bamboo shoots, and they also picked some fresh bamboo leaves and pine needles. Fu Yuanshan said that wrapping bamboo leaves around winter bamboo shoots for stewing meat can remove the fishy smell, and spreading pine needles in the bamboo basket can keep the winter bamboo shoots fresh.
On the way back, Fu Yuanshan suddenly took out a cloth bag from his pocket. Inside were two pieces of osmanthus cakes bought in the city. He handed one to Fu Yucheng: "Try it quickly. This is an osmanthus cake from a time-honored brand in the city. It's sweet but not greasy. You mentioned to me last time that Yinyin likes sweet food, so I brought this specially for her."
Fu Yucheng took the osmanthus cake and took a bite. The fragrance of osmanthus spread in his mouth, and it was just the right amount of sweetness. "Yinyin will definitely like it, second brother, you are so thoughtful."
He wrapped up the remaining half and put it in his arms, "Let's go back and give it to Yinyin to try, so that she can also satisfy her craving."
When they got home, the aroma of millet porridge wafted through the courtyard. Jiang Jianhua was sitting under the eaves, peeling oranges for Yun Tangyin. Yun Tangyin was leaning back in a rocking chair, holding a half-embroidered baby dress. The light pink fabric was embroidered with tiny locust flowers, the stitches dense and detailed.
"You're back! Did you dig the winter bamboo shoots?" Yun Tangyin looked up and saw them, her eyes lit up, and the little guy in her belly moved slightly, as if in response.
Fu Yuanshan placed the bamboo basket on the stone table, lifted the pine needles, and revealed a basket full of winter bamboo shoots: "I dug them up, they are all big. I will stew them for you later to nourish your body."
Fu Yucheng took out the osmanthus cake from his arms and handed it to Yun Tangyin: "Yinyin, this is the osmanthus cake that your second brother brought you. It's from a time-honored brand in the city. Try it and see if it tastes good."
Yun Tangyin took the osmanthus cake and took a bite. The sweet fragrance mixed with the scent of osmanthus made her squint her eyes in comfort. "It's delicious! It's even more fragrant than the ones I buy in town. Thank you, second brother!"
Jiang Jianhua came over and sniffed it, then said with a smile, "This osmanthus cake smells really good. I've seen it in the city before, but I never bought it. I didn't expect Yuanshan to remember Yinyin's love for sweet things."
Aunt Zhang brought out freshly cooked millet porridge and handed a bowl to Fu Yuanshan and Fu Yucheng respectively. "Hurry up and drink some porridge to warm yourself up. You must be hungry after digging bamboo shoots all morning."
She looked at the bamboo shoots in the bamboo basket and said with a smile, "These bamboo shoots are growing really well, even stronger than the ones Ah Cheng dug last time. I'll stew the meat at noon and make sure it's tender and tasty. Let Yinyin eat more."
Jiang Jianhua put down the oranges, walked to the bamboo basket, picked up a winter bamboo shoot and looked at it carefully. "This winter bamboo shoot is fresh. The winter bamboo shoots I bought in the city are not as tender as this. When I stew the meat at noon, I will add some mushrooms. The mushrooms and winter bamboo shoots go well with the meat, and the taste is even fresher."
She remembered something and said to Yun Tangyin, "Yinyin, I'll teach you how to process winter bamboo shoots and remove the astringency. Otherwise, the stewed meat will taste bitter. You can make it yourself at home in the future."
Yun Tangyin smiled and nodded. "Okay, I was just thinking of learning. I never handled winter bamboo shoots well before, and the stewed meat always had a bitter taste. Now that you've taught me, I can make winter bamboo shoot stewed meat for my children in the future."
Around noon, the kitchen was bustling with activity. Aunt Zhang was chopping the meat, Jiang Jianhua was teaching Yun Tangyin how to prepare winter bamboo shoots, and Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan were chopping wood in the yard, preparing for the fire.
Jiang Jianhua peeled the winter bamboo shoots while holding them and said, "To process the winter bamboo shoots, you must first peel off the old outer skin, then cut them in half, remove the skin inside, and then cut them into pieces. Blanch them in boiling water and add a little salt to remove the astringency."
Yun Tangyin followed her instructions and carefully peeled the bamboo shoots. Although her movements were a little unfamiliar, she was learning very seriously: "I didn't know there were so many details. I used to just cut them into pieces and stew them. No wonder they tasted astringent."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and said, "It's always like this at the beginning. You'll get used to it after a few times. Let's cook together in the future. I'll teach you how to make city dishes, and you'll teach me how to make snacks from home. We can learn from each other."
After Fu Yuanshan and Fu Yucheng finished chopping the firewood, they walked into the kitchen. Fu Yuanshan took the winter bamboo shoots from Jiang Jianhua and helped cut them into pieces: "You guys take a break, I'll take care of the rest. You guys go sit inside and don't get tired."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and said, "It's okay. I just want to move around. I've been sitting around doing carpentry in the city all the time, and my body is stiff."
The winter bamboo shoots stewed with meat is slowly stewed in a casserole. The aroma of meat mixed with the fragrance of winter bamboo shoots and mushrooms fills the whole yard.
Zhou Desheng's wife came with freshly steamed sweet potatoes. The skin had cracked from being steamed, revealing the golden flesh inside, which was filled with sweet fragrance. "My mother steamed these sweet potatoes. I'm sending some for you to try. They're soft and perfect for Yinyin."
Yun Tangyin took the sweet potato, took a bite, and it was so sweet it was like honey: "It's so sweet! It tastes better than the one I steamed. Thank you!"
Zhou Desheng's wife smiled and said, "It's not hard. It's hard for you because you're pregnant. We're neighbors, so it's only natural for us to help each other."
In the afternoon, Fu Yuanshan and Fu Yucheng set up a new bamboo rack in the yard to dry more dried radishes and shepherd's purse. Jiang Jianhua and Yun Tangyin sat under the eaves embroidering baby clothes. Aunt Zhang and Zhou Desheng's wife were tidying up the yard. The children were chasing rabbits in the yard. The whole yard was filled with laughter.
Yun Tangyin leaned back in the rocking chair, looking at everything in front of her. The little one in her belly moved slightly, and her heart was filled with happiness.
She knew that with her family around her and the care of her neighbors, days like this would always be warm, just like the old locust tree in the yard, which has deep roots and is evergreen year after year. The happiness filled with the flavor of everyday life would remain in this small locust tree yard forever.
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