Chapter 231: Make Sesame Paste for You
Jiang Jianhua was mixing cornmeal into glutinous rice when he heard the praise from the courtyard and looked up with a smile: "Xiaolan, with your craftsmanship, in two years you'll be able to catch up with your second uncle's bamboo basket weaving skills."
She used a mallet to pound the dough until it was soft and sticky. "Come in and try some freshly steamed corn cakes. They go great with freshly picked beans."
When the steamer was opened, white steam wrapped in hot air spread to the door and condensed into tiny water droplets in the morning light.
Fu Yucheng was teaching Nian'an how to identify lotus leaves by the lotus pond. He pointed to the largest one and said, "The ones with wrinkled leaves are the most delicious when used to make porridge."
Nian An was holding up the lotus leaf purse and gestured, when he suddenly discovered a snail crawling on the leaf stem. He immediately ran towards Fu Yuanshan holding the lotus leaf and said, "Crawl!"
Fu Yuanshan was scooping water into the bucket when he saw this and laughed: "This is called a snail. It's carrying the house everywhere. It's slower than Nian'an."
Yun Tangyin cut the beans into small pieces and washed them clean in a stone trough.
"These beans are most delicious when stir-fried," she poured rapeseed oil into the wok. "I'll fry more for the children later. They can eat a couple more when paired with corn cakes."
Aunt Zhang came by with a basket filled with freshly dried bamboo shoots. "I came here just because I smelled the aroma. What delicious food do you have?"
Seeing the corn cake on the stone table, she reached out and picked up a piece. "This cake looks chewy. Jianhua's cooking skills are getting better and better."
The frogs in the lotus pond were croaking happily. Fu Yucheng scooped up a large lotus leaf with a wooden basin and put it on Nian An's head. "This is a natural sun hat. It's cooler than your tiger-head hat."
Nian An ran against the lotus leaves, his hat brim hanging down to cover his eyes, and almost fell into the lotus pond, prompting Fu Yuanshan to quickly pull him back: "Little ancestor, run slower, you will become a drowned chicken if you fall into the water."
Xiaolan was squatting in the yard weaving a grasshopper cage. She turned the bamboo strips in circles in her hands and soon she had woven a hexagonal bottom of the cage.
"Second Auntie said grasshoppers like to hide on soybean leaves," she said, weaving a funnel shape into the cage opening. "That way it's easier to get in than to get out."
Yun Tangyin walked out of the kitchen carrying some stir-fried beans. The aroma made Xiaolan sniff. "These beans are so fragrant, even more fragrant than the ones my mom stir-fries."
Jiang Jianhua cut the corn cakes into small pieces and arranged them neatly on the plate.
"You have to eat it while it's hot," she said, stuffing a piece into each of the children's hands. "If it gets cold, it will be hard and you won't be able to chew it."
Nian'an ran over with a cake in his mouth, his lotus leaf hat tilted to one side, and corn dregs stuck to the lotus leaf pouch, like some yellow spots embroidered on the frog.
Song Yushuang sat under the shade of a tree, sewing shoe soles. She looked at him and smiled, "Eat slowly. No one's trying to snatch your food from you. Be careful not to choke."
The midday sun made the lotus pond glow with golden light. Fu Yucheng walked back with Nian An. The wooden basin was half filled with clear water, and a large lotus leaf was floating on the water.
"There's a little frog in here," he said, pointing to the bottom of the basin. "Nian'an, you have to take good care of it. When it grows up, you can release it into the lotus pond to catch pests."
Nian'an lay down beside the basin and watched, poking the water surface gently with his little hand, scaring the frogs so that they burrowed under the lotus leaves, which made him giggle.
Jiang Jianhua's eggplants were half-dried in the sun and were being sprinkled with peppercorns and salt.
"You have to knead it evenly," she said, tossing the eggplant strips with her hands, "so that the pickled vegetables will have more flavor."
Xiaolan squatted beside him to help. The rabbit basket was placed beside him, which contained uneaten corn cakes. "Second Aunt, my mother said that when steaming eggplant with meat, you have to soak it in water first to soften it, otherwise it will be too hard."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and nodded: "Your mother is still experienced. Be sure to remember this when we steam the meat."
Fu Yuanshan was weaving a bamboo sieve in the yard, intending to use it to dry radishes.
"The bottom of this sieve needs to be woven more densely," he said, weaving bamboo threads, "to prevent the dried radish from leaking through the cracks."
Nian'an held the little frog and leaned over to take a look. The frog suddenly jumped out and landed on the bamboo sieve. He was so scared that he loosened his grip and the water in the wooden basin spilled all over the floor, making everyone laugh.
The evening glow dyed the fence red. Jiang Jianhua put the eggplant jam into a ceramic jar and tied the mouth of the jar tightly with red cloth.
"It has to be dried in the sun," she said, moving the pot to the stone platform in the yard. "Turn it over once a day. It takes at least half a month to get the flavor."
Fu Yucheng came back from the field carrying a hoe and a bundle of sesame stalks on his shoulder: "It's time to harvest the sesame seeds. I'll grind some tomorrow and make sesame candy for the children."
The dinner table was filled with fried beans, corn cakes, dried eggplant, and freshly brewed mung bean soup.
Nian'an held the bowl of mung bean soup and drank it happily. The mung beans in the soup were sandy, mixed with the sweetness of rock sugar, slowly spreading in his mouth.
Xiaolan put a piece of dried eggplant into his bowl and said, "This is delicious when you chew it. My mother said it goes better with rice than meat."
Nian'an opened his mouth to catch it, and some mung bean residue was stained on his little face, like a little cat stealing food.
As the moonlight climbed up to the top of the locust tree, Jiang Jianhua was sewing a sesame bag for Nian An.
“Put some roasted sesame seeds in it,” she said, embroidering sesame seeds with yellow thread. “Put it under your pillow in the winter and you’ll sleep soundly.”
Song Yushuang sat nearby and watched, "Embroider a little mouse next to it. It will go perfectly with the sesame seeds."
Yun Tangyin was cleaning up the dishes. The sound of the porcelain bowls colliding and the chirping of insects outside the window mixed together like a gentle nocturne.
Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan sat in the yard smoking, the flickering light of their pipes reflecting on the fish tank in the corner.
"Let's harvest the sesame seeds tomorrow," Fu Yucheng knocked off the ash from his cigarette, "and then we can grind them after they're dried."
Fu Yuanshan nodded: "I will make a sesame sieve to separate the sesame seeds from the stalks."
The little frog in the fish tank squatted on the lotus leaf, its eyes shining in the moonlight like two emeralds.
Nian An was lying on the small bed holding a sesame bag, with the rain flower stones and lotus leaf purse neatly arranged beside his pillow.
"Numb, fragrant," he muttered vaguely, his little hand still clutching a dry lotus leaf.
Jiang Jianhua covered him with a thin blanket and gently blew out the oil lamp: "Go to sleep. I'll make you sesame candy tomorrow."
The only things left in the house were moonlight and the sound of the child's even breathing. The night in the locust tree courtyard was like a piece of sweet sesame candy, wrapped in the smell of fireworks in the yard, slowly settling into the most peaceful feeling.
At dawn, Nian'an was awakened by the smell of the sesame bag on the windowsill.
He sat up holding the bag, and touched the little mouse embroidered with yellow thread on the bag with his little hand. Suddenly he remembered something and ran to the kitchen barefoot.
Jiang Jianhua was adding firewood to the stove. Sesame seeds were cooking in the pot, and the aroma filled the whole yard.
"Little ancestor, why aren't you wearing shoes again?" She put down the tongs and carried him to the stool. "When the sesame seeds are cooked, I'll make you sesame paste. It's sweeter than sugar."
Fu Yucheng was carrying sesame stalks towards the threshing ground. Seeing Nian An barefoot, he laughed and said, "Hurry up and put on your tiger-head boots, or you'll crush the sesame seeds and we won't be able to make sesame candy today."
Nian An immediately slid down from the stool and ran after him in his slippers. The sesame bag rustled in his arms, and the silver longevity lock jingled against the corners of the bag.
Yun Tangyin was sweeping sesame seeds beside the stone mill. The golden seeds gleamed in the morning light.
"These sesame seeds need to be sun-dried thoroughly," she said, gathering the seeds into small piles with a broom, "so that the sesame paste made from them will be fragrant."
Xiaolan came over with a rabbit basket of freshly picked pumpkin blossoms. The blossoms in the basket were bright yellow and wet with morning dew. "Second Aunt, my mother said pumpkin blossoms are the most delicious when fried with eggs, so she asked me to bring some over."
Seeing the sesame seeds next to the stone mill, she squatted down, picked up a kernel and put it in her mouth. "These sesame seeds are really plump and more fragrant than last year's."
Jiang Jianhua poured the cooked sesame seeds into a stone mortar and pounded them into a dense paste with a wooden mallet.
"It has to be pounded into a paste," she said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "That way the sesame candy won't hurt your teeth."
Aunt Zhang came by with a basket filled with freshly made tofu. "I came here because I smelled the aroma of sesame seeds. Sister Jianhua, can I learn how to make this sesame candy? I'll make some for my little grandson."
Jiang Jianhua stuffed a handful of raw sesame seeds into her hand and said, "Try the quality of these sesame seeds first. The process is not difficult, you just need to be patient and pound them."
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