Chapter 237 Pumpkin and Water Chestnut
The dew in the pumpkin field had not yet dried up, but Fu Yucheng had already picked a full basket of old pumpkins.
"This pumpkin needs some sun," he said, placing it on a reed mat in the threshing ground. "It'll last longer if the skin is dry."
Nian An was chasing butterflies while holding a small pumpkin the size of a fist. The silver longevity lock cast tiny rays of light in the morning light, and the pumpkin flowers on his tiger-striped bellyband were bright yellow.
Xiaolan squatted beside and helped pick pumpkin leaves. A bamboo pumpkin basket was placed aside, which was already filled with some tender pumpkins.
"Can these leaves be used to feed rabbits?" she asked, holding up a palm-sized leaf.
Fu Yucheng smiled and nodded: "That's great! Your rabbit will definitely grow fat if it eats this."
Xiaolan immediately stuffed the leaves into the basket, and the bamboo rabbit ears were bent down, like a little rabbit with drooping ears.
The pumpkin rolls in the kitchen are already out of the pot. The snow-white dough is wrapped with orange-yellow pumpkin puree and steamed until it is fluffy and soft.
"Come and eat," Jiang Jianhua stuffed a piece into each of the children's hands. "It won't be sweet if it gets cold."
Nian An took a bite of the steamed bun, and the sweetness of pumpkin mixed with the aroma of wheat spread in his mouth, making him smack his lips. The flour residue at the corners of his mouth seemed to add some white whiskers to his tiger-striped bellyband.
Aunt Zhang sat under the eaves holding pumpkin jam and spread it on the steamed buns with a small spoon.
"This sauce goes really well with the steamed buns!" she smacked her lips and said, "Sister Jianhua, if you open a shop in town with your cooking skills, you'll definitely be a big hit."
Jiang Jianhua smiled and put a few steamed buns into her basket: "Take them back for your grandson. They taste better when they are hot."
Fu Yuanshan was weaving a pumpkin basket in the yard. The bamboo strips were spinning in his hands, and he soon made a round basket with handles.
"This basket is specially for young pumpkins," he said, holding the top closed with bamboo strips. "It's more presentable when you go visiting friends and family, than a cloth bag."
Nian An held up the small pumpkin and put it into the basket, but he couldn't put it down steadily, which made Fu Yuanshan laugh: "Little ancestor, this is putting pumpkins, not throwing stones, be gentle."
The midday sun made the pumpkin leaves curl up. Jiang Jianhua cut the tender pumpkin into shreds and poured rapeseed oil into the pot.
"These shredded pumpkins need to be stir-fried quickly," she said, stirring quickly with a spatula, "otherwise they will release water and won't be crispy."
Yun Tangyin walked in with pickled cucumbers. "I cut some cucumbers and stir-fried them with shredded pumpkin. They're sour, crispy, and refreshing."
Xiaolan was sitting in the yard peeling pumpkin seeds, and her bamboo rabbit basket was already half full.
"You have to pick plump melon seeds," she said, throwing the empty shells aside, "so they'll smell good when you fry them."
Song Yushuang came over, sewing the soles of her shoes. Seeing the melon seeds in the basket, she nodded. "Wait until they're dried. I'll teach you how to soak them in salt water and then fry them. The more you eat them, the more fragrant they become."
The evening glow dyed the threshing ground golden red, and Fu Yucheng moved the dried old pumpkins under the eaves.
"These pumpkins need to be stacked in a pyramid shape," he said, putting the big ones at the bottom and the small ones at the top. "It's better for ventilation and won't spoil easily."
Nian An followed behind with a pumpkin in his arms, his steps staggering, making everyone laugh.
The dinner table was filled with stir-fried pumpkin shreds, pumpkin rolls, pickled cucumbers, and freshly cooked pumpkin porridge.
Nian'an drank the porridge happily. The sweetness of the pumpkin and the sourness of the cucumber melted in his mouth. Some porridge grains were on his little face, making him look like a little cat stealing food.
Xiaolan put some pumpkin shreds into his bowl with a chopstick: "These shreds are very crispy, eat more."
As the moonlight climbed up to the top of the locust tree, Jiang Jianhua was sewing a pumpkin-shaped doll for Nian'an.
"This doll has pumpkin seeds in it," she said, sewing pumpkin patterns on yellow cloth. "When I hold it in the winter, it makes a rustling sound, like it's singing."
Song Yushuang sat beside him mending socks, the ball of thread rolling back and forth on her knees. "I stuffed pumpkin fluff into Nian'an's cotton trousers. They're softer than cotton, and they keep your legs warm in winter."
Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan sat in the yard smoking, the light from their pipes illuminating the pile of pumpkins in the corner.
"Let's fry the pumpkin seeds tomorrow," Fu Yucheng said, tapping off the ash from his cigarette. "Put them in the basket Xiaolan wove and give them to the children as snacks."
Fu Yuanshan nodded and said, "I'll make a melon seed plate and put it on the stone table so people can eat some of it when they come to visit."
Nian An was lying on the small bed holding a pumpkin doll and half a pumpkin roll in his hand.
"Melon, sweet," he mumbled vaguely, his eyelids gradually drooping.
Jiang Jianhua covered him with a thin quilt and saw that Xiaolan had secretly put a handful of roasted pumpkin seeds in the pumpkin basket beside the pillow. The plump seeds were shining in the moonlight.
The leaves of the locust trees outside the window rustled, as if telling the story of this ordinary yet happy day.
In the ceramic jar in the storage room, the sweet aroma of pumpkin jam, the sweetness of candied water chestnuts, and the salty aroma of sesame salt are mixed together, creating a unique warmth in the twilight.
This warmth is the love between family members and the mutual help between neighbors. It slowly settles over the years and becomes the most authentic taste of life.
As soon as the sky was getting light, Fu Yuanshan squatted in the yard to fry pumpkin seeds. The seeds in the iron pan crackled and the salty fragrance mixed with salt grains spread over the fence.
"You have to stir it frequently," he said, using a wooden spatula to make circles, causing the white melon seeds to roll in the pot. "Otherwise, they will become mushy and too bitter to eat."
Nian An rubbed his eyes and ran out of the house, the pumpkin doll wrinkled from being held by him.
"Seeds, smell good," he leaned over to the pot and inhaled, the silver longevity lock hanging on his lapel, swaying gently with his breathing.
Fu Yuanshan poured a handful of warm melon seeds into his hands: "I fried them yesterday, use them as a cushion first. They won't become crispy until the pan cools down completely."
In the kitchen, Jiang Jianhua was cutting an old pumpkin into pieces, preparing to make pumpkin puree.
"This pumpkin needs to be steamed until it's soft," she said, placing pieces of pumpkin in the steamer. The orange-yellow flesh shone with a moist sheen. "Mash it into a paste and mix it with flour. You can make pumpkin buns."
Song Yushuang sat in front of the stove, adding firewood, and used tongs to fiddle with the sparks in the stove: "I boiled a pot of hot water, which will be just right for kneading the dough later."
Xiaolan came with a rabbit basket on her back to deliver some freshly picked vegetables. The spinach in the basket was still covered with dew.
"My mother said that pumpkin buns with vegetables are more delicious than meat buns," she said, placing the basket on the stone table. Inside the bamboo pumpkin basket was a freshly woven melon seed bag. "This bag is perfect for melon seeds. It's breathable and won't spill."
Yun Tangyin took the greens and praised them, "This spinach is so tender that you can squeeze out the juice. I'll make spinach soup for the children later and serve it with steamed buns."
Fu Yucheng was turning over the pumpkins to dry in the threshing ground. The pumpkin strips in the bamboo basket were already half-dried and glowed with an amber light.
"Dry it until it's not sticky when you pinch it," he said, turning the melon strips with chopsticks. "Put it in a clay pot and add some to porridge in the winter. It's deliciously sweet."
Nian An ran over holding a pumpkin puppet. The seeds inside the puppet rustled, causing him to shake his arms: "It sounds like singing."
The midday sun made the stone table hot, and Jiang Jianhua poured the steamed pumpkin puree into the basin.
"You have to knead the flour while it's hot," she said, kneading the dough with her hands. The sweet aroma of pumpkin puree mixed with the aroma of wheat filled the yard. "That way the dough will be soft and sweet."
Aunt Zhang came over with a basket to borrow a steamer. She smacked her lips at the sight of the dough in the basin. "This color is so pretty, like it's mixed with gold. Could you please save a couple of buns for me too?"
Fu Yuanshan put the roasted pumpkin seeds into the bags woven by Xiaolan, and tied each bag with a red rope.
"This bag is for Nian'an," he stuffed a handful of melon seeds into the bag, "and this bag is for Xiaolan to take back and give to her parents to eat for fun."
Nian'an held up the bag and poured melon seed shells into his mouth. The melon seed shells fell all over his body, making the gold thread on the tiger-striped bellyband look even brighter.
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