Chapter 41
Shen An promised to share some of the delicious food with Shen Jin, and finally sent the three brothers back. He washed his hands with his sister-in-law and went to Chen's house for dinner.
The dinner was still sumptuous. There were still a few pieces of braised pork with preserved vegetables left from lunch, and more than half a bowl of preserved vegetables that were soaked in the aroma of meat was still left. The vegetarian dishes were also stir-fried with the pork belly to release oil. There were both vegetables and meat, and it was full of oil.
After eating and drinking, Sang Luo thanked everyone who helped today, and then the group went home.
Sang Luo took Chen An and Shen Ning to draw mountain spring water to wash the leaves of the fairy tree before it got dark. When they returned home and started to pack their things, she took out a handful of sour dates from the backpack covered with wild vegetables and handed them to the brother and sister.
Shen An and Shen Ning's eyes lit up immediately.
"Sister-in-law, did you pick the sour dates? Are they ripe this year?"
It can be seen that he is thinking about this one.
"It's ripe. If you're not afraid of sourness, try it." She smiled and stuffed the sour dates into Shen Ning's hand, and grabbed a handful for Shen An as well: "Go wash them and eat them."
The brother and sister thanked them and ran out happily.
The children in the village have little to eat all year round, so they long for the wild fruits in the mountains at certain times of the year. The sour jujube grows in the mountains west of the village. Although it is very sour, it is a fruit.
This year I was so busy with family matters that I didn't even think about the sour jujube.
When Sang Luo came out carrying the bucket and a basket of leaves, she saw the brother and sister grinning at each other, their necks hunched, and their little bodies, faces and hands holding the sour dates trembling in unison, which was very funny.
It's just like that, and it seems so beautiful that after eating one, it peels a second one.
When Chen Ning saw Sang Luo coming out, he peeled one and fed it to her. Sang Luo had just eaten, but the sour jujube had some kind of magic. Just thinking about it made your mouth water. She ate one from Chen Ning's hand, and then her facial features were squeezed into a ball, which made the little brother and sister laugh.
Chen Ning wanted to feed him more, but Sang Luo shook her head: "No more, just try two, they're too sour, eat them yourself."
Shen An and Shen Ning continued to eat by themselves until they had finished the sour dates in their hands. Only then were they satisfied and helped with the work.
When he returned to the house and was about to take out the second bucket of leaves to wash, Chen An sorted out the wild vegetables and prepared to tie them up in bunches with straw ropes. As a result, he sorted them into the backpack that Sang Luo was using today. As soon as he took away the wild vegetables, he saw a whole basket of sour jujubes.
Even though this thing was rare, Shen An was stunned. He couldn't believe it and put his hand in to fish it out. Really, it was all there.
Chen An was dumbfounded. Just then Sang Luo came in. He looked as if his teeth were broken by jealousy: "Sister-in-law, you picked up so much? Are you going to take it to the county to sell it tomorrow?"
He shook his head vigorously: "This is too sour, no one would pay for it."
Apart from the children in the village who would eat this because they had no snacks to eat, Chen An couldn't imagine that people in the city would eat such a sour fruit.
Sang Luo smiled: "I won't bring it tomorrow. I'll buy some food and make it into another kind of food. Then someone will like it."
Shen An, Shen Ning: ???
Girls are naturally more curious about cooking. Shen Ning asked, "How else can this be handled?"
Sang Luo was willing to keep a bit of mystery, and said with a smile: "You'll know when you see it tomorrow."
There is no sugar or drying mat at home right now, so we can only leave the dates overnight and wait until tomorrow when we get back from the market to deal with them. In a few days, the little brother and sister will have something to eat as snacks.
Sour jujube cake, hmm, this thing should sell well in the county. It should be considered a rare food. Anyway, she has never seen anyone selling it in the county. Her original family was well-off and they had candied fruit snacks to eat in the past. She didn't remember having sour jujube cake.
Shen An and Shen Ning looked at each other. In the eyes of the brother and sister, Sang Luo, the eldest sister-in-law, is now a first-class capable person.
He was born into a wealthy family, was literate, and had a book with prescriptions written on it at home.
If leaves can be used to make such delicious tofu, what about the edible sour dates?
Their eyes lit up immediately, and Chen An was a little excited: "Sister-in-law, does your family's book also have a recipe for making something with sour jujube?"
Sang Luo nodded. Yes, there are ready-made excuses for doing this.
The brother and sister were happy, because this meant that in addition to selling the magic tofu, their family could also sell other things to exchange for money and food.
"Sister-in-law, there is this in the mountains west of the village. I'll pick some up tomorrow."
When Sang Luo heard that there were some around the village, she asked, "Are there many?"
Chen An shook his head: "That's not a lot, maybe three trees, we don't know where to go further in, we don't dare to go."
Sang Luo shook her head after hearing this: "Then I won't pick them up. I guess other kids in the village like to eat them as much as you do? I'll leave them for you to eat as snacks while I go into the mountains to pick them up."
There are quite a lot of apples in the mountains just from the two places she saw today. There should be ripe apples falling every day in the next few days. If she can pick some up, and walk further in, there will definitely be more. There is no need to compete for food with the children in the village.
Only then did Shen An and Shen Ning realize that Sang Luo had gone deeper into the mountains this afternoon, and both siblings were a little nervous.
Sang Luo comforted her, "Your grandmother Chen gave me some snake repellent powder, and I sprinkled it on my way there. It's said to be deep, but it's actually close to the village. There won't be any ferocious beasts except snakes. Just roll up your trouser legs and sprinkle some snake repellent powder and it'll be fine."
Instead, he warned Shen An and Shen Ning: "You can't go in by yourself without an adult."
If they go too deep, snake repellent powder alone will not be enough. They may lose their way in the mountains, or fall or sprain their ankle. It is unimaginable what kind of accidents may happen. These two children are braver than other children of the same age, so she still has to give them a few more warnings.
Shen An and Shen Ning still listened to Sang Luo's words, and when their sister-in-law told them not to go any deeper, they agreed honestly.
Shen Ning was still curious: "Sister-in-law, this thing is so sour, how can it be made delicious?"
"Add sugar. We don't have any at home today. I'll buy some tomorrow and we can make it."
When they heard that sugar was needed, the brother and sister started drooling again. However, sugar is quite expensive.
They don't need to worry about these things anymore. The family finances are no longer up to the younger brother and sister. They no longer have to calculate carefully how much rice to eat, as their eldest sister-in-law will take care of everything.
As she was preparing the ingredients for the magical tofu, Sang Luo wondered if something was missing. She looked around and then remembered, "Where is the filter cloth at home?"
Every night after use, she would wash the filter cloth and hang it on a hemp rope in the house to dry. But she didn't see it today, and she only noticed it now.
"It's here with me." Chen An reached into his pocket and said, "We have to go down the mountain to eat at noon, and it's not easy to guard it here. I think we have to be careful not to let anyone notice it. It's already dried, so I just folded it and took it with me. I forgot to hang it back."
Sang Luo was surprised at how attentive the little guy was.
She gave him a thumbs up and said, "Good job! When we have extra money later, we won't have to go through so much trouble to buy a padlock."
…
The next day, after selling the magic tofu in the West Market, Sang Luo bought a few kilograms of malt sugar. In fact, she knew how to make malt sugar by herself. She learned it from the Internet. After learning it, she made it several times. She even made a video after becoming proficient. However, it was not convenient at home at the moment, so it was better to buy the finished product and melt it before using.
He went to the East Market to meet up with Qin Fangniang and bought two large round bamboo winnowing baskets to use for drying things, and also picked out a relatively small rice scoop. After the kitchen was built and all the necessary cooking utensils were available, he could use this to scoop rice when steaming it.
Of course, this water filter is also very convenient when cooking or washing.
When she was about to leave, she passed by the Hu Bing stall and smelled the aroma of the Hu Bing. Then she remembered that Shen Jin had discussed with Shen An yesterday that if she bought more Hu Bing, she would give him a taste.
Thinking about the last time he bought a piece of Hu bing, Shen An and Shen Ning didn't eat many bites in total. He smiled and took out three cents. After thinking about it, he took out another three cents, asked the old man who sold Hu bing, bought two Hu bings, wrapped them in oil paper and put them away.
Qin Fangniang found it strange. Recently, they had more goods, and they would not return until after noon after selling out. They would usually fill their stomachs with the tofu for tasting, so they didn't need to buy food at this market.
Seeing Sang Luo buying Hu Bing at this moment, he smiled and asked, "Are you bringing food for Xiao An and Xiao Ning again?"
Sang Luo nodded and said, "Aunt, have you forgotten? The land behind my house is being cultivated by seven children. I'll take it home and share it with them."
When Qin Fangniang heard this, she remembered that her two children were there too. She laughed, "My little girl is just joining in the fun. What kind of land can she cultivate? What kind of food can she buy?"
Moreover, Sang Luo bought two at a time, which cost six cents. She only earned seven cents from selling wild vegetables all day. This was too generous. Thinking that her family had been eating with Sang Luo's helpers recently, with rice and meat, she was actually given mutton Hu pancakes. If Qin Fangniang bought them for her own children, she would not be willing to do so.
However, Sang Luo's life has gradually improved because her income from selling magic tofu has been stable recently. She is no longer as hungry as when she first came across the time. She doesn't feel bad about spending a few cents to buy some food to make the children who have been busy at her house for several days happy.
She smiled and said, "That's also helping. I don't buy them every day, I just want them to eat happily."
Even Qin Fangniang, as a mother, felt inferior: "You spoil your children too much, no wonder they like to come to your house."
"It's OK as long as Auntie doesn't feel bad."
"Why should I feel bad? Should I feel bad that they have Hu Bing to eat?"
The two men chatted and laughed as they pulled the cart out of the East Market and went to the grain store to buy some food, and then they left the county.
…
After returning to the village, they had to stop outside the village to let Sang Luo take a small path to pick up some eye-catching things such as buckets and pottery basins that would never be used to sell wild vegetables. The malt sugar and Hu bing that were originally hidden in the bucket were also taken back.
When she arrived home with the things on her shoulders, Sang Luo was glad that she had thought about letting the children eat a little more, so she spent three cents more to buy two Hu bings.
Because when I got home I found out that today's pioneering team was not seven people, but eight.
Chen Ershan, who was originally in the land reclamation team, ran off to follow the adults to pick up yellow clay. There were two extra children, and Sang Luo couldn't recognize them. After listening to Chen An, she found out that one was called Hu Zi and the other was called Er Niu.
Hu Zi is the son of Lu Dalang, and Erniu, whom Shen An has mentioned several times, is the nephew of Shi Erlang.
Lu Dalang smiled a little embarrassedly and said, "I went home yesterday and told Hu Zi and Er Niu about the land clearing behind the house. They got along well with Xiao An, so they came over today."
The Lu family and the Shi family are neighbors. Yesterday, because the Shen family was building a house, the aroma of the braised pork with preserved vegetables was everywhere. When they returned home after dinner in the evening, they were inevitably surrounded by villagers to talk, so they all gathered together. After the villagers left, only the two families were left. Lu Dalang talked about the fact that Shen An and his children were reclaiming land behind the house, and then the children listened.
Children who were not very familiar with Shen An would naturally not come here, but those who used to play well with Shen An heard that the Chen brothers and sisters and Shen Jin were all helping, so they were eager to help. They did not tell their families and came here in the morning carrying the small sharp hoe from home.
Sang Luo exchanged a few polite words with Lu Dalang who was kneading clay, then turned around and called a group of children over. After thanking them, she took out the Hu pancakes and asked Chen An to share them with the children.
Shi Erlang and his friends went out to fetch mud and didn't see it, but Lu Dalang was stunned.
These people would occasionally go to the county to find odd jobs during the slack season, so they naturally knew the price of Hubing. Why buy two Hubings for a group of children?
Lu Dalang's mouth was slightly open and he couldn't close it.
As Sang Luo was preparing to prepare the sour jujube cakes and tofu, she had some other plans in mind. She was still on guard against some things from the villagers, but she was not so strict about the Shi and Lu families who came to help.
She gave the Hu Bing to Chen An. Since she didn't see Chen Ershan around, she told him not to forget to keep some for Chen Ershan. Then she put the bucket into the house, said goodbye to Lu Dalang and left. Qin Fangniang was still waiting for her at the mountain outside the village.
Lu Dalang thought about the dishes from last night and today at noon. Although they were not as exaggerated as the pork with preserved vegetables at noon, they were not bad either. There was meat last night and a pig heart stewed at noon today. Which one was not good? This was really different from other families in the village who cut some meat slices into vegetarian dishes and called them meat dishes.
He was not a very meticulous person, but he realized that Alie's wife might have some ability to make money besides selling wild vegetables. Thinking about Qin Fangniang who had gone to the county town with him every day these days, and remembering the things that the Chen family had helped to arrange, he felt that his guess was correct.
Of course, he had a vague guess. When Lu Dalang saw Sang Luo carrying the bucket and walking back and forth along the path, he guessed that Sang Luo didn't want to show off in the village, so naturally he wouldn't talk nonsense outside.
As for the group of children, they didn’t think so much, their eyes were only on the Hu Bing in Shen An’s hand! ! ! !
Shen Jin was so happy that he almost jumped up, and followed Shen An around like a little tail.
…
When Sang Luo and Qin Fangniang entered the village again, all the villagers saw was a little food, some inexpensive bamboo utensils and a few old backpacks.
Little did they know that the eight kids who were digging the ground on the mountain were now having a party. Well, including Chen Ershan who came back with the mud, there were nine kids in total.
Nine kids washed their hands at the same time and gathered together to share the Hu pancakes. Even the Chinese New Year was not so beautiful.
You said Shen Jin washed his hands today?
Yes, because when Sang Luo came back with the bucket and took out the cakes for Chen An to share with everyone, she said everyone should wash their hands and then share the cakes.
Shen An couldn't get Shen Jin to wash his hands, but Sang Luo's words were surprisingly effective.
Of course it works. In Shen Jin's opinion, his sister-in-law is too rich!
I actually bought Hu Bing!
He was eager to try what the Hu Bing tasted like.
Even though little Shen Jin has no idea what "hao" means, it doesn't prevent him from getting the idea!
The sister-in-law spoke up and asked him not only to wash his hands, but also to wash his face, wash his mouth, and rinse his head with spring water before eating!
It’s so authoritative!
Shen An: …
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