Chapter 77: Jujube Candy
"The chicken laid eggs?!" Chen An's voice was so happy that he broke into a half-tune. He stopped shaking the jujube branch in his hand and rushed up the mountainside and came to Chen Ning: "Let me see!"
Shen Ning smiled and spread out his hands, and Shen An's eyes curved. He not only looked, but also touched it: "It's still hot. Which chicken laid the egg?"
Shen Ning shook his head: “I didn’t see it, just now all three chickens came out of the nest.”
Sang Luo also came up at this time, looked at the not-so-big egg in Chen Ning's hand, and smiled: "They are all chickens of similar size. One has laid an egg, and the other two will not be far away. This is a Yunying egg, which is very nutritious to eat. Let's make porridge with egg drop porridge tomorrow morning."
There is no such thing as selling eggs for money. They still rely on buying vegetables for their own consumption, and occasionally some familiar families send them some. Now that the chickens are laying eggs, they naturally keep them for their own nourishment.
Hearing about the egg drop porridge, the brother and sister's eyes lit up. They also had this when their eldest brother was at home. Beat the eggs in a bowl, pour the boiling porridge in and stir it for a while, then pieces of yellow egg drops will float up, which is so fragrant.
Just don’t let it sit too cold, or it will taste fishy.
I haven't eaten it for a long time now.
The egg in Shen Ning's hand suddenly became very precious. He had already planned how to eat it tomorrow morning.
"I'll put it away!" she said and ran inside.
Chen An followed in and stuffed the jujube in his hand into Chen Ning's other empty hand: "Aning, look what this is!"
Sang Luo walked behind and heard Shen Ning's surprised voice: "Honey Claw, where did you come from?"
Chen An murmured and told how he found a small branch of honey claws and then a tall honey claw tree, and said, "My sister-in-law and I will go back soon. There are still many that we haven't picked up. My sister-in-law said that these can also be exchanged for money."
Shen Ning was ready to make a move.
Chen An didn't let his sister go this time: "It's a bit far. It's heavy to carry the basket over many mountains. You stay at home and look after the house. This branch is for you to eat."
"Okay, this can also be sold for money?"
"Yes, that's what my sister-in-law said. I think it's so sweet, people will be willing to buy it."
The brother and sister walked into the kitchen, talking shoulder to shoulder. Shen Ning put the eggs on the table and turned around to help her second brother put down the backpack.
Sang Luo came in and was treated by Shen Ning to a bowl of water.
After the things in the two backpacks were sorted and cleared out, Sang Luo and Shen An took a short break, sprinkled some more snake repellent on the leggings on their shoes, turned around and went out again with the backpacks on their backs.
It was just as Chen An said, the road was long and difficult to walk. Although it was not deep into the mountains, they had to go a long way into the mountains to avoid the villagers. It was long after the usual lunch time that the two of them returned home with a full harvest.
By this time, everyone was so tired that they had no strength left, especially Sang Luo. Just think about it, she walked ten miles to the county to deliver grain before dawn, returned home in the middle of the morning, and then went into the mountain twice without stopping. She was so tired that even her hair wanted to lie down.
Fortunately, Shen Ning was really considerate. He would pester Old Lady Chen every day about all the chores at home, such as planting and watering the vegetables. Not only would he pull the old lady over for on-site guidance from time to time, he also took good care of the chickens and ducks. When Sang Luo took Shen An outside, she, a tiny child, was at home and could make a fire and cook quite well. Since she was not tall enough, she would just move a wooden block and stand on it to cook.
Seeing that the eldest sister-in-law and second brother were so tired that they washed their hands and went back to the room to lie on the bed, Shen Ning ran over and pulled this and that.
"Eat first, then rest after eating."
Sang Luo was willful for once, and she said "ah ah" twice: "Lie down for a while, I'll get up in a moment."
Shen An was about to be pulled up by his sister, but when he saw that his sister-in-law couldn't get up, he also lay down.
Shen Ning was worried, so he ran back to the kitchen to get the food, put a bowl in each hand, and held the chopsticks in his palm, and brought it over directly.
"Eat, eat. Just sit on the edge of the bed and eat. Then sleep after eating."
Sang Luo really wanted to give her a hug. This girl was so thoughtful.
What a little cotton-padded jacket looks like is just like this little girl named Shen Ning.
In the end, Sang Luo and Shen An sat on their own beds, eating the food that Shen Ning brought over. There was no other way. Aren’t all the stools in the house used to build shelves to store food? There was only one stool. Who would sit on it?
My legs are so sore, and everyone wants to sit down. No matter how picky you are, just sit on the edge of the bed. It will be so comfortable if you can rest half of your butt on it.
Sang Luo felt that if she really lived like this for the rest of her life, as long as she didn't overwork herself, her body would definitely be in great shape because she would get enough exercise.
It was said that he would take a break after lunch, but in fact he didn't really take a break after eating. How could he lie down after eating? He sat obediently for a quarter of an hour, and then stood for another quarter of an hour, before Shen Ning closed the courtyard door and fell on the bed to take a nap.
After waking up and fully revived, Sang Luo started to make magical tofu and the sour jujube cakes, taking advantage of the sunshine to get as much sun as possible.
In the end, the sour jujube cake was ready. It was put into the mold and sent to the drying rack in the backyard, and the magical tofu was also solidified.
The quantity was not large, only eight pieces after cutting. Sang Luo put them in a ceramic basin, took Shen Ning down the mountain, and gave one piece each to the Chen family, the Shi family, the Lu family, and the Zhou Cunzheng family. She also borrowed a pair of scissors from Old Lady Chen.
The Chen family, Shi family and Lu family often visited each other, and Sang Luo had eaten a lot of food given by the three families from time to time, so it was not surprising that they sent some food over.
When this thing was sent to Zhou Cunzheng's house, Zhou Cunzheng's wife was stunned for a moment, and she didn't react at all, but then she was happy, thanked him again and again, turned around and went back to the house to get a small bag of things wrapped in oil paper and stuffed it into Shen Ning, saying: "I recently went to the county to buy grain and brought back some mung bean cakes. I wrapped a few pieces for you, An Ning, take them back and try them with your eldest sister-in-law and second brother."
When Shen Ning heard that it was a snack from the county, she refused and dared not take it. Zhou Cunzheng’s wife kept stuffing it, so the little girl subconsciously went to see her sister-in-law.
Sang Luo smiled and said to Zhou Cunzheng's wife, "Auntie, you are too polite."
Seeing her repeatedly stuffing it into Shen Ning's hands, Sang Luo nodded to Shen Ning, and Shen Ning dared to take it, and said to Zhou Cunzheng's wife: "Thank you, Aunt Zhou."
The sweet voice made Zhoucun Zheng's wife laugh. She had many sons but no daughter. Looking at the brand new clothes on Shen Ning, she sincerely praised Sang Luo: "You have raised Aning and Xiaoan very well."
Given the situation back then, she was able to live like this now. My husband was right. This Sang is a very capable person.
The most important thing is to have a kind heart.
She said she married Chen Lie, but in fact she had never even seen him. Moreover, he was dead when she married him, and she had never worshipped heaven and earth. She just became the sister-in-law of Chen An and Shen Ning in a daze, and they really raised her as their own brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
Thinking of this, Zhou Cunzheng's wife's eyes flashed.
She has several sons. The eldest and the second have just gotten married, but the third one is not yet.
But when her eyes fell on Shen Ning, this thought that popped up for no reason was suppressed by her again.
With this thought in mind, I found Sang Luo even more pleasing to the eye. She is hardworking, capable, down-to-earth, kind-hearted, and a good person. She is really good no matter how I look at her.
At night, she couldn't help but whispered these thoughts to the man. Zhou Cunzheng had already lain down, but was so startled by her words that he sat up suddenly.
Thinking about it again, it’s really good???
But that was all he thought about it, and he quickly shook his head: "Don't bring this up, she's taking care of two children, Shen An and Shen Ning, so what's the point of bringing this up? Besides, Sang may not be willing to do so. If you really bring it up, we won't be able to talk to each other in the future."
Zhou Cunzheng's wife said with regret, "I know, I just told you that. What a nice girl, who wouldn't be jealous of her?"
In fact, if Zhou Cunzheng also agreed, Zhou Cunzheng's wife would really not be able to suppress this idea. Fortunately, there is someone in the family who is particularly clear-headed.
…
Naturally, Sang Luo had no idea that the piece of tofu she sent almost got chosen by Zhoucun's wife to be her daughter-in-law.
Even if you knew it, you would just feel that it is the most absurd thing in the world.
In her previous life, she first had to worry about survival and then about her health. She lived for twenty-eight years and was single until she was twenty-eight. How could she ever think about getting married in this life?
As soon as she traveled through time, she became a widow with an identity and a household registration. Sang Luo actually felt that it was quite good and she adapted very comfortably.
If after traveling through time, the people living with her were not two particularly well-behaved children like Chen An and Chen Ning, but a grown man, Sang Luo's first thought would definitely be to run away. There would be no way she would be able to stay there with peace of mind.
Sang Luo didn't know, so when she delivered the tofu, she also informed the three Shenxian tofu shops that they were no longer making it. She took the tofu order for the next day and the tripe order that Qin Fangniang brought back, as well as a note for the payment for the tripe from Dongfulou. She went home and put them away, tasted a piece of mung bean cake that Chen Ning handed over, and then got busy.
Everything else was fine, as they were all familiar things. When Sang Luo sorted out the jujubes and put them on the table to start processing them, Shen An and Shen Ning were surprised.
At first they thought the handle was cut to make it look better, but after the entire handle was cut, the brother and sister saw their eldest sister-in-law wash it with water. After cleaning it, she told them to go directly to get the stone mortar that was given when they bought the millstone.
This thing is now commonly used by the brother and sister. The family no longer needs to go to Chen's house to pound the rice they eat every day. This small stone mortar is enough for the food for three people.
Although they were puzzled as to why their sister-in-law needed a stone mortar to process the honey claws, after so many days, the brother and sister had already realized how capable their sister-in-law was. If she was asked to move the stone mortar, she would move it. It must be useful.
When the mortar was brought in, Sang Luo took two handfuls of washed jujubes from a large bucket and put them into the mortar, then started pounding them.
Shen An's eyes lit up when he realized that his sister-in-law was not selling wild fruits directly, but was going to use the honey claws as food again!
"Sister-in-law, what can we do with this after it's crushed?"
He was very curious.
Sang Luo smiled: "It can be used to make sugar. Jujube sugar is delicious. It is not only sweet but also very fragrant. In fact, this thing is a traditional Chinese medicine. Its scientific name is Hovenia dulcis. There is a book in my home that says that Hovenia dulcis can be eaten raw, used to make wine, and used to make sugar. It tastes sweet, is neutral in nature, is non-toxic, can stop heat, moisturize the five internal organs, and promote urination and defecation. It has the same function as honey."①
Sang Luo spoke while recalling, so she spoke very slowly. Shen An and Shen Ning were stunned. They didn't quite understand what it meant by sweet taste and neutral nature, but they understood the sentence "the same benefits as honey."
Honey is so precious, much more expensive than maltose.
"Is it as sweet as honey?" Shen Ning's mouth began to water.
Sang Luo glanced at the little girl and curled her eyes. "Well, it has a fragrance that honey doesn't have. I'll go to the county to sell this candy tomorrow. I'll buy a small jar and we'll keep one at home. We can eat it directly or mix it with water. Once it's ready, as long as the spoon doesn't touch the raw water, it can be stored for several months."
When Shen An and Shen Ning heard that they were going to keep a can for their family, their first reaction was: "Is this expensive?"
Sang Luo thought for a moment and said, "I plan to sell it at a price similar to honey."
There are not many jujube trees. At least this is the only one she has found in the area she dares to go to. Of course, it is also related to the fact that she dares not go deep into the area, but she really can't sell in large quantities, so of course she has to sell it at a higher price.
Sugar is a luxury here.
At that time, people only ate maltose and honey, so they were not going to sell this jujube candy and mulberry at a low price.
When they heard the price of the honey, the brother and sister shook their heads and said, "Don't keep it at home. We don't eat sugar."
Sang Luo smiled: "I'll eat it."
If you can't even bear to eat the food you make at home, then what's the point of all the fussing?
Not only would she save a can of jujube candy, she would also save a small jar of sour jujube cake and mulberry leaf snacks for her own use. After all, these things are durable.
When they heard Sang Luo's words "I eat", the brother and sister immediately fell silent, and their eyes narrowed slightly.
Brother and sister: Sister-in-law is so nice, she really loves us!
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Words: ① From Compendium of Materia Medica
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