Liu Erya went home to memorize her lessons. I also need to study. I've only read a third of the first-year textbook. I've been procrastinating these past few days. There won't be much time left before the harvest, and I should focus my energy on the fields.
I tidied up the house again, sweeping and wiping everything that needed cleaning. When I went to the woodshed, I saw the old sheep had stopped eating; it must have been full.
I went inside to prepare dinner. I was really craving something, but I couldn't eat meat, so I forced myself to eat a sugar bun and drink a glass of milk.
Remembering the yogurt I promised the old lady, I immediately found the yogurt maker and rushed outside to milk the goat, which looked quite full. But when I stood in front of the goat, I was dumbfounded. I had seen cows being milked on TV, and it should be similar.
But when it came to doing it himself, he didn't know where to start. He pulled the old sheep up, teleported a small stainless steel basin out of the space, squatted down, and placed the basin underneath.
After thinking for a moment, I picked up the basin again, went into my space, put out a new towel that had been wet for a day, wiped it clean, and then tried to express milk.
The first time I was too gentle, and nothing came out. The mother sheep didn't react much. The second time I was too rough, and she dodged away, but she didn't seem angry. Recalling what I saw on TV, the milk came out on the third time.
There must be something wrong with my technique. The old sheep kept dodging and seemed a bit agitated. I quickly sent out a bunch of bean stalks from my space for it to eat, which made it a little better. Meanwhile, the lambs huddled together to sleep, unaware that their food rations were decreasing.
Within minutes, I had squeezed a small bowl full. Feeling that I was getting better and better at it, I quickly took out another bowl and filled it up again.
I washed my hands and face again outside before entering the space. Following the instructions on the yogurt maker, I first boiled two small basins of goat milk, simmering it several times until it had a really strong, goaty smell. After cooling it down to about 40 degrees Celsius, I added the starter culture packet. I put the lid on, presumably to plug it in, but there was no electricity in the space, so I just left it to sit.
It takes about ten hours to make yogurt. I'll just go about my business as usual. I'll plant soybeans again, and this time I'll also plant some red beans in the corner. Liu Erya said she'd make me some bean paste last time, and it's still not dry yet. I'll ask her to make it for me when she gets home from school tomorrow.
After lighting the stove this morning, I went into the room and opened the lid of the yogurt maker. It looked pretty good. I picked up a spoon and scooped some out, and it tasted quite nice. It didn't have the gamey smell of goat milk. The texture was also very smooth. It would be even better with some jam.
After taking a few bites, I suddenly remembered that I could use canned fruit instead of jam. I hurriedly took out a jar of canned yellow peaches, scooped out a few spoonfuls of yogurt from a small bowl, and poured in the canned fruit broth.
It's so delicious! It's even better than the big-brand fruit juice I bought in my past life.
This wouldn't look very appealing as a gift for an elderly woman. It would be much better if you cut the yellow peaches into small pieces and put them in.
She went out of the space again, took a large bowl from the kitchen dish rack, went back into the space, made the yogurt, and brought it out.
Carrying buckets of water, I put the large bowl inside the buckets and carried them to the old lady's house.
Standing at the door, she said, "Grandma, it's me, Hongmei. Are you home?"
A young woman came out and said, "Grandma just got up, would you like to come in and sit for a while?"
"Sister-in-law, I won't go in. This is yogurt I made for my great-grandmother. Let her have a taste." She handed the bowl to her.
Why are you being so polite?
"Sister-in-law, I still have to go fetch water, so I won't chat with you anymore. If Grandma likes it, let me know. We have goat milk at home every day, and I'll make some for her then."
"Okay, I'll take it in for Grandma right away. Come over and visit sometime."
Zhang Hongmei, carrying a shoulder pole, smiled and said goodbye before going to fetch water.
It took two trips to fill the vat.
I spent the whole morning reading, and my efficiency was quite high. I wanted to give my brain a break, so I decided to make some dessert for lunch. I have goat milk, flour, eggs, and sugar. I don't know how to make complicated designs, but I can make them into the shape of steamed buns. The taste is the same, so the appearance doesn't matter.
Because of time constraints, the dough needs to ferment in an open space. Scoop out a bowl of flour, crack in three eggs, add a little yeast, two spoonfuls of sugar, and then try adding milk. Knead the dough into a ball and let it rise.
I went out to wash the pot, preparing it for later use.
I still used corn stalks to start the fire. By the time the water boiled, the dough in the space had risen. I thought I'd better make it in the space first and then put it in the pot.
Twenty minutes later, the sweet aroma made Zhang Hongmei's mouth water. When she took it off the heat, she couldn't resist tearing off a piece to taste—it was so delicious! She ate it before the pot was even finished cooking. Only after finishing one did she get back to work. The steamed buns in the pot were starting to stick to the steamer rack. She couldn't help it; she was just too tempted.
After finishing my meal, I ate a big dragon fruit – perfect!
I was reading and practicing calligraphy in the afternoon when, before I knew it, Liu Erya came to knock on the door.
"Sister Er Ya, wash your hands first. I've left something for you."
"What?"
"Eat up, I guarantee you won't be able to stop."
Zhang Hongmei brought the warm steamed buns from the pot to Liu Erya. Liu Erya's mouth watered just from the smell of them before she had even finished eating them.
Liu Erya didn't stand on ceremony and started biting into the food. She couldn't stop after that and ate three in a row before slowing down. She hadn't eaten lunch and was starving after walking so much back and forth.
Zhang Hongmei was astonished to see Liu Erya eat five steamed buns before stopping. Where did all that food go? It was unbelievable. But she didn't dare say anything; giving someone food meant she wasn't complaining about their eating, and she was afraid of making a fuss.
I went over today's lesson with her again.
"Hongmei, is there any work you need to do? I'll help you with some, otherwise I'll feel bad about it."
"No, I'm fine at home, I've finished all my work. Sister Erya, you should go back quickly, do you need to pack a couple of steamed buns to eat at school tomorrow?"
"No need. I've already eaten. I'll head back if there's nothing else. I appreciate your kindness."
I locked the door and started milking the goats. I milked a whole basinful today, and I plan to make it all into yogurt to eat tomorrow. I'll also save a big bowl for Er Ya and send a bowl to the old lady as well.
You can't put jam in yogurt for others, but you can put it in yogurt for yourself.
He patted the sheep's head and said, "You're my great hero, so I'll give you an extra meal today."
But the old sheep didn't eat much today. What's wrong? I'm really puzzled.
A thought suddenly struck me: I haven't given it water yet, could it be thirsty?
She found a deformed aluminum basin, filled it with warm water, and placed it in front of the old sheep. The sheep was so thirsty that it drank the whole basin of water. Zhang Hongmei was dumbfounded and embarrassed, thinking to herself, "How stupid of me! I didn't even know to give the sheep water, and I kept milking it. How ignorant I was!"
Dejected, I went back inside, feeling utterly ashamed of myself. What an idiot!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com