Seeing the kittens' fawning expressions, Su Tang's lips twitched.
"A bunch of foodies."
She picked out a dish of peanuts, washed the shells with clean water, and placed them on the small table.
"You can only eat the rice grains inside; you can't eat the outer husk."
The kittens immediately swarmed around, picked up peanuts, and crunched on them, occasionally putting their paws under their mouths to catch them.
After a few bites, the peanut shells were spat out, leaving only the peanut kernels.
It wasn't that I was hungry, it was just that I wanted to try some fresh, new food.
Having found something for the kids to do, Su Tang went to help Lin Xia wash peanuts.
The peanuts harvested in the farm space have little soil, so they only need to be washed with clean water.
Lin Xia found a large pot, poured peanuts and water into it, added an appropriate amount of white stones, covered the pot, and started a fire to simmer.
"Mother, can peanuts be used to make oil?" Su Tang looked around the kitchen and suddenly thought of something.
They have meat, vegetables, and fruit now, but they still don't have oil.
Although they usually render oil from the fat of their prey, eating too much of it is too greasy and can easily lead to obesity.
She felt that the kittens were getting fatter and fatter.
At this rate, I'll soon be the same weight as the bamboo bear beastman. I need to find a way to control my weight.
"Sure, Tangtang, if you want peanut oil, Mom will try it later." Lin Xia always gave in to her daughter's requests.
The two of them got right to work.
Su Tang took out all the remaining peanuts from the farm.
The ten plots of land yielded a total of 100 jin of peanuts. After deducting the boiled ones and the ones saved for seed, there were still about 80 jin left.
The mother and daughter peeled all the peanuts, separated them, and put them in a winnowing basket.
The beastman was strong; with a light press of his index finger and thumb, the peanut shell cracked open with a "snap," and with a flick of his fingers, the peanut fell out effortlessly.
Eighty catties of peanuts yielded more than fifty catties of peanut kernels.
Because the peanuts were plump, the two of them worked relatively quickly, peeling them for a full two hours.
Lin Xia scooped the boiled peanuts out of the pot, cleared the pot, and then put the freshly shelled peanuts back into the pot and stir-fried them again.
The kittens had already finished munching on the raw peanuts, but smelling the aroma of roasted peanuts, they squatted longingly at the kitchen doorway.
It smells even better than before, I want to eat it...
As soon as Su Tang turned around, she saw five hungry kittens.
"You can only eat the last little bit, otherwise you'll get diarrhea," Su Tang said, serving a plate of boiled peanuts to her son.
She didn't want to have to clean up after the baby with diarrhea.
The five kittens blinked and nodded like chicks pecking at rice, indicating that they understood.
Boiled peanuts taste completely different from raw peanuts; they are soft, powdery, and have an excellent texture.
The kitten looked completely satisfied with its food, its ears practically popping out of its head.
Soon, the peanuts in the pot were also cooked.
If you don't have a grinder, you can grind the peanuts directly into powder with a stone. Then, put the peanut powder into the oven to steam it. You can then wrap it in a clean cotton cloth and press it under a stone to filter the peanut oil.
The two men weren't strong enough, so they went out and found a male to help them.
The peanuts were placed between two stones, and as the male squeezed them, a pale yellow liquid slowly flowed out, dripping down the cracks along the edges of the stones into a large ceramic basin that had been prepared beforehand.
The peanuts grown in the farm space have a high oil yield; about three pounds of peanuts can produce one pound of oil, which is almost comparable to oil-producing peanuts.
After processing more than 50 jin of peanuts, a total of about 18 jin of peanut oil was produced.
Sutang is very satisfied with this oil yield.
After the male finished his work, he gave him a large bowl of boiled peanuts as a thank you gift and taught him how to eat peanuts. The male left happily.
Freshly pressed peanut oil has a fragrant aroma, a pale yellow and transparent color, and a clear, bright appearance that looks very appealing.
By the time the mother and daughter finished their work, most of the day had passed.
Seeing Lin Xia covered in sweat, Su Tang said, "Mother, you rest for a bit. I'll go get the earthenware jar and put the peanut oil in."
"Tangtang, take a few more jars and fill them with some for Lang Nini, and leave some for Hu Shen too." After saying that, Lin Xia went to the backyard to wash her face.
"Okay," Su Tang replied.
When she came out carrying several pottery jars, she suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Why does it look like one of the basins is missing?"
Su Tang bent down and looked at the ground, and found several plum blossom footprints with a few drops of liquid mixed in, dripping along the way.
She put down the pottery jar and followed the footprints to the outside of the courtyard wall.
Five kittens were facing outwards with their backsides facing down, making a "slurping" sound.
"..." Suddenly, I had a bad feeling.
"Baby!"
Upon hearing the sound, the kitten froze, its two pointed ears standing up.
Su Tang saw the kitten turn around, its face completely yellow, the white fur around its mouth had turned yellow, and it was wet, dripping with a sticky liquid.
Su Tang felt a throbbing sensation in her temples.
That was peanut oil, and these reckless kids actually drank it straight away!
With a dark expression, Su Tang dragged the kittens home and gave them a stern scolding.
The five kittens cowered with their tails between their legs and slunk behind Su Tang.
When Lin Xia came out after washing her face, she saw five kittens standing in a row against the wall, their two front paws raised, their ears drooping, looking like they were reflecting on their mistakes.
"What's wrong?" Lin Xia asked, puzzled, seeing her daughter's angry expression.
Before Su Tang could answer, the five kittens turned around pitifully, revealing their yellow cat faces.
"Pfft!"
Lin Xia couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Even without Su Tang saying anything, she could tell what bad things had happened.
"Tangtang, it's alright, don't be angry. Zai Zai didn't do it on purpose. He was probably just curious and wanted to try the taste of peanut oil." She laughed so hard she bent over, trying to comfort him.
Upon hearing this, the kitten timidly turned its head to steal a glance at Su Tang.
They didn't want to steal the food. But the yellowish liquid smelled so good that they simply couldn't resist...
Su Tang said with a stern face, looking unapproachable, "Stand still! If you steal food again, you'll not only be punished by standing, you'll also get a beating!"
The kitten shuddered and obediently continued to stand obediently as punishment.
Su Tang knew exactly what these kids were thinking. If she didn't teach them a lesson, they'd definitely do it again next time.
Despite her anger, Su Tang resigned herself to wiping the kittens' faces after they finished standing as punishment.
Knowing that its mother was angry, the kitten, who usually dislikes having its face wiped, was unusually well-behaved today, remaining motionless and letting itself be rubbed.
Da Bao even went so far as to offer his head to Su Tang in a flattering manner.
Seeing the kids' timid expressions, Su Tang felt both annoyed and amused.
She rubbed Da Bao's head and said, "Alright, it's not that Mommy doesn't want you to eat, but if you eat too much, you'll get diarrhea and your fur will smell bad. You won't be able to sleep in your room then."
The five kittens nodded obediently, their faces showing an expression that said, "I know I was wrong."
Su Tang then let them go.
"Tangtang, take these and let Lang Nini try them too."
Lin Xia packed a small jar of peanut oil and a bowl of boiled peanuts and handed them to Su Tangdao.
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