After cleaning the pot, Jiang Yuwei asked Ning Zhao to turn up the heat, while she added water and put the ribs into the pot to blanch them. After the water boiled, she skimmed off the foam, took out the ribs, washed the pot again, and threw in the scallions, ginger and garlic to stir-fry to release their flavor. Then she threw the ribs in and stir-fried them. After that, she added seasonings, honey and water, and simmered it over low heat.
At this moment, Jiang Yuwei felt that cooking with only one stove was too slow, and that she would have to set up another stove in the yard when she had some free time in a few days.
Jiang Yuwei took out some rice, rinsed it, put it in a ceramic basin, added water, and started cooking porridge over a fire she had set up in the yard.
A meal was quickly prepared. When Jiang Yuwei brought the food to the kang (a heated brick bed), Ning Wan's eyes sparkled. She had never eaten such a sumptuous meal before.
A dish of sweet and sour pork ribs, a dish of braised meat, and pork cracklings. Jiang Yuwei was worried it would be too greasy, so she also stir-fried some green vegetables. Served with rice porridge, this meal was quite a luxury for the villagers at the time.
Looking at the table of food, Ning Huaizhi said with great pleasure:
"Yuwei, you've worked hard."
Jiang Yuwei nodded and said:
"It must have been hard work, but I'm happy that you enjoy the food. Eat up!"
Then, looking at Ning Zhao and Ning Wan, he smiled and said:
"Eat more, you need to go up the mountain with your mother tomorrow to collect firewood, we're almost out of firewood at home."
After everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner, they all went to sleep quietly. Jiang Yuwei stored the remaining pork in her spatial storage space because she discovered that things stored there wouldn't spoil.
After finishing her work, she took a bath in the spiritual spring water. Now, Jiang Yuwei's skin has become increasingly fair and radiant. Since she started being able to eat her fill every meal, she is no longer as pale and thin as she was at the beginning, and her hair has become increasingly black and smooth.
After everything was tidied up, Jiang Yuwei finally went to sleep peacefully.
next day
As soon as it was light, Jiang Yuwei opened her eyes and hurriedly got up to start a fire to reheat the leftovers from last night. After the family had breakfast, Jiang Yuwei locked the door and took Ning Zhao and Ning Wan up the mountain.
As soon as Jiang Yuwei arrived at the mountain, she saw mushrooms covering the ground. So she asked Ning Wan to pick the mushrooms. Ning Wan's basket was small and couldn't carry heavy things, so it was just right for picking mushrooms.
Jiang Yuwei and Ning Zhao went to collect firewood. They filled two baskets in no time. Fortunately, they were on the mountainside and close to home. Jiang Yuwei asked Ning Zhao to carry the baskets down to deliver the firewood, while she collected more on the mountain. They would need a lot of firewood for the market in a few days.
As Jiang Yuwei was picking up the leaves, she suddenly spotted a willow tree that had just sprouted. She happily plucked many willow branches, as the newly sprouted leaves were the most tender. She could take some back to make willow leaf buns, which would be more convenient for Ning Huaizhi to eat when she went out in the future.
Thinking this, she kept picking mushrooms and soon gathered a bunch. Jiang Yuwei tied them up with straw rope. Seeing that Ning Wan had also filled a basket with mushrooms, she asked Ning Zhao, who was carrying an empty basket, to take Ning Wan down the mountain first.
Jiang Yuwei first put all the firewood into an empty basket, then dug up some bamboo shoots on the hillside. She could use them to stir-fry pork when she got back, and the extra ones could be dried and pickled.
Jiang Yuwei had just finished digging bamboo shoots when Ning Zhao came to pick her up again, carrying an empty basket on his back. Seeing him covered in sweat, she felt a pang of heartache and scolded him playfully:
"Zhao'er, didn't I tell you to go down the mountain? Why did you come back again? It must be tiring for you to keep running back and forth like this."
Ning Zhao wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and said with a smile:
"Mother, I'm not tired. I'm just worried we won't have enough firewood. Let's fill another basket and head down the mountain."
Jiang Yuwei nodded helplessly. The two quickly filled their baskets, stuffing the bamboo shoots into two baskets with holes in them, while Jiang Yuwei carried the willow leaves. The two of them descended the mountain one after the other.
As Ning Zhao reached the edge of the pond, she suddenly stopped, her expression changing drastically as she cried out in alarm:
"Mother, Mother, it hurts, it hurts so much."
Jiang Yuwei hurriedly dropped the willow leaf in her hand and rushed over. Upon closer inspection, she found a green snake crawling in the grass. Jiang Yuwei quickly used a branch to drive the snake away and then checked Ning Zhao's foot injury.
Two snake bites were visible on Ning Zhao's ankle, and blood was flowing from them. Jiang Yuwei immediately put down her basket and let Ning Zhao sit on it, while she squatted down and sucked out the venomous blood with her mouth.
After cleaning for a while, Ning Zhao's face became even paler. Jiang Yuwei remembered that she had filled a bottle with spiritual spring water when she left home that morning, intending to save it for drinking on the way up the mountain. Before she had finished drinking it, she hurriedly took out the bottle and poured it onto Ning Zhao's wound. After cleaning it, Ning Zhao's wound stopped bleeding.
Jiang Yuwei then thought that there must be an antidote for every poison within a hundred paces, so she quickly looked around and saw a patch of small white flowers growing by the pond. Jiang Yuwei walked over and took a closer look and found that they were Lobelia chinensis!
Jiang Yuwei quickly dug up a lot of water, crushed it with a stone, and applied it directly to Ning Zhao's wound. Ning Zhao's complexion had improved considerably. Since the pond was close to home, Jiang Yuwei picked up Ning Zhao and took him home to settle him in before returning to get firewood and willow leaves.
Jiang Yuwei thought about how dangerous today had been. What if a snake got into the house when she wasn't home? It seemed she would have to buy some snake repellent items next time she went to the market. She also needed to make some self-defense items for Ning Huaizhi to put by the kang (a heated brick bed) when he was home alone.
Because of her experience in the apocalypse, Jiang Yuwei is very vigilant and has high requirements for the safety of her residence.
When Jiang Yuwei got home, she saw that Ning Zhao's complexion had returned to normal and the swelling on her foot had subsided considerably. She knew that green snakes were generally not very venomous, and with her first aid intervention, Ning Zhao would be fine.
Seeing that Ning Zhao was alright, Jiang Yuwei went out and took out the mushrooms that Ning Wan had picked to dry in the yard. She also picked the willow leaves, washed them, and soaked them in water. The willow leaves needed to be soaked for several days to remove the bitterness, so the deliciousness could only be enjoyed patiently.
Jiang Yuwei carried all the firewood she had collected that day to the gate of the yard and stacked it up little by little. Then she thought about making something for Ning Huaizhi to use for self-defense. Turning her head, she saw a thick tree branch. Jiang Yuwei had a flash of inspiration. She would first make a simple slingshot, which wouldn't be in the way if she put it on the kang (a heated brick bed). Then she would put a stick on it and stand it up by the kang. That would be about right.
Jiang Yuwei sawed the tree branch into a suitable shape, carefully polished the burrs on it, and then gritted her teeth and tore off a lock of hair from her head and tied it to the branch. For now, she could only make do with it. However, the slingshot made of this hair had a short range and was not powerful enough. If she could get a live deer in the future, she could replace the hair with deer spine tendons.
After finishing, Jiang Yuwei mixed some yellow clay and made mud balls of the same size. Once dried, they could be used to beat things.
After finishing her tasks, Jiang Yuwei brought the slingshot and the wooden stick she had found into the house and said to Ning Huaizhi:
"Keep this at home for self-defense, that way I can feel more at ease."
Ning Huaizhi looked at the slingshot in his hand, gently stroked it, and asked in surprise:
"Is this... is it made from your hair?"
Jiang Yuwei nodded and said:
"This is all we have right now, so we'll just have to make do with it for now."
Ning Huaizhi carefully put the slingshot into his pocket, smiled at Jiang Yuwei, and said:
"Thank you, I will use it carefully."
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