After wrapping the zongzi, Lu Chuan still hadn't returned, so Xu Han took a basket to the backyard and picked all the ripe vegetables there.
Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, large tomatoes, and peppers are all ready to be picked. The pepper harvest has just begun, and not many have been picked yet.
Only some of the chilies that can be eaten as side dishes were picked; the smaller chilies were left unpicked and will be harvested, dried, and stored later when they turn red and ripe.
After finishing all that, I tidied up the weeds in the vegetable garden, and then went to the front to harvest the chives and scallions.
Take out some vegetables and clean them. Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, so I'll set aside some chives, scallions, fried vegetable dumplings, and sugar cakes to eat.
Lu Chuan came home later than usual today. Xu Han had already prepared dinner, and it was already dark when Lu Chuan finally returned home.
Seeing that Lu Chuan actually hunted a goat today, this is the first time he has hunted a goat since the last time he hunted those goats!
"Why are you back so late today?" Xu Han asked.
"We went a bit further today and spotted a lone goat. It took us a while to hunt it down!"
"You must be tired! Have some water and rest for a bit. I'll bring out the food!"
Since the weather got warmer, Xu Han and Lu Chuan have been eating dinner in the yard. Enjoying their meal while feeling the cool breeze is so pleasant!
The two chatted as they ate, "Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, let's not go hunting! It's a holiday, let's rest for a day!"
"Okay, I'll be back tomorrow after I collect the traps."
"The weather is getting hotter and hotter. Tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival, let's go cut some mugwort to fumigate the area! There are so many mosquitoes."
"We'll cut more tomorrow. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the mountains, and they're quite big. If we cut more and dry them, we can use them later."
"Alright! We don't even know if we'll have it next year! Let's build another shed next to the woodshed! Otherwise, we won't have anywhere to put our things!"
"Okay, no rush. We can do it when we have more free time in winter."
"Okay, I'll listen to you. We don't need it right now!"
As we chatted about household matters while enjoying the evening breeze, the days really did fly by.
The next day, which was the Dragon Boat Festival, Xu Han got up early to prepare the food for the day.
Xu Han's hometown has the custom of eating zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), fried vegetable dumplings, and sugar cakes during the Dragon Boat Festival. It's the same here.
Take out the last pot of zongzi that I cooked last night and set it aside.
Start by boiling water to scald the flour. You must use scalded flour to fry the sugar cakes and vegetable dumplings.
Put an appropriate amount of flour in a bowl, add boiling water, knead into a dough of suitable consistency, and set aside.
Chop the chives and scallions finely, and also chop the pre-soaked glass noodles. Take out the leftover steamed buns and crumble them into small pieces; you'll be able to add them to the vegetable filling later. It will taste even better!
Stir-fry the sweet potato noodles in a pan and transfer them to a large bowl. Stir-fry the steamed buns as well, add them together, and then add chives for seasoning.
The dough is quite sticky, so you'll need to grease your hands with oil to prevent it from sticking. Wrap it into one large dumpling, set it aside, and then fry it briefly.
After wrapping the vegetable dumplings, wrap the sugar cake. First, roll it into a circle, add white sugar mixed with flour inside, roll it into a circle and flatten it to make the sugar cake.
After everything was finished, Lu Chuan returned and started helping to start the fire and fry the vegetable dumplings and sugar cakes.
After frying, they were placed on the altar, and Lu Chuan led Xu Han to pay respects to his parents...
After finishing breakfast, the two went to cut mugwort. It's said that mugwort is most effective on the Dragon Boat Festival.
Be sure to cut a lot and save it for later use. The longer the mugwort is stored, the better its effects will be!
Knowing in advance that drought would occur in the coming years, the two of them cut a lot of mugwort this time.
I'll try making some mosquito coils later. I saw them in a short video before, but I've never tried it myself, so I don't know if it will work.
Lu Chuan cut mugwort, while Xu Han picked the leaves. They each did their own thing, and ate lunch on the mountain.
The two of them didn't get up and go home until sunset, when they had harvested a lot of mugwort.
Although the weather isn't too hot yet, it's still very tiring to work all day.
Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. I didn't eat a proper lunch, so I definitely can't make do with something else for dinner.
Xu Han went to the kitchen and began preparing dinner. She took out a large fish and prepared to make a dish of pickled fish.
Take the fish head and bones out separately; they will be used to make the broth later.
Clean the fish fillets and marinate them with egg white, starch, pepper, salt, scallions, ginger and other seasonings.
Take out the sauerkraut I made a while ago, wash it clean, and cut it into sections for later use.
Heat oil in a wok, then fry the fish head and bones until golden brown on both sides. Add hot water, and the fish soup will turn white instantly.
Once the pot boils, add the side dishes and season. Cook until done, then remove and set aside. Next, add the fish fillets back in and blanch until cooked through.
It's ready to be taken out of the pot. Then, heat oil in a separate pot, add Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers, and pour it over the pickled fish. The aroma will be released instantly.
This sauerkraut fish dish is already quite substantial, with both meat and vegetables, but since it's a holiday, we can't just have these few dishes. So, we took out a whole table of other dishes from our storage space, including roast chicken, spicy rabbit, braised beef, and more.
The staple food was white rice, making it a particularly hearty meal.
Looking at the food on the table, Lu Chuan said, "This is the first time in my life I've eaten such a sumptuous meal. I'm so grateful to my wife for making this possible. From now on, I will always do whatever she says."
Hearing Lu Chuan tease her like that, Xu Han replied without hesitation, "Then help me prepare my bathwater later!"
"Alright, I'll listen to my wife."
After saying that, the two of them burst into laughter.
After dinner, Lu Chuan cleaned up the mess, while Xu Han sat in the yard enjoying the breeze; she was truly exhausted today. She hadn't had a proper rest even during the holiday.
I fell asleep while lying down...
When Lu Chuan finished washing the dishes and came out, he saw Xu Han sleeping on the recliner and carefully carried her back into the house.
After washing and wiping Xu Han again, she was probably too tired, because she didn't wake up. She just turned over and fell asleep again...
Lu Chuan felt heartbroken seeing this. Ever since she learned of the impending famine and war, Xu Han had been on edge, diligently storing food and never daring to relax for a moment...
I can only blame myself for not being strong enough to provide Xu Han with a comfortable life, which is why she's so tired. It seems I still need to work harder to earn money!
The next day, when Xu Han woke up, Lu Chuan was no longer home. After eating the breakfast left in the pot, she first washed her clothes and then went to the backyard to feed the chickens and ducks.
The old hen is laying five eggs almost every day now, and there are quite a few eggs accumulated in the storage space.
I haven't processed the duck eggs I collected a while ago! I'll find some time to process them all at once.
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