When they arrived at their destination, Lu Chuan had not yet returned. Xu Han stood beside him, picking things while keeping an eye out for the direction Lu Chuan was heading.
After waiting for about half an hour, Xu Han finally saw Lu Chuan and hurried over.
"Why are you here? I saw a figure in the distance and thought someone had found this place! I only realized it was you when I got closer," Lu Chuan asked.
"Of course I'm here to pick you up! Hurry up and thank me!" Xu Han said playfully, winking.
Lu Chuan didn't care about her teasing at all and chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes! My wife is the one who cares about me the most! I'll thank you properly when we get home tonight!" He even emphasized the words "thank you properly" when he said it.
Upon hearing this, Xu Han blushed and said shyly, "You rascal!"
He turned around, stored the boat in his spatial storage, and walked away, only to hear Lu Chuan's hearty laughter behind him.
He said, "Honey, wait for me!" and then jogged after her.
The two joked and laughed all the way home. After arriving home, Lu Chuan took a hoe and went to weed the wasteland outside.
Xu Han followed along and picked some more tender pumpkins.
Let's stir-fry some pumpkin tonight! I haven't had it for days and I'm really craving it.
After picking the pumpkins, Xu Han took a hoe and dug up a few fresh sweet potatoes. The sweet potatoes were planted quite early and were ready to be dug up, but Xu Han didn't want to dig them up yet!
Dig up the sweet potatoes after the first frost in October. They will be sweeter and bigger then. Just dig them up before they freeze.
I'll dig one hole today, and then make sweet potato porridge when I get home.
When I got home, I took out a pheasant to make chicken soup.
Clean the pheasant thoroughly, chop it into large pieces, put it in an earthenware pot, add scallions and ginger, and start cooking chicken soup.
After the water boils, skim off the foam, then add the freshly peeled chestnuts.
Chestnut and chicken soup is also delicious, especially the chestnuts, which are sweet, soft, and have the aroma of chicken soup. Even the soup tastes sweet.
Add wild dates and goji berries before serving, and it's both beautiful and delicious.
Next, let's stir-fry a pumpkin dish. Wash the pumpkin thoroughly and cut it into appropriately sized slices. Don't cut them too thin, or they'll disintegrate in the pan. Don't cut them too thick either, or they won't cook through easily.
Heat oil in a wok, add scallions, ginger, and dried chili peppers to sauté until fragrant. Then add the pumpkin and stir-fry until cooked. Finally, add green and red bell peppers and stir-fry for a while before serving.
After all the dishes are cooked, put the leftover food into the space.
The sweet potato and rice porridge was ready, so Xu Han went outside to call Lu Chuan home for dinner.
After finishing dinner, the two began preparing tools and supplies for picking lotus pods the next day. The pond was quite far from here, so they figured they definitely wouldn't be back tomorrow night.
A good night's sleep...
The next morning, the two got up before dawn, and Lu Chuan went to prepare food for the chickens, ducks and geese for the next two days.
Xu Han took advantage of the free time to quickly rinse the soybeans, then filled a wooden basin with water and placed a bamboo sieve inside to keep them moist. The bean sprouts would be ready to eat when she returned.
After tidying up the house, the two of them took the dogs out of the house one after the other and started walking towards the pond.
We didn't arrive at our destination until around 3 p.m., and I have to say it really was far!
No wonder I didn't find this pond when I went into the mountains before! It's really well hidden! You really wouldn't find it if you didn't look carefully.
Upon arrival, Xu Han brought out the wooden boat, and the two of them sat on it and began picking lotus pods.
The tender lotus pods can be picked and eaten directly with fresh lotus seeds, which are sweet and delicious, and the lotus heart is not bitter.
If you want to dry lotus seeds, you should choose slightly older ones. Young ones will shrivel up after drying, while older ones will not.
It can't be too old either, because the outer skin is harder to peel off, which is more troublesome.
However, the two arrived a little late, and some of the lotus pods were already old. Xu Han picked them, since they couldn't be wasted!
It's just a matter of putting in a little more effort, no problem, we can deal with it slowly during the winter.
There are still a few lotus flowers in the pond, but most of them are withered and faded, and they are no longer beautiful.
Xu Han picked out about ten flowers, which looked quite beautiful when she put them in a vase at home.
Life is so boring, and there's not even a gossip around. We have to find ways to add some fun to our mundane lives!
Although she was busy every day, Xu Han would always pick some wildflowers on her way back from going out or going up the mountain and put them in a vase, which added a unique touch to the scene.
The house has become much more vibrant, and looking at these flowers can even improve one's mood.
“No one has been around here before, so I don’t know where the lotus roots came from,” Xu Han said.
"It was probably a seed brought by that little bird! Over time, it grew into so many lotus roots," Lu Chuan replied.
"Haha, that's right, that's a real bargain for us!"
"Who says otherwise! There are so many, we definitely can't finish picking them all today." With that, he continued picking lotus pods.
After sunset, Lu Chuan took Xu Han to a nearby cave. There were still many lotus pods left to pick, and the two of them would continue picking them the next day.
Xu Han continued to clean the cave, while Lu Chuan went outside to collect firewood and boil water.
After tidying up, and since it was still early after dinner, the two lit torches and began shelling lotus seeds inside the cave.
When peeling lotus seeds, sort them and put them into different bowls.
Put the tender lotus seeds that can be eaten directly into one bowl, put the older lotus seeds that can be dried into another bowl, and put the completely blackened and dried lotus seeds into a separate bowl.
After peeling some, it was obvious that there were still quite a few that were a bit old. Now I can dry a lot of lotus seeds.
Around ten o'clock, the two threw the peeled lotus pods outside the cave, tidied up the cave, and went to rest.
The next day, the two of them went to pick lotus pods early in the morning, and by noon they had finally finished picking all the lotus pods in the field.
Xu Han also picked a lot of lotus leaves, which she could use to line the baskets with food or to make dishes like lotus leaf chicken.
I even picked some tender lotus leaves and set them aside to make lotus leaf tea when I get home.
It's already mid-to-late September, and there aren't many tender lotus leaves left to pick. I searched for a long time but didn't find many. I'll have to check again next summer to see if there are any left.
We should pick more lotus leaves then. After eating such greasy food every day, drinking some lotus leaf tea is a good way to help with weight loss and cleanse the body.
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