Finally, it was the second day of the Lunar New Year. Today, Xu Han didn't need to go back to her parents' home. Neither of them had any relatives here, so naturally, they didn't need to visit any relatives.
After the two finished breakfast, Lu Chuan took down the corn hanging from the roof beam.
Xu Han placed the corn on the stone floor in the main room, took out gloves from her spatial storage, and began peeling the corn.
I planted three acres of corn last year, but I haven't had time to thresh it yet!
Taking advantage of the fact that I wasn't too busy these past few days, I took some time to peel them, put them in bags, and store them in the warehouse.
The corn had been dried so much that it fell off with a rub and was very easy to peel.
However, peeling corn from more than three acres of land is quite slow. After peeling for a while, my palms felt burning from being rubbed.
So Xu Han took a burlap sack, put the corn cobs directly into it, but not too full, leaving a little space, tied the sack tightly, and started smashing them with a big wooden stick.
It's easy to knock the kernels off dried corn. Just knock it a few times and most of the kernels will fall off. Then just pour it into a large winnowing basket.
Then Lu Chuan was in charge of smashing the corn, while Xu Han was in charge of separating the smashed corn cobs from the kernels.
The corn cobs that had been smashed were all broken; those that hadn't been properly peeled were still whole. Fortunately, the kernels didn't break.
Put the crushed corn kernels into a small winnowing basket, then winnow away the husks and crumbs, leaving the clean corn kernels to be put directly into bags and stored in the warehouse.
For three days in a row, the two of them were processing corn kernels. By the morning of the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, they had finally finished processing the last of the corn kernels.
"Today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. Let's make the remaining dumplings so we can have fresh dumplings for lunch," Xu Han said.
"Okay, we still haven't finished making the glutinous rice balls, right? You make dumplings, and I'll roll the glutinous rice balls."
“Okay, I’ll get it for you.” Xu Han said, then took out the leftover filling from last time and handed it to Lu Chuan.
Then they sifted the glutinous rice flour together until it was a smooth powder without any lumps. They prepared a basin of water, explained the process to Lu Chuan, and then Xu Han went to knead the dough.
Xu Han didn't make much dough today, and she put all the leftover dumpling filling in a small wooden basin. She'll use up all the filling today.
The two of them stopped eating at home on the fifteenth of the month, so there was no need to keep them there.
If we can't go to the county town, we can just eat the frozen dumplings in the space; it'll be the same.
The two went about their own business, and for lunch they ate freshly made dumplings and glutinous rice balls.
In the afternoon, Xu Han went with Lu Chuan to cut down trees. Once the water was stored, the outdoor reservoir needed to be completely covered with wooden planks to prevent water evaporation or other small animals from falling in.
Open the lid only when you need water, and seal it off when you don't need it.
Because he needed to make thicker planks, Lu Chuan cut down large trees that were slightly thicker.
It wasn't particularly easy to cut down; it took the two of them an entire afternoon to cut down one big tree.
"This big tree is too hard to cut down. It took the two of us an entire afternoon to clear just one tree. That's too slow!" Xu Han said.
“It’s not easy to cut, but it’s okay, there’s no rush. We can get it done when we have time,” Lu Chuan comforted Xu Han.
Hearing Lu Chuan say this, Xu Han readjusted her mindset, realizing that she had been too impatient.
"We're not busy these days, so let's all come and cut down trees! We should be able to cut down three trees a day and clean them up."
“Okay, since the heavy snow, there hasn’t been any rain or snow. Looking at the sun, it probably won’t rain either. Could the drought have started now?” Lu Chuan asked worriedly.
"I noticed the alert shortly after the New Year last year, which is about the same time. I wonder if it will rain soon." Xu Han looked up at the sky, which was clear and blue, and couldn't help but worry.
Although I knew in advance that there would be a drought and had prepared a lot of supplies, I was still a little uneasy when the time came.
There's no point in saying more; let's get the reservoir working as soon as possible!
"Let's stop here for today! We'll continue tomorrow," Lu Chuan asked.
"Okay, let's go back!"
The two returned home together. After arriving home, Lu Chuan went to the backyard to clean, while Xu Han went straight into the kitchen.
It's been a long time since I've had steamed dishes. I still have a lot of wild vegetables in my space that I can steam, so let's steam some wild amaranth today!
Actually, Xu Han's favorite steamed dishes are locust flowers and violet flowers, but she didn't dig up violet flowers last year.
Because she was worried about not having enough money, she only dug up things that were easy to pick. The purple violet flowers were a little more difficult to process, so Xu Han didn't dig them up. She must dig up more this year.
Steamed vegetables alone weren't enough, so Xu Han also cooked corn porridge and some eggs.
After thinking about it, I realized I wouldn't need that pot, so I might as well take out more eggs and boil a big pot to eat slowly!
When there's time, you need to cook more food, because if there's no water, cooking will be a hassle.
Xu Han tended two pots by herself. After the vegetables were steamed and the eggs were boiled, she took the eggs out and started stirring the batter.
By the time Lu Chuan came in from outside, Xu Han had already prepared all the dishes.
"It's been a long time since I've had steamed dishes. I've been eating a lot of meat lately, so this is really refreshing." Lu Chuan said as he ate a big mouthful of steamed vegetables.
"When I have time another day, I'll steam some more and put them in my space. I'll also steam some potatoes while I'm at it. Steamed potatoes and scrambled eggs are especially delicious."
“Okay, let’s see if we can pick some more vegetables that can be steamed. We ate a lot of the locust flowers we prepared last year, so I guess there aren’t many left,” Lu Chuan said.
Xu Han and Lu Chuan both enjoy steamed dishes, especially locust flowers. If there are still some left this year, they'll make more.
The ones we harvested last year have already been mostly eaten, but we should still be able to pick them. Locust flowers bloom quite early, so we should be able to eat them in March.
Xu Han ate a bowl of steamed vegetables, drank a bowl of porridge, and had an egg. She was so full.
"I haven't had such a satisfying meal in a long time. Today's food is really delicious."
Lu Chuan burped and rubbed his stomach, saying, "I'm stuffed too. I ate too much without realizing it."
"Let's digest our food first before we go to sleep! We don't want to have any more indigestion." Xu Han said, then took out some konjac from her spatial storage to peel. They couldn't just sit there doing nothing!
The two chatted as they worked, and Xu Han said, "Let's peel the konjac today, and tomorrow I'll stay home and make konjac tofu. We'll make a lot while it's still cold, and then freeze it outside so it'll be good for making konjac dessert. What do you think?"
“Sure! I can cut down the trees myself. If I don’t do it now, it will get warmer and won’t freeze in a few days, and then I won’t be able to do it anymore,” Lu Chuan said.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
