In addition, since they couldn't farm or hunt before, Xu Han would pull him along to figure out some things when they had nothing to do. Over time, they learned more and more.
Of course, Xu Han wasn't just all talk and no action. Back in modern times, she loved doing handicrafts. Now that she was in this year of famine and had nothing to do, she spent her days dragging Lu Chuan along to tinker around.
By now, the two of them have made quite a few nice things at home, from a small wooden spoon to a large wooden cabinet, plus bamboo chairs, bamboo beds, and so on. They've certainly put in a lot of effort.
Luckily, I had all the necessary tools at home, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to come up with anything fancy. Over time, my skills gradually improved.
However, Xu Han felt she was still far behind Lu Chuan, because most of the time, it was Xu Han who came up with the ideas, and Lu Chuan who carried them out. The reason was simple: it was too big, too heavy, and simply too difficult to lift.
Through this accumulation year after year, Lu Chuan learned a thing or two in every aspect.
The group was about to discuss some more details when Danniang came over to call them over for dinner.
Because it was already quite late when they returned, and they had been chatting about the shop in the courtyard, the sun had already set and the sky was gradually getting dark without them noticing.
If Danniang hadn't called them to dinner, it probably wouldn't have ended any longer. After quickly finishing their dinner, Danniang cleared away the dishes, and the whole family sat around the charcoal brazier to continue discussing some details.
They chatted until late at night. When Xu Han saw that Grandpa Zhao started to yawn, she suggested that everyone go their separate ways. "Let's end it here for today. It's getting late. We can continue our conversation tomorrow. Anyway, we still have two or three days before we leave for the county town. Feel free to share any better ideas you may have."
The Taoist priest stood up and stretched his legs; they were numb from sitting for so long. After his legs felt better, he said, "Alright, we'll head back now. You two should get some sleep too."
The next morning, Lu Chuan first led a group of strong laborers to make the wood needed for the cabinets, and then led a few people with good hands-on skills to start making the cabinets.
Of course, this definitely included Li Er. In addition, the Taoist priest also went to help. The Taoist priest had followed along when Lu Chuan was making things before, and over time he had learned some basic skills, but his skills were not as good as Lu Chuan's.
Xu Han wasn't idle either. Since she had said she would sell pickled and dried vegetables in the mountain produce shop, she definitely needed to prepare the goods in advance.
Fortunately, because we lived with the servants this year, we didn't keep much of the vegetables in our storage space. Most of them were pickled by Xu Han, Dan Niang, and Sister-in-law Li. There are still quite a few jars piled up in the storeroom, which were originally intended to be kept for winter.
When she got up in the morning, Xu Han went to the valley and called a few old women to pick radish greens with her. She planned to use the radish greens to make a preserved vegetable dish later.
Xu Han planted a lot of radishes and cabbages this year, and she originally planned to grow more to make pickles, which came in handy. However, at first, she planned to grow more to keep for her own consumption, as it would definitely not be enough if she wanted to make pickles to sell.
First, they arrived at the newly cultivated vegetable garden on the other side of the valley. Seeing the thriving radishes and cabbages, Xu Han laughed, "These radishes and cabbages are growing so well, big and plump, each one so fresh and green!"
Zhou said, "That's right. This year, we've used plenty of manure in the newly opened vegetable garden. With enough manure, the vegetables will naturally grow bigger."
"It's all thanks to your careful management. I planted quite a lot last year, but because I didn't have time to take care of them, they were a whole size smaller than this one."
Then he turned to the crowd and said, “It’s cold in the mountains, and it’s about to freeze. Let’s hurry up and pull up all these radishes and cabbages today.”
It's already Frost's Descent, and cabbages and radishes are at their sweetest after this time. The temperature has been dropping these past two days, and they would have frozen long ago if we hadn't covered them with straw beforehand.
By the time of Frost's Descent, Xu Han had already made a batch of dried plum vegetables with Dan Niang and the others. They were originally meant for their own consumption, so they didn't make a large quantity.
While harvesting radishes today, I was able to pick out some radish tops that weren't frozen, so I can make another batch and sell them at the shop.
Xu Han joined them in pulling up the radishes and then cabbages. The group worked together and finished pulling up all the radishes in the valley in one morning.
Carry the radishes and cabbages directly to the valley, and have them pick out the radish greens so they can be processed here. Xu Han had already taught them how to make dried plum vegetables before, and several of them knew how, so Xu Han didn't need to worry about this.
After breakfast, the group moved on to the vegetable garden near the old house and continued their work until all the harvestable vegetables were harvested.
Looking at the pile of radishes and cabbages in the backyard, Xu Han instructed, "First, pick out the radish greens, then wash the radishes. Remember to save some vegetables for winter, otherwise we won't have any greens to eat in winter."
Sister-in-law Li smiled and said, "Alright, Madam, we understand. Don't worry, we'll definitely have enough vegetables for winter."
Xu Han then looked at Dan Niang and said, "Come with me, let's go prepare some chili powder and star anise powder. We'll need a lot of pickled vegetables these next few days, so we need to make a lot."
Dan Niang replied, "Yes, Madam, I'm coming right away."
After four busy days, Xu Han and her team made some kimchi and sauerkraut. However, they couldn't eat it yet since it was only just started.
Xu Han also made some preserved mustard greens, but since making preserved mustard greens is time-consuming and it wouldn't be done well in a short time, she didn't care, since they all knew how to make them anyway.
The night before they left for the county town, Xu Han asked Lu Chuan during dinner, "How's the cabinet work going? Is it finished yet?"
While eating chicken stew with winter melon in big bites, Lu Chuan replied in a spare moment, "It's not finished yet, but there's not much left. We have a lot of people, so we can finish it quickly."
I've had Li Er make a few of each item over the past two days. They weren't difficult to begin with, and he already knows how to do them. The rest he can do himself with the others. Everything will definitely be finished before the shop opens."
Then she continued to ask Xu Han, "How's it going on your end? Is everything arranged?"
"They're almost done. Dan Niang can already make dried plum vegetables and spicy cabbage. I even wrote down the recipes for her in case they couldn't do them well."
The dried radish is the only part left to make. I've asked her to dry it until it's about 70-80% dry and then store it away. I'll come back in a few days and guide her through the process. I'm mainly worried that even if I give her the recipe, she won't be able to make it right; I need to demonstrate it to her myself.
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