Upon seeing some ice jelly fruit, Xu Han told Lu Chuan that she would stay and pick the fruit. After she finished picking, she would wait for him nearby and let him go hunting first, leaving Heidian to keep her company.
"Then don't wander off. Stay in this area. If you need anything, just shout for me. I'll be right here!"
"Okay, go ahead! I'll call you if I need anything!" With that, he took out a basket and started picking.
There are quite a few ice jelly fruits around here. Although they are not all ripe yet, you can still pick some...
Seeing that it was almost time to go home, Lu Chuan came to find Xu Han, who hadn't finished picking yet!
But when Lu Chuan said it was time to go home, she could only reluctantly follow him.
Lu Chuan noticed Xu Han's expression and, not wanting to disappoint his wife, said, "Tell me when you want to come, and I'll bring you back to pick fruit next time!"
"Okay, once I've finished picking all the produce near my home, I'll let you take me to the mountains to pick more."
Xu Han knew very well that there were so many things on the mountain that she couldn't possibly pick them all. Although she really wanted to have them all to give herself more security in the future, it was impossible for her to bring them all home.
One shouldn't be too greedy; enough to eat is enough. Trying to have everything will be exhausting. But Xu Han still wanted to be a little greedy within her means!
After all, the disaster will last a long time, and no one knows what will happen in those seven years! Everyone wants to give themselves more security.
When they got home, it was almost dark. The two of them gathered the dried vegetables from the yard, put them in burlap sacks, and stored them in the cellar.
Then Xu Han started making dinner, while Lu Chuan went to process the wild game they had recently caught and the fishing nets they collected every day.
After such a long period of fishing, the number of fish caught each day has decreased significantly.
Seeing that there were no fish left to catch in the nearby rivers, and that they could only collect enough fish to fill a wooden bucket each day, but that also took up a lot of time to collect the fishing nets, it wasn't worth it.
So the two decided to process all the fish they caught recently and then stop fishing for a while. They would start setting their fish traps again in late autumn.
After dinner, the two continued to work on the things in the space.
There were still a few corn kernels and soybean pods left, which Lu Chuan could finish preparing in a short while, while Xu Han began peeling the ice jelly fruit.
Before going to bed, Xu Han soaked the peas so she could make pea jelly the next day...
Another day passed. Early the next morning, Xu Han took out the mint from her space and spread it out on the open ground in the yard to dry.
Then I went to the backyard to pick vegetables! Another busy morning passed by.
After lunch break, Xu Han rinsed the peas that she had soaked the night before several times, changing the water several times in the process, otherwise the peas would have turned sour in such hot weather.
After rinsing, Lu Chuan still hadn't returned, so she didn't wait for him and started trying to grind the millstone herself.
The custom-made millstone wasn't too big, but it wasn't too small either. Xu Han still found it somewhat difficult to push it.
Add peas and an appropriate amount of water to the stone mill and start grinding, just like grinding tofu, adding peas and water as you grind.
The ground pea water flows directly into a pre-placed wooden bucket.
Lu Chuan returned shortly after they started grinding the millstone. The two had agreed yesterday that they would make pea jelly today, and Lu Chuan would come back early to help grind the millstone.
"Why did you start making it yourself without waiting for me to come back?" Lu Chuan asked as soon as he entered the courtyard and saw Xu Han pushing the millstone.
"I'm a beginner too. Let's try the millstone first. It's okay, I can push it!"
"I'll do it!" Lu Chuan said, taking the work from Xu Han and starting to grind the grain.
Xu Han stood by and helped add water and peas into the mill.
I soaked a lot of peas yesterday; they filled two large wooden tubs after they were soaked!
After grinding one bucket, Lu Chuan continued grinding, while Xu Han went to filter the pea residue.
First, use a fine-mesh strainer to remove the coarse residue, and then filter the pea water through cheesecloth.
There's still a lot of starch in the filtered pea pulp! Set it aside first, then add water and rub it several times until all the starch in the pea pulp is washed out.
We can't waste all that effort pushing the millstone.
After washing, set it aside to settle. Once settled, pour out the excess water and set it aside for later use.
What settles down is pea starch. Measure it in a wooden basin, add an equal amount of pea water, and stir well.
Then add an appropriate amount of water to the pot, heat it up, and when the water in the pot is about to boil, add the cornstarch water you just prepared into the pot.
Continue stirring until the starch water becomes a thick paste. Then cook it for a little while longer until it starts to bubble vigorously.
Then scoop it out and put it into a large wooden basin. Place the large wooden basin in cold water to speed up the cooling process. After it solidifies and takes shape, the pea jelly is complete.
The two worked until it was completely dark before they finished making all the pea jelly, but it hadn't set yet, so it looked like they wouldn't be able to eat it tonight.
There's no time to cook now, so I can only take some food out of my storage space and eat it directly.
The next morning, the first thing Xu Han did after getting up was to go to the pond in the backyard to see how the pea jelly she made the night before was going!
First, take a basin out to the kitchen, place it on the cutting board, turn the wooden basin upside down, and remove it directly.
It's white and tender, and bouncy; it looks like it was made successfully.
Xu Han quickly cut some off with a knife, then cut it into strips of suitable thickness and put it in a bowl.
Then she turned around and prepared a sauce. She put minced garlic, chili, and sesame seeds in a bowl, then poured hot oil over them to release their aroma.
Add soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil and other seasonings, mix well and pour over the pea jelly. A delicious and refreshing pea jelly dish is now complete.
Lu Chuan, who was waiting nearby and hadn't yet gone to collect the prey, immediately started eating after the food was ready.
"This is delicious, it's icy cold and has a really chewy texture," Lu Chuan said while eating.
Xu Han also picked up her bowl and started eating; it was indeed delicious.
"It's delicious! This dish is perfect for summer. It can be eaten as a main course or a side dish! The best part is that you can just pour the sauce over it after it's done, which is super convenient. You don't even need to cook over a fire."
"We can buy more peas to make jelly!" Lu Chuan added.
“We can plant some ourselves. We can plant peas after it gets cold, and we can harvest them next early summer.”
"That works too. I'll buy more pea seeds and we can grow them ourselves."
After finishing his pea jelly, Lu Chuan went hunting, while Xu Han continued to busy herself with household chores.
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