While making braised meat, I remembered that I could use the braising liquid to make dried tofu, so I soaked some soybeans and made a few blocks of tofu. Anyway, I have a millstone in my space, so I can grind the soybeans myself and make the braising liquid myself. It's not difficult. I first used the braising liquid from the braised meat to make some dried tofu, and then I made some more spiced dried tofu.
Making spiced tofu isn't difficult either. Just prepare the ingredients first: tofu, water, scallions, garlic, ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, fennel seeds, red chili peppers, salt, rock sugar, light soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, and soy sauce.
After preparing, cut all the tofu into thin, even slices. Place the sliced tofu on a steamer lined with a cloth. Boil water in a pot, and once the water boils, steam the tofu directly over high heat for 5-6 minutes. After the tofu is steamed, take it out and let it cool.
Then place it on a breathable tool lined with gauze. After laying one layer, you can lay another layer. Finally, put a heavy object on top and press it for 5-6 hours.
After pressing the tofu for several hours, take it out. At this point, the tofu is very firm. Cut it in half from the middle.
Pour water into a pot, add scallions, garlic, ginger slices, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, bay leaves, fennel seeds, and red chili peppers. Season with salt, a few rock sugar pieces, light soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, and a small amount of dark soy sauce. Finally, add the chopped tofu and stir. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to the lowest heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it soak for half an hour.
Now you can take the tofu out and spread it on a breathable surface to dry.
After finishing all that, I started making food myself. First, I made several basins of dough, including wheat flour, cornmeal, sweet potato flour, mixed flour, and mixed flour. For several days in a row, I either steamed buns or cornbread.
Both steamed buns and cornbread were 2 liang each, and 100 were placed in one steamer. After counting, there were 500 steamed buns each of white flour, mixed flour, and three-flour, and 500 cornbreads each of cornmeal and sweet potato flour.
Feeling that the usual meals weren't enough, I steamed 200 large buns with various fillings: pork and cabbage, cabbage, tofu, and vermicelli, pork and sauerkraut, wood ear mushroom and egg, braised mushroom and pork, pork and chives, pork and celery, and pork and radish. After steaming and cooling, I put them in cloth bags and baskets.
After finishing all that, I thought of the bean buns that Northeasterners eat most often. I looked around in my online space, but I didn't have many beans left, just some red beans and mung beans. So I soaked them all in water first, then steamed them. After they were cooked and cooled, I added some sugar and stirred them. Just like making steamed buns, except I shaped them like mantou (steamed bread), and then steamed them for 30 minutes.
The busy work continued until the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. Just as they finished, they heard Chen Enpeng from next door standing in the yard shouting, "Mianmian, Jiezi, the brigade leader has announced that the grain will be distributed tomorrow, the 25th of the twelfth lunar month. After receiving the grain, the New Year's bonus will be distributed. On the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, the New Year's pig will be slaughtered and we will eat a feast of slaughtered pig dishes."
"Really?" Chen Junjie ran out of the house and asked.
"Of course it's true."
"Okay, got it, Chen Enpeng, thanks."
"You're welcome. By the way, Mianmian, how do you plan to receive your grain rations this time?" Chen Enpeng asked.
"After estimating the remaining work points and all the food we have, we plan to take 400 cm of corn and the rest of the wheat. What about you?"
"Then I'll have that too."
"Me too"
"Okay, let's go out together tomorrow."
"Okay, Mianmian, come inside quickly, it's too cold outside."
"Who can argue with that?"
To avoid attracting their attention, I did almost all my work in the space. The space wasn't as warm as the house, but at least the kitchen in the space was in use every day. I kept the fire burning and used the two coal stoves, putting pots on them, so they were never idle.
Not only that, I also pickled all the duck eggs I'd collected this year. When the time came, I'd boil them all, though not many, only 360. The goose eggs, of course, remained untouched, saved for stir-frying during the busy farming season. However, I did boil quite a few tea eggs and hard-boiled eggs, about 200 of each, just in case I didn't have time to make them later.
On the 25th of the twelfth lunar month, the three of us were still at the back when it came time to receive our grain. However, this time the process was faster. We knew exactly how many work points each household had, how much grain they could receive, and what kind of grain they were planning to receive.
But when I stood at the back, I heard that we couldn't just take wheat, corn, sorghum, and various beans. There was no other way, so I discussed this matter with Chen Enpeng and the others.
How do you plan to collect it?
"Mianmian, what about you?" Chen Junjie asked.
"I've calculated it. The amount I received last time, plus what I bought, is about enough for next year's meals, but I still want to get more corn. After all, it tastes better than sweet potato noodles."
"Yes, is that right? Anything else?"
"We plan to need 300 work points for corn, 100 work points for sorghum, 100 work points for various beans, and the rest for wheat."
"Then let's do it that way too."
So when it came to his turn, he simply told the accountant what he had just discussed with Chen Enpeng and the others.
Then they heard accountant Gu Zhenghua say, "300 work points can be used to get 150 jin of corn, 100 work points can be used to get 50 jin of sorghum, 100 work points can be used to get 50 jin of beans, and 271 work points can be used to get 81 jin of wheat, right, Li Zhiqing?"
"That's right, Accountant Uncle."
"That's good. By the way, how do you plan to collect these beans? Our brigade currently has soybeans, red beans, mung beans, black beans, and peas."
"Uncle Accountant, no peas, give me 20 jin of red beans, and 10 jin of each of the other kinds."
"Li Zhiqing, you came to our brigade to work in the countryside this year. The brigade lent you 45 jin of grain, which you have to exchange, understand?"
"Know"
"That's good. Back then, you received 2 jin of wheat flour, 8 jin of corn grits, 15 jin of sweet potato flour, and 20 jin of mixed grains, right?"
"That's right, Accountant Uncle."
"Now we're going to deduct it, but the sweet potatoes have already been distributed. We can replace them with grain. According to past practice, our brigade always deducts it with wheat. Is that alright?"
"No"
"That's good. Now you can receive 57.5 jin of wheat, 142.56 jin of corn, and 80 jin of miscellaneous grains, right?"
"That's right," the accountant said.
"What kind of grain are you going to deduct from the mixed grains?"
"Let's just confiscate the sorghum."
"Okay, you can get 30 jin of sorghum, right?"
That's right.
"Good, since it's correct, sign here."
After Gu Zhenghua saw that I had signed, he said, "Second brother, weigh everything out for Li Zhiqing."
"OK"
After receiving the grain, I carried them back on a shoulder pole. There wasn't much grain, so I didn't need to borrow a cart.
After receiving the grain, we hurried home because there was something more important: distributing the money. Unfortunately, we'd never seen it before and didn't know what it was like, but we were very excited.
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