Chapter 164
The peaches in Momoyama are available for picking from July to September.
The peaches in July are still some time away from being fully ripe. The peach flesh is raw and crisp, and the sweetness has not yet reached its peak. However, some people like to eat raw and crisp peaches, so this type of peach is already available in the fruit shops in the town during this season.
However, depending on the shop's daily sales, the shop owner will not buy peaches wholesale from the peach vendor until the next morning after making up for the previous day's losses.
The peaches on Taoshan Mountain can be said to be the first source of supply for the fruit shop owners in the town. However, even so, there are too many peach trees on Taoshan Mountain, and each peach tree is just entering the peak fruit-bearing period, so every year when the peaches on the mountain are transported to the town for sale, there are still many peaches left on the trees with no one picking them.
At this time, Kuwajima Jigoro would bring his four disciples to pick the peaches that looked good in baskets and dry them into dried peaches. The remaining peaches of poor quality would be left on the trees, waiting for them to fall off the branches and onto the ground, where they would rot and turn into fertilizer to nourish the soil.
But Qingxi is different, as he believes that "one cannot become a top winemaker if he cannot cook."
She picked a batch of crisp peaches, washed them, peeled them, removed the cores, cut the peach pulp into pieces like cutting watermelon, drained it, then added a small amount of water to a pot and boiled it, added rock sugar, and after the rock sugar dissolved and the water became syrup, she added the peach pulp, dripped some lemon juice on it, and put it into a big-bellied glass bottle. After filling the bottle, she placed it in a basin of water, not covering the bottle. Finally, she sealed the bottle tightly and waited for the bottle to cool down before storing it in a cool cellar.
Waiting until New Year's Day to eat it can be considered a luxurious dessert.
Of course, there is no other way to store it in the cellar. If possible, it would be best to store it in the refrigerator. However, there is no refrigerator at this time.
Of course, Qingxi was not worried at all, because she had temporarily put all the prepared candied peaches into her food backpack. In order to keep them fresh, she planned to put them in the cellar when she left.
Here she should feel a little fortunate that Mr. Kuwashima had dug a cellar at home, and she would like to give him special praise.
Smelling the fruity fragrance of peaches and the sweet aroma of sugar in the air, Kuwajima Jigoro watched the girl tinkering in the kitchen. He asked, "You've picked the peaches too. When are you planning to leave?"
"As for this, I plan to wait for a while." The girl said as she squatted in front of the stove and added firewood into it.
"September, can I leave after September, Mr. Kuwashima?" she asked.
The peaches on Peach Mountain ripen in September, and it was clear to Jigoro Kuwajima what she said.
This girl hasn't picked enough raw peaches and is waiting for the ripe peaches in September.
She is serious about ingredients.
So, it was just the old man's gaze, and she was not afraid at all.
Qingxi: "To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that you, Mr. Kuwashima, seemed to be planning to continue selling your peaches to the town down the mountain, I would actually be prepared to pay for all the peaches from your orchard this year."
Kuwajima Jigoro: "That's too much. You can't finish it."
"If we can't finish them this year, we can save them for next year," Qingxi said confidently. "Besides, if I store a little more now, Mr. Kuwashima will be able to eat fresh peaches in winter.
Don’t you want to eat?”
Having contracted half of the peach mountain, she didn't believe that the other party was someone who didn't like eating peaches.
Kuwajima Jigoro: "...Save 200 kilograms of peaches for me later."
"About 500 kilograms. The peaches in Taoshan are naturally large. I estimate that by then, Youta and the others will have returned. If the five of us eat two a day, it will take more than a month to finish them," Qingxi said. "Also, even though it's winter, overripe peaches won't last long, so it's best to choose peaches that are between crisp and soft... In another month, around August, I'll pick a batch to store."
Kuwashima Jigoro: "..."
When the girl was talking about eating, she became very professional, that is... this peach forest should belong to her.
"By the way, Mr. Kuwashima, if you like to drink, I can also use the peaches to make you a batch of low-alcohol peach wine. I feel good to drink it when the weather is cold."
Kuwajima Jigoro: "...What is the yield?"
Qingxi raised an eyebrow: "You are an expert."
She thought for a moment and said, "Ten kilograms of peaches can produce about five to six kilograms of wine."
Kuwajima Jigoro: "Then brew... 50 kilograms..."
"Sure, but that's a year's supply," Qingxi said. "A little drinking can improve your mood, but too much can harm your body. One small cup a day is enough. I'll get you some health wine afterward. If you find peach wine boring, try something else."
"You are much stricter than Airi, girl." Kuwajima Jigoro muttered.
"That's because I care about you. You're already old, you have to accept your age!!!" Qingxi said in a serious tone.
.
After talking with Jigoro Kuwajima, Qingxi started brewing peach wine for him in August.
The peaches needed for peach wine are slightly harder, and the peaches on Peach Mountain will be fully ripe after September, so in August, Qingxi asked Tsurumaru Kuninaga and Daikurigara to run all over the mountain to pick peaches.
When you are tired of picking peaches, you can pick peach gum with a small basket. If you don’t even want to pick peach gum, you can go to the stream on the mountain to catch small crabs and fish. Go home and cut some red peppers to make sauce for storage. If they don’t come, go to the mountain to dig traps.
It can only be said that although the Japanese emperor led the Japanese people to start eating meat at this time, the people had not yet reached the point of eating meat every day and every meal. Most of them would choose to eat seafood. Therefore, the animals that had not been hunted by traps set by humans were simple-minded and stupid. In short, Qingxi could basically get some harvest every day.
The day before yesterday, she found a wild boar in a trap and asked Tsurumaru and Okutari to carry it home and dismantle it.
The fat was refined into oil, one of the two hind legs was pickled and the other was smoked, half of the ribs were made into braised ribs, and the other half was kept fresh for eating, the pig head, pig tail, and pig offal were all processed and made into braised food... The night before yesterday, she took some of the boiled lard, added soy sauce and other seasonings to make a compound soy sauce, mixed it with pork scraps, and made lard rice for everyone.
The aroma is so strong that you can’t stop eating it after just one bite.
But such comfortable days only lasted until the beginning of September. She could not even roll up her sleeves to pick juicy peaches for a few days because the headquarters sent a crow over.
At that time, she was picking peaches all over the mountain with Tsurumaru Kuninaga and Daikurigala. After that, she was called back by Kuwajima Jigoro who came to look for someone.
"My lord, are you urgently calling me back?" Qingxi frowned as he looked at the crow standing under the eaves pecking at the nuts he had given it.
"Did something happen?" she asked.
Although all crows are black, Qingxi could still recognize the crows she had raised at a glance, and this one was one of the mutant crows she had raised and "graduated".
In the past, she would occasionally be called to the headquarters by Ubuyashiki Yoya, but every time the police station came to inform her, it was just an ordinary crow, and they would not specially call a mutant crow to inform her like now.
This change made her feel that something major was happening within the Demon Slayer Corps, and her mood became a little uneasy.
However, the crow that came to convey the message could not answer her question.
So Qingxi understood that maybe the matter was a little complicated, so Ubuyashiki Yoya was going to wait until she returned before explaining it.
Qingxi looked down at her dirty clothes and said, "Wait a moment, I'll go change my clothes first."
She said as she rushed towards the house where she was currently alone.
"Tsurumaru and Okutari-san, take your time. I'll let Jiro take me back first." Kiyokuni, who was inside the house, was taking off her clothes while speaking loudly to the two people outside who hadn't reacted yet. "Well, Yota and the others are out, and only Kuwashima-san is left at home. It's a problem to transport all the peaches from the mountain to the town. If possible, could you please stay here for a while? It's okay if you come back later.
If you are worried about me staying alone at home at night after I return, I can stay at the Butterfly House for a while.
Oh, by the way, I don’t know where Taro has gone now, so I won’t bring him back with me this time. Please bring him back with you when you come back later.”
"If you have something to do, just leave quickly. When you guys were not around, I was the only one taking care of these peach trees." Kuwajima Jigoro said stubbornly.
"I've already said it." With a swish, the door of the wooden house was opened from the inside.
Qingxi, who had changed into clean clothes, came out of the house. She had also packed up all the daily necessities that belonged to her in the house where she lived with Airi.
"When you get old, you have to accept your age," she said. "Besides, you have two strong, free men at your disposal. Wouldn't it be a waste if you didn't use them?"
"Mr. Daikuri, keep this." Qingxi walked up to the dark-skinned, golden-eyed young man and handed him five hundred-yuan bills. "I don't dare give Tsurumaru anything related to money."
Dajuligala looked at the money in his hand and understood what the girl said.
So it was collected very quickly, and the only one who was unhappy was Tsurumaru Kuninaga who was named.
After thinking for a while and there seemed to be nothing else to say, Qingxi sat on the back of Jiro who was waiting outside the house with the help of two people.
There was no way. Ever since Jiro's body mutated, he had been growing taller every year. She could climb onto him easily before, but as he grew bigger and bigger, it became a bit difficult for her to just climb onto his back.
Tsurumaru Kuninaga patted Jiro's wings and said with determination: "Grow up a little faster. If you grow up a little more, Tsurumaru will be able to experience the feeling of being a flying man."
"You should discuss this matter with Jiro later." After checking that her seatbelt was properly fastened, she waved at the three of them. "I'm leaving now. We should be able to reach headquarters before dark."
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