Ugly girl only wants to farm

Chapter 200 Soulmates in Winter

Xu Chaoyan had inquired with Shen Siheng and heard that the county school wouldn't start its annual holiday for another ten days or so.

She wanted to take advantage of this time to make some oden and try selling it. Anyway, they were just sitting around at home doing nothing, so finding something to do was more comfortable than staying at home huddled by the fire, covered in soot.

They had brought their wheelbarrow from the town before, but luckily she had a backup plan in case they needed it after arriving in the county, so she brought the wheelbarrow with her family.

She took Yue Niang with her to the general store outside and bought a clay pot. They also cut some bamboo to make bamboo skewers.

Because the new clay pot needed to be seasoned, and they also needed some time to prepare other things by shaving bamboo skewers.

To season a new clay pot, it's best to cook a pot of rice porridge and let it sit overnight. This will make it easier to use, less prone to cracking, and also allow for high-temperature sterilization.

But for them at this stage, even a bowl of plain porridge is a luxury, and she certainly wouldn't be willing to spend that much.

Xu Chaoyan gritted her teeth and cooked a pot of porridge with some millet (yellow millet), leaving it there so that she could cook a pot for everyone to try tomorrow after it boiled.

As Zhang Yueniang peeled bamboo skewers, she watched her sister working there with a pained expression, saying, "Sister, it's really a waste to use this millet for cooking."

While washing the clay pot, Xu Chaoyan answered her question: "Sister, if this clay pot isn't cooked properly, it's easy to break. It's okay, tomorrow I'll mix some vegetable leaves with this millet porridge and feed it all to the chickens."

Zhang Yueniang looked pained: "I think that clay pot is new and doesn't have much of a smell. We can just have it with the porridge tomorrow and add a few flatbreads."

Because the earthenware pots used nowadays are all made of clay, unlike those used in later generations which were coated with a layer of glaze to make the surface of the earthenware pot look smoother and more beautiful.

In fact, food cooked in a clay pot made of this kind of earthenware is more fragrant and delicious.

But Xu Chaoyan still insisted on cooking a pot of porridge and letting it sit there to be sterilized at high temperature.

"Sister, I suggested you sell roasted sweet potatoes before. What do you think about it? How about we go to the market together to buy some sweet potatoes when we have some free time? You can light the stove and we can be together."

These past two days, since Meng Jiuxia had her first period, Xu Chaoyan didn't let her do anything. Instead, she let her stay with her aunt around the fire, and if she got really bored, she could do some needlework.

She even took out her long coat and made her wear it to protect her waist, saying that she shouldn't catch a cold and it would cause back pain. The old lady also repeatedly reminded her to boil some brown sugar ginger water every day so that everyone could drink a bowl to warm themselves up.

She knew about the old lady's family's circumstances; it wasn't easy for the old man to feed the whole family all by himself.

She secretly bought a lot of brown sugar and red dates and left them there. The old lady complained about her several times, saying that she was being stingy about even a little bit of brown sugar water.

Afraid of upsetting her aunt, Xu Chaoyan could only put the brown sugar and other things away and occasionally buy some snacks for Xiaoya.

She and her older sister had previously made some dried tofu and blood tofu. Blood tofu needs to be dried in the sun, and dried tofu also needs to be smoked. Before, she was too impatient when she made those dried tofu, so they weren't smoked dry enough.

She discovered that people in the neighboring town and in her own town all preferred slightly drier, chewier food, especially as a snack with alcohol.

During the holidays, a plate of smoked tofu on the table, sprinkled with a little spicy seasoning, is a great appetizer and a perfect accompaniment to drinks. The price is also quite reasonable, and ordinary people can afford it.

Zhang Yueniang had already shaved a large handful of bamboo skewers. As she shaved, she asked, puzzled, "Sister, why did you ask me to shave so many bamboo skewers? You looked so mysterious when I asked you at first, but now you can finally explain it to me, right?"

The old lady and Meng Jiuxia were warming themselves by the fire inside with Yaya. Xu Chaoyan and the others had lit a small fire outside, as the room was not well lit and lamp oil was very expensive these days.

The tallow trees they brought from their village hadn't been put to any use yet; they'd been planning to make some candles, but they'd gotten so busy they'd forgotten about it.

Xu Chaoyan also planned to make more candles a few days before the New Year, so that the house would be bright and festive during the holiday.

She picked up a kettle from the fire and poured some hot water into a wooden basin. Then she scalded all the bamboo skewers one by one before answering Zhang Yueniang's question: "Didn't I hear that the county school won't have its New Year's holiday for a while? I plan to make some oden, skewering radishes, tofu, and dried tofu on bamboo skewers, and then simmering a pot of fragrant and delicious soup together. When the time comes, the students can choose whichever skewer they like, and they'll eat it hot."

“When we went out before, I looked around and there were no places selling food like mine.”

Zhang Yueniang looked at her in surprise: "How come I didn't know there was such a way to eat it? You're quite forward-thinking. What you said makes sense. I'll go with you to set up a sweet potato stall. Even if we can sell two or three, it'll keep you company. We can put the blood tofu here to dry. It seems like the weather has been gloomy lately with hardly any sunshine."

Xu Chaoyan suddenly thought of another problem. Modern Guanzhong soup is served in disposable cups, but here it can only be served in earthenware bowls. It seems that she will need to set up two tables to serve everyone some soup. She had been thinking too simply.

Washing dishes in the dead of winter is not very convenient. The oden she had eaten before was made with special seasoning packets, but now, due to the shortage of supplies, she couldn't make it taste the same.

So she thought of making some improvements, using some pork bones and chicken carcasses to make some broth, and then boiling some radish chunks in it in winter. The longer the radish is cooked, the more flavorful it becomes. Just thinking about this made Xu Chaoyan's mouth water.

She put down her small winnowing basket and suggested, "Since everyone's here, why don't we have hot pot together? Everyone's busy right now, so how about we go make some konjac tofu?"

Zhang Yueniang looked at her with a gentle smile and her eyes crinkled: "You've finally decided to make your konjac tofu. I've been getting a little anxious these past few days since you haven't made any moves. I was almost ready to ask you. By the way, what do you need me to help you with?"

Just then, Meng Jiuhe came over, intending to help her. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his slender fingers: "Wife, do you need me to help you? Look, your hands are all red from the cold." Xu Chaoyan stole several glances at his slender fingers.

When Xu Chaoyan saw that his little follower had also come over, she immediately shook her head like a rattle drum: "You three, don't come over and make things worse for me. I have some things here that I need you to buy. Since everyone is here today, let's have hot pot. We'll feel warm all over after eating."

Upon hearing that he could eat here, Shen Siheng couldn't hide his smile and said excitedly, "Then I'll trouble you, Madam. What do you need? I'll go and buy it right away. I'll also have my waiter warm two pots of wine and bring them over later. It's a rare treat to enjoy ourselves."

Zhang Xuyang then came over and glanced at Shen Siheng, muttering a few words: "He's gotten addicted to freeloading."

Shen Siheng rolled her eyes at him.

Xu Chaoyan instructed Meng Jiuhe to go to the butcher and bring back two large bones so that she could make a pot of bone soup. She also asked him to go to the general store and buy some large peppers, dogwood, and vines. The peppers that the family had eaten in town before were actually a small patch that Meng's mother had planted herself. She said that she had discovered it by chance in the mountains and tried to grow some on a small scale.

The villagers usually eat more dogwood. This time they came in a hurry, and there weren't many chili peppers left. Xu Chaoyan planned to keep the seeds as seed to plant later.

She has a strong palate and always feels her mouth is bland without spicy food.

When Meng Jiuhe heard her say she wanted to buy dogwood, she was initially taken aback: "Didn't we have some chili peppers at home before? Why don't you have any or if they're not spicy enough? You should eat less of them so you don't have stomach aches every time you have your period."

When Meng Jiuhe brought this up in front of them, Xu Chaoyan blushed slightly.

She glared at him angrily, but Meng Jiuhe ignored her and continued, "Those Vietnamese peppers are quite spicy, otherwise we'll have bone broth today."

Xu Chaoyan shoved the money pouch into her hand and looked at him with dissatisfaction: "Hot pot is the perfect match for winter. A clear broth hot pot without spice is soulless. By the way, if you see any pea shoots, buy some too. They're delicious when you blanch them in bone broth. They have a wonderful, refreshing aroma."

I've tried making blood tofu for you. A friend from Yunnan sent it to me, and I stir-fried it with garlic sprouts, red peppers, dried chili peppers, and celery. I've also sun-dried smoked tofu myself, and it definitely tastes better when it's dried a bit. I've also sun-dried spicy tofu before, and it tasted pretty good.