"What's going on? Look at that pouty mouth with a soy sauce bottle hanging on it?"
As soon as they got home, Xiang Jin, her grandfather and her mother saw Xiang Lan looking unhappy, and her grandfather asked.
Xiang Lan groaned, glanced at her sister angrily, and then sat down on the small stool next to her without saying anything or keeping silent.
Xiang Jin, her grandfather and her mother looked at Xiang Jin, and her mother asked, "What's going on? Was it a fight or a quarrel with someone outside?"
Xiang Lan burst into laughter and retorted, "I didn't quarrel or fight with anyone!"
Her mother's brows furrowed, she glared at her and reprimanded, "You didn't quarrel or fight with anyone, so why are you showing off?"
Xiang Lan was already feeling uncomfortable, and she felt even more aggrieved by being scolded by her mother. She shouted back at her with red eyes, "Everything you do every day is my fault, why don't you talk about my sister?"
"
"Hey, what does this have to do with your sister?" Yang Juyun's frown deepened.
Xiang Lan glared at her mother and got angry, "It's okay if she teaches those people in Wantou how to cook. At least they don't have to deal with our family, but what about her teaching that woman Hu Yulan?
That woman is so bad, and the whole family is so evil-hearted, my sister has forgotten how they treated our family!"
Hearing this, Yang Juyun looked a little unhappy when she looked at Xiang Jin, "Yes, my dear, it's okay if you teach others, why are you teaching her?!"
Xiang Jin glanced at the mother and daughter angrily, "I said you were short-sighted, but you still don't believe me." After saying that, she also walked to a stool nearby and sat down.
Yang Juyun didn't quite understand what she was hearing, and her expression was a little confused.
Xiang Jin then continued to tell them, "Have you never heard that it is better to make friends than to make enemies? It's not a big deal in the first place, so why should we hold grudges against others for the rest of our lives?
In the final analysis, to put it bluntly, it is caused by the word "poor". People go to higher places and water flows to lower places. The laws of nature are human beings. Who doesn't want to live a prosperous and healthy life?
But one person is not rich if he is rich, and several people are not rich. Only when everyone is rich can they be considered rich.
Our family has a braised meat shop and we grow vegetables in greenhouses. We earn dozens or hundreds of dollars every day. This is very impressive to people who have been hiding at home all winter and harvesting nothing.
How about jealousy?
From the recent frequent visits by some people to Aunt Liao and Grandpa Zeng for vegetable seeds, we can see how envious and jealous they are of our family's current life.
Some people are just envious and jealous, but some people will take action when they are jealous, either stealing from you or punishing you.
Don't think that everything will be fine if you have a dog at home, but after all, dogs are dogs, not people. No matter how smart a dog is, its brain can't change the mind of a human being.
The Chinese New Year is coming soon, and our main dishes will be on the market soon. We must not take it lightly at this juncture, otherwise all the busy work in the past few months will be in vain.
The reason why I teach them how to cook these foods, and they are fresh foods that are not available in our area, is to distract them from the vegetables in our greenhouses.
I have to let them know that as long as they practice the food I taught them, they will have a skill, and then they can open a shop on the street or in the county town and start their own business to make money.
When the time comes when you open your own shop and start your own business, people will only focus on their own business. How can they care about your three-quarter acre of land?
Well, if I don't teach them to do anything else, then they will keep an eye on your one-third of an acre of land every day. How can you still do it peacefully? Without fear?
Besides, when someone comes to you to ask for vegetable seeds, you know full well that they are trying to steal business from you. In the same bay, everyone who sees the sky bows their head but does not raise their head to see you. Are you giving it to them or not?
?
If we give it, we will suffer a loss. When every household grows those vegetables, will they still be sold at a reasonable price? If we don’t give it, we will offend others, and then they will feel even more uncomfortable with us. Neither side will be happy, so why bother?
Those who come to learn how to cook from me are all thinking of opening a shop on the street. If I teach them, they will always remember some of my good ideas, even if they are still facing our family.
I am a little envious of greenhouse cultivation, but I don’t think my thoughts are that strong anymore.
Then Hu Yulan wants to learn how to make snacks. Do you think she won't be able to learn if I don't agree to her? Let me tell you, as long as a person is persistent in doing something, there will always be a way to do it.
There are four or five family members who are here to study today, and many of them have some friendship with their families. As long as they send some good things to others, they will be stubborn and will teach them half-heartedly.
Since she came to me with a shy face today and wanted to learn how to make snacks from me, it means that her family also wants to open a shop on the street and do business.
She begged me today. If I had blocked her, their family would definitely hate our family even more. Although our family is not afraid of their family, the elders say that we would rather offend a gentleman than a villain.
Because villains are hard to guard against.
Anyway, those eating habits came from me. Instead of letting her take on other people's feelings and deepen her hatred for our family, why don't I just go with the flow, be more generous, and let her take on my feelings directly?
Wouldn't it be nice to put an end to those small grudges or even eliminate them?
Otherwise, our family would have to be always on guard against what others might do to our family at any time. Only those who commit a thief for a thousand days, how can one guard against thieves for a thousand days? How tiring would that be? Besides, aren’t we all in front of so many people today?
Did you promise us that you won’t cause any trouble to our family in the future?”
Her mother asked, "Is she really that committed?"
Xiang Jin nodded, "Yeah!"
Xiang Lan pouted, "Do you believe what she said?! Sister, when did you become so easy to talk to?"
Xiang Jin said, "This is not a matter of whether it is nice or not to talk about it, but a matter of attitude. There is a saying in Buddhism: being kind to others means being kind to yourself!
Since others have lowered their attitude so low and expressed goodwill to you, we must also adopt an attitude, right? Otherwise, others will underestimate our tolerance!"
The little girl remained silent, and Xiang Jin said, "Okay, don't worry about it. Since people have good intentions, we have to give them a chance to change their ways, right?"
The little girl hummed, "Okay, then I will be more generous and not be as knowledgeable as them."
"That's right," Xiang Jin reached out and pinched her cheek, then looked at her mother, "Mom, today is the 28th of the twelfth lunar month, and the New Year will be the day after tomorrow. You and my uncle are
What’s the plan, when will it close?”
Her mother said, "Closing business? You must not close business. There have been a lot of people buying New Year's goods recently, and our business with your uncles is booming every day."
Like our braised pork, I have to braise at least three pots of meat every day on the street just to sell it. I braise one pot in the morning, another pot at noon, and another pot half a day in the afternoon.
If I go to sell it the next day, I have to stew it in a pot at home when I come back."
Xiang Lan asked, "With these pots, how many kilograms of meat do you have to braise in one day?"
Xiang Jin's mother asked, "How many kilograms of meat? After several pots, at least two hundred kilograms of meat is available."
Xiang Lan was surprised and said, "Wow, so many?! What about the uncle and the second uncle? They sell the fruit and cat ears every day, okay?"
Their mother said, "What's wrong? Your eldest uncle and second uncle sell more than us every day. Every day they sell for five to six hundred kilograms. Everyone who buys has a lot of money."
Weighed into the house.
They are now selling in four places. Your eldest aunt is guarding the store. Your eldest uncle, your second uncle, and your second aunt each carry a basket and sell at the intersection every day. Your cousins Yang Hui and Yang Zhao
The two brothers are responsible for fried steaks and cat ears every day."
"Wow, five or six hundred pounds, how many noodles do you need to make?" Xiang Lan was so surprised that his mouth opened into an "O" shape.
Xiang Jin said, "There is no need to knead the dough for paiguoer. You can just mix it directly into the batter. That means the cat's ears need to knead the dough, but for such a few adults, it is nothing to knead a hundred kilograms of noodles every day."
question."
The little girl said "Oh", and then Xiang Jin asked her mother, "So, do you plan to run this business until the 30th day?"
Her mother nodded, "Well, we plan to do it for half a day on the 30th, close in the afternoon, then rest for a few days, and then open the door again on the sixth day of the lunar new year."
Xiang Jin nodded, "Okay, then you can pour out the pot of brine in the town. Even though it's winter, it doesn't matter if you leave it for a few days, but no one will be guarding it then. In case something happens,
What should I do if I encounter a rat? Just wait until the sixth day of the Lunar New Year to make new brine."
Her mother nodded, "Okay!"
Then Xiang Jin asked her mother, "Then do we want to buy some more New Year's goods?"
Her mother asked her what else their family lacked?
Xiang Jin said, "Our family is short of everything. We have rice, noodles, meat, and vegetables. I am talking about visiting relatives during the New Year. Do you want to prepare anything for my grandparents and uncle?"
Her grandfather said, "What are you giving me? Don't buy it, don't give it as a gift! I already got so much that day, including dried fish, pheasants, mushrooms, fungus, fruits, etc. What else should I give as a gift?"
?What is sold on the street is all that we have at home."
Xiang Jin looked at her mother. She didn't care anyway. Indeed, the things sold on the street were not necessarily as valuable as the ones she brought to their family that day. But what did she mean if she couldn't protect her mother? She was new here, so naturally
You have to ask clearly.
Her mother nodded towards her, "Yes, your grandpa and uncles have all these things, and they don't need anything special. In previous years, we just made some dumplings for them, otherwise this year we will still
Let’s make some dumplings for them.”
"Making dumplings?! Okay, then let's make some dumplings for them." Xiang Jin was startled for a moment, then nodded. She would make several different kinds of dumplings for them.
, make sure they like it.
Thinking of this, Xiang Jin asked her mother to give her some noodles later so she could use them later.
Her mother asked her how much?
She said it was as big as a gourd of water, and her mother nodded, "Okay, I'll give it to you later."
Suddenly, she heard her grandfather say, "I also want to discuss something with you."
Everyone looked at him, and her grandfather continued, "This morning, the people at Xinfu Restaurant said they would not come to collect the vegetables tomorrow, and the vegetable vendor owner also said he would wait for them the day after tomorrow.
After the vegetables have been collected, they will not come to collect them.
The person at Xinfu Restaurant said they would wait until after the eighth day of the first lunar month to collect the food, and the owner of the vegetable vendor also said they would wait until after the sixth day of the first lunar month.
So I will tell you, I will go back after collecting the vegetables in the morning the day after tomorrow, stay there for a few days, and then I will come back on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year."
"You want to go back?" Xiang Jin and the others were surprised.
Her grandfather nodded, "I've been here for more than half a year, and it's time to go back during the Chinese New Year."
Xiang Lan said, "Why do you want to go back to celebrate the New Year? Isn't it the same as celebrating the New Year here?"
Her grandfather laughed and said, "It's the first day of the 30th lunar month to make excuses. How can I say that I'm celebrating the New Year here? If word spreads about it, people will laugh at me."
Xiang Lan's brows knitted together, looking fierce, "Who is laughing at you? Who dares to laugh at you!"
Xiang Jin's mother also called out, "Yes, Dad, no one is laughing at you, why don't you just celebrate the New Year here?"
Xiang Jin and her grandfather waved their hands, "It's better to go back to celebrate the New Year, it's better to go back to celebrate the New Year."
Her mother said, "You are the only one who is pedantic!"
Her grandfather just smiled and said nothing.
Xiang Jin pulled her mother and whispered to her, "Grandpa is homesick."
Her mother then stopped talking, and then asked Xiang Jin, "Grandpa, if we don't harvest vegetables during the Chinese New Year, what should we do if the vegetables in the field grow?"
His grandfather said, "Your grandpa Zeng contacted the vegetable vendor in the county today. He will drive a pickup truck to collect vegetables in the next two days. In these two days, we will collect the vegetables that have grown in the vegetable field."
He picked all the vegetables that are dead and those that will grow in a few days, and then let him take them away together, so that you don’t have to worry about those vegetables growing old by then.”
Xiang Jin nodded, "Okay!"
After the matter was settled, Xiang Jin and her mother went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. She lit the fire and her mother cooked. She cooked two pots, one to stew the meat and one to cook.
After her mother finished the work at hand, she went to make him some noodles, and then asked her, "Do you think this is enough?"
Xiang Jin looked at it and then nodded, "That's it for now!"
Her mother asked her what she was going to do with the noodles? Is it making pancakes or making dumplings?
Xiang Jin said, "Wash your face."
"Wash your face?" Her mother was puzzled, "What is that for?"
Xiang Jin said, "I want to make a clear noodle, and then make a fresh food, but the flour we have now is a kind of high-gluten flour, right?"
Her mother shook her head, and then said to Xiang Jin, "It doesn't matter, you'll know when it's done." After that, she added a piece of firewood to each side of the stove, then stood up, washed her hands, and then started to wash her face.
.
Her mother saw her put the dough into the water and started washing it, so she said, "Is this what you call washing the dough?"
Xiang Jin nodded, "Ah, this is face washing. After washing, naturally you have to put it in water to wash it."
Her mother asked again, "Then when will you wash this? What will you do after washing it?"
Xiang Jin said, "You need to keep washing until the volume of the dough can no longer be reduced. The remaining dough is gluten, and the flour is in the water. Then let it sit and settle. Wait until the clear and turbid parts separate and the sticky substance underneath is exposed."
After drying or drying, it becomes powder."
Her mother then asked, "Then what exactly did you make this powder?"
Xiang Jin corrected her, "It's a Cheng fan, not a Shen fan. Let's keep this a secret for now. When I make it, you will know. Are you okay now? If you are okay, just help me.
Wash some potatoes and let grandpa use our stone mill to grind some potato pulp with you. I'm going to make potato starch."
It's just inconvenient in this era. There's no noodles or potato starch. Usually there's only sweet potato starch, so if she needs to use other starch, she has to make it herself. Fortunately, they still have potatoes here.
Otherwise, she would not be able to make potato starch even if she wanted to.
Her mother was surprised, "How much potato starch do you want to make, and do you need your grandpa to help?"
Xiang Jin said, "One pound of potatoes can produce eighty to one hundred grams of potato starch. I want five or six pounds of potato starch, so you have to grind at least fifty or sixty pounds of potato pulp for me."
Her mother frowned, "Okay, I'll get it for you," and then went next door to pick up potatoes.
Xiang Jin asked her to call Xiang Lan over and ask her to cook the pot.
After a while, Xiang Lan ran in and asked, "Sister, what are you making that's delicious?"
Xiang Jin said, "You will know when the time comes."
"Then will we have enough to eat tonight?" The little girl looked at her with sparkling eyes and an expectant look on her face.
Xiang Jin shook his head, "No, it will take a few days."
"Ah? How many more days will it take? What kind of food is this? It will take so long?" The little girl was surprised.
Xiang Jin said, "Because we don't have the materials now, we have to prepare them."
"Oh, okay," the little girl suddenly lost interest and felt a little disappointed.
It took Xiang Jin nearly two hours to wash the dough, and her mothers finished it in about the same time. Then they asked her, "What should I do next?"
Xiang Jin said, "Wash a large stainless steel basin, and then use the fine sieve to drain out the potato residue inside. Then let the starch water wait for it to stand. After the clear and turbidity are separated, pour the clear water on top.
If it falls off, the rest is potato starch. When the time comes, take out the potato starch and put it in a dustpan and wait for it to dry."
Her mother said, "It's snowing, how long will it take to dry?"
Xiang Jin said, "There is another way, that is, we use some bricks to circle a stove mouth in the empty room, and then put the firewood burning in the pot into the stove mouth, and then put the dustpan
Put it on the mouth of the stove, so that if there is firewood below it, the moisture on it will evaporate faster."
Xiang Jin's mother couldn't help complaining, "You are causing so much trouble?!"
Xiang Jin rolled his eyes at her angrily, "Don't bother eating! Do you think I'm just doing this for our family? I'm telling you that I'm doing this for my uncle and their business."
Here’s a new trick.”
Her mother said, "Are you doing this for your uncle and the others?"
Xiang Jin said, "Otherwise, what do you think? Let me tell you, after I taught those people in Wantou how to make snacks, many people will definitely go to the streets to open shops after the Chinese New Year. Naturally, I will have to give it to my uncle and them.
Bring out some unique and unique food, that way your business will be more secure."
Her mother said, "Aren't you teaching them different things from teaching your uncle them?"
Xiang Jin said, "It's different, but there are fresh foods on the street in Baobuqi. If you want to change your taste, you will only eat one kind of food for the rest of your life. How about you do that?"
Her mother nodded, "Oh oh oh, good, good!"
Then Xiang Jin asked his grandfather, "Grandpa, do you still have some red pumpkins at home?"
Her grandfather nodded, "There should be. What, you want to eat? Then ask your mother to send a message to your uncle and the others tomorrow and ask them to bring you two the day after tomorrow."
Xiang Jin nodded, "Okay!"
After breakfast the next day, Xiang Jin went to teach the people in Wantou how to cook as usual. This time she taught them how to make several noodles and several soup noodles. One was hot dry noodles and the other was burning noodles.
One is oil-splashed noodles, and the other is earthen pot noodles, with soup noodles.
The only ones are the bridge rice noodles and the pickled cabbage, tofu and fish rice noodles. Of course, this crock pot noodles and these two rice noodles only give them a theoretical perspective and tell them what to do, but there is no actual operation. Let them
You can go home and practice by yourself when the time comes.
After returning home, Xiang Lan asked her sister, "Sister, I think the hot and sour noodles you made for us last time were delicious. Why don't you teach them to make that?"
Xiang Jin glanced at her angrily, "I'm stupid. If I teach them how to make hot and sour noodles, don't I have to teach them how to splash the chili oil?
Don’t forget, my mother uses chili oil when selling cold vegetables. When the time comes, let them learn how to sell cold vegetables. If they don’t want to sell noodles and noodles, they will sell cold vegetables instead. Wouldn’t that mean they are stealing business from our family?
?”
"Oh oh oh, it turns out you saved this trick, sister," the little girl nodded.
Xiang Jin stretched out his hand and pinched her little cheek again, "Remember, you can't just tell others about everything. The reason why our family's business has not been affected until now is because we have a secret recipe."
?”
"Oh oh oh, got it!"
Xiang Jin told her, "Remember, as long as I don't say anything outside, you don't have to talk too much, you know?"
"Yeah, yeah, got it!"
"Let's go play," Xiang Jin gave her a look.
The little girl said "Oh" and ran away. Xiang Jin turned around to look at the clear noodles and potato starch she had made.