Chapter 173: A Token of Goodwill

Chapter 173: Chapter 173: A Token of Goodwill

Growing spices was delicate work compared to farming regular crops. It had many particular requirements and was very time-consuming.

The three members of the Hu Family and Ji Huan were busy for four or five days before they finally finished, and that was only thanks to the help of one other person.

Shi Yong and Ji Lianbai had cleared the wasteland together, so their plots of land were adjacent.

When his family’s property was divided, Shi Yong only received one and a half mu of land. That was why he never gave up on his plot on Nanshan, no matter how poorly it yielded. He would always plant something there each year.

When Ji Huan and the others arrived the next day, they happened to see Shi Yong working in his field.

Shi Yong knew that Ji Huan had only been allotted these three mu of wasteland and that she couldn’t afford to neglect them. Once he finished his own work, he came over to give her a hand.

When he saw that Ji Huan was planting some strange and exotic things, he grew worried. But since the Hu Family didn’t say a word, he kept his concerns to himself.

He was a strong worker, even more so than Hu Liang. With him joining in, their progress sped up considerably.

After they finished, they rested for a day at home. Ji Huan then made a special trip to town to buy ingredients, planning to treat the Hu Family and Shi Yong to a meal to thank them.

The Hu Family didn’t stand on ceremony, but Shi Yong was a bit bashful. When he arrived, he was even carrying a small wicker basket.

"I caught these in a wild pond... There aren’t many, so I hope you don’t mind. I don’t have much else to offer."

Ji Huan took the basket, lifted the lid, and broke into a smile. They were eels.

It was currently spring and the temperature was gradually rising, so the eels were beginning to emerge from their burrows. Still, they were quite rare at this time of year, and their nocturnal habits made them difficult to catch.

"Uncle Shi Yong, you’re too kind. These will make a wonderful dish."

Hu Ximei was a little scared of the slippery, slimy creatures. She thought they looked a bit like snakes, so she took Xiao’an and Hua and kept her distance.

Hu Dacheng, however, wasn’t afraid. As long as food was involved, nothing scared him.

Dabao seemed curious as well, squatting down and staring intently.

Ji Huan called for Dabao to come inside and tend the stove, and only then did he slowly get to his feet.

In the kitchen, Hu Liang had already let the dough rise and had kneaded it evenly with white sugar.

Widow Xie was pinching off equally sized portions of dough and beginning to roll out the wrappers.

"Aunt Xie, the wrappers need to be thick in the center and thin at the edges," Ji Huan reminded her.

"I know, I know! Liangzi just told me, and now you’re nagging me too. I may not be a great cook, but you think I can’t handle simple prep work?"

Hu Liang shot Ji Huan a look, stifling a laugh.

Ji Huan shook her head and started mixing the filling.

Scallions were chopped and ginger was minced. Hu Liang had already minced the pork, which was a thirty-seventy blend of fat to lean meat.

The soybean sprouts were homegrown. She pinched off the roots, washed and drained them, then stir-fried them in a hot wok until cooked through.

She heated some lard in a wok, and when the oil was hot, she stir-fried the minced pork until it was cooked. Then, she added some soybean paste and fried it until fragrant, seasoning it with a pinch of salt and sugar, along with the chopped scallions and ginger.

She thickened the mixture with a starch slurry, then transferred it to a plate. She mixed the cooked bean sprouts with the pork, and after letting it cool, the filling was ready.

She placed a good amount of filling onto each wrapper, folding them into uniformly sized, pleated buns.

Since there were a lot of people, they made a lot of buns.

While the buns were steaming, Hu Liang finished preparing the eels.

The eels had been kept in an abandoned water tank at Shi Yong’s home for six or seven days, long enough for them to purge any impurities. He had been so busy with fieldwork that he hadn’t gotten around to eating them.

Shi Yong felt awkward just sitting in the main hall, so he went into the kitchen, offering to help tend the stove.

Hu Liang dragged him back to the main hall to chat, and Hu Dacheng was summoned to tend the other stove instead.

Hu Dacheng tried to take the opportunity to tease Dabao, but Dabao had grown wise to his tricks and simply focused on the stove, ignoring him completely.

Hu Dacheng’s fun was spoiled, so he sulkily stuffed firewood into the stove.

When the oil was about sixty percent hot, she added dried chilies, ginger, and garlic, stir-frying them before adding a rich broth.

Next, she placed the cleaned, whole eels into the pot, covered it, and let them simmer for about fifteen minutes before taking them out and plating them.

She still had some of the vinegar she’d bought before. It was a very ordinary vintage, but this dish was incomplete without it.

Ji Huan sighed again. ’It’s a shame I don’t know how to improve the process.’ Otherwise, she would have set aside the spices for now and focused on creating her own soy sauce and vinegar.

Without soy sauce and vinegar, there were so many dishes she couldn’t make. Even if she tried, they would lack a certain something.

The next dish, by Hu Dacheng’s adamant request, was Salt-and-Pepper Fried Pork.

Ji Huan started by toasting salt and Sichuan peppercorn powder in a wok until fragrant. Then, she cracked an egg into some dry bean flour and mixed it into a batter that was neither too watery nor too thick.

She cut skinless pork belly into strips, tossed them with salt, and then coated them evenly in the batter.

She heated vegetable oil in a wok until it was about seventy percent hot. She then dropped the battered pork belly strips in one by one, continuously adding new pieces while scooping out the ones that were done.

Once they were all fried, she returned them to the wok for a second, quick fry before immediately scooping them out onto a plate.

A sprinkle of the toasted salt and pepper mixture while they were hot, and they were ready to eat.

Hu Dacheng had managed to restrain himself when faced with the hot and sour eel, but this crispy salt-and-pepper pork thoroughly awakened his inner glutton.

However, he had learned from experience. He knew the freshly fried pork would be scalding hot and soft, not yet at its peak. Only after it cooled slightly would it become perfectly fragrant and crisp.

Besides, with Widow Xie right there, he didn’t have the guts to sneak a piece. He had no choice but to bear it and continue tending the stove.

A portion of the fried pork, sprinkled with the salt and pepper mix, was set aside for the children as a snack. The rest was used to make a cabbage stew.

After that, Ji Huan made one more meat dish, three vegetable dishes, and two soups—one savory and one sweet. Only then did she call everyone to the table to eat.

The soybean sprout buns were fluffy, generously filled, and tasted fragrant, spicy, and savory all at once. The men devoured them in just two or three bites each.

The palm-sized eels had been simmered until the meat was falling off the bone. Popping a whole one in your mouth filled it with a hot, sour, and savory flavor, the texture both rich and smooth, yet tenderly firm.

As for the crispy pork and cabbage stew, and the other dishes on the table, it goes without saying that they were all delicious.

Ji Huan took two buns, dished out some of the other food, and stood up to leave.

Lu Yong, not knowing the situation, asked, "Wuan, aren’t you going to sit and eat? Where are you going?"

Widow Xie sighed. "What else could she be doing? Taking food to the beggar."

When Widow Xie found out the beggar had settled near Ji Huan’s house, she had expressed her concern, worried he might have malicious intentions.

But after observing him for a few days, she confirmed that the beggar was slow in both body and mind. He showed no reaction no matter what anyone said or asked him.

A person like that wasn’t dangerous, but she felt he was becoming a burden to Ji Huan.

He was a complete stranger, yet she had to feed him every day.

"If you ask me, Wuan is just too much of a busybody. She gets involved in things that aren’t her concern. How long is she going to carry this burden? When will it end?"

Ji Huan returned from delivering the food just in time to hear Widow Xie’s words.

"Aunt Xie, how can you say that about me? Weren’t you the one giving him clothes and shoes?"

It was now spring. And though there were still sudden chills and the temperature was unstable, it was growing warmer day by day. Everyone had shed their heavy, padded winter coats for spring clothes, at most adding a light, thinly-padded jacket in the cool of the morning and evening.

This just went to show that Widow Xie had a thoughtful side. She had gathered some old clothes from her home to give to the homeless man.

Ji Huan hadn’t thought of that. And even if she had, she didn’t own any suitable clothes to give the man.

Widow Xie waved her hand dismissively. "Bah! Those all belonged to Liangzi’s father... They’re not good clothes, just patched-up rags that should have been thrown out long ago. If the beggar weren’t a simpleton, he’d probably resent me for giving him a dead man’s clothes..."

She had originally thought about giving him some of Liangzi’s old clothes, but on checking, she realized that while Liangzi was tall, the beggar was even taller. He likely wouldn’t be able to fit into them.

Ji Huan just smiled. "It’s the thought that counts. What difference does it make? Let’s not talk about him anymore. Come on, let’s eat."