readytorunbook Chapter 116 Regaining Confidence
Chapter 116 Regaining Confidence
Han Zhibai kept holding the backpack and stared at Xia Qingyue. It was the first time they were so close. When their eyes met, his pupils shrank, and he looked away slightly and said, "It's okay, I let go."
"Let it go. I can carry it."
She felt a heavy feeling on her shoulders and back, but she thought it was okay. It was not too heavy and she was used to carrying it. Besides, the way back was long, so she could stop to rest and find a stick to lean on while walking.
There are always more ways than difficulties.
"Han Zhibai, I'm leaving now. You should also stock up on some food for the winter."
Xia Qingyue called Heihei and left.
Heihei looked back every few steps as he walked.
Han Zhibai, who was standing behind her, did not move an inch. He looked at Xia Qingyue's receding figure and murmured, "She is so thin, how can she have so much strength?"
Until the figure disappeared, he called Xiaobai, and they turned and left in opposite directions.
On the way, Xia Qingyue stopped three times and rushed back to the tiankeng at noon. At this time, the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was scorching.
When she went out in the morning, she only took out soap nuts, walnuts and other things to dry, but did not take out the dried fruits.
She put away the Glauber's salt and Chinese tallow fruit she brought back and dried the soapberries in the sun.
After a busy morning, she was so hungry that her stomach was sticking to her back. Filling her stomach was the most important thing, so she went to make lunch. Heihei was full of energy and played with his wooden plate.
There was some stewed cured horse meat left over from the morning, and the dried loofah and gourd in it had been almost eaten, so she soaked some of them and added them in to the cooking.
Cook rice in a pot and add some cut pumpkin to make pumpkin rice.
The stew only took more than ten minutes to cook, and I quickly fried a plate of mustard greens.
She put a bowl of pumpkin rice and some vegetables in Heihei's bowl.
When Heihei saw that it was time to eat, he ran back and sniffed the bowl.
"We'll have a vegetarian lunch, and later we'll kill a rabbit and have fresh meat."
After finishing the black rice, she started to eat.
The food is especially delicious and fragrant when you eat it when you are very hungry after being tired. The dried gourd and loofah are full of soup, and the taste is salty and fresh, and the taste is richer than eating fresh ones.
When making a stew like this, because there is salt in the bacon, she will use a little less salt. The flavor cannot be too strong, otherwise the body will be prone to problems when she gets older. In this era of underdeveloped medical conditions, more attention must be paid.
She still cherishes her life.
After eating, she would quickly wash the dishes. No matter how busy she was, she would always clean up the kitchen as soon as possible to avoid attracting flies and insects.
After cleaning up, she washed her hands, took out the dried fruits that had been dried yesterday and put them on the grate to steam them. One pot of steaming takes more than ten minutes. After steaming, she took them out while they were still hot and spread them on the bamboo raft to continue drying.
It needs to be steamed three times and dried three times, just like making pickled plums. Although the steps are many and complicated, the dried fruits made in this way taste better.
Another day without a lunch break.
Busy time always flies by.
Nearing evening, Xia Qingyue killed two rabbits, pulled off their fur, boiled one for Heihei, and chopped the other into cubes for later use.
The sky was beginning to darken, and it was getting dark earlier than usual.
She ran to collect the things that were drying in the sun and took them back.
For dinner she cooked the black food first and then did her dishes.
Pour the rabbit meat into the pan and stir-fry until the oil comes out. Fry until each piece of rabbit meat is browned. Push the meat to the side of the pan, add ginger, pepper, and star anise into the pan and stir-fry until fragrant. Then push the meat off the pan and stir-fry over low heat to let the meat absorb the flavor of the spices.
Stir-fry for a few minutes, add salt to enhance the flavor of the matsutake mushrooms, and appropriate amount of kiwi sugar solution to enhance the flavor.
“The color is a bit bland. If I don’t have the all-purpose bean paste, I can make glutinous rice chili.
Yes, winter is coming, and we can cook hot pot and eat it to keep warm!"
Thinking of hot pot, Xia Qingyue swallowed hard. God knows how much she loves hot pot. Hot pot is the most delicious food in the world!
No matter how much you think about it, the reality is cruel.
She scooped out the fried rabbit meat and said in a low and weak voice, "Dayuan has a law that states that killing cattle is illegal. You can only eat cattle that are sick or dead, and a cow is very expensive."
"Forget it, we can't eat hotpot made with butter." She brought the dishes to the table, remembered something, turned her head to glance at the jar of lard on the bamboo rack on the counter, and a sly smile broke out on her face.
"I can't change the reality for now, but I can change my mindset. I can use lard instead. The taste will definitely not be as good as that made with butter. Anyway, I have found quite a few spices, so I can satisfy my craving!"
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She imagined that it was winter, with heavy snow and biting cold winds outside, and she was sitting around a pot in a cave eating hotpot with meat and vegetables, which warmed her whole body.
How beautiful and comfortable.
She was full of anticipation as she thought about life in winter.
Suddenly, she thought of a question, "You have to use a double-flavored pot to eat hot pot. The spicy pot is for cooking meat, and the clear soup pot is for cooking vegetables."
This was a habit she had never changed. Cooking green vegetables in a red pot with spicy and oily flavor was unacceptable to her.
She was surprised and said, "That means I still have to make a shabu-shabu pot!"
The scene of my failed attempt at making a jar last time is still vivid in my mind.
When I thought about eating hotpot, I suddenly felt that everything was no longer a problem and I regained my confidence.
She squinted her eyes, with an indestructible brilliance in them. "It doesn't matter. Failure is the mother of success. I will get better and better if I try a few more times!"
Thinking about this, she finished her dinner.
She hadn't eaten fresh meat for a while, so she couldn't control herself and ate most of the big bowl of vegetables, making her stomach bloated.
The bacon is delicious, but it is still a little bit inferior to the fresh one.
The remaining rabbit meat can be saved for tomorrow morning. The temperature is relatively low at night now, so it can be left there.
After cleaning up the kitchen, she lit a newly made candle and went into the foundation pit to dig.
Before one candle burns out, light a second one.
When the second one was about to go out, she went upstairs, lit the third one to take a bath, and got ready for bed before it went out.
Fortunately, she went to carry back some tung trees today, otherwise she would be heartbroken if she continued to use candles like this.
"Once I'm done with this period and have the poultry house built, I'll have some free time later."
She went to bed early because she had to water all the crops the next morning.
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It was a new day. Xia Qingyue woke up at dawn. She did not stay in bed, but got up to fetch water to water the crops.
More than an hour later, the vegetables were soaked, and she kneaded the dough to make hand-rolled noodles, using last night's rabbit meat as the sauce and adding some green vegetables.
Heihei ate boiled eggs and pumpkin.
It was still cool in the sinkhole in the morning, so she took the time to dig the foundation pit. After a few days of hard work, she had only dug half of it.
After a simple lunch, she steamed the dried fruits like she did yesterday, and then spread them on bamboo rafts to dry.
After steaming, the dried fruits are obviously darker in color and have a stronger aroma.
In the afternoon, she and Heihei took turns guarding the dried fruits.
She didn't stop to rest and went on digging the hole.
The next day, Xia Qingyue was as busy as the day before.
Although it is busy and hard work, and she has little free time except sleeping, she enjoys it.
Watching my little home getting better little by little and storing more and more supplies, I feel happy and satisfied. All the hard work and fatigue are worth it!
As her small home became better and better, she tended the crops and raised poultry, and there seemed to be nothing else to do, which meant that she had plenty of free time.
As for how to fill the free time, she hasn't figured it out yet.
"Live your present life well first!"