Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 49

Chapter 49

In a blink of an eye, it was Minor Snow, and the cold weather required people to wear thin padded jackets.

Lin Jiangshan returned from weeding the fields, threw the weeds in a pile in the backyard to be chopped up later for the chickens and ducks, and shivered as he entered the house. “The weather is strange this year, no snow on Minor Snow, but it’s raining.”

The rain wasn’t heavy but icy cold, biting at his face and hands like knives. Lin Jiangshan wore a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat, but his feet were still freezing.

Ye Xi was sewing clothes inside, and hearing his husband return, he quickly went out to greet him, helped him take off his hat and raincoat, and hung them under the eaves to drip dry.

“Yes, it usually starts snowing on Minor Snow. As the saying goes, ‘Snow on Minor Snow, a bountiful year to follow.’ The weather is strange this year, raining instead of snowing.”

Lin Jiangshan sat at the door and took off his wet cloth shoes. “With this rain, it’s going to be a cold winter, they say people might freeze to death. We have enough firewood at home, but it’s good to chop more and store it before heavy snow blocks the forest.”

Ye Xi quickly went to the kitchen, filled a basin with steaming hot water, and brought it for Lin Jiangshan to soak his feet. Only after immersing his feet in the warm water did Lin Jiangshan feel some relief.

Ye Xi sat beside him, continued sewing as he soaked his feet, working on a cotton-padded jacket for Lin Jiangshan. He hadn’t had time before, spending a whole month embroidering two quilt covers for Mrs. Wang. Now, winter had arrived, and his husband’s jacket wasn’t even finished yet.

“We don’t have to worry about the crops in the fields anymore. If you have time, you can chop some firewood. Today is Minor Snow, the day for pickling vegetables. Later, you come with me to the field to pull some red radishes for pickling, so we can eat them later.”

Lin Jiangshan nodded as he soaked his feet. The rain outside continued to fall, and mist rose in the mountains, the fog among the treetops swirling like a sea of clouds, enveloping Shanxiu Village in a misty embrace.

When Lin Jiangshan had warmed up and his hands and feet regained their warmth, Ye Xi took a basket and went out with him. The vegetable garden, after Ye Xi’s careful tending, was now thriving.

The scallions, garlic, and chives by the wall were lush and green, the pumpkins hanging heavy on the vine trellis, the cabbages green and vibrant, and the most abundant were the radishes. Ye Xi, remembering that they needed to eat radishes in winter, as the saying went, “Eat radishes in winter and ginger in summer,” and winter radishes were as nourishing as ginseng.

So he planted several varieties of radishes. Red radishes were specifically for pickling, the ever-spring radishes were juicy, sweet, and crisp, perfect for hot pot, and there were also the cute little cherry radishes, round like small fruits, but with a spicy taste, which Ye Xi planned to shred and pickle.

The shepherd’s purse was also growing well, large and plump, and he could pick a dozen or so, dry and pickle them for a winter side dish.

Ye Xi squatted down and pulled out two red radishes, bright red and crisp. “Husband, look, aren’t my vegetables growing well?”

Lin Jiangshan smiled. “My husband does everything well, even growing vegetables. We won’t have to worry about vegetables this winter.”

Ye Xi replied, “I think we’ll have extra, we can sell the surplus in town, maybe we’ll get a good price this year.”

“Alright, and we also have some potatoes and pumpkins from the autumn harvest stored in the cellar, we can sell them too.”

The rain-soaked leaves were cold against his hands, and Ye Xi’s hands were red and swollen after picking a basket of radishes. Seeing this, Lin Jiangshan stopped him and quickly filled a basket himself.

After carrying the vegetables back to the courtyard, Ye Xi quickly brought a basin of hot water, and they soaked their hands in it. If their hands were cold for too long, they would get chilblains.

Ye Xi’s hands were small, dwarfed by Lin Jiangshan’s large hands in the basin. He gently massaged each of Ye Xi’s fingers to improve blood circulation, and Ye Xi squeezed his husband’s hand, trying to pinch his knuckles playfully, but even with all his strength, Lin Jiangshan didn’t flinch, and his thick knuckles hurt Ye Xi’s hand instead.

After soaking their hands and playing for a while, they started processing the vegetables.

He removed the radish tops, washed the radishes in the pool, and then sliced them and put them in the pickle jar. The mustard green leaves were washed and chopped for pickling and drying.

Lin Jiangshan was quick and efficient, and soon he had sliced half a basket of radishes. Ye Xi, washing the vegetables in the warm spring water by the pool, couldn’t keep up with him.

The fawn came over and nuzzled against him. Ye Xi looked down at it, knowing it was hungry, and washed a radish, feeding it.

“Husband, let’s pickle some ginger too, the winter ginger is tender and crisp now.” Pickled ginger in winter was crunchy and refreshing, mixed with chili oil, spicy and delicious, perfect for porridge.

Lin Jiangshan sliced the radishes and replied, “Eating ginger in winter warms the body and gives you energy.”

Ye Xi went and pulled a few ginger roots, washed them, and put them in the pickle jar.

The pickling liquid had to be cooled boiled water, with added cinnamon, star anise, fennel, and other spices, and most importantly, salt.

Ye Xi carefully added salt, spoonful by spoonful, afraid of making it too salty or too bland.

Lin Jiangshan frowned. “That doesn’t seem like a lot of salt.”

Ye Xi glared at him. “That would be way too salty, husband, you really treat salt like water!”

Ye Xi quickly pulled him away from the pickle jar, finished pickling the vegetables, added some water to the rim of the jar to seal it, and moved it to the corner, waiting for a few days before they could eat them.

After pickling the vegetables, the rain outside intensified, the water dripping from the eaves forming continuous streams. Ye Xi stood under the eaves, rubbed his hands together, and exhaled, his breath forming a white cloud. “Today is Minor Snow, how about we make some glutinous rice cakes? We can roast them over the fire and eat them as snacks.”

Lin Jiangshan, chopping firewood in the courtyard, nodded. “Call me when you’re pounding the rice cakes, I’ll do it.”

Ye Xi smiled. “We still have some brown sugar and sesame seeds, I’ll roast them and use them as filling!”

He soaked the glutinous rice in a basin, added some yeast, and let it soak for an hour. Ye Xi sat inside, finished sewing the sleeves of the cotton-padded jacket, got up, and checked the glutinous rice. It had softened and could be easily pinched apart.

He spread the glutinous rice evenly in a steamer, lit the fire, and steamed it. The unique aroma of glutinous rice gradually filled the air.

While waiting for the rice to steam, Ye Xi brought a bowl of water to Lin Jiangshan in the courtyard. Seeing the pile of chopped firewood, he smiled. “Even if we burn firewood all day, we won’t be able to finish this.”

Lin Jiangshan wiped the sweat from his forehead, an idea forming in his mind. “I’m thinking of making charcoal with this firewood. It burns longer and sells better than firewood in town, twenty wen per catty, it would be a good source of income.”

Ye Xi took the empty bowl. “Other people stay indoors during winter, but we’re busy thinking about making money.”

Lin Jiangshan smiled. “If we work harder and plan ahead, we’ll have a better life. I’m still thinking of buying you a cow, so you can ride in an ox cart when going out, and you won’t have to walk.”

The glutinous rice in the pot was steamed, and Ye Xi returned to the kitchen, picked up a small amount with his chopsticks, tasted it, and found it soft and cooked. He scooped out the rice and put it in a stone mortar.

Lin Jiangshan washed his hands and came to help pound the glutinous rice. He lifted the pestle and pounded the rice, while Ye Xi squatted by the mortar, turning the rice.

The glutinous rice gradually became a sticky mass, and when pulled, it formed strings.

He spread the pounded glutinous rice on a bamboo tray, brushed it with vegetable oil, and let it cool and solidify.

Ye Xi mixed wheat bran and went to feed the chickens, then went to the woodshed to get some straw for the chicken coop bedding, to protect the chickens and ducks from the cold wind.

When he came out of the chicken coop, he held four warm eggs in his hand and smiled. “Husband, our chickens laid eggs!”

He excitedly showed the eggs to Lin Jiangshan, like a child. Lin Jiangshan put his arm around his waist, looking at the eggs in his hand.

“My husband worked hard raising them, we’ll have eggs to eat now.”

Ye Xi said happily, “Let’s make steamed eggs tonight and try our own eggs!”

In the evening, Shanxiu Village was shrouded in mist, the cold wind howling, the winter rain still falling, pattering on the eaves and roof tiles. A warm light flickered in the Ye family’s small courtyard.

A single oil lamp lit the kitchen, and the fire in the stove burned brightly, the flickering flames a stark contrast to the cold weather outside.

Ye Xi stir-fried brown sugar and sesame seeds in a wok, creating the filling, and wrapped it in the glutinous rice cakes. Lin Jiangshan tried to help, but the cakes he made were neither round nor square, so Ye Xi asked him to just tend the fire.

His fingers were nimble, and the rice cakes he made had thin wrappers and generous fillings. “I loved eating rice cakes when I was young, but we didn’t have enough glutinous rice at home, we only had them during the New Year, so I always looked forward to the New Year. But my mother was reluctant to use the brown sugar, only filling them with peanuts and sesame seeds. I took a bite and didn’t taste any sweetness, so I pouted and cried. My brother, seeing me cry, couldn’t bear it, so he stole the sugar jar and added a lot of brown sugar to my rice cakes. They were so sweet that my teeth ached. While I was enjoying my sweet rice cakes, my brother was being punished by my mother in the courtyard.”

Lin Jiangshan smiled and listened attentively to Ye Xi’s childhood stories.

“When my brother and sister-in-law have children, I’ll definitely make lots of sweet treats for my nephew, to repay my brother’s kindness when we were young.”

“Good.”

The oil in the wok was hot, and Ye Xi carefully fried the rice cakes, their surfaces turning golden brown, the filling slightly exposed. He flipped the cakes a few times.

Ignoring the heat, he picked one up and fed it to Lin Jiangshan. “Try it, it’s crispy now.”

Lin Jiangshan took a small bite. The outer layer was crispy, the inside soft and chewy, with stringy bits, and the sweet and fragrant brown sugar and sesame filling burst out, blending with the glutinous rice, delicious and fragrant.

Ye Xi fried a few more, then went to check the steamed eggs in the pot. This was the first time they had their own eggs, and he used four of them tonight. The steamed eggs were tender, smooth, and without any air pockets.

He added a little soy sauce, a few drops of sesame oil, and finally, sprinkled some chopped green onions, fragrant and tempting.

Lin Jiangshan and Ye Xi sat at the small table in the kitchen and ate dinner, the aroma of food drifting out the window.

This was a simple yet satisfying meal in their mountain village home.