Druid's Country Retirement

Chapter 491 Try something new

Back to the old house.

The rice field is filled with corn cobs. Although they have been drying in the field for a while, after they are picked from the corn stalks, they need to be dried for two more days before they can be loaded into the warehouse.

After a busy morning, the sun rose to the top, and it was a good day to dry the corn.

The corn sticks piled up into a golden hill, shining brightly in the sun.

Jin Zi used his fat tiger paws to level the corn stalks, while Shan Xing and Li Hongbing held rakes and spread the corn stalks flat on the ground one by one, so that each corn stalk could fully receive sunlight.

Then, the bracts are turned from time to time so that each side can be dried. During the drying process, those with insect damage or not being full must be removed, leaving only the best bracts.

The two of them were busy on the rice field, their faces filled with joy after the harvest, and they were happier than making money.

As time goes by, the sun gets higher and higher, and the temperature gradually rises.

The door to the guest room was open, and the mother bear was lying in the doorway, basking in the sun to recuperate. The two bear cubs, Xiong Da and Xiong Er, and the two leopard cubs were playing in the rice field. From time to time, they messed up the paved rice fields, causing Li Hongbing to shout a few times. They scolded them, and after a while they started to fight again.

The cobs make a crackling sound under the sunlight, which is the sound made by corn kernels when they are dehydrated.

Li Hongbing took out a small stone mill from the kitchen, peeled off the apricot kernels and poured them into the grinding eye. Then he used a wooden pole to push the stone mill and slowly rotate it. As the stone mill rotated, the corn kernels were slowly ground into cornmeal. Delicate cornmeal is squeezed out from the cracks of the stone mill.

The mountain apricot uses a brush to sweep aside the ground bract noodles, puts it into a basin, and grinds it twice until it grinds out fine bract noodles.

At this time, silence is better than sound. Occasionally, the two of them look at each other and smile, seeing sweet happiness in each other's eyes.

Jin Zi walked to October and lay down next to him. After a period of familiarity, October was no longer afraid of Jin Zi, or maybe it was because they were both kings of the animal world, and they felt that they had a close relationship with each other.

The bear cub and the leopard cub who had had enough fun lay on Jin Zi's soft belly, sleeping soundly with their legs in the air.

Oak Agriculture Packaging Workshop.

After the last internal adjustment of the company, the vegetable packaging workshop was separated from Oak Express and included in Oak Agriculture. Since the four Li Daquan are old employees, their performance is not bad. In addition, the workshop has expanded in scale, more workers have been added, and many management positions have been created. A vacancy opened up, and four people were promoted to team leaders.

After becoming a team leader, wages and benefits will naturally increase accordingly.

The monthly salary is more than the money earned in the countryside in a year. Li Daquan, Liu Changjun, and Liu Siping are also used to working from nine to five. They do not have to work. They are responsible for supervising the work of the workers every day. After work, they play cards and play cards. There are workers who treat guests to dinner and take a bath, not to mention keeping themselves moisturized during their small days.

As for the more than 100,000 yuan in wages owed to the villagers in Caogou Village, the four of them could pay it off after saving for a year, and there was no news that they were wanted.

I secretly called people in the village a few days ago and got the news that Boss Ma had made up all the money, which made the four of them feel more at ease.

The hatred towards Li Hongbing also faded away.

There is no hope of returning to Caogou Village, and there is no hope of returning to the ruined village. It is more comfortable in the city, and I have a serious job. At worst, I can get married and have a wife in the city. I heard that as long as I perform well, the company will give me any housing subsidies.

Three of the four people thought so, and one had sworn hatred in his heart.

That is Li Shulin.

The fact that the mother-in-law was ruined by Li Gouzi always stuck deep in her heart like a fish bone.

As a man, who can bear to see his mother-in-law being abused? Even if I and Wang Gai spend all day fighting or quarreling, if we don't get divorced, Wang Gai will spend one day becoming my wife, Li Shulin.

Now that the mother-in-law has been ruined, no matter what the people in the village think and see, they are probably saying that I, Li Shulin, am not a man.

And Wang Gaihua, after all these days, why didn't you call the police? She must have hooked up with Li Gouzi, and maybe she will be pregnant with Li Gouzi's bitch by now.

Every night, Li Shulin couldn't sleep all night. It seemed like Li Gouzi was bullying Wang Gaihua, or Wang Gaihua and Li Gouzi got into the same bed, or even Wang Gaihua with a big belly and Li Gouzi holding his newborn child.

These scenes made Li Shulin's head buzz and his ears were full of ridicule.

The desire for revenge is getting stronger day by day.

Only by taking out the packet of medicinal powder from the pillowcase and holding it in the palm of my hand can I get some comfort.

"Shulin, let's go out for a drink later. Someone from Chang Jun's group will treat us to dinner, and there will be a show in the evening." Li Daquan leaned against the door of the dormitory with a smirk on his face.

Li Shulin quietly put the medicine bag back into the set and refused expressionlessly, "I won't go. I had a headache this morning and my head hurts."

"Okay! If you feel uncomfortable, go to the infirmary and get some medicine." Li Daquan hesitated for a moment, shook his head and left.

After taking a few steps, I looked back at the door of the dormitory. I don’t know since when, the woods have become colder and colder, and they have become more and more unsociable. They say they don’t play cards or drink. They even quit playing jungle in the woods, which they loved most. , often sitting alone in the corner, mumbling and not knowing what to say.

Looking at the empty room, Li Shulin's eyes were full of resentment, he grabbed the medicine bag and walked towards the packaging workshop.

The sun gradually sets in the west, and evening comes, and the afterglow shines on the treetops, reflecting a golden light.

The evening breeze blew gently, bringing a bit of coolness, and the leaves of the old oak trees rustled.

Li Hongbing and Shan Xing were busy gathering the corn sticks on the rice field again. It was very humid at night and had to be covered with a tarpaulin.

giggle!

A string of laughter like silver bells sounded in the corridor of the courtyard.

Immediately afterwards, Anna appeared jumping up and down, holding her schoolbag.

"Hey, the eldest lady is back. It's strange that you still know how to go home." Li Hongbing put down his work and said yin and yang.

snort!

Anna wrinkled her little nose and said, "Xing'er's mother, Sister Nannan will stay at home tonight."

"Little aunt, little uncle." Nannan greeted politely.

Just as Li Hongbing was about to speak, Xiong San wandered into the rice field and saw the two brothers sleeping soundly on top of Jin Zi. He froze on the spot for a moment and then ran towards Jin Zi's direction, screaming excitedly as he ran. , missing a paw, fell heavily after running a few steps, got up and continued running.

Hearing the cry, Xiong Da and Xiong Ermi opened their eyes wide open. Before they could react, they were pinned down by Xiong San.

The two brothers lived with their mother in the mountains. Food was already scarce after winter, so Xiong San couldn't eat three meals a day of meat. Xiong San had a fat head and big ears, and was a bit bigger than the two brothers.

The two bear brothers who were pinned below were happy to be reunited with their younger brothers, while they struggled to escape.

The little leopard nearby was awakened by the noise of the fight and saw the bear cubs fighting in a ball. He thought they were playing and joined in.

"Ah! Xiong Da, Xiong Er, why are you back!" Anna found two more cubs next to Jin Zi. After recognizing them, she threw away her schoolbag and pounced on them.

a time.

The rice field is in chaos. Anyway, it’s you who catches me, and I catch you. Seeing this, Li Hongbing shook his head, pulled Shan Xing into the kitchen, and prepared dinner.

After a good harvest, the first meal must be made with the newly harvested grain. This is a custom passed down from ancestors, which is called tasting new things.

No matter what kind of grain it is, it can be sweet potatoes, rice, or corns, and each household has a different time to taste new things. Those who harvest early will taste new things early, and those who harvest late will taste new things late.

In the past, when food was scarce and even grain famines occurred, harvesting new grain and harvesting new rice were the villagers' greatest expectation and greatest joy.

After harvesting new grain and harvesting new grain, every household celebrates in the simplest way of trying new things and says goodbye to the lack of food during the year.

Trying new things is a family banquet, where the whole family enjoys it happily, and sometimes the family heads, elders and relatives are invited.

However, trying something new is not just about having a meal, but a full sense of festival and ceremony.

Ordinary families will stir-fry a little meat and add a few vegetarian dishes such as tofu, vermicelli, bean sprouts, etc. that cost money and are rarely eaten. If the family is well-off, they will also kill chickens and fish.

After having a new feast and calling relatives, Li Hongbing took out his mobile phone and called Ouyang Hua. After all, in the village, Lao Li's family was a single family, and the grandpa had no brothers or sisters. This was the only family that could be called relatives.

The Lao Ou couple who received the call were naturally very happy. They were too embarrassed to come to visit them last time due to medical treatment and rumors.

Then the phone was called to the second apprentice and asked her to bring the fifth son to the house to try new things; to Fang Wanda, the child was alone in the village; to Sanpao, Chunmiao came to the village, but she had not picked up the meal yet.

After a round of phone calls, Chef Li put on his apron and started cooking in person, while Shan Xing was responsible for making the corn noodles.

Take bacon, chicken, and duck from the warehouse. These are all given by the villagers. The best gift in rural areas is bacon. They usually refuse to eat it. They only cut off a little to taste during the holidays.

Moreover, these bacons have been stored for at least three years. This kind of bacon is even more rare. Because as time goes by, some components of the bacon will change, which will produce a unique aroma and the taste will become better and better. good.

First put the bacon into the stove and burn it over fire.

The purpose of burning is to remove hair and deal with some mildew or other impurities on the surface. When burning, the main purpose is to burn the pig skin side. The pig skin side is softened and burned until golden and black, but do not completely burn the meat. Just sear a little on one side.

Then wash the cooked bacon in hot water, and use a knife to scrape off the burnt material and other impurities on the surface of the skin, especially the pig skin, which must be scraped until it is golden and shiny. Failure to do so will affect the taste.

Clean up all the bacon, chicken, and duck.

Throw it all into a large pot and simmer over medium heat.

When the bacon was cooked, Li Hongbing started to attack Shan Xing.

In Shan Xing's hands, Baogu noodles have become a variety of delicacies, including pancakes, vegetable dumplings, steamed buns, steamed buns, and red date cakes. To be fair, I am not as good at cooking as Shan Xing. She only knows how to make Baogu paste, at most. Put some sweet potatoes in it.

"It smells so good!" Lao Ou's voice came from outside the kitchen.

Immediately afterwards, Ouyang Hua and his wife walked in carrying things. Seeing Li Hongbing wearing an apron, they joked, "Hey, Doctor Li cooks himself."

"Come here, what are you doing with the things!" Li Hongbing said polite words, took the things smoothly, and deliberately opened them. When he saw four Huazi and two bottles of Maozi inside, he immediately complained to Shan Xing, "Xing'er, Look, your brother doesn’t smoke himself, but he still gives me cigarettes, clearly trying to harm me.”

"Go away, this is the old man's treasure. I stole it with great difficulty, don't give it back to me." Ouyang Hua pretended to snatch it back, and Li Hongbing quickly put the gift behind his back, "It's shameless to give something away." Take back."

The two gentlemen were as vindictive as children, while Wang Qian was admiring Shan Xing's craftsmanship at the table.

"Sister, you are so good at your crafts. You can make everything. This red date steamed cake is really beautiful. I don't know anything. My daughter said that the food you cook is delicious. Please take the time to teach me."

"Sister-in-law is a person who does great things, why do you want to learn this?" Shan Xing replied with a smile, knowing that his sister-in-law was flattering him.

After saying hello, Li Hongbing started to chase people away.

"Okay, you go sit in the rice field, the kitchen is very smoky."

Ouyang Hua looked unwilling, "Brother-in-law, find some work for me to do. If you are idle, you will be idle."

It was not easy to work, so Li Hongbing picked up the vegetable basket and handed it out.

"Then you go to the vegetable garden and pull out some radishes, green vegetables, chives, coriander, spinach, and cabbage."

Ouyang Hua's scalp was numb when he heard it. He had heard of so many dishes but couldn't tell them apart. "Wait a minute, I'll take my phone and write it down."

Li Hongbing responded with a look of disdain, "Go dig radishes. You must know the radishes!"

"It's better for me to go. This uncle Ou is indifferent to all aspects of his body and his grains." Wang Qian smiled and took the vegetable basket and walked out of the kitchen.

"I am a person who does big things." Ouyang Hua said unconvinced, turned around and saw the smiling Li Hongbing, and muttered, "This is not a human being."

Ouyang Hua and his wife left the kitchen, and Li Hongbing returned to the stove and picked up the pot lid.

A tangy bacon aroma fills the nostrils.

The soup cooked with good bacon will be white, fragrant and not fishy. If you try it with a chopstick, it will go in easily, which means the bacon has been cooked.

Use a strainer to pick up the bacon and pour the soup into a basin for later use.

Take a piece of bacon and put it on the cutting board, let it cool slightly, and then cut it into thin slices. The slices of bacon are alternately fat and thin, with a bright red color and a mouth-watering aroma.

Li Hongbing picked up a piece and brought it to Shan Xing's mouth, "Have a taste."

Then I ate a piece myself. It had a mellow taste. The meat was full and elastic. You could clearly feel the strength of the meat when chewing. The salt taste was just right. It not only highlighted the deliciousness of the meat, but was not too salty and greasy. After tasting it, I had an aftertaste. endless.

"Yes, this is the taste. It's a real rural pig bacon."

Shan Xing was not convinced, "Our family is also curing bacon this year, and it will definitely be more delicious than this."

"That's necessary." Li Hongbing picked up another piece of bacon, put it into Shan Xing's mouth, and began to prepare the dishes for the new feast.

The first dish is braised bacon with dried bamboo shoots. The dried bamboo shoots have been cooked with hot water in advance. The wild mountain bamboo shoots from Zhushan are braised together with the sliced ​​bacon. The dried bamboo shoots absorb the fat of the bacon and become more mellow and flavorful. .

The second dish, soy sauce-roasted bacon, requires an earthenware pot to prepare this dish. There is a small stove opening between the two large iron pots on the stove, which can be used to heat rice, keep it warm, and make stews.

Pour the rapeseed oil into the earthen pot, place it on the small stove, wait for the rapeseed oil to bubble, cut it into mahjong-sized pieces, pour it into the earthen pot, and add the chili, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise.

Simmer slowly over low heat, the fat in the bacon is slowly boiled out, and the bacon is replenished, so that the bacon fully absorbs the oil and emits a rich aroma.

(End of this chapter)