Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 399 Making Tofu and Steamed Rice Cake

Qu Shaoyang was in a hurry to go to Fengtian, so he did not stay in Phoenix City for long.

After delivering the New Year gifts to everyone and having a meal with the officials in the yamen, he left Phoenix City and headed for Fengtian.

When they came here, they passed by Kuandian. Qu Shaoyang had asked around and found out that Doctor Chen and his wife would be spending the New Year in Fengtian this year.

The main reason was that Chen Yunzhe’s son was only three months old, and it was not convenient to go back to Kuandian in the middle of winter, so he simply decided to celebrate the New Year in Fengtian.

Qu Shaoyang would visit his father-in-law and mother-in-law wherever they were and give them New Year gifts.

The Chen family was also very happy to see Qu Shaoyang. They chatted with him and asked about the family situation.

Li felt so distressed when she saw the dark and thin Qu Shaoyang that she asked Doctor Chen to prepare medicine quickly to treat Qu Shaoyang's face.

"Mom, no need. Xiuyun applied the ointment to me, but I forgot about it because I was out these few days.

Wait until I get back and apply the medicine for a few days, and it will be fine. " Qu Shaoyang hurriedly stopped him when he heard it.

He deliberately went to Phoenix with this face.

Since you have suffered, you must make it public so that your superiors can see it.

Otherwise, people would think that you are living a life of luxury and comfort.

Besides, this is Chen Yunzhe’s residence, not Kuandian.

Where can you find such ready-made medicinal materials? Isn't it too much to ask his father-in-law to prepare medicine for him?
When Li heard that Chen Xiuyun had ointment, she nodded.

"Then remember to apply medicine when you go back. This frostbite is nothing else. If you don't take good care of it, it will recur every year. It will be very painful."

"Oh, I got it, Mom." Qu Shaoyang nodded quickly and agreed.

When the son-in-law comes to visit, we must treat him well.

While Shen Lizhen took care of the children, Li went to prepare meals and asked Doctor Chen and his son to chat with Qu Shaoyang.

Chen Yunzhe and Doctor Chen had to inquire about the situation in Maoer Mountain, the recent situation of the Wood Tax Office, the progress of the bombing of the sentry post, etc.

Coincidentally, Qu Shaoyang also talked about researching explosives and wanted Chen Yunzhe to help him find a way to purchase a set of equipment.

The previous raw materials were purchased with the help of Chen Yunzhe, so he naturally also had access to the equipment.

"By the way, big brother, if you have any connections, please help me buy a gold mining ship and a complete set of equipment.

I was thinking that the gold mine at the other end of the Starry Sky Outpost should also be mined.”

Qu Shaoyang has been thinking about this matter for a long time.

Previously, Lao Han and Lao Hu said that the gold content of the gold mine at Mantianxing Sentry Post was not as good as that at Sandagou, and most of the gold mine was in the river, making it too difficult to mine. Therefore, Qu Shaoyang temporarily gave up mining at Mantianxing Sentry Post.

Ever since the gold mining machines were used in Sandaogou, Qu Shaoyang has been thinking, since manual mining is difficult, would it be less troublesome to use machines?

Now that most of the outposts on the Yalu River have been blown up, it shouldn't be too difficult to bring back a gold-mining boat.

Even if the gold content is slightly lower, it doesn’t matter if the machine is mined with high efficiency, and there will still be huge profits.

Chen Yunzhe understood as soon as he heard it. His brother-in-law must have tasted the sweetness of gold mining, so he wanted to buy a gold mining ship.

"Okay, I'll contact someone about this later, but it will probably cost quite a bit of money, so you have to keep that in mind."

"Yes, I know. You can find out how much it will cost. I will try to raise the money."

Qu Shaoyang is not short of money now. No matter how expensive the gold-dredging ship is, it will not take up all his fortune.

The three of them were chatting animatedly. The kitchen had prepared wine and food, and Doctor Chen and his son were drinking and chatting with Qu Shaoyang.

Chen Yunzhe's house was not too big to accommodate so many people. Qu Shaoyang stayed at Chen's house at night, and the others were arranged to rest in the inn. The next morning, Qu Shaoyang first went to visit Xiaozhi, and then led people to buy things in the city.

The Chinese New Year is coming soon. It’s a rare opportunity to come to Fengtian, so I must buy some New Year’s goods.

Especially the things that Anders and others wanted, as long as they could be bought in Fengtian City, they were all bought back.

The Chinese New Year is not far away, so Qu Shaoyang doesn't want to stay in Fengtian.

It just so happened that Xiaozhi had also asked for leave from the academy, and on the morning of the 19th day of the twelfth lunar month, after bidding farewell to the Chen family, the two brothers led their entourage and hurried back.

When they got home, it was already the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.

Liu Dongshan came back a few days ago. Most of the sentry posts on the Yalu River have been flattened. Only a few are left. We will arrange people to blow them up after the New Year.

At home, people were busy slaughtering pigs and chickens, making tofu, steaming rice cakes, steamed date buns, and frying various meatballs and dried fruits. Everything inside and outside the house was bustling with activity.

With so many people from both families, it took several days just to make the tofu. The donkey pulling the mill never stopped all day long, and the millstone was almost producing sparks.

After the tofu is made, some is kept in water and eaten slowly, and the rest is cut into pieces larger than mahjong tiles and frozen in lumps outside.

Frozen tofu is a good thing. It can be eaten in any way, such as stewed with cabbage, stewed with sauerkraut, or in hot pot.

Glutinous rice is not produced in Northeast China, so rice cakes are made from rhubarb rice.

Jiang Chunfu's daughter-in-law Xiaohua, Lin Xingjia's daughter-in-law Yue'e, and several other daughters-in-law.

Cover the steamer with a cloth, then add a layer of rhubarb rice and a layer of cooked red beans, then another layer of rhubarb rice and a layer of pitted dates, then another layer of rhubarb rice and a layer of red beans, and finally cover the top with another layer of rhubarb rice.

Press it down with a heavy object and steam it in boiling water.

Steam the rice cake and let it cool, then cut it into pieces with a knife and eat it directly. Dip it in honey for a fragrant and sweet taste, or fry it in oil for an even more fragrant taste.

This is only possible if people live a good life. Ordinary people would not be willing to do this even during the Chinese New Year.

In addition to rice cakes, the kitchen also made bean flour cakes, donkey rolls and other delicacies.

You don’t need to make other kinds of snacks at home.

Didn't Xingye's wife Taohua open a pastry shop? There are professional ovens and other equipment there, so we can just bake a few more and send them back.

Not only that, Xingye and others also set up two large racks in the yard, the kind that can hold charcoal fire underneath.

It just so happened that the guys in the family went into the mountains to hunt these days and caught some roe deer, deer, and some sheep that people gave them as gifts.

Then you can roast a whole lamb or roe deer or something like that.

After a busy day, it’s New Year’s Eve. The inside and outside of the fence are decorated with lights and colors, and there is a festive atmosphere everywhere.

Everyone was busy from the morning until the afternoon. The sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner was served and everyone ate and drank to celebrate the New Year.

At night, the boys in the family would take Shuanzhu, Xiaofeng, Gensuo and others outside to set off firecrackers.

These kids don't care about whether it's midnight or not, they just release them once they are caught.

Then I listened to the ding-dong and bang-bang noises outside, and from time to time a firework would rise into the sky, explode in mid-air, and light up half the sky.

Otherwise, these naughty kids would carry all kinds of lanterns and run around the fence.

The New Year is for the children. No matter what the children do outside, the adults don’t care.

Qu Shaoyang only told a few men to follow and be careful not to let the naughty kids set fire to the firewood pile or something.

(End of this chapter)