PFC Chapter 21: Promoting Pickled Bamboo Shoots
Chapter 21: Promoting Pickled Bamboo Shoots
Li Xiaoxiao looked at the old man's face, immediately put on a smile and said to him, "Uncle, please wait a minute, we will weigh them for you right away." After that, he asked Aunt Chen to weigh all the dried bamboo shoots. There were a total of sixteen pounds, 320 coins. The old man took out the corresponding money and gave it to Aunt Chen. He turned around and prepared to leave with the dried bamboo shoots.
Li Xiaoxiao hurriedly called the old man: "Hey, old man, please wait a moment. I see you bought so many dried bamboo shoots at once. You must have eaten this before, right?" Li Xiaoxiao asked confidently.
"Why are you asking this, little girl?" the old man asked curiously.
"Uncle, don't be anxious. I see that you sold so many dried bamboo shoots at once. Your family must like to eat them. I have another fresh food made with bamboo shoots here, and I want you to try it." After saying that, Li Xiaoxiao busily rummaged through the backpack and took out some pickled bamboo shoots that she had packed from home and handed them to the old man: "Uncle, these are pickled bamboo shoots. I'm giving them to you to take home and try. They are best eaten with rice when fried with chili peppers. They are sour, spicy and refreshing. Although there are not many, they are enough for a bowl of food." The old man didn't want to accept it, but seeing Li Xiaoxiao's enthusiasm, he smiled and took the pickled bamboo shoots.
"Thank you, little girl, you are such a kind-hearted person." The old man said as he looked at Li Xiaoxiao in front of him.
"You're welcome, old man. If the food tastes good, please come and take care of my business next time." Li Xiaoxiao said happily.
"Of course." The old man nodded, then turned and left.
Looking at the old man's back as he left, Li Xiaoxiao felt a sense of accomplishment.
She hopes that her pickled bamboo shoots will be recognized by the elderly so that more people will come to buy them in the future.
Aunt Chen couldn't help but smile when she saw Li Xiaoxiao's happy expression.
"Xiaoxiao, you are really good at this." Aunt Chen praised.
"Hehe, I just want everyone to taste the delicious food." Li Xiaoxiao scratched his head embarrassedly.
When Bai saw that all the things were sold out, she asked a few people to go to the town to see if there was anything they could buy.
"Cui Niang, Xiao Xiao, let's do this. You just moved and must have a lot of things to buy. I don't lack anything at home, so I won't go with you. I'll wait for you at the town gate." So, Li Xiaoxiao and her family went to the market together.
"Mom, let's buy a bigger pot. The pot we have at home is too inconvenient to cook with. Besides, we have to pick bamboo shoots when we get home. It would be much easier to handle them with a big pot."
Bai looked at the silver in her hand. A big pot was not cheap, but thinking that it was really inconvenient to cook now, Bai hardened her heart and took Li Xiaoxiao and the other two to the blacksmith shop in town. After some bargaining, she finally spent 150 coins to buy a medium-sized pot.
"Mom, let's go buy some more meat. Fang'er and Lin'er are growing up, and it's not good for them to have no fat in their stomachs." Bai looked at the two people next to her who were still pale and thin, and thought, isn't the money you earn to spend? So she took a few people to a butcher stall. Bai picked out a piece of pork belly with fat and lean meat. Thinking that the oil at home was gone, she asked for another piece of fat meat, spending thirty coins. After paying, Li Xiaoxiao saw a large bone on the side.
"Mom, let's buy some big bones and make some soup. It will also nourish everyone."
Bai thought about it and decided that the bone soup was indeed very nutritious, so she spent another five cents to buy a few large bones. In that era, the cheapest things were large bones and pig offal. Large bones had little meat, so few people would buy them. Pig offal was too dirty, and if not handled properly, it would have a foul smell, so no one liked it.
Then, they went to the grocery store and spent twenty cents to buy some salt and seasonings. Only then did they leave the market contentedly and go to the town gate to meet Aunt Chen.
Passing by a stall selling candied haws, Bai spent three cents to buy two strings of candied haws for Li Fang and Li Linlin. She wanted to buy one for Li Xiaoxiao as well, but Li Xiaoxiao said she was grown up and didn't like it, so Bai had to give up. Li Fang and Li Linlin looked at the candied haws in their hands and were very happy.
After meeting up with Aunt Chen at the town gate, they walked home. Li Xiaoxiao was very excited along the way.
Arriving at the village entrance, we parted ways with Aunt Chen and agreed to wait for the small market three days later before going together to sell dried bamboo shoots. (A small market every three days, a large market every ten days)
When Li Xiaoxiao, her mother, and her two daughters returned home, Bai placed the pot she had bought on the stove. It was just the right size. Li Xiaoxiao was glad that she had not chosen to buy a large pot, otherwise it would not have been able to fit on her stove.
Bai cut a piece of fat and prepared to start the new pot. She put the fat directly into the pot and stir-fried it back and forth with a spatula. After the oil in the fat was fried out, she washed the pot. This way, the new pot would not rust so easily when used in the future.
"Mom, let's stir-fry the lard and let it cool down first. We can use it for cooking later."
"Okay, Fang'er, you watch the fire while I cut the meat."
"Okay, Mom, don't worry, I will take good care of the fire." Li Fang responded. Li Linlin also followed Li Fang and sat in front of the stove. Li Fang even sniffed hard, smelling the meat in the air. It was so fragrant.
Mrs. Bai chopped the meat into small pieces and stir-fried it in the pot. Soon, an enticing aroma filled the kitchen. Li Fang and Li Linlin, brother and sister, gathered around the stove, their eyes fixed on the meat in the pot. Li Xiaoxiao also found a chipped clay pot from the old house, cleaned it, and dried it, preparing to use it to make soup. Soup cooked in a clay pot is more fragrant than soup cooked in a pot.
Then, Li Xiaoxiao took two big bones to the yard, washed them, and put them into a clay pot. He then threw two slices of ginger into it, added appropriate amount of water, and then put them on the stove to simmer slowly. Because the vegetables grown at home were not yet ripe, Li Xiaoxiao wanted to add anything else to the soup, so he could only stew it like this.
After Bai prepared the meal, the family gathered around the table. Despite the simple dishes, everyone's face was filled with satisfied smiles. Li Xiaoxiao couldn't wait to taste the braised pork; the meat was tender, juicy, and melted in her mouth. She praised Bai's cooking skills, and Bai modestly attributed it to the excellent performance of her new pot.
After dinner, Li Xiaoxiao continued to wait by the casserole, waiting for the bone soup to be cooked. After about two hours, Li Xiaoxiao thought it was ready, so he turned off the fire. This pot of soup could only be drunk in the evening, so Li Xiaoxiao put the soup in the kitchen.
She hopes that this pot of soup can bring more warmth and nutrition to her family.