Chapter 675: Marinated Radish
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Shen Gang, Lin Qin, and the others were excited when Su Binglan told them about the mung beans. Lin Qin felt energized and got off the brick bed to help the others.
Shen Qiuhua was in the kitchen when she saw Lin Qin getting off the bed. She said, “Mother, rest on the bed. Don’t tire yourself out. Binglan said you should recuperate instead of moving around so much.”
Lin Qin was enthusiastic, and her eyes lit up. She smiled, saying, “I’m full of energy now. I feel like my body has fully recovered after taking Binglan’s medicine. I can help you with whatever you need.”
The older woman became spirited when she had hope. She felt she was on the verge of success. When she had a goal, she would be energetic. She felt depressed before and could not raise her spirits.
However, things had changed, and Shen Qiuhua knew her Godmother was in good spirits. She thought it was because of Su Binglan’s medicine. It was just like how Shen Qiuhua was back then.
She felt energetic since her family started businesses and worked hard to earn money. Before the Su family opened the tofu factory, Shen Qiuhua and Su Fengmao used a stone mill to grind soybeans in their yard.
It was tedious, and she had to grind soybeans all day. However, she never felt tired because she was excited. She was even thrilled when her family sold tofu, and they counted their earnings together.
Shen Qiuhua always smiled whenever she recalled those days. She remembered how spirited and energetic she was. Therefore, she understood her Godmother’s feelings.
Thus, Shen Qiuhua stopped trying to dissuade Lin Qin from helping. Instead, the former placed a stool beside Lin Qin, saying, “Mother, sit here. Binglan says you should grow these mung beans into bean sprouts.
“Don’t throw away the ones that have worms. Although those are damaged, we can clean and soak them in water before eating. We can also make mung bean cakes later.
“Binglan said you could also make these into mung bean soup in summer to cool yourself down.”
Lin Qin happily responded, “That means the mung beans have many uses. The villagers said someone had gotten poisoned from eating one, but I don’t know what happened exactly.”
Su Binglan said, “Grandma, think about it. It’s easy for our stomachs to get
upset, even when we eat regular foods. The villager could have eaten a spoiled mung bean to cause discomfort to their stomach.”
That was how things were in that era. Whenever people encountered problems with new ingredients, they would think they were poisonous and stop eating them.
After all, medical conditions were outdated in that era. Moreover, receiving treatment was troublesome and expensive, so the villagers would avoid as many health issues as possible.
The people of that era would rather not eat such odd-looking things to avoid health issues.
Lin Qin nodded. “Yes, Binglan might be right.”
Jiang Nainai looked at the busy Su Binglan admiringly. The former thought her cousin-in-law was amazing. She could not help but want to get closer to Su Binglan.
The family ate well since Shen Qiuhua and the others came. Su Binglan even made omelets for breakfast. Jiang Nainai never considered cooking eggs like that. She also learned to add onions and seasoning to omelets to improve their taste.
Jiang Nainai reminisced about last evenings dinner and this mornings breakfast. Then, she wondered what her cousin-in-law would make for lunch.
Su Binglan planned to make braised pork, hot and sour cabbage, crispy chicken wings, pickled fish, and other dishes for lunch. Still, the staple food was the rice cakes the family had brought.
While everyone helped her cook, Lin Qin and Jiang Nainai were shocked that they used cabbage differently. Whenever the duo used cabbage for cooking, they would simply stir-fry it.
Sometimes, they were reluctant to add oil, so they stewed it with water to make a soup. Even so, the soup was bland.
Su Binglan explained while cooking, “These are chilis. They’re spicy and give the food a different taste. If you like spicy food, you can make more spicy dishes next time. Eating chili in cold weather can help wa_rm your body.”
Jiang Nainai listened to her words attentively. She felt she could learn much from Su Binglan by watching her cook. Moreover, Su Binglan was kind enough to explain everything in detail.
Jiang Nainai did not say much but looked at Su Binglan with gratitude.
After making lunch, Su Binglan taught Jiang Nainai and Shen Zhishan to marinate shredded radishes. After all, the most common vegetables people ate during winter were cabbages and radishes.
However, cabbage would be bland even after cooking, mainly because most people boiled them in water and called it a day. Even radishes were poor in taste.
Therefore, Su Binglan taught the young couple to marinate the two vegetables to make them tastier.
Shen Zhishan and his wife listened attentively as Su Binglan spoke, “You can also use cabbage and radish as dumpling fillings. There are meat and vegetarian dumplings.”
‘Dumplings?’
Jiang Nainai and her husband exchanged curious glances. Although they had heard of dumplings, they had never tried them nor knew how to make them.
Flower County was pretty remote, and Blossom Village was even more remote. The families living here did not have much contact with the outside world. At most, they had only heard of dumplings but had never tasted them.
Shen Qiuchuan and Madam Ma had only heard of dumplings while working for the wealthy families in town. The older couple had mentioned it when they came home.
However, they did not know how to make dumplings because no one had ever taught them how. Su Binglan frowned when she saw Jiang Nainai’s expression, asking, “You don’t know how to make dumplings?”
Jiang Nainai lowered her head and whispered, “No one taught us how.”
Su Binglan’s heart ached when she heard that. She said, “Let’s make some tonight. I’ll teach you to use cabbage and radish to make dumplings.”
Shen Qiuhua had planned to return to Su Teng Village today. After seeing the situation at her Godmother’s house, Su Binglan, Luo Jin’an, and the rest discussed spending a few more days in Blossom Village.
Shen Mohen had no objections because he would be wherever his aunt and cousin were. After all, he could eat and sleep well with them around. Jiang Nainai was grateful to Su Binglan, saying, “Thank you, Cousin-in-law.”
Su Binglan smiled. “We’re family, so there’s no need to thank me..”