NFBE Chapter 183 Wild Vegetables
Chapter 183 Wild Vegetables
"Brother Li, where's Sister Liu Qian? Aren't they already engaged and about to get married? Why didn't you invite Sister Liu Qian with you?" Sha Zhu asked when he saw Li Jianguo coming over.
"Your Sister Liu is too embarrassed to come over, so I asked her to, but she refused. She even said I only know how to take advantage of you, Zhu Zi."
Before she came, she gave me a set of books for your sister. She heard that your sister often reads fairy tales with her friends at home.
"The comic books? I brought them with me," Li Jianguo said, handing the thick stack of books he had brought to Shazhu.
Hearing the commotion in the living room from inside the room, Yu Shui hurriedly ran out and saw the beautiful animal picture book in her brother's hand, so she tried to snatch it from him.
Sha Zhu stopped Yu Shui's movement, "What's the rush? Let me look at what book I have first, then I'll give it to you."
The "Twelve Zodiac Animals Fairy Tale Series" is a collection of 12 books featuring stories about the twelve zodiac animals selected from Zheng Yuanjie's works. The books are beautifully illustrated and well-produced.
Each book revolves around a Chinese zodiac animal, with vivid, interesting, and educational stories that help children learn about traditional Chinese culture and zodiac knowledge.
These are storybooks that Rainwater, at his age, likes. I handed the book to Rainwater.
He said, "When you see your sister Liu Qian, you should thank her, okay? I'll put the book in your room and come out for lunch. You can read it again after you finish your homework this afternoon."
Rainwater was overjoyed to receive the thick books, ignoring her brother's warnings.
He replied, "Okay, bro." After saying that, he grabbed the books and ran back to his room.
Sha Zhu invited Brother Li to sit down and went to the kitchen to bring over the steamed rice. Yu Shui had already returned to the living room and sat down at the dining table.
Seeing the steamed rice today makes me even happier.
Today's meal includes not only boiled fish, but also the ever-present pickled vegetable shreds.
At this time of year, wild grasses and vegetables sprout all over the mountains and fields, and there's a cold dish of shepherd's purse and a cold dish of willow buds on the dinner table.
The shepherd's purse was brought over by our neighbor, Aunt Hu. She said it was brought back by her daughter-in-law when she went back to her parents' home, so she gave Shazhu some to try.
Shepherd's purse is an ancient wild vegetable that can also be used in medicine. The Book of Songs says, "Who says bitter herbs are bitter? They are as sweet as shepherd's purse." This shows that our ancestors had the habit of eating shepherd's purse thousands of years ago.
Sha Zhu washed the shepherd's purse, removed the roots, added a little spice, scalded it with boiling water, and then soaked it in cold water for half an hour. When the bitterness gradually faded, he took it out and drained the water.
Finely chop the shepherd's purse with a knife, sprinkle with a little salt to marinate, then add a little sesame oil and stir before eating.
I really liked the rainwater after tasting it.
Sha Zhu noticed that his neighbors liked to pick willow buds, so he followed suit and picked some himself, then made them into a cold dish.
Generally, it is best to choose weeping willow buds. Standing willow (dry willow) buds are not only easier to pick, but also have a more bitter taste. Willow buds that are close to the river and have more moisture have the best taste.
First, wash eight ounces of willow buds with clean water and drain them. Then, put water in a pot over high heat and bring it to a boil. Once the water boils, pour in the washed willow buds and simmer.
After draining, soak the ingredients in cold water for half an hour until the bitterness is gone. Then drain the water and arrange them on a plate.
Add salt and mix well, then add sesame oil, vinegar, and minced garlic. Adding Sichuan peppercorn oil or chili oil is also delicious.
Naturally processed scallops have added spices to mask their strong flavor, making them even more refreshing to eat.
After tasting it, Li Jianguo was full of praise and asked for the recipe.
"Zhu Zi, these wild vegetables, willow buds, everyone picks and eats them, but only when they come to you do they taste delicious."
Honestly, when I got home and saw the wild vegetables my mom had prepared and made into wild vegetable dumplings on the table, I lost my appetite. You must teach me this recipe; I want my mom to learn it too.”
While eating heartily the cold wild vegetable salad prepared by Sha Zhu on the table, Li Jianguo belittled the wild vegetables his family ate and complained bitterly.
"That's right, brother, when I went to play with Ya Ya, her mother gave me a wild vegetable bun."
I took a bite and didn't like it, so I secretly gave it back to Ya Ya. She devoured it and said it was delicious.
Rainwater also quite likes the cold wild vegetable salad prepared by Shazhu, but relatively speaking, Rainwater prefers the boiled fish on the dinner table. The soup is poured over the rice, leaving a lingering fragrance in the mouth.
Kids these days don't care much about what's good or bad, especially girls. They're just happy to be full. As long as they're full, even a cornbread tastes delicious.
Unlike Yushui, who has tasted all kinds of delicious food, I remember most of the dishes from the Eight Great Restaurants.
The things that Yu Shui remembers are mostly the foods she likes to eat, and she occasionally asks Sha Zhu for them when she's hungry.
Tell me, brother, which dish on which floor should we eat today? Brother, I want to eat that...
The dish that Yushui can't forget is braised bear paw, but Shazhu can't eat it more than a few times.
Occasionally, I would take out some roasted whole lamb or roasted suckling pig from my space, put them on a small plate, and let Rainwater taste them. Naturally, I lost interest in other people's food.
If Yu Shui's primary food preference were to be ranked, it would be the meals cooked by her older brother.
Secondly, famous restaurants and taverns; thirdly, when her own brother could no longer satisfy her appetite.
He would secretly go to the small restaurant to find his second uncle, and occasionally satisfy his little cravings.
Eating like that would have made her overweight and chubby long ago. Fortunately, Sha Zhu has never slacked off when it comes to exercise.
No matter how much the rain raged, it was no use. Even when Uncle Cai tried to persuade the rain to rest without any room for negotiation, Sha Zhu did not compromise, which prevented the rain from spreading horizontally.
"Brother Li, your aunt might be able to cook well, she just doesn't like to use the right seasonings."
"Take this sesame oil for example. If it's not for entertaining guests, but just for personal consumption, who would be willing to add even a few drops? But the aroma naturally fills the air when guests arrive," Sha Zhu retorted.
"You're right, but Zhu Zi, did you put other seasonings in this cold dish?" Li Jianguo wondered, even if he used sesame oil at home, it wouldn't taste as good as the cold dish made by Sha Zhu.
"Of course! It contains some Chinese herbal medicine. Overall, although it's not as expensive as sesame oil, which ordinary person would be willing to spend the extra money?"
I'll give you a general recipe for making cold dishes later. Try it at home; who knows, your future wife might really like it.
After Sha Zhu finished speaking, he continued to ask, "Brother Li, has the wedding date been set? When is the wedding?"
Li Jianguo stopped picking up food, picked up the glass of water on the table, took a sip, shook his head, and said...
"I'm not going to do it anymore. My house purchase was reported, but luckily the source of the money is legitimate."
The fact that the money you lent me has been exposed within our neighborhood office might cause you trouble.
I estimate that it won't be long before the whole neighborhood knows about it.
As for the wedding, Liu Qian and I have discussed it. Our two families will just have a celebratory meal at my new home, and we'll buy some fruit candies to distribute to colleagues and neighbors.