Transmigrated as a Peasant Baby Who is Pampered by All

Chapter 340: Chapter 236: Boredom

Luckily, Xiaomi didn’t know what Uncle Liu was thinking.

After Xiaoxue finished the housework, she came over to help clean up. There were too many bamboo shoots dug up yesterday; if they weren’t processed quickly, they’d spoil or become too old.

The peeled bamboo shoot flesh was thrown into a side bowl of saltwater for soaking, which helped prevent discoloration.

After the shells were peeled from a large pile of bamboo shoots, there were still two large basins full.

The bamboo shoot flesh is washed once, then cooked directly. A little salt is added during cooking to remove the bitterness of the bamboo shoots.

Bring to a boil with cold water and let them cook for a moment longer before scooping them out.

Keep some for lunch, soaking them in cold water, and run the rest through cold water, then tear them into strips to dry in the sun on a basket sieve.

Cooked bamboo shoots can retain the most nutritional value.

Of course, regarding nutrition, no one really understands, but everyone knows that cooked bamboo shoots dry to a better color and have a better texture when eaten.

It rained a few days ago, and judging by the weather for these past two days, it should be sunny for a few days, perfect for drying bamboo shoots. After all, the temperature under the midday sun is quite high.

”Second sister, how about we go up the mountain again this afternoon?”

While spreading the torn bamboo shoots on the basket sieve, Xiaomi was eager to run off again.

Thinking that the second sister is about to go to the embroidery house soon and won’t have time to accompany her up the mountain, she couldn’t wait to go up the mountain and have some fun now!

Xiaoxue immediately thought of, ”Do you want to see the place they talked about yesterday?”

”Mmm,” Xiaomi nodded repeatedly, ”We will just take a look. If there are bamboo shoots, we’ll dig a little and leave the rest for others.”

Seeing that the kids yesterday were quite protective of the bamboo shoots, as newcomers, there was no need to get into conflicts with the locals.

After all, the idiom goes, ’A powerful dragon can’t crush a local snake.’ Although the others aren’t local snakes, unnecessary trouble is best avoided.

”Sure, but let’s have lunch first. Dad and mom should be back soon.”

Xiaomi glanced at the shadow at her feet, thinking time had flown by once more.

Time really is fleeting.

After helping peel the bamboo shoots, Uncle Liu went out again, leaving the two sisters at home, busy with preparing the meal together.

What surprised everyone was that Xiaomi, who had never learned how to cook, turned out to be unexpectedly good at it, so cooking with Xiaoxue was no pressure at all.

At noon, Jiang Yu and the others all ate at the school, so the good meat and dishes were usually reserved for dinner.

Since it’s currently the busy farming season, they cook some meat even for lunch, but it was limited to stir-frying a little meat, and most of the time, they ate boiled meat bought from outside.

While Xiaomi was preparing the vegetables, Xiaoxue took over a cured pig trotter, setting it to cook over the fire while also cooking rice.

The skin of cured meat is very hard, and it usually doesn’t cook well if boiled directly.

However, after burning it once, the cured meat skin softens, making it tender and chewy without any gamy odor.

After burning the pig trotter, scrape off the charred fat with a porcelain shard, clean it thoroughly, and soak it in clear water.

When their dad returns at noon, he’ll chop the pig trotter into small pieces with an axe, then clean and soak them again.

Since it’s cured meat, it’s salty, so it needs to soak all afternoon. By evening, it can be stewed directly, without adding salt, and the taste will be just right.

Today, quite a lot of fresh bamboo shoots were left over, which can also be used to stew with pig trotter. No extra seasoning is needed; simply add the bamboo shoots when the pig trotter is almost cooked.

The aroma of cured meat combined with the fresh scent of bamboo shoots couldn’t be more delicious.

The two sisters went about their work in an orderly fashion, and the meal for the whole family was meticulously prepared, ready just as those in the fields returned.

Aunt Yang and Qixi’s meals were cooked together, but the two of them didn’t eat with the others; instead, they scooped their portions and ate in the courtyard outside.

Even though they weren’t seated at the same table, they ate the same food, and if they wanted some pickled vegetables, they had some in their room, all made by their second aunt and brought from Fu’an Village.

While eating, Xiaomi asked her second sister about going to the embroidery house, only to find out that Xiaoxue was unaware of it and was somewhat hesitant.

If she left, no one would be there to play with Xiaomi.

Xiaomi was afraid she’d refuse, quickly reassuring her that she’d found something to pass her time and that she didn’t need to worry about her.

As for what that was, it was kept secret for the moment, but judging from Xiaomi’s mysterious and incredibly excited demeanor, it seemed genuine.

But all that was for after the second sister went to the embroidery house. Right now, the priority was climbing the mountain!