Return to the small mountain village in 1983

Chapter 178 Farm Vermicelli and Farm Wine

"I can only watch, I really don't know how to do this." Lin Heng laughed.

He is the one in charge of food in the family, so he can definitely do it, but he is too lazy.

Father Lin smiled and said, "Wash your hands clean and help with the powder later. We will thicken it."

"okay."

Lin Heng ran to Xiulan and asked her to scoop out water and wash her hands. He also asked, "How much fern root powder did you use?"

"It's all hanging there. It weighs about seven or eight pounds. I'll make it into vermicelli for you later."

Xiulan pointed to a white bag hanging next to the water control bag and said.

"When the vermicelli is made, I will make you some cold fern root vermicelli to show off my skills." Lin Heng said with a smile while washing his hands.

Xiulan blinked her eyes and smiled: "Then I'm going to have a taste of your craftsmanship."

"I'm sure it will conquer your stomach." Lin Heng grinned.

Then he took Xiaoxia and the three of them and ran over to see the thickening.

The production of sweet potato vermicelli is very technical, and the first step is called thickening.

Because sweet potato flour is starch, it will sink to the bottom when poured directly into water, so it needs to be thickened.

To thicken the soup, use half a bucket of boiling water, add sweet potato starch in small amounts and many times, stir evenly until the sweet potato starch is cooked.

The cooked sweet potato starch is the same as the lotus root starch that is usually boiled, forming a gray viscous liquid similar to gelatin.

This step requires technique. There should be no lumps, it should not be too dry, and it should be thick and thin.

Lin Yue added some sweet potato flour, and Father Lin started stirring like crazy.

After a while, Father Lin looked at it and said, "That's enough. Pour in the sweet potato starch. Lin Heng will come over and help stir it."

"it is good."

Lin Heng came over to help.

This large wooden barrel with a diameter of fifty centimeters was placed on the small table, and half of the barrel was filled with thick gravy.

With the thickened gravy as a medium, the sweet potato starch will not sink directly to the bottom when poured in.

"Come on, one two, one two..."

Pour some sweet potato flour, three people hold their fists in three directions and press the sweet potato flour from the surface to the bottom, then pull up the thickened gravy, stir repeatedly, and knead at the same time.

Kneading is to remove small lumps, and stirring is to completely combine the sweet potato flour and thickened gravy.

"One, two, one, two..."

Xiaoxia and other children were also jumping around to watch the excitement, some cheering, some applauding, and some eager to try.

As the sound spread, many people in the village came to watch the excitement. There was nothing much going on in the winter, so whenever there was any excitement, everyone would gather around.

Lin Heng also had a lot of fun. It was a little hot at first, but then it became very comfortable.

Watching vermicelli making is a very stress-relieving thing. While watching, the villagers chatted around the big pot of boiling water, just like killing the New Year pig, it was very lively.

"Lin Heng, do you want to sell these vermicelli? Old man, I want to buy some to eat." Tian Baishun shouted with a smile.

"I won't sell it. If you want to eat, I can give you some as a gift." Lin Heng said with a smile.

Old Man Tian shook his head and said, "Then I'll get some sweet potato flour and you can make some for me."

"I'll give it to you as promised, not to my mother-in-law or mother-in-law." Lin Heng shook his head.

"That won't work. I'll get some for you." Old Man Tian laughed and turned around to buy sweet potato noodles.

Lin Heng continued working, and after half an hour of mixing, the first bucket was finally completed.

Now there is a white gelatinous sweet potato powder in the bucket. If you grab a handful and it sticks to your hand, it will slowly fall down and it will be considered a success. It will not work if it is too dry or too watery.

On the other side, the water in Mrs. Lin's big pot was also boiled. After the water in the pot boiled, it was required to roll but not bubble. It should not be gurgling, otherwise the vermicelli would be cooked into chaos.

"It's started, are you all ready?"

Father Lin went to get an iron ladle and asked with a smile.

"Okay, start quickly." Mother Lin urged impatiently.

"Then start."

Father Lin laughed and took the gourd over. There were dense holes under the gourd.

Pour the mixed white sweet potato starch into the batter and tap gently. The sweet potato starch will leak into the pot in strips and be cooked instantly under the action of boiling water.

Lin's father tried it and the vermicelli began to leak out. Lin Heng was responsible for holding the leaky ladle, Lin's father patted it to ensure that the vermicelli would not stop, and Lin Yue added sweet potato starch to make a paste.

Mother Lin will pick up the cooked vermicelli with a wooden stick and pull it into a large wooden barrel filled with cold water next to it.

Xiulan was responsible for washing the fresh vermicelli in the wooden barrel and icing it cold. Next to her, Liu Juan was responsible for picking up the vermicelli with a wooden stick. When the length was almost the same, she threaded it with the wooden stick and hung it up to dry after a while.

The whole process was carried out in an orderly manner by six people who divided the work. Next to them were melon-eating villagers watching the excitement. It was a lively scene after the warm sun came out in winter.

Vermicelli made by oneself in rural areas may look unclean and messy. But the items are all real, without any additives. They come here to collect them every year, and they are very popular.

After a while, the first batch of vermicelli came out and was hung on the shelf to dry. The translucent gray vermicelli reflected rays of light in the sun. Just by looking at it, you can imagine how strong and chewy it is.

When Lin Heng and the others were making the third batch of vermicelli, Tian Baishun finally came back with a bag of sweet potato flour: "I bought twenty kilograms of sweet potato flour. You guys can make it together for me."

Lin Heng glanced at him and nodded politely: "Okay, I'll add the last batch for you."

"Okay, what we make ourselves is just to taste better." Tian Baishun said with a smile.

"That's for sure, these are all real materials."

Someone nearby nodded in agreement.

Each batch of vermicelli made by Lin Heng and the others weighed fifty kilograms, and it was already 12 noon when the third batch was finished.

Immersed in work, several people continued to work without eating. The children next to them were staggering hungry and crying for their father and mother.

"Dad, I'm hungry~"

Xiaoxia even hugged Lin Heng's legs to prevent him from continuing to work.

"Okay, okay, wait a moment."

Lin Heng went home and brought four packs of shrimp crackers and gave one pack to a child. Yesterday, when Li Chengguo came up, he asked him to bring up a box of shrimp crackers, including thirty packs.

"Thank you, second dad~"

Lin Tao thanked him with a smile on his face. This was a snack that he had never dared to think of before, and only his second father could bring it.

"Brother, you can just take a pack and share two of them. This is too much." Lin Yue said with a smile.

"It doesn't matter, it's not worth a lot of money." Lin Heng waved his hand and said with a smile.

He didn't have any snacks when he was a kid, but he couldn't let these kids go without either.

Some children in the village who were watching the fun stretched their necks when they smelled the fragrance and heard the crunching sound, and they all swallowed their saliva.

Not to mention them, even adults have never eaten shrimp crackers. The best snack they have ever eaten is biscuits.

Children are always curious when they see them eating shrimp crackers. Most of them don't know what they are made of.

Lin Heng handed the remaining packet to Lin Tao and said, "Lin Tao, please give this packet to them."

"it is good."

Lin Tao took it apart and distributed it among the children. The educated ones thanked Lin Heng profusely, while the uncultured ones stuffed the food into their mouths and ran away.

Lin Heng didn't care about this, and he didn't give free snacks just to thank others.

"keep going."

Father Lin said something, and the three of them continued making vermicelli. It was already past two o'clock in the afternoon when the last bucket was finished.

Then he made the twenty kilograms of vermicelli for Tian Baishun alone.

"Your fern root powder is really dark." Father Lin said with a smile while thickening the rice noodles. This was the first time he used fern root powder to make vermicelli.

"This is pure." Lin Heng smiled. The reason why it is black is because there is a lot of pigment in it. I thickened the gravy, but because the fern root powder was not dry enough, it was a bit troublesome to stir and blend. It took half an hour to complete.

When poured into the pot through a colander, the color is pure black.

The seventeen or eight pounds were ready in a short time, and the beautiful black fern root powder was hung on the shelf.

"It's finally done. I'll go cook quickly." Mother Lin wiped her hands and said. She was also very hungry.

"Let's pack our things." Father Lin said with a smile.

After washing these utensils, everyone took out the big wooden barrel from the house, filled the gaps with sawdust, and soaked it for drinking tomorrow and the day after.

Everyone in the village also left at this time. Lin's mother made pickled cabbage noodles quickly. Lin Heng scooped up a bowl and sat on the small bench under the eaves to eat.

At this time, there is still some sun. The vermicelli in the yard quickly loses moisture in the cold wind and sunshine, and gradually dries out.

It was past three o'clock after dinner. Father Lin and his eldest brother went to carry some straw and came back to feed the cows and horses.

Lin Heng and Xiulan went home and rested for a while. It was quite pleasant to light the fireplace and sit in front of the window and drink tea.

"Are you going to Hongfeng Mountain soon?" Xiulan asked after taking a sip of tea. She likes to add some sugar to her tea.

Lin Heng nodded: "Yes, I will inform people of the holiday."

Xiulan immediately said: "Then let's go together and I'll pick some wild vegetables to eat."

Click! !

Lin Heng was about to speak when he suddenly heard a crisp sound.

"Holy crap, my purple sand cup!!"

Both of them were startled and looked at Xiaoxia. Xiaoxia was so frightened by their gazes that she didn't dare to move. She pursed her lips and was about to cry.

"If you broke your dad's things, you should apologize to him and say you're sorry." Xiulan looked at her and said.

"Uuuu~ I'm sorry, Dad~"

Xiaoxia cried and crawled into Lin Heng's arms, wiping her tears with her little hands.

"It's okay, it's okay, just don't hit her again next time." Lin Heng hugged her quickly, patted her back and comforted her.

She cried for a while before she stopped. She hugged Lin Heng's neck and kept saying sorry.

"The water you just poured is very hot. Don't take it anymore." Lin Heng said helplessly. Fortunately, it wasn't an antique, otherwise he would be heartbroken.

"I know." Xiaoxia nodded, still a little scared. She actually just wanted to drink water by herself.

After drinking a few sips of water, the family set off at almost five o'clock.

Lin Heng held Xiaoxia, and Xiulan held a bamboo basket and a small hoe.

The three of them walked quickly to Hongfeng Mountain and dug back from there.

Lin Heng held his daughter and went to the construction site to take a look. Li Shiwei said, "It's basically done. Should we just leave it in the afternoon?"

Lin Heng checked them one by one, and after seeing that there were indeed no problems, he took out the work book and said: "Everyone, come over and sign after you have finished your work.

Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow are off. I will report back at 8 a.m. the day after tomorrow. "

"Then we are going back this afternoon, just in time to take a look." Li Shiwei said.

"It's up to you, it's all fine." Lin Heng said with a smile. He didn't like to keep trying to keep others.

"We'll go back and tell your dad before we leave. We'll be back early on the 9th." Li Baiquan said with a smile.

"That's okay." Lin Heng nodded, and after making arrangements, he went to Xiulan to dig wild vegetables.

Winter is a bit cold, but there are shepherd's purse, dandelions, and purslane. Xiulan mainly digs shepherd's purse and purslane, and her family doesn't like to eat dandelions.

"Mom, there is one here!"

Xiaoxia looked for food everywhere, and when she found it, she jumped up and called her mother.

Lin Heng pulled her and watched, walking back little by little, just like taking a walk.

Not much to say, but very comfortable and warm.

Some of the dandelions on the roadside had small golden flowers. Xiaoxia picked them up and played with them.

This scene is quite like picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely seeing Nanshan Mountain.

But Xiaoxia was picking chrysanthemums on the side of the road.

"Mom, here you go."

Finally, Xiaoxia gave all the dandelions she picked to Xiulan.

"Thank you." Xiulan kissed her, very happy.

It was almost dark when the three of them returned home. Lin Heng noticed that his uncle and Li Shiwei had not returned, so he asked curiously.

"Your mother left us here to help us get drinks tomorrow. We'll be back the day after tomorrow." Li Baiquan said with a helpless smile.

"Then stay. Let's have some drinks when we're done tomorrow." Lin Heng said with a smile.

"Okay." Li Baiquan smiled, he liked drinking.

After chatting for a while, Lin Heng and Xiulan went home. They just had rice for dinner. Xiulan had purslane salad, which tasted good.

She didn't eat the shepherd's purse, so Xiulan planned to make shepherd's purse dumplings tomorrow.

After having a fireplace, it wasn't cold at night anymore, and I was still a little warm even in my pajamas, so I had to take them off.

Turn down the fireplace air inlet and only need to get up once in the middle of the night to add firewood.

Xiaoxia was not afraid of being warm when she slept in her own crib, and Lin Heng was not afraid of the cold when she moved around holding Xiulan in her arms.

This fireplace is really worth it.

When you get up in the morning, add some firewood to the fireplace, open the window and look at the scenery outside without fear of the cold.

Lin Heng likes to lie down and watch his wife dress one by one. He finds it very interesting.

After putting on her clothes, Xiulan's curvy figure was hidden by the cotton-padded jacket, leaving nothing exposed. Outsiders could not guess how much she really was.

"Get up!"

Xiulan rolled her eyes at him and threw the clothes away.

Xiulan kneaded the dough in the morning and prepared to make dumplings at noon.

After breakfast, Xiulan was making dumplings at home, and Lin Heng went over to help his father and others drink.

There are two types of wine made at home. Today we make sweet wine, which is field sorghum.

I'll make some jujube wine tomorrow.

All Lin Heng has to do is help smash and chop the sweet stalks, and the sorghum grains on the sweet stalks need to be steamed.

Normally, just chop it into pieces and add distiller's yeast, but Father Lin and the others will also add some herbs, which are said to increase the taste of the wine. Lin Heng doesn't know the details.

After helping out, I watched my father mix the wine koji. After mixing, the wine was poured into a large wooden barrel for sealed fermentation. It usually takes 21 days for the wine to be roasted.

That is, wine is distilled.

Lin Heng only has a taste for wine. He feels that the wine made by himself in rural areas is also good. It has a low alcohol content and is quite comfortable to drink.

Some people think that the wine made in rural areas is not safe, but the wine sold in stores is more likely to be made with various technologies and ruthless work.

Of course, except for the particularly expensive ones.

To sum up, for the time being, he still felt that this kind of wine where he could see the raw materials was better.

After finishing drinking, Lin Heng went to the village to take a look. All the telephone poles had been buried. There was one outside their old house.

"The electricity will be turned on tomorrow, I'm really looking forward to it."

Lin Heng said with emotion as the wind blew that he had not seen light at night for a long time, and he really missed the days when there were electric lights at night.

　In the past two days, I went back to my hometown to cut firewood for my grandma and kill pigs. Four thousand words today. Aim for 6,000 words tomorrow.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)