Chapter 21: Casual Chat
Of course, he didn't dare to talk about Jiang Lili's family matters again, so he had to talk about something else.
"Xiao Jiang, have you experienced anything particularly memorable during your three years here?"
Jiang Lili looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What kind of memorable things?"
Chen Fan said, "Like something funny, or something deeply memorable, or how you usually work, or anything else. Just casual chat."
"Oh, like that?"
Jiang Lili tilted her head, thought for a moment, then suddenly covered her mouth, giggling. She was about to speak when another burst of laughter escaped her.
Chen Fan rigidly maintained a smile, saying nothing, just watching Jiang Lili.
What on earth is so funny? Just tell me!
Perhaps the previous conversation had eased her heart, or perhaps Chen Fan's attitude made her feel comfortable. Unknowingly, Jiang Lili also put down the caution and vigilance she had maintained for so long, revealing some of her natural disposition.
After laughing several times, Jiang Lili finally managed to hold it back, but her face was still full of smiles, much prettier than her usual wooden expression.
Then she told a story that made her laugh uncontrollably, "Two years ago, a new educated youth was working in the fields. He couldn't tell the difference between barnyard grass and rice seedlings, so he pulled out all the rice seedlings. The only things left in the field were barnyard grasses. Captain Yang was so angry that he jumped up and down scolding him and made him pull out all the barnyard grass and replant all the rice seedlings."
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Chen Fan blinked. Unable to distinguish grains, huh? That's not that funny, is it?
Jiang Lili continued, "To get to the rice paddy where we work, you have to cross a wide ditch. There used to be a wooden bridge over the ditch, but there was a heavy rainstorm that summer, which washed away the bridge. That day when we went to work, everyone jumped over, but he didn't dare to jump. Several male educated youths said they would throw him across. It's just grass on the other side, it wouldn't hurt if he fell. As a result, he panicked and fell into the water. The two educated youths who were going to throw him were the ones who fished him out."
Chen Fan twitched his eyes. Wow, throw him across? There seems to be some underlying resentment there.
Now, he became interested. This educated youth seems to have a story. His family conditions should be good, otherwise, ordinary families wouldn't be able to afford to spoil him so.
Jiang Lili, "He was frightened by the fall, so the captain gave him a day off. Grandma Huang, who lives at the head of the village, is from Hubei and makes the local specialty, Zha hujiao (榨胡椒—literally pressed pepper). She sent him a bowl. As a result..."
At this point, Jiang Lili was holding her stomach and laughing again, "He had never seen this before. He thought it was sour and dirty. He took it to the river to wash it. As a result, he washed away the rice flour. In the end, a whole bowl of Zha hujiao was only left with some chili skins."
This time Chen Fan couldn't help laughing too.
If you don't know what Zha hujiao is, you wouldn't know what's funny.
In some parts of Hubei, chili peppers are called Hu Jiao (胡椒). After harvesting the chili peppers in autumn, they are washed, deseeded, dried, chopped, mixed with rice flour and the appropriate amount of salt, and put into a jar and pressed tightly and sealed. They are stored in a ventilated, dry place to ferment naturally. After half a month, they can be taken out to eat.
This Zha hujiao can be stir-fried with oil or boiled. It has a golden color and is sour and spicy. It's a local specialty dish in Jingchu (荊楚, a region in Hubei).
Because Jingzhou is close to the Yangtze River, this dish has also spread along the waterways, and exists in many places along the Yangtze River.
This thing is made of chili peppers and rice flour. The rice flour dissolves in water. That educated youth washed it with water, so of course, nothing remained except some chili skins.
For the locals, washing Zha hujiao with water is like washing flour with water, so of course, they'll laugh their heads off.
No wonder Jiang Lili couldn't stop laughing.
And it doesn't end there.
Jiang Lili, "There's another female educated youth who also made a fool of herself. The captain used a donkey-drawn cart to pick them up from the commune. When they arrived here, the donkey rolled on the ground. When she saw the donkey fall to the ground, she immediately shouted, ‘Oh no, oh no, the donkey fell!’ Then Captain Yang said to her, ‘The donkey is rolling, haven't you seen it or heard about it? Why are you shouting so loudly, are you trying to scare someone to death?'"
At this point, she specifically explained,
"Actually, Captain Yang didn't mean to scold her. That donkey is important property of the village. If you shout that the donkey has fallen, it will really scare them. Many villagers were anxious. Keeper Huang almost fell down when he ran out. So when you see livestock lying down in the village, don't shout randomly."
Chen Fan sat beside her, listening to her talk about people and things from the past, asking questions from time to time. Unknowingly, the distance between them seemed to have narrowed. Jiang Lili no longer kept her head down, and occasionally laughed.
It wasn't until it was almost dark that Jiang Lili came to her senses, "Oh, what time is it?"
Chen Fan looked at the sky, got up and lifted the lid of the pot, "No matter what time it is, let's first check if the meat is tender."
Lifting the lid, a rich aroma wafted out.
Jiang Lili took a deep breath, her eyes shining, "It smells so good, it really doesn't smell fishy."
Chen Fan sniffed carefully, "There's still a little bit of a fishy smell, but it won't affect the taste."
Then he used chopsticks to break the bowl of salted, solidified turtle blood into small pieces, poured it in, and covered the lid, "It will be ready to eat in fifteen minutes."
Jiang Lili suddenly got up and ran out, "I'll go get the rice."
There is still a lot of space under the lid. Rice was steamed while steaming the soft-shelled turtle, saving both firewood and the time to heat the rice.
After placing two large bowls of rice on the steamer rack, after fifteen minutes, he lifted the lid again. Chen Fan picked up a piece of meat and tasted it. He couldn't help but nod repeatedly, "Mmm, delicious."
The meat is tender, and the soup is clear and delicious. This steamed soft-shelled turtle is done. Although there is still a little fishy smell, it is mask by the spiciness of the ginger. It's almost imperceptible. People with less sensitive senses of smell and taste may not even be able to detect it. Instead, the fresh taste is particularly strong.
Chen Fan carried the soft-shelled turtle pot to the kitchen. Jiang Lili put out the fire in the earthen stove, closed the stove lid, put other things on the steamer rack and took it away.
In the kitchen, the two of them sat opposite each other, ready to eat.
Jiang Lili suddenly whispered, "Chen Fan, there's so much soft-shelled turtle meat, should we send some to Captain Yang and the others?"
Chen Fan looked at her in surprise. He didn't expect this little girl to have such high awareness!
To be honest, this sand pot is quite large, not much smaller than a washbasin. The soft-shelled turtle meat is piled high in the pot. Plus the bowl of turtle blood, if it's stewed directly, the soup would overflow. There's so much food that the two of them can't possibly eat it all.
Chen Fan didn't hesitate and got up to find bowls, "Then I'll send a bowl to Captain Yang, Accountant Liu, and Keeper Huang."
Captain Yang has been kind to him, giving him a blanket and shoes, and he's his savior. Accountant Liu and Keeper Huang also helped him. Keeper Huang even gave him half a bag of sweet potatoes. A bowl of soft-shelled turtle meat isn't much. There's nothing to be stingy about.
Jiang Lili quickly got up and helped him.
(End of Chapter)
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