Return to the small mountain village in 1983

Chapter 202 Wang Zhou’s choice
Lin Heng woke up again and the sun was already bright. Xiulan had already woken up. When Lin Heng woke up, she smiled and asked, "What nightmare did you have last night?"

Lin Heng waved his hands and said, "Nothing, I just suddenly dreamed of a group of snakes."

"That's it." Xiulan blinked, a little surprised that Lin Heng was actually frightened by the snake.

Then he hugged him and said with a smile: "That's okay, I'm here."

Lin Heng held Xiulan's face and looked at it for a while, then lowered his head and kissed her.

Noticing Lin Heng's movements, Xiulan immediately closed her eyes obediently.

Afterwards, the two of them had some in-depth exchanges, and then rested in bed for a long time.

There was nothing else to do in the middle of winter. Lin Heng ate big meat buns to relieve his discomfort, and had some fun activities with Xiulan.

After getting up, Lin Heng felt a little tired while practicing archery in the yard. He couldn't help but shook his head, thinking that it was really tiring to do such a thing so early in the morning.

After practicing archery for a while, Lin Heng and Xiulan did the morning exercise together.

Coming to the kitchen, Xiulan and Lin Heng moved the large wooden basin for making bean curd together.

After removing the gauze and looking at the tofu skin, Xiulan nodded and said, "Not bad, it's considered a success."

Tofu skin is different from tofu. Tofu should not be pressed too hard to retain some of the water.

The bean skin must be squeezed hard to completely drain out the water in order to form a beautiful bean skin.

"good smell!"

Lin Heng smelled it and felt like eating hot pot. This bean curd hot pot was absolutely delicious.

After looking at the tofu skin, Lin Heng looked at the oil skin. It was already formed and very thin.

Then the two of them took out all the other tofu. The normal tofu was white and delicate, the wormwood tofu had dark green wormwood leaves, and the cabbage tofu had yellow-green cabbage leaves.

Without exception, they are all square and square, and this tofu grinding tool is very powerful.

"Let's go to the fields to get some straw and come back." Xiulan looked at Lin Heng and said.

"I can go alone. You can watch Xiaoxia in the room." Lin Heng said with a smile.

"That's okay." Xiulan nodded.

Lin Heng took a rope and went out of the yard to carry straw.

It's windy and gloomy today. Looking towards Shimen Village in Shanghe, you can see the snow-capped mountain tops.

The snow on the high mountains has never melted, and the branches will be covered with white frost at night. The scenery in the morning is quite amazing.

Not far away, Yang Zhaotao came over and said hello with a smile: "Where is Lin Heng going this early in the morning?"

"Go get some straw, you."

"I'm going to pick some vegetables from the vegetable patch..."

After chatting casually for a few words, Lin Heng left.

The fields are not empty in winter, but are planted with rapeseed. Now they are green and very resistant to frost.

Lin Heng picked some good straw from the haystacks at the edge of the field and took it home.

When he returned home, Xiaoxia was already up, chasing Xiongba and playing in the yard.

Seeing Lin Heng coming back carrying straw, she and Xiong Ba looked over at the same time.

"Just put it on the ground."

Xiulan looked at him and smiled.

This straw is used to make bean curd. There are natural bacterial colonies on it that can quickly ferment the tofu and grow white hair.

There is no artificial bean curd koji, and straw is used to make bean curd in rural areas.

After sorting out a batch of clean straw, Xiulan laid it on the bamboo basket.

Then cut the white tofu into square pieces with a side length of three centimeters, place it on the straw, cover it with a lid and wait for fermentation in their warm bedroom.

Fermentation usually takes three to four days to complete.

Xiulan used thirty kilograms of tofu to make fermented bean curd. They all loved to eat tofu and made dozens of kilograms of tofu every New Year.

After finishing the tofu curd. Xiulan cut all the other white tofu into small pieces and put them on the bamboo fence to bake.

A fire is made under the bamboo fence, and the wet wood is put on the rack to smoke. Otherwise, it will all turn into dried beans in a few days.

Compared with tofu, the shelf life of dried tofu is much longer.

"I'll make breakfast, and you can send a piece of tofu to each of your parents and sister-in-law's house." Xiulan handed the prepared tofu to Lin Hengdao.

Lin Heng took his daughter to deliver tofu, chatted for a while, and walked around the village for a while.

A group of children in the village were playing hopscotch, and Xiaoxia stood in front of them curiously and observed.

It was quite lively under the big ginkgo tree, but Xiaoxia was too young and could only giggle and couldn't play.

Lin Heng watched these children playing games, and the distant childhood in his memory gradually became real.

"Let's go home."

Shaking his head, Lin Heng took Xiaoxia back home.

When they came back, Xiulan rice was ready.

I cooked rice in the morning. In addition to the regular stir-fried pork and braised vegetables with shredded sour radish, there was also steamed mugwort tofu with bright red garlic chili on top, exuding a strong fragrance.

There is also a green vegetable, tofu and pine mushroom soup in the middle of the table, which is fragrant and will whet your appetite.

Artemisia tofu with a little garlic chili makes you want to eat it while being spicy. The stir-fried pork with sour radish shreds is even better with rice.

After finishing the meal, the soup was poured into a bowl. The matsutake mushrooms and black truffles made the taste of this bowl of soup rise to another level, with the delicious flavor of the bean-flavored mixed mushrooms.

After eating, Lin Heng diluted the bean dregs with water and served it to the female forest musk deer and red dates.

The red dates were as beautiful as ever, and I squinted my eyes comfortably through the bean dregs.

The belly of the female forest musk deer is also much larger than before. It can be seen that she is pregnant, but she does not know how many cubs she will be able to give birth to.

Generally speaking, forest musk deer give birth to only one cub during their first pregnancy, and from the second pregnancy onwards, they usually give birth to two cubs.

Lin Heng can't be sure now. He can only be sure after it gives birth.

The female forest musk deer is now completely mature and will not move even if touched.

The male forest musk deer is still a bit timid, and will instinctively back away when someone touches it.

It doesn't matter to Lin Heng, as long as he is not sick.

After these things are done, the family is basically free and has nothing else to do. The three of them sat lazily in the bedroom, Lin Heng drank tea and read a book, Xiulan knitted a sweater, and Xiaoxia played with her toys.

Time passed by slowly, and three days passed in the blink of an eye. It was already January 1, 7 in the solar calendar, and it was the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month in in the lunar calendar.

Lin Heng and Xiulan went to check out the bean curd when they got up in the morning. When they opened the lid, they saw that the tofu was covered with a dense layer of white hair.

Xiulan said happily: "This time it was very successful, more successful than before."

"That's great." Lin Heng said with a smile, turned around and went out to find a basin, and put all the fermented moldy tofu into the basin.

Because I made so much, it took me two pots to finish.

After taking it to the kitchen, Lin Heng and Xiulan went to wash up and exercise first.

After the exercise, the two of them came over to continue making fermented bean curd.

The jar of fermented bean curd has been prepared for a long time. Xiulan had prepared a lot of ingredients such as chili pepper, garlic, ginger, pepper powder, fennel powder, etc. for making fermented fermented bean curd yesterday.

This powder is mainly made of chili pepper, supplemented by various other spices. Pour it into a basin and mix it with your hands. Crush the fermented bean curd until it is thoroughly blended with the spices.

After the fusion is completed, it can be put into the earthenware jar. Lin Heng used a sauce red jar with a thick upper part and a thin lower part. Thirty kilograms of bean curd can just fit in it.

After filling the fermented bean curd, the last step is to pour the wine. Pour in good grain wine to submerge the fermented bean curd so that it is completely soaked in the wine.

Then seal the jar and place it in a cool and ventilated place for fermentation. Generally, by next summer, the alcohol will have almost disappeared, leaving only a little bit of wine flavor, and you can eat it at this time.

And as time goes by, the taste of alcohol will completely disappear, leaving only the taste of fermented bean curd and spices. By then, whether it is used directly with meals or added to cooking, it will be an extremely delicious delicacy.

The two carried the things and placed them in the bedroom behind the kitchen. This bedroom was currently unoccupied and filled with clutter.

After it was done, Lin Heng wrote a date and pasted it on the jar: "Okay, I'll wait to eat fermented bean curd next year."

Xiulan blinked and said with a smile: "Then let's make fried pork with fermented bean curd in the morning."

"it is good."

Lin Heng naturally had no objection to this. He liked this dish very much.

Stir-fried pork with bean curd is to dilute the bean curd with water and stir-fry it with pork belly. After it is done, the meat is completely wrapped in the bean curd soup. If you like this taste, you will feel full of happiness after one bite.

Mix this soup with rice or eat it with tofu, which also has a unique flavor. It is a rare delicacy in rural areas.

After breakfast, Lin Heng went to Liu Cihua's house. As soon as he reached Hongfeng Mountain, he found that she was grazing cattle here.

She was a little happy after seeing Lin Heng, but she quickly pretended to be reserved.

Seeing her like this, Lin Heng smiled and said, "I'm here to bring you a message. If you have time tomorrow, you can go to the town to meet Wang Zhou."

Liu Cihua blushed and nodded gently: "I understand."

Lin Heng nodded, then turned around and went back.

In the afternoon, he told Xiulan about his plans to go to the city tomorrow. He was going to the city to sell the musk and also to see if anyone would buy his century-old ginseng.

"Then you go, just pay attention to safety." Xiulan nodded, naturally she had nothing to disagree with.

With his wife's consent, Lin Heng fed him jujubes when it was dark, and set off on his horse early the next morning.

Plants like grass can take root as long as there is a little soil, even on this road that has been stepped on so solidly that it is covered with a layer of white frost in the morning.

The horses' hooves left imprints on the white frost. Riding a horse in the cold wind on this winter morning was a unique experience.

It was only eight o'clock in the morning when we arrived in Huangtan Town. Wang Zhou had just finished washing his face and was counting the goods.

Seeing Lin Heng, he couldn't help but be surprised and said: "Brother Lin, you came so early today. Is there something wrong?"

Lin Heng nodded and said with a smile: "There is indeed something. The first thing I told Liu Cihua is that she will come down to go shopping today. You can find time to talk to her then.

The second thing is that I am going to the city. You can get some grass and feed me the red dates. "

When Wang Zhou heard Liu Cihua, he was not as happy as before. Instead, he looked at Lin Heng and said hesitantly: "Brother Lin, my parents came down a few days ago and they said they found a girl for me. , let me meet during the Chinese New Year, and then we can make a marriage decision."

"Introduced by your parents?" Lin Heng was stunned, a little surprised.

Wang Zhou nodded: "They said that girl is very good and they like her very much. Now I am working with Brother Lin and your salary is stable. Many people have introduced me to partners."

Ever since his parents revealed his salary of twenty yuan a month, people who originally disliked him have come to propose marriage, which made him deeply understand the power of money.

"What's your name?"

Lin Heng looked at him and asked.

He planned to train Wang Zhou as a confidant. This man was honest and obedient and very useful, but if he had a wife he was not familiar with, then this might not be possible.

Such an honest man is easily bewitched by his wife.

He remembered that in his previous life, he was able to get his wife because he saved some money by driving a tractor. Later, when he lost the opportunity to drive a tractor and could only farm, he was beaten and scolded by his wife every day, and even none of his three children was his own.

Wang Zhou looked at Lin Heng and said, "I heard from my mother that the girl's name is Wang Cuilian and she is from the village next to ours."

When Lin Heng heard this name, he immediately remembered that Wang Zhou's wife in his previous life had the same name, so it was most likely the same person.

Although he was not familiar with her in his previous life, this incident was so explosive that every village in the country knew about it, and he also remembered the woman's name.

Lin Heng looked at Wang Zhou and smiled slightly: "What do you think?"

Wang Zhou looked at Lin Heng, hesitated and said, "I...actually still like Liu Cihua, but my parents won't let me marry her, saying that Wang Cuilian is better."

Hearing Wang Zhou's words, Lin Heng felt a little better. If he didn't even have this awareness, then he wouldn't be worth helping.

"This matter is easy to handle. If you really make up your mind and think about messing with me, I will tell you a way." Lin Heng looked at Wang Zhou and said with a smile.

He remembered that Wang Zhou's parents didn't care much about him. It was only recently that Wang Zhou was able to make money that he changed his attitude.

"Of course I'll follow you, Brother Lin, and I'll do whatever you say."

Regarding this, Wang Zhou had no hesitation. In the process of getting along with Lin Heng, he had already been conquered by Lin Heng's outstanding knowledge and style, and had long made up his mind to follow Lin Heng. He felt that this was the biggest asset and noble person in his life.

Lin Heng was very satisfied with Wang Zhou's attitude. He smiled and said, "Go back and tell your parents that Liu Cihua was introduced to you by me. If they don't agree, you won't be able to continue working here.

And if you can marry Liu Cihua, your monthly salary will be increased to thirty yuan a month during the Chinese New Year next year. "

No means are needed, money is the best means. I believe that the power of this sentence is enough to make his parents give up all their previous plans.

"Thirty yuan!!" Wang Zhou suddenly opened his mouth. This salary is the same as that of a bank employee.

Lin Heng smiled slightly: "This is just the beginning. I will improve in the future. I will never treat my own people badly."

Wang Zhou nodded immediately and said: "Thank you, Brother Lin, I will work hard. I will express my feelings to Liu Cihua today and tell my parents when I get back."

He believed that his parents couldn't resist the temptation of thirty yuan, so to hell with Wang Cuilian, he wanted to hug Lin Heng's thigh tightly.

(End of this chapter)