After returning home, Shen Nian continued sitting by the doorway splitting bamboo. The bamboo needed to be split into bamboo strips to weave things.
Xia Tian watched Shen Nian's calm expression and felt somewhat relieved.
She had been worried that during such times, he might overthink, which wouldn't be good for his recovery.
Xia Tian went to the kitchen, lit the fire, and boiled a large pot of hot water.
She took out the pork intestines bought in the morning and began cleaning them carefully.
With ample time today, Xia Tian processed them slowly in the yard.
First, she rinsed them twice with warm water, then turned the pork intestines inside out. Using a bamboo strip, she repeatedly scraped off all the inner fat—the main source of the foul odor.
When villagers cleaned pork intestines, they usually rinsed them a few times, considered them clean, and boiled them directly.
Rural households rarely ate meat, and even inexpensive items like pork intestines were considered luxuries. Occasionally buying them to satisfy a craving, who would be willing to scrape off the fat? So, as the aunties said, they ended up with a strong fishy smell.
After scraping off all the fat, she added coarse salt and scrubbed repeatedly.
Once the slime was completely removed, she rinsed them several times with warm water.
Then, she added flour and continued scrubbing to remove any remaining fat and slime. Finally, she rinsed repeatedly with warm water until the water ran clear.
If she told the aunties that she used both salt and flour during cleaning, they would surely call her wasteful.
Next time, she would try using only rice washing water and plant ash to see if they could be cleaned thoroughly. If so, she could help the aunties add another dish to their tables.
By the time the pork intestines were cleaned, the water in the vat was almost used up.
After marinating the pork intestines, Xia Tian packed a wooden bucket to fetch water. On the way, a light rain began to fall.
Xia Tian quickened her pace. When she carried the water into the yard, she saw Shen Nian gathering the dried bamboo shoots, Ku Cai, and dandelions that had been drying outside.
She hurriedly brought the buckets into the kitchen and went to the yard to help Shen Nian.
By the time everything in the yard was gathered, the rain had gradually intensified.
It was still early to prepare dinner, so Xia Tian looked at the pile of bamboo strips Shen Nian had split and brought a stool to sit beside them, studying how to weave.
The bamboo strips had been smoothed by Shen Nian. Xia Tian recalled the bamboo weaving videos she had watched before. She realized that since drinking the Spiritual Spring Water, her memory had become exceptionally sharp.
Books and videos she had seen in the past could be clearly recalled just by thinking about them, as if watching a movie.
Moreover, she now remembered people and things instantly after seeing them once—it was almost like having a photographic memory.
Perhaps this was a benefit of being a transmigrator.
Xia Tian secretly rejoiced.
Having never woven before, she decided to start with a simple bamboo basket to practice.
Once she began, she realized… well, her mind understood, but her hands hadn't caught up.
Indeed, there was a gap between ideals and reality!
Finally, after exerting immense effort, Xia Tian managed to weave a barely presentable bamboo basket before dinner.
Sigh, time to make dinner. Delicate handiwork had never been her forte—neither in the past nor now.
Xia Tian went to the kitchen and saw that the pork intestines were almost done marinating. She ladled them into a basin, poured in the marinade, and let them soak further for better flavor.
She had bought tofu today. She cut half of it and used Huangdoujiang to make Mapo Tofu.
Of the remaining half, she set aside a small piece to make tofu and egg soup later. The rest she sliced, pan-fried in oil until golden on both sides, then stir-fried with Duojiao and garlic to make fragrant pan-fried tofu.
She also sliced a plate of the marinated pork intestines.
Today's main event is the tofu feast, hehe!
Shen Nian was already thoroughly impressed with Xia Tian's culinary skills—no matter what dish she made, it tasted wonderful.
Xia Tian was equally amazed by Shen Nian, who had managed to weave a bamboo basket a hundred times better than hers while she was preparing dinner.
Well, at least Shen Nian would have endless handicraft work to keep him busy from now on, haha!
During the Qingming Festival, drizzling rain falls incessantly!
The light rain had been pattering down for three days straight.
Over these three days, under Xia Tian's theoretical guidance, Shen Nian had woven two back baskets—one large and one small—two stools of different heights, and one large bamboo sieve.
If not for concern over Shen Nian's poor health, he probably could have made even more.
Xia Tian hadn't expected Shen Nian's hands to be so skillful; she only needed to gesture and explain once, and he could weave it—she couldn't help but admire him.
However, with Shen Nian occupied, he no longer had time to let his mind wander, which turned out to be a fortunate coincidence.
Finally, the rain stopped, and Sister-in-law Yao from next door came to call Xia Tian to go up the mountain and gather mushrooms.
After each rainfall, mushrooms would sprout in clusters across the mountain, and nearly every household in the village would go to collect them.
After letting Shen Nian know, Xia Tian shouldered her back basket, took a carrying basket and a chopping knife, and set off up the mountain with Sister-in-law Yao.
When they arrived, they found that some people had come earlier than them, and there were even children with baskets gathering mushrooms.
Xia Tian and Sister-in-law Yao quickly found a less crowded spot and began picking.
The mountain was still a bit slippery after the rain, and one misstep could lead to a fall.
Xia Tian picked up a longer tree branch, bent down, and carefully searched while pushing aside the grass.
After the rain, the mountain was abundant with mushrooms, but most required parting the grass to be seen, and one had to distinguish which mushrooms were edible and which were not.
However, for the villagers who had been gathering mushrooms since childhood, this posed almost no difficulty.
After about half an hour of gathering, Xia Tian's back basket was half full. Sister-in-law Yao had also collected a similar amount.
Noticing that there were plenty of edible wild vegetables on the mountain, Xia Tian casually picked some tender leaves as well.
By nearly noon, Xia Tian's back basket was full. She called out to Sister-in-law Yao, and they prepared to head home to make lunch.
Most of those gathering mushrooms were aunts and sisters-in-law who needed to return home to cook around noon, so everyone headed back together.
On the way back, Xia Tian asked Sister-in-law Yao if she knew anyone selling chicks, as she wanted to buy a few to raise.
A nearby aunt, who had ridden to the market with them last time, chimed in, "Aunt Chun has some. Her family just hatched a brood of chicks a few days ago."
Seeing that Xia Tian didn't know how to address her, Sister-in-law Yao introduced, "This is Sanhe Shen."
Because she only had one son named Sanhe, everyone in the village called her Sanhe Shen.
Xia Tian asked Sanhe Shen, "Does Aunt Chun sell her chicks?"
"Yes, she does. Almost all of the twenty eggs she set this time hatched successfully," Sanhe Shen replied.
Not seeing Aunt Chun today, Xia Tian asked Sanhe Shen to pass a message to her: she would come by in the afternoon to take a look and buy a few chicks.
Sanhe Shen and Aunt Chun lived next door to each other, so passing the message was convenient.
After returning home and having lunch, Xia Tian first sorted and cleaned the mushrooms she had gathered in the morning, then used the bamboo sieve Shen Nian had woven to sun-dry them in the yard.
After resting for a while, she went to Aunt Chun's house to select a few chicks.
It was spring—the perfect time to raise chickens—so she wouldn't have to keep buying eggs later on.
She could also occasionally stew chicken soup for Shen Nian.
Arriving at Aunt Chun's house, Aunt Chun warmly welcomed Xia Tian inside. Looking at the nest of fluffy yellow chicks, they were absolutely adorable.
Xia Tian selected ten chicks, paid for them, and Aunt Chun helped pack them in a basket, saying Xia Tian could return the basket whenever she had time.
Xia Tian didn't stand on ceremony, thanked Aunt Chun, and carried the basket home.
When she got back, Shen Nian had already finished weaving the chicken coop.
Xia Tian was now utterly impressed by Shen Nian's handiwork skills.
He had just finished discussing what kind of coop they needed after lunch, and now it was already completed.
After settling the chicks and feeding them some cooked millet and water, Xia Tian made another trip up the mountain.
Mushrooms grew quickly, and taking advantage of the fewer people in the afternoon, she wanted to gather more. Dried mushrooms would make the most delicious chicken stew during winter when fresh vegetables were scarce.
Thinking this, she chuckled to herself—she realized she had become a genuine village girl, constantly thinking about what to eat all day long.
The version of herself who used to wish she could laze around every day was nowhere to be seen now.
People truly adapt to whatever stage they're on—their adaptability is remarkable.
Reaching the mountain, Xia Tian moved to a slightly denser area and continued gathering mushrooms.
While pushing through the grass, she discovered several pheasant eggs.
What an unexpected delight!
With pheasant eggs around, the pheasants must be nearby. Xia Tian pricked up her ears and carefully searched the surroundings. Sure enough, several colorful pheasants with long tails were pecking for food in the grass with their heads down.
Xia Tian found a spot to empty the mushrooms from her back basket, then quietly approached with the basket. When she was close enough, she suddenly lunged forward, her hand just barely touching—"Huh? Where's my pheasant?"