CH 22.2

Zhao Lizheng took his eldest son, Zhao Yuande, and followed Wang Shijing. After confirming the land he wanted to buy, he measured it again. Although the location was remote and the land location was mountainous, he would not need to pay taxes for mountainous land for a year. In addition, the land for the house was also next to the foot of the mountain. Adding it all up, it was almost a hundred taels of silver, not counting the money for building the house. If Shao Yunan did not go to the county school to make such a scene, old lady Wang would have made another scene just from looking at the money Wang Shijing spent on his new home.

Shao Yunan had already bought the land and the mountain, so he could block the only way up the mountain. Wang Shijing told Zhao Lizheng that they were also going to buy the dilapidated house they currently lived in. Including the open space at the front and the back of the house, it would cost another 20 to 30 taels of silver. Spending so much money at once, Zhao Yuande couldn’t help asking why he had already bought such a large piece of land. Wang Shijing could only say that he would save it for later, when Wang Qing grew up and wanted to separate from them, so there would be a place for him.

Zhao Lizheng and Zhao Yuande could only say that they were really thinking for the long term, as they measured the area. After measuring the area, they will go to the Yamen in the afternoon and the land could be officially measured by the people in the Land Department. After handing over the money, they would also get the deed for the land. After they were finished, someone came to find Zhao Lizheng, saying that the head of the Shao family village came and was looking for him and Shao Yunan. Before going home and seeing Shao  Yunan, Wang Shijing followed Zhao Lizheng.

By the time Wang Shijing returned, Shao Yunan was already up. He would meet the county magistrate the next day, so he couldn’t go empty handed. The tea and wine still needed some time, so the fastest thing was jam. As soon as Wang Shijing returned, he got busy and didn’t mention what happened at Zhao Lizheng’s. The leftover goat milk fruits were first washed, dried, peeled, and cut by Wang Shijing, Wang Qing, and Nizi, while Shao Yunan did the last step.

While Wang Shijing and the two children were busy with the jam, Shao Yunan began to steam the wild chrysanthemums. The bamboo steamer trays were not big, so only twelve chrysanthemums were arranged neatly in each steamer tray. Adding a little water to a large iron pot, he put the three steamer trays into the pot after the water started boiling and put the lid on. The intensity of the fire was high. so the steaming time was only four to five minutes. It might sound simple, but this operation was also difficult to grasp, otherwise the flower would be either raw, or overcooked.

Both sides did meticulous work. When Wang Shijing’s side finished, Shao Yunan’s side had also almost finished steaming. The steamed chrysanthemums were put on a bamboo mat and spread out in the sun. After three days, they could be turned over and baked in the sun for another three days. It would take a total of seven days. After that, they would be stored for a few days according to the temperature and humidity, before being taken out to bake in the sun for another two days. This ensured that they would be thoroughly dried out for preservation and future usage.

Although the temperature had dropped, the sun was still good, so the work of sun drying was taken over by Wang Qing and Wang Nizi. Shao Yunan could be rest assured, leaving it to them. Both Wang Qing and Wang Nizi knew it was necessary to earn money and took care of it with special dedication.

After the chrysanthemums were dried, Shao Yunan started making jam. Pouring the cut pulp into the pot, he added some water to cover the pulp, then stirred it with a spoon and removed the foam. Shao Yunan called Wang Nezi to his side and asked her to follow and learn. Jam was a good thing to know how to make. As long as you wanted to eat it, it could be made from any fruit. The method was also the same and could be changed according to different tastes. For girls with nothing to do, making jam could also increase their interest in life. 

Wang Shijing and Wang Qing went to pack the picked peaches. The peaches were small and sour, so they couldn’t be eaten directly, but Shao Yunan still wanted to make them into a jam. Goat milk fruits were sour and sweet, so Shao Yunan did not add too much malt sugar, only a few sour plums to enhance the flavor. If the jam was too sweet, it would not be delicious. When the pot gurgled, Wang Nizi began to gulp, smelling something sweet and fragrant… it must be delicious. In the courtyard, Wang Qing also smelled something sweet.

The mixture began to get sticky, so Shao Yunan brought a stone mortar and pestle and began to stir, while grinding the chunks of fruit pulp into mush. When the jam was ready. Shao Yunan asked Wang Nizi to stop the fire in time and then shouted outside. “Shijing, bring the small clay pots I bought yesterday.”

Wang Shijing went to get the jars, while Wang Qing ran into the kitchen. Shao Yunan took a spoon and scooped up a little bit to feed Wang Nizi first. After a taste, Wang Nizi’s eyes rounded. “Little father, it’s delicious!” Sweet food was a luxury, not to mention jam that has never been available before. Shao Yunan also gave Wang Qing a taste. Wang Qing also nodded his head in agreement that it was delicious! Sour and sweet, it tasted even better than eating a goat milk fruit directly!

“The jam is an add-on and can be eaten with snacks or steamed buns. At noon, little father will make some egg pancakes so you can try it.” The best match was bread of course, but they had to wait until their new house was built with a special oven. “Mm-hmm.”

“Pack these up first, cool them and then seal them. Little father will continue to make peach jam.”

“Yes!”

The two children felt very happy. Shao Yunan didn’t plan to make much money with the jam. The things that would make money were stored in the cellar. Not even the sesame paste he had thought of before. After the tea was made and the mountain bought as a cover, Shao Yunan no longer had these intentions. He made the jam for his family, as well as to gift to the people who helped him in the past, like Zhao Lizheng’s family, Aunt Wang’s family, Aunt Zhou’s family, Sun Erjiang’s family, Wang Zhuanghua, who has a good relationship with Wang Shijing, as well as the county magistrate Jiang, Dean Cen, the two teachers from the county school, and the gatekeeper Zhuang. 

Shao Yunan asked Wang Shijing to send some to Wang Wenhe, as well the other two clan elders of the Wang family. Wang Wenhe was stubborn, but Wang Shuping was a good person. Besides, can Wang Wenhe be the patriarch of the clan all his life? As long as Wang Shijing was in Xiushui Village, it was impossible to completely break away from the Wang clan.

After that, there wasn’t much of the goat milk jam left, making Wang Qing and Wang Nizi a little distressed. How much money could they make if they sold it? They have never heard of such a delicious jam. Shao Yunan took the opportunity to educate the two children. The jam could indeed be sold for money and it was estimated that it would not be cheap. After all, it was the first time such a product was sold. But some things cannot be measured by money.

Living in a village, you cannot be too alone. You need to have good friends, so that you can live comfortably. Other people will also be more willing to help, if they have someone on their side. The jam was a rare item, so giving it away will also give them more face and whoever receives it will receive a favor. In the future, there will be a lot of trouble with the people in the village. If you want them to be willing to help you and stand up for you, you must first show your sincerity. You have to be willing to give up something, so that you might also gain something. The jam was a good thing, but people may figure out how to make it after looking at it. Using this method exclusively for too long was not possible, so there’s no need to worry about it.

The two children understood and no longer felt sorry about it. There were many goat milk fruits on the mountain, they could always go and pick some themselves later. Since they had not picked many peaches, Shao Yunan only sent the peach jam to county magistrate Jiang, Dean Cen, and the two teachers, Guan and Chen. When they return from the Yamen tomorrow, it would not be too late to go up the mountain and pick more peaches.

Scooping out the goat’s milk jam and putting it aside, Shao Yunan washed the pot and started making the peach jam. The steps were the same, but the peach kernel needed to be taken out and more malt sugar needed to be added. If it was still too sour, he would need to add some rock sugar.

At noon Shao Yunan took out the rutabaga. Wang Shijing did not ask about his secret even after seeing the rutabaga. Wang Shijing and his two children liked eating very much and almost all the food they ate these days was a gift from other families. Shao Yunan discussed with Wang Shijing about reclaiming a piece of land for a vegetable garden in his own yard. The mountain land should be cleaned up first and fertilized. Since it was difficult to grow anything at this time of year, he would consider planting more food the next year and

Wang Shijing agreed. 

The busy work period was almost finished, so Shao Yunan won’t be busy for long, even if he wanted to collect some more goat milk fruits and tea. Planting vegetables, future watering, and harvesting work could also be completely handed over to Wang Qing and Wang Nizi. Watering their own land, harvesting their own vegetables, Wang Qing’s and Wang Nizi’s enthusiasm was very high.

After eating, the goat milk fruit, and peach jam were already cold. Shao Yunan and Wang Shijing bottled them, while Wang Qing and Wang Nizi washed dishes. The two moved separately as they delivered the jam, with Shao Yunan going to Zhao Lizheng’s house first. Since Zhao He took the initiative to show goodwill, he should also show something. With this back and forth, their friendship could deepen.