Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 21 Making things happen

Of course, he didn't dare to talk about Jiang Lili's family affairs anymore, and could only talk about other things.

"Xiao Jiang, have anything unusual happened during your three years here?"

Jiang Lili looked at him, puzzled. "What's so special about it?"

Chen Fan said, "It's about funny things, or things that are memorable, like how you usually work, or anything else, just casual conversation."

"Is that so?"

Jiang Lili tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. Just as she was about to speak, she burst out laughing again.

Chen Fan maintained a stiff smile, remaining silent as he stared at Jiang Lili.

What is it that's so funny? Tell me!

Perhaps it was the heart-to-heart talk that helped her open up, or perhaps it was Chen Fan's attitude that made her feel comfortable. Unconsciously, Jiang Lili also let down her guard and caution, revealing some of her true nature.

After laughing several times, Jiang Lili finally managed to hold it in, but her face was still full of smiles, which looked much better than her usual blank expression.

Then she began to tell a story that made her laugh uncontrollably: "Two years ago, there was a new educated youth who went to work in the fields. He couldn't tell the difference between barnyard grass and rice seedlings, so he pulled up all the rice seedlings, leaving only barnyard grass in the field. Captain Yang was so angry that he jumped up and down and cursed him, and punished him by making him pull up all the barnyard grass and replant all the rice seedlings."

Chen Fan blinked. "Not knowing the difference between grains? That's not so funny, is it?"
Jiang Lili continued, "From here to the rice paddies where we work, we have to cross a rather wide ditch. There used to be a wooden bridge over the ditch, but that summer, a torrential rain washed it away. That day, when we went to work, everyone jumped across, but he was too scared to jump. Some of the male educated youth said they would throw him across, since the other side was grass and he wouldn't get hurt. But he was so scared that he moved around and fell into the water. It was the two educated youths who threw him who pulled him out."

Chen Fan's eye twitched slightly. Good heavens, they just threw him over there? There's a bit of grudge involved.

At this point, he also became interested. That educated youth seemed to have a story. His family conditions must be quite good. Otherwise, an ordinary family wouldn't have the means to pamper him.

Jiang Lili said, "He was frightened after falling into the water, so the team leader gave him a day off. Grandma Huang from the village entrance, who had married into the village from Hubei, knew how to make their specialty, pressed pepper, so she brought him a bowl. And then…"

At this point, Jiang Lili burst into laughter again, clutching her stomach. "He had never seen this before. It smelled sour and seemed a bit dirty, so he took it to the river to wash it. In the end, he washed all the rice noodles away, and all that was left was a big bowl of pickled peppers with just a few chili skins."

This time, Chen Fan couldn't help but laugh along.

If you don't know what "pickled pepper" is, you won't understand the humor.

In some parts of Hubei, chili peppers are called pepper. After harvesting chili peppers in autumn, they are washed, stems removed, dried, and chopped. Rice flour and an appropriate amount of salt are then mixed together, packed into a jar, sealed tightly, and left to ferment naturally in a well-ventilated and dry place. After half a month, they can be taken out and eaten.

This type of pressed pepper can be stir-fried in oil or boiled. It has a golden color and a sour and spicy flavor, making it a local specialty dish of Hubei province.

Because Jingzhou is located next to the Yangtze River, this dish spread with the waterways and can be found in many places along both banks of the Yangtze River.

This stuff was originally made with chili peppers and rice noodles. The rice noodles dissolved in water, and the educated youth washed it with water. In the end, apart from a little bit of chili pepper skin, nothing else was left.

To the locals, washing pepper with water is just like washing flour with water—it's laughable.

No wonder Jiang Lili couldn't stop laughing. And that wasn't the end of it.

Jiang Lili: "There was another female educated youth who also made a fool of herself. At that time, the team leader picked them up from the commune in a donkey cart. After they were brought here, the donkey started rolling on the ground. When she saw the donkey fall to the ground, she quickly shouted, 'Oh no, oh no, the donkey has fallen down!' Then Team Leader Yang saw it and said to her, 'A donkey rolling around? Have you never seen or heard of such a thing? You're so loud and boisterous, you're going to scare people to death!'"

At this point, she specifically explained,
"Actually, Captain Yang didn't mean to criticize her. That donkey is an important asset of the village. Shouting that the donkey has fallen down would really scare them. Many villagers were very anxious at the time, and the custodian Huang almost fell when he ran out. So if you see livestock lying down in the village, you must never shout randomly."

Chen Fan sat beside her, listening to her ramble on about people and things from the past, occasionally asking a few questions. Unconsciously, the distance between the two seemed to have narrowed considerably, and Jiang Lili no longer kept her head down all the time, occasionally even laughing a few times.

It wasn't until it was almost dark that Jiang Lili came to her senses. "Oh, what time is it?"

Chen Fan glanced at the sky, got up, and lifted the pot lid. "No matter what time it is, let's taste the meat first to see if it's tender."

Upon lifting the lid, a rich aroma wafted out.

Jiang Lili took a deep breath, her eyes immediately lighting up. "It smells so good, and there's really no fishy smell."

Chen Fan took a closer sniff. "There is still a slight fishy smell, but it doesn't affect the taste."

He then used chopsticks to cut the congealed turtle blood, which had been seasoned with salt, into small pieces and poured them in as well. He then covered the bowl and said, "It'll be ready to eat in fifteen minutes."

Jiang Lili suddenly got up and ran outside, saying, "I'll go get the food."

There is still a lot of space under the pot lid, so you can steam rice while steaming the turtle, which saves both firewood and the time spent reheating the rice.

He placed two large bowls of rice on the steamer rack. Fifteen minutes later, he lifted the lid again, picked up a piece of meat, took a bite, and couldn't help but nod repeatedly, "Mmm, delicious."

With its tender meat and clear broth, this steamed turtle is perfectly cooked. Although there is still a slight fishy smell, it is masked by the spiciness of the ginger and is almost imperceptible. People with less sensitive sense of smell and taste may not even be able to detect it. On the contrary, the umami flavor is particularly strong.

Chen Fan carried the turtle pot to the kitchen. Jiang Lili extinguished the fire in the earthen stove, sealed the lid tightly, placed the other items on the steamer rack, and then left with the steamer rack.

Once in the kitchen, the two sat facing each other and prepared to eat.

Jiang Lili suddenly whispered, "Chen Fan, this is such a big pot of turtle meat, should we send some over to the captain and the others?"

Chen Fan looked at her in surprise, not expecting this young girl to have such high awareness.
To be honest, this casserole is quite big, not much smaller than a washbasin. The pot is piled high with turtle meat, plus the bowl of turtle blood. If it were stewed directly, the broth would probably overflow. There is so much food that the two of them really can't finish it.

Chen Fan got up to find bowls almost without hesitation, saying, "I'll send a bowl to Captain Yang, Accountant Liu, and Warehouse Keeper Huang."

Captain Yang treated him well, giving him blankets and shoes, and was also his savior. Accountant Liu and custodian Huang were also busy helping him. Custodian Huang even gave him half a bag of sweet potatoes, but it was just a bowl of turtle meat, nothing to be reluctant about.

Jiang Lili quickly got up and helped him with it.

(End of this chapter)