Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 63 The Production Team's Movie King

After chatting for a long time, and seeing that the sun was already high in the sky, Chen Fan was afraid that if he didn't set off soon, Captain Xiao would send someone to find him, so he picked up his dog-beating stick again and strode towards Team 5.

As they approached Team 5, they saw many people planting utility poles, extending outwards from the village. They had been planting for a day yesterday, so they were quite far away today. Chen Fan stood on the edge of the field, looking into the distance but couldn't see anyone clearly, so he walked straight into the village.

Just like last time, the first thing to greet me was those same dogs.

Chen Fan whistled and asked the dogs for directions. He had only gone to the brigade headquarters last time and didn't know which house Captain Xiao lived in.

The dogs knew this place very well. When they heard him say he was going to Captain Xiao's house, a big spotted dog immediately darted out and led the way, jumping and leaping.

The big yellow dog barked, "Woof woof woof (He's from the Xiao family)."

Chen Fan chuckled. So they found the real target right away?

Surrounded by the dogs, Chen Fan walked onto the path on the ridge.

The members who came out after hearing the voice greeted him.

"Master Chen is here."

"Are you going to Captain Xiao's house to make sauerkraut? I'll take you there."

Chen Fan smiled and waved, "Thank you, thank you, I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Even though the dogs were leading the way, it still felt a bit strange to just go straight there. Since the villagers would be there to watch the excitement anyway, it would be better to follow them.

Soon they arrived at Captain Xiao's house. His family had been allocated land early and received a brick house, the last one by the pond. The ground was still paved with blue bricks and was very clean.

At this time, there were two small vats drying at the door. They were about half a meter high and about thirty or forty centimeters in diameter. The local people usually used these vats to pickle vegetables.

Chen Fan could tell at a glance that this was what Captain Xiao's family was preparing to use for pickling sauerkraut.

Before Chen Fan could speak, someone shouted, "Captain Xiao, Master Chen is here!"

Captain Xiao came out upon hearing the sound and laughed, "I was wondering why Da Hua at home kept chirping. Turns out it was you."

They immediately ushered him into the house, saying, "Come, come, have a seat inside."

At the same time, a large number of people poured out of both rooms.

Chen Fan greeted him with a smile, "Hello, Captain Xiao. Officer Zhu came to my place this morning, so he's a little late."

Captain Xiao suddenly realized, "Oh, I see. I was just thinking that if you hadn't come soon, I would have sent someone to pick you up."

His expression changed slightly, and he looked at Chen Fan and whispered, "Did Officer Zhu bring good news?"

Chen Fan shook his head with a gloomy expression. "All the police stations in the county have been mobilized to investigate, but there's still no news."

Upon hearing this, Captain Xiao's expression turned somewhat dejected. After a couple of seconds, he comforted him, "It's alright, it's alright. Just stay here and rest assured. If you encounter any difficulties, you can tell me, and we'll wait for news."

Chen Fan raised his head, displaying the production team's Oscar-worthy acting skills, and forced a smile as he said, "Thank you, Captain Xiao. I'm not having any difficulties. The things that the various teams have given me these past two days are enough to feed me for a year, and the brigade headquarters also gave me clothes. I don't need anything."

Captain Xiao smiled and nodded, patting his arm. "Young man, relax, take your time."

Then she introduced him to her family. His family was also quite large; he had married and had children a long time ago, and later, after being wounded and discharged in the north, he returned and had more children.

Back then, the idea was that many hands make light work, so he had six children in one go. Besides himself and his wife, the oldest of the six children is now 27 years old, and the youngest is 20 years old. They are all married.

Now only the youngest son lives here with them. The eldest and second sons have separated and live in the mud-walled house at the back. All three daughters have married; one lives in Team 5, and the other two married into other teams.

However, everyone came back today. Those who got married even brought their children. The room was crowded with nearly a dozen people. When Chen Fan arrived, they all rushed out to greet him.

Chen Fan introduced himself to them all, and then began to teach them how to make sauerkraut.

Today's lesson is open to the public; anyone in the village who is willing to learn is welcome to come and watch.

Chen Fan: "Captain Xiao, have you processed the cabbage you prepared according to my method?"

Captain Xiao nodded. "As you said, we took half and left it in a shady, well-ventilated place for two days now."

The young daughter-in-law next to him asked, "Master Chen, why do you want to dry only half of it?"

Chen Fan smiled and said, "There are two processes. One is called cooked pickling, which involves scalding the cabbage with boiling water, draining it, and then putting it into the jar. The other is called raw pickling, which involves drying the cabbage first, then cutting it up and putting it directly into the jar to pickle."

He then said, "For cooked marinating, you need to boil a large pot of water and prepare a slanted cutting board to place the vegetables. You guys do the preparation work first, and I'll do the raw marinating here."

Then, surrounded by a large crowd, Chen Fan demonstrated and taught the participants simultaneously.

Standing at the very front were definitely members of the Xiao family. Even the three daughters who had married out of the village stood in the front row, vying for advantageous positions. The other villagers consciously moved back, keeping a close eye on Chen Fan's movements while muttering to themselves, some even taking notes diligently.

If killing turtles is about adding another meat dish to everyone's diet, allowing them to occasionally enjoy the taste of meat, then pickled cabbage is about daily meals.

Previously, there were only pickled vegetables and kimchi available here, and people usually relied on these two to eat with their meals. There was no sauerkraut.

Although Chef Chen said that the best time to make sauerkraut is between 5 and 15 degrees Celsius, as it will spoil easily if the temperature is too high, it is fine to eat it all winter. Besides, sauerkraut can also be used as a side dish, stir-fried or stewed with other dishes, which gives it another use than pickled vegetables and kimchi. Naturally, they can't help but take it seriously.

After a flurry of activity, both vats were filled.

At this point, Chen Fan clapped his hands and said, panting, "This vat of pickled meat will need to be filled with water again in two or three days after the water comes out. Well water is best, but if that's not available, use cooled boiled water. River water isn't very clean, so it's best not to use it."

Captain Xiao nodded seriously and pointed upwards, "There is a well in the backyard of the brigade headquarters. We can use the well water."

Chen Fan added, "We need to add water to this vat of raw pickled vegetables around this time tomorrow, and it would be best to add some white wine as well. That's all. Wait for more than half a month, and once all the vegetables turn yellow, it means they're thoroughly pickled, and then they can be eaten."

Then he carefully explained, "You absolutely cannot eat anything that isn't fully pickled, and you can't eat anything that's been pickled to the point of spoilage either, because it's poisonous."

"what?"

Everyone was startled and stared at him in unison. "Poisoned?"

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "Don't worry, it's not very toxic. However, if it's not fully pickled, it will contain nitrites. If people eat it, they will feel nauseous, vomit, have abdominal pain, and diarrhea. In severe cases, the skin and mucous membranes will turn purplish-black, blue, or bluish-brown. So you must wait until the sauerkraut is fully pickled before eating it, and don't eat too much at once. Just add some flavor."

Hearing him say that, the timid ones couldn't help but back down. It wasn't worth getting sick over an unfamiliar pickled cabbage.

But some bolder ones laughed and said, "It won't kill anyone, what's there to be afraid of?"

For someone like this, Chen Fan could only respect him and call him a hero!
(End of this chapter)