Crossing the Unknown Country

The five of them went down the mountain happily and went home. They came back early today and sat at home to copy books. Now they were copying four books at the same time, and only one person was left to check and proofread.

They felt that next time would be just right, and they would copy like this in the future, which would be fast and they wouldn't have to worry about the people waiting anxiously. They all felt that they could hand in four books at a time next time, and the speed of copying books would be much faster. Su He was assigned to be inspected today, and because she was the youngest, she could read books while being inspected and proofread. The four brothers felt sorry for her because she was too young and was afraid that she would be tired, and she usually copied books the shortest. Just let her read more books, and since their sister found the job of copying books for them, they should do more.

The books given by the bookstore owner Zhao this time were a geography book and a general history book. Su He was so happy. She had been living here half-deaf and half-blind, and she had no idea where she was or what era she was in. Her parents had also lived here since they were young, and they knew nothing about the outside world. She asked her parents and they had only been to the town at most. Only her grandfather had some memories of walking through the city when he was a child, but the impression was not deep because he was too young at the time.

When her brother was copying books, Su He knew from the chapters that they were in the remnant of the Yunshan Mountains, not the mountains of her original country. This country was also Sheng'an, which did not exist in history. There were five neighboring countries around it, Dongjie, Daqi, Suzhi, Xining, and Baoxiang. Dongjie and Xining were the strongest, often harassing the surrounding countries. Sheng'an was also deeply affected by them, and there were border conflicts with them almost every year.

Her village is located in the east of the country, close to Dongjie State. The people of this country are nomadic, multi-ethnic, and strong. They are extremely fierce in war. Sheng'an State is troubled by them. Every time they negotiate peace, they give them some food compensation. In fact, every time they start a war, it is because of the lack of food in winter or when there is a shortage of food, they start to invade surrounding countries. It happens that Sheng'an State is an agricultural country with an excellent geographical location. Most of the land is fertile and the planting industry is relatively developed. Basically, the people of the country can live and work in peace and not be displaced.

I haven't seen Su He's details yet, but I will learn about this country through these books. The brothers copied books and read the knowledge in them with great interest. If their family was not poor and they needed to do other work, they could do this all day. They can earn money and learn book knowledge at the same time, which is great for them at their age.

They copied for a long time today, and finally saw that it was time to cook for their parents, so they packed up and went to their own work. Su Pei took the limestone used for a bucket of lime water, and the two families would share it equally after collecting the money. Su Pei and Su Che went home happily. Today they could earn another 500 coins. Now they could earn money at home without leaving the village, and they still felt very excited.

When they got home that night, the family came with the money and took the limestone that Su Pei had prepared for them. He told them how to soak it in water and mix it, how to paint the wall, and even gave them the brooms he had tied up. The family left with a satisfied smile, and Su Pei simply took out 250 coins and asked Su Che to give it to Su He. After all, this was the first money that the five of them had earned individually, and they should be divided into their own hands as soon as possible.

The three brothers and sisters of Su He were very excited when they saw the two hundred and fifty coins. They had their first income without leaving the village. Su He thought about trying to grow bean sprouts. Seeing that no one knew about this dish yet, he could also try tofu. With the lime water, he could also make tofu. Thinking about soy milk, tofu pudding, and fried cakes, Su He felt his mouth water. He decided to soak the beans now and make soy milk, tofu pudding, and tofu tomorrow morning.

Su He asked his brothers to light the fire and prepare to cook. To make the dipping sauce, he washed the leaves he had picked and the leafy vegetables he had picked from the family's vegetable garden and set them aside. He scooped a spoonful of flour from the flour bag, added an egg and water to make a thick paste, put the leaves in it, dipped the leaves in the paste one by one, and then set them aside.

Put oil directly in the pot, stir-fry the pot with pepper leaves, add some picked wild vegetables and stir-fry, and add appropriate amount of salt. Su He looked at this simple seasoning, and he had to make soybean paste, soy sauce and vinegar by himself. Otherwise, the rice would have no taste at all. It turns out that there are more than a dozen seasonings in the world, and there are oil and salt. I heard that soy sauce and vinegar are only affordable for rich people. The method is not passed on to others. Ordinary people can't eat enough, and they are reluctant to use food to make such dispensable things. Soy paste is best made from March to May every year, or from September to October. It can't be made in summer or it will change the taste. Vinegar can be made at any time. Try making some tomorrow. Don't worry about the time.

Thinking about these, my parents came back. They washed their hands and faces and started to eat. When Su He put the leaves cooked in the pot with thin noodles, poured the fried vegetables on it, and everyone started to eat with a bowl. The family ate very comfortably. This way of eating was good. The two brothers said that they could eat more of this meal in the future. My parents also nodded. This noodle was not used much, but it was very filling and delicious.