I trade in both worlds

Xu Xu handed the rice bag and beans to Xu Jin and Xu Zhun again: "You guys carry this, is it heavy? If you want to plant it, I'll take it."

Xu Jin tried it and felt that the rice bag was a bit heavy, but he could barely hold it: "This one is a bit heavy, but it should be OK."

Xu Xu took the rice bag, hugged Xu Tiantian, and lifted the rice bag: "This one is a bit heavy, let me take it, you and Xiao Zhun take turns to take the beans, that one is also quite heavy. Okay, let's go."

The two dogs followed Xu Xu and the other children out. Xu Xu saw them and drove the two dogs back. Xu Zhun wanted to take the dogs with him: "Sister, can we let the dogs follow? They want to go play with Da Huang from Uncle Er's house."

Xu Xu looked at Xu Zhun in surprise: "When did the dog at my second uncle's house become called Da Huang?"

Xu Zhun said confidently: "They are brothers, so they must have the same name."

Xu Qiwei supported his uncle: "Yes, uncle is right."

Xu Xu was speechless and could only go with his two dogs and several children. After walking and stopping, they finally arrived at Xu Jizong's house. Xu Zhun was the first to rush in and saw Xu Youyin: "Second brother, please help me, it's so heavy."

Xu Youyin hurriedly took the beans from Xu Zhun's hand, looked up and saw Xu Xu, and took the rice bag and pig lungs from her hand: "Why did you bring the pig lungs?"

Xu Xu shook his hands and said, "I can't bring myself to wash it."

Xu Youyin couldn't help laughing: "You are not afraid of the intestines, but the pig's lungs."

Xu Xu said disdainfully: "Anyway, I just feel disgusted, so I'll just take it and you guys can eat it."

Second Aunt Xu looked at the pig lungs and said, "No matter how I look at it, they seem cleaner than the large and small intestines. Why don't you dare wash them?"

Seeing that everyone was surrounding the pig lungs and no one was helping him to take the bamboo basket, Xu Qiwei pouted and said, "Second Grandma, this is for you."

Aunt Xu looked down and saw Xu Qiwei holding a bamboo basket covered with gauze. She took it and asked curiously, "What is this?"

Xu Qiwei jumped and raised his hand: "I know, I know, this is a baobao, a delicious baobao."

Second Aunt Xu lifted the gauze and saw a bamboo basket of buns. She looked at Xu Xu disapprovingly: "Child, I really don't know how to say hello to you."

Xu Xu said with a playful smile: "Then don't say anything, just eat it."

Not wanting to pay attention to Xu Xu, Second Aunt Xu went back to the kitchen and picked out the buns with a plate. She then emptied the bamboo basket and returned it to Xu Xu, saving the buns for dinner.

Thinking about whether to start preparing the dishes for tomorrow's dinner party now, Xu Xu asked, "Second Aunt, should we prepare the dishes for tomorrow today?"

Aunt Xu shook her head: "No, I'll pickle them with salt and deal with them tomorrow morning."

Xu Xu handed Xu Tiantian to Second Aunt Xu: "Okay, Second Aunt, you help me hold her while I go to the old vegetable garden to pick some vegetables. There is no more at home."

Aunt Xu took the child and said, "Go ahead. Pick the eggplants and loofahs for tomorrow."

Xu Xu counted the number of people for tomorrow's event. There were about 20 of them. "Will the vegetables in the old garden be enough?"

Second Aunt Xu: "Pick all you can. If you don't have enough, go to another garden tomorrow morning. There are several gardens, so you don't have to worry about running out of vegetables."

Xu Xu also thought it was okay: "Okay, I'll go then."

Xu Jizong's family has three vegetable gardens. One is right behind the house, one is a little further ahead, at the edge of the field, and the other is the vegetable garden of the old ancestral house. Aunt Xu is very capable. All three vegetable gardens are filled with crops every year, and the leftovers are taken to the town to sell.

There are relatively few vegetables planted in the vegetable garden behind the house, but there are many varieties. The vegetables in this garden are basically used for family consumption. This time Xu Xu went to the old vegetable garden in the ancestral home. When his grandparents were still alive, they always lived in the ancestral home. They didn't want to live with their son because they felt uncomfortable. But since his grandparents passed away, no one has lived in the ancestral home.

According to the Xu family's rules, the eldest son should take care of his parents in their old age and the ancestral home should also be inherited by the eldest son. However, when Xu Jizu was away from home to work as an aide, Xu Jizong took care of his parents in their old age and saw them to their death. Xu Jizu felt that he had not fulfilled his responsibilities, so the old home was given to Xu Jizong and he gave up the inheritance.

The old vegetable garden was planted with cowpeas, eggplants, gourds, kale, loofahs, edamame, amaranth, bitter melon, water spinach, and winter melon. There was also a circle of taro planted on the edge of the garden, but I didn't know if the taro was ripe now. Xu Xu decided to pick the loofahs and eggplants first, and if there were any extra, he could take some back.

After picking the vegetables for tomorrow, Xu Xu picked some cowpeas, wax gourds and amaranth. She also looked at the winter melons, which were still very small and it would be a waste to pick them now. Seeing that the bamboo basket was full, she decided to go back, as she would not be able to take them back if she picked more.

Xu Xu went back and left the loofah and eggplant behind, took the remaining vegetables and took the children home. In the afternoon, she washed the clothes she had taken off yesterday. Fortunately, there was a well at home, so she didn't have to worry about water.

In the evening, Xu Xu heated up more than ten buns left over from lunch and stewed some bone soup, which solved his dinner problem.

After breakfast the next morning, Xu Xu took the children and the dog to Xu Jizong's house to prepare lunch. Yesterday's pig lungs had been cleaned by Xu Youyin, and Lin Erya was going to use them to stew persimmon, walnut and pig lung soup. The originally ordered loofah soup was replaced with pig lung soup.

Persimmon and walnut pork lung soup is mainly stewed with persimmon cake, yam, walnut kernels, figs and pork lungs. Persimmon and walnut pork lung soup tastes fresh and delicious, and has the effects of nourishing the spleen and qi, nourishing the stomach and producing fluid, moistening the lungs and relieving cough, nourishing the kidney and nourishing yin, nourishing blood and moisturizing dryness.

Although Xu Xu felt that pig lungs were disgusting and was afraid to wash them, it did not stop her from liking persimmon and walnut pig lung soup. In the past, Zhang Yunxiang would stew this soup whenever walnuts came out. For Xu Xu, this was the taste of her lost mother.

Soup is simmering in the small stove, and bean rice is being cooked in the big pot. The beans had been soaked last night, but they are still put in the pot to cook for a while before adding the rice. Nowadays, rice is boiled in the pot with water, stirring in circles while cooking, stirring five or six times each time.

When the rice is half cooked, filter out the rice soup and put the half-cooked rice into the wooden steamer, cover it and steam it until cooked. The rice grains will swell and not stick together, and each grain will be separate, with a very good taste.

Yesterday, I picked a lot of loofahs, so I changed the original stir-fried cabbage with meat to stir-fried loofah with meat. I kept the eggplant, braised pork and pork liver as usual, and I cut and pickled all the vegetables. Xu Xu saw that there was no place for him to start in the kitchen, so he remembered that there was fried peanuts, so he asked Aunt Xu for a bowl of peanuts, sat by the stove, and peeled the peanuts while making a fire.

The rice was ready, and Aunt Xu started to cook the braised pork. It had to be cooked until it was soft and melted in the mouth. It would take at least an hour to cook. The dishes that took a long time to cook were cooked first, and the last few dishes were fried when the time was almost up. When the guests arrived, the dishes could be served.

At noon, Xu Youliang set up two tables in the yard and put bowls and chopsticks on them. The farmers didn't have any wine glasses, so they drank directly from bowls.