Rebirth of an Old Farmer: Escape from Famine with Children and Grandchildren

Seeing this, Sun Wan couldn't help but laugh.

"No, you have to learn whether you like it or not. This is what Mom wants. If you can't learn, forget about cooking in the big kitchen. I will find another chef to replace you."

After hearing this, Zhang Nizi's attitude softened a lot. She glared and said, "Mom, I really can't do this. I really want to continue studying. Please don't fire me."

The girl almost begged, tears welling up in her eyes.

After dealing with this difficult person, the attitudes of the others became noticeably more restrained, and no one stood up to oppose or raise any objections.

"Then it's settled. Starting tomorrow, you'll all take classes with Aunt Hua."

Sun Wan announced in a firm tone.

"The location is in my courtyard. The specific class times and course schedule will be decided between you and Aunt Hua. Of course, you don't need to study non-stop from morning till night every day. That would be too boring for you and not a long-term solution."

Aunt Hua smiled slightly and nodded in response, "I understand your intention. I will quickly negotiate with everyone to come up with a time period that everyone can accept. This way, they can study well without feeling too much pressure."

After everything was discussed, Sun Wan looked at the girls sitting around and said, "No matter whose daughter you are, as long as you are willing to come here to learn etiquette and knowledge with me, Aunt Hua welcomes you to join the group at any time. Yuemei, remember to notify the rest of the family while I'm out. If anyone is interested or thinks they would be suitable to join, please bring them here directly."

After ensuring that each step of the plan had been clearly assigned to the appropriate person, Sun Wan entrusted the subsequent specific implementation tasks to Aunt Hua and Su Yuemei. Then she picked up the small bamboo basket prepared on the side, slowly walked out of her courtyard gate, and headed towards the village to find Su Zhaoxiong who was busy.

At this moment, Sun Wan already had a preliminary idea in her mind: she planned to build three earthen stoves in the village specifically for baking steamed buns and other foods.

Considering that the population in Taohuayuan is relatively dense, the oven in the design must be built tall enough to accommodate the needs of more people; at the same time, the internal space should be cleverly divided into two or three layers, so that more food can be baked at one time.

With a detailed design sketch, Sun Wan found Su Zhaoxiong who happened to be passing by and working there, wanting to discuss the possibility of this matter with him further.

"Brother Zhaoxiong, what do you think of this design? This is a rough plan I made for adding a few larger earthen stoves to the village."

She gently handed over the drawing in her hand.

"Auntie is here! What do you want to talk to me about today?"

When Su Zhaoxiong saw that the distinguished guest coming to visit was his long-respected old neighbor Sun Wan, he immediately showed an extremely excited smile.

"Just tell me directly, and we will do our best to meet your requirements!"

In fact, when Su Zhaoxiong heard that it was another task brought by an old friend, his heart was already filled with joy.

Because he knew that every time he completed a task for Aunt Lan Zhen, he could always learn a lot of practical knowledge and skills. This was undoubtedly one of the things he was most willing to do and liked to do the most.

Su Zhaoxiong took the blueprint and examined it carefully for a moment before finally commenting, "This plan is good and quite practical. However, the only concern is that it might be difficult to find a matching size metal tray for baking."

As he expected, the issue of materials was one of the biggest challenges facing the project - and this was exactly what he had anticipated when he first drew the sketch.

However, just as Su Zhaoxiong was racking his brains to think, a sudden flash of inspiration came to him...

"Auntie, how about we do this like a brick kiln? This approach actually makes a lot of sense. The round roof ensures a more even distribution of heat inside. By placing the fire in the center, the heat can be evenly dissipated. Then, we can build layers of protruding bricks on the four walls. This will increase the contact surface. When the dough is placed on those protruding bricks, it will heat more evenly. This way, I believe the baked food will not only taste good, but also look beautiful. I think it should be a good idea."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wan recalled a method of baking pancakes in the era she was familiar with, which was to bake them directly on a similar kiln wall.

The surface of the pancake is golden and crispy, and the aroma is so fragrant that you can't help but salivate.

"Well, just take your time to think about it."

As she spoke, she was about to leave, her steps brisk but revealing a hint of fatigue.

During this period, she has been very busy with this plan.

At this time, Su Zhaoxiong hurriedly asked: "Then where should we build it?"

There was a hint of anxiety in his voice, and it was obvious that he was also looking forward to this project.

After walking a few steps, Sun Wan turned around, thought for a moment, and said, "Just find a suitable place next to the cafeteria."

In fact, the reason why Sun Wan wanted to build these earthen ovens was not just because of her love for baking.

She discovered that she had found seeds of a seasoning called tomatillo in her own field.

Her space bag was filled with various seeds, and all the grains and vegetables she knew had been handed over to Zhang Deshui for management.

Some other seeds that she had not yet identified were carefully packed into small paper bags and taken home.

One day, on a whim, she randomly picked a few to see if they could grow into anything.

Unexpectedly, she found such a treasure as fragrant beans. This surprising discovery made her very happy.

Since she was a child, she has been fond of pastries made with fragrant beans, such as fragrant bean pancakes, fragrant bean steamed buns, and various delicious dishes paired with chicken or ribs.

Especially the various flavors of scones made from chana dal are her favorite food.

It was precisely because of these beautiful memories that she hurriedly drew up this simple design and gave it to Su Zhaoxiong, hoping that he could help build a few such ovens as soon as possible.

As she walked along, she thought of one more thing she needed to prepare: she also had to bring seeds of various varieties of peppers, including chili peppers, millet peppers, and lantern peppers.

These are crops carefully cultivated in her special space. She plans to let Zhang Deshui plant these pepper seeds in the vegetable garden, and looks forward to harvesting more delicious ingredients in the near future.

This winter, she needs to stock up on a whole bunch of chili peppers.

In order to have a warm and fulfilling winter, she plans to stock up on these seasonings.

She plans to open a hot pot restaurant!

The thought made her feel both excited and nervous, as it was her first step towards independence.

Although there is only one pepper tree in the space, it bears countless fruits.

The tree was like magic, always providing her with an endless supply of harvest when she needed it most.

After picking a batch, a new batch will grow in a few days.

This made Sun Wan sigh, feeling that this tree seemed to never be afraid of withering away.

Sun Wan felt that this pepper tree was an inexhaustible treasure.

Whenever she looks at this vibrant tree, a satisfied smile always appears on her face.