Falling into the mortal world

Lan Qingqing dug up some more roses. She had no intention of digging up the entire sea of ​​flowers.

It's always good to leave some room for maneuver in life. After all, the scenery in this valley is so beautiful, it would be terrible to ruin it.

Lan Qingqing and the others went into the cave and pried up a lot more saltpeter. After they finished preparing the items, they placed them at the foot of the cliff.

There was no one at the bottom of the valley, so Lan Qingqing and the others felt safe leaving their belongings there.

Afterwards, Lan Qingqing followed the old doctor into the deep valley. Along the way, Lan Qingqing saw many poisonous mushrooms. The old doctor was also very careful. He saw quite a few poisonous herbs.

Deep in this secluded valley, Lan Qingqing and her group proceeded cautiously. As she ventured deeper into the valley, the surrounding vegetation grew increasingly lush, and she discovered a large plum grove.

The plum trees in this plum grove were very tall, laden with heavy plums. These plums didn't look ripe yet, so Lan Qingqing curiously picked one and put it in her mouth to taste. Instantly, a tangy, sour taste filled her mouth, making her teeth ache.

Lan Qingqing continued deeper into the plum grove, discovering that there were more and more plum trees, forming a dense forest. She excitedly wandered through the woods.

Feng Caidie asked, somewhat puzzled: "Miss, can we eat these fruits?"

"Of course we can eat it! Not only can we eat it, we can also exchange it for money!" Lan Qingqing said, unable to hide her excitement.

This valley is a treasure trove! Every visit brings a different surprise.

Because the climate in the valley is warmer than outside, the fruit ripens earlier, so this fruit has arrived at just the right time.

The old doctor was also immersed in the excitement of digging for medicinal herbs. This valley contained not only Polygonum multiflorum (He Shou Wu) but also Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi). The old doctor was absorbed in the joy of finding medicinal herbs.

What excited the old doctor the most was that he discovered a century-old ginseng. Although it wasn't as good as the thousand-year-old ginseng that Lan Qingqing had previously possessed, this century-old ginseng was still an extremely rare and valuable medicinal herb.

This valley is a treasure trove. The temperature here is just right, allowing the plums to ripen ahead of schedule.

However, there are many snakes, insects, rodents, and poisonous flowers and plants here, so you have to be very careful if you want to pick plums from this area.

This place is rarely visited by humans, and there are many wild animals here. Lan Qingqing discovered several traces of wild animals along the way.

There were also traces of pythons. Because I have the skills to survive in the wild. If it were anyone else, they would probably have been eaten alive by wild animals.

Lan Qingqing and Feng Caidie began picking green plums. The old doctor would also help with the picking when he had nothing else to do. Over several days, Lan Qingqing and the others picked dozens of bags of plums.

These plums are just what can solve the Lan family's predicament; otherwise, Qingfeng Tavern would have to remain closed forever.

With this plum wine, perhaps things will turn around.

Lan Qingqing tied the sacks together with rattan.

Before leaving, Lan Qingqing paid her respects at her maternal grandmother's grave.

Lan Qingqing took out the offerings prepared by her mother. There were pastries and a bottle of wine.

The old doctor was curious about who Lan Qingqing was worshipping. Why would Lan Qingqing be worshipping someone in this deep valley? He glanced at her with some curiosity.

Upon seeing the name on the list, the old doctor was horrified. However, Lan Qingqing was busy with the worship and didn't notice anything unusual about the old doctor.

Lan Qingqing and the other two reached the top of the cliff and had Lan Xiaotian and the others pull the things up. They then spent the rest of the time gathering their bounty and preparing to return.

It was half a month later when they returned to the village. Seeing everyone back safe and sound, Lan's mother finally felt relieved.

Lan Qingqing told Lan Xiaotian how to make plum wine, urging him to quickly process the plums so he could brew good wine.

Afterwards, Lan Qingqing led her people into the deep mountains again. Lan Xiaotian stayed at home and led people to make plum wine.

The flowers that were dug up were also given to Lan's father. Lan Qingqing gave him the greenery planning diagram and told him to plant the flowers and plants according to the diagram.

Lan Qingqing encountered a leopard on her journey, but she easily subdued it.

After several trips back and forth, Lan Qingqing had cleaned up all the plums in the valley. She also took the sika deer with her when she left.

Lan Qingqing also took some plum saplings with her. They can be planted on the estate.

The trip to the valley was incredibly fruitful, and Lan Xiaotian has been working overtime ever since. The people in the workshop are also working feverishly.

Lan Qingqing sold the sika deer and the leopard skin together, earning a total of one hundred taels of silver. Meanwhile, the preserved eggs she was making, almost like salted eggs, were nearly ready.

Lan Qingqing peeled open the preserved egg and took a look. It was crystal clear; it was done. Lan Qingqing said excitedly.

Lan's mother was also startled when she saw the preserved egg in Lan Qingqing's hand.

"Qingqing! What's wrong with this egg? Is it spoiled?" Mother Lan asked in surprise.

"Mom, this is called preserved egg, it's delicious," Lan Qingqing said. "It tastes even better with soy sauce."

Mom, let's make some soy sauce tomorrow, which will be perfect to eat with preserved eggs.

What is soy sauce? Mother doesn't know how to make it! Mother Lan said with distress.

"That's easy," Lan Qingqing said casually.

Actually, making soy sauce is very simple. When I was filming a TV series, the script included a character like this—a peasant woman.

To better immerse myself in the role, I had previously gone to the village to learn.

I happened to see a farmer making soy sauce.

So Lan Qingqing also remembered how to make soy sauce. Lan Qingqing explained to her mother.

Although Lan's mother couldn't understand what Lan Qingqing meant by the TV series, it didn't stop her from being curious about soy sauce.

Lan Qingqing explained to her mother how to make soy sauce.

Wash the soybeans with clean water, soak them for 2-4 hours, then drain them. Then steam or bake them until they become soft.

The steamed or baked ingredients are mixed with flour, starter culture, etc., to make koji cakes, which are then placed in a room to ferment naturally.

Place the fermented koji cakes into a large vat, add salt water, stir well, and then let them ferment naturally. During the fermentation process, it is necessary to stir them regularly to ensure even fermentation.

After fermentation is complete, the solids in the fermentation liquid are pressed out to obtain soy sauce concentrate.

Season the soy sauce concentrate by adding appropriate amounts of salt, sugar, MSG, and other seasonings, and stir well.

The seasoned soy sauce concentrate is filtered to remove impurities and sediment.

The filtered soy sauce undergoes sterilization to ensure its hygiene and safety.

The whole process will take about two months.

The rest can be studied by Lan's mother tomorrow, since she has nothing to do at home anyway.

Lan's mother carefully wrote down all the steps that Lan Qingqing had explained.

Lan Qingqing made congee with preserved egg and lean pork for everyone that evening, and then went to find the old doctor to come and eat together.

Before Lan Qingqing woke up, the old doctor rarely ate at the Lan family home; Lan's mother usually brought the food to him. The old doctor spent all his time studying Lan Qingqing's condition.

Since Lan Qingqing woke up, the old doctor has frequently gone to the mountains and rarely comes to the Lan family for meals. Now, Lan Qingqing went to invite the old doctor to dinner, only to find him gone; the old doctor is nowhere to be found.

Little did they know that as soon as the old doctor returned, he set off back to Kyoto.

Unable to find anyone, Lan Qingqing returned.

When the congee with preserved egg and lean pork was served, it startled the family. They thought there was something dirty in the congee.

Lan Qingqing was a little embarrassed. "Xiao Tian, ​​take a good look. Why is it dirty?" Lan Qingqing said indignantly.

"Isn't this just something dirty?" Lan Xiaotian said, showing it to his father.

"This is a preserved egg. What kind of look is that?" Under everyone's gaze, Lan Qingqing scooped a spoonful of rice porridge into her mouth.

Only then did everyone believe that it was really edible. After that, everyone reluctantly took a bite, and then they kept taking bite after bite.

"These preserved eggs are so delicious!" Lan Xiaoya exclaimed.

Lan Xiaotian chimed in, "Yeah, sis, how did you make this? It tastes so good!"

"That's right!" Everyone started discussing it animatedly.