Sisters in the Deep Forest Valley: Many Fun Things

Lin Chunyi and her younger sister spent a whole day studying "The Complete Guide to Planting" and determined that it was still possible to plant some tomatoes and peppers this season.

They soaked the tomato and chili seeds in warm water, placed them on damp toilet paper, wrapped them up, and waited for them to sprout.

The next day, before dawn, Lin Chunyi and Lin Lanshan got up.

Today they plan to turn over all the open spaces in the outer courtyard several times, as loose soil will allow the plants to grow better.

The two of them finished turning the soil just as the sun was about to set.

"Finally finished. Let's eat something. Let's get some rest early today, my back is killing me." Lin Chunyi wiped away her sweat and twisted her waist as she spoke.

Lin Lanshan bit her lip and said:

"My hands hurt so much, my back hurts so much, my shoulders hurt so much, my legs hurt so much, my whole body hurts so much..."

Tears welled up in her eyes instantly.

Even back then, Lin Lanshan was only a 15-year-old junior high school student; she had never done so much farm work before.

Seeing her younger sister's tears welling up, Lin Chunyi felt a pang of heartache and gently patted her head, saying:

"Take a hot bath later, and I'll give you a massage. Tomorrow and the day after, we can just stay home and rest without doing anything."

She and her sister returned to the inner courtyard and boiled a large pot of water.

I drank two bowls of orange-flavored vitamin C effervescent tablets and ate two meat patties. Then I took a bath and went to bed.

After resting for two days, they were lively and energetic again. The peaches in the peach orchard were finally ripe.

Lin Chunyi and Lin Lanshan took out almost everything from their spatial storage to move the peaches.

Each person carried a basket on their back and went out.

Walking along the stream, you can smell the faint fragrance of peaches even before you arrive.

When we arrived at the peach grove, all we could see were green leaves supporting pink blossoms—it was a beautiful sight.

They put their baskets on the ground, picked a few of the biggest and pinkest ones, washed them by the stream, wiped them on their clothes, and ate them.

Naturally ripened wild peaches aren't particularly beautiful in color. Their pinkish-white skin often has some green spots or marks from insects and birds.

But this doesn't affect its delicious taste.

With one bite, the crisp flesh bounces between your lips and teeth, and its sweetness is accompanied by a slightly bitter taste, which is the essence of nature.

A wild peach, green with a hint of pink, is so captivating that one lingers there, reluctant to leave.

They picked the biggest and pinkest ones first, put them into baskets covered with cloth, and transported them to the space.

They carried the load back and forth three times until the space was full and the baskets were full before they finished transporting it.

Only a few unripe peaches and some bruised peaches remained on the trees. Each tree had about a few dozen peaches.

Those should be left for birds and insects to eat, and then after they fall, they will fall into the soil to fertilize the soil, so that the peach trees can bear plenty of fruit again next year.

The two returned home and began washing the peaches.

They found two old wooden buckets from the storeroom that they used when they were younger, washed them clean, and then poured in clean water.

Then they brought over a bamboo winnowing basket, and the two sisters sat under the osmanthus tree in the inner courtyard. They poured the peaches into two wooden buckets in several batches and then carefully washed them.

After washing them, put the peaches in a winnowing basket to drain.

Then they went to the cellar to put the things they had emptied back into their space, and then took out a bag of white sugar.

Looking at the little sugar left, Lin Chunyi was conflicted.

"We didn't bring much candy, and candy is expensive here, so half a bag should be enough for us."

"Sis, half a bag is too little, it's practically nothing. Let's put in a whole bag, otherwise it won't taste good and we'll waste the peaches and sugar. We can grow sugarcane and sugar beets in the future and make our own sugar. You've learned that before, haven't you forgotten?"

Okay, this adds another job to my resume.

After draining the water, the two sisters felt that peeling was too much work and gave up, moving directly to the next step.

Remove the pits from all the peaches, cut them into four pieces, put them into a wooden bucket, pour in a bag of white sugar and two spoonfuls of salt, stir, cover and marinate overnight.

Overnight, the sugar had long since dissolved into the peach flesh and juice.

The first rays of morning sunlight streamed through the window and fell on the bedroom floor.

They washed up, practiced their skills, and ate as usual. Then they began their work for the day.

The sun has risen, and the dew on the ground has disappeared. Let's start drying the food.

Lin Chunyi and her sister lifted the wooden bucket, and a rich peach fragrance wafted out.

Together they carried the wooden bucket to the kitchen and then poured the peach flesh into the iron pot.

Boil until it bubbles, then boil for another two minutes and let it simmer for a while.

Once the peach flesh has cooled, scoop it out, leaving half a pot of peach juice.

Place two bamboo drying racks and eight bamboo winnowing baskets in the yard, then spread the peach pieces one by one on the baskets until all eight baskets are full.

There were about two bowls' worth of peach flesh left in the wooden bucket.

"Sis, let's make the rest into jam and mix it with water to drink."

"There are no empty ceramic jars at home now."

"Then let's use the bottles we brought. They won't spoil if we put them in our space after we make them."

Lin Chunyi chopped the remaining peach flesh into small pieces, poured it back into the pot, and simmered it over low heat.

Cook until the fruit pulp is translucent and the juice is thick.

Lin Lanshan brought over two bowls, scooped some jam from the pot, added cold boiled water, stirred it, and gave one bowl to her sister.

"Sis, there's not enough sugar, it doesn't taste sweet at all."

Lin Chunyi took a sip, and a faint, sweet peach flavor slowly slid from the tip of her tongue into her throat.

It would be good to mix it with hot water and drink it in winter!

"Why eat something so sweet? I think this tastes just right."

The afternoon sun was strong, and the moisture on the surface of the peaches had dried out, causing the flesh to shrink slightly. So they flipped the peaches over and let them continue to dry in the sun.

They were dried like this for a day, steamed once in between, and then dried for another day. The peach pieces were then dried into small dried peaches.

I tried a few; they were chewy and had a sweet and sour taste. They packed them into two bags, totaling less than twenty pounds.

"Wow, so many peaches were dried, and this is all we have? Will this be enough to last through the winter?"

The younger sister shook the two bags in her hands.

Lin Chunyi rubbed her forehead and said helplessly:

“If you eat this every day, it definitely won’t be enough. There are plenty of wild fruits to eat in these mountains all year round. If we work hard, we can pick and store whatever is ripe. With food at home and in our space, we won’t panic.”

"Okay, the peaches are dried, and the vegetable seeds haven't sprouted any leaves yet, so what are we going to do today?"

Lin Lanshan, who was used to working every day, felt uncomfortable after resting for two days.

Lin Chunyi thought for a moment, then took her younger sister to the outer courtyard and stopped at the pumpkin patch.

"Wow, this pumpkin is bigger than a basin! Sister, let's pick it and eat it."

Lin Lanshan found the biggest pumpkin, broke it off the vine, and with a "Heave-ho!" picked it up and went to the kitchen.

When Lin Chunyi walked into the kitchen, she had already cut the pumpkin in half and was picking out the seeds.

"Lanshan, why don't you get the pumpkin seeds and roast them? I'll make pumpkin pancakes." Lin Chunyi smiled, remembering her sister's watermelon seeds.

Lin Lanshan didn't mind. She picked out the pumpkin seeds, washed them, and then lit a fire in the pot to roast them.

Lin Chunyi was preparing to make pumpkin pancakes on the table.