Chapter 38: This Fungus is Quite Powerful

Chapter 38: This Fungus is Quite Powerful

Commissioner Zhou, after all, is an official; his family shouldn't be so poor that they can only afford meat once every half month, right?

"Still, your family is better off. You just manage your own little household, unlike us, who have a bunch of siblings back home, all relying on us for support..."

Hearing this, Su Zhaozhao understood.

In those times, when one person succeeded, they were expected to help their entire family. If they only cared about their own well-being, they would be seen as heartless.

Passing by the vegetable stall, Su Zhaozhao stopped, "Sister Wang, you go buy the jars, I'll get some vegetables here."

Wang Chunhua held her back, "Come to my place and pick them yourself."

"No, no, I'm buying quite a lot, planning to make pickles."

When someone invites you once or twice, it's out of kindness; three or four times, it's out of politeness. Taking politeness too seriously is being ungrateful.

Hearing she was buying a lot, the hand holding her arm loosened, and Su Zhaozhao took the opportunity to pull away.

"Let's see who finishes first. If I finish first, I'll come find you."

"Aren't you buying jars?" Wang Chunhua asked, "We agreed you'd learn how to pickle vegetables and make soybean paste."

"Let's wait a bit. After I finish this busy period, I'll ask you for advice."

"That works. If you like it, just come to my place and take some."

Su Zhaozhao smiled in agreement.

As she moved forward, she began selecting suitable vegetables at the stall.

Radishes, green beans, garlic, ginger, red peppers, cabbage stalks...

Bay leaves, cinnamon bark, Sichuan pepper, star anise.

Rock sugar, salt, white liquor... she already had white liquor at home.

Su Zhaozhao wanted to be faster, so she carried a basket of vegetables to find Wang Chunhua.

"Sister, you've been choosing for so long. Every jar here is good; we checked them carefully when they arrived."

Wang Chunhua ignored the salesperson and examined the jars closely, "If a jar isn't fired properly, it will crack with use. The one I bought last year did."

Hearing this, the salesperson remained silent, fearing she might demand an exchange, which wasn't unheard of.

Su Zhaozhao arrived just in time to witness this scene.

Wang Chunhua waved her over, "Come help me check if there are any small cracks."

Su Zhaozhao leaned in, "...I don't see any."

"Then this one." She pointed to another selected jar and a casserole dish, "And these two."

After paying, Su Zhaozhao helped put the jars and casserole dish into Wang Chunhua's basket. One jar didn't fit, but it was small enough to carry in her arms.

"Have you finished buying everything?" Wang Chunhua glanced at her basket.

"Yes."

"Is this enough?" It didn't seem like much, and Wang Chunhua thought she would need more.

"Just start with a bit, and add more gradually. Some vegetables become less crisp if pickled for too long," Su Zhaozhao added, "Do you have bay leaves, cinnamon bark, Sichuan pepper, and rock sugar at home?"

"I have rock sugar, and maybe a little of the others. We bought them during the New Year for stewing meat. Do you need a lot?"

"Not much, just to enhance the flavor. If it's not enough later, we can add more."

With nothing else to buy, the two walked home together.

Upon arriving, Su Zhaozhao washed the vegetables she needed for pickling and laid them out to dry in a cool place.

Wang Chunhua followed her example, picking a basket of vegetables from her garden, removing the leaves, and keeping the stems.

"The pickling jars must be washed and dried before use; there should be no water inside," Su Zhaozhao reminded her.

Wang Chunhua nodded and did as instructed.

The vegetables didn't dry quickly, so Su Zhaozhao washed the meat she had bought, cut the fat into pieces, and opened the air vent under the coal stove to let the fire burn. She slowly rendered the fat over low heat.

The aroma slowly filled the air, and she took a deep breath, "So fragrant!"

She never thought she would be so captivated by the scent of lard.

Not only captivated, but almost drooling.

Watching the oil residue in the pot shrink, she was already thinking about how to eat it.

By the time the oil was ready, she realized she didn't have a covered bowl, so she had to use the casserole dish temporarily, planning to buy another one later.

Less than two pounds of fatty meat yielded nearly half a pot of oil. The pig must have been quite fat.

At noon, Su Zhaozhao ate alone, making a bowl of noodles mixed with oil residue, frying chopped dried peppers and garlic in oil, and mixing them with the oil residue. It was incredibly fragrant! She almost ate herself full.

After a nap at noon, Su Zhaozhao started pickling the vegetables when Wang Chunhua arrived.

She had prepared the pickling water the night before.

"These spices should be wrapped in cheesecloth and boiled in water to release their flavors. Once the water cools down, it can be poured into the jars."

The water had completely cooled down, and she poured it into the jar.

"Raw water can't be used; you should also pay attention to this later and avoid getting oil in it."

Wang Chunhua watched intently, "I remember my pickles always smelled like stinky feet. It turns out I added raw water without noticing."

Su Zhaozhao smiled, "Raw water contains various bacteria, especially during hot weather when they multiply very quickly, causing fermentation and spoilage."

"What kind of bacteria?" Wang Chunhua looked puzzled.

"Um," Su Zhaozhao organized her thoughts, "it's like what doctors say about drinking boiled water instead of raw water. Raw water isn't clean; it has invisible dirt that can cause stomachaches and even worms. Boiling the water kills these contaminants."

Wang Chunhua nodded, "Now I understand. Last year, the hospital did a health campaign in our residential area and mentioned this, telling everyone not to drink unboiled water."

Then she added, "These bacteria are quite powerful; they don't stop even in a pickling jar."

Su Zhaozhao laughed, "Exactly."

She poured the water in, then placed the dried vegetables one by one into the jar, added salt, sugar, and Sichuan pepper, sealed the lid, and added water around the rim before placing it in a cool spot. Done!

"The first batch needs to ferment for longer, about ten days before it's ready to eat."

"That's pretty simple!" Wang Chunhua chuckled, hopping up to leave, "I'll go back now. If I have any more questions, I'll ask you again."

"Sure." Su Zhaozhao didn't see her off; after a short rest, she planned to go out again.

She went to the tailor shop.

Before she could speak, the old tailor pointed to a corner of the workbench.

"Master, you're really quick, you finished so soon." Su Zhaozhao unfolded the clothes and tried them on.

The old tailor wasn't busy today; he had set up a rocking chair at the door and was swaying leisurely.

"I couldn't help but speed up with someone constantly hovering around. I told her to come back in two days, but she came the next day."

Su Zhaozhao paused, holding the clothes: ... Was he talking about me?

The old tailor glanced at her, confirming it was indeed about her.

"Master, your rocking chair looks really comfortable," Su Zhaozhao said, eyeing the chair enviously.

The stools at home were extremely uncomfortable, offering no back support and not ergonomically designed at all.

A rocking chair like this would be perfect for a lazy person like her.

"Comfortable," the old tailor said, narrowing his eyes as if taunting her, and he pushed his feet to make the chair rock faster.

Su Zhaozhao really wanted to try it but felt too embarrassed to ask.

How awkward it would be to take someone's chair when they were finally resting!

She had never sat in such a chair before; no one would believe her, but it was true.

She had seen similar ones on TV and in furniture stores, but her small apartment couldn't accommodate one, so it wasn't even an option.

"Where did you get it? I'd like to buy one too."

"This one wasn't bought; it was made by an old carpenter over ten years ago. If you want to know where to buy one, I'm not sure, but there might be some at the city's furniture market. Alternatively, you could find a carpenter to make one."

Su Zhaozhao didn't know any carpenters, but that wasn't a problem. Gu Heng had prepared all the furniture at home, though she wasn't sure if he bought it or applied for it through the military. Asking him would definitely give her an answer.

With the new clothes in hand, Su Zhaozhao turned to the Supply and Marketing Cooperatives to buy some fabric.

"Master, could you please make me a few long-sleeved nightgowns and two sets for children, using the measurements from last time, slightly larger would be fine. Also, make one set for me and one men's set based on my measurements."

The old tailor looked at her through his glasses, "So you know about nightgowns? Quite particular, aren't you?"

She didn't look like it from the outside, but her speech gave it away.

Su Zhaozhao: "... Clothes tend to wrinkle at night, so having a set specifically for sleeping is better. With cooler weather, it's also good for getting up at night without catching a chill. Can you make them, Master?"

"Drop the 'can' part. If you want them, I can make them beautifully!" He had been a tailor for decades; what hadn't he seen?

Using 'can'? It was almost insulting!

If it weren't for the fact that reminiscing about the past wasn't fashionable anymore, he would have told her about his achievements in Sea City.

Su Zhaozhao hurried to apologize, "I'm sorry for underestimating you."

"What about the men's size? Have you measured it at home?"

"Not yet, can I give you the measurements tomorrow?"

"Sure, come back tomorrow then." He closed his eyes and rocked the chair gently.

No more interruptions.

Understood.