Chapter 714: Deep Feelings

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation   Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

However, Lan Ruozhu asked about the spring plowing from Shen Qiuhua this time. She patiently explained, “We must grow crops and vegetables whenever spring comes.

“We must plant wheat because we need as much flour as possible. We typically use most of our land for wheat. We can also plant rice during this time. However, families with less land could only plant wheat.

“Then, they’ll plant rice in the summer and harvest it in autumn. That’s the rice they use for themselves. I also know how to grow beans and cucumbers. The latter is delicious when eaten raw, and I’ll fry the beans to make buns.

“l don’t know if you’ll like buns, Ruozhu. When the willow tree sprouts, we can pick its leaves and use them to wrap the buns. It’s delicious that way.”

Lan Ruozhu became wide-eyed, saying, “We can eat willow tree leaves? I’ve never heard of that.”

He often saw willow trees but always thought they were nothing more. He never expected to be able to eat its leaves.

Shen Qiuhua said smilingly, “Of course, we can eat them. When the willow tree sprouts, I’ll get some of its leaves to make buns. You can eat them here. If you’re busy, I’ll hire someone to send it to you.”

Lan Ruozhu, “l know they’ll taste delicious because you made them.”

Shen Qiuhua’s smile widened. “l dare not say my other dishes are delicious, but I am good at making buns. I couldn’t bear to put meat in the buns I made last time. Although, I would put pork belly in them.”

She started craving meat buns, but there was plenty of food at home. The family even made noodles during the New Year. They would eat those first before making new foods.

Lan Ruozhu sighed, “You’ve worked hard, Godmother.”

Shen Qiuhua shook her head. “It’s all in the past. Now that our lives have improved, I can consider it the end of those bitter times. Although we were poor in the past, the family remained harmonious.

“My children are sensible and always found ways to help. The villagers were also kind to us, so we made it through with their help. Still, we can wear warm clothes and never fear starving anymore.”

Bluntly put, almost every household and village was relatively poor. Shen Qiuhua did not want her Godson to worry, so she smiled. Even so, Lan Ruozhu’s heart grew heavy.

The lives of those in Su Teng Village and its surrounding villages had improved, but the commoners in other parts of Dingzhou remained impoverished.

Lan Ruozhu hoped everyone in Dingzhou could eat well and have warm clothes to wear. He knew he had many things to do for his people. Since he was the prince, he had to plan his politics well.

“Oops, I’ve gone off-topic. You asked me about the spring plowing season, right? We usually plant corn, too. Sometimes, the coarse grains we eat consist of corn flour.

“We boil and eat the corn after harvesting them. They’re fragrant, but we must peel the seeds and remove the powder after drying the husks. Look, we still have corn in our warehouse that we haven’t peeled yet.”

Lan Ruozhu looked outward and saw a lot of corn hanging in the warehouse.

He became curious, asking, “Will the corn be okay in the weather like that?”

Shen Qiuhua answered, “They’ll be okay. Corn is hardy and can weather storms. We’ll peel them after they’ve dried.”

Su Wenzhe could not help but add, “Sometimes, we would sit around the brick bed and peel corn together. We used to peel corn during the day and sleep when it got dark to save candles and oil lamps.

“Since our living conditions are better now, Binglan bought us plenty of candles. We’d be busy working all day and peeling corn under the candlelight at night.

“Still, we have plenty of unpeeled corn. We turn the peeled corn into cornmeal and place them in the warehouse.”

Lan Ruozhu realized something as he listened. He sighed, “You all have to work day and night. It must be tiring.”

He acknowledged that life was tough for farmers. He always thought they could rest after the autumn harvest, but that was not the case. Even after harvesting their crops, families still had things to do, such as peeling corn.

Su Wenzhe shook his head and said, “l don’t think it’s tiring. It’s more fun when everyone sits together and peels corn. Besides, no one’s in charge, so we can peel as we see fit. We can rest whenever we get tired.”

Su Wenxui came to the yard and said, “Being home is always better than working away from home. We can eat and sleep better here.”

Lan Ruozhu agreed that the family would have more freedom when working at home. The Su family would be content if they could eat and wear warm clothes.

Soon after, the rice dried, and Su Binglan said, “All right, we can start making the glutinous rice balls now.”

“Yes, let’s make them together. I’ve never made glutinous rice balls, so you must teach me, okay?” Lan Ruozhu said.

“Don’t worry, 1 will,” Su Binglans said as she carried the cloth bag into the house. She noticed the red beans and said, “We can remove the red beans from the water too.’

Liu Yinyin asked, “What should we do with the red beans, Sister-in-law?”

Su Binglan poured the glutinous rice flour into a big pot and said, “Add some water to another pot and then the red beans. Cook them until they’re soft to make the red bean filling.”

“All right.” Liu Yinyin had experience with such things. She had used the same method when she previously made red bean cakes. Soon after, Su Wenzhe went to help her with the fire.

Next, Su Binglan made the dumpling skin. She then added boiling water to the glutinous rice flour pot and stirred it evenly. Afterward, she kneaded the mixture into balls.

She even rubbed the glutinous rice balls with water to make them smoother. Su Binglan had to ensure they would not snap when she stretched them.

After finally calming himself, Shen Qiuhui looked at his sister and said, “Let me help you, Sister. I want to do something, too.”

He felt apologetic because the prince had gone to help while he did nothing.

Shen Qiuhua looked at the many Dots of fillings and said. “Don’t worry. we’ll

form and stuff the glutinous rice balls soon. We have plenty of fillings to wrap.”

It was already late afternoon, so the family worked together to finish making the desserts.

Shen Qiuhui nodded. “All right.”

Shen Qiuhua noticed her daughter preparing to knead the dough, so she placed the board on the brick bed. The board was large, occupying half of the brick bed.

She asked, “Binglan, should we roll the dough into small strips?”

Su Binglan nodded. “Yes, Mother. Roll them into long strips and cut them into pieces of this size. Then, we can use them to wrap the fillings..”