Chapter 7 Smoked Fish

Li Pan shouldered a carrying pole with two buckets of water swaying to the rhythm of her body as she hurried along the path and poured the water into the rice paddies.

There were tricks to this kind of work, you had to use the carrying pole cleverly, allowing your body to swing up and down with the load, or else your back would get hurt by twisting movements.

You should always water the farthest plot first, while you're still fresh and strong in the morning, and can walk the distance. By the afternoon, when you're so tired and bleary-eyed that you can barely keep going, it's best to save a few steps where you can. The last bit you'd water would be the land closest to the lake, to save energy.

Li Pan stopped only after watering nearly two acres. Her superpower had recharged, so she went on to plant potatoes. Today she was determined to finish planting potatoes on the five acres of land, and give all the rice paddies a good watering, whatever was lacking she'd make up for tomorrow.

You absolutely couldn't afford to waste the superpower, you had to use it all up. Once the superpower was depleted, you'd rely on physical strength to get the work done. This was her own farm, and it demanded all her effort.

As dusk approached, Li Pan finally got all the potatoes in the ground and had used up all her superpower. She drank the last bit of sugary water; her two water jugs and all her food were completely gone.

There was no rush to go back, she'd water the fields first. She deliberately lit her kerosene lamp — as long as it was bright enough not to trip, she didn't need to see too closely as she watered.

Running back and forth, exchanging four buckets over and over, she kept moving without rest until she had watered all five acres.

Only after finishing did she head home, by which point both her shoulders had swollen, but she didn't mind, it was something she was used to.

She didn't feel like cooking tonight, just reheated some leftover rice porridge and a box of vegetables. That would do.

She soaked some soybeans for tomorrow morning's soy milk. For lunch, she'd have steamed potatoes with pickled vegetables, deciding not to bother making any side dishes. In a bit, she'd prepare some dough to make steamed buns and buns with filling to quickly eat while working in the fields at noon.

She had planned to fish today, but hadn't got around to it. Oh well.

After eating a simple meal, she sat down to wash her work clothes with some soap nuts and soapberries she had collected earlier.

She boiled a pot of water to wash her hair and take a bath. Missing the time for electricity, she could only boil water for her hair first, and after washing it she'd use the hot water for a bath. Xue Dong had bought her the wooden tub she used.

After bathing, she poured herself two more jugs of hot water, or else there would be none for tomorrow morning.

Once everything was done, she went to bed and fell asleep instantly.

Waking early to the sound of an alarm clock felt like a dream, her mind felt wooden and her body ached. She gritted her teeth and massaged her shoulders as she got up.

She quickly lit the fire and plugged the soy milk maker into a portable power source. Then, she filled two buckets with ashes to bring to the field. After washing her face, she kneaded the dough, shaping the buns smooth side down, round side up, and put them in the pot without turning on the heat just yet. She let them sit quietly for a while to puff up again before starting to steam them with cold water, allowing for a slow fermentation.

As the buns began to steam for twenty minutes, she used that time to prepare the filling, a vegetarian mix of dried vegetables and wild mushrooms. The dried vegetables were leftover beans, cucumbers, and eggplants she had sun-dried. Soaked in water, they were ready to use.

The wild mushrooms had been foraged in summer and preserved by drying, providing a savory taste during the winter, even without meat.

After preparing the buns with filling, she let them sit and ferment for a while. By the time the buns were ready, the timer was up. She lifted the lid to see perfectly fluffy steamed buns and picked them out with tongs.

She added a bit of cold water, brushed some oil on the steamer rack, and placed the buns with filling on it to steam.

The other pot of water boiled and she prepared two jugs of sugary water, then packed her midday meal in a clay pot and loaded it into her backpack. She had brought a small fishing net today, hoping to catch a few fish for her meal.

Once the buns were steamed, she took a few with her and refilled her water purifier. The water jar was empty, so she'd have to fetch water when she returned in the evening.

In the morning, she had soy milk with steamed buns, salted duck eggs, and pickles. She didn't like her soy milk sweet, preferring its natural flavor to quench her thirst.

After finishing the meal, I went to check on the soil basin and the status of rice seedling cultivation and felt reassured that there were no issues.

By the time I finished, it was already dawn, so I continued planting potatoes and irrigating the fields.

Tomorrow's plan is to plant sweet potatoes and corn, followed by rice and the vegetable garden.

Today was yet another busy and tough day. I planted potatoes on five acres of land and watered the rice fields again. It seemed about right; I'll check again tomorrow, and if necessary, I'll water a bit more. The water level should be just right, barely covering the soil—neither too much nor too little.

Today's work went quickly; I also plowed the cornfield twice with the plow. In a day or two, we can directly sow the fields with wood ash.

Li Pan cast a few nets in the lake and, surprisingly, caught a lot of fish, mostly grass carp and carp—all edible.

I carried the fish back, filled the water jar, lit the fire under the stove, and boiled water in a pot, getting ready to clean the fish. I planned to cook two fish and steam a pot of rice. It was just after nine o'clock, and there was still electricity available, so I could use the rice cooker to steam the rice.

Two-grain rice is rice steamed with both millet and rice. I couldn't afford to eat fine grains all the time; there wasn't much to go around. With the farm being so large and eventually needing to hire help, one person certainly couldn't finish all the work. I had to be careful with how we ate and drank before the harvest.

I threw a few potatoes in the stove hall to bake. I steamed just a small bowl of two-grain rice to quench my craving. These past few days, I just made do with whatever food was available while working.

I knocked the fish out, slit their bellies open, and scooped out their innards, sorting the edible parts from those that were not, which I threw into a metal barrel.

This metal barrel was specifically for composting, having exchanged for several of different sizes from the base. Using it for composting didn't stink, and the mature compost could be taken directly to the fields.

Things like rotten vegetable leaves and innards could be thrown into the barrel and would mature in a few days.

I netted several bags of fish today, adding up to several dozens of pounds, enough to last me for a while.

After cleaning the fish, I scored them with a cross on their backs to better absorb flavors, sliced some ginger, garlic, and small red chili peppers, and pinched a bit of dried chili skin—home-dried because I couldn't finish them all.

I heated oil in a cool pot to fry the fish slightly, then removed the fish and stir-fried the scallions, ginger, and garlic. I added a bit of bean paste, which I had bartered for, and after stirring up a fragrance, I added some sugar, salt, soy sauce, and Sichuan peppercorn powder, then water to boil. Afterward, I put the fish back in to braise in red sauce.

It's a shame I had no tofu; adding some would have made a delicious meal.

The rice was done, and the potatoes had baked to a golden brown. I fished them out with a stove hook, let them cool, and started by nibbling on a potato to stave off hunger.

After finishing the potato, the braised fish emanated a tempting aroma, signaling it was time to dine. I served myself a bowl of rice, which was just the right amount I had steamed—not too much, not too little.

I ate the rice with the fish, picking up a mouthful of the tenderest meat from the belly with my chopsticks and savoring the spicy and delicious flavor. The fish was tender and satisfied my craving.

I finished both fish, a bowl of rice, and several potatoes, eating until my belly was full and round.

Some fish soup was left over, which I would reheat tomorrow and eat soaked with rice and paired with pickles.

After dinner, I cleaned all the fish, slicing them down the middle into fillets, placing them on a bamboo net with a brick stove beneath burning pine wood, curing them into smoked fish that could be stored for a long time and eaten gradually.

I returned home early today, and it wasn't yet time for bed, so seeing some clay remaining, I worked it a bit and made more green bricks. I stacked the dried bricks aside, planning to save them up for a collective burn.

Once the green brick kiln begins, it must burn for three days and can't be left unattended, but these days are for seeding, and I don't have time to tend to firing bricks. Only after all the seeds are sown will I have the chance to spare time. In this brief idle moment, it makes sense to save up more bricks for a big burn, or else it would be wasting time.

After making the green bricks, I washed up and wiped myself down before going to sleep.