Chapter 90.1

September arrived in the blink of an eye.

In the North, September brought clear skies and crisp autumn air, and the leaves of the trees in the family compound had already started to turn yellow.

The autumn temperatures in the North were quite comfortable, reaching a maximum of around twenty degrees Celsius, making it just right to wear two layers of clothing.

Previously, Wen Nuan had complained about the heat of the summer in the North. Still, as autumn came, Lele began to miss the summer days filled with activities, the times when she could eat watermelon and play in the water.

Of course, there were also ice pops to enjoy.

During the warm summer days, Lele loved to wander over to the supply and marketing cooperative. When she saw someone selling ice pops, she would stand in front of them and refuse to leave, staring wide-eyed at the ice pop freezer, insisting that Wen Nuan buy her some.

Besides those treats, Wen Nuan had also taken Lele up the mountain to pick wild fruits during the summer. A few days prior, Wen Nuan had gone up the mountain with Gu Qinghan, who was there to hunt, while Wen Nuan took Lele to gather fruits.

On the mountain behind the North, a wild fruit called indigo berry would ripen in September. Although a bit sour, Lele loved eating them, so Wen Nuan brought her some to pick up and take home.

Recently, the child hadn’t lacked fruit.

After returning to the kitchen that day, Wen Nuan took out the pickled cabbage she had prepared earlier.

Having already planned the winter ingredients, Wen Nuan had pickled over ten jars of cabbage during May and June, all using mustard greens for the pickling.

Compared to sauerkraut made with napa cabbage, the one made with mustard greens was crisper and more refreshing.

In addition to the pickled cabbage, Wen Nuan had also made several large jars of kimchi with napa cabbage. The kimchi was sour, spicy, and crunchy, making it a great side dish.

Their unit had a good supply of vegetables, especially during the spring and summer. The unit would grow various types of vegetables, and if they were short, they could always go to nearby villages to buy some, as the villagers were willing to sell.

When Wen Nuan opened the jar of pickled cabbage, a rich, sour aroma wafted through the air, making her mouth water.

Old Zhong noticed her opening the jar and, intrigued by the sour scent in the air, walked over to her, asking curiously, “Comrade Wen Nuan, what delicious dish are you planning to make today?”

During this season in the North, fish were particularly abundant. The unit had dispatched several small teams to catch fish in the Chunhua River, distributing some to the family compound that morning while the remainder was sent to the kitchen.

Old Zhong was still pondering how to prepare so much fish when he saw Wen Nuan taking out the pickled cabbage. He guessed she was planning to make sauerkraut fish.

Wen Nuan pulled a handful of pickled cabbage from the jar, placed it beside a plate beside her, then smiled and said, “I plan to experiment with a few quick dishes.”

Previously, Wen Nuan had found the winter climate in the North, with its frozen ground, somewhat uncomfortable. However, now she felt that the weather was quite nice; at least she could whimsically refrigerate some foods she wanted to eat.

Last year, the supplies prepared for the research institute were insufficient, and of course, there wasn’t enough time.

Now, taking advantage of the clear and crisp autumn weather, it was time to start preparing the quick dishes she had already planned.

These quick dishes were semi-finished products that could be easily heated and cooked right out of the package, posing no difficulty whatsoever; even those who couldn’t cook could enjoy delicious meals.

“Quick dishes?” Old Zhong became even more curious upon hearing Wen Nuan mention them. He hurried over and asked, “What are quick dishes? What kind are you planning to make?”

Old Zhong genuinely admired Wen Nuan. As for the dried noodles from the factory, they had never considered such options before; they would just make whatever was available.

Since many people were in the unit, the kitchen mainly prepared large pots of food. Except during holidays, they mostly didn’t make noodles; cooking dumplings was more convenient and quicker.

Now that Wen Nuan mentioned wanting to make quick dishes, Old Zhong suddenly became interested, especially curious about what new tricks Wen Nuan would come up with this time.

Wen Nuan, upon hearing Old Zhong’s question, didn’t try to be mysterious. Instead, she patiently explained, “Quick dishes, as the name suggests, can be cooked quickly, just needing to be heated up before they can be eaten. This dish is specifically prepared for the research institute.”

Gu Qinghan said that the research institute didn’t have a formal cafeteria; everyone took turns cooking.

Some experts often got so busy that they would just prepare a large batch of steamed buns or coarse grain buns, eating a few of those along with pickled vegetables for all three meals of the day.

So, Wen Nuan planned to prepare some simpler dishes this time, turning them into quick dishes similar to the pre-prepared meals of later generations.

Old Zhong’s eyes brightened at this. “Will this work? How do you make it?”

Nearby, Xiaozhu, who was picking vegetables, also felt very curious after hearing this. Holding an eggplant in her hand, she walked over and said, “That sounds interesting, Sister Wen Nuan. How do you plan to do it?”

Wen Nuan sealed the jar of pickled cabbage again and continued, “I plan to pre-mix all the ingredients for the dishes I want to make. Some can be cooked right away and then sealed in plastic bags. However, this is very weather-dependent; it has to be as cold as it is in the North, or else it will spoil easily.”

Wen Nuan smiled, “The research institute would be a suitable place for this.”

These dishes had to be kept in a cold chain; otherwise, the food would spoil, so the temperature requirement was particularly high. However, in this era, they could only rely on the gifts of nature.

In the North, once winter arrived, snow would accumulate, and they would freeze meat directly in the yard. Although it was cold, this method was incredibly useful.

It was like a natural freezer in such a cold place, easily preserving these quick dishes.

After listening to Wen Nuan, Old Zhong stroked his chin thoughtfully and said, “This could work. So what are you planning to make now?”

“Is there anything I can help with?”

Just then, Quartermaster Luo, who had just returned to the kitchen, noticed Wen Nuan and the comrades at the cook station seemed to be discussing something. He approached them curiously and asked, “What’s going on? Is there some gossip to hear?”

Old Zhong pushed Quartermaster Luo’s head away, giving him a disdainful glance. “You’re a grown man. Why are you so into gossip? Aren’t you supposed to be doing something important? Have you finished your recruiting tasks? Can’t you be quiet for a moment?”

Quartermaster Luo glanced at the plate of pickled cabbage in front of Wen Nuan, unable to hold back his saliva. He grabbed a crisp piece of cabbage and popped it into his mouth, saying, “You’re talking nonsense. What’s embarrassing about this? Gossip is human nature! What’s wrong with me following my nature?”

Then, Quartermaster Luo, still not giving up, asked again, “What are you guys talking about?”

Old Zhong let out a dismissive snort. “What nonsense logic is that? Get out of here. You’re in the way!”

Seeing the two of them bickering again, Wen Nuan explained her plan to make quick dishes to Quartermaster Luo.

Upon hearing this, Quartermaster Luo clenched one fist with the other hand and slapped it, saying, “Not bad, not bad! This is a great idea. Why don’t we try making a few right now?”

Wen Nuan nodded, “I had the same idea; these pickled cabbages are prepared for this.”

Upon hearing this, Old Zhong turned to Wen Nuan with a different expression and gently asked, “So what can we do to help you now?”

It wasn’t quite mealtime yet, and the ingredients for lunch had already been chopped and washed, ready to be stir-fried shortly.

Moreover, they only had to prepare meals for about thirty flight team members, so even if they started stir-frying half an hour early, it would be enough time.

Wen Nuan noticed everyone seemed eager to help. Remembering the fish the fishing team had brought that morning, she said, “I’m planning to make a few sauerkraut fish first. Can you help me pick three fish with tender flesh? If we can get bass, that would be the best.”

“Then clean the fish and slice some fish fillets for the sauerkraut fish. It’s best to remove the bones, so avoid choosing bony fish like crucian carp.”

The fillets of bass were more tender than those of grass carp and didn’t have as many bones, making them perfect for sauerkraut fish.

However, grass carp could also be used if there was no bass.

Wen Nuan then looked at the other comrades and said, “By the way, please bring over some dried chilli peppers and various seasonings, including cooking wine and cornmeal.”

Old Zhong and the comrades in the kitchen immediately sprang into action upon hearing this.

Wen Nuan planned to wash the pickled cabbage, dry it off, and then mix in some sauces. When the time came, she could directly pack and seal it.

Seeing everyone busy but noticing that Wen Nuan hadn’t assigned him any tasks, Quartermaster Luo eagerly volunteered, “Comrade Wen Nuan, what can I do?”

Hearing this, Wen Nuan glanced at Quartermaster Luo’s eager expression and said, “Quartermaster Luo, you can start by cleaning out our freezer. I plan to store these items for a while before we taste them.”

The kitchen had a freezer, but it was only used in the summer to save electricity and rarely opened otherwise.

After all, people generally didn’t have enough to eat during this era. It wasn’t that leftovers were a common issue; the freezer wasn’t very useful.

Additionally, they had a small farm in their backyard where they could directly pick whatever vegetables they needed, so they rarely stocked up on vegetables.

When winter came and there was a need to store vegetables, the freezer would end up being unused.

Now, however, to test these quick dishes, the freezer could finally be put to use.

Upon hearing this, Quartermaster Luo immediately got to work and smiled, “Alright, I’ll go do it right away!”

With everyone’s help, Wen Nuan found the work to be quite manageable.

Besides making sauerkraut fish, she also planned to prepare some mushroom meat patties, stir-fried pork with green peppers, meat patties with preserved vegetables, mushroom chicken, lamb spine, and some braised dishes, among others.

She intended to make a variety of dishes so she could ultimately select the two or three that were the most suitable.

Of course, if possible, Wen Nuan hoped to utilize all of them. After all, having a diverse menu would benefit the comrades at the research institute, and even vegetarian dishes needed to be presented in various ways.