Chapter 47

While the brothers were busy, Jiang Tiantian had already teamed up with Zuo Mingyan and the other village wives who had come over after their trip up the mountain. They sorted and cleaned the fresh tea leaves and various fruits.

Wild kiwi, August melon, red-heart fruit, and Chinese mahogany seeds were placed in large wooden trays to be eaten as fresh fruit.

Wild grapes, hawthorn, raspberries, wild blueberries, and tree berries were washed clean and set aside for making jam.

Half of the thorn pear fruits were peeled, seeds removed, and sliced for soaking in alcohol. The other half was cut into thin slices and sun-dried to make dried thorn pears for brewing tea later.

She kept the tea leaves separately for use in dinner.

Crabfoot herb was washed and set out on bamboo trays to air dry.

By the time the women had finished tidying up, Cha Jiuzhang had already lit a fire in the small clay stove.

Jiang Tiantian swiftly assigned new tasks. “Go catch two chickens. We’re having chicken for dinner tonight.”

Cha Jiuzhang: …

Fine~ There’s no point challenging the authority of a foodie.

“Alright, I’m going now. Anything else you need?”

Jiang Tiantian thought for a moment. “Pick some lotus leaves and lotus flowers while you’re at it.”

Cha Jiuzhang nodded, grabbed a basket, and headed out.

Jiang Tiantian brought out four clay pots, placing hawthorn, raspberries, wild blueberries, and tree berries into separate pots. She added water and set them over the small clay stove to simmer on low heat.

Since wild grapes were too small to peel and deseed, she had everyone mash them up, strain the juice, and pour it into another clay pot to simmer on Grandpa Cha’s herbal medicine stove.

“Making jam is actually very simple. You just slow-cook these perishable fruits into a thick paste and add sugar at the end. Once cooled, store it in sealed jars, and it’ll last a long time.”

“You can use white sugar, rock sugar, or even honey if you prefer.”

“When eating steamed buns or wheat pancakes, spread a bit of jam on top. It’s a different taste from chili paste.”

“You can also make jam with apples, oranges, pears, mulberries, and other common fruits the same way.”

Seeing that the hawthorn had softened, Jiang Tiantian scooped it out, mashed it through a fine sieve to extract a smooth puree, and mixed in half a jar of honey harvested from village beehives.

After stirring well, she tore a wheat pancake into pieces, spread some hawthorn jam on each, and handed them to the women for a taste test.

“It’s sweet and tangy—delicious!”

“It really whets the appetite.”

“This is a great recipe! I’ll try it at home.”

“Tiantian, you city folks really know how to eat. We only ever thought of making candied hawthorn sticks. Who knew you could eat it this way?”

One by one, the other jams finished cooking, and Jiang Tiantian added sugar to each.

“Adjust the sugar to your liking. Add a bit at a time and taste as you go. If you like it sweeter, add more; if you prefer tart flavors, use less.”

Everyone sampled the different jams, memorizing the flavors to recreate at home.

“Tiantian, it’s getting late. We should head home to cook dinner.”

“Tiantian, come visit us when you have time!”

“Alright, take care! Come over anytime!”

Zuo Mingyan and Jiang Tiantian chatted and laughed as they walked their guests to the gate. Just then, Cha Jiuzhang returned, carrying two chickens.

He had already cleaned them by the river.

“Jiuzhang, bring Tiantian over to our house sometime!”

“Sure, Fourth Aunt, see you later,” Cha Jiuzhang responded politely with a nod and smile.

As the women walked away, their voices could still be heard in the distance.

“The more I look at it, the more I think Jiuzhang and Tiantian are a perfect match…”

“Exactly! Both of them are quick-witted. Their kids will definitely be smart too…”

Cha Jiuzhang turned to Jiang Tiantian with an amused look. This woman—was she really making friends through food?

Jiang Tiantian took the two plump chickens and eyed the leftover clay in the yard. “Hehe… Mom, how about we make beggar’s chicken tonight?”

By now, Zuo Mingyan had full confidence in Jiang Tiantian’s cooking skills. Intrigued, she poked the chickens with her finger and said, “You can cook however you want. I trust you.”

“Oh, right, Mom, do we have any processed tea leaves at home?”

“Yes, your grandfather picks and processes tea leaves every spring.”

“Can you get some for me? I’ll need them later.”

Zuo Mingyan nodded and went inside to find the tea leaves.

Meanwhile, Jiang Tiantian packed a few jars of jam to take to Sixth Grandma.

“Cha Jiuzhang, later, brew a big pot of tea, let it cool, remove the tea leaves, and soak the chickens in the tea. I’ll handle the rest when I get back.”

“Oh, and pluck the lotus petals. Wash them along with the lotus leaves.”

Cha Jiuzhang: ?

Now even lotus leaves and flowers were getting eaten?

“Alright!”

He sighed and nodded. The world of foodies had way too many complex recipes for him to understand.

It was just chicken—why so complicated?

If Mop were here, he’d be thrilled. After all, the dog truly was his son; they had the exact same thoughts.

—-

When Jiang Tiantian returned from Sixth Grandma’s house, happily skipping with some tofu, Mop was already waiting at the gate.

For Mop, seeking praise was part of his daily routine.

Jiang Tiantian absentmindedly patted his head. “Mop, you’re back! Did you behave well today?”

Mop: “Woof woof~”

“That means you were very good! What a great boy!”

“Woof woof~”

“But don’t get cocky! Keep working hard—there are countless future girlfriends waiting for you!”

Mop: Panting happily

His eyes sparkled with pink hearts…

If Mop could change colors, his fur would definitely be bright pink right now.

Cha Jiuzhang: …

He seriously wondered—who was leading who astray?

Jiang Tiantian instructed Cha Jiuzhang to chop meat for stuffing tofu while she used the small stove fire to prepare a batch of stuffed tofu.

She mixed chopped chili, fennel, bay leaves, cinnamon, scallion knots, ginger slices, soy sauce, salt, sugar, and rice wine with the soaked tea leaves to create a marinade.

She then retrieved the chickens from the tea soak, massaged them thoroughly with the marinade, and tightly wrapped them in lotus leaves.

Next, she covered them in clay and buried them in the stove’s hot embers to slow-bake.

After Cha Jiuzhang finished chopping the meat, she directed him to peel and slice potatoes. She dusted the slices with flour before frying them into crispy French fries.

—–

The three of them worked together in a well-coordinated, yet slightly chaotic manner.

Zuo Mingyan watched her son running around under Jiang Tiantian’s orders and didn’t feel sorry for him at all. Instead, she wondered—why hadn’t she thought of this earlier?

Who said the kitchen was only a woman’s domain?

With proper training, men could be great chefs too.