Persimmons

Persimmon cakes are not made in a day, Fang Zhiyuan just had this plan. Fang Zeng also had the same idea. They had only walked halfway up the mountain this time, and there were still a few traps that they hadn’t visited. Fang Zeng said to Fang Zhiyuan: “Huzi, I think these persimmon cakes can’t be made in one day. Let’s go to the mountain to check the traps first, and then look for other fruits and mountain delicacies. When we get home, tell me what you want, and we’ll pick persimmons after we’re ready. Anyway, no one comes here, and it’s still early for persimmons to ripen.”

Fang Zhiyuan agreed immediately after hearing this. He said to Fang Zeng: “Uncle is still thoughtful, then let’s go look for it. Uncle, didn’t you say there are dates, pears and sand apples in the mountains? Let’s take a look, maybe we can find some good things again.”

The uncle and nephew continued to walk. Fang Zeng harvested another pheasant, two rabbits, and a nest of pheasant eggs. Fang Zhiyuan saw a lot of dates, pears, and sand apples. Although they still had some time to ripen, the full branches made Fang Zhiyuan drool.

The further you go, the more trees there are and the fewer roads there are. Some places are simply impossible for people to pass because the grass is too deep. After walking for a while, Fang Zeng took Fang Zhiyuan to rest. They drank water and had lunch, found a tree stump and sat down. He patted Fang Zhiyuan on the shoulder and said, “Huzi, let’s have lunch here first. There are five or six walnut trees a little further away. At this time, the walnuts have fallen to the ground. We will go over to pick them up later. People in town like to buy these things for the elderly and children to eat. The price is not bad.”

When Fang Zhiyuan heard that there were walnuts, he ate faster.

 When the two of them arrived at that place, they only saw a large number of green-skinned fruits falling on the ground. Fang Zhiyuan looked at Fang Zeng with some doubts, picked up a green-skinned fruit and asked, “Uncle, is this a walnut?”

Fang Zeng was confused by the question, but he understood it after thinking about it. He had sent walnuts with green skins to his brother’s house before. This was the first time his nephew saw this one with skins, so he naturally didn’t recognize it. Thinking of this, Fang Zeng was amused by his nephew’s confused look. He took a green-skinned fruit, peeled it with a knife, and took out the kernel inside. He handed it to Fang Zhiyuan and said, “Try it. This walnut that has just been picked is the sweetest. The ones you saw before were dried, and this one is just picked, so of course it is different.”

Fang Zhiyuan tasted it and it was indeed a walnut. It was particularly sweet and delicious. It was really a broadening of his knowledge. In his previous life, he knew that walnuts were good for the brain, and he had eaten a lot, but it was the first time he saw walnuts grow like this.

 Seeing that his nephew was enjoying the food, Fang Zeng simply peeled a few more and let Fang Zhiyuan eat them. Fang Zhiyuan quickly stuffed one into Fang Zeng’s mouth, and the two uncles and nephews smiled at each other. Fang Zhiyuan was going to peel it himself, but he couldn’t delay his uncle’s work.

Fang Zeng saw it and quickly said, “Huzi, don’t peel it. This thing is not easy to wash. If it gets on clothes, it can’t be washed off. Even if it gets on your hands, it will take a few days to wash off. Some people’s gers use it to color cloth, which is the most difficult to do.”

After taking care of Fang Zhiyuan, Fang Zeng took out the cloth bag and two sacks. The cloth bag was used to hold the mushrooms and other mountain delicacies he picked up along the way. The sacks were used to hold these green-skinned fruits. He was quick and finished them quickly. Seeing that it was getting late, he took Fang Zhiyuan home with him.

Back home, Fang Zeng first buried the green-skinned fruits in the soil, then took out the bamboo flat basket to pour out the mushrooms and put them away. Fang Zhiyuan took out the various fruits from the small backpack and went to the kitchen to cook. His uncle killed a pheasant and gave it to him, asking him to watch him cook. It seemed that what he made yesterday made his uncle completely believe in his cooking skills, and now he planned to let him be the master of the kitchen.

When Fang Zhiyuan saw the mushrooms, he thought of the classic dish of chicken stewed with mushrooms. Although he didn’t find vermicelli here, there was also the dish of chicken stewed with mushrooms. It was not troublesome for him to cook. He quickly prepared the chicken and mushrooms, and then put a pot of cornmeal cakes mixed with white flour. He set up firewood and stewed the chicken in the pot, and came out to take a look.

Fang Zeng was almost done. He clipped the wings of the pheasant, tied it with a hemp rope, and put the hare in a bamboo cage. Seeing Fang Zhiyuan coming out, he plucked the largest chicken feather on the pheasant’s butt and handed it to Fang Zhiyuan, saying: “Huzi, take it. Don’t you like to compare with Dazhuang which pheasant feather is more beautiful? This one is definitely beautiful.”

Fang Zhiyuan took the feather from Fang Zeng’s hand awkwardly. He really didn’t want to be so childish. It ruined his image. He wanted to be a rational and steady little adult, but his uncle immediately turned him into a childish brat.

He changed the subject and asked, “Uncle, why did you bury the green-skinned fruit in the soil?”

Fang Zeng said, “In this way, after four or five days, the green skin will be loose and will open when peeled. If you think it’s dirty, just rinse it with rice water.”

Okay, he learned something new! Fang Zhiyuan looked at Fang Zeng with starry eyes.

 Thinking of the persimmon cakes that Fang Zhiyuan mentioned, Fang Zeng asked, “Huzi, you said you can make persimmon cakes. Tell your uncle how to make them. It will also let your uncle see what to prepare so that he won’t be at a loss when the time comes.”

Fang Zhiyuan thought about it and it was true. He recalled the method his grandmother used and said, “First, peel the persimmons, but don’t remove the stems. Then put them outside to dry in the sun, especially with sorghum stalks underneath, and cover them with something at night so that they can’t get wet by fog. Wait for ten days or so to dry them, and then pinch the persimmons. Be sure to pinch them into cakes before the sun rises, and then continue to dry them for three or four days. Then pinch them three or four times and they’re almost done. Finally, put the two persimmons without stems together and put them in a large vat together. Put a layer of dry persimmon skin on each layer, and then wait. After a month, when white things come out of the persimmons, you can eat them.”

Fang Zhiyuan tried his best to make the manufacturing process of persimmon cakes easier to understand, which was also in line with his current status as a child. Fang Zeng listened to Fang Zhiyuan’s clear and logical explanation, and he had a clear idea in his mind. He also thought that the persimmon cake was indeed complicated, and ordinary people could not make it without knowing the process. If he started now, it would be just before the Chinese New Year when he was done. That would be a good time to officially sell persimmon cakes. Whether he sold them to shops in the town or set up a stall himself, it would be a good business.

The most important thing is that persimmons are free. Making persimmon cakes seems complicated, but it is just a little tiring, and it does not cost much money. Even if you buy a few large jars to store grain and make pickles at home, it is also necessary. With this thought, Fang Zeng made up his mind to make persimmon cakes. If it fails, the loss is not big.

Fang Zhiyuan looked at Fang Zeng’s expression and knew that it was probably done. After all, persimmon cakes are complicated and take a long time to make, but it does not cost money or materials. Now persimmon cakes are sold for three coins each, and they will be more expensive during the Chinese New Year. How many persimmon cakes can be made from that persimmon tree? In this way, even if they sell one coin each, they can earn more than ten strings of coins, which is equivalent to the income of a middle-class family for two or three years.

 After making up his mind, Fang Zeng planned to buy some big jars when he went to sell game tomorrow. Fortunately, everyone was busy repairing farm tools now, so no one would notice his home.

Fang Zhiyuan took the opportunity to tell Fang Zeng about the peeler and asked his uncle to go to the blacksmith shop tomorrow to make two or three. Otherwise, it would be too much to just peel the skin with a knife. Fang Zeng looked at how Fang Zhiyuan was demonstrating to him and promised to go to the blacksmith shop tomorrow to see if he could make three.

It was getting dark, so in order to save gas, they hurried to eat. While eating, they thought about it and decided that Fang Zhiyuan would peel the skin at home and watch the persimmons; Fang Zeng would pick the persimmons first and then make a mat with coarse grain stalks, both for the ground and for covering the persimmons.

Fortunately, they had a man and a boy at home, and the gers in the village never came over. His home was at the foot of the mountain and far from the village, so he didn’t worry about others coming to see so many persimmons and gossiping. 

Otherwise, if they didn’t make any money, they would have to listen to a lot of words. In particular, Fang Zeng also knew that they were outsiders. Although they were relatives of Lin Xin, this was not Lin Xin’s village alone. If their family made money with persimmons and attracted attention, it would be difficult for Lin Xin and his family to deal with it. It was better to keep quiet and not cause trouble to themselves or others.

The two of them made up their minds and felt relieved. No matter what, now that they had a goal, it would be easier to do things. After dinner, they went to bed early, after all, they would start working tomorrow.

The next day, Fang Zeng drove to the town early in the morning and brought back two large vats when he came back. He said that he would have to move them three more times and bring them back when he went to town a few times. The two vats looked very big. Fang Zhiyuan could only hold most of the vats by himself. He lifted one side, and most of the weight was on Fang Zeng.

After putting the vats in the house, Fang Zeng took out the peeler that Fang Zhiyuan mentioned.  He said to Fang Zhiyuan: “Huzi, this thing was favored by Old Zhao from the blacksmith shop. Not only did he not want money, he also said that he would give me some money to buy it, and then he would sell it in the shop next time. Old Zhao and I have a long friendship, so how can I ask him for money? Look, he made ten for free. We don’t know how long we will use them now.” Although he said it with disgust, his expression was very proud.

Fang Zhiyuan touched the peeler and liked it very much. Although it was not as delicate as the modern ones and was very heavy, he tried it and found it very useful and sharp, much better than the modern peelers that broke down within a few days.

That afternoon, Fang Zeng carried a rice basket into the mountains to transport persimmons. He had also woven a few mats at home, and the rest would be taken care of after the persimmons arrived home. Fang Zeng picked five times in a row, and wanted to go for the sixth time but was stopped by Fang Zhiyuan. He peeled four rice baskets of persimmons in the afternoon, and his hands could not be lifted. It was enough for tomorrow’s portion. Fang Zeng was tired after a busy day. He had to eat one bite at a time. How could he rush? Especially when it was dark, it would be dangerous if there was a wild animal in the mountain.

When Fang Zhiyuan said this to Fang Zeng, the impatient Fang Zeng also thought of it. He was not tired, but the child would be tired. The two of them took a break to eat. In the evening, Fang Zeng rarely lit the oil lamp and started to peel the persimmons. His hands were very fast. Fang Zhiyuan peeled half a basket of persimmons, and he peeled a whole basket.

After they peeled all the persimmons, they went to bed. The next day, when Fang Zhiyuan woke up, Fang Zeng had already picked a pile of persimmons and piled them at home. Fang Zhiyuan saw that it was almost noon, so he got up quickly.

At this time, Fang Zeng just came back with another load. Fang Zhiyuan quickly brought water and asked Fang Zeng to rest. He felt a little sorry for sleeping in the morning. He said to Fang Zeng: “Uncle, why didn’t you call me in the morning.”

Fang Zeng smiled, took a big sip of water, and then said, “You are still a child, you need to grow up. You were tired yesterday, so you should rest more today. It’s the same if your uncle does it himself, so go and have breakfast. Your uncle cooked an egg for you to replenish your body.”

Fang Zhiyuan felt warm in his heart. For many years, he had not felt the care and love of his elders. Maybe it’s not so bad to be in this place.

Fang Zeng said a few words and walked up the mountain again.

Fang Zhiyuan looked at the persimmons piled up into a small mountain and resigned himself to peeling them.