In those days, my mother always couldn't sleep for several nights because of dried vegetables. A few days ago, she also asked Uncle Ren, who knows divination. When I learned that these days are sunny, rare sunny days. Mom settled down to discuss with dad.
Before dawn the next day, my parents picked a laundry list and took a kitchen knife to their hometown's vegetable garden. It was early winter, the temperature was close to zero, and a thick layer of frost was formed on the green vegetable land. My mother squatted on a tall cabbage field, looked at these close "partners" in front of her, picked a tall and fat guy and waved a kitchen knife. Cabbage just entering winter is growing well, fresh and tender, with a faint green fragrance.
Soon, the tall cabbage was covered with laundry baskets, and the parents came to the stream at the entrance of the village with their burdens in tandem. Homegrown vegetables are naturally fresh, but they need patient cleaning to make them delicious and salty.
Mother found a spacious green slate, squatted down and paddled the stream with her hands. Why is the water so cold just after autumn? Father smiled, and even you thought so. It seems that the water is really cold. Two people are preparing to wash vegetables, and two figures are coming to the stream not far away.
The figure is getting closer and closer. It turned out to be Haisir and Aunt Feng, with two loads of vegetables on their shoulders. They are coming this way. Mother looked surprised. Why are you here? Is it possible to find someone to live in? Haisir smiled. No, we are thinking about it ourselves. Father moved out some bluestones and let Aunt Feng squat down to wash vegetables. While talking and laughing, the four of them broke the cabbage leaves one by one, washed away the dirt and sundries, and then put the washed whole dish back into the laundry list.
Busy for a while, on the bluestone board beside the stream, villagers in twos and threes got together to wash vegetables. Mom smiled and asked one of the old aunts, why are you all rushing to wash vegetables today? Oh, Mr. Ren told us that the sunshine is very good these days, which is suitable for drying pickles. My aunt answered very simply. I see. I thought you all went to him to calculate the date! As soon as mother's words were finished, they burst into laughter. ...
Father squatted and washed for a while. Seeing a lot of washed dishes, he got up and picked up a laundry basket and hurried home. He was drying dripping cabbage on the bamboo poles and courtyard walls in front of the house. After walking back and forth several times, there was no place to bask in the sun at home, so my father had to hang the remaining vegetables on the fence of his garden to bask in the golden morning sunshine.
After a whole day's airing, the tall cabbage has faded a little and the water has dried up. In the evening, my mother asked me to help cut vegetables. In the dim light of the kitchen, my parents stood at the small table, chopping dried cabbage on the chopping board. I leaned against the side and slowly put the cut vegetables into two round bamboo boards. Although it's just cutting vegetables, it needs to be cut very carefully and there are many dishes. I'm afraid I can't do it well without a little patience. Mother put the finely cut vegetables together, sprinkled with salt, then rubbed them repeatedly until the vegetable juice flowed out, and then put the evenly rubbed broken cabbage into a jar prepared in advance for packaging.
After three or five days, take the salt-soaked broken cabbage out of the altar and spread it thinly on the drying table, or put it in a clean bamboo board, find a sunny place and expose it to the sun for two or three days until it is completely dried. As long as you pinch it gently with your hand, you can smell the smell of dried pickles. At this time, my mother will find two clean and stocky soy sauce jars, put the dried pickles in bit by bit, and then compact them with wooden sticks after filling them, seal them and put them in a conspicuous position for putting rice jars.
The fragrant and attractive dried pickles can not only manage the whole family's supply throughout the winter, but also bring more than enough for my study next year.