Chapter 517: Chapter 517: Made a Small Suggestion
Wen Shi felt it could work and was quite attached to the idea.
When the stove was ready and dried, and Wen’s mother was preparing various vegetables to make dehydrated vegetables, he even called in the cooks to exchange ideas.
Exchange is a beautified term; it was actually learning.
The cooks were willing, and the quartermaster even personally led the team with Wen’s mother to conduct experiment after experiment. After more than half a month, they finally produced a batch of perfectly presented dehydrated vegetables.
No burning, no scorching; pour hot water over them, and although the taste wasn’t as good as fresh vegetables, it wasn’t too bad either.
Especially the scallions, with their rich aroma.
The quartermaster took a sip of the scallion egg soup and smacked his lips, giving an honest evaluation.
"This flavor is okay."
"Let me try."
The head of the cooking squad was also an action-taker; before his words were fully out, he grabbed the bowl from the quartermaster’s hand and took a sip.
Then, he silently handed the bowl to the soldier next to him, who was eagerly looking at it.
And then, because Wen Yi woke up, Yi Chichi, who stopped working to look after the child, watched as the bowl went around in their hands and turned into an empty bowl. Watching their beaming expressions, she poured a bucket of cold water over them.
"Don’t get too excited too early; although the appearance of the dehydrated vegetables is perfect, preserving them is a big issue."
The crowd, full of pleasant surprise from tasting the dehydrated vegetables and ready to cheer, paused for quite a while upon hearing her words, then realized the conditions at sea.
There’s really no dry time on the deck.
Sea water splashes on the deck and, dried by the sun, leaves crystalline salt.
Inside the cabin...
The situation wasn’t much better, actually.
This is why those who return from sea trips run to the beach to sunbathe.
Because it’s so damp there, crotch rot and scabies are quite normal occurrences.
In such an environment, no matter how dry the dehydrated vegetables are, there’s no way to preserve them for long periods.
Then, a group of people looked at each other in dismay.
After a while, they all looked at Yi Chichi, "Sister-in-law (or sister-in-law), do you have any good ideas?"
Yi Chichi, "..."
That’s indeed a good question.
There surely are methods.
But none are suitable for a maritime environment; things like dehumidifiers, charcoal, and bamboo charcoal aren’t suitable.
Only sealing could work.
Thinking of this, she said, "Dry and sealed; if you can achieve these two points, you can preserve them."
The quartermaster and his team, "..."
These words made no difference whether said or not, actually.
However, "Cans have achieved sealing."
This is true.
Currently, the best at sealing is canned goods, especially fruit cans, which can be sealed and stored for half a year without any problem.
"Sealing is reliable, but the volume and storage aren’t practical, and the cost is too high. Using it to store dehydrated vegetables would be too expensive."
Even if glass jars can be reused, the cost is still high.
The key is that Wen Shi and his team don’t have enough money to cover this expense.
"If possible, my suggestion is to use plastic products to seal..."
The quartermaster’s eyes lit up, "If you’re talking about plastic, then I have a way."
"Huh?"
Yi Chichi was taken aback and just wanted to inquire in detail when the quartermaster excitedly turned around and ran outside, "Come on, let’s go handle the dehydrated vegetables."
As for plastic products, he could make contact.
Hearing the quartermaster’s shout, the squad leader and the others immediately followed and vanished from the mother-in-law’s sight in no time.
Wen’s mother, "... They just left like that?"
"Gone!"
Wen Yi chimed in with an "ah," seemingly in agreement.
Wen’s mother, seeing his adorable look, felt great and came over to play a hiding game with him for a while before starting to worry.
"We dried so many vegetables, and the quartermaster and his team didn’t take them with them. How are we mother and son supposed to finish them?"
"Wait for Wen Shi to come back and ask if he wants to take them to the cooking team."
If not, give some to the neighbors, but having dehydrated vegetables occasionally is fine; eating them every day is unbearable.
There’s too much of them, and with the vegetables growing quickly in the garden, they never run out of fresh vegetables to eat at home.
Therefore, if it can be dealt with, it should be.
Wen’s mother responded with an "oh," packed up the dried vegetables, and handed the problem to Wen Shi when he returned home in the evening.
This was decisive; she couldn’t wait for the next day. After breakfast, she went out with a handful of dried vegetables in one hand and the baby in the other.
The moon was shining bright, casting its glow over the land. Ji Jian, holding a bowl and squatting in the yard, was munching down his meal while moon-gazing. When he heard the noise from the adjacent yard, he turned and looked over.
Then, he saw Wen Shi in high spirits, his hands occupied, and curiously asked, "Mr. Wen, where are you going with the baby?"
It’s already dark; shouldn’t he be bathing the child and putting him to bed at this hour? Why take him out?
"I’m heading to the canteen."
Wen Shi was already leaving, but he stepped back and stood by the hibiscus flower fence, saying, "Sister-in-law, Old Lin is coming back tomorrow."
Ji Jian perked up, "What time will he arrive at the port?"
"Around ten in the morning."
Ji Jian’s excitement calmed down; he couldn’t pick him up at that time as he would be working.
"Let him return home by himself."
They’ve been married for a long time, no need for pretenses.
Wen Shi nodded, told her, and left with the baby.
As soon as he left, Ji Jian rushed in with the first words being—
"Auntie, when you’re at the market buying meat tomorrow, could you bring some back for me?"
"Of course, no problem. Just tell me what you need, and I’ll get it for you tomorrow."
Ji Jian, who had work in the morning, always found the market a bit far since it was in the opposite direction from her workplace. Wen’s mother was used to bringing things for her, so she agreed without hesitation.
Then, Ji Jian ordered two jin of pork, one jin of pig liver, and twenty sea duck eggs.
The island’s sea duck eggs are a delicacy with bright red yolks that are rich and smooth, almost melting in your mouth.
The key is they’re fresh.
However, they’re scarce, and getting them can be uncertain.
Ji Jian was aware of that, so she added, "Buy them if you can; if not, no worries."
"Alright."
Thus, Ji Jian took five yuan out of her pocket and handed it to Wen’s mother.
"This is all the cash I have. If it’s not enough, Auntie, you might need to cover me first. I’ll make up for it when I get paid tomorrow."
"No rush."
Wen’s mother pocketed the money and took a chair for her. Noticing the lack of food in Ji Jian’s bowl, she went to the kitchen for two big scoops of meat sauce for her.
"Where’s Brother Yuan Chu?"
Ji Jian didn’t stand on ceremony with her; she thanked her and answered after getting the meat sauce, "He’s watching TV with Zhou Zhou and the others at Sister-in-law Guan’s house."
Yi Chichi became interested, "What’s on Sister-in-law’s TV?"
Since coming to this era, she hadn’t watched TV yet.
"No idea."
Ji Jian was at a loss, "I work every day, and rarely get a break. When I do, I have to be busy at home. If Yuan Chu and the others hadn’t mentioned that Sister-in-law Guan bought a TV, I wouldn’t have known. Why don’t you drop by when you’re free at home?"
Yi Chichi, "... To be honest, I feel a bit intimidated about going to Auntie’s house."
"Why?"
Ji Jian and Wen’s mother were puzzled. Yi Chichi touched her nose, feeling a bit embarrassed, "I made some small suggestions to Xingxing when she was choosing her college."
As it turns out, Jiang Xingxing really got in.
Ji Jian’s eyes widened, "Did you persuade Xingxing to go to Chang’an for university?"
"I didn’t persuade her; I just made some minor suggestions."
The term "persuade" sounded too harsh. Xidian University is renowned even in later years, and Xingxing’s aspirations and goals fit perfectly with attending this university.
