touchnovel Chapter 58 Boiling Pear Syrup
Chapter 58 Boiling Pear Syrup
"Brother, this tea is so delicious, it's so sweet."
Xi'er held her cup, sipped her tea, and her eyes crinkled into crescent moons with happiness.
Yun'er, Shu'er, and Xin'er nodded in agreement.
Although Cai Xuan's tea-frying technique was rough, whether it was because the tea itself was good or something else, the tea that was fried had no bitterness at all, leaving only the fragrance and sweetness of the tea.
After finishing her tea, Xin'er smacked her lips with a hint of lingering satisfaction and held the cup out to Cai Xuan: "Brother, I want more!"
Cai Xuan brewed another cup for each of them, and then picked up his own cup and slowly drank it.
The freshly roasted tea leaves produced a clear, amber-colored tea liquor, enveloped in a unique tea aroma. The taste was pleasantly sweet, with little bitterness. If he hadn't been familiar with many different teas before, he would have almost thought this was how tea naturally tasted.
"Brother, this tea is amazing."
As Xi'er drank her second cup, she suddenly said, "After drinking this, I feel like my brain has become smarter."
Cai Xuan glanced at her; her words didn't sound very clever.
However, this tea is indeed extraordinary. Upon tasting it, a refreshing sensation rushes straight to the head, clearing the mind and even invigorating the internal energy in the dantian. It seems that even the tea trees of this world, even those untouched varieties in the mountains, are nourished by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, possessing a touch of spirituality.
The children's cups were quickly emptied. Xi'er wanted to drink more tea, but Cai Xuan stopped her, saying, "You can't drink too much tea, or you won't be able to sleep at night."
Upon hearing his words, Xi'er obediently put down her cup.
Cai Xuan packed the roasted tea leaves into a dry earthenware jar, sealed the lid tightly, and stored it in a cool place. Then he turned and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Xi'er and the others couldn't help, so they ran outside to play.
Soon, bursts of laughter came from outside, adding a touch of liveliness to the tranquil dusk.
In addition to stewed water chestnuts with spotted python meat, boiled purple sweet potatoes, and cold purple sweet potato vine salad for dinner, Cai Xuan also specially cooked a pot of pear soup.
I used fresh pears that I picked that afternoon. I peeled and cored them, cut them into large chunks, and put them in a pot with water to simmer. The pears were wild and not very big, but they were very juicy and sweet, so the soup was sweet and delicious without needing any added sugar.
Cai Xuan added some goji berries and a small piece of Nine Oxen Divine Potato to make the soup thicker and more nourishing.
"Brother, is the soup ready yet?" Xi'er's head peeked in from the doorway.
"It'll be here soon."
Cai Xuan picked up a spoon, scooped up a little soup, tasted it, and felt it was about right. He then extinguished the fire, took the pot off the stove, and carried it outside. Several people sat around the wooden frame, eating and drinking in the twilight, occasionally looking up at the rising stars. No one spoke, yet there was an indescribable warmth in the air.
The pear soup was stewed to perfection; the pear chunks were soft and tender, and the broth was thick, sweet, and delicious.
Xi'er drank bowl after bowl, three bowls in a row, before finally putting down her bowl with satisfaction. Xin'er did the same; the two little gluttons ate until their bellies were round and full, leaning back in their chairs and humming happily.
Yun'er and Shu'er fared slightly better than the others, stopping after only two bowls.
After we finished eating, it got dark.
The moon rose from the eastern mountain peak, its pale light bathing the platform in a soft glow. Four small golden gourds hung quietly on the trellis, listening attentively to the older children below.
"Brother, shall we continue our cultivation tonight?" Xi'er asked.
"Learning is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. Cultivation is the same; you can't delay for even a day, otherwise when will you ever reach perfection?" Cai Xuan nodded and said.
So, the group sat cross-legged under the wooden frame, circulating their cultivation techniques to practice the Primordial Ferry for Crossing the World.
In an instant, spiritual energy gathered and Daoist principles flowed.
The spiritual patterns on Cai Xuan's skin lit up one by one, each pattern like a thread binding together every part of his skin, making it harder and more resilient. As his cultivation level increased, these spiritual patterns slowly seeped into his flesh, bone marrow, internal organs, and even his soul.
The first section of the "Original Dao Chapter" of the first level of the "Hongmeng Crossing the World Treasure Raft" has been completed. The next step is to sprint towards the middle section.
However, while this technique is easy to learn, it is extremely difficult to advance. Otherwise, how could one traverse the primordial void with their physical body?
This is a long process and cannot be rushed.
After cultivating for about an hour, Cai Xuan and Xi'er woke up one after another, each one full of energy, their faces glowing with a radiant light. The four little golden gourds on the wooden shelf were also swaying happily, clearly indicating that they had all made progress.
Early the next morning, Cai Xuan took Xi'er and the others to pick the remaining pears.
This time they brought a wheelless trailer and many large baskets, ready to pick all the pears from the tree.
The mountain forest was fresh and clean in the early morning, filled with birdsong. Following the path they had taken the day before, the group quickly arrived at the pear tree. The tree was laden with vibrant green pears, glistening in the morning light.
Xi'er rushed over with her basket on her back and quickly climbed the tree to pick the fruit.
Just like yesterday, Shu'er rode the water to pick pears; Xin'er, imitating Xi'er, climbed the tree, sat on the thick branches, picked the pears she could reach one by one and threw them down, where Cai Xuan caught them below.
Yun'er came up with a plan today: she activated her divine eye, commanded lightning, and struck the pear stalk.
In an instant, emerald green pears fell like rain.
Yun'er had already spotted them and quickly stepped forward to catch them, and surprisingly, none of them were damaged.
Cai Xuan was stunned; he never imagined that lightning magic could be used in this way. Yun'er felt a little embarrassed by his gaze and dared not use lightning to pick pears anymore, instead obediently picking them with her hands.
Cai Xuan wondered if he was just getting old and couldn't understand the changes in the world. How could these youngsters be so amazing, each one knowing how to use their supernatural powers to get things done?
He needs to think carefully about how to use his knowledge to prevent these kids from outdoing him, otherwise it would be very embarrassing.
In less than an hour, all the pears on the tree were picked clean, filling nine large baskets of various sizes.
The road down the mountain is a slope, so instead of using a wheelless trailer loaded with pears, someone has to push from the front and pull from the back to prevent the trailer from sliding down.
The strongest girls, Xi'er and Yun'er, were pushing from the front, while Cai Xuan, Shu'er, and Xin'er were pulling from behind.
Cai Xuan was originally supposed to be at the front, but Xi'er wouldn't let him, so he could only blend into Shu'er's group.
Back in the cabin, Cai Xuan got to work. He first boiled a large pot of salt water and poured it into a clay pot. Then he selected some good-looking, small pears, washed them clean, dried them, put them into the salt water jar, sealed the mouth of the jar tightly, and placed it in a cool place.
About half a month later, the pickled salted pears are ready to eat. They are salty and sweet, and have a pleasant, appetizing flavor.
Generally speaking, it's best to layer salt and pears when pickling pears, but Cai Xuan didn't have much salt, so he could only use this method.
Most of the remaining pears were used to make pear syrup.
Cai Xuan washed the pears, removed the cores, and cut them into small pieces. He then put them into a large pot with water and boiled them. He brought them to a boil over high heat, then reduced the heat to low and simmered them, stirring constantly to prevent them from burning. The pear pieces rolled around in the boiling water, gradually softening and becoming mushy, and their juices were extracted.
As the simmering time increased, the broth in the pot became thicker and thicker, its color gradually changing from light yellow to dark brown, and a rich pear aroma gradually filled the air.
Xi'er and the others squatted by the stove, staring longingly at the pot, swallowing their saliva every now and then.
Cai Xuan found it amusing and scooped out a small bowl of the semi-finished pear syrup for them to taste. The little ones took turns eating it, beaming with joy.
It took a whole morning to finally make the pear syrup.
Cai Xuan put the cooked pear syrup into a clean earthenware jar and sealed it for preservation.
This jar of pear syrup will last them for a while. After pickling the pears and making the syrup, there were still some fresh pears left, which Cai Xuan didn't plan to use and intended to save for later.
After finishing all that, Cai Xuan finally had some free time.
Now he didn't want to do anything, he just wanted to rest, so he lay down in the rocking chair, closed his eyes, and rocked back and forth.
Xi'er and the others, however, were full of energy. They filled a large iron basin with pears and sat down next to him, munching away happily.
The four little golden gourds on top seemed to be breathing heavily, as if trying to absorb all the fragrance emanating from the green pear.