章 30: 30. The Millstone
The chili had been aired out in the sun for three days, while this process for the soybeans only took two days.
In those three days, they had finished making the bamboo tubes. There were more than two hundred of them. When the chili sauce was ready, they could store them in.
Still, Xu Ran asked Liu Tong to buy a big jar even though it was going to cost them extra money, because the sauce has to be placed somewhere for a while. It probably wouldn't work well if being placed directly in the bamboo tubes as been placed in the jar.
The soybean could be fermented by itself, while chili needed to be ground into powder first. However, they did not own any millstones unlike some other families in this village. They could pay a few pennies to have the beans ground, but Xu Ran was just worried that no one would be willing to lend their millstones.
He was not very familiar with the villagers, so Liu Tong had to take this responsibility.
Moreover, they might raise some suspects that they had so much to grind. Suddenly it occured to Xu Ran that he could simply make one by himself. Anyway, he remembered how that thing was done.
If they had their own millstone, it would be convenient for they to grind whatever they wanted. Besides, they did not have visitors that much, so no one would find it.
Xu Ran made up his mind. Liu Tong sent Tangtang and Guoguo to Wu Mei's the next day, asking him to babysit. He and Xu Ran went up to the mountain to look for some rocks with tools. Although it was pretty inconvenient without a chisel, they could still do the digging with axes. Liu Tong's promise that he could have it done as Xu Ran required was also a relief to Xu ran.
The mountains in this era had its' primitivity, everything could be found in it. They did not have to worry about food, and they brought enough water. The two of them decided not to leave until the millstone was built.
Because Liu Tong often went up the mountain to hunt, he was very familiar with the mountain. He knew where to find the stones they needed. He led Xu Ran to a place where there were many fallen stones, so there was no need for them to chisel.
Xu Ran found a place with fairly loose soil, used a branches to draw a rough sketch on the ground, and then asked Liu Tong to work as he drew.
He had always believed that what belonged to him was true possession, so in his previous life, he had learnt a little on everything. Although he might not be expert on any of those, he could always understand the general idea. Many people who came from the countryside had high pride, just like Xu Ran, who believed he was just as good as peers from the city. This was why he always tried harder to prove himself.
Millstones seemed to be quite simple to build, but the truth was opposite. Especially without a chisel, he had to do all the work with an axe. Fortunately, Liu Tong was skilled enough to shape a big rock with his axe.
Liu Tong did the basic grinding of stones. What Xu Ran needed to do was to find a grinding shaft, which was not easy to locate. It was necessary to choose the strongest tree, with deformity that it shouls bend in the front but straight up at the back. The trees in this mountain all grew normally, so this was a difficult task.
Liu Tong started the stone-grinding work from morning, but did not finish until it was dark. While Xu Ran spent a whole day searching and finally found a suitable one at dusk.
By the time it was dark, Xu Ran had already polished the grinding shaft. He carried it back. As for the body of millstone, he had to wait until it was fully completed so that he could have some helpers to lift it up back home.
When they returned home, Xu Ran went to Wu Mei's house to pick up Tangtang and Guoguo, while Liu Tong cooked at their own place. Fortunately, their family didn't raise any living stock, otherwise, under this situation, they would starve to death.
The only two rabbits were with Tangtang and Guoguo, so they could stay alive.
Time flew quietly in the mountains, which always made people forget about its existence.
Although they hadn't forgot about time yet, they were on their way of losing idea about time. It took them half a month to polish the stone. In the past half month, the two children had been sent to Wu Mei's, Wu Lan's and Liu Qing's in turn. While Xu Ran and Liu Tong could focus on their own stuff in the mountain with out any concerns.
When they had done the final work, Xu Ran asked Liu Tong to invite all the three families over. After having a sumptuous meal, they marched to the mountain together and brought the millstone back.
Xu Ran had already told them about the millstone thing. They knew about this but didn't think too much.
Things made by stones could be really heavy. Since they couldn't get help by any oxen cart, the only thing they could rely on was manpower.
For those eight people, aside from a few men who had some strengths, other Ge'ers were basically useless. Of course, Liu Tong was the exception, but Xu Ran's strength now belonged to the Ge'ers' team.
It was a tricky task for only six people, but they had no other choice. The thing had to be brought back, so they made some extra stops, which took a little longer to walk down the mountain.
It really took a lot of effort to bring the millstone back. The weather was hot so they didn't wear much. The millstone was hung up on a bamboo stick by a rope, and then they carried the bamboo stick on their shoulders.
This scene undoubtedly reminded Xu Ran of a profession called Bangbang (translator's note: Bangbang is the name given to the manual laborers who still operate here today, helping deliver heavy loads without the aid of modern vehicles or technology) in Chongqing, a mountainous city in modern China. It was really something of Chongqing!
They left in the morning, and it was already noon when they came back. It took them half a day, but when they saw the millstone in the yard, they all felt the joy. It was not a waste of so much effort.
Before they went out, Xu Ran asked Tangtang and Guoguo to boil some water so that they could drink when they came back.
Good children like Tangtang and Guoguo, naturally followed their parents' orders. The water had been prepared for long. When they went back, all eight of them began to pour the water into their mouths.
They didn't stop until their bellies were full of water.
Tangtang and Guoguo even cooked rice with pots, but they didn't make any dishes.
After a long rest, Liu Tong went to the kitchen and had others rest.
Xu Ran was so tired that he didn't even want to lift a finger. Ever since he was born, this was the first time he did such a heavy job. However, he also felt a sense of achievement. After all, he was getting closer and closer to make big money.
In the afternoon, Xu Ran cleaned up millstone and installed the grinding shaft. He soaked some soybeans and prepared to test it out. Although it looked similar to the real one, he had not no idea if this could work.
After the soybeans softened, he asked Liu Tong to push the millstone to have it rotate, while he added the soybeans and water to it with a wooden spoon.
All the others held their breaths, afraid that it would not work properly.
After taking four to five rounds , the milky liquid began to flow out slowly. Tangtang and Guoguo jumped and shouted, "It works, it works, dad, it does work!"
Looking at the milky liquid, Xu Ran smiled happily. Fortunately, their efforts were not in vain.
"That really can be done! Xu Ran, I didn't expect you to to so smart." Wu Mei said after seeing the milky liquid.
When Xu Ran told them previously, he didn't believe it. It was all for Liu Tong's sake. Liu Tong was willing to spoil him. As a friend, he could give Liu Tong some face. Unexpectedly, Xu Ran really made it.
"It can be used to make tofu! That's great. In the future, you won't have to buy tofu." Liu Qing said happily.
"Yes!" If you want to do anything, come to our house directly. But you can't tell anyone about it, otherwise it will be very troublesome. "Xu Ran instructed.
"Of course. We aren't that stupid either." Liu Qing said the moment Xu Ran spoke.
"Then let's eat soybean dregs tonight! Tongtong, let's grind a bit more." Xu Ran added beans into it as he spoke, and Liu Tong also began to spin the shaft.
The courtyard was filled with laughter.
The millstone had been done. He had already made the preparations for the early stage. Naturally, he would be busy.
Xu Ran first asked Liu Tong to buy a big jar of rice in the town, and then bought some brown rice. During this period of time, they had been busy making stone millstones. Liu Tong didn't have time to hunt, so their savings were only about two or two taels of silver. They were really poor. Of course, this was all Xu Ran knew.
Originally, his plan for the money was to buy some lands, but the amount was too small. Xu Ran decided to use it on his chili sauce business .
Chili had already been ground into powder, but it was not fine enough. Some chili seeds could even be noticed in the powder. A lot of seasonings and oil were required to make chili sauce, and those did not come free. Most of their savings had already been spent, so the remaining money was barely enough.
There were no other choices. Liu Tong had to go up to the mountain to hunt, and Xu Ran was also preparing to sell the potatoes.
Xu Ran led the two children to the mountain to dig potatoes, and then he made those photos into mashed potatos for Liu Tong to sell them. The mashed photos were also sold to the shopkeeper, for some decent money.
It was really hard to start a business. Xu Ran couldn't help having this conclusion.
The pot of their family was too small and it was no good to use. So Liu Tong borrowed the big pot of Wu Mei's and piled a stove in their yard with stones.
The fragrance of the fried chili was too pungent. Xu Ran drove the kids out and asked them to play outside, leaving him and Liu Tong some space to work.
Since he was not sure about the ration of seasonings at first, Xu Ran asked Liu Tong to start with small portion.
Liu Tong had experienced the hardships of these days. He also saw Xu Ran's hard work. He didn't want Xu Ran's efforts to get wasted, so he was extremely serious.
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