The Du family's reputation in Apricot Blossom Village was utterly ruined. They were already not well-liked, and now they were even less so.
Because of this, Village Chief Song specifically sought out the Qi family to ask how Madam Yun and Qi Zhenzhen wanted to punish the Du family. If they didn't want the Du family to stay in the village, he could arrange for them to be driven out.
Madam Yun and Qi Zhenzhen sincerely thanked Village Chief Song after hearing this. They then politely expressed that it was not necessary. They felt that once the matter had passed, dwelling on it would only make people think they cared about it more. Furthermore, the one at fault in this matter was the Du family's daughter-in-law. The Du family's mother-in-law and Du Xiang's attitudes had been good from beginning to end. They couldn't be so heartless as to drive them out completely; doing so would truly create animosity.
The Qi family's stance greatly satisfied Village Chief Song. After offering some comfort, he left the Qi residence with a relieved heart.
"Zhenzhen..." Madam Yun felt a little uneasy. Although she had angrily scolded Madam Sun that day, seeing their family now being ostracized even more by the villagers made her feel some sympathy. She even felt that her reaction that day had been excessive.
"Mother, our family has been the victim from beginning to end in this matter, so you don't need to feel any burden or guilt towards the Du family. We have done all we could for the Du family. It is Madam Sun herself who is ungrateful and does not cherish her blessings; she has no one else to blame. As for Du Xiang, I won't hold it against him if he continues his studies. If he stops studying, it will have nothing to do with me. He is a person with independent thoughts; he can't rigidly give up his future based on my single word. If he truly does that, then I have nothing more to say," Qi Zhenzhen said unhurriedly. Of course, she had no idea that Du Xiang would indeed not pursue the path of education and advancement.
Madam Yun was comforted and no longer dwelled on the matter. Her daughter was right; their family had done nothing wrong in this situation. The fault lay entirely with the Du family's daughter-in-law, who had a narrow mind and brought it upon herself.
To divert Madam Yun's attention, Qi Zhenzhen took her to the cellar in the backyard and picked out seven or eight firm, large cabbages.
"We've been eating stewed cabbage every day and are tired of it. Today, let's try a different way of eating cabbage," Qi Zhenzhen said while peeling the outer leaves of the cabbage.
Madam Yun helped by removing the wilted leaves, "What are you planning to do, taking out so many cabbages at once?"
"I'm making kimchi. The weather is cold now, so once it's made, it can be stored for a long time. We can just take it out and eat it, which is very convenient," Qi Zhenzhen explained. She particularly loved eating kimchi. In her previous life, she made it all year round, eating it with rice, stir-frying it with pork belly, making fried rice, or adding it to noodles. In short, kimchi was versatile and delicious with anything.
The more Qi Zhenzhen thought about it, the more eager she became, wishing the kimchi could be ready immediately.
Madam Yun had never even heard of this name before. However, her daughter's cooking skills were excellent, and she often made dishes she hadn't tasted before, which were so delicious that they always made her eat half a bowl of rice more. This kimchi would probably be no different.
After all the cabbages were peeled, Qi Zhenzhen chopped off the cabbage cores and set them aside. These cabbage cores, when washed clean and cut into pieces, could be boiled with cornmeal to make a porridge that was soft and delicious.
The cabbages without cores, when stood upright, looked like small round plates. Qi Zhenzhen cut into the center with a knife, making a vertical cut about seven or eight centimeters deep. She then pulled out the knife, held each half of the cabbage with one hand, and pulled with force. The large cabbage was then split into four halves of roughly equal size.
After all the cabbages were divided in this manner, Qi Zhenzhen brought over the salt crock and began the first step of making kimchi.
Madam Yun, following Qi Zhenzhen's example, began to rub salt onto the divided cabbage. The mother and daughter worked nimbly. In a short while, all thirty-two cabbage pieces had been salted.
Qi Zhenzhen then started preparing the other ingredients, which were crucial for making delicious kimchi.
She had been thinking about it constantly, so she had been very mindful. All the ingredients were prepared, except for fish sauce, which she couldn't find. Even shrimp paste, or rather "purple mushroom paste" as it was called in Da Feng, was purchased from the North-South General Store. She heard it was accidentally made by an old farmer's wife, had a delicious taste, could be eaten in many ways, and was very popular.
There was also a substitute for MSG, which was a powder made from dried shellfish, a good ingredient for enhancing flavor. Qi Zhenzhen guessed that the person who developed this ingredient was either a foodie or, like her, part of the transmigration army.
She prepared chili powder, fine salt, and cane sugar, placing them in a wooden basin. On the small stove, she cooked glutinous rice flour and poured it directly into the wooden basin containing the chili powder. After stirring it evenly, she added the minced garlic and ginger.
Madam Yun had initially thought it was a simple dish, but seeing the array of ingredients her daughter was preparing, she crossed out the word "simple." This was a very complex dish, indeed.
What surprised Madam Yun was the additional ingredients Qi Zhenzhen added to the glutinous rice paste. She could understand the shredded radish and chopped leeks; they were vegetables. But then she added shredded pear and some dark purple paste. Madam Yun couldn't help but murmur, "Can this stuff be eaten?"
After everything was mixed, Qi Zhenzhen let out a long sigh. The most important part of making kimchi, the chili paste, was ready. Soon, she would be able to eat the kimchi she had been craving.
The cabbages that had been salted earlier had wilted and were soft. After rinsing off the fine salt with clean water and shaking off the moisture forcefully, they were arranged in a large basket to dry, allowing the moisture on the cabbage to evaporate.
The drying process would take about an hour. Qi Zhenzhen washed her hands and went to visit Li Shan's family.
It wasn't just a casual visit; she went to ask for large jars for pickling. Li Shan had previously worked as an apprentice in a kiln. Some of the large jars that were not perfectly formed and could not be sold were given to the workers by the kiln owner. The Li family had seventy to eighty of them piled up in their backyard.
When Li Shan's wife heard Qi Zhenzhen's request, she led her to the backyard, "Zhenzhen, pick whichever ones you like."
Prioritizing the well-formed ones, Qi Zhenzhen chose ten. She wanted to pay, but Li Shan's wife insisted on not taking any money, saying these things were just taking up space and she couldn't possibly accept money for them.
Qi Zhenzhen didn't argue with her and smiled, "Then, when the kimchi is pickled, I'll send a jar of kimchi to sister-in-law."
"Alright, it's a deal. Zhenzhen, your cooking is excellent. Hu Zi and I are always looking forward to eating your dishes," Li Shan's wife said with a smile.
It took them three trips to move all the jars. Li Shan's wife had nothing to do at home, so she sat there and chatted with Madam Yun.
Qi Zhenzhen washed the large jars inside and out, scalded them with boiling water, turned them upside down, and let them drain and dry.
Li Shan's wife took out a handful of peanuts from her pocket and offered them to Madam Yun, "My mother bought braised peanuts for Hu Zi, but this child doesn't like to eat them, which is a great benefit to me. I carry a handful with me when I go out and eat them while chatting. It's so pleasant."
Madam Yun instinctively wanted to refuse, but then she remembered her daughter's reminder. She was now a village woman and couldn't be too unconventional. To integrate with them, she needed to have commonalities in her behavior. Madam Yun accepted them and smiled, "What a coincidence, I also like braised peanuts. I was even thinking of buying some to keep when Zhenzhen goes to town, but the heavy snow these past few days delayed it."