57 Chapter 57 Teaching The Techniques
After she left, Gu Chengrui remembered that Zhou Ying had previously mentioned that Sister Tian wanted to learn how to grow bean sprouts. He looked at the Tian siblings and said, “Brother Tian, Sister Tian, you’re here for the bean sprout, right?”
“It’s about bean sprouts, but not about growing them. I want to take some of your stock from you and sell it in the market.” Tian Jiawang quickly replied.
All these recipes were family secrets, and he didn’t want to pry into them. How else would they get along in the future?
Gu Chengrui was astounded for a moment. “I’m afraid I’ll have to disappoint you then. Our kitchen has limited space, and it’s already difficult to provide the bean sprouts for Hongyun Restaurant, so you should grow them yourself.”
“This, how can I accept this?” Tian Jiawang waved his hand and said.
“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. After all, growing bean sprouts can be figured out with a bit of thought.
“The first step is to pick out the beans that could germinate, soak them for ten hours, then put them in a container with water leaking at the bottom and cover them with a wet cloth. After that, you just have to flush them with water every morning and night.
“You need to pay attention to the time when you soak the beans. Eight hours in spring and autumn is enough, and ten hours minimum in winter. To put it bluntly, it is to ensure that the beans have enough water.
“Also, the water used every day must not be too cold, or the beans will freeze.
“Oh right, there���s also the temperature. The room can’t be too cold, or the bean sprout will grow very slowly.”
“A leaking container?” Sister Tian asked in surprise.
“Yes, like a broken pot, bucket, or even a woven basket. As long as the beans are always wet, it will be fine.
“Of course, good ones are fine too, but flushing the beans is a little troublesome.” When Gu Chengrui said this, he saw the two looking thoughtful. He stood up and said, “I’m sure you’ll remember everything I said here. Let’s go to the kitchen and take a look. It’s time to water the bean sprouts.”
He brought the two to the kitchen and explained it to them after getting some water to demonstrate it to them. After they were done, he said, “Just like this. It’s not difficult, just a bit of effort.”
“Your stove fire has to stay on the whole day?” Sister Tian asked.
“That’s right. It can’t be extinguished at all, especially at night. That’s why we only open half of the air vent near our brick bed.
“This is also why we can’t grow bean sprouts in large numbers.”
The siblings understood the workings and went home after sitting for another short while.
On the other hand, at the Gu family’s residence, after dinner, everyone was about to leave when Mrs. Liu suddenly said, “I heard from Aunt Liu next door that Chengrui bought a donkey cart. Did any of you see it? Is it true?”
Second uncle Gu said, “It seems to be true. I also heard Chengrui would push two urns to town every day after breakfast and bring them back when he returned. But, I don’t know what they are doing.”
“Xi, do you know what they are doing?” he asked Gu Chengxi.
Gu Chengxi raised his head. “Chengrui hasn’t been going up the mountain much recently, so I don’t really know.”
He thought, “Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you. Since you’ve already chased them out, you shouldn’t disturb them.”
“It seems the couple has earned at least twenty taels of silver during this time. Otherwise, they could not afford to buy a donkey cart.” Mrs. Yao said unhappily.
“That’s enough. They’ve already split up, and it’s a good thing that they can earn their living. You can think of more ways to earn money if you’re jealous.” Mrs. Qiao unhappily rolled her eyes at her. After saying this, she got up and returned to the east side of the house.
“Go and do what you should be doing.” Father Gu got up and returned to his room after he finished speaking.