AWB Chapter 85 Big White
Chapter 85 Big White
Song Jiaojiao pointed to the dirty sheep again, "What's that?"
The shopkeeper glanced at it and said succinctly, "Sheep."
"Sheep? How come they're different from other sheep?" Song Jiaojiao asked knowingly.
"How would I know? I bought it from that bearded guy too." Actually, it was a gift from the bearded guy.
"How much is that?" Song Jiaojiao thought it wasn't too expensive and she could afford it.
The shopkeeper glanced at Song Jiaojiao and said softly, "20 taels."
How much? 20 taels? That's more expensive than a regular sheep. This guy must be a swindler.
Actually, that's not the case. The shopkeeper just saw Song Jiaojiao asking all sorts of questions and not leaving or buying anything for a long time, so he just quoted a price off the cuff.
"Forty taels, I'll take the cow and the sheep." Song Jiaojiao gave a price; she wouldn't accept anything more.
At this point, the shopkeeper looked at her incredulously. These two beasts had been here for almost two months, and while many people had asked about the price, no one had actually bought anything.
"It's possible, but this cow needs to eat fine food, while that sheep likes to rub itself on the ground, and with all its wool, it's impossible to get it clean. Do you still want it?"
No wonder it's so dirty, it's probably because of the hot weather and there's something on it.
"It's okay, we'll buy it for the kids to play with. They've never seen anything like it before, so it'll be a novelty." Song Jiaojiao made up an excuse.
Shop owner: ...Rich people really have different tastes.
Seeing that Song Jiaojiao said this, the shopkeeper didn't say anything. He put a rope on the cow, transferred the ownership, and then helped Song Jiaojiao lead it to the entrance.
Xu Da was startled when he saw the cow in front of him. "Madam, do you know what kind of cow this is?"
When Song Jiaojiao heard Xu Da say that, she didn't answer him, but instead asked, "What kind of cow is this? Do you know?"
"Yes, madam, this kind of cow is called a dairy cow. It produces the most milk. My former mistress loved to use it for bathing and washing." Xu Da shared what he knew. As for the small, grayish cow behind him, he didn't know what it was, but it looked like a sheep.
Rich people really know how to have fun; they use milk for bathing. I bought it and all I could think about was eating it.
"Do you know how to feed it?" Song Jiaojiao thought that since he knew what it was, he might have seen it before.
"Actually, it's not much different from a regular cow, except it can't be overworked, otherwise it won't produce milk," Xu Da said.
"Alright," Song Jiaojiao nodded, leading the carriage in front while Xu Da led the cattle and sheep behind, to be tied to the carriage once they left the city.
Having bought almost everything, Song Jiaojiao and her companion went straight home. Because of the two animals, the journey home took much longer. By the time they arrived home, the villagers had already started cooking.
When Song Jiaojiao arrived home, her family saw that she had brought back two unfamiliar cows and sheep. They wanted to go and take a look, but before they got close, they smelled a foul odor. The source of the odor was the strange-looking, gray sheep. Song Jiaojiao told Xu Da to take the sheep to the river to wash it clean before bringing it back.
Feeling increasingly uncomfortable about her own odor, Song Jiaojiao asked Xu Fang to prepare hot water for her so she could take a bath; otherwise, she would feel itchy all over.
After tidying herself up, Song Jiaojiao saw Mu Xue surrounding a white creature, which she assumed was a cleaned sheep.
"Mom, this sheep is so white, like the clouds in the sky." Mu Xue touched the sheep, and the sheep didn't attack her.
Sheep: Do you think I dare? Don't you even look at who's standing next to me? What kind of family keeps wolves?
Song Jiaojiao glanced at Xiaobai, who was right next to Mu Xue, and instantly understood. She had been raising it like a dog, almost forgetting that it was a wolf. Animals are always the first to sense danger.
Xiao Bai has been with the family for so long, and we've never heard him bark. In less than half a year, he's grown to be almost the size of a large adult dog. The villagers have even doubted that he's a dog and asked Song Jiaojiao about it, but she fooled them.
Song Jiaojiao knelt down next to Mu Xue and asked, "Second Sister, do you like this sheep?"
Looking at the white sheep in front of her, Mu Xue said in a clear voice, "I like it. It's so cute. It's the same color as Little White. Can I call it Big White from now on?"
"Okay, whatever. You'll be in charge of taking care of Da Bai from now on. It might need a bath every day. You can ask Meng Qi to go to the river with you then." Song Jiaojiao thought it was just a sheep, so whatever. She could take care of it when she had time.
Sheep: Did anyone ask for my opinion? Didn't you see the wolf next to me practically killing me with his eyes? *crying*
Song Jiaojiao didn't understand the sheep's feelings, but she was happy to see the cow. Since the cow wasn't pregnant and therefore didn't produce milk, Song Jiaojiao instructed Xu Da to lock it up with the yellow cow.
April 8th, the day of the Beginning of Summer, it was noticeably hotter than usual. But that wasn't the point. The point was that it was Mu Qing's 14th birthday, and Song Jiaojiao was thinking of doing something different.
That's right, Song Jiaojiao wants to make a cake. Although she doesn't have an oven or a kiln yet, cakes can still be steamed.
The chickens at home have started laying eggs. Song Jiaojiao brought over ten eggs, first added a bowl of water to a bowl, then added lard and stirred until emulsified, then added flour, and finally separated the egg whites and yolks. The egg whites should be free of water, oil and yolk. First, make the batter, then add the egg yolks to the flour and stir well until it becomes a thick consistency that doesn't immediately disappear when lifted.
Set aside for later use. Then, start beating the egg whites. Add the sugar in three batches and beat quickly. It took half an hour to beat the egg whites of ten eggs. During this time, three people took over. Finally, beat them until they reached the point where they could be lifted to the top. Add one-third of the beaten egg whites to the previously prepared batter and mix well from the bottom up. Then pour it back into the remaining egg whites and mix well from the bottom up again.
The water in the pot had been boiling for a while, just waiting to be steamed. Song Jiaojiao took three large bowls, brushed lard on them to prevent sticking, and poured in the liquid she had just stirred. She didn't finish filling the three bowls, so she had to use a small bowl to fill them all. She put the bowls in the steamer and covered them with gauze to prevent water vapor from flowing in.
Steam over medium heat for 50 minutes, then remove from heat and let it sit for another 5 minutes.
Just then, the hourglass from a while ago came in handy. Song Jiaojiao placed a half-hour hourglass in the kitchen and asked Xu Fang to keep an eye on it and call her when it was almost finished.
It was too hot in the kitchen, so Song Jiaojiao took a pot of tea to the yard to cool off, but her hand holding the cup kept trembling.
Whipping egg whites by hand is no easy task. Today, due to insufficient preparation, Song Jiaojiao used chopsticks to whip them, and her hands almost became useless.
I thought of making a mesh-like hemispherical whisk, but I realized that iron wouldn't work because it would be too heavy. What else could I use?
Song Jiaojiao lay on the recliner, lost in thought, her gaze falling on the bamboo not far in front of the house.
Yes, you can use bamboo. Bamboo is quite flexible and can be bent, so it's entirely possible to make it.
Without hesitation, Song Jiaojiao rushed back to her room, drew out the manual egg beater she remembered, and then hurriedly went to find Xu Da to ask him to help her make it. Song Jiaojiao pointed to the drawing and explained it to Xu Da, who understood it and thought that it might be ready by dinner time.