Reborn in 1977

When Chen Fan arrived at Zhang Si Ge's house, a group of people were busy cleaning the stone mortar on the threshing ground.

To be precise, this thing is called a 'pestle mortar,' which is a round stone hollowed out, though some are square. The inside is hollowed out to serve as a container for pounding rice and making糍粑.

When cleaning the mortar, first use cold water, then hot water, ensuring it's thoroughly clean. Then, wipe it dry with a clean, dry cloth, at which point they wait for the glutinous rice to arrive.

Throughout the regions south of the Yangtze River, including Guangdong and Hainan, there's a custom of making糍粑 for the New Year.

The glutinous rice is washed clean and soaked in cold water overnight before being steamed in a zengzi (steamer).

(Steamed glutinous rice)

The steamed glutinous rice is carried to the mortar, and then the糍粑 can be made.

There were many people helping today, but they were all from Zhang's family. Five or six strong men were eager to try their hand with the thick, meter-long wooden mallets.

Chen Fan wisely kept more than 5 meters away from them, waved hello from a distance, and quickly slipped into the house.

In the kitchen in the backyard, steam rose from the zengzi in two large pots, indicating that the glutinous rice was about to be ready.

Seven or eight strong women stood by, all wives of the Zhang family. Their task today was to stoke the fire, cook, and assist in making糍粑.

A moment later, the hostess of Zhang Si Ge's house lifted the lid and tasted a little of the glutinous rice with chopsticks, then shouted loudly, "It's ready, we can take it out of the pot."

Immediately, four or five people rushed forward.

Two people held a large bamboo sieve, with a large piece of white cloth spread inside, holding it steady on the table.

The other two used thick cloths to grip the handles on the outside of the zengzi, and with a "heave" sound, they lifted the large bucket of glutinous rice and quickly placed it on the table.

After the heat dissipated slightly, they tilted the zengzi, and two more people used spatulas to scrape all the glutinous rice from the zengzi into the sieve, onto the white cloth.

Once there wasn't a single grain of rice left in the zengzi, the two carrying the zengzi retreated.

The two who had been holding the sieve together used their strength to tighten the white cloth, lifting the glutinous rice and walking quickly outside.

Chen Fan darted ahead, and Zhang Wenliang was already shouting, "The glutinous rice is here, grease it."

He saw an old lady holding a small bowl, with a small cloth in her hand, dipping it in the oil in the bowl, and spreading it evenly on the inner wall of the mortar.

With Chen Fan's level 5 chef experience, he naturally understood that this was to prevent the glutinous rice from sticking to the stone wall.

With a few quick strokes, the oil was spread all over the stone wall, and the two who had been waiting on the side placed the glutinous rice on the edge of the mortar, then carefully poured it inside.

The wet cloth didn't stick to the rice, and every grain of glutinous rice went into the mortar.

At this time, five strong men walked over carrying wooden sticks.

The old lady, as usual, smeared a layer of oil on the heads of the wooden sticks.

Then, one person looked up and shouted, "Let's pound糍粑!"

The others around the mortar raised their wooden sticks and shouted along, "Ho, ho, ho!"

Then the five wooden sticks were raised high and touched together, and then the person who shouted "Let's pound糍粑!" struck the glutinous rice first.

(Pounding糍粑)

Strike once, shout once, "Hai zuo, hai zuo, hai zuo..."

As the sound fell, the wooden stick rose, and then the person in the clockwise direction shouted loudly and the wooden stick fell.

Sometimes they pounded in a fixed spot, and sometimes they walked around the mortar, circling and pounding.

This continued repeatedly, one stick after another, pounding the distinct grains of glutinous rice into a muddy paste.

If any glutinous rice stuck to the stone wall in the middle, the leader would shout "Qi (Lift)!".

The four wooden sticks would strike down together, then lift upwards with force, holding the糍粑 in the air, while the old lady continued to grease the stone wall.

As the glutinous rice became more and more sticky, the wooden sticks were covered with glutinous rice paste, and then the wooden sticks were rubbed against each other to scrape the glutinous rice down.

Those who were tired could take the opportunity to step down and rest, and others would take their place.

Only when not a single complete grain of glutinous rice could be seen was the糍粑 ball lifted and placed on the oiled chopping board next to it.

Next came the final step of making糍粑: shaping the糍粑.

There are two ways to make糍粑: one is large糍粑, and the other is small糍粑 cakes.

The large ones are spread into large pancakes about 40 to 50 centimeters in diameter and about 7 or 8 centimeters thick, while the small ones are palm-sized cakes, only two centimeters thick, or even thinner.

After spreading, oil should be applied to the surface to prevent the糍粑 from cracking.

Then it can be placed on a chopping board covered with white cloth to cool and solidify.

The solidified糍粑 can be soaked in water to maintain moisture, and can be eaten until the following summer.

Chen Fan stood by and watched, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Three or four decades later,糍粑 is almost entirely an industrial product. The glutinous rice is steamed and poured into a mixer to be stirred into a muddy paste, while various additives are added to extend the shelf life. It is then divided and shaped by machines, and then enters a cold storage for quick freezing and solidification, after which it is cut, packaged, and shipped out.

On the front end, 'new farmer livestreamers' wearing ethnic costumes or old-fashioned clothes are selling hard in the livestreaming room while facing a dozen mobile phones.

"Our糍粑 are all handmade, which is very time-consuming and labor-intensive, and there are no additives..."

Just like 'master-made tea,' handmade can produce several tons a day.

After one pot was finished, another pot was made. After two pots of糍粑 were made, there was still a ball of glutinous rice paste left, which was divided into fist-sized balls for everyone to eat.

Those who were particular about it used a small bowl to hold it, and slowly tasted it with chopsticks.

But more people took it directly in their hands to eat. There were also side dishes such as grandma's vegetables, stir-fried preserved pepper with diced meat, pickled radish, and sauerkraut.

Chen Fan's way of eating was different. He spread out the glutinous rice ball, piled these side dishes in the middle, then wrapped it up, and took a bite. That sense of satisfaction was a different kind of flavor from eating a big meal.

When Zhang Wenliang saw his appearance, he couldn't help but laugh, "Are you eating steamed buns?"

Chen Fan laughed, "But the taste is really good, want to try it?"

Zhang Wenliang also learned his way, wrapping the glutinous rice ball with vegetables, and took a bite, immediately beaming.

Seeing their way of eating, everyone couldn't help but laugh, but couldn't help but learn it.

At this time, a person walked into the house and said loudly, "Old Ninth, the pig slaughterer is here, go and entertain him."

Zhang's brothers immediately walked out, while not forgetting to finish the糍粑 in two or three bites.

Chen Fan also waved goodbye to the old men and women of the Zhang family, and followed closely behind them.

Their families were not far apart, and soon they arrived at Zhang Lao Jiu's house.

There are so many people in the Zhang family, and their ages are not very different. Naturally, they are not biological brothers, but cousins. There may be three or four of the same age, so Zhang Lao Jiu looks only a few years younger than Zhang Wenliang.

The pig slaughterer who came today was not Master Zhu, but his two apprentices. Without the master present, these two disciples who had already completed their apprenticeship also put on airs, sitting steadily on chairs drinking tea and smoking, and exchanging greetings with the Zhang brothers.

When they saw Chen Fan, their eyes lit up. One of them smiled and said, "Master Chen, my master is still waiting for you to come over."

Chen Fan then remembered.

Oh right, Master Zhu had asked him to drink together at noon today, but he had also promised Zhang Wenliang to help make a few dishes, so what should he do?

Zhang Wenliang also reacted, and whispered to Chen Fan, "If you have an appointment with Master Zhu, then go over first."

Chen Fan smiled embarrassedly, "There have been too many things these past two days, I forgot about it all at once."

After a pause, he added, "It's okay, it's only a little after 8 o'clock now. Anyway, the pig slaughtering will be quick. After the pig is slaughtered, I'll get it ready for you before going over, it won't be too late."