Xu Mingxuan also stepped forward, took a large bowl, filled it with a bowl of spicy soup, then took a two-flour bun from the back basket and squatted down anywhere, eating it with the spicy soup, slurping loudly.
Seeing the situation, the platoon leader quickly organized the soldiers to queue up for meals. Lin Mai and Xiao Shuan immediately began preparing the second pot of spicy soup.
The mother-in-law saw that Zheng Yingzhang, who was among the first to eat, had already finished a large bun and immediately handed him another one. Zheng Yingzhang refused the bun and hurriedly explained, "Auntie, thank you! I'm almost full. Another bowl of spicy soup to line my stomach will be fine."
The mother-in-law insisted on handing the bun to Zheng Yingzhang, saying, "Commander Zheng, we have plenty of buns prepared, enough for two per person. You've been walking mountain roads all morning, you must be hungry, and so are the young soldiers! Big man, stop dithering and take it quickly!"
Seeing that the mother-in-law had said so much, Commander Zheng took the bun from her hand, scooped another bowl of spicy soup from the pot, found a spot, and began to eat with loud slurps again.
While the soldiers were queuing for breakfast, Uncle De, Uncle Fu, and Chen Lan continued to pack the cabbage into bags.
The soldiers ate quickly. In a short while, thirty to forty soldiers had finished their meals in shifts.
One by one, they put down their chopsticks and bowls without saying a word, and gave a standard military salute to Lin Mai and Xiao Shuan who were cooking, and to everyone else in the distance harvesting vegetables in the field.
Then, they each shouldered a bag of vegetables and set off.
Commander Zheng put down his chopsticks and bowl, looked at the pile of vegetables in the field, and saw that even after thirty to forty soldiers had carried away thirty to forty bags, the pile had not significantly decreased.
He called out to the first platoon leader who was shouldering a bag of vegetables and preparing to leave, "First Platoon Leader, after you and your soldiers return to the camp and rest, tell your company commander to send another company to the valley to move vegetables."
The first platoon leader saluted and replied loudly, "Yes, Commander, I guarantee the mission will be completed." With that, he strode away, chasing after the team ahead.
Commander Zheng walked around the pile of vegetables, then turned to Xu Mingxuan, who was about to help in the cabbage field, and said, "Mingxuan, do you see it? It seems to be more than what Er Zhuang said. Thirty to forty bags have been moved, and it's still a large pile that hardly looks any smaller. These things are much more than Er Zhuang mentioned."
In fact, Xu Mingxuan had already noticed something was wrong but hadn't said anything. He knew this was definitely his wife's idea again. His wife always thought of him and the soldiers, so he should just accept it obediently, why ask so many questions?
Xu Mingxuan smiled and said, "Old Zheng, since these are extra vegetables from the valley, let's move them back based on the principle of not wasting and being thrifty. Why ask so many questions?"
After speaking, he went to the field to help.
Commander Zheng thought about it and agreed. He also went to the field to help.
There were many people working today, and soon the last two mu of cabbage were harvested, packed into bags, and stacked neatly.
Chen Lan, seeing so many people helping and not much work left, decided to go home first.
Firstly, she was worried about the twins at home; secondly, she needed to go back to prepare the large vats and salt for making sauerkraut.
She had only arrived home at dusk yesterday, and had not prepared anything, so she had to go back today to prepare in advance. After whispering to her mother-in-law, she left early to prepare.
Her mother-in-law and the others cleaned up the cooking pots and bowls together, preparing to take them back for washing.
After packing up, the mother-in-law said to Xu Mingxuan and Commander Zheng, who were helping nearby, "Mingxuan! You and Commander Zheng wait for the soldiers here. We have things to do at home, so we'll be going back first."
Commander Zheng quickly asked, "Auntie, is something happening at home? Do you need us to go and help at your house?"
The mother-in-law said with a smile, "No need, you can't help. We're just going back to make sauerkraut. Little Zheng! Do you make sauerkraut in the camp?"
Commander Zheng replied with a smile, "Auntie, you're mistaken this time. I participate in making sauerkraut in the camp every year, and my skill in making sauerkraut is second to none."
The mother-in-law exclaimed in surprise, "Little Zheng, I didn't expect you to have this skill?"
So, after discussion, Xiang Xi was left here to wait for the soldiers from the camp, while everyone else went back to help make sauerkraut.
Chen Lan did not go home directly. She first went to the large kitchen because there was convenient water access and ample space to spread out.
She ordered ten super-large earthenware vats, thirty catties of coarse salt, and two pairs of high-waisted rain boots from the system. All were taken out from the system warehouse and placed in the large kitchen.
She prepared everything and went out for a walk, placing two-thirds of the cabbage from the system warehouse at her mother-in-law's house and Lin Mai's house.
After everything was prepared, Chen Lan went home! The remaining cabbage was taken directly home by Chen Lan and stored in the cellar.
Her mother-in-law and the others soon arrived at the large kitchen.
The mother-in-law immediately assigned Ming Wei and Cui Qiao to thoroughly clean the large vats, while the rest of the people organized the cabbage. Everyone busily opened the snake-skin bags, took out the cabbage, and cut off the roots with knives.
The mother-in-law, holding the rain boots, rinsed them and said to Xiao Shan, "Xiao Shan, put on these rain boots and climb into the vat."
Although Xiao Shan looked confused, he obediently put on the rain boots and climbed into the clean vat.
The mother-in-law continued, "Hu Yuzhen, Lin Mai, pass the prepared cabbage to Xiao Shan. Xiao Shan, pack the cabbage tightly, one by one, into the vat, making sure there are no gaps. You must press them down firmly. Sprinkle a little salt on each layer, but don't overdo it."
While the mother-in-law was directing Xiao Shan to pack the cabbage into the vat, Commander Zheng, wearing another pair of rain boots, also climbed into the vat and began packing the cabbage.
Commander Zheng proved himself to be skilled, having done this work many times before. He worked very quickly and efficiently. In a short while, the vat was packed to the last layer, and a handful of salt was sprinkled. A layer of burlap was placed on top, followed by a layer of oilcloth to seal it tightly, isolating the vegetables in the vat from the outside air. This way, the pickled vegetables would not rot easily. Then, two washed large stones were placed on top.
After finishing this task, Commander Zheng let out a long sigh and said, "All done! After two more days of pickling, we'll add some well water to the vat. Then, seal the top of the vat with yellow mud! After a month of pickling, when the cabbage has naturally fermented and is fully pickled, it can be eaten. At that time, the cabbage will become sauerkraut. It will be goose yellow in color, with a fresh aroma, and it will be delicious for stews, stir-fries, and fillings."