noffsinger Chapter 256 Corn
Chapter 256 Corn
After a round of shopping, Ning Jian only bought a few pieces of cloth. These items were too expensive and he was unwilling to spend more money. Besides, his family had enough clothes to wear, so he was not in a hurry to buy any more.
He planned to go to the next place to have a look. If the price of cloth was not expensive, he could stock up more.
Sun Xiaoxi and Aunt Zhou each replenished some food and prepared to go back.
Leaving the grain store, Sun Xiaoxi couldn't help but sigh, "Grain prices are so high, it feels like what I'm eating isn't grain, it's money."
Even if their family has some savings, with the current food prices, they can drain their savings in just a few months.
Aunt Zhou also said with some distress: "I couldn't bring myself to buy it."
But they had to do it anyway because they had almost finished eating the food they brought with them. If they didn't replenish it, they would probably starve on the road.
After walking a few steps, they met Huo Yan and Sun Huzi who came to look for them, and then they went back to the inn together.
When they were almost at the door of the inn, they saw their dog Orange running out from the alley on the side of the inn. When he saw Ning Yan and the others coming back, he quickly ran up to Ning Yan, lowered his head and rubbed against him.
"What's wrong?" Ning Yan patted its head and asked.
Juzi bit Ning Jian's clothes and pulled him forward two steps, then let go.
Ning Yan asked, "Someone wants to steal you?"
Orange nodded.
Sun Xiaoxi was surprised when she heard this and said, "Someone is stealing cattle in broad daylight! Isn't this too brazen?"
Then, as if remembering something, she said, "Husband, go and see if our cow is still there."
Upon hearing this, Sun Huzi pulled the cart and was about to leave.
At this time, Juzi shook his head at Ning Yan and made a pushing gesture.
Ning Yan said directly: "Your cow should be fine. It was saved by Juzi."
Sun Huzi and Sun Xiaoxi breathed a sigh of relief when they heard this and thanked Orange.
Then Sun Xiaoxi said, "Brother Jian, you should go back to your room and take a look."
Since he dared to steal cows in the backyard in broad daylight, he might as well steal things from the room. Ning Yan and the others were out today, and there was no one guarding the room. If a thief broke in, the things would be lost.
There is no need to worry too much about their dormitory, as Mr. and Mrs. Duan and Aunt Zhou's second son and his family are guarding inside.
After hearing this, Ning Yan and the others walked towards the inn.
There was definitely nothing valuable in the room, just some clothes and pots and pans, not even a piece of pork, so they definitely couldn't steal anything, but they had to pretend.
There have been a lot of influx of people into the city recently, and both inns and residential houses are filled with a mixed crowd. Wanderers can be seen everywhere on the streets, and it is not uncommon to see people stealing things from other people's homes in the middle of the night.
Some people, unable to steal food, start stealing cattle and horses, and can sell them on the black market for a profit. Even if they can't sell them, they can still eat the meat.
Stealing cattle and horses is a serious crime in Donglin State, and killing cattle and horses is an even more serious crime. These people are a little bold, but it is better than starving to death.
Ning Yan entered the room. The things in the room were not missing, but there were signs of being turned over. This was especially obvious on the quilt on the bed. The quilt, which had been folded, was now piled messily on the bed.
It felt like the bed boards had been moved.
There were signs of rummaging through the backpack, but the things in it were not valuable, so the thief probably lost interest after just one look.
"This capital city is even more chaotic than the town." Ning Yan said after walking around the room.
They had only been out for an hour when a thief broke into the room. It was probably because they were targeted as soon as they entered the city.
Huo Yu sat down on a chair and said, "There are a lot of people here too."
When there are too many people, there will naturally be chaos.
The population of Yuntong Prefecture is relatively small compared to other prefectures in Donglin Kingdom, but it is still over 100,000.
There are eleven county towns, large and small, and it is estimated that half of them have suffered from rainstorms and floods to varying degrees this time.
There are now over ten thousand people gathered outside Guangfu City, and there must be a large number of people inside the city as well.
After that, the two of them went to Bai Lifen's room next door. Their room was very quiet and similar to the other room. It was quite messy, but nothing was lost.
Maybe he was angry because he didn't find anything valuable, so the two ceramic pots in the house were smashed directly in the house.
Bai Lifen complained as she ordered someone to clean the room: "Why do they vandalize things when they can't steal anything? Someone stepped on the quilt a few times."
Ning Yan sat down on a chair and said comfortingly, "We can use our own quilts when we sleep at night."
Ning Yu came up from downstairs and said to his family, "I went to tell the shopkeeper, and he asked the shop assistants, and they said they didn't see anyone stealing cattle."
Huo? was not surprised by the news. The inn was poorly managed and looked like it was about to go bankrupt. The people staying there were a mixed bunch, so it was not surprising that they couldn't find the person who stole the cattle.
"Tonight, ask Brother Sun to go and guard the backyard together. If anyone comes to steal again, just be ruthless." Huo Yu instructed Ning Lu.
Their oranges cannot be placed in the room and can only be placed in the cowshed in the backyard. Although oranges are intelligent, they are afraid that others will be cruel and kill them directly.
"I understand." Ning Yu responded.
The corn in the space is ripe. Ning Yan simply clicks one button to harvest it. Soon a pile of corn cobs appears in the space. If you spend some money, they can peel the skin for you.
This system is quite smart, Ning Jian thought.
"Of course, our system provides humane services." Qingying's voice suddenly sounded in my mind.
Ning Yan asked in surprise: "You know everything I'm thinking?"
Qing Ying said: "No, only those related to the system will know."
Ning Yan nodded after hearing this, otherwise he would have to find a way to block this system, leaving him with no privacy at all.
"Host, I've been so quiet, and you still want to block me. Where is your conscience?" Qing Xing complained aggrievedly.
Ning Yan complained, "You're quiet because you're lazy, right?"
This Tong hadn't said much since he explained the situation on the first day. Ning Yan reasonably suspected that he was just too lazy to speak.
"They say people of the same family tend to be similar. I learned this from the host," Qing Xing said with a smile.
"You guys just bind like this to complete the mission and then win without any effort?"
"It depends on the host. If the host is smart, it will save a lot of trouble. If the host has a more eccentric temperament, more guidance will naturally be required."
“What if the mission cannot be completed?”
"Nothing is impossible to complete. It must be completed. It just takes a long time." Qingying said.
After the shop assistants finished cleaning, Ning Yan took out the corn and asked his family to cook it.
Ning Jing pointed at the yellow corn and asked, "Dad, what is this?"
"Corn," Ning Yan replied. "It's sweet and delicious."
Ning Jing nodded his head when he heard this and waited for Ning Yan to cook corn for him.
The corn was put into the pot when there was a sudden knock on the door.
Sun Xiaoxi's voice echoed outside: "Brother Jian, it's me."
Seeing this, Ning Yan put the pot into the space directly, and Ning Lu walked forward and opened the door.
Sun Xiaoxi and Sun Huzi came in with their brothers.
"Did you lose anything?" Sun Xiaoxi asked.
Bai Lifen had almost tidied up the things in the room, so nothing could be seen. Ning Yan said, "Nothing is missing."
Sun Xiaoxi felt relieved after hearing this.
Sun Huzi said at this time: "I will go to the backyard to guard it at night. If anything happens, I will find a way to notify you."
Ning Yu said, "Brother Sun, I'll go with you."
Upon hearing this, Sun Huzi said, "That's fine."
Originally, since Ju Juzi saved his family's cow today, he planned to help look after Huo's family's cow at night. Now that Ning Ruo is accompanying him, it is the best thing. This way, he doesn't have to worry about how to notify them in time if something happens.
The family chatted for a few minutes and then left, so Ning Yan took out the pot and continued to cook the corn.
"This corn tastes really good," Bai Lifen said after taking a bite, "but it doesn't look very elegant."
Ning Yan broke the corn into two pieces and handed them to Huo Yun and Ning Jing, letting them chew them themselves.
Then he said to Bai Lifen, "If you think it's unsightly, just chop it into small pieces with a knife and eat it."
Ning Yu imitated Ning Jian and broke a corn stalk in half. As he ate, he said, "Mom, are you getting old and your teeth are failing?"
"You little bastard, you're teasing me again, are you asking for a beating?" Bai Lifen scolded with a smile.
Ning Chengyong asked, "Brother Jian, can we grow this corn ourselves?"
"Yes, the cornmeal made from corn is also delicious for making cakes and steamed buns." Ning Yan said.
"When this system leaves, we have to leave the seeds behind," Ning Chengyong instructed.
Ning Yan said, "Don't worry, Dad, I will definitely stay."
While chewing on the corn, Huo Yun climbed up and stood on the chair. He stretched out his short arms and took several corns from the plate and put them on the plate in front of him. Since the plate could not hold them all, he put them directly on the dining table.
Ning Yan saw this and asked, "Xiao Yun, what are you doing?"
Huo Yun replied: "Dad eats it too fast, we need to save some."
Ning Yan turned to look at Huo Xi beside him and found that in just a short while, Huo Xi had already chewed the third piece, while he himself had not yet finished chewing the first piece.
He was at a loss for words about Huo Yu's eating speed, and he was even more amused by his eldest son's food-guarding behavior.
Then he said to Huo Yun, "There are still a lot of corns here. You don't have to protect them. If you want to eat them, I'll cook them for you later. Put them back now."
Huo Yun reluctantly put the corn back and muttered, "I want to grow up and eat more than my dad."
Several people were amused and confused by his words. He usually ate enough, so why did he act like he was at a huge disadvantage just because he ate a little less?
After talking about his eldest son, Ning Jian leaned close to Huo Xi and whispered, "Brother Xi, is this corn delicious?"
Upon hearing this, Huo Yu whispered back, "My wife is the best."
Ning Yan: “….” I asked unnecessary questions.
There was a big commotion in the backyard in the evening, but it was resolved smoothly.
There were still thieves at the inn at night, but no one came to Ning Jian and his friends' room, probably because they knew there was nothing to steal.
The next day at 9:00 a.m., it was already bright. After breakfast, they prepared to set off.
I just went downstairs to the counter to check out when I suddenly heard a noisy sound outside.
A group of people went out to check what was going on out of curiosity.
As soon as I stepped out of the inn, I saw thousands and thousands of insects flying densely in the sky not far away. Wherever they passed, there was a vibrating sound, which made my scalp tingle.
People on the street shouted that the locusts were coming, and at the same time they knelt on the ground and prayed: "Locust God, please forgive us mortals who have done wrong. Please forgive us."
After saying this, he bowed devoutly in the direction where the locusts were flying.
Many people did this, but others hurried to their shops and homes, and when they returned, they closed the doors and windows and never came out again.
When Ning Jian saw this situation, he quickly pulled his family back and said, "Hurry, go back."
It just so happened that their room had not been checked out yet, so they could stay for a few more days.
With so many locusts, they definitely couldn't leave for the time being, so they all hurried back to their rooms.
After running into the room, Ning Yan quickly asked his family to close the doors and windows tightly, leaving no gaps.
As the saying goes, when locusts pass through a territory, no grass will grow.
This thing is not only harmful to crops, but also to the human body in large numbers. The most important thing is that when so many insects fly at you, it is not enough to describe it as scary, it is disgusting, disgusting and scary.
After the doors and windows were closed, Ning Yan finally had some free time to ask, "Dad, why are these people worshiping locusts?"
Ning Chengyong explained: "The locusts eat the crops, and there's no good way to stop them. They're hard to catch, and they can't be eaten, so everyone thinks they're God's punishment on the people. They offer sacrifices to God in the hope that he will retract his punishment and leave the crops."
"I remember that some people used to build grasshopper temples to worship locusts. Every time a locust plague occurred, officials would organize worship services. But we haven't had a locust plague here for many years."
"Why can't we eat it?" Ning Yan asked curiously.
"I heard that eating it is harmful to the body, and it doesn't taste good." Ning Chengyong said.
Ning Yan understood after hearing this. Nowadays, grasshoppers are eaten roasted or fried with rich seasonings. In ancient times, the use of oil was very limited. Apart from lard, there was only soybean oil.
The production of soybean oil is extremely low, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and it is expensive. Who would bother to fry insects and eat them?
Coupled with the natural fear of locusts, no one dares to eat this insect.
Then Ning Yan said, "Let's fry some locusts and eat them later."
Ning Chengyong hesitated when he heard this and said, "Will we be called disrespectful if we eat this?"
He certainly believed in his brother, but some officials would organize sacrifices, and he was afraid that they would use this as an excuse to harm his brother.
Ning Yan comforted him, "It's okay. These locusts destroyed the crops and left ordinary people with nothing to eat. Why should we let them go? It's too late to kill them, let alone offer sacrifices.
Besides, I haven't seen any effect from offering sacrifices. Every time there's a locust plague, they eat up the crops."
Ning Chengyong thought it made sense, and then said, "Will this thing taste good if it's fried?"
"You'll know after Dad tries it." Ning Yan said.
After a while, Huo Xi took Ning Ruo outside and caught a lot of locusts.
Ning Jian started to try frying locusts. It was also his first time frying locusts.
The oil used is lard, so fried food will definitely taste delicious.
In the past, every time Ning Yan came back from hunting pigs, he would save the pork fat and ask Bai Lifen to add onions and ginger to make lard for consumption. When they were fleeing famine, there was still a large jar of lard at home, which was just right for frying things.