Summer Memories on the Ridge: A Bowl of Sour Water Noodles
Summer has come. The sun is scorching, the wind on the ridge blows across the parched salt flats, hot and humid, making one feel unbearably dry. Several willows stand solitary in a waterhole in the wilderness, shepherd Wang Lao Han lies in the shade, his sheep, also listless, are drinking water in the waterhole, not making a peep.
When he left in the morning, the old woman asked him what to eat at noon? He looked at the sky, which was hot and cloudless, and said, 'It's very hot!' So he would eat a piece of sour water noodles.
Sour water is made by the old woman a few days ago. She picked several stalks of celery, peeled lotus leaves, washed them clean, and boiled them in a pot until they were wilted, then fished them out and put them in a clean clay jar. She poured sour water brine over them, covered them with noodles, and then added some cooled noodle soup, sealing the jar. The time and lactic acid bacteria would take care of the rest, and it would be ready to eat in about four or five days.
Before, when he went out to herd sheep, in the wilderness, when he was alone and happy, Wang Lao Han liked to shout a few phrases of the 'Flowers and Boys' folk song, but today the weather was too hot, he looked at the sky and scolded, 'This rotten and sluggish day, return to be!' Then he drove the sheep together and started walking home.
In the courtyard of the house, there were a few trees, but they were hot, Wang Lao Han's old wife, the old woman, looked at the sky and scolded, 'This rotten and sluggish day, you don't return yet!' She started to make sour water noodles at the stove for Wang Lao Han.
Add vegetable oil to the pot, heat it up, add a few grains of peppercorns, a handful of chopped green onions and ginger, and a few pieces of chili, frying until fragrant, picking out sour water brine celery and cabbage, chopped finely, and stir-fried in the pot, adding two spoonfuls of sour water, the old woman tasted it, this sour water was too sour, she added two more spoonfuls of water, added a little salt, the sour water boiled, the old woman turned off the fire and waited for the sour water to cool.
Wang Lao Han hurried back with the sheep, first putting the sheep in a sheep pen outside the house, then to the courtyard, shaking the from the well to draw a bucket of water, drinking a good mouthful, pouring the water into a basin, and wiping his body with a wet towel, he felt a little cooler.
The old woman quickly went to the stove, the noodles had been kneaded and ready, on the stove, a large pot of boiling water, noodles were rolled into thin slices, then one by one pinched into noodles, put into the pot, cooked, fished out, from the well of the courtyard, brought up cool and cool water, noodles were chilled in the well water, put in a bowl, poured cool sour water, sprinkled with chopped green onions, and quickly delivered a bowl of sour water noodles to Wang Lao Han.
Old Han took the bowl, added more chili peppers, the noodles were white and red oil floated, fragrant and delicious, sour and spicy, slurping slurping, a bowl of sour water noodles went down, he felt refreshed and cool, the heat and humidity disappeared.
Old Han passed the bowl to the old woman, 'Fetch another bowl!'
After eating, Old Han filled a smoking pot with tobacco leaves, tamped them down, lit them, took a puff, and felt relieved, he wanted to shout:
Summer has come,
Flowers and Boys,
Lotus flowers,
The finest man,
The finest man,
Pick a lotus flower for me.
……
Old woman, waiting for Old Han to finish eating, she also brought a bowl of sour water noodles, while eating, she listened to Old Han singing, remembering their past love with Old Han, she smiled.
Postscript:
I have heard that a shepherd who loved to herd sheep missed his beloved old woman. Once, when eating sour water noodles, he suddenly remembered, so he wrote this article. The story is fictional, but the emotion is true. Therefore, it is also recorded. Persist in creating gourmet articles, CCTV's 'Taste of the He River', 'Foodie Legend' food consultant, food documentary 'Search for Fresh' overall planner Wang Laoge and you jointly search for the 'freshness' on the tongue!
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