Chapter 197

Chang Qingqing said, "Corn probably doesn't keep very well, so we need to deliver it as soon as possible."

Shi Wen, "It's alright, there are outer coats. I'll put them in a cool, well-ventilated warehouse and spread them out to dry. They should last for a few days."

Fu Meng: "Then we'll spread the rest out to dry for you."

Shi Wen, "Okay, let's just put them out to dry in the grass. I'll have the dogs keep an eye on them later, so the other ranch animals don't come over and cause trouble."

Fu Meng: "It's still early, how about we help peel the husks off the corn to dry? That will make it dry faster."

Shi Wen glanced at the sky and said with a smile, "It's too sunny here. Let's take it to the yard and peel it under the porch; it'll be cooler there."

Fu Meng: "That works too."

Chapter 197

Everyone worked together to move the corn to the corridor and peel it.

Shi Wen took out his phone. "Brother Fu, you guys keep peeling them? I'm going to make a call."

Fu Meng smiled at him and said, "You just go about your business; leave it to us."

Shi Wen turned around and went outside to call Zhu Ji, asking him to come to the ranch for corn soup if he was free in the evening, and to bring some corn for testing.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ji immediately smiled and said, "I'm free! How could I not be free for a meal? What are you doing now? If you were at the ranch, I'd come right away."

Shi Wen, "I'm processing corn. If you're not busy, you can come over."

Zhu Ji: "No rush, I only have a few official duties, what's there to be busy about? Wait a moment, I'll be right there."

Shi Wen hung up the phone and turned back.

Fu Meng and his colleagues were quick and efficient; in no time at all, they had husked a pile of corn.

Shi Wen how hard they were working, Shi Wen asked, "Aren't you hot? Shall I make you some mung bean soup?"

Xin Xianghong smiled and said, "It's not hot, but we'd welcome you to make mung bean soup."

Chang Qingqing: "Yes, yes, yes, a sweet mung bean soup would be perfect for this season."

Shi Wen, "Then I'll cook more."

He's cooking mung bean soup now, and he'll put it in the fridge to chill so Yan Kexing can drink it when they get off work.

The ranch doesn't grow mung beans; the mung beans we have are bought from outside.

However, they were all top-quality mung beans, round and smooth, and felt nice to hold in the hand.

Shi Wen rinsed the mung beans with water, then put them in a pressure cooker, added water, and slowly cooked them.

Mung beans taste best when cooked until they are mushy; using a pressure cooker is faster and less likely to burn them.

While they were cooking mung bean soup, Shi Wen went outside and brought in a bunch of corn cobs, which he then started cooking in a large soup pot.

Boiling corn on the cob is much less technically demanding; all you need to do is place a rack underneath, add the right amount of water, and you're good to go.

The pot was bubbling away, Shi Wen set the alarm clock before going out to peel corn.

In a short while, Fu Meng and the others husked another pile of corn.

Upon Shi Wen this, they quickly used a small forklift to transport the corn out to dry.

We don't send the freshly husked corn to the cornfield anymore; we just put it on the grass outside the main yard to dry.

Their little ones are all here, and there are Chasing Clouds patrolling overhead, so they don't have to worry about livestock or poultry causing trouble.

When Shi Wen returned, the kitchen was already filled with the aroma of corn, and Chang Qingqing had turned the pressure cooker to its lowest setting.

Chang Qingqing laughed Shi Wen she spoke to Shi Wen, "Didn't expect it to be ready so quickly, did you?"

Shi Wen, "I really didn't expect this. I've been wandering around like a headless fly. It's all thanks to you guys being here."

Chang Qingqing: "That's how it is on the ranch. It may seem like there aren't many chores, but in reality, you're always busy here and there, and the day just flies by."

Shi Wen, "That's right. Everyone take a break, I'll go get some corn to eat."

The corn was boiled in the pot with its husk on, so the aroma of the corn seemed to be concentrated inside, and when it was taken out, it smelled incredibly delicious.

Shi Wen then distributed the corn to Fu Meng and the other two.

Everyone held their corn, but after a while, they had to pull their hands back and pinch their ears.

Corn tastes best when it's hot, and no one can resist eating it, even though it's scalding hot.

Chang Qingqing peeled open a piece of corn, took a deep sniff, and said, "This must be our local sweet corn, right?"

Shi Wen, "Good eye."

Chang Qingqing: "It's not just about good eyesight; we were watching you plant them. We just didn't expect your local corn to be so big and so fragrant. I think for the next crop, we can use the seeds you saved at home; they're better than the ones from outside."

Shi Wen, "We've set aside some; we can just use the dried corn from outside as seed later, it's all the same."

Fu Meng: "This corn is delicious, it's sweet."

Xin Xianghong: "It also has a special aroma. Don't you grow glutinous corn? I'd like to try some of your glutinous corn later; I love it."

Shi Wen, "Go ahead and try it, it's still cooking in the pot."

While everyone was eating corn, Zhu Ji arrived in his car.

Shi Wen waved the corn around, gesturing for him to come over. "You're really fast, just in time to eat the corn."

Zhu Ji: "I stayed on the speed limit the whole way. I was lucky today; I wasn't stuck on the road by cattle and sheep."

Shi Wen, "Go wash your hands quickly, there's freshly cooked corn in the pot."

Zhu Ji: "I smell the fragrance. No need to call me, I'll get it myself."

Shi Wen had originally intended to get him some corn, but upon hearing this, she sat back down in her chair and said, "Then could you also turn off the heat under the pressure cooker in the back for me?"

Zhu Ji quickly took out an ear of corn to eat as well. "I must say, even the corn on your ranch tastes exceptionally good—sweet, fiberless, and fragrant."

Xin Xianghong: "That's why people say that the best produce in this area is grown by his family."

Zhu Ji smiled and said, "I think so too."

After eating for a while, everyone went back to work.

The mung bean soup was ready in no time.

Shi Wen the mung bean soup smelled a bit bitter, so I asked the person outside, "Would you like some mung bean soup now?"