Chapter 46
46 Making Tea Oil
It took seven to eight people four to five days to plant nearly 20 acres of rapeseed and fertilize it. Everyone helped to fertilize the winter wheat before going home.
After everyone left, Li Yu took the oil tea fruit out of the space. She mixed a small amount of lime and piled it under the eaves for three to four days. She spread it out in the courtyard under the sun and waited for most of the fruits to crack naturally. Li Yu brought Madam Qian and her son to peel and open the unopened fruits on the sun pad.
Madam Qian looked at the seeds and asked Li Yu, “Xiaoyu, there are probably 20 to 30 stones if you clean all these seeds, right?”
“Probably!” Li Yu used a sieve to sieve the seeds clean. She spread them out on a sun pad and dried them for two days before putting them in a wicker basket. She planned to start squeezing oil the next day.
For some reason, she recalled that Zhou Jia had said that he wanted to come and see her squeeze tea oil. Li Yu woke up early in the morning and said to Li Qing, “Ah Qing, I’ll start extracting tea oil today. Tell Mr. Zhou.”
Li Qing looked at Li Yu. “Sister, is Mr. Zhou coming to see you extract tea oil?”
“Yes! He said that last time, and I promised to invite him to watch. Just mention it.”
Li Qing nodded and touched his bag as he smiled at Li Yu. “Sister, the young master of the Xu family wants to ask you to buy a bag like mine. He said that he’ll give you 500 copper coins. Will you make it?”
“Sure! Tell him to bring the money and I’ll make it for him.”
“Then I’ll go to school and tell him.” Li Qing carried his bag and left.
Li Yu thought about Li Qing’s words and thought to herself, I can get Li Mei and Madam Qian to make some school bags and take them to Green Mountain City Academy for sale! After Li Yu thought about it, she happily picked the tea seeds from the basket to the edge of the stone mill and began to grind the tea seeds powder.
After Madam Qian and An arrived, Li Yu pushed Madam Qian to help add oil tea seeds. The two of them ground a basket of oil tea seeds and came out. Li Yu said to Madam Qian, “Auntie Qian, continue pushing me to make a few straw baskets.”
“Alright, go! Leave this to me.” Madam Qian took the grinding handle and continued to grind the seeds.
Li Yu went to the woodshed and carried a bundle of clean straw to make more than ten straw baskets. She carried them out of the woodshed and returned to the courtyard. When she saw Zhou Jia standing at the door and knocking with Ji Xiang, Li Yu smiled and said, “The door isn’t closed. Just come in. Country bumpkins aren’t that particular.”
Madam Qian was amused when she heard that. “Mr. Zhou is a scholar and is well-mannered. How can he be like us!”
Zhou Jia and Ji Xiang smiled and entered the courtyard. They saw Li Yu carrying the tea seed powder to the kitchen.
Ji Xiang pointed at the big stone mortar and pedals in the courtyard and said to Zhou Jia, “Young Master, look, Miss Li is planning to use this to press oil! Do you think it’ll work?”
Zhou Jia walked closer to take a look and nodded. “It should work.”
After Li Yu steamed the tea seed powder, she poured it onto the stone slab, placed it in a straw basket, and wrapped it tightly.
Zhou Jia clumsily helped Li Yu put the straw basket wrapped in tea seed powder into the stone mortar and placed seven packets of oil tea cakes in it. The stone mortar was filled.
Li Yu pressed the wooden stopper on the oil tea pancake and prepared to step on the stepping board. Ji Xiang ran over and stepped on the stepping board. She smiled at Li Yu and said, “Miss Li, hold on to the wooden stopper and I’ll help you step on the stepping board.”
“Sure!” Li Yu held the wooden stopper. Ji Xiang stepped on the wooden stopper and smashed it down. He knocked the wooden stopper into the stone mortar with a bang. The wooden stopper squeezed the pancake down. After a while, the oil flowed from the pipe into the basin.
Zhou Jia watched as the tea oil flowed from the bamboo tube into the wooden basin. He pointed at the tea oil in the wooden basin. “Miss Li, look. The tea oil has flowed into the wooden basin.”
Li Yu looked down at the golden oil flowing down the bamboo tube and thought to herself that the color of the tea seed oil looked better.
When Auntie Qian heard that there was oil, she happily put down the grinding handle and ran over. She looked at the oil in the basin. “Xiaoyu, you can rest assured that the work wasn’t in vain.”
“That’s right! You can rest assured!” Li Yu scooped up a spoon and poured it back into the basin. She smiled and said, “Tea oil tastes much better than canola oil.”
Zhou Jia looked at Li Yu and thought to himself, From Miss Li’s tone, this shouldn’t be the first time she’s had tea oil.
Ji Xiang also put down the pedals and ran over to look at the golden and transparent tea seed oil in the wooden basin. “Young Master, look, the oil is extracted.”
Zhou Jia threw away his thoughts and looked at Ji Xiang. “I told you it would work! Ji Xiang, go and continue stepping!”
“Oh!” Ji Xiang continued to step hard on the pedals. The tea oil flowed faster.
Zhou Jia pointed at the dregs in the oil and said to Li Yu, “Miss Li, I think we should filter the oil.”
Li Yu smiled and nodded. “I’ll filter it with gauze later.”
Zhou Jia squatted down and scooped up a spoonful of the golden transparent liquid. “Not bad. It looks much better than the vegetable oil I sell. There’s also a faint fragrance.”
Li Yu smiled proudly. “Of course. Tea seed oil is very good for people. If you don’t believe me, try it for a few days.”
Zhou Jia looked up at Li Yu. “Looks like Miss Li has eaten a lot of tea oil?”
“No, my mother said so.” Li Yu smiled and carried the steamer to the kitchen.
Li Yu steamed tea seed powder in the kitchen and secretly reminded herself not to get carried away.
Zhou Jia looked at Li Yu’s back thoughtfully and shook his head. He helped Li Yu put the tea seed powder into the straw basket.
The few of them were so busy that they only finished squeezing two stones of tea seeds at noon. Li Yu looked at Zhou Jia and said politely, “It’s almost noon. Mr. Zhou, you and Ji Xiang can have a simple meal at my house!”
Li Yu thought that Zhou Jia would refuse, but Zhou Jia smiled and nodded. “Then we’ll have to trouble Miss Li.”
“Not at all! It’s just a simple meal.” Li Yu smiled and went to the vegetable field. She plucked two asparagus and two radishes, pinched a handful of garlic seedlings and a basket of rapeseed, and carried them home.
Auntie Qian had already washed the pickled meat and cured pork ribs and chopped them into inches long. Li Yu cooked a radish pork rib soup and stir-fried a plate of asparagus meat slices. She stir-fried the pickled meat with garlic sprouts and stir-fried the rapeseed.
When Li Qing returned home and saw Zhou Jia in his house, he bowed to Zhou Jia in surprise. “Sir, did you see how my sister pressed oil?”
Zhou Jia smiled and nodded. “I saw it. Ah Qing’s sister is a sensitive woman.”
“Thank you for your praise, sir.” Li Qing happily took off his bag and showed it to Zhou Jia. “Look, sir, my sister made this bag for me. My sister said that if I carry this to school, I won’t be afraid of getting my books wet. Even Xu Jinxin likes it and is asking my sister to make one for him.”
Zhou Jia’s eyes lit up when he took the bag. After looking at it for a while, he said, “Yes! It’s indeed not bad. Ah Qing, help Sir tell your sister and ask her to help me make one too.”
Seeing that Zhou Jia also liked Li Yu’s school bag, Li Qing nodded happily. “Alright, sir. I’ll tell my sister later.”
Ji Xiang covered his face and felt that he couldn’t take it anymore. He wondered if Ah Qing knew that he was helping his shameless Young Master.
Li Yu carried the dishes and asked Auntie Qian to call Zhou Jia and his servant to eat.
Due to his status, Ji Xiang would not eat with Zhou Jia no matter what. Li Yu had no choice but to share a portion of the dishes with Li Qing, Xiao An, and Ji Xiang.
Auntie Qian looked at Zhou Jia sitting on the small stool and couldn’t even stretch his legs. “Xiaoyu, look at Mr. Zhou sitting on the stool. He can’t even stretch his legs.”
Zhou Jia smiled. “It’s fine. Miss Li’s food is very delicious.”
Auntie Qian looked at Zhou Jia’s elegant manner when he ate. “Mr. Zhou, I heard that when you big families eat, you don’t talk when you eat or sleep, right?”
Zhou Jia swallowed the food in his mouth and nodded. “Something like that.”
Auntie Qian sighed. “Aiyo! Then we’re not used to it. After a busy day, we’ll sit together during dinner and talk about family matters.”
Li Yu smiled at Zhou Jia’s red face and thought to herself, Let’s see if you’ll still stay here to eat in the future.