Lin Lan checked her watch. It was already 5:30. She headed to the vegetable patch in the backyard, where she pulled up two ruby-red radishes, a few sprigs of cilantro, and some scallions, then carried them back to the kitchen.
She washed the cilantro, scallions, and radishes and set them aside. She shredded the radishes, added salt, and massaged the mixture with her hands until the shreds softened. Then, she rinsed them under tap water, squeezed out the excess moisture, and placed them in a small porcelain bowl to be dressed later.
She took out the termite mushrooms that Wu Shufen had put in her bag, then sliced some ham and soaked it in water. 'Food always tastes better cooked on the earthen stove,' she thought. So, she put the young duck and konjac in a basin and carried them to the backyard stove house.
