yshenn

Cover: Mountains in the Rain, with a Sense of Fairy Spirit
10.2 ~ 10.8

I went home for a four-day holiday during the double festival. When I returned home, all I did was eat and sleep. Pumpkin cakes, hairy crabs, ducks, reed corn, water chestnuts, peanuts... I could eat a lot every day. Now, thinking back, there may not be such a comfortable holiday in the future. This time I brought my bicycle back to school. I haven't ridden a bike for over two months, and I've become out of shape again. Coupled with a severe cold last month, my physical condition has deteriorated significantly. I plan to exercise more and gradually recover.
It's still a week without much sunny weather. It's either raining or cloudy, occasionally a bit of sunshine. They say that a rain in autumn brings coldness, and the temperature has indeed dropped a lot, especially after the rain. You have to wear a thick coat when you go out.

It's still an ordinary week, just like three meals a day.

Dumplings 🥟#

The day before returning to school, my mom bought minced meat and Chinese cabbage for me and my sister to make dumplings.
In the past, I only participated in the wrapping process of dumplings, but I had never done the preparation of the filling and other steps. This time, I experienced the whole process completely.

Step 1: Wash and blanch the vegetables
When cooking at home, cleanliness and hygiene come first, so I washed each leaf of the vegetables. Then, I boiled water in a pot and blanched the vegetables. I could put in more at a time because the vegetables would release water. The blanching is done when the root part of the vegetable leaves becomes semi-transparent. Then, I took them out and let them cool for later use. There is a debate about whether to cut the vegetables into small pieces before or after blanching. It seems that most people blanch them first and then cut them into small pieces.
Step 2: Chop the vegetables
This step sounds simple, but it is time-consuming and labor-intensive. After blanching, the vegetables become tough, especially the root part. It requires more strength to cut through. So I chose to cut the leaves into strips first, and then cut the strips into small cubes. Cutting a single leaf is easier, but the efficiency is greatly reduced, so it's not worth it. Later, I thought of the method my mom used to chop the filling. She would gather several leaves together, then cut them horizontally and vertically, and finally chop them into small pieces. I tried it, and indeed, the efficiency improved. The wisdom of the working people👍.
Step 3: Drain the excess water
After cutting all the vegetables, it is necessary to squeeze out the excess water, which is not an easy task. After blanching the Chinese cabbage, a lot of water comes out. After chopping it, more water comes out. I grabbed a handful of filling with both hands and squeezed out the water, while also preventing the filling from leaking through my fingers. There is also a problem that it seems impossible to completely squeeze out the water in the filling, so I can only do my best to make it as dry as possible.
Step 4: Mix the filling
Prepare some chopped green onions and ginger (if you're not good at cutting, I recommend using juice). Mix them with the minced meat, then add an appropriate amount of cooking wine and salt for seasoning. Let the filling marinate for a while. Do not mix the vegetable filling with the meat filling at the beginning, because the vegetable filling will release water when it encounters salt. Wait until the meat filling is marinated, then you can add the vegetable filling, mix well, and add a little cooking oil (we used cooked oil at home). The purpose of adding oil is to retain moisture. Then, you can start wrapping the dumplings.
Step 5: Wrap the dumplings
This step should be the simplest, and I believe most people know how to do it. But there are still some things to pay attention to, such as preventing the dumpling wrappers from drying out. It's best to cover both the unwrapped dumpling wrappers and the wrapped dumplings with plastic wrap.

After going through these steps, you can enjoy a bowl of fresh and delicious dumplings. Dumplings may seem simple, but they are not easy to make. My sister and I were busy for a whole afternoon, and we made a relatively large amount.
Dumplings are a popular dish in different regions of China (although they may be called different names, such as jiaozi, chaoshou, wonton...). They have left a deep impression in my memory. I have been eating them since I was a child. However, they do not hold the same status as staple food rice. Instead, they are a way to adjust the diet and add joy to our meals and lives. They allow the whole family to participate in the process.

Taking the Bicycle on the High-Speed Train🚲#

During the summer vacation, I sent my bicycle back home. I didn't bring it to school when the new semester started, but I wanted to bring it back during this holiday. If I chose to ship it by express delivery, it would be cumbersome. I would have to disassemble the bike, pack it, and then unpack and assemble it after receiving it. Moreover, the shipping fee is not cheap. So I decided to take it with me on the train. I bought a bike bag in advance, but it's actually just a cover. I removed the front wheel and used three points to secure it to the frame. I also secured the handlebars to the frame and put a bag over it. Then, I could take it with me. Normally, the security machine at the station should be able to pass through. However, when I went through the security check, the bike got stuck inside. I had to take it out by hand, but it didn't cause any major problems. The security officer just asked me to put my backpack through the machine again because it wasn't scanned.

After getting on the train, the best place to put the bike is behind the last row of seats in each car. There is usually more space there (I took the CRH2A second-class car), and one bike fits perfectly. Other passengers can also put two suitcases or other items there.
After getting off the train, I packed up the bike bag and put the front wheel back on. Then, I could ride away. It's very convenient. If I want to go cycling in other places, taking the train is a good choice. However, recently I heard from my cycling friends that China Railway Express is also very convenient. You don't need to disassemble the bike, just take it on the train directly. The price seems reasonable too. I can try it next time.

Seborrheic Dermatitis#

This skin condition has been bothering me for almost a year. I first went to the hospital to see a doctor in November last year, and I have been there many times since then. The main symptoms are scales, flakes, itching, and redness on the face and scalp. The most unbearable symptom is the itching, and scratching only makes it worse, but I can't help it. I searched online and found that it is a chronic and recurrent dermatitis, so it may be difficult to cure. After the first visit to the doctor, the symptoms improved significantly with the use of ointments and medications. The symptoms disappeared after a little over a week. However, I couldn't persist for long. After about a month, the symptoms recurred. So later on, I gradually stopped caring about it and stopped using the ointments. It was like giving up on treatment. But during certain periods, the symptoms were particularly severe, so I went to see a doctor again. It was the same as before, the doctor prescribed ointments and pills. Maybe they were different from the ones I had used before, but the effect still didn't last long. So it kept recurring like this.
At the beginning of this semester, the symptoms became more severe again. So I changed to a different hospital, paid a lot of money to see a specialist, and went to the hospital with high expectations. However, the doctor didn't say much, just prescribed some different medications. After using them for a while, I found that they were effective. I wanted to persist and see if it would not recur. But after I went home during the National Day holiday, the symptoms immediately came back. It was unbearable at home, and it should be related to my diet because I ate a lot of things at home that I wouldn't eat at school.
After returning to school, I continued to use the medication. There has been some improvement this week. Recently, I have been sticking to a light diet, although there are not many choices at school. I have reduced the intake of greasy and irritating foods, hoping to gradually get better🙏🏼

Share#

• Setting up a Git Server
  Setting up a Git server on a VPS, using private repositories. The "Server on the Server" chapter in the "Pro Git" book on the Git official website provides detailed instructions.

• Cleaning Toilets and Being an Artist at the Same Time (Bilibili video link)
  This is a podcast I listened to on Xiaoyuzhou. It is a self-narration and sharing of a cleaning lady who escaped from the countryside and paints in a 3-square-meter storage room next to the toilet in a high-rise building in Beijing.

• A One-Person Late-Night Restaurant
  This video records the operation of a late-night restaurant in Fukuoka, Japan, for a whole day. The small shop, which is busy until 3 a.m., is run by one person. The owner treats food and customers with care, which is truly admirable.

Sesame#

Films📽️
My Neighbor Totoro: I haven't watched it, but it's said to be heartwarming and enjoyable.

Cycling🚴