Mrs. Xue and the others placed the cleaned ginseng into a large basin, stacking them layer by layer. Once the basin was full, they didn't add any more. They filled the pot with water, set the large basin on top of it, and added a little water inside the basin as well. Then they covered the pot entirely with cowhide, secured it tightly with ropes, and began to heat it from below. Only after the water boiled and they had cooked it for another hour and a half could they stop the fire.
While the pot was steaming the ginseng, Mrs. Xue and her helpers continued to clean more ginseng without stopping. This one basin of ginseng weighed around fifty catties, and with what they had at home, they would need to steam it four times in total. "Mother, let's just steam one pot today and another tomorrow morning. That way, the bed won't be so hot, and it's about time to cook dinner. The children have been up in the mountains all day, they must be as hungry as wolves by now."
