Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
With a splash, it was poured into the pot. "Aunt Five, can you help me check the fire?"
The stove was gently simmering, keeping the pot at an appropriate temperature. Zhao followed Liu Qingxi's instructions, using softer dry grass instead of large firewood to maintain a slow burn.
"Aunt, when you are frying the noodles, you must pay attention; the fire cannot be too strong. It should burn slowly, and the spatula must not stop moving. Keep stirring back and forth; otherwise, the white noodles can easily stick to the pot."
"In addition, everyone should continuously observe the color of the noodles. When they start to change slightly, we need to stop because during the later stages of making mooncakes, they will be baked again. If the noodles are overcooked in the initial frying stage, it will greatly affect the texture of the mooncakes after further processing. So controlling the heat is very important."
Having worked in kitchens before, the women quickly understood what Liu Qingxi meant by frying noodles. It turned out that frying noodles simply meant cooking them until done.
The few women making mooncakes reminisced about their past experiences, which were quite different from Liu Qingxi's method.
When they made them, they used uncooked white flour with less filling. Families with poorer conditions would even use mixed flour or cornmeal.
It was easy to imagine what kind of texture that would produce; however, for impoverished farmers, it was still a rare delicacy enjoyed only during festivals.
After a while, the fragrant aroma of wheat wafted through the air, captivating their senses and making their mouths water. "Qingxi, I never expected that just by tasting it, it would smell so good. If mooncakes are made like this, they must be even more delicious."
What they didn't anticipate was that Liu Qingxi's subsequent methods would leave them utterly astonished.
"Aunt, do you see? It's not difficult at all; it's just about controlling the heat. After frying a couple of batches, you'll understand."
Zhao had been involved from start to finish. After Liu Qingxi finished this batch, she handed the spatula to her. "Aunt Five, why don't you give it a try? You can also call another aunt over to help or consult Grandma Liu for advice."
Having delegated the noodle frying task, Liu Qingxi moved on to prepare various mooncake fillings.
This was just a simple modified Five Nut Filling mooncake. Besides this type, there were many others as well, such as Egg Yolk Filling, Pork Filling, Lotus Seed Paste, and Date Paste.
In her previous life, there were many diverse fillings available; although it was challenging to find or realize them in this era, Liu Qingxi did her best to find substitutes and create as many varieties of mooncakes as possible.
Since the Mid-Autumn Festival only came once a year, she naturally wanted to achieve her own satisfaction.
Recalling last year when she had just crossed over into this backward era where even basic sustenance was hard to come by, celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival—a festival for family reunions—was naturally very simple. At that time, she and Liu Qingyan had just been driven out of Liu Family and were barely getting by with a few Ten Wen earned from selling Cicada Monkeys.
Eating poorly and not being warm in clothing, how could one possibly have the heart to make these foods?
Ultimately, last year's Mid-Autumn Festival was a regret. What about this year? Naturally, life is full of changes.
Thinking about mooncakes filled with Egg Yolk, the marinated duck Egg Yolk or chicken Egg Yolk wrapped inside the mooncake, taking a bite, the fragrance of Lotus Seed Paste mingles with the delicate texture of duck Egg Yolk, melting in the mouth, incredibly fine.
This might be Liu Qingxi's favorite flavor from her past life.
When her grandmother was alive, she would make her favorite mooncakes every year. However, later on, she was left all alone. While others celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival joyfully with family reunions, for her it became a solitary occasion.
Now she finally has a blood-related family member and so many caring neighbors around her. It is no longer like her past life when she returned home to face cold walls and endless loneliness.
Now the house is lively, highlighting how desolate it was in her previous life.
Each smiling face and every word spoken will perhaps become the most precious memories for Liu Qingxi years later.
Let’s get to it. Since Liu Qingxi couldn't find the salted duck eggs she wanted in town, what about the village? She boldly asked a nearby woman, "Aunt, do you know who in the village has salted duck eggs? Salted chicken eggs are fine too!"
This woman belongs to a hardworking type; otherwise, Liu Qingxi wouldn't have approached her for help. After all, if she had sought someone like Tian or Wang who were arrogant, Liu Qingxi wouldn't feel at ease. Who knows if the mooncakes wouldn’t be made properly and all the filling would end up being taken home by them?
"Hey, you’ve come to the right person! I know exactly who has them. Just tell me how many you need; I’ll go help you buy them right now."
The woman was very enthusiastic, and Liu Qingxi naturally wouldn’t decline. It would waste too much time if she had to ask each household herself.
Taking advantage of this break, Liu Qingxi took down some cured meat and dried meat that had been sun-dried earlier from the beams of the house and cut them into small pieces for the filling.
The pork filling was more troublesome; first, she chopped fresh meat into small bits, mixed it with spices and chopped green onions, formed them into balls, and then steamed them in a steamer until cooked.
Every different method Liu Qingxi used made everyone widen their eyes: "Wow, we never knew there were so many ways to make mooncakes."
"Isn't that right? If it weren't for Qingxi, how could we have gained such knowledge?"
"With so many good ingredients in it, the flavor can't be wrong."
Liu Qingxi had invited so many people that the work was progressing much faster with more hands on deck.
In just one morning, the preliminary preparations were nearly complete. Next, they needed to shape the dough into mooncakes and use the crafted molds to form them into the desired shapes.
However, since the molds were not yet ready, Liu Qingxi decided to focus on the preparatory work that she could manage. Once the molds arrived, they could start working.
At that moment, Zhang San rushed in, panting: " Miss Liu, do you think these are good enough?" He felt a bit uncertain since he had never done this before.
But when Liu Qingxi glanced over, she saw that the molds Zhang San had polished were incredibly smooth and identical. It was clear how serious he had been in his work.
Gently touching them, she felt only the original wood grain; the insides of the molds were polished to perfection.
Liu Qingxi smiled, unable to contain her joy: "Uncle Zhang San, you did an amazing job." Just polishing the insides must have taken a considerable amount of time, and she noticed that the craftsmanship was meticulous, carved exactly according to her designs.
Receiving praise and affirmation from someone as revered as Liu Qingxi made all of Zhang San's years of effort feel worthwhile. The doubts stemming from his poor health faded away like smoke.
The Liu Family Courtyard was bustling with noise. A boy who hadn't moved for days peered through the curtains and caught sight of the girl's bright smile.
The sounds that once seemed chaotic now carried an inexplicable sense of relaxation...
Comment 0 Comment Count