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墨書 Inktalez
Making noodles is a skill. Well-made noodles are definitely chewier and tastier than those made by machines. Although Bai Tang is from the south, she enjoys eating wheat-based foods. She doesn't like steamed buns or flower rolls that lack meat and flavor; her favorites are dumplings, wontons, and noodles that are rich in taste. Unfortunately, Bai Tang has eaten a lot of dry noodles, water noodles, and instant noodles, and she rarely has the chance to eat handmade noodles. Her uncle often has the nanny prepare the dough for him to roll out and enjoy, which not only keeps him fit but also helps pass the time while allowing him to eat his favorite delicious food—three benefits in one. Unfortunately, Uncle Bai works far away in Jinling, so Bai Tang hasn't had the opportunity to taste his handmade noodles. After the apocalypse, Bai Tang brought Uncle Bai's wife and cousin to live at Magic City Base. Aunt Bai was grateful to her niece for bringing Uncle Bai back to make noodles for Bai Tang, but due to a lack of ingredients, the taste was not even one-tenth of what it used to be before the apocalypse, leaving Bai Tang quite disappointed.
Another person who can make handmade noodles is Bai Dad. Bai Tang heard from Bai Ma that during their dating phase, whenever there was a holiday, Bai Dad would follow Bai Ma back to her grandparents' house to help out and show off, and he would always roll out some noodles each time. The noodles made by Bai Ma and Bai Dad were incredibly delicious; it was only after tasting Bai Dad's handmade noodles that Uncle Bai became obsessed with making his own. In fact, Uncle Bai could be considered a disciple of Bai Dad.
After hearing what Bai Ma said, Bai Tang went to ask Bai Dad for some handmade noodles. Bai Dad rolled his eyes and replied, "You've already married your mom; why are you still asking for noodles?!"
Bai Tang felt incredibly frustrated. "Dad, you're burning bridges after crossing them!" Wait a minute; she wasn't even born back then, so she couldn't use that expression about her dad. What should she say instead? Bai Tang was conflicted! However, what made her even more upset was that Bai Dad had actually made noodles again while she wasn't home—did he not want her to have any?
"Eat! Whatever handmade noodles are left, just boil them all for me!" With that, Bai Tang angrily went to confront her dad.
"Dad, am I not your biological daughter?" Seeing Bai Dad leisurely chatting with Bai Ma under the Peach Tree while drinking tea made her feel even more wronged, so she immediately shouted.
Bai Dad didn't understand what had upset his daughter and replied unhappily, "What do you mean? If you're not my daughter, then whose daughter are you?"
"Then why didn't you roll out noodles for me when I asked you to? How come when I'm not home, you just went ahead and made them?" Bai Tang pouted as she accused Bai Dad.
Bai Dad was speechless; was she really confronting him over this noodle issue?
Bai Ma chuckled and stood up to hug her daughter's shoulders, pressing her down onto a chair. "Don't blame your dad; it was me who asked him to make handmade noodles. Right now there are no machines for making noodles; we have to rely on the servants to roll them out. I just remembered how your dad used to make noodles; it's been decades since I last had them. I really missed it, so I asked him to make them once."
Bai Dad also laughed at how his daughter was causing a fuss over such a trivial matter and said, "In the past, if you wanted noodles in modern times, you could just buy them easily. Now it's not as convenient as before; if we want noodles now, we can only make them by hand. Whenever you want some in the future, just tell me—I’ll roll them out for you!"
"Thank you, Dad!" Bai Tang felt happy and satisfied. She reached up to pluck a peach from the tree branch, wiped it on her clothes, and took a big bite.
"It's sour!" Before Bai Ma could stop her, Bai Tang had already bitten off a large piece.
"Yuck! So sour! My teeth!"
"Who told you to be so quick with your hands and mouth? These peaches won't be ripe for another half month!" Mother Bai hurriedly poured a cup of tea for her daughter to rinse her mouth. The estate was filled with various fruit trees, most of which had begun to bear fruit, but it was still not harvest time; the fruits were all green and unripe.
"The noodles are here!" Wu Xuemei came over with two bowls of noodles. Each bowl was as large as a basin, filled to the brim with broth, noodles, and various ingredients, making for a hearty serving.
Wu Xuemei made a noodle soup, a typical farmhouse style: slices of Pork Belly were placed in the pot to render fat, then ginger, pepper, and cabbage were stir-fried before adding sugar to enhance the flavor. Once the cabbage was about seventy percent cooked, chicken broth was poured in and brought to a boil, followed by the noodles, seasoned with salt and dried shrimp. Just before serving, fresh scallions were sprinkled on top, making it both visually appealing and delicious. Even Karen, who usually struggled with noodles, brightened up after taking a bite and quickly increased her pace of eating.
"Tang Tang, can you stay home for a bit longer this time?" Mother Bai watched her daughter eat heartily and felt a pang of concern; after all the time traveling, her daughter must not have eaten or rested well. She kept serving her daughter dishes; the four plates of food were made by Mother Bai and Wu Xuemei themselves: sesame oil tofu skin, tofu skin boiled in salted water then tossed with sesame oil and garlic; salted duck eggs that had already started to ooze oil; shredded pickled mustard greens stir-fried with meat, and smashed cucumbers—each dish was perfect for pairing with rice. Bai Tang and Karen felt completely satisfied.
"I can stay for a month." The grain she sold to the Beijing Base was enough to last through a month in the apocalypse. Plus, each base had developed its own means of self-defense, so she didn't have to rush around like before; she could enjoy an extended vacation.
"That's great! Your birthday is coming up soon; we'll celebrate it properly!" Mother Bai said.
"No need!" Bai Tang wanted to refuse; ever since turning twenty-five, she had stopped thinking about celebrating her birthday.
Mother Bai didn't care about her daughter's feelings: "It's settled then! I'll make some special dishes!"
Bai Tang: "..." In front of her mother, she felt like she had no rights at all.
The warm days passed quickly, and soon it was Bai Tang's birthday. At Mother Bai's insistence, Bai Tang changed into a red dress that made her look particularly spirited. Mother Bai and Wu Xuemei prepared many of Bai Tang's favorite foods, but before she could even taste them, two bowls had already disappeared into their stomachs.
At noon, the table was filled with delicious dishes just as the family was about to sit down when a servant announced that there were guests.
"Who is it? Coming at mealtime?" Bai Tang said this out loud while already having a rough guess in her mind. Sure enough, when she saw who followed the servant in, Bai Tang couldn't help but smile.
There were two unexpected guests. One wore a red cloak with slightly raised eyebrows and a scruffy beard, exuding an air of laziness yet elegance; the other could be described by a line from poetry: "A person on the road like jade, unmatched among gentlemen"! However, his eyes lacked any sparkle. Bai Tang wondered if Ye Mingzhu hadn't treated Hua Manlou's eyes yet? Would she really miss such a good opportunity?
"Young Master Lu! This must be the Playboy!" Bai Tang greeted the two with enthusiasm, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Hua Manlou. An idol! Wu Xuemei also looked at Hua Manlou eagerly; if it weren't for the fear of being rude, she would have rushed over to ask for an autograph and a hug.
Although Hua Manlou couldn't see, he could feel the two intense gazes on him, and his fair complexion flushed slightly, showing a hint of embarrassment. He had hoped that Lu Feng would help ease the situation, but instead, that delicious chicken had captured all of her attention.
Mama Bai noticed Hua Manlou's discomfort and shot a glare at her two daughters, reminding them not to scare him away. She smiled at Hua Manlou and Lu Feng, saying, "You two haven't eaten yet, right? Let's eat together! These are some specialty dishes from our hometown; please don't find them unappetizing!"
"Not unappetizing! Not unappetizing!" Lu Feng exclaimed repeatedly as she sat down at the table. She quickly picked up a stuffed cabbage "shrimp bun" and stuffed it into her mouth. "Delicious, delicious. What is this dish called? How is it made? It's so good!"
The others also sat down to eat. Seeing Lu Feng praise her cooking, Mama Bai beamed with joy as she served her more food while explaining, "This is cabbage stuffed with shrimp buns, made with minced meat, dried shrimp, and water chestnuts as filling, wrapped in blanched cabbage leaves and steamed until done—it's refreshing and not greasy..."
"This is braised pork..."
"What about this?" Lu Feng asked, pointing to a plate of golden-colored dish topped with bits of minced meat that looked quite unique.
"This is Ants Climbing a Tree! It's made with minced meat and Rice Noodles."
"Rice Noodles?" Lu Feng asked curiously. Having traveled through thirteen provinces, she had never heard of this dish.
"As the name suggests, it's food made from rice ground into flour; it's considered a staple!" Bai Tang chimed in. "Mei Mei has opened a Rice Noodle Shop in town. If you want to try it, you can go to the shop with Playboy and let Mei Mei give you a discount."
"Why not free?" Lu Feng stuffed a piece of tofu vegetable cup into her mouth. The tofu vegetable cup was made from golden-fried tofu puffs cut open to form a box filled with various vegetables mixed with minced meat—yellow corn, green plantains, red carrots, and purple cabbage—all colorful and visually appealing.
"Doesn't my Mei Mei eat?" Bai Tang rolled her eyes at Lu Feng. After their last meeting, they had quickly become good friends who could tease each other.
"Your family is so wealthy; do you really care about a few bowls of Rice Noodles?" Lu Feng scoffed at Bai Tang's stinginess.
"Then what? It's more satisfying to spend the money you earn yourself!"
"That's true!" Hua Man Lou agreed with Bai Tang's viewpoint. "Bai Gu Niang, thank you for the flower seedling and methods you sent me. I really like them and have always wanted to thank you in person and share some gardening experiences."
Bai Tang smiled and said, "When it comes to gardening experience, I can't compare to my parents. Playboy can discuss it with them!"
"In that case, I'll trouble the two elders." Hua Man Lou cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Bai Dad and Bai Ma.
Bai Dad and Bai Ma waved their hands repeatedly. "Playboy is too polite. If you want to know any cultivation methods, just ask us. We have plenty of time on our hands anyway."
Hua Man Lou said, "You can call me Seven Children!"
"Can I also call you Seven Children?" Bai Tang asked with a smile.
Hua Man Lou replied, "You're Lu Feng's friend, which makes you my friend too, so of course you can call me Seven Children!"
"Seven Children!" Bai Tang was overjoyed. Wow, the Flower God allows her to call him by his name! "You can call me Tang Tang!"
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