Chapter 11 Jujubes and Osmanthus Blossoms: I really didn't know that, I'm just a foodie...

The next morning, Chen Mianmian and Yu Xiaoyue went to Ayili's house to help, and they even wore clothes that were easy to work in.

However, they also brought their own outfits for the afternoon ceremony, so they can change into them beforehand.

At this time, there were already four or five women in Ayili's kitchen, either kneading dough or preparing vegetables.

When Chen Mian and the others arrived, she didn't have time to entertain them. She quickly handed them two aprons and told them to peel potatoes while she went to keep an eye on the tandoor oven.

Although Yu Xiaoyue has lived in Wumu City for many years, she is not skilled at baking naan, so she was assigned to peel potatoes at the children's table.

In Xinjiang, three essential ingredients for a wedding banquet are naan bread, pilaf, and mutton. The latter two must be made fresh, while naan bread can be prepared in advance.

Freshly baked naan can be eaten directly as a staple food, or it can be transformed into naan-wrapped meat, which is a different kind of deliciousness.

The potatoes that Chen Mian and her team processed could be used in almost any dish, as could carrots, so there was a great demand for these two ingredients at the wedding banquet.

There wasn't enough space in the kitchen, so they were temporarily moved to an open area in the yard, where two large wooden basins and small stools and other tools had already been placed.

After Chen Mian sat down, she skillfully peeled the fruit while begging Yu Xiaoyue to tell her more about her farm story, which she found very interesting. Yu Xiaoyue's story contained many experiences from those who had come before, and it also showed her many possibilities for the future.

When will she be able to become a farm owner like Sister Yu? Then she won't have to work so hard every day anymore! She can just watch her employees work diligently. Just thinking about it is so great.

Yu Xiaoyue: You're overthinking it. The early stages of starting a business are much harder and more tiring!

As the two chatted and laughed, Chen Mian noticed a Uyghur young man carrying a large bag of dried goods such as raisins, dates, and peanuts walking towards the banquet area.

She suddenly had a brilliant idea: to add a lucky charm to the wedding banquet, "dates bearing osmanthus blossoms."

Traditional jujube cake, made by steaming, is made by adding peanuts and longan, resulting in a soft, sweet, and delicious treat. It is also easy to make and its reddish-brown appearance matches the festive atmosphere perfectly.

I had just finished telling Yu Xiaoyue my thoughts, and I was wondering if Ayili would let me "do whatever I wanted" when I saw Yu Xiaoyue call Ayili over.

Yu Xiaoyue strongly recommended, "Ayili, our Kapok is very skilled at making pastries. She wants to add another festive pastry to your wedding banquet."

Aili was very happy to hear this and readily agreed. They don't pay much attention to etiquette and don't care if the guests' thoughts are abrupt; they only feel that it is a sign of their affection and blessings.

Thus, Chen Mian successfully used her intelligence and resourcefulness to advance from a kitchen helper peeling food to a pastry chef.

However, most of the ingredients for making jujube cake are readily available; she only needs to prepare the batter before steaming it.

At Chen Mian's suggestion, the Uyghur young man who had just passed by handed her all the remaining dried fruit on the plate.

In addition to adding baking powder, eggs, brown sugar water, and various dried fruits to the batter, red date paste also needs to be added to enhance the flavor.

To save time, she and Yu Xiaoyue cut a large bag of dried red dates in half, removed the pits, and cooked them into a paste with a little water.

The batter needs to be mixed to a medium consistency. Grease a bowl beforehand, then pour in the batter and steam for about ten minutes. Of course, a larger container will also work; simply cut it into pieces after steaming.

After the jujube cake was put into the pot, they told the woman by the stove to remember to take it out later, and then went to help in other places.

The morning passed quickly, and hearty dishes like braised chicken were already being stewed. Ayili had also specially prepared a whole roasted lamb for today's wedding feast.

At this moment, the backyard was filled with the aroma of various delicacies, and the front hall had been newly decorated. Several musicians were playing and singing local folk songs, and the guests were taking their seats one after another.

At the banquet, the guests sat around a beautifully patterned carpet, with a white sheet in front of them covered with fruit and various snacks.

Ayili's whole roasted lamb was also brought in along with the barbecue grill, and was cut up and served to the guests by a designated person.

Accompanied by melodious singing, the elders chatted about everyday family matters, while the young people talked enthusiastically about popular songs and TV dramas, with bursts of laughter frequently heard.

A young man even pulled a girl to the front of the banquet and performed a joyful Uyghur dance for everyone.

Chen Mian noticed that only the groom was greeting the guests, and the bride seemed to be missing. She asked in confusion, "Where did I go? Where did she go?"

Yu Xiaoyue, who was standing nearby, explained that this was to maintain the mystery of the veil-lifting ceremony, as even the groom himself had never seen the bride's outfit today.

However, they wouldn't leave the bride sitting alone in the room for most of the day; her bridesmaids would be there to keep her company.

Just as Yu Xiaoyue said, at this moment, Dilidar was chatting and laughing with her bridesmaids in the new house.

However, she wasn't dressed up yet. There was still some time before the banquet in the front hall ended, so she decided to take a break. Otherwise, it would be too silly to sit upright all the time.

One of the bridesmaids jokingly said, "You're already tired after such a short time? What are you going to do tonight?"

Upon hearing this, the other girls burst into laughter, each secretly observing the bride with unspeakable smiles.

Even the usually carefree Dilidar blushed with shyness, her eyes lowered, her beauty breathtaking.

She thought of the young man riding a fine horse and shooting an arrow through the clouds in the archery competition, his strong and powerful thighs tightly gripping the horse as it galloped away. She also thought of the tall man who did nearly a hundred push-ups effortlessly during the wedding procession yesterday.

It makes one's imagination run wild, wondering what it looks like when tightly wrapped in clothing.

Dilidar: Stop! Don't think about it anymore, this is my man!

After a long while, the banquet in the front hall finally came to an end. The elders bid farewell to the hosts and left, while only the young men and women stayed behind to await the bride's veil-lifting ceremony and the evening's social dance.

Chen Mian originally planned to go home with Yu Xiaoyue, but Yu Xiaoyue pressed her back into her seat, told her to have fun later, and winked at her playfully, indicating that someone would come to pick her up in the evening.

With that, she took a long stride and sped away on her motorcycle.

The long-awaited unveiling ceremony was finally about to begin, and the beautiful bride was sitting gracefully in front of the bed.

The male and female guests still stood separately, with their hands clasped together in a prayer-like gesture, offering their best wishes to the newlyweds.

After the prayers were finished, the boys stepped back, and all the unmarried women present chose a lucky winner by playing rock-paper-scissors.

Then, this lucky person gently removes the bride's veil, revealing her true face.

After the rock-paper-scissors game, Chen Mian won. Since she had already had the experience of circling Mars yesterday, she calmly prepared to step forward.

But the girl next to him stopped him, saying, "You need to pray for good luck first before you can lift the veil."

"What good luck are we getting?" Chen Mian asked, puzzled.

"Meeting your Mr. Right is good luck, how can you not even know that..." the girl muttered with slight dissatisfaction.

She had practiced rock-paper-scissors for a long time specifically for this ceremony, hoping to get some good luck, but who knew that Chen Mian would suddenly appear out of nowhere.

Chen Mian: I really don't know, I'm just a bystander.

Under the envious gazes of everyone, Chen Mian could only close her eyes and pretend to pray earnestly, but only she knew the content of her prayer.

After she finished praying again, she stepped forward and gently lifted the bride's veil. The whole room instantly erupted in cheers and whistles.

Chen Mian was dragged to dance again; the last dance of the wedding banquet had begun.

Couples of young men and women danced gracefully to the accompaniment of hand drums. Chen Mian got bored after a while and sat down to watch the others dance.

Eating sweet grapes, drinking mare's milk wine, and being accompanied by beautiful songs and dances—in a word, it's awesome; in two words, it's blissful.

Aside from the occasional invitation from boys to dance, which bothers her a little, she politely declines, as no one can interfere with her enjoyment of life.

Chen Mian was enjoying herself when her view was blocked by someone again. She looked up with slight annoyance, "Officer Ji, is that you?"

Ji Yu replied helplessly, "My mom asked me to come for a blind date..." She added in her mind, "I'll pick you up while I'm at it."

The girl was dressed in bright Uyghur traditional clothing for some reason, with a flowered hat on her head and her long hair braided into soft braids.

He looked so well-behaved and innocent that he could easily be tricked by bad people, so of course he had to come and pick him up.

At this moment, Yu Xiaoyue, who was watching TV at home, kept her accomplishments hidden: "Isn't it beautiful? I dressed her up."

"A blind date here? How does it work?" Chen Mian asked, puzzled.

Ji Yu sat down cross-legged, picked up a glass of wine and drank it all in one gulp, then slowly explained to her.

The last dance at a Xinjiang wedding banquet is specifically for young men and women to make friends. If you find someone you like, you can go up and invite them to dance. If they accept, it means they are also interested.

Several couples usually get together after each dance. "Otherwise, why do you think the older generation doesn't participate?"

Chen Mian replied naively, "I thought they were tired because it was too late..." Luckily, she hadn't accepted the invitations to dance.

Chen Mian asked, "Have you found someone you like?"

"No, I can't dance..." Ji Yu said bluntly. He'd rather practice more martial arts than dance.

He finished the pear in a few bites, wiped his mouth, clapped his hands, and said, "Want to go? I'll take you home."

Chen Mian had almost finished eating and was feeling sleepy. She covered her yawn with her hand and got up to go outside. Inside the hall, the young men and women were still singing and dancing happily.

Ji Yu's car was parked outside the courtyard; to be precise, it was Yu Xiaoyue's motorcycle.

Seeing this, Chen Mian remained silent. How could the two of them, a man and a woman alone, ride a motorcycle?

Ji Yu: You ask me? How would I know? My mom insisted that I ride my motorcycle here, saying it was cool!

A note from the author:

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Mini-theater:

Little Cotton was dressed up like a Xinjiang girl~

Crucian carp: It looks like it's easier for bad men to deceive it. No wonder my mom specifically asked me to pick it up.

Yu Xiaoyue kept her achievements hidden: "I really did my best."

Peach Milk gave a wicked smile: My turn to work harder in the next chapter!

A few words: This chapter also references local customs, but it's mostly based on my own interpretation. Just treat it as a fictional story.

Apart from Xinjiang, all other place names in the text are adapted. I really can't think of another name to express this frontier region.