Chapter 76 076 Toon and Tofu Cakes [Second Update]...

Lou Da and Feng Huijuan were surprised to see such a small shop, and with a mix of disbelief and skepticism, they lifted the curtain.

It was 3 p.m., past lunchtime, and Yao Qingqin was urged by Wen's mother to go home and rest. Wen's father and mother took turns going home to sleep for a while.

While watching short videos on her phone in the shop, Wen's mother didn't stop working.

Lou Da called out, and Wen's mother quickly put down what she was holding and warmly invited the two of them in.

"Come on, put it here."

Lou Da and Feng Huijuan were overwhelmed by Wen's mother's enthusiasm. After putting down their loads, they were invited to sit down by Wen's mother. Wen's mother brought over two cups of hot water, and Feng Huijuan hurriedly stood up to take them.

Wen's mother: "It's alright, you all take a rest. You must be tired from the journey."

She had assumed the two would come in a tricycle or something, but to her surprise, they came carrying loads on a shoulder pole.

Those two heavy loads, it's a good thing they were delivered all the way from the foot of Qingtang Mountain.

Looking at it this way, 2.5 yuan per pound isn't that expensive.

Lou Da's hearing isn't very good, and even if he could hear clearly, he's not a very talkative person.

Feng Huijuan, being quite eloquent, smiled and said, "It's alright, the bus is very convenient."

In fact, it's much easier to send it to the city than to carry it to Qingtang Mountain by myself. Although the distance is far, the time spent on the road is much longer, while walking only takes a short while.

"Madam, would you like to weigh it?"

She had weighed it herself at home, but still asked Wen's mother to calculate it again.

Without mincing words, Wen's mother chatted with Feng Huijuan while deftly weighing the persimmons on her shoulder pole.

"One hundred and sixty-two catties..."

Mother Wen made two notes in the purchase book: "A total of four hundred and five."

Lou Da quickly took out the yams from his basket.

Mother Wen thought the yams looked mediocre, and their thickness was not as good as those on the market, but when she broke off a piece, the inside looked quite good.

In the end, I bought it for six yuan per kilogram.

At worst, I'll just show it to my daughter; if it's not good, I'll just stop using it.

With two loads of persimmons and some yams, Wen's mother gave Feng Huijuan over five hundred yuan.

Feng Huijuan took the money and then pulled out two large paper packets.

"Madam, we don't know how to thank you. This dried vegetable and some tea leaves that we roasted ourselves aren't anything special, but please take them as a token of our appreciation."

Wen's mother declined a few times, but Feng Huijuan insisted on giving it to her.

"You've helped us so much, and you don't even want this little something. I really feel bad about it."

Having said that, Wen's mother accepted it.

Then Wen's mother suddenly asked them, "Do you have anything urgent to do when you go back this afternoon? If not, please wait a moment."

Wen's mother took out the remaining dough and osmanthus filling from the refrigerator.

"Since you brought us persimmons, you should also try this persimmon cake."

Lou Da and Feng Huijuan initially intended to refuse, but then came the persimmon cakes...

The thought that their worthless persimmons could be sold for 2.5 yuan per kilogram in the city made them curious about what persimmon cakes would taste like.

Making persimmon cakes is not difficult, especially if the dough and filling are prepared. Even if Wenmu is not good at cooking, she can simply wrap the cake a few times to make sure the filling is covered and doesn't leak out.

She heated up the electric griddle and quickly made eight pancakes.

Amidst the sizzling sound, Wen's mother quickly cooked one side and flipped it over. The orange-red leavened pancakes, with a slightly crispy crust on both sides from being fried in oil, were quickly packed into a paper bag by Wen's mother while still hot.

"You guys eat first, take these back later."

Lou Da and Feng Huijuan thanked him, ate half a pancake, and couldn't help but praise it.

Feng Huijuan looked somewhat stunned: "We never thought persimmons could be processed like this."

Their most common practice is to dry persimmons, but dried persimmons are not easy to sell. They still have some dried persimmons from last year at home.

As Lou Da ate, his eyes reddened. He said goodbye to Wen's mother, and the two of them set off on their way home with the remaining persimmon cakes.

"His dad, I'm quite happy."

Lou Da hummed in agreement; he felt the same way.

The joy of selling persimmons is different from the joy of making money. Seeing persimmons made into such delicious cakes brings a different kind of happiness.

"Juan, let's go to town in a bit."

These persimmon cakes are so delicious, the children should try them while they're still hot.

They took the bus to the town, and the two of them carried empty shoulder poles to the school gate. This was the only school in the town, with the primary and junior high schools in the same courtyard, and most of the children lived at the school.

After telling the gatekeeper they were there to deliver something, Feng Huijuan and Lou Da put the carrying pole in the gatehouse.

The quality of education in the town's schools is secondary; most students are left-behind children whose parents work away from home every year, sending back a little money to send their children here.

As Feng Huijuan and Lou Da walked along, they saw that very few of the children were dressed neatly. It was during recess, and they were chasing and playing everywhere. When they saw adults passing by, they all stared at them with curious eyes.

Lou Da and Feng Huijuan arrived at the gate of the fifth grade of elementary school first. There was a lot of chattering inside, and they couldn't see where Lou Yue was sitting at all.

Fortunately, Feng Huijuan pulled a student aside and asked him to call out Lou Yue's name. The child stood at the door and called out Lou Yue's name, and the other children followed suit. Lou Yue blushed and ran out of her seat.

"Mom, Dad, what brings you here?"

Feng Huijuan touched her daughter's hair. It was obvious that her daughter had tied her own hair, which was messy and unkempt, and there was dirt on her collar from who knows where.

"Your dad and I passed through here, and we're bringing you some food."

Feng Huijuan handed three pancakes to her daughter: "...Eat well at school, your parents will come to see you in a couple of days."

Feng Huijuan thought that if she could pay off her debts as soon as possible, she could at least buy an electric scooter so that her daughter could live at home and she could pick her up and drop her off every morning and evening.

Lou Yue took the pancake and happily said that she didn't have to go to the cafeteria that night.

Feng Huijuan: "...I dare not eat it cold, take it to the cafeteria to heat it up."

Lou Yue nodded, then asked her brother if he had any.

"I'll go deliver it to your brother right away. Don't worry so much. Go back and eat."

It was still warm. After seeing her parents off, Lou Yue returned to her seat, opened a paper bag, and started eating.

With its sweet and fragrant filling and soft crust, Lou Yue's eyes widened. This was a persimmon-flavored pastry!

"Lou Yue, your parents only sent you three cakes?"

Lou Yue didn't say anything, she just kept eating the pancake.

The boy who had just spoken felt a little uncomfortable. This discomfort started when Lou Yue's parents appeared. He looked at Lou Yue with a hint of jealousy. It was just a few pancakes, after all.

Lou Yue's parents are so annoying, they even came all the way to deliver three pancakes.

"Come on, let's go out and have some fun!"

The boy ran away, thinking to himself, "What's so great about that? My parents will be back for Chinese New Year, and they'll buy me a remote-controlled car then!"

Lou Yue ate one pancake herself, and hid the remaining two in the table drawer. She thought, "I'll eat one more tonight, and another one tomorrow..."

The pancakes made with homegrown persimmons are incredibly delicious!

...

When Wen Fan got out of school in the evening, he saw the yams and dried vegetables that Lou Da and his wife had brought.

The quality of the yams exceeded Wen Fan's expectations. Perhaps it was due to the rich soil of Qingtang Mountain; although the yams weren't perfectly straight, they were thicker than those he usually bought. When he cut a section open, the yam juice stretched into long strands.

"This stuff is good; let's keep it for ourselves to eat over the next few days."

The drizzle was intermittent, stopping and starting intermittently. Wen Fan thought, "This is the time to eat duck."

"Dad, buy two ducks tomorrow."

Mr. Wen readily agreed.

When Wen Fan opened the other package of dried vegetables, he was surprised to find that it contained toon leaves.

Toona sinensis is generally eaten in spring, and it's considered a premium product. Some people like it so much that they dry some if they can't get enough in spring. The ways to eat dried Toona sinensis are similar to those for fresh Toona sinensis; stir-frying with eggs or adding it to noodles are also popular choices.

Wen Fan also likes this dish, and upon seeing the toon leaves, he immediately decided to cook for himself that evening.

"Make a toon and tofu pancake, and then cook some noodles."

After soaking the dried toon leaves, squeeze out the water and chop them into small pieces. Take a piece of firm tofu, crumble it, and stir-fry it in a pan until golden brown. Scoop it out and put it into the toon leaves. Wen Fan also stir-fried two eggs and chopped them up. Mix the chopped ingredients together to make the filling. Use very little seasoning to preserve the flavor of the toon leaves as much as possible. Then twist off a lump of dough and wrap the filling inside.

After flipping the four toon and tofu cakes one by one in the pan, Wen Fan started cooking the noodles.

Stir-fried green peppers with pork, thin white noodles, and a spoonful of scallion oil on top of the cooked noodles. Thinking that her parents had been busy all day and that this was not enough for dinner, Wen Fan also steamed some crispy pork.

A simple and unpretentious bowl of noodles, but you can also soak the crispy pork in the noodles and eat it, which has a unique flavor.

Paired with toon and tofu cakes, it was surprisingly delicious.

Wen's father was also a devout follower of the Toona sinensis religion. After eating a pancake, he smacked his lips and thought about picking more in the spring.

"Let's dry more of our own, so we can keep eating them."

Chinese toon has a strong, wild aroma that Wen's father hadn't tasted in years. There's nothing he can do about it; that's how it is living in the city—finding a Chinese toon tree is difficult, and even if you do find one, it might be a stinking tree. The market sells them from the beginning to the end of the year, but the price per pound is enough to make him turn around and leave.

"When spring comes, let's go for a walk in nature, find some wild toon trees, and pick them ourselves."

It's wonderful just to think about it.

Wen's mother didn't have much of a passion for toon leaves; she was simply impressed by the kindness and integrity of Lou Da and his wife.

"If I had known it was toon leaves, I would have paid for this huge bag."

They wouldn't just give you a few sesame cakes and call it a day.

Yao Qingqin wasn't there in the afternoon, but when she heard Wen Fan say it was the place that delivered persimmons, she sighed while eating her pancake, "My parents also said that they haven't seen toon leaves in the city for years, and they can't find anywhere to buy them even if they want to satisfy their cravings."

Mother Wen: "Otherwise, we can ask him again in a few days if he has any dried toon leaves. If he does, we can give him some money..."

Wen Fan, engrossed in his food, said upon hearing this, "I felt there were quite a few good things when I went to their village this time, but the time was too short, and I didn't have time to buy any. Forget about toon sprouts; even if they had any, there probably wouldn't be many. Mom, you can ask him if he has any other seasonal vegetables."

She originally went there for the tea, but when she arrived, Wen Fan complained that He Yuzhen's tea was damp, so she didn't take any.

Lou Da and his wife did send some food, but Wen Fan complained that they didn't cook it well.

"How could you do this to such fine tea!"

Not only was the roasting poor, but the storage was also inadequate. Wen Fan decided that when the tea harvest came next year, she would definitely ask Lou Da to send her some tender buds so she could roast them herself!

Speaking of tea, Wen Fan thought of winter melon again. The big winter melon that Grandma He gave him was a huge burden to carry back. Several male classmates took turns carrying it, and it was only with great difficulty that they managed to get it to the store intact.

"Mom, let's make all the soups at the shop this week as winter melon soup."

Winter melon and egg soup, winter melon and kelp soup, winter melon and corn soup, winter melon and meatball soup, winter melon and preserved egg soup, winter melon and dried shrimp soup...

Autumn is the season for winter melon soup!