Sweet potato flour is crucial for making delicious hot and sour noodles. Many noodles these days have too many additives, which can ruin their original texture. While sweet potato flour isn't difficult to make, Ye Tian doesn't have the resources or the time to make it right now.

You can find some sweet potato noodles made by farmers themselves, and use them to cook dishes or make hot and sour noodles.

But as for the green rice dumplings, they can be made right now in the third canteen!

The Hubin University Food Festival will be held on the Hubin Normal University campus from May 1st to 3rd. Because it's an outdoor venue, university cafeterias are limited to small gas cylinders, so pre-prepared food is essential. Furthermore, hot food tends to cool if left outdoors for too long. Ye Tian decided that cold Qingtuan (a type of qingtuan) would be a good option for the food festival.

It just so happens that Qingming Festival is coming soon, so the cafeteria can make green rice dumplings for the students of our school to try.

Master Sun agreed and immediately arranged to purchase various ingredients to begin making qingtuan. Master Meng also happened to have experience making qingtuan, so the others, though new to the process, were eager to try it out.

After discussion, they decided to make three kinds of fillings: salted egg yolk and pork floss filling, purple sweet potato and red bean paste filling, and spring bamboo shoots and snow vegetable and pork filling. There are salty and sweet fillings, and there is always one that the students like.

The spring bamboo shoots, snow vegetable and meat filling was Ye Tian's suggestion. Master Meng said he didn't expect that this filling could be used for green rice dumplings. However, Master Sun, who loves innovation, is very supportive.

The most important step in making the qingtuan skin is to scald the dough in boiling water. First, pour boiling water into the cornstarch and quickly stir until it becomes transparent. Add a little butter and continue stirring. Then, add glutinous rice flour, tapioca starch, sugar, and wheatgrass juice and knead into a dough. The dough is basically ready. Finally, add a little corn oil to make the dough smoother and glossier.

You can also replace wheatgrass juice with mugwort juice or mugwort powder. It all depends on personal taste, because some people really can't accept the taste of mugwort.

The third canteen makes both kinds of noodles. The mugwort-based noodles have a darker green skin, while the wheatgrass-based noodles have a more emerald green skin. One looks steady, the other fresh. But both the rich and light greens are beautiful.

The next step is to prepare the filling. For the salted egg yolk and pork floss filling, first steam the salted egg yolks, crush them, then add the pork floss, salad dressing, etc. and mix well.

Wash and cook the red beans, blend them in a food processor, and add to a pot. Add sugar and stir-fry over low heat until the water is reduced. Steam and peel the purple sweet potato, mash it, and mix it with the red bean paste for the simplest purple sweet potato and red bean filling.

As for the spring bamboo shoots and snow vegetable meat filling, you need to mince the meat first, add chopped green onions, light soy sauce, etc. and marinate for 15 minutes, then put it into a hot oil pan and stir-fry until cooked, add the chopped snow vegetable and spring bamboo shoots, and add a little bit of chili to season, stir-fry, add light soy sauce and other seasonings and serve.

Divide the kneaded green rice dumpling dough into small pieces of the same size, press a small hole with your hands, put in the filling and knead it into a ball, and you will have a cute green rice dumpling.

After the water boils, steam the qingtuan over high heat for 8 minutes before serving. If you steam them too long, the skin will collapse. After they cool, wrap them individually in plastic wrap for easier storage. Buyers can simply peel off the plastic wrap and eat them without worrying about sticky hands.

Qingtuan tastes soft and fragrant. Different fillings have different tastes, and you won’t feel sick even if you eat several at a time.

Ye Tian’s favorite is the one with spring bamboo shoots, snow vegetable and meat filling. The crispy bamboo shoots, paired with the emerald green color of the qingtuan, are full of the breath of spring in the south of the Yangtze River.

To borrow the English name of a food program, it is "A bite of spring".

On the morning before Qingming Festival, the third cafeteria offered qingtuan (green rice dumplings). Displayed in the pastry window, the tiny balls, each in varying shades of emerald green, looked incredibly tempting. Many students bought one with each of the three fillings.

Because the canteen doesn't sell ready-made fillings, the red bean paste, purple sweet potato, and salted egg yolk pork floss fillings are made by Master Meng, while the spring bamboo shoots, snow vegetable, and pork filling is made by Ye Tian, which is much more delicious than the ready-made fillings available. The green qingtuan skin is also soft and chewy, with a hint of sweetness.

After observing the students' feedback, Chef Sun found that most preferred the wheatgrass juice wrapper. He liked all three fillings, but slightly more preferred the bamboo shoot filling. He could make the appropriate adjustments the next day.

Only Canteen 1 and Canteen 3 of Lakeside University have registered for the College Food Festival this time, and there may be a competition between the two canteens.

Ye Tian’s friends, such as Chen Chi and Li Yue, all think that the spring bamboo shoots and snow vegetable filling is yyds.

A few days ago, Li Yue gave Ye Tian a can of tea. It was Mingqian Longjing tea. She said her grandfather had asked her to bring it. It came from a friend's family's tea trees, and the annual yield was low, so it was very rare.

Ye Tian didn't have anything suitable to return the favor with, so she bought 24 bamboo shoot and pickled mustard greens dumplings from the qingtuan she'd made in the cafeteria. She packed them in two gift boxes and asked Li Yue to take them back to Li's parents and Mr. Li. While the gift couldn't compare to the price of tea, it was at least a token of her appreciation.

In addition, she also packed a box for Chen Chi.

On the way home, Chen Chi kept looking at the box of green dumplings on the passenger seat. Finally, he couldn't help it. He quickly opened it while waiting for the red light and ate two in one go. He was immediately very satisfied.

When he got home, his mother picked up the box and found that it was not full. She knew that her greedy son had stolen some. Chen Chi's parents were at home and they had afternoon tea together.

"Delicious! I like it. It's better than anything I've bought before. You're a really good cook." Chen Chi's mother immediately understood why her son was eating on the road, but she still slapped Chen Chi's hand away: "Don't eat anymore. You already ate two on the road!"

"Hmph, if you don't want to eat them, then don't eat them. I'll go back to the school cafeteria and buy some tomorrow. They're only three yuan each, and I'll buy 10 for myself." Chen Chi said proudly.

"The green rice dumplings made by Chef Xiaoye only sell for 3 yuan in the school cafeteria? In our restaurant, they cost at least 18 yuan each. What a pity! Your second uncle and Chef Ding have talked about her situation and abilities. Can she come to our restaurant to work for a while during the summer vacation? Not just as a part-time job? I will pay her 20,000 yuan a month according to the chef's standard. Please go and ask her." Mr. Chen values talent very much.

"Old customers always order the dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner. They say the dishes made by other chefs don't taste right. Now the only explanation is that Chef Ye has resigned! Sigh..." He continued with a sigh.

Chen Chi had heard his uncle talk about this before, so he said, "I'll try to ask her, but she seems to want to delve into other cuisines."

"She is truly a natural born chef, except that she is still in school. Otherwise, I would have wanted to hire her as the head chef!" Mr. Chen praised sincerely.

When Li Yue returned home, her mother first asked the driver to deliver the box of Qingtuan that Old Man Li had. Then she opened the remaining box and took out one to eat, showing no sign of ladylike reserve.

"I'll have another one. The filling is really special and tastes better than the sweet ones. We'll eat the rest together when your dad comes back in the evening. It's so delicious!" Mother Li looked happy and cute like a girl.

"This child, we gave her a red envelope before and she took it back. She is always thinking about us. You have to get along well with her. There are not many friends like her now." She instructed Li Yue again.

"Mom, you don't even need to tell me that. I know." Li Yue said. "I really treat her as a friend. Even if we like the same boy in the future, I will give her the chance."

Mother Li was speechless: I really don’t understand the kids nowadays, what are they talking about!

"Xiao Yue, you said your grandfather is old and his teeth are not very good. He definitely can't finish a box of 12 green rice dumplings. Should I ask the driver to bring back the rest?" Mother Li seemed to have suddenly thought of something.

"Mom, please don't embarrass yourself! I won't eat it anymore. There's more when I get back to school. Leave it all for you and my dad!" This time it was Li Yue who was speechless. She thought her mother was so ridiculous. She wondered if her grandfather would laugh at her if he knew.

…

The last time Ye Tian drank Mingqian Longjing tea was before she entered the Heavenly Prison in her previous life. It had been almost a year.

It was Qingming Festival, and although the weather was a bit overcast, it didn't rain. The school was also on vacation for three days. Li Yue went home, but Lu Xinyi and Zhao Yu stayed in the dormitory. The three of them planned to go out and have some fun together.

Lü Xinyi suggested going boating on the lake, but she knew it would be packed with tourists during the holiday. Zhao Yu suggested hiking in Lushan Mountain, not far from the school.

Ye Tian and Lu Xinyi agreed. It was springtime outside, so hiking was a great way to work up a sweat without having to crowd around or spend any money. What a great activity!

Ye Tian also made some qingtuan (green rice dumplings) in the cafeteria and some beef jerky in an air fryer as snacks for the three of them to enjoy while hiking. Zhao Yu and the others also bought drinks, melon seeds, potato chips, and more.

The next morning, they got up early, had breakfast in the cafeteria, each of them carried a backpack, and took the bus for three stops to the foot of the mountain.

Looking up, the top of the mountain is shrouded in smoke, like a fairyland.

The temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius, with a slight chill.

Because it is a public holiday, there are more people climbing the mountain than usual. You can already see groups of tourists walking up the stairs in front.

Fortunately, this mountain has been developed, so you don't need to take the wild road. You can climb to the halfway point by walking up the built steps. There is a man-made pavilion halfway up the mountain, where you can stand and enjoy the scenery.

The three of them started climbing the mountain, chatting and laughing. It was still early and they were not in a hurry, so they walked slowly, feeling the breeze, and felt very comfortable.

Lu Xinyi wasn't usually very active, so she started complaining of being tired after walking a short distance. Ye Tian and the others had no choice but to encourage her to keep going and not give up. But as they got to the back of the group, she started to act like a spoiled child, pulling Zhao Yu and Ye Tian one after another, letting them drag her along like a little tail.

After walking most of the way, they were already sweating slightly, so the three of them simply sat down at a bend to rest, drink some water, and eat some snacks to replenish their energy.

"Our class wants to organize a picnic on the weekend after the holiday. What do you think? It was the idea of the class monitor and me." Zhao Yu chatted with them and mentioned the class activities.

Lu Xinyi said, "I don't know what you and the class monitor were thinking. Neither of you can cook, and there aren't even two or three people in our class who can. In the end, it all depends on Tiantian."

"Yeah, why don't we come here to climb the mountain too." Zhao Yu thought about it and agreed.

"Then let's have a picnic. We can cook instant noodles. Don't climb the mountain again. It's too tiring!" Lu Xinyi was shocked.

"How about everyone bring some food and the whole class go to the forest park for a picnic and fly kites?" Ye Tian suggested.

"This one seems pretty good too!" they both responded at the same time.

Looking down the mountain at this time, you can see kites flying in the sky. What a beautiful season...