Chapter 77 Preparations before the Party

Lin Qingqing told Xiaomei to apply facial cream quickly, otherwise the water on her face would be absorbed by the air.

Xiaomei quickly went to the room, took out the facial cream, and applied it on her face in front of the mirror on the washstand.

If she could be as young and tender as her sister, she would wake up laughing in her dreams.

It's already past 12 o'clock, and the two of them don't take a nap anymore. They have to steam two pots of steamed buns and wash and cut vegetables.

Lin Qingqing came to cook in person. Actually, she didn't like cooking. The kitchen here was always smoky and she would smell of oil smoke after cooking.

The delicious food she cooks is based on her precise proportion of seasonings and control of the heat. For her, cooking is like preparing medicine.

The people here don’t care too much about food. As long as it’s not too salty and has meat, it’s delicious.

Xiaomei brought a large bowl of fermented noodles to the dining table in the living room, poured all the noodles in the bowl onto the table, sprinkled flour on it, made a fist with her hand, and began to knead the large lump of dough up and down, left and right.

Lin Qingqing didn't quite understand this way of making steamed buns. It was very primitive and inefficient, even though Xiaomei did it very skillfully.

Xiaomei was holding a large ball of dough, not seeming to be tired at all. She quickly squeezed the air out of the dough again and again, turning it over from time to time. She did this for several minutes before she stopped.

Roll the dough into several large pieces, pick up one of them and roll it into several small pieces, roll the small pieces into semicircles, sprinkle with flour and set aside.

Lin Qingqing admired it for a while, secretly praising this woman for her virtue. She casually asked, "Xiaomei, you are so skilled at steaming buns. You must do a lot of work at home, right?"

Xiaomei smiled and said, "I started steaming buns when I was seven years old. At that time, I was not much taller than the pot. Aren't all rural girls like that? So I think your aunt is really good to you and doesn't want to let you work."

Lin Qingqing looked at her with envy in her eyes, and thought to herself that being spoiled like this was not a good thing. She was so incapable of dealing with things that she was almost too excited. If the original owner had followed Song Yiyuan to the army, she couldn't imagine how she would have lived.

"Sister, please light up the fire in the pot. The steamed buns will be ready soon."

"Okay." Lin Qingqing got up and went to the kitchen to light the fire and marinate the meat. The weather was too hot and she was afraid it would go bad in the afternoon.

Time passed quickly when the two of them got busy. It was almost four o'clock when the last pot of steamed buns came out of the pot. The three pots of steamed buns together made nearly ninety buns, which should be enough for dinner.

Xiaomei cooked a pot of sweet potato porridge on the small stove at the back.

"Knock knock knock~ Qingqing, I'm Xiuhong."

Xiaomei was washing the dining table in the yard. She had just used the table to knead dough and got a lot of flour on it. When she heard a knock on the door, she put down the loofah and went to open the door.

"Xiaomei, we're here to carry the table."

Xiaomei hurriedly opened all the doors. Xiuhong and Honghua each carried two net bags of bowls and plates, as well as vegetable basins and kitchen knives. Behind them followed four sisters-in-law, carrying two large folding round tables.

They borrowed a table from the cafeteria and collected dishes from several families, hoping to come early to see if there was anything they could help with.

"Sisters-in-law, please come in."

Xiaomei greeted them warmly. She knew all these sisters-in-law. She recognized their faces when she went to deliver something yesterday.

Lin Qingqing was chopping pork offal in the kitchen when she heard the noise and came out: "Honghua, Xiuhong, you're here so early?"

Xiuhong walked in and said with a smile, "Come and help early. You can't just eat meat and not work." After saying that, he exchanged glances with Xiuhong, and they both laughed.