There was a note under the enamel mug on the bedside table, which was left by Lu Ze.

"Ah Yao, you guys eat breakfast first. I have to go out for a bit. I've chopped the meat and kneaded the dough. They're in the refrigerator."

This makes making breakfast much easier.

After leaving the bedroom, Yu Yao breathed a sigh of relief when she found no one in the house.

Mom and Tianya haven't arrived yet.

Luckily, she went to bed early last night, and luckily today is a day off. Otherwise, if she had acted like that last night, she would have been too ashamed to face anyone today.

Opening the refrigerator, Lu Ze had prepared minced meat and dough that had been proofed in advance. She took them out and added some of the crab roe sauce she had cooked earlier to the minced meat to make crab roe and meat filling buns.

There were four adults and one child, and steamed buns alone weren't enough. Yu Yao planned to make a congee with preserved egg and lean pork. There were leftover vegetables from last night, and reheating them would be enough.

The preserved eggs were brought by Wu Wanying this time. She said that there was an old woman in Xiangyangwa Brigade who used to be a long-term worker for a landlord who made preserved eggs. Her skill in making preserved eggs was very famous in the surrounding area.

The preserved eggs she makes are made from the eggs of a domesticated sea duck native to the island. The yellow mud wrapped around the eggs uses her own secret recipe, resulting in preserved eggs that are tender without being bitter and have a unique aroma.

It has a unique flavor and tastes exceptionally good.

Her preserved eggs were in high demand, and she even supported the production team's sideline business with this skill. Wu Wanying knew she loved food, so she went to queue up before the Lunar New Year.

Unfortunately, there were too many people in line, and since Wu Wanying wanted something made by the old lady herself, she had to wait another month to receive it.

She ordered a total of one hundred eggs. Apart from the ones given as gifts to Fang Qiaoqiao's family, she gave the rest to Yu Yao, leaving none for her own family.

Yu Yao took out three preserved eggs.

The outer skin of the sea duck preserved egg is dark green. When peeled, the egg white inside is a transparent, yellowish-brown gel-like substance, and the yolk is soft and runny.

Cut it into small pieces with a knife, and you can still smell a hint of spices, which must have been from more than a dozen kinds of spice powder when mixing the mud.

Some of the yam is used when making braised dishes, and I've never smelled the rest of the yam before. I don't know what spices it contains, but it has a very unique flavor.

She couldn't resist taking a small piece to try, and it was indeed just as Wu Wanying had said—unique in flavor and delicious.

With such high-quality preserved eggs as an ingredient, this preserved egg and lean pork congee is going to be incredibly delicious.

Sea duck eggs are large; three duck eggs, cut into small cubes, filled a whole bowl.

While the preserved eggs and lean meat are being chopped, the rice in the clay pot is being steamed and cooked until it blooms.

Yu Yao then added the chopped preserved eggs and lean meat, stirred them well, covered the pot, and simmered them over low heat.

While waiting for the preserved egg and lean pork congee, Yu Yao started making crab roe and pork xiaolongbao (soup dumplings).

The dough was fermented with sourdough starter, resulting in excellent fluffiness.

The neatly arranged crab roe and meat dumplings were placed in the steamer, looking charming and adorable.

Just as they finished making eight, they heard Tianya and Shiliu greeting each other outside, followed by the footsteps of Wu Wanying and Hu Lingyu.

"Mom, Tianya, good morning, the steamed buns will be ready in a little while."

As Yu Yao greeted the three of them, she twirled the steamed buns in her hand, and by the time she finished greeting them, she had wrapped eighteen small steamed buns with pleats.

"Zhizhi, are you making steamed buns? Mom will help you."

Hu Lingyu also said, "I'll help with the fire."

Seeing that both of her grandmothers had chores to do, Tianya raised her little hand and blinked her big eyes, volunteering, "Tianya can help my aunt eat."

Upon hearing this, all three adults burst into laughter.

Yu Yao smiled sweetly: "Sweetie, you're so great. When the buns are ready, Sweetie, you have to help your aunt eat more."

Sweetie nodded solemnly, "Leave it to Sweetie."

"Okay, Tianya is fine in the kitchen now, you can go play with Sixteen in the yard, but don't go too far." This is in the compound, and there are sentries guarding the entrance and exit, so Yu Yao and the others felt at ease letting Tianya go out to play alone.

Sweetie nodded obediently and went to the yard to play with Sixteen.

A small head with a buzz cut peeked out from the wall next door. "You're Aunt Yu Yao's niece?"

Tianya looked up and saw Lei Xiaojun on the wall. Wan Xiao ran over and looked up at him, exclaiming, "Wow, you climbed so high!"

Lei Xiaojun proudly raised his chin. "Of course, I'm the best wall-climber and tree-climber in the compound. My name is Lei Xiaojun, what's yours?"

Sweetie smiled and said, "My full name is Lu Yihuan, and my nickname is Sweetie. Brother Xiaojun, you're amazing!"

Sweetie was wearing a red dress and had her hair in a bun. She had two little dimples when she smiled, and she looked cute and sweet.

Lei Xiaojun blushed after being praised by her, "Sweetie, have you ever played crab fighting?"

"Crab fighting? What's that? Sweetie has never played it before."

Lei Xiaojun jumped down from the wall in a few leaps and landed in front of Tianya. "Come on, I'll take you to catch hermit crabs behind the small beach."

Sweetie shook her head. "No, Auntie said Sweetie can stay in the yard and can't run far."

Lei Xiaojun stroked his chin. "Then I'll teach you how to climb trees. Do you want to learn?"

“My aunt didn’t say it was impossible; Tianya wants to learn.”

After breakfast was prepared, Yu Yao came out to call Tian Ya to eat, but she didn't see her. Just as she was wondering where Tian Ya had gone, she heard Sister Mei Hua next door yell loudly and rush out of the yard with a bamboo stick in her hand.

"Lei Xiaojun, are you asking for a beating? How dare you take Tianya up a tree like that!"

What?

Yu Yao looked up at the tree and was startled.

Sweetie, wearing a dress, was sitting on the first branch of a kapok tree, swinging her legs. She waved to her, calling out, "Auntie! Auntie!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!