"Miao Miao, here you go, this is given to me by my aunt."

He Xiaoai held a small piece of fruit leather in her hand, reluctantly tore off half of it, and handed it to Tan Wei's eldest daughter, Tan Miao.

Tan Miao rarely had snacks in her previous home. Even if her mother gave them to her secretly, they would soon be snatched away by the children of her uncles and aunts.

Now, seeing the fruit leather in her hand that exuded the hawthorn flavor and sweet aroma, she swallowed her saliva unconsciously, glanced at her mother, and only took it after she nodded, and said obediently, "Thank you, sister, you are so good to Miaomiao."

Much better than the so-called brothers and sisters in her original family.

Hearing her straightforward compliment, He Xiaoai's round eyes curved into crescents and two deep dimples appeared on her cheeks.

He raised his short hand and patted her head. "Miaomiao is fine. You are younger than me. You will be my sister from now on. Come here, let's play hopscotch together."

She pulled Tan Miao into her circle of friends, and they became familiar with each other in no time while laughing and playing.

Tan Wei was helping Wang Taozhi make chestnut pastries. When she saw her daughter clapping her hands with a group of people, jumping on her toes from time to time, with an innocent and free smile on her face, she felt that her decision to divorce was the right one.

The fan that was previously lent to Lu Lan was bought back by He Chunsheng at the original price. The autumn heat was unbearable, and his heat-intolerant constitution made it even more unbearable.

So even if his wife keeps telling him that it wastes electricity, he will seize every opportunity to keep it on for a while longer.

At this time, He Ruixue moved his beloved fan outside, holding a popsicle in one hand and flipping through a book with the other.

The popsicles were made from ordinary sugar syrup. They were not too sweet, but very refreshing. When she got off work, she saw them being sold at the supply and marketing cooperative and bought two.

She stuffed another one into Wang Taozhi's mouth. The man kept shouting that he didn't want to eat it, but at this time he sucked it harder than anyone else, for fear that some of the sugar water would be spilled.

"You really try to find ways to give me problems. These chestnuts are so good, they can be eaten as food.

You insisted that it was too dry and wanted to make it into chestnut cakes. If Tan Wei hadn't known how to make it, would you have asked me to find a chef to teach me?"

"I just said it casually, who knew you would take it so seriously."

"I don't want to make it for you, but it's because He Xiaoyou and He Xiaoai heard what you said. If I don't let them eat it this time, they'll nag me every time we eat chestnuts at home. I won't be able to keep my ears clean any longer."

To make chestnut crisps, the chestnuts cannot be boiled, otherwise they will be too wet and easily turn into chestnut cakes.

Either fry it with sand, or do what Wang Taozhi did and find the old man who makes popcorn on the street corner and cook it with a machine.

I don't need to pay for helping you, just give me a bowl of chestnuts.

Wang Taozhi was peeling the shell. Even though he had made a cross on the shell beforehand, it was still not easy to remove the shell.

This job was rather tedious. Not only were He Xiaojie and He Xiaoyou drafted into the army, but He Ruixue, who had just finished eating the popsicle, was also not idle. She was assigned to help them pick out the uncleaned parts from the shells with a small iron spoon, so that there was no waste at all.

On the other side, Tan Wei was preparing the crispy crust, which was made by mixing cornmeal and white flour.

Because He Ruixue said last time that she had found a way to get cheap food and sold part of the food in the space to her eldest brother's family, Wang Taozhi did not hesitate to take out a large bowl of flour.

After adding water and kneading, divide it into two balls. Add lard to the other ball, then spread out the two doughs, fold them several times and roll them flat again.

The chestnut kernels are crushed in a stone mortar, added with sugar and honey, and then kneaded into small balls, which are then wrapped in outer skin and pressed into small cakes.

Wang Taozhi was shocked. "It's full of oil and sugar. Who can afford it? No wonder it was only eaten by the rich in the past."

The chestnut cakes need to be baked dry after they are made. There is no need for an oven. Just put them directly in an iron pan, cover the pan and bake them slowly over low heat.

When the time is up, move the ones at the bottom to the top and turn them over. They will be cooked in a short while.

Because of the uneven cooking temperature, some of the chestnut cakes have only a little yellow crust, while others are a little burnt.

Because of this, it has a sense of simplicity that is purely handmade. When you gently break it open, you can see the distinct layers of the pastry. Each layer is as thin as a cicada's wing and falls apart when you bite it.

The chestnut filling is not particularly dense, but has a slightly granular texture, with a strong sweet chestnut aroma, and melts in your mouth.

It is neither sweet nor greasy but delicious, and is the highest tribute to Chinese desserts.

Tan Wei's skill in making dim sum instantly won the hearts of the He family's children, who surrounded her and kept trying to please her.

Even Wang Taozhi had to admit after taking a bite, "Rich people really know how to eat. They really know how to enjoy it. Sister Tan, your cooking skills are also good. They are much better than the wedding cakes I had when I got married before."

When she got married, the country had just been founded and the custom was to eat wedding cakes and candies, and those who could afford it would make it more elaborate.

Those who don't have the conditions can only use flour with shells, add eggs, licorice and sorghum stalks to make juice, which has a slightly sweet taste.

This was a rare delicacy she had when she was a teenager, and it was enough for her to remember for the rest of her life.

Thinking about the experiences in the first half of her life, Wang Taozhi cleaned up the kitchen utensils and stopped complaining about He Ruixue's picky taste.

This girl took her to eat so many delicious foods and saw so much of the world. She always had many new things to say when chatting with people. All her colleagues envied her.

“It tastes good only when the ingredients are sufficient. My family used to run a private school, and the tuition fees given by students to their teachers had to include bacon. Many people couldn’t afford it, so they used flour instead.

My mother used to be a cook in a wealthy family and learned a lot of pastry recipes. She taught us sisters how to make pastries.

When talking about her family, Tan Wei looked a little sad. She looked down and saw Tan Miao nibbling on half a chestnut cake and carefully catching the fallen crumbs with her hands.

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