Huang's mother pointed to the red banner with gold characters hanging high in the main hall and asked about Huang Wenbin. She was relieved only after repeatedly confirming that his arm was completely healed.

At this time, the eldest sister Huang Wenrong suddenly remembered the few beautiful little skirts they had specially left for Wenxia, and quickly stood up and said, "Xia, the eldest and second sisters have left some good things for you, I guarantee you will like them."

After saying that, the eldest sister was about to go into the inner room to get it. Xu Mengyao shuddered and grabbed Wen Xia who was about to follow in: "Just wait here, second sister will help you get it, and you are not allowed to peek!"

Wenxia nodded obediently. She quickly entered the inner room and put away the rose-red, light yellow and white skirts in her elder sister's hands one by one.

Under Huang Wenrong's puzzled gaze, Xu Mengyao explained while rummaging through some toys: "Sister, Wenxia is so tanned now that wearing these colored clothes would be a disaster. Don't let her see it!"

Huang Wenrong immediately understood, and then stuffed the skirt deeper into the sack, deciding to sell these clothes tomorrow. As for Wenxia's new clothes, he would wait until she kept them white.

Huang's mother, a restless and industrious woman, has been working like a wheelbarrow since returning home, eager to accompany her family members out to set up stalls every day. Wenxia always joins in the fun, believing that setting up stalls is a grandiose way of playing house. Seeing this, Xu Mengyao finally gets a break and enjoys a moment of peace at home.

However, with the arrival of the dog days of summer, the scorching heat enveloped the entire world like an invisible net. Xu Mengyao's appetite seemed to have been sapped by the heat, and her once-vulnerable appetite had become bland. She lay listlessly on a bamboo mat in the room, casually waving a palm-leaf fan in her hand, trying to dispel the heat.

At this moment, Grandma Huang walked in from outside with brisk steps. Her figure looked particularly vivid in the hot afternoon sun. She wiped the sweat from her forehead and called out loudly:

"Juanzi, come and see what grandma picked for you! This is fresh amaranth. Let's make a pot of gluten soup today. It's the most appetizing thing to drink in the summer."

After saying that, she started to prepare to knead the dough. She picked up the basin and flour skillfully, chatting with her granddaughter while she was busy.

Seeing Grandma Huang's enthusiastic look, Xu Mengyao also forced herself to cheer up and prepared to get up to help.

"Grandma, let me help you knead the dough." She walked to Grandma Huang with a smile and wanted to take the basin from Grandma Huang's hand.

But the old lady evaded him flexibly: "Okay, take a rest! You are not as strong as me. The noodles will be ready soon. You just need to wash the gluten later."

Soon the flour was kneaded into a soft dough in Grandma Huang's hands. Grandma Huang clapped her hands and said, "Okay, now let the dough rise for ten minutes so we can wash the gluten."

At that moment, Xu Mengyao had a flash of inspiration. Washing gluten was a familiar job for her. Back when everyone was locked down, people across the country relied on short video tutorials to master all sorts of cooking skills. Her family had been busy with flour for a long time. Flour can be used in many more ways than rice. They'd tried everything from fried dough sticks to sugar paste to twisted dough sticks. The whole family had inflamed gums from eating it, and then they thought of making dough sheets.

The dough is similar to Liangpi (cold noodle soup), but thinner, translucent, stretchy, and chewy. It's a favorite among people in the Huaihai region and a year-round staple. It can be eaten with any seasoning or rolled up, and is especially popular in the summer.

"Grandma, I thought of a food that can relieve the heat. Let's try making dough." Xu Mengyao said excitedly to Grandma Huang.

Huang Nai was a little puzzled and frowned slightly: "You don't want to drink gluten soup? I have already kneaded the noodles, I can't not make it?" There was some worry in her words.

"Don't worry, grandma, we will still wash the gluten, but use the water to make another delicacy. If we really can't make it, we can continue to make your gluten soup." Xu Mengyao answered confidently, trying to appease Grandma Huang's doubts.

Grandma Huang nodded half-believingly: "Okay, you girl always have some clever ideas, I want to see what you can come up with." There was a hint of helplessness in her tone, but more of it was trust in her granddaughter.

Xu Mengyao immediately took action. She quickly found another large basin and filled it with clear water. Huang Nai frowned when she saw this: "Why are you using such a large basin? This gluten needs to be washed several times."

"Grandma, trust me, we'll just wash it this time, but wash it carefully," Xu Mengyao explained. She then carefully placed the rested dough into the water and began to knead it slowly. The starch in the dough was gradually washed out, and the water gradually turned milky white, like milk.

After carefully kneading it, Xu Mengyao fished out the washed gluten and handed it to Huang Nai: "Nanny, please steam this and then cut it into small pieces for later use."

Huang Nai took the gluten and looked at Xu Mengyao curiously: "What on earth are you going to do, girl?"

Xu Mengyao didn't answer, but turned around and searched the room for tools. Finally, her eyes fell on the enamel tea tray on the large table, which held the cups. She set the cups aside and took the tray outside to clean it.

By this time, the gluten in the pot was nearly cooked through. Xu Mengyao reminded Huang Nai to continue simmering the stove. She then took the large iron ladle for the rice and the oil jar and went into the house. From the jar, she took out a cotton swab soaked in oil. Huang Nai had prepared this for controlling the amount of oil when cooking, and it was extremely convenient to use.

Xu Mengyao first evenly coats the tea tray with cooking oil to prevent sticking. Next, she stirs the freshly washed gluten water to ensure even distribution of the starch, adjusting the consistency to the desired consistency. Then, she scoops a suitable amount of gluten water with a ladle and pours it into the oiled tea tray. She quickly shakes it to spread it evenly, then places it in the steamer. After about forty seconds, a crystal-clear dough sheet emerges.

Lightly brush a layer of oil on the steamed dough, then remove it completely from the tea tray.

Huang Nai looked at this scene, stunned. "Is this food made with flour? Wow, it's so thin and soft, but how do you eat it?"

As Xu Mengyao repeated the steps for steaming the dough, she smiled and said to Huang Nai, "Nanny, don't worry. I'll steam all the dough first. You cut the gluten into small pieces the size of a fingernail, and shred some cucumber and carrot. You'll see in a moment that this is absolutely a great way to beat the summer heat."

Huang Nai was busy following her instructions, and she couldn't help but feel curious and expectant about the new food.