"Huaying, did you guys eat this flower bun in the end?" Lin Shan's focus was a little different.
Yun Huaying gestured with her hands, her eyes smiling. "It was this big, probably nearly 100 kilograms. It's made of pure flour, so we couldn't finish it. I remember Grandpa gave me a peony flower bun to eat. He and my mother ate some, and the rest was given to teachers and students at a nearby school."
"Yun Huaying, Xiyuan Hotel is the most upscale restaurant in S Province. The best flower bun chefs in the north all work here. I've heard my grandma talk about it countless times, but I've never seen Xiyuan Hotel's high-end flower buns. You ate them as a child, and I envy you so much."
Jiang Yuan was really envious and had new guesses about the Yun family's background in her mind, but she was cautious and didn't say it out loud.
"I have eaten it, but I was young at that time. I just thought the flower bun looked good and couldn't tell whether it tasted good or not." Yun Huaying spoke frankly. The only impression she had of the flower bun was that it looked good, nothing else.
"In fact, the taste of flower buns is not that delicious, but they look very beautiful, and they symbolize auspiciousness and joy. They are a traditional food for New Year's Day, festivals and happy occasions in our area." Jiang Yuan said with a smile.
The two of them were talking to each other, and the others were also distracted to listen. Zhao Qingqing stood by and listened the whole time. She was drooling at what they said, and smacked her lips: "I really want to eat the flower buns you mentioned. They should be delicious."
"I want to eat too." Lin Shan stuck out her tongue.
Zhao Qingqing was about to say something when she saw her cousin looking over. She smiled awkwardly and said, "Lin Zhiqing, my brother is going to criticize you again."
Captain: “…”
Lin Shan tilted her head, looking confused: "Captain, what do you want to say to me?"
"Enough of the small talk, let's get to work." Zhao Xuelin changed the words on his lips and shouted through a megaphone at the person who was still dawdling and walking slowly: "Li Xiami, can you please walk faster?"
"He's a wimp and can't walk fast." Someone in the crowd responded.
"hehe..."
Everyone else laughed.
This man, nicknamed Li Xiami, was known in the village for his slowness, but he was also a good-tempered old man who never got angry with anyone and smiled like a Maitreya Buddha every day. He wasn't lazy, but he was always a step behind others in everything he did. Whether it was starting or finishing work, he was always the last one to finish.
"Captain, why are you in such a hurry? You're always busy taking eggs out of chickens' butts. Aren't you afraid of becoming bald after you turn 30?" Li Xiami replied slowly.
"Ha ha..."
This time everyone laughed noticeably louder.
Lin Shan and the others were also laughing. She even stood on tiptoe to look at the captain's head. It seemed that his hair was a little thinning.
"What are you looking at?" The captain glared at her. He had a very thick head.
Lin Shan laughed non-stop and said to Lin Xiaolan, who was also laughing, "Sister-in-law Xiaolan, it's a good thing that the team leader went bald early. His head is shiny and bright, perfect for lighting at night. You don't have to use oil lamps at home anymore."
A group of people burst into laughter.
Only Zhao Xuelin gnashed his teeth. "Lin Shan, this afternoon, you'll be assigned to Li Xiami's team."
Lin Shan's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal in the blink of an eye. She said cheekily, "That won't work. If I go to Brother Xiami's team and hold them back, the other team members will probably want to beat me to death. For the sake of unity and harmony in our Dongjiang Brigade, I'd better stay with Aunt Zhao."
The scorekeeper had just been teasing the team leader, thinking about the heavy workload this afternoon and the meeting tonight. He chuckled, "Okay, get to work. Finish early and call it a day. We'll have a meeting in the threshing ground at 7 p.m. sharp. Bring your own bench."
Han Zheng came to work in place of his grandfather. He was not in the same group as Yun Huaying and the others. His group consisted of elderly people, but they were all good at their work and worked much faster than the educated youth.
The soybeans, which had been dried in the sun for two days, were completely dry. The villagers used the most common farm tool here, the flail, to beat the soybean vines. Yun Huaying and her friends had never used this kind of tool and were not very strong, so they let others do the beating work. They consciously cleaned the bean shells and then used a windmill to remove the fine shells. The strong men carried the loads and took them to the warehouse for storage.
Han Zheng was the main load-carrying worker. He had delivered more than ten loads to the warehouse in a row. When he came to drink water, the team leader called him and said, "Zhengzi, I have something to tell you."
Han Zheng took a few big gulps from the military water bottle, but didn't say anything, waiting for him to speak.
What Zhao Xuelin came to talk to him about was the tofu processing that Yun Huaying and the others had mentioned before. He went back yesterday and thought about it carefully. He also did a detailed calculation with the accountant and felt that this approach was feasible, so they wanted to give it a try.
"That's a good idea."
Han Zheng agreed. He had traveled extensively on previous missions and was well-informed. He said, "Huaying is right. Tofu can indeed be made into many different kinds. I've tried the fermented bean curd and fried tofu with dried tofu they mentioned. They're both cheap and delicious."
"Most importantly, these are easier to store than water tofu. Even dried tofu and fried tofu can be kept for three to five days without going bad. They are also easy to stir-fry and taste delicious no matter how you cook them."
"When I first joined the army, the most popular dish in the canteen was fried tofu. Fried tofu and dried tofu were available in many provinces. State-owned restaurants and canteens of major state-owned factories had these dishes. The demand was so great that we couldn't supply them enough."
Zhao Xuelin was still hesitant at first, but after listening to Jun's words, he made up his mind and asked him for help again: "Zhengzi, two educated youth are willing to help with fermented bean curd and fried tofu, but no one knows how to make dried tofu. Can you help me get a recipe? A general method will be fine. We don't need to hire a master to teach us. We can follow the steps and try it out ourselves."
"No problem, I'll write a letter to my friend tomorrow to ask for a favor." Han Zheng agreed to him.
Zhao Xuelin had other things to do, so he left after talking to him about this. Han Zheng took a short rest and then got up to help carry the load.
Their group finished their task quickly, while Yun Huaying and her group were a little slower. When Han Zheng came to find her, his clothes were soaked with sweat, and so were his hair, but he spoke without panting at all: "Huaying, you haven't gone to the mountain to check the traps today, have you?"
Yun Huaying wasn't sweating much, but she was covered in dust from spinning the windmill. She looked up as she spoke to him, "No, I made some medicine this morning, mixed it with some rice, and put it in the trap from yesterday. I haven't gone over to check on it yet."
"I'm going to the mountains now. If there are any goods, I'll bring them back for you on the way." Han Zheng didn't want her to work so hard, so he took the initiative to go to the mountains.
"Okay, thank you." Yun Huaying's mouth corners rose slightly.
Her smile was light, like a pure and elegant jasmine blossom, refreshing and pure, like a breeze blowing across his body. Han Zheng felt the heat in his body instantly dissipate, and his whole body was enveloped in a comfortable atmosphere. Her voice was softer than ever: "You're welcome."
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