"They look so pretty, red dumplings!"
"Will it be too sweet if I put fruit in it?"
"So what if it's sweet? Sweet is delicious too!"
Although Shiyue has never made dumplings like this before, she has seen it many times in the group chat.
In the chat group she was in, most of the members were housewives. With the Lunar New Year approaching, everyone started showing off the various New Year's goods they had prepared.
Those with good cooking skills have also started posting pictures of the various delicious dishes they've made.
When Shiyue first saw someone post a picture of dragon fruit dumplings, she was quite surprised.
There aren't many dragon fruit trees on the island, only a small patch, and they don't bear many fruits.
Because of their location on a steep mountain beside a rocky beach, they usually don't think to pick moonflowers.
She made a special trip after seeing the photos, and only picked less than ten in total.
Although Shiyue had never eaten dumplings dyed with dragon fruit, she had seen them in the group chat several times, so she remained calm when asked about them.
The answer is straightforward: "It won't be sweet, and it won't be dyed. Don't worry, it's just a color difference; the taste won't change."
A young soldier asked, puzzled, "Sister Shiyue, why do we need to distinguish the colors?"
Shiyue: "If you don't tell the difference, how will anyone know which dumpling is shrimp-filled and which is mushroom-filled?"
"Why differentiate between them? Aren't they all equally delicious?"
Shiyue: "..."
Yeah, who cares what the filling is, as long as it tastes good, right?
She was so focused on getting the dye that she forgot about this issue.
Seeing Shiyue's awkwardness, Cao Dalin, who was standing nearby, started to chase her away.
He waved to the young soldiers: "Go on, get to work! Doesn't it look nice with the colors? Red and green are so festive! It's only for the New Year, who bothers to make these for you at other times!"
Cao Dalin's words made everyone chuckle.
Yes, it's Chinese New Year.
If it weren't for the Lunar New Year, who would have the patience to wrap this?
Knowing that dragon fruit and spinach juice could be used for dyeing, some of the young soldiers immediately ran as fast as they could, some to the vegetable garden and some to the rocky beach.
Several more were recovered quickly.
This time, Shiyue and Liang Yueming didn't need to lift a finger; everyone started mixing the ingredients themselves.
The young soldiers, as if playing a game, laughed and happily kneaded dough of varying shades.
Shiyue had already started preparing the filling.
She took out all the peppercorns, star anise, and various seasonings she had bought from the group chat and asked Cao Dalin to use them with her.
Looking at those expensive seasonings, Cao Dalin's expression was complicated, and he hesitated to speak.
Cao Dalin knew that Shiyue's family had a lot of seasonings, but he also knew that they were all bought privately by Shiyue.
These seasonings are expensive and hard to find, so he really couldn't bear to use them.
Seeing Shiyue's resolute attitude, pouring seasonings into the dumpling filling as if they were free, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
It just hurt so much that my heart was clenching.
When Cao Dalin saw that Shiyue had taken out a large jar of lard from the bag she had brought, he was furious and immediately went up to refuse.
Shiyue pointed to the door: "Squad Leader Cao, can't you hear the commotion outside? Go see what they're doing, see if they've caused some trouble again?"
Cao Dalin was speechless for a moment.
He was being so blunt; how could he not know that Shiyue was annoyed by him and wanted to get rid of him?
Cao Dalin sighed and turned to leave.
Even with his back turned, he could still hear Shiyue chugging soy sauce into the basin.
Seeing that Cao Dalin had left, Shiyue simply mixed both bowls of filling.
Of course, she wouldn't be able to mix that much filling with her strong hands, but there's Cui Yun and the others.
All that's needed is seasoning.
She directed everyone to chop up the shrimp, scallops, and octopus, marinate them with ginger slices, cooking wine, and salt to remove the fishy smell, and then blanch and dice the other vegetables as needed.
While they were busy, they could hear cheers from the young soldiers outside.
"Oh my, it looks better even with less spinach juice! This light green is prettier than the previous one!"
"What's so pretty about it? The color will fade as soon as you boil it in such shallow water, and then you won't be able to see it anymore."
"No way, Sister Shiyue just said it wouldn't fade."
Shiyue couldn't help but turn her head and look at the young soldiers.
Then I saw a tall young man holding a piece of dough that he had torn off and showing it off.
The others surrounded him, chattering amongst themselves.
What attracted Shiyue was not the content of their conversation, but the smiles on their faces.
That kind of genuine smile.
How radiant and captivating it looks!
Just looking at it from afar makes one's lips curl into a smile.
This reunion dinner was an unprecedented success!
Everyone said that this was the best dumpling meal they had ever eaten in all their years of life!
Some people even shed tears while eating.
I wish my family could have come sooner so we could have had a dumpling like this too!
Niu Niu innocently told her mother that she wanted to send some back to her grandmother so that she could try them too.
The child's innocent words elicited a burst of good-natured laughter from the crowd, but Cui Yun turned away and wiped her eyes.
She never returned to her parents' home after joining the army.
At first, I thought the travel expenses were too expensive and it would be too much trouble for me to take my two children back.
But now, even if I wanted to go back, I couldn't.
Cui Yun didn't know when they would be able to leave the island, and she didn't know when she would be able to go home to see her parents.
She didn't even dare to think about what would happen if she stayed on Whale Island for several years or even more than ten years. Would her parents still be there when she went back?
You should know that she is the youngest daughter in her family, and her parents are not young anymore.
The more Cui Yun thought about it, the more she couldn't wipe the tears off her face.
She didn't want others to see her cry when everyone was happy.
He quickly ate the few dumplings in his bowl, then stood up and said, "I'll go make more, and then Squad Leader Cao and the others can come and eat."
Eating dumplings for more than 500 people, and not just for show with each person getting a few, but to make sure everyone is full, is definitely no small undertaking!
Anyway, everyone started working before dawn and the cooks haven't stopped working since.
Even when eating dumplings, they take turns eating them.
Not only the cooks, but also other family members who knew how to make dumplings, as well as soldiers and staff, ate dumplings in shifts, and those who finished eating immediately came over to help.
Shiyue and Cao Dalin, along with a few others, didn't move once they entered the mess hall. By 3 p.m., after everyone had eaten, Shiyue felt so heavy that she couldn't lift her arms anymore.
Even so, they were very happy.
Seeing the joy on everyone's faces, and listening to the young men who came over to thank them and offer New Year's greetings after finishing their meal, everyone felt their hearts were full.
I feel that all the hard work was worth it.
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