Lin Wanqiu woke up just as dawn was breaking. The roosters outside the window had just crowed their first crow, and the leaves of the old locust tree in the yard rustled in the wind, sounding like secret signals. She got up quietly, careful not to wake Shen Nian'an, who was still fast asleep beside her—the child had fallen asleep last night while chewing on half a sweet potato, his little brows still slightly furrowed, as if he was thinking about food even in his dreams.
Lin Wanqiu touched her son's thin, bony cheeks, her heart softening with a bittersweet feeling. In the two weeks since she transmigrated to the 1960s, she had managed to help Nian'an escape his frail state, thanks to the sweet potatoes and wild vegetables in her spatial dimension, but he was still far from truly healthy. Today, she was going to give her son something different—puffy, fluffy white steamed buns.
With a thought, Lin Wanqiu entered the space of her ancestral jade pendant. The lights in the warehouse were still on, and rows of shelves were piled high with supplies: flour, rice, cooking oil... just looking at them made one feel at ease. She took a bag of refined flour from the bottom shelf and a few free-range eggs from the refrigerated section—these eggs were ones she had collected from the chicken coop in her space last week; they were a size larger than those bought outside, and the yolks were as red as the setting sun.
"With this, I'll make Nian'an a decent breakfast." Lin Wanqiu weighed the bag of flour in her hand, a smile involuntarily creeping onto her lips. As a food blogger in her past life, her greatest skill was making ordinary ingredients look amazing. Not to mention, with such good ingredients now, making steamed buns would be a piece of cake.
Back in the kitchen, Lin Wanqiu first cleaned the iron pot, then found a chipped earthenware bowl. She scooped two bowls of flour into the bowl, added some yeast from her spatial storage—this was a rare commodity these days, impossible to buy outside. With a splash of warm water, the yeast quickly dissolved, white foam floating on the surface like sprinkled salt.
Kneading dough is hard work, so Lin Wanqiu rolled up her sleeves and plunged her hands into the flour, kneading it repeatedly. The dough gradually became smooth and elastic in her hands, carrying a faint aroma of wheat. She covered the dough and placed it on the stove to rise, while she went to the yard to chop firewood—she needed enough firewood to steam buns today.
Lin Wanqiu had only chopped a few pieces of firewood when she heard a soft, sleepy voice calling "Mom" from inside the house. She quickly put down her axe and ran inside: "Nian'an's awake? Is anything bothering you?"
Chen Nian'an rubbed his eyes, shaking his head vigorously like a rattle: "Mom, I'm hungry." His gaze fell on the ceramic pot on the stove, and he asked curiously, "Mom, what's that?"
"That's dough," Lin Wanqiu said with a smile as she picked up her son. "Mom will make you white steamed buns today. They're even tastier than sweet potatoes, okay?"
"White steamed buns?" Shen Nian'an's eyes lit up, and she gripped Lin Wanqiu's clothes tightly with her little hands. "Is it the white steamed bun that Grandma mentioned last time, the kind that only city people can afford?"
Lin Wanqiu's heart sank. Last time, when Old Lady Shen came to take things, she deliberately said in front of Nian'an, "White steamed buns are good stuff, but your mother is hiding them from you." She didn't expect the child to remember it until now. She patted her son's head and said firmly, "Yes, it's those white steamed buns. From now on, Nian'an can have as many as he wants, and Mom will make as many as he wants. He doesn't have to worry about what others think."
Shen Nian'an nodded as if she understood, resting her little head in Lin Wanqiu's arms, and smiled contentedly.
By the time the dough had risen, it was almost Chen Shi (7-9 AM). Lin Wanqiu took the dough out, kneaded it a few times on the work surface, and divided it into small portions. She skillfully shaped each portion into a round bun and placed them in the steamer. The firewood in the stove burned brighter and brighter, and the iron pot soon began to steam. The aroma of wheat mixed with the steam filled the entire house, and could even be smelled in the courtyard.
Chen Nian'an pressed her face against the kitchen doorway, her eyes fixed on the steamer, her little nose constantly sniffing: "Mom, it smells so good! When will the steamed buns be ready?"
"Almost done, just a little longer." Lin Wanqiu smiled and wiped the drool from her son's mouth. "Go play in the yard for a while, and I'll call you when the steamed buns are done."
Shen Nian'an shook her head and stubbornly stood guard at the door: "I'm not playing, I want to wait for the steamed buns to cook."
Just then, a series of light footsteps came from the courtyard gate, followed by the sounds of several children playing. Lin Wanqiu peeked out and saw that the neighbor's children, Xiao Hu and Ya Dan, were peering over the courtyard wall, their eyes fixed on the direction of the kitchen.
Xiao Hu is the son of Aunt Zhang next door. He's six years old and has a chubby face. He usually follows Nian An around playing. When he saw Lin Wanqiu, he scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Aunt Wanqiu, I...we were just passing by."
Ya Dan's face turned red, and she whispered, "Auntie, what are you making? It smells so good."
Lin Wanqiu's heart softened. In these days, every family ate sweet potatoes and wild vegetables every day, and the children were already craving them. She smiled and said, "Auntie is making steamed buns. When they're done, I'll give each of you one to try."
"Really?" The children's eyes lit up immediately. Xiao Hu even forgot his shyness and asked excitedly, "Auntie, is it a white steamed bun?"
Lin Wanqiu nodded, and was about to say "almost done" when she heard Shen Nian'an's voice behind her: "Mom, the steamed buns are ready!"
She quickly turned around and lifted the lid of the steamer. A wave of hot steam rushed out, and the steamed buns inside were fluffy and white as snow. Taking a bite, they were soft, sweet, and the aroma of wheat spread in her mouth, making them more delicious than any steamed buns she had ever eaten in her previous life.
Lin Wanqiu took one and handed it to Shen Nian'an: "Be careful, it's hot, eat slowly."
Shen Nian'an held the steamed bun, taking small bites, her eyes narrowing into crescents: "Mom, it's delicious! So delicious!"
Lin Wanqiu took out a few more steamed buns and handed them to Xiao Hu and Ya Dan at the gate of the courtyard: "Take these and eat them quickly, be careful they're hot."
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com