Huang Zheyue had already heated the pan. Jiang Ci added oil and gently shook it to let the oil flow over the sides of the pan. Then, Jiang Ci picked up a piece of bread covered in egg liquid and put it into the pan.
With a sizzling sound, the aroma of eggs immediately wafted out.
Zhou Yang and Zhou Miao stood together at the kitchen doorway, drooling as they peered inside.
I'm so hungry!
Jiang Ci, who was calm and composed, panicked immediately after discovering that the egg was stuck to the bottom of the pan when she flipped it over. How could this be!
She saw Zhou Mingli frying bread slices like this! They don't stick to the pan at all!
Huang Zheyue said from the side, "Aunt Jiang, you didn't pour enough oil."
Jiang Ci: "..."
Kid, don't even think about controlling my life (just kidding).
Jiang Ci quickly poured oil into it.
"No! Aunt Jiang...you...you should fry the bread slices in the pan first before adding oil, never mind...you can continue."
Seeing that she had collapsed, Huang Zheyue remained silent.
"You should have told me there wasn't enough oil when I was adding it!"
Jiang Ci scooped out the only piece of bread from the pot; it wasn't exactly burnt, but it wasn't burnt either.
She picked it up and took a bite.
After six months of learning to cook, I'm still a complete novice.
We must not waste it, we must not waste it, we must not waste it.
She finished the bread slice without expression, looked at the pot, then at Huang Zheyue, and asked, "Do we need to add more oil?"
Huang Zheyue: "Uh...no need, just fry it directly."
Thanks to Huang Zheyue, the steamed buns that Jiang Cijian made later weren't so hard to swallow.
Jiang Ci ate breakfast with the three children and said, "This morning we're going to buy firecrackers."
Kids love playing with these kinds of things, and Zhou Yang and Zhou Miao immediately got excited.
"Mom, can we buy some small firecrackers to play with?!"
"Just a tiny bit!"
Jiang Ci readily agreed, "Sure!"
After washing the pots and pans, Jiang Ci told Huang Zheyue to stay home while she took the two children to buy firecrackers.
She and Zhou Mingli had discussed what they needed to buy for the New Year, but he was busy with work, so the task of buying these things fell to Jiang Ci.
Zhou Mingli told Jiang Ci what he wanted to buy and how much, so when Jiang Ci came to buy firecrackers, he already knew what he wanted.
Buy a 1,000-shot firecracker. For couplets, except for the main gate, just buy a smaller size with a red background. Also buy window decorations, melon seeds, candies, nuts, and the like.
Before the holiday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs distributed salaries again, which included cigarette and alcohol coupons. Jiang Ci used all the coupons to buy cigarettes and alcohol and took them home to entertain guests.
Zhou Yang and Zhou Miao got the firecrackers they wanted—the kind that go off when you drop them. This excited the two children so much that they ran outside with the firecrackers, took one out of the box, and threw it on the ground.
There was a loud cracking sound.
"Wow!!"
"That's what Da Zhuang and the others downstairs are playing! It's so much fun!"
"Watch this!" Zhou Miao's face flushed with excitement as she threw out a firecracker, which popped with a loud bang.
These firecrackers were fun and safe. On the way back, Zhou Miao and Zhou Yang didn't even ride their bicycles anymore. They walked and threw firecrackers as they went, making a loud crackling sound, but they didn't mind the noise.
"Look at the clothes I made for my family for the New Year! What do you think? Not bad, right?"
"Your stitches are really good! I made some for my own family too, but they're not as good as yours."
"It's good enough if we can even have it, don't be so picky!"
Jiang Ci, who was walking on the street, heard these words and remembered them.
Wearing new clothes is a tradition for Chinese New Year.
She pondered for a moment.
Zhou Mingli returned at 3 p.m.
Jiang Ci was surprised to see him. "Weren't you going to cook with Chef Mo?"
"It's still early, there's still dough rising in the pot. I'll take it out; I'll need your help making dumplings this afternoon." Zhou Mingli took off his coat and looked at her. "Does your head still hurt?"
They were talking about whether she would feel unwell from a hangover.
"I don't feel anything." Jiang Ci shook her head, her eyes sparkling with surprise and interest. "How do you wrap dumplings?"
Zhou Mingli paused, realizing something was wrong.
I forgot that Jiangci doesn't know how to make dumplings.
However, judging from her enthusiastic appearance, making dumplings must be a novel experience for her.
Zhou Mingli smiled and said, "I'll teach you in a bit."
He quickly took out the risen dough, kneaded it, cut it into strips, rubbed it again, and then cut it into small pieces.
Huang Zheyue immediately reached out her hand, "I can roll out dough! I can make dumplings too!"
Zhou Mingli jokingly remarked to Jiang Ci, "Even a child can do that."
Jiang Ci laughed and pinched his waist.
Zhou Mingli took a breath, "Be careful not to get flour all over yourself."
Jiang Ci and Zhou Mingli had a good relationship, so Huang Zheyue was used to it. He went to get a rolling pin and skillfully rolled out the small pieces of white flour that Zhou Mingli had cut into dough sheets.
Zhou Mingli placed the filling on the table.
Making dumplings is actually quite simple. Jiang Ci studied it seriously for a long time, from putting in too little filling to putting in too much filling and then putting in just the right amount of filling. It took her a long time to figure it out.
Zhou Mingli brought over a bamboo sieve. "Sprinkle a layer of flour on it, then put the wrapped dumplings on it and take them to the kitchen near the window."
"I understand. You should hurry up and go, or you'll be late." Jiang Ci waved her hand, signaling him to leave.
Zhou Mingli stared at her, glanced at Huang Zheyue who was focused on rolling out dough, and quickly kissed her cheek. "I'm leaving."
Soon, Zhou Mingli left in a hurry.
After Jiang Ci waited for him to leave, she suddenly remembered that there was something she hadn't said yet.
She hissed, "How could I forget something so important?"
Huang Zheyue looked at Jiang Ci with a strange expression.
Jiang Ci smiled easily. "Do you want to know?"
Huang Zheyue: "Is it good news?"
Jiang Ci: "That's certainly good news."
Huang Zheyue: "I want to know! I want to know!"
Jiang Ci pressed a plump dumpling and said, "We might have to move after the New Year."
"Huh? Where are we moving to?" Huang Zheyue asked, confused.
"My workplace allocated me a house, a courtyard house, but I don't know exactly where it is. We will be moving there later."
This is fantastic news!
Huang Zheyue's eyes lit up, but then she asked curiously, "Aren't we living quite well here?"
Jiang Ci said, "This is Cheng Shaotian's house. We are just staying here temporarily. The house allocated by the work unit belongs to us."
Huang Zheyue immediately perked up, "That's wonderful! Haven't you told Uncle Zhou about this yet?"
Jiang Ci's lips twitched.
Before the holiday, both she and Zhou Mingli were busy. Zhou Mingli left early and returned late every day. He would only come back after she fell asleep, and by the time she woke up, he had already left. Although they slept in the same bed, they didn't have any time to talk.
She got drunk again last night, and when we bumped into each other just now, she forgot to mention it. She's been putting it off for ages, and hasn't said anything at all.
"Let's talk about it when he's done with his work."
I'll have to go to the Cheng family's house later and talk to them about this. When we move out, we need to make sure the house is thoroughly cleaned.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
