Chapter 154: Changing Faces Live to Make Mooncakes
While he was speaking, several people behind him also ran over, afraid that they would be a step slower than him.
"Who are you?" Zhou Yuesheng asked.
The few of them hesitated for a long time and did not reveal their identities. They only vaguely said that they had something to do with Yu Chaochuan.
Yu Zhile guessed their intention and explained it to Zhou Yuesheng in a low voice.
The selection of ocean-going crew members is about to begin, and they are sending gifts to Yu Chaochuan under the pretext of the Mid-Autumn Festival, hoping to be selected.
The little thoughts were laid out clearly on the table, and several people looked unhappy. However, after learning about Yu Zhile's identity, their attitude changed 180 degrees, and they treated her with concern and concern as an elder.
"Let's go." Zhou Yuesheng interrupted their courteous behavior.
When the group arrived at the small courtyard where Yu Chaochuan lived, they found that there were already more than a dozen people standing in the cramped courtyard, and the small square table was filled with unpacked packages, including wine, cloth, candy and other things.
Seeing this, the people around Yu Zhile rushed into the yard, hurriedly unwrapped the packages in their arms, and said, "Captain Yu, tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. My wife has prepared some small things. I hope you like them."
When the package was opened, it contained candies, biscuits, cloth and cotton from the supply and marketing cooperative.
"Take them all back. I have no control over the ocean-going fleet." Yu Chaochuan took a deep puff of his homemade cigarette.
Someone flattered him, "Captain Yu, who doesn't know your position in the ocean-going fleet? If you dare to say one thing, no one dares to say another."
When this was said, some people agreed, while others hid their own little thoughts.
"Big brother, I have no other intention in giving you gifts. Just think of it as a visit during the New Year holidays," he said.
This happens every year in Yu Chaochuan's house, and the villagers are used to it. They just take people to his house and leave, making the courtyard more and more lively.
The more people there were, the more openly they spoke. They began to compare the value of their gifts and begged him to be kind during the selection process.
"My words are really useless. You should go back and exercise well." Yu Chaochuan repeated this sentence.
However, no matter how much he talked, the group of people would not listen and insisted on getting a promise from him.
Soon, a loud bicycle bell suddenly interrupted the noise, causing everyone to turn their heads and see a ball approaching on a bicycle from afar.
The man who came had a chubby body, and the flesh on his face would tremble if he moved the slightest.
"I'm the secretary of the cannery in town." He walked into the yard proudly and stated his identity. When he saw the pile of things on the table, his eyes widened. He cleared his throat pretentiously and said, "I'm here on behalf of the ocean-going team to inform Yu Chaochuan that we have a new captain. He will no longer be involved in the work of the ocean-going team. I will be responsible for the selection and registration in the future."
He said the second half of the sentence specifically for the people around him to hear. He looked sideways at the scene where everyone was looking at each other in bewilderment, and he felt very proud.
Yu Chaochuan hummed and lit another cigarette.
After a long while, the first person ran to the small square table to pack up his package, and the others followed, and the small square table was empty in an instant.
A group of people escorted the secretary out, and the secretary then caught a glimpse of Yu Zhile and the other person standing at the door.
"You must be the person in charge of the sideline business group of Haiyu Village." He squinted his eyes and looked at Yu Zhile.
Yu Zhile crossed his arms, looked back with the same expression, and said, "Yes, it is me. What's the matter?"
"By the way, I want to tell you that starting from next month, the price of seafood will be reduced by one third." The secretary's eyebrows were furrowed like two caterpillars. "I'll give you half a month to consider it. If you don't accept it, you can go and settle this year's payment before the end of the month."
Before Zhile could say anything, he walked out with his chin up. Whenever he made a random sound with his throat, someone would rush to push the cart for him.
"What kind of person is this?" Yu Zhile sighed. "If this kind of person is in charge of selecting crew members, the ocean-going team will be in trouble sooner or later."
Yu Chaochuan crushed his cigarette, watched the group walk away, and let out a long sigh.
"Grandpa, my aunt, uncle, third uncle and his adoptive parents will all be returning to Haiyu Village tomorrow." Zhou Yuesheng noticed his depression and took the initiative to change the subject, "They will arrive around ten o'clock, so don't go out to sea tomorrow."
"Okay, okay, okay, the family should be reunited on Mid-Autumn Festival, and I have to have a good drink with my old friend Fang." Yu Chaochuan said repeatedly, his mood getting higher.
After saying goodbye to him, the two of them headed for home. On the way, they met Zhang Ping and a few others who had gotten off work early. They were carrying small packages in their hands.
"Le Le, it's great to meet you." Yu Feng handed over a palm-wide strip of pork belly, a tube of mooncakes, and a red envelope, "This is the store's Mid-Autumn Festival gift."
Zhang Ping handed over a cloth bag and said, "This is what Xiao Shuang asked you to carry."
Yu Zhile thanked him with a smile, and Zhou Yuesheng reached out to take everything.
After they chatted for a while, Yu Zhile found out that the state-owned restaurant would be closed tomorrow.
Before parting, Zhou Yuesheng suddenly took out a roll of money, which made everyone stunned for a few seconds.
"It's from the quarry, and I'll pay you every three months." He explained simply, "This is the money from the six of you, only their food expenses have been deducted."
Zhang Ping and the others understood, took the money with mixed feelings, and then turned and left.
"How much money can you make in a month?" Yu Zhile asked curiously.
Zhou Yuesheng said a number that made her eyes widen. The salary there was far beyond her imagination.
"It's all physical work, sometimes twelve hours a day," Zhou Yuesheng explained.
The food in the quarry was average, and those people’s personal freedom was restricted, so they didn’t even have the chance to spend money.
Yu Zhile said "oh" and looked through the ingredients Hu Shuang bought for her with great interest. She planned to make mooncakes tonight and make good use of the bread oven built by Zhou Yuesheng.
She was planning to make the famous egg yolk and lotus seed paste mooncakes from Guangdong Province, and had asked a village craftsman to make the mooncake mold two days in advance.
"Has the exact date of the Autumn Harvest Party been decided?" Zhou Yuesheng asked.
Yu Zhile replied, "September 30th. Grandma Zhang said that day is a good day, and everyone can rest the next day."
After that, Zhou Yuesheng didn't say anything else and just listened to her talk about her plans for the evening with a smile on his face.
Yu Zhile staged a tangled drama. When talking about soap water, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't done a live broadcast for a long time, but she couldn't guarantee the time of the next live broadcast, so she kept jumping back and forth between broadcasting and not broadcasting.
"Broadcast." Yu Zhile made the choice just before stepping into the house.
Zhou Yuesheng smiled and said, "Well, I'll light a fire and bake mooncakes for you."
After entering the door, Yu Zhile started the live broadcast and changed the name of the live broadcast room to the name of the mooncake.
In just a few minutes, tens of thousands of viewers flooded into the live broadcast room, and the screen was covered with dense barrages of comments.
Fresh lotus seeds, salted duck eggs, flour and other ingredients are neatly placed on the long table. The family members wash their hands and sit around the table to prepare the ingredients together.
"Dad, Mom, Shengge and Yuanyuan remove the lotus seeds, Xiaoyue and Xiaozhao take out the egg yolks, and Xiaobao and I knead the dough." Yu Zhile divided the work among everyone.
Everyone agreed and started to work.
Making Cantonese mooncakes requires a special ingredient - lye water, which can be made with toasted baking soda, but Yu Zhile bought it directly from the mall to save trouble.
"Xiaobao, add water, syrup and oil, and stir well." Yu Zhile asked Yu Chi to put the ingredients into the bowl.
Next, she sifted the flour in and stirred until there was no dry powder. She then covered the dough with a large wooden basin upside down and helped to remove the lotus seeds.
On the other side, Yu Yue and Chen Zhao moved very efficiently and quickly separated the sixty raw salted duck eggs, put the egg whites aside, and picked up the egg yolks to wash.
"This is the first time I heard that lotus seeds can be used as mooncake filling," said Lan Yuanyuan.
Yu Zhile explained: "Lotus paste is similar to red bean paste and jujube paste. It is boiled, mashed into paste and then fried with sugar. It is sweet."
"We used to have a comrade from Guangdong Province, and he said that there are fruit mooncakes in Guangdong Province," Yu Haiguang continued.
Lan Yuanyuan was very surprised. The combination of sweet lotus paste and salted egg yolk was surprising enough to her. She had no way of imagining the taste of fruit as mooncake filling.
"We have some peaches at home. I'll make some for you to try later," said Yu Zhile.
A few people chatted while working, and they finished removing the lotus seeds in less than half an hour.
Yu Zhile went into the kitchen, peeled and cut the peaches into pieces, then added sugar and a small amount of water into the pot and simmered over low heat.
"What are mooncakes?" She read out the fish farming master's comment, "This is a snack that our planet eats in traditional programs."
After she finished speaking, she heard a sound behind her. She turned around and found that it was Zhou Yuesheng who came in to cook lotus seeds, so she continued to answer other questions from the audience.
She stopped looking at the screen until the peach flesh became soft and mushy, and slowly poured the starch into the pot, stirring as she poured. Then she fry it over low heat until the filling clumps together and does not stick to the pot, then she takes it out and continues to fry the lotus paste.
After they had fried the stuffing, the egg yolks sprayed with white wine just came out of the bread oven.
While waiting for the dough to ferment, Yu Yue cooked a pot of glutinous rice and pumpkin porridge, and fried the egg whites with chopped green and red peppers.
After a simple dinner, the family continued to make mooncakes, wrapping the fillings with dough, pressing them into the mold, and then knocking them out.
The bread oven is not big and can only bake twenty at a time, so they bake them as they make them.
The high temperature allows the flour and oil to fully combine, and the slightly sweet aroma of salted egg yolk and peach are intertwined, exuding a rich and tempting aroma.
The barrage of comments in the live broadcast room reached its peak the moment the mooncakes came out of the oven. Even xxxx and asdf were blown out and put on the small display window.
Yu Zhile turned off the live broadcast and went to the mall to purchase raw ingredients. He then asked the warehouse manager to prepare the ingredients into packages and put them on the shelves.
"I want to eat five!" Chen Zhao made a bold statement.
Yu Zhile smiled, cut the mooncake into four pieces and asked him to taste it first.
The egg yolk and lotus paste filling is very oily, the lotus paste is slightly sweet and smooth, and the egg yolk is salty and fragrant, the two go surprisingly well together.
The peach mooncakes have a rich fruity aroma and the filling is soft, sweet and not greasy, and they have also received rave reviews.
Chen Zhao ate five small pieces of egg yolk and lotus seed paste mooncakes in a row and began to feel greasy, so he took a few sips of tea.
"How is it?" Yu Zhile asked with a smile.
Chen Zhao quickly raised his hands in surrender, which made everyone laugh.
After that, three batches of mooncakes were baked in succession, and it was already ten o'clock.
Yu Zhile asked her family to go and rest first, and she and Zhou Yuesheng continued to watch the fire roasting the last batch.
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