Chapter 26 (Second Update) Rice Wine Dumplings
Chapter 26 Rice Wine Dumplings
"Cough cough cough!"
For the first time in his life, He Lingyun felt something rush straight to the top of his head, instantly opening up every vein above his neck. He couldn't even cough up anything at that moment.
After swallowing it all, you close your eyes in pain and wait for the feeling that shoots straight to the top of your head to completely pass, or rather, until you are completely numb, before you can control and restore your facial expressions, as well as cough and speak.
He Lingyun's face turned as red as a boiled crab, and he looked terrible!
"Wang, Wang Sumo!" He Lingyun's eyes welled up with tears!
Although Wang Sumo was mentally prepared, she did not expect his reaction to be so exaggerated.
Scallions dipped in sauce are indeed quite delicious.
She also fulfilled her obligation to inform in advance—she would have a thorough check-up from head to toe.
He knew it, and then it was voluntary.
Wang Sumo glanced disdainfully at the remaining half of the scallion, frowned, and then coughed lightly, saying, "Perhaps the scallions your Qingyun Manor's main kitchen buys are exceptionally potent and different from others?"
He Lingyun was truly furious!
He must have been completely fooled by her to eat scallions with sauce!
It also gives you a thorough clean-up from head to toe!
Nonsense!!
"Is this how Bazhenlou usually swindles and deceives people?" He Lingyun said angrily.
here we go again……
Wang Sumo sighed inwardly, then calmly said, "Second Young Master, you really need to change your temper. You always escalate things to the east or west of the Eight Treasures Pavilion. You only do this because you have Qingyun Manor behind you, and the Old Master and Master Huo are protecting you. If it were anyone else, with this kind of temperament, they would surely be picked clean, gnawed on, and drunk as a snack in the martial world."
Wang Sumo smiled "politely" at him, speaking in a friendly manner, but saying things that sent chills down one's spine.
For a moment, He Lingyun still got goosebumps all over.
Perhaps the lingering warmth of that scallion hadn't completely dissipated, leaving me feeling a little dazed.
But Wang Sumo was still smiling "politely".
He Lingyun crossed his arms, turned his head, and scoffed, "Scare tactics!"
"The world is a dangerous place~" Wang Sumo also broke off a small handful of scallions from the remaining ones. The smell was a bit strong, so he kept his distance, lightly dipped them in the sauce, and before putting them in his mouth, he sighed, "Otherwise, why would the old master be so worried that he would be so bored that he could only stay in Nanshan Garden and talk to the free-range chickens?"
He Lingyun finally turned around to look at her.
Just then, Wang Sumo took a bite of a scallion dipped in sauce.
Although, He Lingyun still subconsciously wanted to say something to remind her, but she had already bitten down.
He Lingyun: "..."
He Lingyun has a big head.
Sure enough, after Wang Sumo took a bite, he was fine at first, but suddenly, he froze, his eyes stopped moving, and his breathing stopped, as if he had been frozen by something.
Then, very quickly, his eyes suddenly closed, his forehead and brows furrowed, and he shook his head inexplicably. After a long while, as if trying to recover, he opened his mouth and exhaled desperately, his face turning red just like his.
He Lingyun was initially amused and annoyed, but suddenly her anger seemed to dissipate.
Some people probably didn't intentionally want to see him make a fool of himself; they themselves were thoroughly embarrassed.
Sure enough, Wang Sumo's eyes were filled with tears, and she sincerely exclaimed, "The purchasing power of your Qingyun Manor's kitchen is indeed extraordinary."
He Lingyun genuinely burst out laughing this time.
That's interesting!
But to be honest, once that initial burst of energy subsided, it really felt quite exhilarating.
Unlike the exhilarating sparring sessions with the old man before, I felt completely at ease this time.
Indeed, the body is the most honest indicator...
Meanwhile, Wang Sumo was still intently examining the remaining half of the scallion, muttering to himself, "Before leaving, I should definitely ask the kitchen at Qingyun Manor to buy a few of these scallions. The old man will definitely like them. He always says he gets sleepy while driving the carriage; when he does, a scallion... mmm, it refreshes him!"
He Lingyun was truly at a loss for words to describe Wang Sumo. He recalled when Lu Wenqu mentioned Wang Sumo, he first smiled, then coughed twice with his fist, presumably in thought. Just as he was about to speak, he coughed twice more with his fist, and finally smiled at him, saying, "It's really hard to describe. In short, you'll know once you've met him."
It's really hard to describe, you'll know once you see it...
He now knows the reason.
"I've gone to see the old man," He Lingyun said calmly.
Wang Sumo turned to look at him. Under the blazing sun, someone's back was illuminated by the sunlight, shining as if it were plated with a layer of gold.
Wang Sumo glanced at it, then continued looking down, "Why don't we buy a couple more bundles? Green onions keep well and can be used for many dishes."
After all, good things are hard to come by.
Turning back, someone's figure had already disappeared into the courtyard of the small kitchen. Wang Sumo's lips curled slightly, an awkward, strange smile...
When Wang Sumo turned to look at her pot and her fish, she felt a little uneasy. She still had to wash the pot herself, and she had to put the fish back in the fishpond.
*
After washing the pot and dishes, we put the two crucian carp back into the fishpond, and they were overjoyed.
Yes, it almost became a dish, but now it's swimming freely in the water. I guess that's what it means to survive a disaster.
It's really going to turn from a crucian carp into a koi.
Such a lucky fish, she shouldn't eat it. It'd be good to keep it at Bazhenlou as a lucky charm; let's give it a name!
"Miss Wang." He Ping's voice sounded from behind.
It was He Ping who arrived, not He Lin. Wang Sumo stood up and said, "Great Hero He."
He Ping asked gently, "What is Miss Wang doing?"
“Oh, naming the fish~” Wang Sumo said seriously, “There are six in total. We’re going to name them A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4, A-5, and A-6.”
He Ping: "..."
He Ping coughed lightly twice, clenching his fist, and asked tactfully, "Can you tell the difference?"
Wang Sumo hissed softly, thought for a moment, and said, "I can't tell them apart yet, but I guess I'll be able to after looking at them for a while."
He Ping couldn't help but laugh. After getting to know Wang Sumo, he understood why the dishes at Bazhenlou were so delicious. It was probably because the people had to be interesting first for the dishes to be interesting.
"Is there something you need, Master He?" Wang Sumo asked.
Otherwise, it should be He Qingque who came here.
He Ping nodded and cupped his hands, saying, "Miss Wang, the Master of the Manor has already met with the Old Master of the Manor, and he wishes to see Miss Wang."
Master Huo?
Wang Sumo blinked. She had met Old Master He first, and then she met her. She had a rough idea of what was going on.
He Ping continued, "Right now, the Master and the Old Master have gone to the top of Qingyun Mountain. They should be back by nightfall, so we'll probably have to trouble Miss Wang to prepare a midnight snack."
He didn't return until nightfall, but he still wanted to see her, which means that Master He didn't postpone it until tomorrow.
"I understand." Wang Sumo smiled. "By the way, what kind of late-night snack does Master Huo like to eat, or are there any taboos?"
He Ping was raised by Master Huo, who treated him like half a disciple and half a son; He Ping should know this.
He Ping thought for a moment, hesitated for a second, and then said, "If the young master likes Yuanzi, the manor lord will eat with him."
Huo Ling? She had just heard He Lingyun mention it. Because he accidentally injured Huo Ling, the old man spent half of his life's energy to save Huo Ling. He Lingyun felt guilty, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
His relationship with Huo Ling must not be good.
"Is your young master not at Qingyun Manor? I haven't seen him for the past few days," Wang Sumo asked casually.
He Ping glanced at her, knowing she had asked on purpose. He Ping didn't expose her, and calmly said, "The old master used half of his cultivation to save the young master, but the young master's injuries still need to be treated by a famous doctor. At present, the madam is accompanying the young master to Liuzhou for treatment, and it will take about half a year before she returns."
Liuzhou? Wang Sumo looked at him, "The two-faced doctor Fang Rushi?"
He Ping looked slightly surprised, then nodded, "That's right, the young master is receiving treatment from Physician Fang."
He Ping also asked, "Does Miss Wang know Doctor Fang?"
Wang Sumo forced a smile. "We're quite familiar with each other."
He has a strange temper and can change his mind faster than turning the pages of a book.
He doesn't eat beef because a cow saved his life; but that's only abstaining from beef, though beef must be used as an ingredient in his dishes, and his soups must be made with beef and beef bones for flavor. The reason is that since he doesn't eat beef, he doesn't want the soup to have any flavor either?
In short, he's an eccentric person, but his medical skills are truly excellent.
She was the one the old man went to see Fang Rushi.
Fang Rushi was willing to treat the old man's illness because he was extremely picky about food, and other chefs couldn't stand it or were unwilling to do so. She stayed at Bazhenlou for a month because of the old man's headache.
Fang Rushi's temper was indeed eccentric, but she was a miracle worker.
She took the old man to see many doctors, but they all said there was no cure. Fang Rushi also said there was no cure, but after staying with him for a month, the old man's headaches would not recur for a year.
That's why she dared to leave the old man alone at the Bazhenlou restaurant.
But deep down I was still worried that I couldn't stay at Qingyun Manor for too long.
She also remembered Fang Rushi's words: this treatment for a month could prevent a recurrence for a year, but it might not be the case in the future...
While he was lost in thought, other disciples came to Zhenxiu Garden to find He Ping. He Ping took his leave, saying, "Miss Wang, see you later."
"Okay." Wang Sumo also put his thoughts aside.
Fang Rushi put that aside for now and thought about Yuanzi first.
Glutinous rice balls (tangyuan) are also called sweet rice balls or floating rice balls. They evolved from rice flour dumplings. Glutinous rice balls are made by wrapping fillings such as sesame, red bean paste, and white sugar in glutinous rice flour, and are a popular dessert.
It can warm you up in winter; and if you add ice to it in summer, it can cool you down.
If you prefer a sweeter taste, add more sugar, sesame paste made from pork fat, sweet red bean paste, and white sugar to the filling;
If you don't like sweet flavors, you can make white rice balls—small rice balls about the size of a fingernail made only of glutinous rice flour, without any filling.
These are all currently popular ways of eating.
But she wants to make rice wine dumplings tonight.
Speaking of which, it was because He Ping mentioned Fang Ru Shi earlier. She had made rice wine dumplings for Fang Ru Shi before, and Fang Ru Shi liked the unusual flavor. It's rare to see rice wine and dumplings like this, but Fang Ru Shi liked it and ate it for breakfast for half a month straight.
The rice wine is fragrant, and the glutinous rice balls are soft and chewy. In the weather of July and August, just after the hottest days of summer, having rice wine and glutinous rice balls for dinner should make for a good night's sleep.
A good late-night snack is one that helps you fall asleep easily, rather than one that's too heavy.
Let's make rice wine dumplings.
There's still some time before nightfall, so you can take your time to prepare.
The imperial court implemented a system of monopolizing wine production, with a dedicated government agency responsible for winemaking. Private brewing of most wines was prohibited.
The wine produced in the wine cellar is then supplied to restaurants and shops, where people can purchase it normally.
Alternatively, some merchants may acquire the right to brew and sell wine through a purchase system; these merchants are also authorized to brew and sell wine.
Apart from that, only low-alcohol rice wine is permitted for private brewing.
Therefore, rice wine is relatively easy to find, and every household can brew it.
Others are another matter.
Wine is subject to taxation, and the tax rate varies from year to year. Therefore, even wealthy and powerful families cannot always have an abundance of wine.
The chivalrous heroes in the stories told by storytellers, who often drink ten catties of yellow wine, are mostly just for the amusement of their listeners and are not very reliable most of the time.
More often than not, it is the chivalrous heroes who love wine who will carry a gourd with them. When they come across a place with wine, they can fill the gourd with wine and slowly sip it.
She had casually asked about it when she was making braised lamb liver in the main kitchen. The chef in the main kitchen said that Qingyun Manor had its own brewed rice wine. Although it couldn't brew yellow wine, the manor kept some in the cellar, but not many were still available.
She doesn't need much rice wine to make rice wine dumplings; the one she has on hand is enough.
As for the white rice balls, she quite likes hand-rolled glutinous rice balls.
With plenty of time, we can take our time and do it slowly.
He Qingque had disappeared somewhere, so she asked other disciples from Qingyun Manor nearby to help her get rice wine, glutinous rice flour, and some osmanthus sugar.
She brought her own copper and earthenware pots, and they were easy to use; but she went to the main kitchen to choose the bowl for the rice wine dumplings herself.
Desserts are different from meals. Meals, in addition to their taste, also provide a balance of satiety.
However, desserts have very low requirements for satiety; compared to satiety, desserts focus more on the taste that people can perceive.
The experience encompasses more than just the taste on the tongue; it also includes the visual impact of what the eyes see. Desserts offer even more of this experience compared to main courses, making the tableware used to serve them crucial. The role of aesthetically pleasing and appropriate tableware in serving desserts is self-evident.
Wang Sumo chose the celadon bowl.
"So beautiful..." Wang Sumo was captivated at first glance, and no one could possibly dislike it.
The glaze is transparent and lustrous, a pure white with hints of blue. When held up to the sunlight, the bowl is translucent. The deeper areas of the design on the bottom are a darker blue. It's truly beautiful and irresistible.
However, such craftsmanship must be quite expensive, and it is probably rare even among martial arts sects.
Although this set of bowls is placed in the main kitchen, it is located deep in the kitchen's storage area. It must have been overlooked before. If it were placed elsewhere, it would probably be hard to find. However, because it was overlooked, it is still well preserved.
"Thank you for your help, I'll take this set." Wang Sumo told the kitchen manager, who then had it packed up and sent over.
With this set of tableware, Wang Sumo's mood for making rice wine dumplings seemed to have improved even further.
In the past, she always felt that the Eight Treasures Pavilion was on the road, and that the porcelain bowls would easily break due to the many bumps and knocks along the way. But after seeing the actual bowls this time, she suddenly felt that she should also own a Eight Treasures Pavilion. She shouldn't avoid it just because of the risk of breakage; she should think about how to preserve it properly so that her journey is filled with things she truly loves.
Back at Zhenxiuyuan, everything needed for making rice wine dumplings was ready, and it was almost time.
After washing my hands, I put on armbands and a waist towel. Since I was kneading dough, I was bound to get covered in dust, so armbands and a waist towel were essential.
Heat the water in the copper pot on the stove to a temperature similar to that of your hands (around 30-40°C), until you can clearly feel it with your hands. Then pour it into a kettle with a long spout for later use.
Using a long-spouted kettle makes it easier to knead the dough later.
Although He Ping said it was for Master Huo's midnight snack, there was no guarantee that someone else might come, so it was still necessary to prepare more glutinous rice flour and pour it into a bowl, then slowly add the warm water that had just been boiled into the bowl.
Don't go too fast, and you should pour water in while stirring slowly with chopsticks until it's evenly mixed. If you go too fast or stir it unevenly, it's easy for it to clump together.
This process requires patience. Add water while stirring. If you feel that the water is being added too quickly, stop and stir a few more times before adding more water.
Haste makes waste; in short, the process of kneading dough requires relative patience.
But the aroma of glutinous rice will also waft through the air while kneading the dough, making the whole process full of anticipation and far from boring. Once the glutinous rice flour in the bowl has formed a crumbly texture under the influence of warm water and stirring, you can start kneading the dough.
Kneading glutinous rice flour feels completely different from kneading regular flour.
The glutinous rice dough can be kneaded repeatedly in the bowl. There are no special techniques involved; just keep kneading until the whole bowl of glutinous rice dough can be held in the palm of your hand and lifted without falling off.
Dough at this consistency will neither break due to being too dry nor fall apart due to being too wet.
Once this step is complete, you can pour the rice wine into the copper pot and start heating it.
Next, we'll get to the essence of making floating dumplings!
During the kneading process, a lot of air was actually mixed into the glutinous rice dough. To make the floating dumplings delicious, the air in the glutinous rice dough needs to be expelled before shaping and cooking.
Wang Sumo casually pinched off a lump of dough and placed it in his palm, then squeezed it hard.
When air is expelled from the dough, you can clearly feel it in your palm.
After deflating the dough, roll it with both hands into small strips about the thickness of one finger and one to two fingers long.
Once the pot lid is lifted, the small strips of glutinous rice dough in your hand can be pinched off to your desired size, gently rolled into a pearl-like ball, and then placed into the rice wine in the copper pot.
The aroma of boiled rice wine is delightful. To enhance the flavor later, you can add some osmanthus sugar and white sugar in advance. Add as needed, and add more later if you feel it's not sweet enough, so the soup base won't be too sweet.
The worst thing about desserts is that they're too sweet and make you feel nauseous.
Especially when making rice wine dumplings.
Since it's rice wine, not sweet soup, the essence lies more in the wine's flavor.
The aroma of rice wine in the copper pot continued to waft through the small kitchen. The boiling rice wine slowly bubbled, and the fragrance seeped into every part of the body through the nose.
Mmm, delicious.
She likes rice wine dumplings. Although not many people make them this way, anyone who tries them once will love them. Wang Sumo kneads the glutinous rice noodles one after another, then pinches them into small balls, rolls them into balls, and puts them into the pot.
The process itself is peaceful and healing, because outside the small kitchen window, the glow of the setting sun gradually falls on the garden and the trees.
Sometimes, we would park the Bazhenlou restaurant by the river and watch the sunset while cooking rice wine dumplings. We would especially enjoy watching the dumplings slowly cook, gradually rising from the bottom to the surface of the rice wine. Then we would add cold water and wait for it to boil again.
Repeat this process two or three times until the white-flour dumplings are cooked.
Cooked glutinous rice balls will expand and grow larger.
At this point, you can see the color of the filling in the glutinous rice balls. The plain white glutinous rice balls without filling are the ones she made with rice wine today. They are crystal clear, but the aroma and sweetness of the rice wine and osmanthus sugar have been fully infused into them.
I scooped up a bowl of rice wine, blew on it gently, and found that most of the purity of the rice wine had evaporated after boiling. The aroma that was blown out was just a pleasant sweetness, enough to make your mouth water just by smelling it.
Holding a bowl in one hand and a small spoon in the other, I gently stirred the contents, then scooped up a spoonful and blew on it lightly. Once it cooled to a suitable temperature, I put it in my mouth, and the sweet and soft texture made me want to close my eyes and savor it.
The happiness and pleasure that desserts bring at certain times is incomparable to that of meals.
The soft, glutinous texture, combined with the silky smoothness of rice wine and the rich aroma of rice wine broth, along with the sweet fragrance of glutinous rice, offers an unparalleled enjoyment and satisfaction.
Wang Sumo couldn't help but nod in agreement.
He Ping had just sent someone to inform us in advance that the Manor Lord and the Old Manor Lord should be coming down from Qingyun Peak soon, and Wang Sumo was also estimating when to do so.
Sure enough, just as she finished singing, He Ping arrived at the small kitchen. "Miss Wang, the master of the manor has arrived."
The timing couldn't be better, allowing you to taste the texture and flavor of the glutinous rice balls right after they come out of the pot, which is truly incomparable to reheating them after they've cooled down.
"Perfect timing! Has the old master arrived?" Wang Sumo asked first.
He Ping shook his head, "The old master went back to Nanshan Garden first, the master came by himself."
There really was only one person. "I understand, I'll be right there." Wang Sumo put down the ordinary small bowl in her hand. She had only been tasting it and hadn't filled it with much.
Now that Master Huo has arrived, Wang Sumo has brought the prepared celadon bowl.
He Ping recognized the texture: celadon porcelain...
The cooked rice balls were poured into a celadon bowl, and the bowl, now filled with rice wine rice balls, immediately displayed three layers of color under the light.
The colors of the celadon bowl itself, the color of the rice wine it contained, and the color of the floating dumplings on the surface complement each other perfectly.
He Ping couldn't help but secretly admire him in his heart.
Wang Sumo scooped a spoonful of osmanthus sugar and poured it on the surface. Some of the osmanthus sugar clung to the floating glutinous rice balls, while others either sank to the bottom of the bowl or floated in the rice wine, creating distinct layers that were arranged in a pleasing and orderly manner.
Huo Lianchi picked up the bowl of rice wine dumplings from the tray. She had tasted ginger juice dumplings and honey dumplings before, but this was her first time trying rice wine dumplings.
Perhaps the color of the osmanthus sugar was too bright and beautiful on the white glutinous rice balls, because when Huo Lianchi scooped up a spoonful, he scooped up rice wine, white glutinous rice balls and osmanthus sugar at the same time.
He blew on it lightly, then put it in his mouth.
The moment it entered her mouth, Huo Lianchi frowned slightly. The aroma of wine, the soft and chewy texture of the white rice balls, and the scent of osmanthus sugar filled the air. It didn't have a thick filling, yet it offered a richer texture than rice balls with fillings.
Huo Lianchi's frown revealed surprise, inquiry, but even more so, a hidden delight.
He couldn't resist taking another bite, savoring the flavors and textures he hadn't fully experienced earlier. For instance, the white rice balls, though seemingly without filling, had the flavors of rice wine and osmanthus sugar infused into them, creating an enjoyable experience that blended seamlessly with every bite.
It's not a separated filling and crust, but a seamless whole.
He Ping saw that he didn't speak or comment, but took another spoonful and put it in his mouth, followed by another spoonful.
He Ping knew that the owner of the manor really liked this rice wine dumplings, and couldn't stop eating them...
"
[Author's Note]
That's awesome!! The nutrient solution level has surpassed 3000! There will be an extra update tomorrow, see you then~ [cheering]
Sweet fermented rice balls wishing everyone sweet dreams [purple heart]
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