Lantern Festival
For three consecutive days, the hot roujiamo received unanimous praise, and customers came to buy it one after another.
She set up a big pot around the stall, in which the braised meat was heated. On the other side, she asked someone to make a flat-bottomed pan for making the dough. She pinched the kneaded dough into small pieces, twisted them in the opposite direction, flattened them, and put them on the pan. One pot can heat 30 pieces, and a pot will be ready in a short while.
For three whole days, Fatty Liu had to queue up to buy Roujiamo, mainly because the smell was so delicious when the lid of the pot was opened. Everyone liked to eat it freshly baked.
She earned 1,809 wen in three days, an average of 600 wen a day. He Yingchun smiled in her dreams. Her mother heard her counting money in her sleep at night, and she even mentioned it in the morning while eating.
Wen Jingzhao laughed when he heard this, "Little Money swindler." His voice was so soft that He Yingchun, who was sitting next to him, could hear it clearly.
"cut!"
She lowered her head and gently patted Gesan's head. She dared to touch it. Gesan stretched his head obediently, feeling quite enjoyable. He was about to raise his head to lick her wet and soft hand, but He Yingchun quickly withdrew her hand.
"Gesan, come here." Wen Jingzhao waved his hand, and Gesan ran over happily. Wen Jingzhao tickled it, and it wagged its tail happily.
He Yingchun got up and went to the back room to look for something. She dug out a small bag of peanuts, probably leftover from frying them. She turned to her mother and asked, "The Lantern Festival is coming soon. Should we make Yuanxiao?"
"Okay! Make some with black sesame filling." In previous years, Yuanxiao had to be made at the General's Mansion during the Lantern Festival, and everyone liked to eat the ones with black sesame filling.
He Yingchun picked up some peanuts and found they were all good, not eaten by mice. "Okay, make some more red bean and peanut ones. Make more and sell some in the next couple of days."
"We still can't leave things outside. These potatoes have been eaten by mice and are inedible!" He Yingchun threw the potatoes into the stove, thinking that she had to raise a cat. She had wanted to make bacon a few days ago, but she was afraid that humans would not get to eat it and the mice would enjoy it all.
"Put it in the vat first and put some rocks on it." Wen Jingzhao came over and moved some of the food that was left outside into the vat. "Uncle Wei has a cat at home. I'll borrow it for a few days."
"Shh, keep your voice down." He Yingchun said, "What's wrong?" Wen Jingzhao looked at her up and down and left and right and found it funny.
"Didn't you say it understands human language?" She lowered her voice and spoke to him with her head tilted. Wen Jingzhao couldn't help but pinch her face. She had been eating well recently and finally had some meat on her face. "Just believe me when I say it."
They had to go to the East Market soon, so He Yingchun stopped chatting with him and hurried to knead the dough. After saying hello to Wen Jingzhao, he went to the military camp.
When selling roujiamo during the day, He Yingchun specifically asked if anyone wanted some as there would be Yuanxiao tomorrow. Most people who came out to eat wanted to eat ready-made food. Some old customers asked about the price and asked for some. He Yingchun estimated the number of people, more than ten, so making less would probably be enough.
She planned to sell them at 8 cents for 12. Glutinous rice is more expensive than ordinary flour, and she saw that some small shops sold it at about the same price.
When I went back, I bought some more glutinous rice flour, red beans, black sesame seeds, and peanuts because I had them at home, so I bought less.
When she got home, she washed her hands and started cooking. Thinking of the sweet and glutinous Yuanxiao, she felt a little greedy.
Add water to the glutinous rice flour and stir while adding until a uniform dough is formed. The dough does not need to be too soft or too hard, it has to be just right. Knead it into a smooth dough, cover it with a wet cloth, and wait for a quarter of an hour.
Mom is making black sesame filling. The black sesame seeds need to be stir-fried slowly over medium-low heat. The color of the black sesame seeds becomes slightly darker and emits a unique black sesame fragrance. After frying, they are all served.
Put it on the chopping board and crush it with a rolling pin. This process is very relaxing. The black sesame seeds crackled and turned into foam. When it was almost done, put it in a large bowl, add sugar and oil, and stir until the black sesame powder and sugar and oil are evenly blended. He Yingchun tasted the filling and it had a slightly sweet sesame aroma and a mellow taste.
The dough was ready at this time. He Yingchun lifted the wet cloth and poked the dough. A small pit appeared on the smooth surface.
"I'm awake now, I can wrap it!"
"Let's roll the peanuts later." Mom put the peanuts down and came over with a big bowl of black sesame filling.
He Yingchun called out to the outside, "Wen Jingzhao!"
Wen Jingzhao was still making a doghouse for Gesan. He added a piece of wood on the top, making it look more spacious and more like a small house.
"What's wrong?" He walked in, still feeling the chill from outside.
"If you need help, just crush the peanuts!" He Yingchun instructed.
Wen Jingzhao glanced at Huasheng and said, "Okay, I'll wash my hands."
When he went to wash his hands, his mother nudged her with her shoulder and said, "Our Yingchun is still good at ordering people around." She even dared to order the eldest young master around.
"I just felt it was cold outside..." It was so cold that I had to make a nest for Gesan. It would be fine for Gesan to stay in the house.
"Our Yingchun is the one who cares about others!"
He Yingchun blushed a little, "Hey, wrap it up quickly."
Wen Jingzhao washed his hands and came over to crush the peanuts, while He Yingchun and her mother made Yuanxiao. They pinched the large dough into small doughs, rolled the small doughs into balls, and pinched them into thin slices with their hands. The black sesame filling was rolled into small balls, placed on the dough to wrap the filling, and then slowly rolled into balls. Finally, they put them in glutinous rice flour and rolled them. The Yuanxiao was ready!
The peanuts are also crushed, and like the black sesame seeds, sugar and oil are added, mixed evenly, and the filling is made. In a short while, dozens of small Yuanxiao are ready.
"I'll put this piece of dough here for now. Soak the red beans first. Get up early tomorrow morning and boil a pot of it. Then I'll make the red bean filling when I come back." He Yingchun covered the dough with a basin and pressed something on it.
"Why don't we cook some to try first?" Mom put the black sesame seeds and peanuts on both sides to avoid mixing them up.
"Okay, put it in the pot!" He Yingchun nodded and added firewood to the stove.
The water was boiling, and the plump white dumplings were put directly into the pot. He Yingchun turned them clockwise with a spoon to prevent them from sticking to each other.
"We can put the rest outside overnight and they will be frozen." He Yingchun and her mother placed the glutinous rice balls in the steamer, leaving some space in between to prevent them from sticking together. They then put them outside, wrapped them in cloth, and pressed them down with stones.
Wen Jingzhao helped to get the steamer and said, "It looks like this steamer has never been used to steam anything."
Indeed, it was used to store pancake skins before, and now it is used to store glutinous rice balls. A steamer is actually used for storage.
"Oh yeah..." She looked at the steamer, thinking it would be nice to steam some steamed buns or bean curd.
"Yuanxiao is ready! Come and eat it." Mom called the two of them.
The three of them each filled a bowl. He Yingchun took one with a spoon, blew on it for a long time, and took a bite. "It's stuffed with black sesame."
The outer skin is not particularly soft, but a bit chewy. The black sesame filling is very rich and has a crunchy texture, with a delicate yet rough taste.
"Well...not bad, not bad. Call Li Bin back on the Lantern Festival. He was thinking about this Yuanxiao!" Li Bin left before his injury was healed. He was still a slave and could not leave the barracks for too long.
"Okay, I've already told him." Wen Jingzhao likes peanut-filled ones, and he chooses the ones that don't have black fillings.
He Yingchun saw that he was having a hard time eating, "Give me all the black sesame ones." She put the bowl on the table, "Pick out all the black sesame ones."
"Black sesame is so delicious..." The two of them took turns eating it and finished the whole bowl.
"Okay, I'm full. Luckily it wasn't made too sweet, otherwise it would have been really greasy."
The next day, He Yingchun took them to the stall to sell, packing twelve in a paper bag, and people could take them away directly when they bought them.
At the beginning, everyone came to buy Roujiamo,
"What is this?" Fatty Liu came over to join in the fun.
"Yuanxiao, a pack of twelve, 8 wen each, this one has black sesame filling, this one has peanut filling."
"Is that all?" Fatty Liu asked deliberately when he saw that there wasn't much outside her stall.
He Yingchun saw that he was trying to do some hunger marketing, and nodded with a smile, "That's all, first come, first served."
Fatty Liu quickly said, "Give me two packets quickly. I'll cook them when I get home today."
"Okay!"
He Yingchun thanked him for his support and gave him a roujiamo at noon. "Well, you're welcome. It's a matter of helping each other. Didn't you come to me and buy two scarves the other day?" He has been in business for many years and speaks very nicely.
Unexpectedly, the Yuanxiao dumplings sold very well these days. After they were sold out, some people came to ask if they were still sold. There were even a few people asking if they would still be sold after the Lantern Festival. He Yingchun deeply felt that no matter where you are, it is human nature to love to eat.
I've been selling two things for several days in a row and I'm exhausted. I've just gained some weight and now I have to go back to work.
When they came back in the evening, Wen Jingzhao asked, "Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, so you don't have to go to the stall, right?" "There's a lantern festival tonight, and Li Bin is coming too."
He Yingchun thought for a moment and said, "There are still customers who have ordered Yuanxiao, so I still have to go. I'll go for half a day, make a little, and go back after it's sold out."
"I'm taking a day off tomorrow, so I'll go with you." Ma Tongguang allowed him a day off for the Lantern Festival.
"Goodbye, Mom and I will be back soon." She didn't want to refuse, mainly because Wen Jingzhao was going. He was too eye-catching and tall, so she shook her head without thinking.
Wen Jingzhao raised his eyebrows and was about to speak, "You have to prepare something for dinner. I need to make several dishes." He Yingchun quickly comforted him, "If you go too, we'll only be able to eat Yuanxiao tonight."
Wen Jingzhao reluctantly agreed.
During the Lantern Festival, also known as the Lantern Festival, every household eats Lantern Festival dumplings, which symbolizes reunion.
On this day, the number of people coming and going in the East Market suddenly increased. He Yingchun thought that she had only been selling for half a day and felt a little regretful. She felt sad that she had not earned the money from the remaining half day.
At noon, she still wanted to wait a little longer to make another pot of pancake skins, but Wen Jingzhao actually came over. There were customers nearby, so he didn't come closer and waited at a stall opposite.
"Let's go, let's go." When the mother saw that Jingzhao had arrived, she hurriedly urged him.
"Okay, pack up and go."
"She's gone!" Fatty Liu asked when he saw her leaving.
"Yeah, let's go! Remember to eat Yuanxiao! Happy Lantern Festival!"
"Hey, happy Lantern Festival!"
Wen Jingzhao was pushing the cart in front, "Who is that person?"
"The stall owner who sells cotton-padded jackets often comes here to eat roujiamo." He Yingchun replied.
"oh."
He Yingchun glanced at him, and Wen Jingzhao lowered his eyes with no expression.
She smiled and put the blue scarf around his neck.
“Happy Lantern Festival!”
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