Chapter 25 The Ice Vendor: A spoonful of glutinous rice balls, a spoonful of ice
The freshly fried lotus-shaped pastries looked very crispy. Lu Qiong scooped them out and placed them on a clean porcelain plate. The outer petals were pinkish, and the inside was pale yellow, even more beautiful than lotus flowers.
The most amazing thing is that its pastry is very thin but won't break, and it won't easily fall off even if you handle it.
But Jinniang didn't dare to get too close to look, afraid of breaking it: "With so many layers of pastry, how can we preserve it properly?"
Lu Qiong then placed another dough ball into the oil and slowly fried it: "If you put it in a food container and don't bump into it, it shouldn't break."
Seeing that the oil temperature was too high, they asked Jinniang to help reduce the amount of firewood, otherwise it would crack, and if it was fried until crispy, it wouldn't be crispy anymore.
After frying this one, Jinniang followed suit. The first one didn't bloom properly, resembling a budding flower. She fried three or four more before it finally took shape.
The two of them fried nearly ten in a row, each one blooming on the plate, with a faint aroma wafting out.
Seeing that Shuangjie was still in the courtyard teasing Xue'er with Lu Xuan, Lu Qiong hurriedly called them in: "The lotus flower pastries are all ready, come in quickly. There is a basin of water next to the stove, wash your hands first, and wipe the sweat off your foreheads as well."
Jinniang grabbed Shuangjie'er by the collar and pulled her close, her icy hands slipping behind her neck, making Shuangjie'er shiver.
Her palms were indeed sweaty. Seeing that Shuang'er's face was bright red, she soaked a washcloth before wiping Shuang'er's face and scolded, "Why are you playing for so long? You'll have to change your clothes later."
“Kids are all playful.” Lu Qiong leaned against the door and couldn’t help but laugh as she watched them busy themselves.
Jinniang wrung out her washcloth, letting the water drip into the basin: "Sweating makes you prone to catching a cold, which would be troublesome."
Only after everything was tidied up did they begin to taste the lotus flower pastries.
Lu Qiong had eaten lotus flower pastries a few times in her previous life, but this was the first time she had eaten them herself. She was quite looking forward to it. She held a piece of lotus flower pastry in her palm, took a bite along the edge of the flower, and found that the taste was light and only a few crumbs fell off. It seemed to be a success.
It was sweet only when you tasted the crispy center, which was even a bit cloying for her, but it suited the taste of people from Bianjing. You could tell from the way Jinniang and the others squinted their eyes while eating.
Lu Qiong thought the lotus-shaped pastry wasn't anything special, and it even had a texture somewhat like an egg yolk pastry. It was just more exquisite in appearance, suitable for display at palace banquets; even if you couldn't eat it, it was still pleasing to the eye.
It would be even more perfect with a cup of tea!
After Shuangjie finished eating a piece, her mouth and palms were covered in oil and pastry. She turned towards Lu Qiong, but her eyes were fixed on the lotus flower pastry on the plate. She licked her lips and said, "Sister Qiong's pastries are so delicious!"
That's how kids are; they wear their thoughts on their sleeves, but they won't say it directly, they'll make you guess.
Lu Qiong knew perfectly well why Shuang Jie was acting this way, and smiled with her eyes crinkling, but she didn't expose her, wanting to tease her: "Thank you, Shuang Jie, I'll make you something delicious next time."
Shuangjie was surprised that her trick didn't work on her. She closed her grin and praised the lotus flower pastry with a serious expression: "This flower is beautiful, even more beautiful than the ones you buy outside."
She tried so hard that her little face scrunched up, which made everyone laugh.
Fearing that her tongue would get tied too, Lu Qiong stopped teasing her, took the pastries off the plate, and handed them to Shuang Jie'er: "If you like them, take them and eat them again."
Shuangjie didn't understand why they were laughing. She only knew that she had gone to great lengths to get a meal, and she wished she could immerse herself in it and enjoy the food.
*
The day before the poetry gathering, Xu Sao Fish Soup Shop next to Lu Ji's restaurant underwent a complete transformation.
The driver dragged carts full of matching wooden tables and chairs to Lu Ji's side, not enough to fit on one road and taking up a small piece of land in front of Lu Ji's shop.
A slender figure stood by the door, directing the servant to hang the plaque: "A little to the left, a little higher..."
The commotion of moving things was quite loud. Sister Yang was nearby, kneading dough with such force that the whole table was shaking. She still looked worried: "Won't their shop have any impact on us? I think these wooden chairs are newly made."
Lu Qiong absentmindedly shredded the cucumber, not even noticing the uneven thickness: "Let's just watch for now, and see how it goes in a few days. Tomorrow's poetry gathering is the important thing."
No matter how calm they tried to be, they couldn't change the fact that San Niang's Tangbing Shop was indeed having some influence on them. Because of the various items they displayed, Lu's Shop inevitably became a bit noisy, and some customers were unwilling to patronize it.
After a period of quiet, new diners arrived, but they only ordered a drink of water, perhaps because it was too hot to bear.
With nothing to do, Lu Xuan sat on a bench outside counting the floor tiles. When she counted to the seventy-ninth tile, a wheelbarrow stopped in front of their shop with two large buckets on it.
The peddler, with a cloth draped over his shoulder, wiped the sweat from his brow under the scorching sun. After resting for a while, he called Lu Xuan over: "Is Manager Lu here?"
The low wall that had been built a few days ago had dried completely, and the newly made long cabinet had been placed a few steps away from the low wall. Lu Qiong stood in it and wrote in the account book.
The income has been noticeably lower these past two days. This is because there are more peddlers selling drinks on the street, and fewer customers are coming to Lu's shop to buy money. However, regular customers are still willing to patronize the shop.
The amount of soup noodles sold has also decreased, totaling several hundred coins less than in previous days.
Lu Qiong rested her elbows on the table and couldn't help but sigh. Soon after, she heard Lu Xuan rush in, bringing good news.
"Sister, the ice peddler is here!"
Upon hearing this, she couldn't stand still any longer and immediately put the ledger into the drawer, along with the pen.
The peddler's wooden bucket was unusual; it was lined with a layer of dry straw mixed with sawdust, and the top of the bucket was also covered with a thick layer of dry straw. This was to keep the temperature warm and slow down the melting of the ice.
The sun was shining brightly outside, but Lu Qiong still felt a slight chill as she approached.
The peddler removed the straw and placed it on the side of the cart, revealing a huge block of ice inside, half the size of Jin Niang's tofu board. Lu Qiong's eyes widened at the sight.
I really want to reach in and touch it!
"Manager Lu, this is ice that a young man asked me to deliver."
Lu Qiong nodded, knowing that the "young master" he was referring to must be Xie Xun's friend.
She had agreed to buy ice with his friend that day, so she couldn't take advantage of him and had to pay the agreed amount. She also asked, "How much will all of these cost in total?"
"That young man said the total would be two hundred coins."
So low? These two buckets together are quite a lot, enough for Lu Qiong's shop to use for seven or eight days, even including the poetry gathering.
But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. That friend must have given her the discount because of Xie Xun. Since that's the case, she accepted the favor, but next time she would have to pay the original price.
Lu Qiong seemed to be thinking about something. After a short pause, he told the peddler to wait and go back to count out two hundred coins, and gave him an extra ten copper coins as a reward.
Because the bucket of ice was too heavy, Lu Qiong asked him to help move it to the back door, otherwise it would melt if it was too close to the stove.
Finally, she found some dry straw to put on top, and if possible, she would like to cover the ice with a blanket, as ice is said to be stored in ice cellars in this way.
Since seeing Bing, Lu Xuan has been quite excited; if she had a tail, she would be so excited she could practically fly to the sky.
Even Sister Yang was no exception; she would often sneak a peek at Bing while filling water containers.
Lu Qiong was also craving ice, and since it was too hot, she asked someone to find her an awl and a hammer, washed them in water, and used them to tap the ice blocks in the bucket.
First, a small crack appears on the surface. Then, if you tap along the crack, the crack becomes longer. After tapping several times, a small piece of ice falls off and crashes into the ice below with a clang.
Lu Xuan and Yang Jie leaned over to get a closer look, their eyes following the movement of the ice cubes, and they couldn't help but swallow.
"Sister, this shaved ice looks delicious!"
Lu Qiong was amused by her words: "How is ice delicious that you'd be happy to eat it plain?"
Lu Xuan's hands were a little tired from resting on her knees, but she still smiled and nodded: "Even just eating ice is fine, it's so refreshing."
Lu Qiong found it amusing. If someone really becomes addicted to eating ice, then they are iron deficient and somewhat anemic, and need to replenish their iron levels quickly.
The next step is simple: break the ice and place it on top of your water for a refreshing drink.
However, Lu Qiong thought that since they had already come this far, it wouldn't hurt to do a few more steps. She decided to make the ice and snow cold dumplings that were needed for the poetry gathering, so that she wouldn't be at a loss for what to do tomorrow.
Yuanzi are various kinds of small glutinous rice balls, made by kneading glutinous rice flour with various fillings into small balls.
Just as she was worried about not having any fillings ready, Sister Yang took out the mung bean paste she had steamed that morning: "I accidentally washed too many beans today, and there are still some left unused."
Lu Qiong smiled and took the plate: "Perfect, this is for making mung bean dumplings. Go get a bowl of glutinous rice flour too."
The shelf on the stove was full of seasonings, and there was still more than half a bowl of sugar in the earthenware jar. Lu Qiong poured a small half bowl into the mung bean paste, stirred it into a dough with her clean hands, and the sugar granules that were rough on her hands melted into the bean paste.
Sprinkle a bowl of glutinous rice flour on the dough, and the color of the dough will lighten, but it will not affect the taste.
After kneading the dough, Sister Yang also rolled it into small balls. Soon, one by one, the snow-white glutinous rice balls were placed on the board.
Seeing that there was still a small piece of dough left, Lu Xuan took the initiative to turn on the fire, poured out the water that was not needed in the pot, and let the water flow out along the small ditch she had dug.
While the fire was burning, she poured cold water back into the pot.
Lu Xuan was afraid the fire wasn't strong enough, so she kept stuffing straw and firewood into it. Her face was sweating from the heat, but she still wouldn't leave the fire.
His eyes remained motionless, the firelight reflected in his pupils, and he prayed in his heart that the water would boil quickly.
Perhaps heaven heard her prayers, for the water gradually boiled, making a muffled gurgling sound.
"Sister! The water's boiling! We can cook the dumplings now."
After saying that, he strode over to them, picked up all the dumplings in his hands, and poured them into the water.
The small glutinous rice balls were scalded and rolled around, bobbing up and down, while bubbles kept rising to the surface of the water.
Whether she was amused by the dumplings or by Lu Xuan's eagerness, Lu Qiong laughed until tears welled up in her eyes.
Even the usually "calm" Sister Yang snatched the long wooden dagger before her and kept stirring the dumplings in the pot to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
The small glutinous rice balls are scooped out as soon as they float to the surface and then rinsed in cold water to make them chewy and have a better texture.
The ice had melted a bit and was easier to break. Lu Qiong tried her best to break it into a shaved ice shape and put it all in a bowl.
A spoonful of glutinous rice balls, a spoonful of ice, and a small bowl of water, mixed together, make icy cold glutinous rice balls.
With a pale yellow hue reminiscent of mung beans, the small glutinous rice balls are chewy and have a refreshing coolness that soothes the soul and dispels the summer heat.
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Author's Note: Tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve. Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Lunar New Year!
I can't wait to eat New Year's Eve dinner! I'm getting hungry just writing this! [doge emoji]
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