Xu Shen scratched his head, clearly not having thought of that. He counted out a dozen or so bills and handed them to Xu Lai, saying, "I won't give you a red envelope. The thought is what counts."
When Xu Lai got home, she counted the tips everyone had given her and found that she had over four thousand yuan. Not only did she not lose money, she actually made a profit.
Having some free time lately, she thought about making some baking gadgets.
Xu Lai found honey bread rolls online. Her grandma used to buy them for her when she was little, but they're not sold on the streets anymore.
She searched for a tutorial online, prepared the ingredients according to the instructions, and then kneaded the dough. She also had some black sesame seeds at home, so she took them out, brushed the bottom of the kneaded dough with honey water, sprinkled it with white sugar and sesame seeds, and then waited for the dough to rise for an hour.
While the vegetables were rising, she prepared to cook. Summer was here, and there were so many vegetables at home that she couldn't keep up with the demand. She had just picked some amaranth that morning and planned to make a preserved egg and amaranth soup for lunch.
Heat oil in a pan, add preserved eggs and garlic, then stir-fry until the surface of the preserved eggs is slightly browned. Add boiling water, bring to a boil, then add amaranth. Once the water boils again, it's ready to serve.
There were still some preserved eggs left, and the family also had enough chili peppers to pick. Xu Lai picked a few chili peppers, put them in the wood-fired stove to roast, and then used tongs to peel them.
Then I dug out the dusty mortar and pestle in the house, washed it clean, added garlic, preserved eggs, and green peppers, and pounded it into a sauce.
Finally, I stir-fried some pork with chili peppers, and then it was time to eat.
Today's meal looked very appetizing, and Grandpa even drank half a glass of wine more than usual. He ate the pounded chili and preserved egg dish one bite after another.
Xu Lai asked, "Is it delicious? If it is, I'll make more next time?"
Grandpa took a sip of wine and said, "It tastes good, I like it."
Grandma talked about the ducks at home: "Those chickens and ducks lay eggs every day, and we can't eat them all. Why don't you take me to the market to sell some someday?"
Xu Lai thought for a moment and said, "How about this, let's pickle the duck eggs into salted duck eggs. I didn't get enough of the ones Grandma made last year, so let's continue making them this year."
Grandma thought about it and realized it made sense. Every household raises chickens and ducks, so they probably wouldn't sell many. Making them into salted duck eggs would preserve them.
After Xu Lai finished eating, she put her bread on the grill, "180 degrees Celsius, 18 minutes."
She still had some tart shells at home, but no more egg filling, so she decided to make them herself following an online tutorial.
Two egg yolks, a little sugar, 150ml of pure milk, strained, and poured into the tart shells. Xu Lai was very satisfied: "If I didn't tell you, who would know that this is my homemade egg tart filling?"
The oven was still baking, so she took out the air fryer and put the egg tarts in.
After a while, the kitchen was filled with a sweet aroma. Xu Lai took out the bread to cool. She tried one first. It was soft and fluffy with a slightly charred crust at the bottom. It tasted just like the bread she remembered.
Grandma went for her afternoon nap, so she put the bread in the basket and covered it with a dust cover.
People get sleepy after eating, and Xu Lai was no exception. She was too lazy to go upstairs. The grape trellis in the yard was already covered with grapevines, creating a large shady area. So she brought out her grandfather's armchair and a small stool to rest her feet on.
Laifu and Xiaohei lay nearby. As they gradually became familiar with their surroundings, they no longer needed to be tied up with ropes.
Xu Lai then took a small bread to tease them, breaking off half for herself and feeding the other half to the puppy. Sometimes she gave it to Xiao Hei, and Lai Fu would bark at her.
Xu Lai stuffed the last piece of bread into its mouth, patted its head, and said, "Alright, how could I forget you, right, Laifu?"
She washed her hands and picked up a newspaper to read. This newspaper was delivered every month, but her grandparents always used it to wrap cured meat.
She started to feel sleepy as she read, so she covered her face with the newspaper to block out the light and soon fell asleep.
Xu Lai was fast asleep and didn't notice a small hand by the courtyard gate. The owner of the small hand quietly ran in.
Her feet were no longer on the stool, so the little girl ran under the grape trellis, took the stool, and sat down on it.
She slept for quite a while. The little girl waited for a while and, seeing that she still showed no signs of waking up, reached out and touched her hand.
While Xu Lai was sleeping, she felt something crawling on her hand. It felt soft to the touch. She thought to herself, "Could it be a caterpillar?" So she grabbed the thing and opened her eyes. She saw a little girl, about three or four years old, smiling at her.
Xu Lai froze, her brain went blank, and her first thought was, whose child is this?
Thinking this, she asked the question. The little girl didn't say anything, but just kept smiling at her.
Xu Lai was stunned. She scratched her head, somewhat at a loss, until the little girl tugged at her hand, pointed to the kitchen, and stared at her expectantly.
Xu Lai understood; the child probably wanted something to eat. Luckily, she had just made some bread. She led the child to the kitchen, grabbed a plate, and gave her two honey buns and two egg tarts.
Xu Lai handed her the plate and said, "Are you hungry? Eat up."
The little girl took it and whispered her thanks, "Thank you, sister."
Xu Lai, with her sharp ears, naturally heard it clearly. She smiled and said, "Maybe I know your mother. You should call me Auntie. I'm not young anymore."
The little girl took a small bread roll to eat, and Xu Lai, worried that she might be thirsty, took a bottle of milk, inserted a straw, and handed it to her.
She eats very politely, and she looks like a child from a good family. I just don't know how she got out of here.
Seeing that she was gradually relaxing, Xu Lai asked, "What's your name? Where do you live?"
The little girl replied, "My name is Yiyi, and I live in Shangxi Village, Baiyun Town, Heng County, H Province."
Xu Lai laughed when she heard her say that. Are all children like this? They are taught by their families from a young age that they live in a certain village in a certain town in a certain province.
Xu Lai patted her head and asked, "Then who is Yiyi's mother?"
Yiyi thought for a moment and said, "A mother is a mother!"
Xu Lai realized that Yi Yi wouldn't understand her question, so she changed her approach: "Auntie is asking, does Yi Yi know what her mother's name is?"
Yiyi thought for a moment and said, "My mother's name is Xie Meiling."
Xu Lai felt the name sounded familiar, and she continued, "How did you end up here?"
Yiyi smiled shyly: "Auntie's bread smells so good, Yiyi likes to eat bread."
Xu Lai understood, and pinched her cheek with a smile: "So Yiyi is a little glutton!"
The little girl felt sleepy after eating, probably because she had run away from her afternoon nap. She fell asleep on the chair.
Xu Lai was worried that Yi Yi wouldn't be comfortable sleeping, so she carried her to her grandmother's bed. She brushed the hair away from Yi Yi's face and looked worried. Whose child was she anyway?
Around five o'clock, Yiyi woke up. She was a little confused when she woke up, and then she started crying. Xu Lai was preparing food outside. When she heard the noise, she quickly ran to the room.
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