After waking up from her afternoon nap, Xu Lai started making the roasted chili sauce. The chilies had already been drained, and there was no water or oil in the pan. She stir-fried the chilies until they developed a tiger-skin pattern, then put them in a food processor, added garlic, and minced them.
Heat oil in a wok, add onions and fry until fragrant. Pour the hot oil over the chili peppers in small amounts several times. Season with salt, chicken bouillon, MSG, sugar, and oyster sauce. Stir well and it's ready.
Store the prepared roasted pepper sauce in the refrigerator; it will last for a month.
After making the chili sauce, she started kneading the dough. She is from the south, but after living in B City for many years, she can also make some noodles. Her main method is to add water if there is too much dough, and add more dough if there is too much water.
After kneading the dough until smooth, cover it with plastic wrap and wait for it to ferment. Then prepare the filling for the buns.
Mince the pork, add some chopped scallions, mince the pork cracklings and add them in as well, drizzle with hot oil to release the aroma, mix well, and the filling is ready.
Xu Lai suddenly had a whimsical idea to make shumai. She happened to have some glutinous rice at home, so she soaked some in water and steamed it for half an hour.
The dough had risen enough, so Xu Lai cleaned the work surface, kneaded the dough by hand, rolled it into a long strip, and then cut it into small, evenly sized pieces.
Since there was no rolling pin at home, she found a stick, cleaned it, and rolled the dough into a wrapper.
She rolled out the dough, and Grandma wrapped it up beside her. After she finished rolling out the dough, her glutinous rice was also soaked. She rinsed the glutinous rice twice, steamed it for ten minutes, and that was it.
When the time was up, Xu Lai transferred the glutinous rice to a basin, added corn kernels, pork cracklings, and stir-fried minced meat, and mixed it well.
She didn't make many this time, probably enough for about ten. While her grandmother made steamed buns, she was making shumai. She held the wrapper with her thumb and forefinger, put the filling in, and then slowly closed it up, pinching it into a shape that was narrow at the top and wide at the bottom.
After wrapping the dumplings, she steamed them in a pot with water already boiled in advance. All she had to do was put the steamer basket on top. Since she couldn't finish them all at once, she kept some of the dumplings and put them in the freezer.
All the steamed buns were finished. There weren't many to begin with; Xu Lai just wanted to taste what pork lard buns tasted like.
The steamed buns were fluffy and soft. Xu Lai took one, burned it, and twirled it in her hand before putting it in her mouth. She took a bite, and the aroma of oil filled the air.
After dinner, Grandma collected the green beans, tied ten together, and put them in a jar. Xu Lai followed her example and tied them quite well.
When Xu Lai found herself with so many green beans at home that she couldn't eat them all, she finally couldn't sit still any longer. She decided to pick some and sell them on the street, otherwise they would all rot at home, which would be a waste.
She borrowed a tricycle and went to the market with her grandfather to sell vegetables. To sell things, you have to go early, getting up at five o'clock to get a good spot.
To ensure the vegetables were fresh, Grandpa got up at four in the morning to pick them. Xu Lai yawned repeatedly, and for a moment he felt that selling vegetables might not have been the right decision.
The plums in her yard were ripe, and she picked a basketful to see how the market was doing. If they sold well, she could set a price.
Just after five o'clock, Grandpa rode his tricycle, with Xu Lai sitting behind him, and the two set off.
When she arrived on the street, the market area was already bustling with activity. She often bought vegetables there before, and many of the vendors knew her. They asked her with some surprise, "You're here to sell vegetables too?"
As Xu Lai unloaded the vegetables, she said, "Yes, there are too many vegetables; we can't possibly finish them all."
Seeing that she was having difficulty moving things, the aunt offered to help her. Xu Lai thanked her with a smile. After everything was cleared out, Xu Lai wiped her sweat and gave the aunt a few plums to try.
"Auntie, why don't you try some? These are plums we grew ourselves. If we sold them, they could definitely fetch several yuan a pound." Xu Lai asked humbly.
The vegetable vendor wiped the plums with her clothes, took a bite, and found them sweet and sour, which was very refreshing. She praised, "They're quite delicious. Six yuan a pound is no problem."
Xu Lai continued, "How much do our green beans and chili peppers cost per pound in the market now?"
The auntie glanced at it and said, "Green beans are three yuan, and chili peppers are five yuan."
Having figured things out, Xu Lai took a piece of cardboard, wrote down the price, and waited for customers to come.
It was still early, so she decided to go to Grandma Yunxiu's shop for some noodles. Grandma's shop was not far ahead. Xu Lai told Grandpa and then left.
She ate a bowl of noodles and said to Grandma Yunxiu, "Grandma, pack another bowl of noodles for me."
While scalding the rice noodles, Grandma asked, "Going out so early, are you here to buy groceries today too?"
Xu Lai pointed to the stall in front of her, "I'm here to sell vegetables. We can't finish all the green beans, peppers, and loofahs at home. Oh, by the way, I'll get you some later."
Grandma Yunxiu followed her hand and saw an old acquaintance, Brother Xu.
She added another ounce of powder, saying, "I saw my older brother, so I added more powder for him. Here, Xiao Lai, give this to your grandpa."
Xu Lai thanked him and offered him rice noodles. She was there to sell vegetables. During this time, someone came to weigh chili peppers, but she hadn't brought a scale. She didn't know how to use that old-fashioned scale. Her grandfather went to throw away the trash.
The vegetable vendor called out to her, "Come on, come on, let me weigh it for you."
The woman pressed the buttons on the electronic scale twice and said, "It's exactly one jin (500g), five yuan will do."
The man scanned five coins, and Xu Lai said gratefully, "Oh, Auntie, thank you so much, otherwise I wouldn't know what to do."
The vegetable vendor waved her hand: "Oh, we're all just setting up stalls, we help each other out."
Finally, there were some chili peppers and green beans left. The loofah and cucumbers were all sold out. Xu Lai took the chili peppers and green beans to Grandma Yunxiu. Afraid that she would not accept them, she said, "These are the ones that were not sold out. There are still many at home. Grandma, please take them and eat them."
After a busy morning, she counted the money; including what she received on WeChat, she had made a total of eighty yuan.
Some people might think it's a small amount, but Xu Lai doesn't think so. Those elderly people over seventy years old also make a living by selling vegetables. The money they earn from selling vegetables in a day might be their living expenses for several days.
Before she came back, Grandpa would sometimes go to the street to sell things. In winter, he would sell bamboo shoots; in spring, he would sell ferns and bamboo shoots; in summer, he would sell watermelons and plums; and in autumn, he would sell peanuts and jicama.
They are able to support themselves and do not want to burden their children financially.
Since she came back, her grandparents have rarely gone out. They usually do farm work and play cards when they have nothing to do. The reason she works hard to earn money is to see them live a happier life.
She gave all the money she earned to her grandmother. Why not her grandfather? Because her grandfather would also give the money to her grandmother, so she went straight to him.
Grandma smiled and said, "Then I'll keep it. I'll keep all the money you gave me before, and use it to add to your dowry when you get married."
Xu Lai joked, "You're giving them all to me? Not to Sister Xu Yin?"
Xu Yin is her uncle's daughter. The two are a year apart in age. They have moved to her aunt's house. Her uncle is considered a half-married-in-law and only comes back once a year for the Chinese New Year.
Grandma smiled and said, "I'll give you some, but I'll give you the most."
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