Chapter 171 The Family Makes Dumplings
Zhao Yunxi was responsible for rolling out the dough to make the dumpling skins, while Su Meng was responsible for making the dumpling fillings.
The filling is a big project, because they prepared five kinds of fillings, including corn, carrot and minced meat filling, leek and pork filling, celery and black fungus filling, taro and diced meat filling and fresh shrimp filling.
If Su Meng were to make so many fillings by herself, it would probably take her a whole morning before she could finish it.
In the past, during the winter solstice festival, there were only three of them, grandparents and grandchildren, so the servants had to stay behind to help them with cooking and other things.
But this year is different. There are three more women in the family, and they can all do cooking and other things.
It was also Zhao Yunxi and Su Meng who suggested that they be given a day off today so that they could go home and spend the winter with their families. After all, on such a festival, it is natural to hope that the family can be reunited.
So there were no servants to help, and they had to do it themselves.
In order to speed up the progress, Lin Zhenzhu, Zhao Jiaying, Ou Zichen and Ou Zilong, four generations of grandparents and grandchildren, also joined Su Meng's work.
Su Meng chopped the pork filling and cut the meat into cubes, while Zhao Jiaying helped to peel corn kernels and dice carrots and taro. Lin Zhenzhu helped wash the vegetables, Ou Zilong processed the shrimps, and Ou Zichen was responsible for frying the fillings.
The family members divide the work and cooperate with each other very well, so the efficiency is naturally very high. It took about an hour to prepare all the fillings for the dumplings.
On Zhao Yunxi's side, she had also prepared the dumpling skins. It was not an easy task for her to roll out the dough and make so many dumpling skins by herself.
I have to stand the whole time, and my back and waist are a little sore now.
Ou Zichen felt sorry for her: "Wife, you've worked hard, how about we make the dumplings later? You take a rest."
"It's okay. I'm not that weak."
"Then let me rub your shoulders!"
Without waiting for Zhao Yunxi's consent, he did it immediately and began to rub Zhao Yunxi's shoulders gently.
Such a sweet scene made Su Meng envious and she couldn't help but say something.
"Brother and sister-in-law are so loving, I'm so envious!"
These words made Ou Zilong realize that he had not fulfilled his duties as a husband, so he stepped forward to help Su Meng massage her shoulders.
"Wife, you've worked hard, let me massage you, too."
As a result, Su Meng said to him: "After the fact!"
This immediately caused everyone to burst into laughter.
Hahaha……
Lin Zhenzhu smiled and said, "Zilong, you still have to learn from your elder brother how to love your wife!"
Ou Zilong answered humbly: "I know, grandma."
Now that the fillings and dumpling wrappers are ready, the next step is to make the dumplings.
Zhao Yunxi and Zhao Jiaying had experience in making dumplings, so they were naturally adept at it. Ou Zichen had learned it once at Shen Linghao's house last time. Although he was not very good at it, he could still cope with it.
Su Meng was born in the countryside. In the past, she would make dumplings with her grandmother during the winter. But since her grandmother passed away, she has never made dumplings by herself again. If she really wants to eat them, she will go out and pack some to bring home.
Although I haven't made dumplings for seven or eight years and my skills are a little rusty, I haven't forgotten how to make them.
Lin Zhenzhu has been in charge of the family for so many years and knows almost everything, but she is old, and the brothers Ou Zichen don't want her to be too tired, so they don't let her do anything.
But today she can make an exception. After all, this is the first time this year that the house is so lively, and it is a very happy thing for the whole family to sit together and make dumplings, so how can she miss it!
Finally, the only one left was Ou Zilong. How could this young master, who had never done housework and seldom entered the kitchen once a year, make dumplings?
But if he doesn’t know how to do it, he can learn it. If he doesn’t learn, he will never be able to do it.
What's more, the whole family is busy, and he would feel embarrassed to just sit and wait for food!
So he asked Su Meng to teach him.
Su Meng patiently taught him several times, demonstrating in detail how to spread the dumpling skin on the palm of your hand, put in the fillings, and finally slowly pinch up the two sides of the dumpling skin.
But this requires manual labor after all. It is not something you can do just by watching it a few times. It looks quite easy.
Ou Zilong tried it several times, but he could only barely pinch up the two sides of the dumpling skin, and was simply unable to produce the lace pattern that Su Meng taught him.
In the end, Su Meng even disliked him.
"Ou Zilong, I don't think you have the talent for making dumplings, why don't you just sit aside and wait for your meal."
Ou Zilong was unwilling and said, "No, this is not my first time learning! I will definitely get better after a few more times."
Zhao Jiaying encouraged him: "Uncle, it doesn't matter if it looks ugly, as long as it's edible. Don't worry, if they don't eat your dumplings, Yingbao and Tangyuan will eat them all."
Zhao Jiaying loves dumplings the most, she can finish them as many as she wants.
What's more, whether dumplings are delicious or not does not depend on how well they are wrapped. It mainly depends on whether the dumpling skin and filling are well made?
Hearing Zhao Jiaying's words, Ou Zilong was moved and said, "Yingbao, you are really the sweet and caring little cotton-padded jacket of Second Uncle. You are the best."
Zhao Jiaying doesn't dislike Ou Zilong, so as his wife, Su Meng naturally can't say much.
With everyone's joint efforts, it took almost an hour to finally wrap all the dumplings.
Next, it’s time to cook the dumplings.
Ou Zichen originally wanted to volunteer to cook because she didn't want Zhao Yunxi to be too tired.
But Zhao Yunxi thought that he would definitely not be able to cook so many dumplings by himself. Ou Zilong knew nothing about kitchen matters and was unable to help much.
We can't ask Su Meng to help! This would be a bit embarrassing.
So in the end, the important task of cooking dumplings was left to the two hostesses, Zhao Yunxi and Su Meng.
However, cooking dumplings is not that complicated, it is nothing more than steaming, boiling, frying and deep-frying.
Frying is too hot and it is not suitable for the elderly and children.
Finally, we chose steaming, boiling and frying so that everyone can have a choice.
In about thirty minutes, plates of fragrant dumplings came out of the oven.
Zhao Jiaying had been sitting at the dining table waiting. Looking at the freshly-baked dumplings, not only did his stomach growl, but he was also drooling with greed.
However, no matter how hungry she is, she will wait until everyone is seated and told that they can start eating before she eats, because it is a matter of courtesy and etiquette.
Also, the portion for her dearest friend Tangyuan must be prepared first.
Tangyuan’s wound had just healed and it was not suitable for him to eat fried food, so Zhao Jiaying only prepared steamed and boiled food for him.
However, I love to eat glutinous rice balls whether they are steamed or boiled. Tangyuan was raised by Zhao Jiaying, so his preferences are almost the same as Zhao Jiaying.
The little master loves eating dumplings, so Tangyuan also likes eating dumplings.
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