You should be rewarded well.
Upon hearing this, the family all smiled and chatted briefly in return.
Seeing that they were acquainted, Su Lin continued, "I will be opening a cloth shop in Songbai Village soon and will be stationed there permanently. If General Gu and his family need anything from me, I will do my best to help."
After the family exchanged pleasantries with Su Lin, Su Lin bent down beside Gu Zhao. His deep eyes and a deep smile filled his face. "Zhao'er, this is the New Year's money your uncle prepared for you. Here, keep it."
Gu Zhao didn't know what to do when he thought about this morning. A man saw this and laughed, "Brother Su, you really are always one step ahead of us. Not only did you discover General Gu's family earlier, but you even got the New Year's money before us."
A man laughed heartily and said, "Brother Zhao'er, although I don't have much money to give you as New Year's gift, my family makes a living selling candied haws. From now on, Zhao'er, please eat as much as you want. I'll give you as much as you want."
Seeing everyone's hospitality, Bo Shuang smiled sheepishly and said, "I will never forget the kindness you all have shown my family. How can I let you spend so much money again?"
Su Lin chuckled and said, "Mrs. Bo, don't worry. It's just a small token of my appreciation for the child. As for those little things that require only a little effort, there's no need to mention them."
Zhao Huaian nodded. "General Gu's contributions will be remembered for generations to come, and he has benefited countless people. We have no way of repaying his kindness. As his relatives, how could we ignore you when you are in trouble? And now that we are fellow villagers, it is only natural for us to help each other."
After the two of them finished speaking, everyone echoed them and applauded loudly.
Just then, Jin Zhenjiao came out from behind the screen and said, "Look, I've come at the right time, haven't you all come here to welcome me?"
Everyone burst into laughter. While chatting and laughing, they did not forget to wrap the dumplings in their hands.
Song Tiaotiao didn't forget Gu Chengjue's thoughts after all.
She sprinkled some flour on the table and smiled softly at Gu Chengjue, who was looking expectant. "As usual, I'll demonstrate each step for you first. It might be a little difficult, but I'm sure you'll be able to do it."
Gu Chengjue nodded repeatedly and watched attentively.
Song Tiaotiao grabbed a dough from the basin. She first flattened the dough with her palm, then rolled it in circles with a rolling pin. Then a piece of dough of appropriate thickness was spread out in her hand.
Song Tiaotiao looked at the filling in front of her, and it turned out to be a rare three-fresh flavor.
Fresh winter mushrooms and scrambled eggs are chopped into small pieces, while the shrimp are deveined and placed whole. The filling seems to be mixed with sesame oil, but its flavor doesn't dominate, with only the occasional rich sesame aroma, making it hard not to be tempted.
When Song Tiaotiao thought about enjoying such delicious food tonight, her mood became even better, and her hands moved more lightly.
She first picked up a proper amount of stuffing with a chopstick and placed it in the middle of the dough. Then she dipped the chopsticks in a little water and spread it evenly on the edge of the dough. Then she gently folded the dough wrapped with the stuffing, pinched it with the tiger's mouth of both hands, and squeezed it hard in the middle. A symmetrical crescent dumpling was easily made.
Song Tiaotiao held the dumplings in her hands and handed them to Gu Chengjue, saying with a smile, "This is what the dumplings we eat most often look like. However, the art of making noodles has a long history, and there are many ways to make dumplings. I'm trying some other methods for you."
The steps before kneading are basically the same, but after clever changes in different finger techniques such as pushing, pinching, twisting, and squeezing, they eventually become delicious dishes with their own characteristics.
Every time Song Tiaotiao finished making a dumpling, she would introduce it to Gu Chengjue. Now, Gu Chengjue lingered on the wheat ear dumplings, willow leaf dumplings, and treasure bottle dumplings that Song Tiaotiao kept sending him, his eyes slightly downcast.
As soon as Song Tiaotiao gave the order, Gu Chengjue immediately took action. If he encountered something he was dissatisfied with during the process, he would refer to Song Tiaotiao's samples while recalling Song Tiaotiao's methods in his mind. Only after he had perfected every detail would he submit his work to the young master.
Song Tiaotiao looked at the almost identical dumplings in front of her. Although it was expected, she still admired Gu Chengjue's rigor.
She picked up Gu Chengjue's dumplings and examined them carefully. "If it weren't for the first come, first served rule, I wouldn't be able to tell which one I made. But it's okay if I can't tell them apart. It proves that you've learned something, and I'm very happy for you."
After receiving Song Tiaotiao's approval, Gu Chengjue's eyes were visibly filled with a smile.
Song Tiaotiao kept working as she and Gu Chengjue continued to make dumplings. She chuckled and said, "You've mastered every aspect of cooking. I think you'll be a master soon."
Gu Chengjue's eyes flickered slightly: "Does that mean that I can cook it for you soon?"
Bo Shuang, who had been watching and learning to make dumplings, smiled warmly at Song Tiao Tiao and said, "Cheng Jue has been looking forward to this day for a long time. Now that he has Tiao Tiao's approval, his cooking skills will surely be even better."
Zhao nodded and smiled. "However, I see he's still thinking about that unfinished sweet and sour pork dish from yesterday. He'd been looking forward to it the first time he went to the kitchen, but unfortunately, the firewood got damp. This failure was truly disappointing to him. But today, he's seized the opportunity and can share his work with everyone."
Hearing this, Song Tiaotiao looked at Gu Chengjue beside him, nodded and smiled, "Such a smart and studious little disciple, the master really should reward him well."
At this point, her eyes flickered, meeting Gu Chengjue's eyes that were sparkling with anticipation, and she chuckled softly, "Then next time, I'll teach you how to make a small pastry, okay?"
Gu Chengjue's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he nodded repeatedly. He looked so well-behaved, as if he was afraid that Song Tiaotiao would regret it.
Maybe it was because she had been taking care of rabbits with Gu Chengjue recently, Song Tiaotiao actually felt for a moment that Gu Chengjue was a bit like Mo Yun's little black rabbit.
When facing familiar people, his eyes are always as clear as water and his temperament is gentle.
Compared to the wariness and coldness he showed towards her at the beginning, he was completely different.
Song Tiaotiao lowered her eyes and smiled, then whispered to Gu Chengjue, "Gu Chengjue, what kind of cakes do you like?"
Gu Chengjue originally thought that the small pastries Song Tiaotiao was talking about were just simple sugar cakes, but he didn't expect that he could choose from them.
Although he appreciated Song Tiaotiao's kindness, Gu Chengjue also understood that their family was struggling to make ends meet in Northern Xinjiang. If he really told him about his favorite pastries, it would definitely make it difficult for Song Tiaotiao to choose the ingredients.
So, he shook his head and smiled, "Whatever you like is fine. After all, I want to make it for you in the end."
Song Tiaotiao shook her head in confusion: "This is a reward for you, of course it should make you happy, how can it be based on my preferences?"
At this point, Song Tiaotiao looked at the filling in front of her, and suddenly she understood. She chuckled and said, "Are you worried about the ingredients? You can completely dispel your worries. Since I made a promise to you, I must be able to keep my word. Tell me, what do you want to eat? Don't just say it casually. I remember what you usually ate when you came to my house."
Gu Chengjue pondered for a moment, lowered his eyes and smiled, "Then glutinous rice cakes will be fine." At this point, he raised his eyes slightly, "Thank you, little master, for taking the trouble for me."
Song Tiaotiao waved her hand and said with a smile, "Since I promised you, this is what I should do."
She had already made up her mind. As soon as she had time, she would go to the mall to carefully select some glutinous rice flour, red bean paste, and also choose some sweet and fragrant seasonings such as soybean powder, mint powder, rose and osmanthus powder to enhance the flavor of the pastries.
As for whether it would hinder the interim goal of purchasing the interpersonal relationship map, Song Tiaotiao didn't care.
This amount of points is insignificant compared to the points that increase steadily every day. The most important thing is that it can make Gu Chengjue happy.
Once Gu Chengjue is happy, she will get twice the result with half the effort when cooking. Not only can she satisfy her appetite, but the points she earns will also increase by leaps and bounds, and will only increase.
What's more, now we are only a thousand points away from successfully unlocking the character relationship map. Once this is accomplished, victory will be just around the corner.
Why not kill two birds with one stone?
Jin Zhenjiao snuggled up to Zhao Huaian for a while to keep warm, but finally couldn't help but want to go find Song Tiaotiao.
So, Jin Zhenjiao asked Zhao Huaian to ask Gu Chengjue to leave in advance, and now she happened to be sitting in Gu Chengjue's seat.
Jin Zhenjiao's eyes lingered on the red hairband in Song Tiaotiao's hair, and she whispered in her ear with a smile, "How is it? Do you like the hairband that Gu Chengjue braided?"
Song Tiaotiao glanced at the red hairband on Jin Zhenjiao's hair, chuckled and nodded: "It's good to learn from Brother Zhao."
Jin Zhenjiao pointed at her red lips, her eyes turning, "Then do you know what the handmade red hair tie means in the Northern Frontier?"
Song Tiaotiao was stunned when she heard this. She touched the red rope in her hair and shook her head blankly.
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