Chapter 70 Chapter 70-Two-in-one flower cake
After they left, a younger woman nearby asked, "Sister-in-law, didn't they say they planted their corn a long time ago?"
The woman said, "It was quite late. It was almost June before they finished planting. At first, I thought their corn wouldn't grow. Everyone was saying they had wasted dozens of kilograms of corn seeds. But look, even those two plots of land are growing almost as tall as your second brother Changhua's."
The woman pointed as she spoke, and the young woman looked up and saw a lush green cornfield. She couldn't tell which cornfield was taller and which was shorter, as they all seemed about the same.
The woman was a little surprised. "Which field was planted last? I can't tell them apart."
The woman said, "The two plots of land above are for later planting."
As they talked, the people in the field also joined in the discussion.
"Don't say Er Niang can't tell. I was even startled when I passed by the other day. I thought I had come to the wrong place. Now we just have to wait and see how the buds turn out. If the buds are big and the kernels are plump, that would be great."
"That's right. If the harvest is good, they won't have to buy any food next year, and they can save some money."
"Speaking of money, I heard that Chuntao and her sisters have been doing business in the county town for a while. I guess they've made a lot of money."
The man sitting on the edge of the field smoking a pipe listened to what the woman said and poured a basin of cold water on her with some disdain.
"How much can you earn? If business were really that easy, wouldn't every household near the city go into business instead of working the land?"
This statement quenched everyone's restless hearts. Everyone thought that it was indeed true. If money in the county town was so easy to make, why didn't everyone go there to make money?
It would be better to take good care of these plots of land and bring all the food that can fill our stomachs back home.
When Lin Chuntao and her friends returned home, they heard the grunting of piglets and the clucking of chickens in the yard before they even entered the gate.
Lin Chunxing went out too early in the morning, threw grass into the pigpen and chicken coop, and left the door of the chicken coop open.
Lin Chuntao felt something was wrong. She opened the gate and saw chickens running around in the yard, with chicken droppings all over the ground...
Before she even entered the door, the chickens heard the noise and turned around to look. Seeing the door open, they rushed over one after another. Lin Chuntao quickly dodged to avoid being pounced on by the chickens. In a flash, they all ran away, leaving only chicken droppings all over the yard.
Lin Chuntao unlocked the door, put her things away, and called Lin Duoer and the others to come out and get some wood ash to cover the chicken manure, and then took a broom to sweep it up.
Lin Duoer and Lin Chunhe went to get the ash, Lin Chunxing went to get the broom, Lin Chuntao went to light the fire, and Pei Ying prepared to wash the dishes for lunch. Everyone was very hungry and just wanted to get something to eat quickly.
The quickest way to eat is to make a pancake.
Lin Chuntao asked loudly, "Do you want noodles or pancakes?"
“Eat noodles!”
“Eat noodles!”
"noodle!"
The three sisters who were sweeping the yard said in unison. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Then let's eat noodles. I'll make some mixed noodles and share them with you."
As she spoke, Lin Chuntao went to get a clay basin, scooped a few spoonfuls of noodles and brought them out. She swept the dirt yard outside the house, and the dust flew everywhere. She frowned, carried the clay basin back to the house, went out and brought in the bucket, and casually said to Pei Ying, "Let's make a hole in this bamboo fence so these chickens can get out."
"Otherwise, if we don't let them out at home, they will just be making manure in the yard all the time."
Pei Ying replied, "I'll do it in a moment."
Lin Chuntao kneaded the dough and then gave it to Pei Ying to knead. She picked out half a pound of gray mushrooms left over from the morning and washed them. She also cut a bowl of diced meat, chopped green onions, ginger and garlic for later use, and cut half a bowl of shredded cucumber.
When she was done, Pei Ying had also kneaded the dough. He asked Lin Chuntao, "Should we just pull it into thin noodles?"
"Well, can you?" Lin Chuntao asked.
Pei Ying curled his lips, then rolled the dough into a long strip and pulled it with both hands. His movements were very skillful. Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "If I had known you could make ramen, I would have let you do it."
Pei Ying said, "Noodles need a good broth, but I'm not very good at making broth."
"I'll make it, you get the noodles out." She went to get a small colander, "Just put the noodles in here, I'll go light the fire."
Pei Ying responded, and Lin Chuntao left the yard. Lin Chunxing and the others were already finishing their cleaning.
Lin Chunhe carried the chicken manure out of the yard, and Lin Chunxing scooped some water and sprinkled it on the ground in the yard. A breeze blew, and soon the flying dust in the yard was cleared.
Lin Chunxing led them to scoop water to wash their faces and hands. Lin Chuntao, who was lighting the stove, also went to wash her hands before coming over to heat the oil in a pan. After stir-frying the onions, ginger and garlic, she put the minced meat in. After the minced meat was fragrant, Lin Chuntao put the chopped mushrooms in and continued to stir-fry. After a while, the mushrooms were cooked and a lot of juice was released. Lin Chuntao added salt and a small amount of sauce to season and continued to stir-fry.
After washing their faces, the sisters came over and looked at the half pot of fragrant meat filling, and their stomachs started to growl.
After the meat filling was served out and the dough was ready, Lin Chuntao quickly added water to the pot, and Lin Chunxing fed a few pieces of firewood into the stove to make the fire burn more vigorously.
After the water boiled, the food was put into the pot. In an instant, the aroma of wheat wafted from the boiling water. Lin Chuntao's stomach also started to growl. She turned around and looked at Lin Chunhe and the others and said, "Bring the dishes and chopsticks. It will be ready soon."
After saying that, Lin Chunhe and the others quickly ran back inside to get their bowls and chopsticks. Pei Ying also brought out the table. Lin Chuntao served the noodles, put cucumber shreds in their bowls, and scooped some meat filling and broth on top. "Add chopped green onions and chili peppers if you want."
The sisters nodded their heads. This noodle dish was not thick enough because it did not contain starch, but with the sauce, the color was not too bland. The meat filling and mushrooms were very fragrant, so the taste was very good.
After being hungry for the whole morning, everyone ate quickly. Lin Chuntao thought that the noodles were still too slow to make. If they were busier in the future, they would have to prepare some fast food at home.
Lin Duoer ate a full bowl of food, and after she was full, she held her stomach and sighed.
"I'm too full to walk."
"Third sister, how about we guess who washes the dishes?"
Before Lin Chunhe could say anything, Lin Chunxing smiled and said, "That's great. Duo'er is now aware of the importance of washing dishes. We've been washing dishes all morning. You can wash our dishes later."
Lin Duoer thought that it was indeed the older sisters who washed the dishes when selling soup noodles, and she was not asked to do so. She smiled awkwardly and said, "Okay, I'll wash it, but I need to rest for a while. I'm too full."
Lin Chuntao looked at her round belly. She felt a little full and sleepy herself.
"There aren't many bowls, so wash your own. After that, we'll count the money, put things away, and take a nap." Lin Chuntao said, "I'll make you some delicious food when you wake up."
Pei Ying thought about how busy her sisters had been all morning, so she said, "Let me wash up after dinner. If you're tired, go to sleep."
The sisters smiled at each other and said in unison: "Thank you, brother-in-law."
Since Pei Ying agreed to wash, Lin Chuntao didn't care anymore. After finishing her meal, she put down the bowl and Pei Ying went to boil water to wash the dishes and pots. The sisters went into the house, sat around on the straw and spread out the cloth bag full of money bags.
Sitting here and looking at the copper coins in front of me, it seems that all the fatigue in my body has disappeared.
Lin Duoer stared with wide eyes and asked in confusion, "Sister, how much money does this amount have to be?"
Lin Chuntao said, "We'll have to count to find out."
Lin Chunxing went to cut some hemp rope, and the two sisters each took a piece and strung the copper coins on it one by one.
Of the 260 eggs we boiled yesterday, they ate ten, leaving 250. Helan and her friends put six eggs in three bowls, while the others almost all had one egg per bowl. The number of bowls sold was clear, but some people added meat filling to their bowls, others added flour or vegetables, so they had to recount the amount when the money was paid.
The final amount of money counted was 2697. Lin Chunxing calculated that including the money for buying eggs, they earned more than 1600. The cost accounted for nearly 40%, but it was still a little short.
"Sister, is this okay?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "That's great. We'll only be giving away eggs for three days. The price is set: three cents for one, five cents for two. We'll sell eggs later."
Lin Chuntao said it was no problem, and Lin Chunxing also smiled happily, full of motivation again.
"Shall we wash the eggs and boil them first?"
Lin Chuntao nodded, and Lin Chunxing took her two younger sisters there. While they were washing the eggs, Lin Chuntao took out the meat and vegetables and put them in order. She left a can of malt sugar and honey outside and hid the rest in the cupboard.
Pour some red beans into the clay basin, take it out, wash it and soak it.
Lin Chunxing and the others who were washing eggs were surprised to see the beans. "Sister, did you buy beans?"
Lin Chuntao hummed and said, "I went to the grain store to buy some buckwheat noodles and some beans."
"Want to cook the beans and stir-fry them?"
"No, I'll make pancakes at night. I'll boil the eggs and soak them in water, then cook the beans. I'll do other things when I wake up."
The sisters worked very efficiently and quickly washed and boiled the eggs.
It doesn't take long to boil eggs. Just boil warm water in advance and the eggs will be cooked in less than quarter of an hour. After Lin Chuntao boiled the marinade, she helped them crack the shells and peel the eggs. Pei Ying joined in after he was done. Since there were so many people around, it didn't take long to finish marinating all the eggs.
Lin Chuntao was already very sleepy. Seeing her droopy eyelids, Lin Chunxing whispered, "Sister, go to sleep first. I'll cook the red beans later."
"Just tell me if there's anything I should be aware of."
Lin Chuntao stood up and said, "I'll go check on the beans. I've put them in a clay pot. You can bring them to the stove later. Don't turn the fire too high, just simmer slowly."
"good."
Lin Chuntao scooped the beans into a clay pot, added appropriate amount of water, covered it with a lid, and placed it next to the stove. She said something to Lin Chunxing and went to take a nap.
Not long after, Lin Chunxing put the braised eggs into the jar and started cooking the beans. Lin Duoer was already fast asleep lying on the bed. Lin Chunhe was awakened by her just as she closed her eyes.
The sun in Yizhou in August was still very hot, but Pei Ying was not very tired. He made a hole in the bamboo fence at the back, big enough for the chickens to enter and exit, and also made a very small door so that when it was closed, the hole would not be easily noticed.
When he came back from work in the morning, the red beans in the clay pot were bubbling. Seeing that the fire had died down a lot, he added a little firewood, packed up his clothes, took them to the river to wash them, and hung them up to dry. When he was almost done, he went back to the house to rest.
The whole yard was silent, with only the chirping of cicadas and birds coming from the trees not far away, creating a feeling of separation between the hustle and bustle and the quiet.
It was almost evening when Lin Chuntao woke up, and Pei Ying was also sleeping soundly next to her.
She slowly got up, her movements gentle and silent. When she pushed the door open, the sound woke Pei Ying. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked over. When he saw Lin Chuntao, he murmured, "You're awake."
"Well, you continue to sleep. I'll go see if the red beans are cooked."
Pei Ying nodded, lay down, stretched and woke up a lot, but did not get up. He lay there to wake up.
When Lin Chuntao came out, the aroma of red beans wafted through the yard. There were no sparks from the stove anymore. She went over and opened the lid of the clay pot to take a look. The inner wall of the pot was covered with traces of soup. The soup was so thick that the beans could not be seen, but just by looking at the soup, Lin Chuntao felt that the beans must have been cooked through.
Her sisters were still asleep and everyone was exhausted, so she didn't rush to get some chopsticks to try. She closed the lid of the clay pot and left the yard.
Just after a while, I met Lin Qingqing and Lin Jiaye who were returning with potatoes on their backs. Each of them had a basket on their backs, and their foreheads were covered with sweat.
"Sister Chuntao."
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Did you go dig potatoes? Are you almost done?"
"The excavation is almost finished. I estimate it will be all done in a day or two."
After Lin Jiaye finished speaking, Lin Chuntao thought about buying potatoes, so she asked with a smile: "How are you? Do you have more potatoes than last year?"
Lin Qingqing said, "I heard from my parents that the harvest is better than last year's, much better."
As they were talking, Lin Changhua and the others caught up with them. Lin Qingqing and the others were too tired from carrying the potatoes, so they didn't stay long. They called Lin Chuntao to come to their house to play and left.
Lin Chuntao called out to Lin Changhua and Wang, and they used their triangular sticks to support their backpacks and took a break.
Wang looked at her with a smile and asked, "Chun Tao, I heard your great-grandmother say you wanted to buy some potatoes."
Lin Chuntao nodded and said, "Grandma said she would pick some up and sell them to me, but she's afraid it won't be enough, so I'll ask you if you can sell some when the time comes."
Wang said, "Yes, potatoes are good this year. Come and pick up as many as you need."
After hearing Wang's words, Lin Chuntao hurriedly smiled and thanked her, saying that she would go and pick it up after the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Lin Chuntao wandered around and came back. Lin Chunxing and the others had already woken up. The sisters didn't see Lin Chuntao and were about to go out to look for her. When they saw Lin Chuntao coming back, they suddenly stopped.
"Sister, where have you been?"
Lin Chuntao said, "I was walking around the village and ran into Qingqing and her friends who were coming back from digging potatoes. We chatted for a while."
"Are they almost done?"
Lin Chuntao nodded and said, "They said it will be finished in two or three days."
As she was talking, Lin Chuntao went into the house and took out a bowl, chopsticks and spoon. She scooped some beans into the bowl, and gently pressed the spoon, and it turned into bean paste. It was very soft and perfect for making stuffing.
Lin Chuntao said, "We'll still cook dinner tonight. I'll make some cakes later, but they're all sweet. If you eat too much, you'll feel sick, and if you eat too little, you'll be hungry at night."
Lin Chunxing nodded and went to soak some rice. Lin Chuntao still planned to let the dough rise before making the filling. There were only three kinds of fillings: red bean paste, rose filling, and jasmine filling.
Red bean paste filling is easier to make. Just grind the cooked beans into bean paste and add malt sugar or honey. The two kinds of flower fillings are not difficult to make either.
This is considered a dessert. Unlike steamed buns, it does not require yeast to rise, but it still requires pastry. You need to add some honey to let the dough ferment slightly and have a hint of sweetness to make it taste better.
Lin Chuntao scooped up some dry flour, beat in a few eggs, and scooped in a few spoonfuls of honey. When the sisters saw the honey, they opened their mouths wide.
"Sister, when did you buy the honey?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Just now when I went to buy malt sugar, I met a man selling honey and bought some."
Lin Duoer licked her lips, wanting to eat more. "Sister, can I have a spoonful?"
Lin Chuntao said helplessly, "Sure, whether you want to soak it in water or eat it directly is up to you." After she finished scooping enough flour, she said to Lin Duoer, "Go get a bowl and I'll scoop it for you."
After hearing what was said, the little girl rushed over and took the bowl. Lin Chuntao scooped several spoonfuls of honey into her bowl. She looked at the crystal clear honey and felt sweet in her heart.
He brought a small bamboo spoon and didn't forget to get one for his sisters as well.
The three sisters each ate a spoonful, smacked their lips, and exclaimed, "It's so sweet."
Lin Chuntao was at a loss for words. Of course, eating honey like this would be super sweet.
Lin Chunxing scooped a spoonful to feed her, but Lin Chuntao shook her head: "It's too sweet, I can't eat it. I need to soak it in water and drink it. You guys eat it, I'll make it later."
The three sisters each took two bites and felt it was too sweet, so they all went to soak it in water.
Lin Chuntao added water and kneaded the dough. The dough for making pancakes did not need to be kneaded for too long, so she did it herself. She added water with one hand and stirred with the other. The flour and honey soon blended together and became fluffy.
She put down her chopsticks and brought the clay basin to the table, went to wash her hands, and then came back to start kneading the dough. It didn't take long for the dough to take shape. She kneaded it a few more times before putting the dough aside, covering it with gauze and placing it on a bamboo rack.
After letting the dough rise, she still had to make the puff pastry overnight.
The oil pastry is simple to make. Scoop some dry flour, add a small amount of salt, and heat the oil. The key is to control the oil temperature and not overheat it. Pour the heated oil in and stir it. A bowl of fragrant oil pastry is ready.
The sisters who were drinking honey water in the yard were very happy. Lin Chuntao asked Pei Ying to bring out the red beans, and sat at the table to slowly grind all the red beans into paste.
Lin Chuntao prepared the filling of fresh flowers. She washed two kinds of petals, added honey, and mashed them into flower paste. She then added a small amount of flour, beat in eggs, and then added a small amount of lard. She began to stir until the filling could no longer overflow and there was a concave shape when pressed with a finger.
Pei Ying had already finished grinding the bean paste. He noticed that both fillings Lin Chuntao had added honey, so he asked, "Do we need to add sugar?"
Lin Chuntao smiled and said, "Yes, but instead of honey, let's put malt sugar in it."
The taste of malt sugar is more authentic than honey. The beans are mellow, and mixing them with honey will take away some of the original fragrance of the beans, which is not worth the loss. Flowers are different. They have the same origin as honey. Putting them together will not feel bland, nor will it make people feel greasy. It will be just right.
As they were talking, Lin Chuntao went into the house to get some malt sugar. The three sisters gathered around the table and carefully studied the two kinds of flower fillings she had made. They contained honey, flour and eggs, and they looked delicious. However, they had never eaten them, so they couldn't imagine what they tasted like.
When Lin Chuntao came out, she looked at them and naturally curled her lips. She opened the candy cane, scooped a few spoonfuls into the bean paste, and said to Pei Ying, "Just mix it well."
Lin Duoer couldn't wait any longer. She looked at Lin Chuntao and asked, "Sister, when are we going to do it? My stomach is rumbling."
The days in Yizhou in August are very long, and the short nights will continue until the end of autumn or the arrival of an autumn rain.
The sun had not yet set, and the sky was filled with colorful sunset glow. The afterglow of the sunset stretched their shadows very long.
Lin Chuntao looked at the sky and then said to Lin Chunxing, "You cook the food. I'll make the pancakes first. When you finish cooking, we'll start baking the pancakes."
"Does this cake need to be baked?" Lin Chunxing was a little surprised. "I thought it was steamed."
Lin Chuntao laughed and said, "Steamed ones are not as fragrant as roasted ones. They have to be roasted."
Lin Chunxing nodded and ran to start cooking. Lin Chuntao asked Lin Chunhe to fetch a large, flat winnowing basket, spread a layer of gauze underneath, and rolled up another layer on top, ready to cover the finished pancakes.
Lin Chuntao first kneaded the whole dough, divided it into several small doughs, kneaded them into balls, and then flattened them. She picked up the dough with her nimble fingers and turned it like a handkerchief to make it evenly thin. She then brushed it with pastry, scooped a spoonful of stuffing into it, and quickly rolled the edge of the dough back, like making dumplings, but without leaving any wrinkles. Lin Chuntao handled it very carefully and delicately.
When Lin Chunxing came back from dinner last night and saw the dough cakes in the winnowing basket, she looked at Lin Chuntao in amazement. This was a craft, far more difficult than making delicious dishes before.
But Lin Chuntao seemed to have done it many times, and was so skilled that she couldn't believe it.
Lin Chuntao saw Lin Chunxing's expression and could no longer remain in a daze.
"Is the food ready? Wash the slate."
Lin Chunxing was stunned for a moment, then quickly went to get a stone slab to clean it, and handed it to Lin Chuntao after cleaning it. Lin Chuntao stuffed a thick dry firewood into the stove. Her conditions were limited, and she didn't want the dough to be covered with ash, so she had to reduce the number of times she added firewood. The firewood was thick and burned slowly, so there was no need to add it to the stove frequently.
After the stove was lit, Lin Chuntao put the slate on top. She waited for the water stains on the slate to dry up and the slate to become hot before she brushed a thin layer of oil on the dough and placed it on the slate.
Four pancakes can be baked on the stone slab at a time. The fire is not big, and the heat is slowly transferred from the stone slab to the pancakes, so the baking process is a bit slow. Lin Chuntao ate her meal peacefully, but Lin Chunxing and the others kept looking back, fearing that the pancakes would be burnt. They even ran to the stove with their bowls in hand and observed carefully with their heads down.
Lin Chuntao said, "After we're done with this, let's go into the mountains and chop some firewood. We can make some charcoal and take it to the county town to cook noodles. This will save us some money on charcoal, and we can also make some to use during the winter."
Pei Ying had no objection. Chopping wood was not difficult, but he had never seen how charcoal merchants produced so much charcoal at one time.
"Can you burn charcoal?" Pei Ying asked.
The younger sisters all looked at her at the same time, and Lin Chuntao smiled at their expressions.
"I don't know. I'll have to burn it to know if I'm right."
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