On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the entire Qingshi County was immersed in the festive atmosphere of the New Year. The shop diagonally opposite was said to have been renovated, but it still couldn't open before the New Year, and the red cloth on the signboard hadn't been lifted yet.
As more and more shops in the surrounding area began to close down, fewer people came to Meng Zhao's potato noodle shop, but the braised meat business remained booming.
In the afternoon, seeing that the braised meat had almost sold out, Meng Zhao told everyone to finish work early and go home to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Meng Zhao, along with Xiao Chuan, drove the donkey cart back to the courtyard on Tongfu Street. Along the way, Meng Zhao looked at Xiao Chuan beside her, a sudden surge of curiosity welling up within her, so she softly asked:
"Xiao Chuan, before you were captured by the bandits, do you still remember what your family did?"
Upon hearing Meng Zhao's question, Xiao Chuan frowned slightly and began to recall. When Sister Wei was captured and taken to the mountain stronghold, he had already been there for two years. His impression of his hometown was very faint. He only remembered that it should be a place near water, and he couldn't remember anything else.
Xiaochuan shook his head helplessly, a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "I don't remember either, I just remember it was a place with water."
Meng Zhao felt a surge of affection and reached out to pat his head. "It's okay. Even if you can't go home, you can still spend the New Year with your sister Wei and us. Here, we are all family."
During this time, she was running back and forth between the two shops, and Xiao Chuan would get up early every day to accompany her. Although he was just a teenager, he gave Meng Zhao a lot of security.
When the two arrived home, Xiao Chuan took the reins and led the donkey to the donkey shed. Meng Zhao parked the cart after unloading the donkey and quickly went into the house, shouting loudly:
"Father, Mother, you've come."
Xu Yunrong stepped forward and took her hand, gently warming it while scolding her, "It's all your fault. You said there was good wine, but your father hadn't even finished his work yet, and your heart was already wandering over here. You left Xiao Fang at the shop to watch the store and dragged me over to take a look first."
Meng Zhao squinted mischievously, "Hehe, there really is good wine. Mother, you should try some later. I went through a lot of trouble to get this wine."
She had obtained two bottles of Yipinxiang from Xiao Youzhi, but hadn't been able to deliver them last time due to the snow, so they had been sitting in her room. Today, on the eve of the Lunar New Year, she took them out and drank them.
On the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month, the sugar melon sticks together. Every year on the eve of the Lunar New Year, children are always especially happy because they can eat many things they can't usually eat.
Meng Zhao took out the snacks, dried fruits, and candies she had bought a few days ago. In the past, she was worried about them getting tooth decay, so she didn't let them eat too much. But today, let them eat as much as they wanted.
According to folklore, the Kitchen God goes to Heaven on this day to report on human affairs to the Jade Emperor. The reason why the Kitchen God candy is made so sweet and sticky is twofold: firstly, to seal the Kitchen God's mouth so that he cannot speak ill of those below, and secondly, to make his mouth sweet after eating the candy, so that he will say more good things about those below.
Meng Zhao didn't know how to say nice things with her mouth stuck shut, but in any case, it was best to prepare all the necessary customs.
First, Gu prepared the dishes to be cooked, and then led Wei Jinglan and the children to make dumplings together. Meng Dashan insisted on talking to Shen Qinghe, and Meng Zhao, not wanting them to be idle, handed each of them a clean basin.
I put five egg whites in each of them, and handed each of them a whisk, asking them to whip them.
A few days ago, Meng Zhao split several thin bamboo strips into thin strips, bent them into the shape of an egg beater, and then tied a handle to it. When she finished making it, Gu Shi asked her what it was for. Meng Zhao kept it a secret, but now everyone finally knows.
Although Shen Qinghe didn't know what his sister-in-law was going to do, he still obeyed. Meng Dashan also did whatever Meng Zhao told him to do. The two were able to talk for a while at first, but after fighting for a while, they were too tired to say anything.
After a while, Meng Zhao came over and took a look. The egg whites were already about 70-80% set, so he added an appropriate amount of sugar and told them to continue whipping.
When their arms started to ache, Meng Zhao picked up the whisk and, seeing that the whipped egg whites had formed peaks resembling cream, told them to stop.
Pour the egg yolk mixture (with flour, sugar, and milk added) into the meringue and mix well. Find a frying pan that heats evenly, scoop a spoonful of the mixed egg mixture, and slowly place it into the frying pan.
Because the egg whites were whipped thoroughly, the overall support was excellent, and the large lump did not collapse. After covering it and letting it sit for a while, flip it over. You can add water to the pot once in the middle to increase the humidity.
While waiting, Meng Zhao placed a small pot on another stove, poured in the crabapples he had bought earlier, added sugar, and simmered them over low heat. Once the crabapples softened, he mashed them into jam.
Once the jam was cooked, the soufflés should be ready too. Meng Zhao found a few small plates and put one in each. It was a pity there was no cream, otherwise the soufflés would have been even more tempting. Now, all she could do was drizzle a spoonful of jam on top.
When Meng Zhao's soufflé was ready, everyone was stunned, as they had never seen such a dish before.
Xu Yunrong gently touched the freshly made soufflé with her chopsticks. It was fluffy and soft, and it wobbled slightly when she pushed it.
I took a small bite, and the texture was delicate and soft, melting in my mouth. If you savored it carefully, you could even taste a faint milky flavor.
Wei Jingyun grew up in a wealthy family and had tasted countless delicacies. However, after taking a bite of Meng Zhao's soufflé, she couldn't help but nod repeatedly, her eyes full of admiration.
"This is so delicious, Zhao Zhao, you are the most amazing woman I have ever met, you can make so many novel dishes."
Meng Dashan received a soufflé and took a big bite, but when he took a closer look, he found that there wasn't much in it. However, after eating it, his mouth felt very fragrant.
In just a few bites, Meng Dashan finished a soufflé. He thought it was very delicious, but he couldn't quite taste what it was. Meng Zhao had made it according to the number of people, and now there was only one left for Fang Muyun, who hadn't arrived yet.
Seeing everyone praising how delicious it was, while he himself couldn't taste anything special, he was just about to say that an apprentice should be respectful to his master and let him eat the last soufflé when there was a sudden knock on the door. Meng Dashan went to open the door and sure enough, it was Fang Muyun, who had closed the butcher shop, who came over.
As soon as Fang Muyun followed Meng Dashan into the house, the lively atmosphere became somewhat tense. Meng Zhao was taken aback at first, and then realized that something was wrong. It seemed that Shen Qinghe had not met Fang Muyun yet.
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