Chapter 49 Taro Dumplings, Longevity Peach [First Update]
These triangular taro dumplings have a soft, chewy skin and are a delicacy that locals have never tried before.
Zhang Fengqiu put a taro dumpling in her daughter's small bowl: "You are only allowed to eat one."
Luo Tiantian responded crisply with a "Okay," and then brandished her little spoon, battling with the slippery taro dumplings.
Zhang Fengqiu was an adult, so she simply stuck a chopstick into the food and ate it.
The essence of taro dumplings lies in their soft, elastic, and smooth outer skin. The subtle fragrance of taro blends with the soft, smooth skin, making them refreshing and not sticky. With a gentle bite, the skin breaks apart.
The moment the skin breaks, the juicy juices gush out, and a large shrimp is wrapped in the savory aroma of minced meat.
One bite reveals crisp, bouncy shrimp, juicy meat, and a translucent, soft yet chewy dumpling skin.
Zhang Fengqiu wanted to eat more after finishing one, but her husband kept urging her to try the soup.
"This soup is delicious too."
Since the taro dumplings were filled with meat, Wen Fan used mushrooms to make the soup. The soup base was refreshing, but extremely delicious.
"Absolutely amazing!"
Qu Qingqing and the other two had originally agreed to try the food and then pack it up, but in the end, they couldn't resist their cravings and each ate two taro dumplings and drank a bowl of soup.
Finally, unable to eat any more, I got up, supporting my swaying belly, and packed up the leftovers.
Qu Qingqing offered to drive the two roommates back to their hotel, but they repeatedly waved her off.
"Let's walk for a while, let's walk for a while."
All three women had very noticeable bellies; someone who didn't know better would have thought they were three months pregnant.
Qu Qingqing was also upset, so she simply threw her car keys at her family's pharmacy and asked her dad to drive it back. She then carried the leftover food and staggered back to the hotel with her two roommates.
"Hey, do you remember when we used to do this after having a late-night snack back in college?"
"Tsk tsk, who was it back then who would always secretly say they had something to do after finishing their late-night snack, but actually went to deliver notes to their boyfriend who was skipping class downstairs?"
"...I told you not to mention that person, honestly, I feel like talking about him is like having a criminal record."
"Ha ha ha ha."
"Hey, how's your ex-boyfriend doing now?"
"After being cheated on, he was betrayed and couldn't find a job. He's probably back in his hometown now."
"I know very well."
"Of course! How can I feel at ease if I don't see him doing badly!"
...
Zhang Fengqiu's family was also struggling. Wen Fan charged 100 yuan per person, and the portions were perfectly controlled. Every dish on their table was more than Qu Qingqing's table, and even the fish was a size bigger than Qu Qingqing's.
As a result, the family of four ended up with a lot more leftover food!
Zhang Fengqiu packed everything up, but before she left, Wen's mother called her back.
"This is a longevity peach. Wen Fan said he probably thinks you're all too full tonight, so he won't be making longevity noodles."
Wen's mother bent down and ruffled Luo Tiantian's curly hair.
Happy birthday to our sweetie!
Four delicate pink peaches were packed in a lunchbox. Under the light, they looked as beautiful as the peaches that Luo Tiantian had seen in a picture book, resembling the magical peaches of Sun Wukong.
Zhang Fengqiu never expected Wen Fan to be so thoughtful. Touched, she pushed Luo Tiantian to thank Wen Fan.
Wen's mother: "No need, Xiao Fan has already gone home."
Mother Wen found it amusing; her daughter usually seemed calm and reserved, but she had a softer heart than most. Knowing that she was afraid of Zhang Fengqiu's thanks, Mother Wen took over the task of delivering the longevity peaches and let her go back to rest.
Zhang Fengqiu's family said goodbye and left. On the way, Luo Tiantian skipped along, her little braids swaying behind her head like two butterfly wings.
"Mom, I'm going to take Longevity Peach to kindergarten tomorrow!"
Now she won't say she doesn't like going to kindergarten anymore.
Zhang Fengqiu ruthlessly shattered her dream: "No kindergarten tomorrow."
Luo Tiantian frowned. Honestly, why do they have to go when they don't want to, and then they have to go to kindergarten on Sundays!
"Then I... will eat in a bit!"
She can't brag; Luo Tiantian won't be able to wait until tomorrow morning.
Zhang Fengqiu asked in surprise, "You can still eat?"
Children sometimes don't know when they're full, and Zhang Fengqiu was worried that her daughter would eat too much tonight, so she kept a close eye on her. Besides, there was a birthday cake at home.
Luo Tiantian patted her stomach and said firmly, "I can eat!"
Back home, Luo Tiantian insisted on eating, and Zhang Fengqiu, wanting good luck, gave her a longevity peach. The candles on the birthday cake that Luo Tiantian had been eagerly anticipating were lit, and after making a wish, she couldn't wait to run towards her longevity peach.
She held the peach-shaped ornament above her head, and in one hand held a rolling pin: "I am Sun Wukong!"
Zhang Fengqiu's husband recorded a video on his phone and burst out laughing.
After admiring the peaches for a while, Luo Tiantian carefully took a bite.
The longevity peach has a flour outer shell, giving it a wheaty aroma. Inside, there's a creamy red bean filling with a milky flavor. The soft and sweet red bean filling is incredibly delicious, with a silky smooth texture. Paired with a freshly heated longevity peach, it's a wonderfully satisfying treat.
Zhang Fengqiu and the other two adults didn't want to eat, but seeing their daughter eating with such satisfaction, they all took a bite.
"Hmm, the filling is really good."
"You're right, why does it taste like milk to me?"
"Mom, did you put butter in it? Eat less, it's too sweet."
"They're so young, it's nothing."
The longevity peach was indeed small, and the three of them were still not satisfied after finishing it. Luo Tiantian cherished the half of her longevity peach that was still left.
"I'll eat it tomorrow..."
Waaah, I'm almost done eating, I'm so reluctant to leave.
Zhang Fengqiu: "It won't taste good if we leave it until tomorrow."
As soon as Luo Tiantian heard that it didn't taste good, she stuffed it into her mouth.
Four small longevity peaches served as a fitting end to the evening.
"Well, it's delicious, but it's a bit pricey."
"It's worth the price. We'll go eat there again for your birthday."
"...My birthday falls during the Spring Festival."
"Then let's wait until the Mid-Autumn Festival."
"That means there are only two weeks left!"
"Let's book our seats as soon as possible."
...
Inside the shop, Yao Qingqin had finished tidying up all the tables, chairs, and benches; it was already 9:30 p.m.
"Boss lady, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
Yao Qingqin is very satisfied with her current situation. The Wen family are both kind people. After the initial trial period, Wen's mother arranged for her to get a health certificate and sign a contract.
The contract clearly states that the monthly salary is 3,800 yuan, with two days off per month.
Although the salary isn't much, considering the workload, the price is quite generous.
She doesn't need to come too early in the morning; she has plenty of time to send her child to kindergarten. She arrives at the store at 10 a.m. to start preparing vegetables and cleaning. After lunchtime, she still has two hours in the afternoon to go home and rest.
It gets crowded in the evenings, but by 9 PM, the store is sold out. At that point, you just need to clean up and then you can go home.
The work is not strenuous, and three meals a day are provided. With this level of intensity, most restaurants would choose to hire middle-aged women in their forties or fifties to do the work, which only costs two thousand yuan a month.
Smelling the aroma of the food, Yao Qingqin recalled the delicious meal she had at noon and felt like she had struck gold.
When Wen's mother heard Yao Qingqin's voice, she came out from the kitchen.
"Wait a moment."
Yao Qingqin: "Is there anything else?"
Wen's mother handed a disposable lunchbox to Yao Qingqin: "Take this longevity peach that Xiao Fan made and have a taste."
Yao Qingqin was taken aback.
Without a word, Wen's mother shoved the bag into her hand and urged her to go home: "It's getting late, go home now."
Yao Qingqin lowered her head. The box wasn't big, and inside were two longevity peaches. Wen's mother was meticulous; she had placed two round pieces of oil paper under the peaches to prevent the bottoms from getting damp.
Yao Qingqin felt a lump in her throat. The family that had come to eat earlier, according to Wen's mother, were there to celebrate their child's birthday.
When Yao Qingqin saw the little girl, she was reminded of her own daughter. They were about the same age, but her daughter wasn't as carefree as Luo Tiantian. The little girl seemed to know that her mother had no status at home, and she usually only dared to speak in a low voice.
In recent years, she thought she was taking care of her daughter at home, but in the end, it seemed that she was taking care of the wrong thing. Her in-laws looked down on her, her husband felt that she was doing nothing at home, and her daughter was also always criticized by her husband for being "not generous".
"I've raised you, and you can't even raise a child properly? Look at how confident other people's children are when they walk out on their own, while your child is so timid, and I haven't even bothered you yet!"
While her husband complained about her poor parenting, he also subtly hinted at wanting to have a second child.
The mother-in-law would say things like, "We old folks are here to look after your eldest child, what else do you have to worry about? Hurry up and have a little brother for your eldest."
Yao Qingqin gritted her teeth and refused; she wasn't stupid!
If you don't value having one child, do you think having another one will earn you respect?
Stop joking.
She felt nothing but resentment and weariness towards her in-laws and husband, and the only person she felt sorry for was her daughter.
Seeing Zhang Fengqiu's family celebrating their daughter's birthday just now made her realize that in the two short years her daughter has had her birthday, she had never celebrated it like this. Her husband's family had never thought of giving their daughter a proper birthday celebration either.
Yao Qingqin carried the longevity peaches home, and before she knew it, she had forgotten to go to her mother's to pick up her daughter first.
She slapped her forehead when she got downstairs, but since she was already downstairs, she thought she might as well go back and change her clothes first.
Upon entering, the room was dark.
A figure sat on the sofa in the living room, arms crossed, looking furious.
"So you finally decided to come back?"
Her husband's reprimand came as no surprise. Yao Qingqin changed her shoes and said in a cold voice, "Oh, I'm going to work. I'll be getting off work at this time from now on."
"When are you going to stop making a scene? Huh? Is the family starving or freezing? Why are you doing this? You're not washing the clothes or cooking. Do you even consider this your home anymore?"
Yao Qingqin took off her dirty coat: "Don't you know what I'm doing? I want a divorce!"
The man immediately retorted, "You think divorce is something you can just say so easily? The child is so young, are you really going to make her a single-parent family?"
Yao Qingqin remained silent.
The man tried to calm himself down and suppressed his anger: "Fine, I understand. It's because I don't give you household expenses, right? I told you, the factory isn't doing well this year, and sometimes they withhold wages, there's nothing I can do about it."
"You quit your job, and I'll give you two thousand every month from now on... two thousand five hundred is fine, right?"
The man softened his tone: "You've raised the kids to be over three years old, and now that the older one is old enough to go to kindergarten, you finally have some free time. Let's have another one... Don't worry, I work so hard for our family, don't I? I promise I'll transfer money to you every month as soon as I get paid... Wife."
The man reached out to pull Yao Qingqin's shoulder, thinking he had persuaded his wife, but Yao Qingqin looked disgusted, which startled the man.
"I don't want a second child, and I want a divorce."
"Yao Qingqin!"
"When you've figured it out, we'll go get married. Anyway, you're thinking about having a second child, and the child will stay with me."
Yao Qingqin changed into a clean coat, picked up her lunchbox, and left, completely ignoring how furious the man behind her was.
When Yao Qingqin arrived at her mother's house, the afterglow of their recent argument still lingered on her face.
Looking at her face, Yao's mother asked her how work was going.
Yao Qingqin picked up her daughter: "She's fine."
Now she is absolutely certain that only work can guarantee her survival.
Taking out the longevity peach given to her by her mother, Yao Qingqin stood up straight for the first time, filled with immense pride.
"This was given to me by my boss, baby, have a taste."
The three-year-old girl was about to cry when she saw her mother, but when the longevity peach appeared, her attention was diverted, and she carefully nibbled on the peach.
Yao Qingqin gave the other one to her mother, explaining that someone at the shop was having a birthday party today.
"Let's go eat there for the baby's birthday!"
The wrinkles at the corners of Yao's mother's eyes smoothed out: "That must be very expensive, right?"
She was close to Song Hui and had heard from Song Hui about the good business of this company before.
"It's not expensive! I have a salary now, so we can eat however we want."
Mother Yao broke open the longevity peach and said, "You eat it, it's sweet. I'll just taste it."
When you bite into the longevity peach, the milky aroma and sweet red bean flavor are exceptionally pleasant.
The old man nodded repeatedly: "It's delicious, your boss's cooking skills are really good."
“Of course,” Yao Qingqin said with pride. “You can leave this half for Dad. I’ve already eaten it at the shop.”
"Mommy, eat..." The daughter in her arms suddenly held up her longevity peach: "Mommy, eat too."
She's only a little over three years old and doesn't quite understand what adults are saying yet, so she keeps giving in.
Yao Qingqin had no choice but to take a bite from her daughter's hand, and the sweet taste instantly won over her taste buds.
"Is it tasty?"
"It's delicious, baby, do you think it's delicious?"
The little girl nodded and said softly, "It's delicious."
"Then Mom will go to work during the day. You wait patiently for Mom to come back. Mom will earn money and buy you more delicious food."
The little girl was confused and only heard about the delicious food.
"Okay... Mom, are you happy at work?"
Yao Qingqin felt a warm glow in her heart at her daughter's innocent words.
She held her daughter and said, "Mommy is happy. The happiest thing is being able to bring back delicious food for the baby."
"Then...then I'm happy too." Dad always said that Mom didn't work, but now that Mom has a job, she's happy for her too.
The mother and daughter huddled together, which made Yao's mother feel much better.
"Alright, let's get ready and get some rest."
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