Chapter 232 Cantonese Dim Sum
"Wu Xiaobei, don't buy it." Ye Keke grabbed her eager best friend, her brows furrowed tightly.
"Who knows if it's a semi-finished product? It's such a high mountain, it's so difficult to transport the ingredients up here, it'll definitely be ridiculously expensive, and it might not even taste good, it's a complete waste of money."
Her voice wasn't quiet, and Su Yingxue heard it clearly, but she wasn't annoyed. She just smiled and lifted the lid of a small bamboo basket next to her.
The basket was filled with fresh shrimp, each one plump and translucent, still glistening with a few water droplets; next to it, a flour sack was open, emitting a faint aroma of wheat; there was even a small dish of freshly chopped pineapple chunks, golden yellow and looking sweet.
"Don't worry, young lady," Su Yingxue picked up a shrimp dumpling, pinched the paper-thin skin between her fingertips, and gently shook it.
"The dough is made with spring water picked this morning, the shrimp are fresh from the fishermen at the foot of the mountain, and the pineapple was just picked by the fruit farmers at the foot of the mountain. I'm just one person, I can't make much, I'll close up shop once I'm sold out, where would I get any semi-finished products?"
Wu Xiaobei's gaze was fixed on the basket of shrimp dumplings, and her throat bobbed involuntarily.
She tugged at Ye Keke's sleeve and shook it, her voice as soft as cotton: "Keke, I'm really starving, just try a little bit, if it's not good we'll leave right away, okay?"
Looking at her best friend's pitiful appearance, Ye Keke glanced at Su Yingxue's clean kitchen utensils on her stall.
And the enticing aroma wafting from the rising steam finally made him relent: "Just two items, don't spend any more money!"
"Alright!" Wu Xiaobei instantly perked up, went to the stall, and pointed at it with bright eyes.
"I'll have a whole basket of those shrimp dumplings, and those pineapple buns too. They look delicious, I want two!"
Su Yingxue quickly wrapped the pineapple buns in clean oil paper, then brought out a basket of freshly steamed shrimp dumplings and handed them to Wu Xiaobei.
The heat penetrated the oiled paper, making one's fingertips itch, but the aroma became even stronger.
"Want to try it?" Su Yingxue asked with a smile.
Wu Xiaobei couldn't wait to pick up a shrimp dumpling, blow on it twice, and put it in her mouth.
The thin skin breaks easily with a bite, and the delicious juices burst in your mouth instantly. The springy shrimp meat is mixed with a light aroma of scallions and ginger, with no fishy smell at all. It's so fresh that it'll make your eyebrows fall off.
"Delicious! So delicious!" Wu Xiaobei exclaimed, her eyes wide open, before grabbing another pineapple bun and taking a big bite.
The crispy outer crust crumbles easily, while the sweet but not cloying butter filling, mixed with the refreshing taste of pineapple, instantly soothes the fatigue and hunger after a hike.
Ye Keke, watching from the side, couldn't resist and leaned over to take a bite of the pineapple bun Wu Xiaobei offered. The next second, her eyes lit up.
The mountain breeze was still blowing, but it didn't seem so cold anymore. Steam rose from the steamer, mingling with the aroma of pastries, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere halfway up the misty mountain.
Ye Keke bit into the pineapple bun, the crispy crust cracking between her teeth, the rich, creamy aroma of butter enveloping the sweet taste of pineapple, sliding down her throat, even dispelling most of the chill she had accumulated while climbing the mountain.
She couldn't help but click her tongue, and her eyes showed more admiration as she looked at Su Yingxue: "Your skills are even more authentic than those of the old-established tea restaurants in the city."
Su Yingxue was wiping the steamer with her head down when she heard this. She looked up and smiled, "I learned from my grandma for a few years before, just figuring it out by trial and error."
She pointed to the thermos in the corner of the stall, "It's windy in the mountains, would you like a bowl of hot red bean soup with tangerine peel? It'll cleanse your palate and warm you up."
Wu Xiaobei's eyes lit up, and she was about to nod when Ye Keke stopped her hand: "That's enough, that's enough. If you eat any more, you won't be able to climb the mountain later."
"Oh dear, just one bowl!" Wu Xiaobei slapped her hand away and looked at Su Yingxue longingly. "Sister, I want one bowl!"
The red bean paste, served in a small, rough earthenware bowl, was a bright, translucent red. The slightly bitter taste of the dried tangerine peel balanced the sweetness of the bean paste. It was smooth and delicate in the mouth, and the warm soup flowed down the esophagus, making one feel completely comfortable.
Wu Xiaobei held the bowl, squinting her eyes like a satisfied cat: "If I had known there was such delicious food on the mountain, I would have promised Coco to come long ago, and I wouldn't have had to let her nag for so long."
Ye Keke shook her head helplessly, took out her phone to pay, but was stopped by Su Yingxue.
"Don't rush," Su Yingxue pointed to the observation deck not far away.
"If you're not in a hurry, why don't you sit over there? When the sun sets, the clouds and mist will dissipate, and you'll be able to see the terraced fields below the mountain, which is especially beautiful."
Ye Keke was taken aback: "Aren't you in business? Why are you advising us to slow down?"
"I came to Wushan just to have fun." Su Yingxue smiled and waved the notebook in her hand. On the title page were the eight words: "Travel all over the mountains and rivers, and taste all the flavors of life."
Gleaming in the sunset, "Setting up a stall is just a side thing. It's not a waste of this beautiful scenery if someone can accompany me to enjoy the view."
The two then noticed a slightly worn hiking backpack next to Su Yingxue's stall, with a small copper bell hanging on it that jingled in the wind.
Wu Xiaobei was the first to react, pulling Ye Keke towards the viewing platform: "Let's go! Let's watch the sunset! We'll buy your red rice sausage when we come back!"
As the sun gradually sank into the mountain valley, it dyed the clouds on the horizon into a brocade of interwoven orange-red and purple-pink.
The mountain mist flows slowly, like flowing gauze, while the terraced fields below cascade down, shimmering with golden light.
Su Yingxue sat by the stall, watching the two girls cheering and jumping for joy on the viewing platform.
She looked down, opened her notebook, and wrote a line: Halfway up the misty mountain, red bean soup with tangerine peel paired with the sunset, sweeter than the spring day in March.
The evening breeze swept by, carrying the aroma of pastries and the scent of mountain grass and trees. The tinkling of copper bells mingled with the distant laughter, becoming the gentlest footnote to Wushan.
Ye Keke held her phone, her finger hovering over the payment screen, and tentatively asked, "Um... how much would the shrimp dumplings, pineapple bun, and a bowl of red bean soup cost in total?"
She was already prepared; the food on the mountain would be at least twice as expensive as down below, and she was considering whether to try and bargain.
Su Yingxue held up two fingers, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "Forty yuan in total."
"Forty?" Ye Keke and Wu Xiaobei exclaimed in unison. Wu Xiaobei almost spat out the red bean paste in her mouth. "Sis, are you kidding me? In the city, just a basket of shrimp dumplings would cost this much!"
"The ingredients in the mountains, apart from shrimp, are mostly brought up by villagers from the foot of the mountain, so there is little cost."
Su Yingxue took the money Ye Keke paid by scanning the QR code and casually put it into the cloth bag at her waist. "I didn't set up a stall to make money. I just wanted to have some fun and earn some travel expenses."
Ye Keke completely let go of her worries and watched Su Yingxue pack up her stall. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something and said, "You're closing up shop already? There are still quite a few snacks left."
"I've almost sold out. The rest is enough for me to eat."
Su Yingxue flipped the wooden sign over, revealing the words "Sold Out Today" on the back. She then carefully put the steamer and insulated container into her backpack, patted the dust off her clothes, and...
"I came here to hike anyway, setting up a stall was just a side trip. Aren't you guys going to the summit to watch the sunrise? Want to come along?"
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