Chapter 7 Superb Noodle-Making Skill
"I'll knead the dough by hand," Su Yingxue replied simply, then began to examine the dough.
Su Yingxue took the pre-kneaded dough out of the plastic bag and gently patted off the dust. Under the warm light of the kitchen, several dough balls lay quietly on the cutting board, their edges still bearing the fingerprints she had kneaded that morning—extra for tomorrow's breakfast, prepared in case the extras weren't getting enough to eat.
"Senior, why is your dough so hard?" Shen Yu leaned closer to sniff, her nose brushing against the flour, and couldn't help but sneeze. "Achoo! It's also cool to the touch, it doesn't feel like it was just kneaded."
Su Yingxue rolled up her sleeves, moistened her fingertips with water, and explained as she kneaded the dough, "I kneaded it this afternoon and let it rest in the refrigerator; that makes it more elastic." She applied pressure with the heel of her hand, repeatedly pushing and pressing the dough. The initially stiff dough gradually became soft and smooth, like a piece of warm, lustrous jade. When the surface developed a delicate sheen, she sprinkled a thin layer of flour and rolled the dough into a round sheet.
The rolling pin creaked as it rolled across the cutting board. Su Yingxue's wrist moved deftly, gradually expanding the dough sheet from the size of a bowl, thinning it until the wood grain of the board was visible through it. She used the rolling pin to roll up the dough sheet and neatly cut it into evenly sized noodles—slightly wider than regular dried noodles, but thinner than knife-cut noodles, each strand arranged perfectly.
"Wow! Your senior's technique is just like a chef on TV!" Zhu Xiaoxiao exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as she held the remaining half bowl of soup.
"Of course, my senior used to be the president of the school's culinary club!" Shen Yu said with a hint of disdain, but couldn't help but lean over and stare at the noodles in Su Yingxue's hand.
The water in the kettle had already boiled, bubbling away. Su Yingxue loosened the noodles and gently placed them into the pot. The moment the noodles hit the water, the bubbling water enveloped them, and the originally firm noodles quickly softened, bobbing up and down in the boiling water. She gently stirred with chopsticks to prevent them from sticking together, and then added half a bowl of cold water—this was her years of experience cooking noodles, which made them more chewy.
After boiling three times, the noodles floated to the surface, becoming translucent. Su Yingxue picked up a mouthful with her chopsticks and broke it easily with a gentle pinch—it was cooked to perfection. She scooped the noodles into a large bowl that had been prepared beforehand, then turned to look at the almost empty pot of soup.
Xu Qingqing clung to the last bite of the "Family Reunion" soup. A few tender greens and small meatballs floated in the broth, its rich white color a testament to the long simmering process. In the corner, on the plate of braised pork with preserved mustard greens, though the meat had been devoured, a small handful of savory preserved mustard greens remained, glistening with oil.
"Sister Su, there's no meat left..." Xu Qingqing muttered softly.
Su Yingxue smiled, ladled most of the broth from the "Family Reunion" soup over the noodles, and sprinkled a few sprigs of preserved mustard greens on top. The steam from the broth instantly filled the air, the salty aroma of the preserved mustard greens mingling with the sweetness of the soup. She then took two eggs from the refrigerator, quickly fried them into sunny-side-up eggs, the golden, slightly runny yolks resting on top of the noodles. Adding some chopped scallions, the tender yellow and green hues complemented each other beautifully.
"Dinner's ready!" Su Yingxue picked up her bowl, and the steaming aroma of noodles immediately filled the entire small kitchen.
Shen Yu was the first to come over, her eyes wide with surprise: "This...this is still handmade noodles? It smells even better than my mom's!"
Zhu Xiaoxiao interrupted her the next second: "Sister, are you still filming tomorrow? Your face will swell up if you eat noodles!!"
He Qianyu originally planned to go back to the hotel to eat instant noodles, but after smelling the aroma, he quietly picked up a bowl as well. After the first bite of noodles, his tense brows immediately relaxed: "Wow... these noodles are amazing." The noodles were soaked with broth, and every bite was full of umami flavor. The salty and fragrant preserved vegetables enhanced the taste just right, and even he, a picky eater, couldn't stop eating them.
The warm taste instantly soothed his stomach, which had been empty for several days. The warm, delicious soup paired with the golden fried egg made it impossible for him to stop eating.
Su Yingxue watched him wolf down his food, a slight smile playing on her lips. She turned and scooped up a second pot of noodles, this time adding two extra spoonfuls of the "Family Reunion" broth—after all, she hadn't eaten either!
A hungry person deserves a bowl of hot, hearty noodles.
After they finished eating, there was still a night scene to film. Ye Lu noticed something was off about today; the filming went exceptionally well, with several takes completed in one take. Before long, they wrapped up filming before ten o'clock. This was a stark contrast to their listless demeanor the previous days. Everyone was in high spirits, even the extras were incredibly energetic and performed exceptionally well.
For some reason, they all seemed reluctant to leave. They lingered, looking longingly at the small kitchen. Someone was even muttering, "Why don't you film a few more clips? Those freshly cooked hand-pulled noodles smell so good. I think I could sneak a bite!"
"Could we add more late-night snacks, Director?"
Ye Lu looked in Su Yingxue's direction and said, "Haha, we made the right choice in choosing the Golden Horse Award for Best New Performer!"
quite a while
Ye Lu was leaning against the kitchen doorway, gazing absently at the brightly lit courtyard. The silhouettes of distant mountains were faintly visible in the twilight, and a few birds returning to their nests flew across the sky, their calls startling the pigeons sleeping under the eaves.
As he pulled out his phone, the blue light from the screen cast a deep shadow on his brow bone—it was an urgent message from Lin Jia, the publicity director: "The CCTV-6 'Star Podcast' team has added an extra interview! They'll be on set tomorrow at noon; they want to film the main cast's daily life!"
"Tomorrow?" Ye Lu frowned, his fingertips typing a question mark on the screen. He recalled He Qianyu's pale face when she fainted that afternoon, and then glanced at the mountain of empty lunchboxes in the kitchen. "Let them film some scenes of the extras eating their lunchboxes..."
The phone suddenly vibrated, and Lin Jia's voice message popped up: "Old Ye! They specifically asked to interview He Qianyu! I heard that the kid fainted from low blood sugar while filming an action scene today, and now the whole internet is speculating about the 'truth behind the ancient costume idol's dramatic weight loss'! The station leaders personally inquired and said that we must capture scenes of the actor being dedicated and down-to-earth!" The attached schedule prominently listed the item "experiencing the crew's boxed lunches".
This group of people just said they wouldn't tell anyone, but then they immediately posted something online about something minor.
"..." Ye Lu took a deep breath, about to refuse, when he suddenly smelled a faint aroma of wheat wafting in the air. Through the half-open kitchen door, he saw Su Yingxue standing on tiptoe to hang up an apron covered in flour, the rising steam carrying a faint scent of scallions. The steaming bowls of hand-pulled noodles from earlier, the rosy smiling faces of the extras, and even He Qianyu licking her lips with an empty bowl flashed through his mind.
“…An interview is fine.” Ye Lu pressed the voice button, “but the kitchen must be filmed.” He paused, “Have the cameraman film Su Yingxue making hand-pulled noodles—oh, and by the way, have the logistics department send over fifty kilograms of flour tomorrow.”
Just as she hung up the phone, Su Yingxue came out carrying the last empty bowl: "Director Ye, we've finished all the noodles... Huh? Why is your face redder than the sunset on set?"
"CCTV is here to interview us." Ye Lu stuffed his phone into his pocket, his gaze sweeping over the mountain of empty boxes piled up in the kitchen. "Focus on filming..." He swallowed the words back, changing his tone to, "Let you show off your skills."
Su Yingxue blinked and suddenly noticed the flour sacks piled up in the corner. She had originally planned to use them to make wontons as a snack for the whole group. But they had already used several sacks of hand-pulled noodles.
"Wait!" She suddenly grabbed Ye Lu's sleeve. "You're not going to say... we'll be filming ourselves making lunchboxes during the shoot, are you?"
“Of course not.” Ye Lu glanced at the newly tidied kitchen, a sly smile playing on his lips. “Just say our team adheres to traditional techniques, cooking every meal fresh to order. By the way,” he pointed to the wilted vegetables in the corner, “throw away this basket of vegetables and replace it with fresh ones.”
"I'll give you a raise, so work hard!"
Su Yingxue nodded, and then the phone rang late at night. It was her grandmother.
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