Han Yue realized a few seconds later that her face was probably covered in flour.
She wiped her hands, looked in the mirror, and sure enough.
After washing off the flour, Han Yue came out embarrassed: "Grandma is also making dough for the first time, so it's normal to make mistakes. You little devils actually made fun of me. If you laugh again, you won't be allowed to make dumplings."
The four children stopped laughing together.
Everyone focused intently on kneading the dough with the auntie.
Han Yue had to admit that the children were much better at doing things than she was. The maid had only explained the ratio of water to flour once, and each of them had a basin in front of them. When they actually tried it, they managed to do it perfectly on the first try.
Han Yue's jaw nearly dropped as she looked at the dough her grandsons had kneaded.
She pressed each one; the firmness was just right.
The maid praised the young master and young lady, saying they were the smartest people she had ever met.
Han Yue knew her grandson and granddaughter were very intelligent, but she didn't expect them to be so outstanding in all aspects, not just academically.
She glanced at the makeshift dough she had made, then quickly picked up the bowl and moved it to the other side, otherwise the contrast would be too obvious.
Rong Yan put on light makeup and went downstairs.
I immediately spotted the grandfather and his grandchildren at the round table.
"It looks quite professional," the woman said as she walked over to take a look.
Fu Yunlei and the others proudly showed off the dough to their mother, emphasizing that it was done in one go.
Han Yue stood to one side, forcing a smile.
Rong Yan gave two thumbs up: "Genius, much better than me."
"Rong Yan, come over here," Han Yue called to her daughter-in-law.
"What am I supposed to do? Make dumplings?" Rong Yan asked, looking at the rolled-out dumpling wrappers on the table. "I probably don't need to roll out the wrappers anymore."
“Sure, Mom,” Rong Shimo said.
Rong Yan had seen others make dumplings before; they simply put the filling in the center of the wrapper and pinched the edges closed—it was very simple and required no instruction whatsoever.
Rong Yan was quickly proven wrong.
She poured in a small bowl of water, looking like a pro, but when she pinched the edges, the filling first showed through, and after stuffing the filling in, the skin cracked.
She tore off some dough to patch up the gap, and a dumpling was finished, but it looked extremely ugly.
The maid wanted to lend a hand, but Rong Yan refused, saying she could do it herself. So that's what it means to be able to do something.
The maid couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at the dumplings in the tray.
Fu Yunlei picked up the dumplings his mother had made and looked at them for a long time before bursting out laughing: "Is this a lump?"
"What do you mean 'lumps'? Dumplings!" Rong Yan tried to snatch them away.
"Little brother, little sister, look."
"Fu Yunlei," Rong Yan scolded, but her son didn't listen at all. He held up the dumplings and told everyone he met, "My mom made these. Look what they look like."
The servants, having witnessed Rong Yan's "real skills," all managed to suppress their laughter.
Rong Yan couldn't outrun the children, so she sat in the living room waiting for them to come back.
"Have you made enough of a fuss? If you have, come and get to work." Rong Yan said sternly. Seeing that the children wouldn't listen, she softened her tone. "Give it to me. Do you want me to be laughed at by everyone? Yunlei, Mom will buy you equipment. Stop making a scene."
Rong Yan was practically begging her son for attention.
“Okay, Mom.” Fu Yunlei returned to the table.
Rong Yan covered her face: "I really can't face anyone, Fu Yunlei, I'm your own mother."
"Mom, it's not shameful." Rong Shiyu patted Rong Yan's shoulder to comfort her. "Everyone knows you can't cook. It's already pretty good that you managed to make these. And you succeeded on your first try. Keep up the good work, Mom. The next one will definitely be even better."
“That’s right, Mom. Grandma also studied for a long time, but look, the dough she kneads isn’t as good as ours,” Rong Shimo added.
Han Yue's eyes shot over like knives: "Why did you bring me up?"
Rong Yan: ……
Is this really just me trying to comfort myself?
"Rongyan, it's okay. Look at me, I only succeeded after several attempts. Neither of us, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, are good at cooking, it doesn't matter," Han Yue said.
Rong Yan looked up: "Yes, Auntie, can you teach me?"
The woman stopped being stubborn.
After her aunt taught her several times, Rong Yan finally learned how to make it. Holding up her first well-made dumpling, which looked pretty, she smiled and said, "Success!"
"Wow!" The children exclaimed in exaggerated expressions.
"Mom, this is beautiful."
"Mom, you're so smart."
Rong Yan stopped laughing, glared at her son who was later trying to flatter her, and said, "Too late."
The dining room of the villa was filled with joy and harmony.
After three hours of work, the group made four trays of dumplings.
Everyone smiled as they looked at these chubby little guys.
Rong Yan was laughing the most, having already forgotten the scene where she was laughed at at the beginning.
Around noon, Rong Yan called Fu Jingsheng, who was already on his way home.
The servants ate dumplings together at the table.
Rong Yan calculated the time; there were only two days left before the move, and this might be the last thing they did together.
Fu Jingsheng took He Wei home.
Fu Yunlei stood at the door waiting for his father. When he saw the car, he shouted into the yard, "Dad's back!"
All the children came out and leaned against the courtyard wall.
"Boss, I'm so envious of you," He Wei said, looking at the scene before him. "So many people are waiting for you to come home."
Fu Jingsheng's lips curled up when he saw the children: "It's a rare sight."
Peter Hessler muttered to himself, "I'm even thinking about getting married."
"How about I introduce Shen Xingzhi to you?" Fu Jingsheng said, seizing the opportunity.
He Wei shook his head repeatedly: "No, President Shen is not my type."
As the car drove into the yard, Fu Jingsheng got out, and before the back door was even closed, all the children surrounded him, showing off their creations.
Rong Yan was pushed aside and couldn't get a word in edgewise.
He Wei greeted Han Yue and the others, saying that he had come to freeload another meal.
"You're welcome anytime." Han Yue invited He Wei inside.
Rong Yan saw several children blocking Fu Jingsheng's way, talking about the process of making dumplings.
"Hurry up and let Dad come inside for dinner, we can talk while we eat," Rong Yan said from behind.
“Yes, Dad is starving.” Fu Jingsheng divided the children into two groups.
“Okay, Dad, I’ll tell you, Mom made a dumpling that looks like a lump, it’s this big…” Fu Yunlei gestured exaggeratedly. Rong Yan finally lost control and slapped her son on the back: “Say it again, and I’m going to cut off your allowance.” The woman threatened.
Fu Yunlei shut his mouth.
Rong Shimo held Fu Jingsheng's hand and said, "Dad, I made a heart-shaped dumpling. Whoever eats it will be very lucky."
"I wrapped it in a square shape, so the person who gets to eat it is very lucky."
...
Rong Yan then realized that everyone had put some thought into the dumplings.
After all the dumplings were served, everyone sat down at the table.
The aunt ate a dumpling, and tears welled up in her eyes. She lowered her head, not wanting anyone to see.
But the gesture of wiping away tears was too obvious, and Han Yue saw through it at a glance.
"Sister Liu, let's get together whenever we have time. We can't make dumplings at home, so let's go camping."
"Yes, madam."
"My mom is right. Don't be sad, everyone. Even though we won't be able to see each other every day in the future, we can still meet up and have a happy meal together, okay?" Rong Yan tried to ease the atmosphere.
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