Chapter 111 Preparing for the Birthday
Ever since he discovered his teeth had grown in, Leilei's daily routine consists of standing in front of the mirror admiring himself.
First, observe the growth of the teeth, and then carefully check if they are growing crooked.
My mother said that if I lick my teeth, they will grow crooked, and then I will have a lot of trouble eating, let alone chewing walnuts.
With Yao Yao's birthday fast approaching, Lu Mingyue spent several days flipping through the calendar, pondering what to do.
For the past few years, the children have lived with the Huo family in Beijing, and the elders in the family have been very fond of them.
Birthday celebrations usually involve gathering everyone together for a reunion dinner, where everyone enjoys a bowl of steaming hot egg noodles.
Now the children live with them and are part of the family. Lu Mingyue truly treats them as her own children.
I wanted to celebrate their birthdays in my own way, since it only happens once a year, and I wanted to leave them with something to remember for a lifetime.
In those days, parents in family compounds didn't care much about the birth of their children; it was mostly just a matter of going through the motions.
But Lu Mingyue had an idea. She wanted to go to the supply and marketing cooperative in advance to buy a piece of floral fabric to make a new dress for Yao Yao, make a birthday cake, cook a bowl of egg noodles, and prepare the children's favorite foods so that the whole family could gather together and have a lively time.
She took advantage of a break to mention this to Huo Zheng, who immediately nodded and said, "I'll listen to you. We need to celebrate our daughter's birthday properly."
Leilei also came over, patting his little chest and saying he would draw a picture for his sister as a gift.
The family chatted amongst themselves, already anticipating the lively atmosphere of the birthday celebration.
That day, Lu Mingyue rushed to the supply and marketing cooperative with cloth coupons, grain coupons and spare change in her hand, having already mentally reviewed what she needed to buy three times.
I need to gather all the ingredients for making a cake for Yao Yao first, and then choose a piece of fabric that I like to make a new dress. I need to buy both of them before noon.
Upon arriving at the supply and marketing cooperative, she went straight to the food section.
Making cakes these days is not easy. She carefully selected a pound of refined flour and asked the salesperson to weigh out half a pound of white sugar.
I even spent two extra sugar coupons to buy a bag of milk powder. The cake with milk powder is sweeter and more fragrant, and the kids will definitely love it.
Carrying her food bag, she went to the fabric section and immediately spotted a light pink cotton fabric with a small cherry pattern. It felt soft to the touch and the color suited her aunt, so she immediately exchanged it for the fabric coupon.
Just as she was holding the fabric in her hand, measuring it out, a familiar voice came from behind her: "Sister-in-law Guo, I've come to buy some fabric."
Looking back, I saw it was Shen Baoqin, who had just bought the thread.
The other person noticed that she looked a little uneasy, but then he forced a polite smile.
As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face, so Lu Mingyue returned the smile.
She hadn't seen Shen Baoqin since she and her brother left home, and assumed she had been transferred to another place.
As soon as Lu Mingyue put the things she bought from the supply and marketing cooperative on the table, she rolled up her sleeves and got busy.
First, sift the refined flour and pour it into an enamel basin. Then, crack two eggs, add sugar and milk powder, and stir vigorously in one direction.
As the batter gradually became smoother, she was about to look for the steamer when she suddenly heard footsteps behind her.
"Mom, let me help you!"
Leilei came over, and his little hand just touched the edge of the enamel basin. He lost his footing and almost knocked the basin over.
Lu Mingyue quickly steadied the basin, smiling as she tapped his forehead: "You little rascal, you should help Mom hand things over."
Leilei nodded immediately and stood obediently to the side, but his eyes were fixed on the batter in the bowl, and he swallowed hard.
After whipping the batter and steaming it, Lu Mingyue laid a light pink cotton cloth on the cutting board.
She measured the pattern according to Yao Yao's height, and the scissors moved steadily across the cloth with a "snip, snip" sound.
Leilei squatted down beside her, folding scraps of fabric into small squares, and muttered to himself, "When my little sister wears her new dress, I'll give her the little rabbit I drew."
As he was cutting the fabric, Huo Zheng's voice came from the courtyard gate.
Lu Mingyue looked up and saw that he was carrying a small cloth bag. He smiled and shook it as he entered the room: "A comrade-in-arms came back from visiting his family and brought a bag of red dates for the children."
Leilei immediately ran over, stood on tiptoe, and peered into the bag: "Dad, can we put these dates on the cake?"
Lu Mingyue's eyes lit up, and she put down the scissors and walked over: "That's right! Putting a few red dates on the cake while steaming it makes it look nice and sweet."
She quickly poured the freshly prepared batter into an oiled porcelain plate.
Yao Yao's birthday is the day after tomorrow, but Lu Mingyue wanted to make a cake in advance to try it out. She hadn't made desserts in a long time, and she wasn't sure if using an oven would be suitable.
Huo Zheng helped wash the red dates, while Lei Lei carefully arranged them into the shape of small flowers.
Yao Yao also came over, picked up a date with her little hand and put it on the batter, but almost knocked the whole row of dates over, which made the whole family laugh.
After the cake was placed in the pan, the stove fire slowly burned, and a sweet aroma gradually wafted out from the pan.
Leilei and Yaoyao stood by the stove, occasionally tiptoeing to peek into the pot.
Lu Mingyue leaned against Huo Zheng, looking at the expectant looks on the two children's faces, feeling a sense of peace in her heart.
Smelling the sweet aroma of the cake as it neared completion, Lu Mingyue suddenly remembered something and tugged at Huo Zheng's arm.
"I was so busy making cakes that I haven't gotten anything else done yet."
The most important part, the cream, hadn't been whipped yet, so Lu Mingyue quickly prepared the tools while waiting.
This job undoubtedly belongs to Huo Zheng. Without a whisk, Lu Mingyue wouldn't be able to whisk the eggs even if she beats them until her hands go numb.
She added two egg whites to the bowl, along with a spoonful of sugar, and handed the task over to Huo Zheng, who rolled up his sleeves and vigorously stirred the mixture.
At first, the egg whites were thin, but as he kept rotating his wrist, the foam gradually thickened, slowly turning into a delicate white, and finally becoming fluffy cream. Lei Lei watched with curiosity from the side and reached out to touch it, but Huo Zheng laughed and slapped his hand away: "Wait until you spread it on the cake and try it."
At this moment, Lu Mingyue also brought out the steamed cake. The golden cake was steaming hot, and the red dates on the surface were shiny red.
Huo Zheng took the bowl of cream and carefully scraped the cream off the edges.
Leilei even imitated him, scooping up a little bit with a small spoon and drawing a small circle next to the jujube.
Yao Yao leaned over the table, her eyes sparkling as she stared intently, almost drooling.
Huo Zheng was stirring the egg whites when Lu Mingyue suddenly remembered that there was a jar of homemade hawthorn jam hidden in the cupboard. Her eyes lit up: "It's perfect to have jam. It'll make the cake even sweeter as a filling."
She carefully divided the freshly steamed cake into two layers, took the jam jar, scooped out the bright red jam with a small spoon, and spread it evenly on the lower layer of cake.
The sweet and sour fruity aroma mingled with the wheaty scent of the cake, and Leilei leaned over to take a deep breath.
"Mom, this jam smells delicious!"
Lu Mingyue smiled and put the top layer of cake back on, pressing it gently to make sure the filling wouldn't leak out.
After Huo Zheng spread the fluffy cream all over the cake surface, Lu Mingyue used a small spoon to scoop some jam and dotted a few small hearts on the cream.
Yao Yao stood on tiptoe, gripping the edge of the table, her little hands clutching her skirt, and whispered, "The cake is so pretty."
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