Chapter 53 Making Dumplings Together
After kissing her mother, Yao Yao didn't stop. She took her brother's hand and made him kiss their mother too.
"Brother, kiss Mom too."
The five-year-old already knew the difference between boys and girls. Lei Lei blushed and said shyly, "I am a boy, and my mother is a girl. Boys can't kiss girls."
Lu Mingyue was taken aback when she heard his mature-sounding words, and then she burst out laughing.
"There are many kinds of kisses. Kissing your mother and sister on the cheek is a sign of love between family members, not a matter of boys and girls. When you grow up and meet a girl you like, you should be extra careful."
Leilei blinked as if he understood but didn't, still blushing and remaining silent.
Yao Yao got anxious and grabbed her brother's hand, shaking it back and forth, saying, "Kiss me, kiss me!"
Urged on by his younger sister, Leilei glanced at Lu Mingyue, who was smiling gently, and finally mustered up his courage. He quickly touched her cheek, then immediately turned around, covered his flushed face, and ran out, saying, "I...I'm going to see if Daddy is back!"
Lu Mingyue smiled.
Not satisfied, Yao Yao chased after her brother, shouting, "Brother is shy! Brother is shy!"
Leilei ran out of the house and bumped into his father's leg. Fortunately, Huo Zheng reacted quickly and grabbed him, preventing him from falling backward.
"What's wrong? Why are you running so fast?"
Yao Yao, who ran out right after him, excitedly told her father what had just happened.
“It’s normal for a boy to be shy; it just means our Leilei has grown up.”
He paused, then lowered his voice, pretending to be mysterious, and said, "But, the matter of my biological mother is a family secret, you know?"
secret?
Leilei looked up, his eyes brightened, and he nodded seriously, his little hand still holding his sister's: "Come on, it's time for us to wash up!"
Seeing that the two children had made up, Huo Zheng carried the food and meat he had prepared back into the house.
Huo Zheng arrived early and was the first in line to buy the pork and ribs that Lu Mingyue wanted.
The women who came out next couldn't help but envy Lu Mingyue when they saw the tall figure standing at the front of the line.
Especially when Huo Zheng told her that Lu Mingyue was still sleeping at home, the envy in her eyes was almost impossible to suppress.
Why aren't they so lucky to marry a good man like Lu Mingyue?
Not only is her husband lazy, but he just sits on the sofa all day doing nothing, leaving the woman to clean the house inside and out.
It is said that women hold up half the sky, and they should also enjoy the treatment they deserve.
This home doesn't just belong to a woman; it's a home shared by the husband and wife.
Men can't just sit around doing nothing after work. Women understand how hard they train in the military camp, so they go to great lengths to cook them delicious and nutritious meals.
Instead of being grateful, they were nitpicking and finding fault.
They need to be taught a lesson so they know they're not to be trifled with.
Lu Mingyue was unaware that her small action had provoked protests from the other women in the family compound.
After having breakfast, Lu Mingyue cleaned up the seafood left over from yesterday's beachcombing trip.
Steam all the shelled items until cooked, then remove the meat from the shells and dry it on a bamboo sieve.
There was a staircase leading to the second-floor platform in the house. Because there were two children, Lu Mingyue asked Huo Zheng to build a fence to block the staircase after she arrived on the island.
They're at that mischievous age, and they might run up there if we're not careful.
They were too young and lacked sufficient safety awareness; even though Lu Mingyue frequently reminded them, it couldn't stop their curiosity.
Instead of doing that, it would be better to build a fence to stop it at the source.
They can only go up and play for a short while when accompanied by an adult.
Fortunately, both children were very obedient, and after Lu Mingyue told them that it was very dangerous up there, they never went up alone.
Spread the prepared seafood meat evenly on a bamboo sieve, and also clean the remaining seaweed and place it on a smaller bamboo sieve.
The sun is strong now, so it will dry in just a few days. Then we can store it and continue to eat it in the winter.
The island they live on is located in the eastern part of China, where there are four distinct seasons, each with its own distinct season.
Now is the peak season for seafood, and many women in residential compounds are taking advantage of this time to prepare and store more seafood so they can cook something for their children when meat and vegetables are scarce in winter.
The two children followed behind Lu Mingyue, busying themselves and having a great time. Sometimes they would hand her a piece of seafood, and sometimes they would clean a seashell.
After processing, place the shells at the door to dry in the sun. Once they have completely weathered, break them up and feed them to the chickens to supplement their calcium intake.
Lu Mingyue decided to make dumplings with the piece of meat that Huo Zheng brought back that morning.
"Mom, can we make dumplings together?"
Perhaps this is one of the most popular activities for children in China: playing with dough.
Of course, food was very precious in those days, especially wheat flour, which could not be wasted at all.
Lu Mingyue would not agree to the two children playing with the dough everywhere, but she did not refuse their idea of helping out.
"Okay, when Mom cuts the dough pieces, can you help flatten them?"
The brother and sister nodded in unison; they were happy as long as they could help.
Of course, they were also thinking about playing with dough, since dough has better elasticity than mud, and they could make all sorts of strange shapes.
Lu Mingyue didn't even stop the two children from playing.
Make the dumpling filling with three kinds of seafood.
With shrimp meat readily available at home and fresh chives from the garden, a handful is enough for the whole family.
Clean and chop the shrimp into small pieces, mix with oil and shrimp meat, and then add an egg.
Lu Mingyue has been cooking since she was a child, so she doesn't need to taste the ingredients to know how salty or bland they are.
She only needs to smell it to be sure.
Steam rose from the kitchen, and a thin layer of flour was sprinkled on the cutting board.
Lu Mingyue rolled up her sleeves, holding a freshly wrapped dumpling in her hand, which looked like a small gold ingot on the plate.
After the two children finished kneading the dough, they successfully won their mother's approval and moved on to the next step.
Leilei sat on a small stool, holding a rolling pin in his hand, carefully rolling out the dough.
But if you could see the face in front of him, you would be shocked. You can tell that he has been trying very hard to control it, but the rolling pin in his hand just won't listen to him.
The rolled-out shape sometimes resembles a triangle, and sometimes it resembles an irregular cloud.
"Mom, can this be used to wrap dumplings?" Lei Lei asked, holding up the crooked dumpling wrapper.
Lu Mingyue smiled and accepted it: "Of course, these are our family's unique 'Leilei brand dumplings'."
Not to be outdone, Yao Yao picked up a small spoon and scooped up a large spoonful of filling. However, when she was wrapping the filling, it all squeezed out from the edges, making her hands all over.
She raised her sticky little hands and giggled, "Mommy, the dumplings are 'leaking their bellies'!"
While wiping the filling off her hands, Lu Mingyue patiently taught her how to pleat the dough: "Like this, pleat slowly, one pleat at a time, and it won't leak."
However, she overestimated the two children's manual dexterity; at their age, it's already quite impressive that they can roll out the dough properly.
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