Chapter 75 Making Scallion Pancakes
After today's attempt, Lu Mingyue is becoming more and more confident in swimming.
After several practice sessions, Lu Mingyue's swimming skills gradually improved.
She was planning to practice a little longer while the weather was nice, but the weather turned bad and it started to drizzle early in the morning.
When I got home, the rain was still falling, pattering against the window.
Looking at the rain outside the window, Lu Mingyue suddenly felt inspired and said to the two children, "How about we make some fried pancakes today?"
Upon hearing this, the children cheered and skipped to the kitchen to help.
Lu Mingyue poured the flour into a bowl, slowly added warm water while stirring, and the flour gradually turned into a flocculent state.
She rolled up her sleeves and began to knead the dough vigorously. The children followed suit, imitating her with great enthusiasm, even though their technique was clumsy.
The dough gradually became smooth and delicate in Lu Mingyue's hands, like a round little dumpling.
She divided the dough into several small portions and had the children help roll them into circles.
Leilei stood on a small chair, laboriously swinging the rolling pin to roll the dough into an irregular shape, and excitedly showed it to Lu Mingyue: "Mom, look at the pancake I rolled out!"
Lu Mingyue smiled and nodded, "You rolled it out well."
With his mother's praise, Leilei worked even harder.
Yao Yao wasn't very strong, so she cheered her brother on from the sidelines.
Lu Mingyue grabbed a handful of finely chopped scallions and gently sprinkled them evenly from one end of the pancake. The aroma of scallions and oil mingled together, making one's mouth water.
She rolled up her sleeves and gently pressed the dough with a rolling pin to ensure the scallions stuck firmly to the dough.
Next, slowly roll up the dough along the edge into a long strip, then gently rub it with your hands to distribute the oil and scallions more evenly.
"Mom, I know how to do this step!" Leilei volunteered and came over, imitating Lu Mingyue, and rolled the other pancake tightly.
Yao Yao was responsible for handing out chopped green onions, her little face full of seriousness.
The rolled-up strip was cut into evenly sized pieces by Lu Mingyue, each one resembling a small snail shell.
She stood the dough ball upright, gently flattened it with her palm, and then rolled it out into a round scallion pancake with a rolling pin.
Lu Mingyue smiled and nodded, then placed the frying pan on the fire and poured in a little oil.
Once the oil was hot, she gently placed the dough into the pan. As soon as the dough touched the hot oil, it made a sizzling sound.
Soon, one side of the pancake turned golden and crispy. Lu Mingyue flipped it over with a spatula, and the whole kitchen was filled with the tempting aroma of fried dough.
"Mom, is it ready yet? My mouth is watering!" Leilei stood on tiptoe, peering at the pancakes in the pan by the stove.
Yao Yao also came closer, her nose almost touching the rim of the pot: "Almost done, almost done!"
The brother and sister sang in unison, their voices filled with eagerness.
Lu Mingyue gently lifted a corner of the pancake with a spatula. Seeing that the bottom was already crispy, she quickly flipped it over: "Wait a little longer, and it will be ready to eat soon."
The first pancake came out of the pan, golden and crispy on the surface, with the edges slightly curled up, and the aroma of scallions was irresistible.
As soon as Lu Mingyue put it on the plate, Leilei reached out to take it, but quickly pulled it back because he was burned.
Lu Mingyue cut a piece for each of the children and handed one to Huo Zheng, saying, "Eat slowly, be careful it's hot."
Leilei and Yaoyao puffed out their cheeks and blew on the scallion pancakes. After the steam dissipated for a while, they took a bite and their eyes crinkled with happiness.
Huo Zheng and Yu Hong walked home, and from a distance they could smell the aroma of scallions.
Yu Hong said, "I guarantee it's my wife who made the scallion pancakes. I mentioned it this morning, and she made them for me."
That tone was so smug, tsk tsk.
Huo Zheng glanced at him. "Want to make a bet?"
"A bet? What kind of bet?"
"Shall we bet on whose scallion pancakes these are made?"
Yu Hong looked at Huo Zheng suspiciously, feeling that something was wrong, but remembering that his wife had nodded in agreement that morning, he figured it must have been made by his own family.
"No problem, let's make a bet."
Huo Zheng raised an eyebrow and said, "I guarantee it was made by my wife."
Yu Hong spat lightly, "Old Huo, I know you like scallion pancakes, but I guarantee I'll win today."
He quickly added, "How about we bet on your box of tea?"
"Sure, I'm fine with that. But what if you lose?"
"I will not lose." Yu Hong said with absolute certainty.
But a bet isn't fun without stakes, and he also has a batch of good tea.
The two agreed to use each other's tea leaves as the stakes.
Huo Zheng strode ahead, saying, "Let's go and find out what's going on."
As I got closer to home, the aroma of scallions grew stronger.
Yu Hong eagerly pushed open the door, and a rich aroma of scallions wafted out.
He glanced at Huo Zheng and said smugly, "Wife, I'm back."
The door was pushed open forcefully, and Wang Fengmei, who was washing vegetables in the yard, trembled in fright.
The freshly washed vegetables fell on the ground and got covered in dirt.
Wang Fengmei's face darkened. She picked up the vegetables from the ground, dusted them off, and said in an unpleasant tone, "Couldn't you have been a little more careful when you came in? You scared me half to death, and you dropped all the vegetables!"
Yu Hong chuckled and quickly asked the question he wanted to know, "Wife, you..."
“Mingyue brought us scallion pancakes. Don’t eat them while you’re inside. Wait until the kids finish their homework before eating them together.”
Yu Hong's smile froze on the spot.
"Comrade Lu sent this? Honey, didn't you say you were going to make scallion pancakes?"
Wang Fengmei said impatiently, "When did I say that? Don't try to pin it on me. Besides, I don't have the time. Today I was so tired from washing clothes for you three that my back hurts. I also had to cook. Scallion pancakes are such a hassle."
Put the rice in the pot, put it on the stove, and start steaming.
Making fried dough sticks requires constant attention; if the heat is too high, they'll burn, and if the heat is too low, they won't taste good. The best ones have golden, crispy crusts.
Wang Fengmei wanted to take advantage of the good weather to finish washing the clothes quickly, and she had only casually agreed when he asked her to in the morning.
Yu Hong's eyes widened. Was his tea leaves going to fly away?
This packet of tea was a gift from his superior, who said it was a good thing he had obtained from outside, and that even the superior himself was reluctant to drink it.
And that's how it turned out; he lost to Huo Zheng because of a plate of scallion pancakes.
Huo Zheng chuckled and patted him on the shoulder, "Looks like you want some scallion pancakes. Lao Yu, don't forget our bet."
Yu Hong was on the verge of tears. While eating scallion pancakes at dinner that evening, he felt heartbroken.
After making scallion pancakes, Lu Mingyue stir-fried a plate of shredded potatoes and made a cucumber salad.
Huo Zheng came in from outside, saw the plate in her hand, and said impatiently, "I'll take it."
Seeing that he seemed to be in a good mood, Lu Mingyue casually asked what good thing had happened.
Huo Zheng told her about the bet.
Lu Mingyue laughed and said, "Comrade Yu should feel sorry for his tea leaves."
Whether he felt heartache or not, Huo Zheng only knew that he was very happy at that moment.
Taking a bite of the crispy outer layer produces a "crunch" sound, and the aroma of scallions explodes in your mouth.
He couldn't help but give a thumbs up: "Delicious! Even better than the cafeteria food!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
