Chapter 97 Making Mooncakes
For the next few days, she and Huo Zheng were extremely busy.
Huo Zheng went to the back mountain to collect some fire-resistant yellow clay blocks, repaired the small oven at home, and built an extra simple one, planning to move it to the activity room later.
Lu Mingyue then took out the white sugar and sesame seeds she had saved up, and asked someone to bring back some peanuts and dried fruit from the county town. She stir-fried the filling until the aroma filled the house.
Leilei and Yaoyao were also busy helping out. Leilei helped pack the stir-fried filling into jars, while Yaoyao took a small rag and wiped the wooden molds in the house again and again.
"Mommy, I'm going to bring the little rabbit mold with me and teach the other kids how to make mooncakes." Leilei held the mold, his eyes full of anticipation.
The bunny mold was made by someone they hired; it was specially made in the shape of small animals that children like.
Lu Mingyue rubbed his head: "Okay, let's go as a family and let everyone taste our cooking."
The day before the event, Lu Mingyue divided the filling into several small cloth bags, while Huo Zheng moved two ovens to the event room in advance and checked them inside and out.
Looking at the things that had been prepared, Lu Mingyue was filled with anticipation.
On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival mooncake-making activity, the activity room was packed with people early in the morning.
Just as Lu Mingyue placed the fillings on the table, Leilei ran in carrying a wooden box. He carefully opened it, and inside were five or six small animal wooden molds neatly arranged.
Besides the familiar little rabbit, there are also squirrels with round ears, foxes with upturned tails, and simple flower shapes. The edges of each mold are polished smooth and rounded.
"This was specially made by a carpenter that my dad asked!" Lei Lei proudly showed the little fox model to his friends.
"With so many of us, everyone can get a share of the work to do together."
The children immediately crowded around, scrambling to choose their favorite molds, and cheers erupted throughout the activity room.
The military wives watched the lively children and laughed along with them.
Lu Mingyue picked up the little rabbit mold, stuffed a spoonful of sesame filling into the kneaded dough, gently pressed and tapped it, and the adorable rabbit mooncake dough fell into the plate.
Wang Fengmei also tried out the squirrel mold: "This mold is so exquisitely made, it's even better than the ones you buy!"
Huo Zheng helped secure the last baffle of the grill, and carefully checked the ventilation openings of the charcoal fire before picking up the military cap that was hanging on the courtyard wall.
"The stove is stable now. Keep an eye on the fire while you're working. I'm going to take a look around the camp and will be back by evening."
As Lu Mingyue poured flour into the basin, she nodded in agreement, "Don't worry, we'll take care of things here."
As soon as Huo Zheng's figure disappeared at the alley entrance, the women and children in the courtyard immediately got busy.
Wang Fengmei rolled up her sleeves and helped Lu Mingyue knead the dough. The dough became more and more elastic as they kneaded it in their hands.
She would occasionally give pointers to the young military wives who were beginners next to her: "When kneading dough, you have to do it in one direction and use even pressure. That way, the mooncake crust will be crispy after baking."
The children weren't idle either. Leilei, holding his beloved animal molds, taught his friends how to fill the dough completely.
Yao Yao was surrounded by several little girls, who used small spoons to fill the mooncake dough with filling.
Although she occasionally spilled sesame seeds on the cutting board, she studied very seriously, not caring that her little face was covered in flour.
Looking at the lively scene, Lu Mingyue smiled and stuffed a piece of freshly fried sesame candy into the children's hands.
"If you're tired, take a break and have something sweet."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than someone brought over raisins from their own farm, and another brought freshly steamed pumpkin puree, saying they wanted to try out the novel filling.
While they were busy, Yao Yao suddenly stared at the pumpkin puree on the table and her eyes lit up. She tugged at Lei Lei's clothes and whispered a few words to him.
The brother and sister immediately gathered in the corner of the cutting board, where Leilei was responsible for kneading the pumpkin puree and dough together to make a pale yellow dough.
Yao Yao used her little hands to roll the dough into a round cake, and then carefully used a small spoon to press the edges into a curved shape.
"Mommy, look! We made a little moon!"
A moment later, Yao Yao ran over holding a crooked mooncake, her face full of pride.
Lu Mingyue looked down and saw that the pale yellow dough had irregular little wrinkles around the edges, which really looked like a crescent moon that had just risen. She couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Our Yaoyao really has a good idea!"
This announcement sparked the interest of the other children as well.
Some tried to shape the dough into star shapes, while others stacked two colors of dough together to make a flower moon. Even the military wives were intrigued.
Wang Fengmei used red bean paste to dot a few small dots on the mooncake: "These are stars accompanying the moon!"
The young military wives sprinkled sesame seeds on the edge of the cake, saying it resembled the clouds around the moon.
Once these creative mooncake doughs were put into the oven, the children stayed by the oven and refused to leave.
When they came out of the oven, the pale yellow moon-shaped pastries glistened with oil, and the star-shaped crusts were filled with the aroma of sesame seeds. Even Lu Mingyue couldn't resist picking up a crescent-shaped pastry and taking a bite: "The sweetness of the pumpkin mixed with the aroma of the dough is even rarer than a proper mooncake."
Leilei held up the star-shaped cookies he made and ran to show them off to his friends: "Look, my stars can keep the moon company!"
As soon as Huo Zheng entered the courtyard in the evening, he saw a row of fancy mooncakes laid out on the chopping board. There were crescent moons, five-pointed stars, and even mooncakes covered in sesame seeds, each with a novel appearance.
"What's this new thing?" Huo Zheng put down his military cap, walked straight to the table, picked up the pale yellow mooncake, and could still feel the warmth of the crust with his fingertips.
Lu Mingyue wiped her hands and walked over, smiling as she pushed the children in front of him: "It was all your two little ones who took the lead in thinking about it, saying they wanted to make the Mid-Autumn Festival moon."
Leilei immediately puffed out his little chest: "Dad, I also made star-shaped cookies. The stars will keep the moon company!"
Yao Yao also stood on tiptoe and pointed to the little cloud she had made: "This one is mine!"
Huo Zheng took a bite of the mooncake, the sweetness of the pumpkin mixed with the soft crust spreading in his mouth, and immediately gave the children a thumbs up: "You guys are even better at coming up with ideas than adults!"
After being praised by their father, the brother and sister immediately pulled him to see the second batch of freshly baked bread in the oven.
Huo Zheng followed behind, listening to the children chattering about the fun they had making mooncakes, and the weariness in his eyes instantly disappeared.
As soon as the last batch of mooncakes came out of the oven, Lu Mingyue and the other military wives packed the mooncakes into small cloth bags that each family had brought.
Golden mooncakes were piled up in cloth bags, some printed with cute little rabbits, others with crooked moons sculpted by children, along with freshly roasted sesame filling. Each family received a generous share.
"This trip was definitely worthwhile. Not only did we bring back mooncakes, but we also learned how to knead flaky pastry!" Director Wang said, patting Lu Mingyue's hand with a smile as he carried the cloth bag.
Wang Fengmei, standing nearby, nodded in agreement: "That's right, the children had a blast. When they got home, they kept talking about making star-shaped mooncakes again tomorrow. It was much more fun than playing outside."
Leilei and Yaoyao leaned against the courtyard wall, looking at the mooncakes in their friends' hands, their little faces full of pride.
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