Chapter 23: First attempt at making hot dough...
Chapter 23
On the second night after moving into the new rental house, Lin Mujin was struggling.
A new mattress weighing four pounds was laid out, and the mat was rinsed and dried in the shade, ready for use, but the old coarse cloth on top had not been rinsed with water yet.
So should we lay out the mat or not?
Finally…she paved it.
But she put the old mattress on top again.
So the mattress was extra soft that night.
Don't even look at how many layers there are.
She even felt like the precious "Princess and the Pea".
She also changed her mind and decided that the old bedding didn't need to be thrown away. She could reuse it and put it at the bottom to make a mattress.
That's a good idea.
As expected, she stayed in bed in the morning. It was only after her cousin Lin repeatedly called her to get up and eat that she got up reluctantly. Such a soft bed was so attractive.
"The sun is shining on your butt, and you're still shameless." Cousin Lin tapped her forehead and scolded her.
Lin Mujin pulled her cousin's arm and acted coquettishly, "I took a thorough bath yesterday and slept on a soft bed. It was so comfortable that I didn't want to get up."
Knowing that my cousin wasn't angry, I leaned over and asked, "How many quilts are left?"
Cousin Lin said, "I just made the bed."
Lin Mujin asked, "Sister, how early did you get up? I see a lot of old coarse cloth drying outside the window."
Cousin Lin said nonchalantly, "I didn't check the time. I just woke up and got up. I couldn't fall asleep even if I lay down."
Seeing that there was no place for her to help, Lin Mujin prepared to go out to submit her manuscripts and buy some groceries.
Since I don’t go far, I don’t ride a bike.
Actually, I hate pushing it up and down. The 28-bar bicycle is too solid.
Lin Mujin sent in the manuscript and started shopping at the vegetable market in a relaxed mood.
Clams are very cheap today, so I bought half a pound and also bought a loofah. I added two fried eggs and it became a delicious loofah, egg and clam soup, which is very sweet and delicious.
You can't just drink the soup, buy a small piece of pork belly and a cabbage. This dish is cheap and tastes good when cooked. She also likes stir-fried pork with sauce.
Buy a few more onions. This one can be stored for a long time, so you can buy more.
After thinking about it, I bought two cucumbers, carrots and two taels of bean sprouts.
This was not enough because she wanted to make a special snack.
I went to the grain and oil store again and bought a small bucket of rapeseed oil and a pound of sweet potato starch.
There are also two taels of coarse and fine chili powder, which is a bit expensive.
Finally, there are various spices, star anise, peppercorns, spices, cinnamon, black and white pepper, cumin and white sesame seeds.
These spices are relatively common and can be used when cooking meat dishes at home. They are not considered a luxury or waste.
Lin Mujin calculated the bill and realized that the total cost was 216 yuan, which was a bit painful.
But there is no way to save money, there must be initial investment.
Went home with a bunch of stuff.
"Sister, why did you buy so many things? It must have cost a lot of money." Cousin Lin looked at each item and guessed the price.
Lin Mujin said, "Sister, put them all in the kitchen."
Cousin Lin hesitated, "This spice is not cheap."
I'm afraid that my neighbors will use it.
Lin Mujin said, "I don't cook much." What's there to be afraid of? "Besides, spices have a strong smell and it's not good to keep them in the house."
Cousin Lin nodded, "Okay, let's put it in the kitchen. You should put these dishes directly in the kitchen."
Lin Mujin pouted, "Didn't I want you to take a look first?"
If she let it go directly, she would be scolded.
I put things in order in the kitchen with my cousin.
Lin Mujin took the opportunity to say, "Sister, I didn't spend money recklessly. I bought things that I could use. I wanted to replicate a special snack."
Cousin Lin's curiosity was piqued. "What snacks?"
Lin Mujin started to talk nonsense. "There were two classmates in my class who came from the inland. They talked about their local cuisine, and I wrote it down. It's quite simple."
Cousin Lin became interested. "From the inland! Haven't we eaten it before? We have to try it. You tell me to make it."
Lin Mujin was eager for her cousin to participate in the whole process. "Okay, okay. Let's do it now."
Cousin Lin was surprised. "What time is it now? It's too early to make lunch."
Lin Mujin explained, "It takes time to prepare the materials in the early stages. Once we're done, we don't have to worry about it anymore."
Cousin Lin seemed to understand, "Just tell me what to do."
Lin Mujin began to direct, "First, add some flour and water, stirring with chopsticks until it becomes a paste... Sister, add more water, it's too dry, it's almost done. Same with the starch... Let it sit for two hours, we can do other things first."
Naturally, she went back to the room to finish her manuscript, while Cousin Lin continued to refill the quilt with cotton.
Everyone has their own thing to do.
——————
Lin Mujin muttered, "Stair play, outdoor... hehe..."
"Knock, knock, knock... Xiao Jin should go to the kitchen, why is the door locked?"
Lin Mujin was startled and quickly closed the notebook and stuffed it under her pillow in one go. "Sister, I'm here."
Open the door. "Locking the door makes me feel safe. Writers all have their quirks. Please forgive me."
Cousin Lin tapped her forehead and said, "You're still a writer, but why don't you let me read the newspaper?"
Lin Mujin pushed her cousin and said, "Sister, let's hurry up. There's still a lot of work to do."
Snacks have to be made and meals have to be cooked, so it's a lot of work.
"Sister, this snack is called hot noodles. It is said to be a specialty of Shaanxi. It can be made with not only flour but also rice milk. We don't have a beater at home, so I chose flour." Lin Mujin finally said the name of the snack.
Cousin Lin repeated, "Hot noodles? I've never heard of them. Where is Shaanxi? I haven't heard of it either."
Lin Mujin thought to herself that this hot noodle skin must be a delicacy from Hanzhong, Shaanxi. However, she knew her cousin didn't even know Shaanxi, let alone Hanzhong, so it was pointless to tell her. "Sis, the inland is so vast, it's normal that I don't know. The batter has almost rested, it's time to make the noodle skin sauce. Sister, first take out some spices. Cinnamon, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, and cumin, stir-fry them in a wok over low heat until fragrant. Put them in a casserole pot, add water and bring to a boil. Add a little soy sauce, vinegar, and MSG, and simmer for a while. Sister, you can go cook. Make less rice. I'll just have the hot noodle skin."
Why do I still have to cook? Of course, I’m afraid that my family won’t be used to the food.
Lin Mujin looked at the casserole and fried the rapeseed chili oil at the same time.
The iron pan has been empty, cleaned, heated and drained, pour in rapeseed oil, add scallion segments, onion segments and coriander, and fry slowly over low heat.
"What the hell is going on?" Cousin Lin didn't keep an eye on it, and her face turned pale with worry when she saw the vegetables and oil in the pot.
Lin Mujin quickly explained, "Sister, this is the ingredient for the hot noodles. It's used to flavor the hot noodles."
Cousin Lin frowned and said, "Why is it so troublesome? Don't do it next time."
Lin Mujin pursed her lips and did not agree.
She has already thought it through. If the hot noodles don’t work, she will switch to other delicacies, so this “demon” will definitely continue.
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