The rice dumplings were cooked in the same large pot he'd used to boil soy milk. After dinner, Zhao Shiyun added plenty of water to the pot, placed the dumplings in, covered it, and started the fire. The dumplings needed to simmer for at least two or three hours, adding more water if it ran low to ensure they were cooked thoroughly. He counted them as he added them: ten large meat dumplings, fifty-five triangular meat dumplings, and forty-five red bean paste dumplings.
"Okay, Brother Yan, go to sleep. I'll watch over you." Li Yuemei said to Lin Yan.
Lin Yan didn't try to be brave. He fetched some water, washed up, and went back to his room.
"Mom, I'll come and take your place later." Zhao Shiyun moved a few bundles of firewood from the woodshed.
"No, no, you have to get up early tomorrow to make tofu. I can watch it myself. I can get up later tomorrow morning." Li Yuemei sent him to rest.
The rice dumplings had been cooked for most of the night. Li Yuemei added water once in the middle. Estimating that it was almost midnight, she opened the lid and gently pressed the surface of the rice dumpling with chopsticks. "Well, it's done." Li Yuemei nodded, turned off the fire, and walked into the room yawning.
*
"Brother, I want to eat rice dumplings." After washing up early in the morning, Yu Ge'er pestered Lin Yan to open a rice dumpling for him. One was too big for him to finish, so he wanted to share it with Lin Yan.
The triangular rice dumplings are for sale, and Yu Ge'er doesn't plan to eat them.
"Okay, let's eat one together. Brother Shi Yun, do you want to eat it?" Lin Yan opened the lid and took out the rice dumpling. Although it was late at night, the rice dumpling was still a little warm from being stuffed inside, so he could eat it directly.
"I don't need it. You get one for Dad." Zhao Shiyun never liked eating rice dumplings. He always felt bloated after eating them.
Lin Yan nodded, fished out two rice dumplings, untied the cotton string, tore off the leaves, and split one of them in half with chopsticks. "Brother Yu, bring the bowl over."
Yu Ge'er heard the sound and took two small bowls and a plate. When the rice dumplings were on the table, he couldn't wait to pick up a chopstick and eat them.
"Delicious!" Yu Ge'er praised that the glutinous rice was soft and delicate, and the mung beans were fresh and refreshing, which perfectly neutralized the greasiness of the pork belly. After a long period of steaming, the pork belly became fat but not greasy, and melted in the mouth. The mellow meat aroma filled the mouth, leaving people with an endless aftertaste.
Lin Yan also nodded, it was indeed good, "fry it and eat it someday, with some pickled vegetables, it's a perfect match."
Yu Ge'er nodded frantically, this way of eating it was so delicious.
"Dad, come and eat some rice dumplings." Yu Ge'er just remembered to call someone.
Zhao Shiyun didn't eat the rice dumplings, but drank a bowl of soy milk and ate two pumpkin cakes.
"Brother Shi Yun, will you go to town with me today?" Lin Yan saw that Li Yuemei had not gotten up yet, and guessed that she must have slept too late last night.
"Go ahead and let Amo rest at home." Zhao Shiyun said with a smack of his lips.
While eating, the door of Li Yuemei's room opened with a creak. She hurried out wearing her coat and felt a little embarrassed to see everyone eating breakfast in the yard.
"Brother Yan, let's go to town together today. We're still in time." After saying that, she hurried to wash up. Lin Yan brought her a red bean paste rice dumpling and a bowl of soy milk.
"Oh, don't worry, just take your time, there's still time."
"Oh, I see."
*
The triangular rice dumplings are for one person only and not very big. Lin Yan plans to sell the meat rice dumplings for 5 wen each and the red bean paste rice dumplings for 3 wen each. If he sells all of them, he will earn more than 400 wen. He bought 5 jin of pork belly. The current price of meat is 10 wen per jin, so he spent 50 wen. He bought 4 dou of glutinous rice, which is 11 wen per dou, so he spent 44 wen. The red beans and mung beans are from home, and the rice dumpling leaves are cut from the mountain. Firewood and seasonings are not included. It seems that he can make some money.
I didn’t make too many steamed buns today, so I left a tray for heating up rice dumplings, which I just piled up together.
When he arrived at the shop, Lin Yan put two rice dumplings on the cart and recommended them to customers who came.
"I just made some rice dumplings last night. There are some with meat and some with red bean paste. Would you like one?"
"Oh, the Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon. Let me try the meat one."
Lin Yan will help customers who eat at the restaurant unwrap the dumplings and place them in their bowls, adding a small dish of pickled mustard greens to go with them. The triangular zongzi doesn't have mung beans, just glutinous rice with a piece of pork belly, to prevent customers from getting too greasy.
"Brother Yan, do you have any rice dumplings? Give me some." Uncle Qian didn't know what to eat and was tired of eating tofu pudding every day.
"Uncle Qian, how many do you want? These are the ones with meat and red bean paste."
"Give me one with meat and one with red bean paste. And a bowl of soy milk. I'll pack five to take home later." Since his son and daughter-in-law were not at home, he would just buy a few for his grandson and his wife.
"By the way, Brother Yan, do you have these rice dumplings in gift boxes? I want to give them to some old friends."
"If you want, I can make it to order, but I only have two kinds of fillings for these dumplings. Would it be okay to give them as gifts..."
Uncle Qian stroked his beard and thought for a moment before continuing, "Do you make other flavors? Can I order them to order?"
"Yes, we can. We also have candied date dumplings, eight-treasure dumplings, preserved vegetable and meat dumplings, egg yolk and meat dumplings, and many more."
"Oh, so many kinds? Then wait until I finish eating, and then we can have a good chat."
Uncle Qian quickly finished his breakfast. Lin Yan asked Zhao Shiyun to watch over the cart, cleaned up Uncle Qian's dishes and chopsticks, and sat opposite Uncle Qian.
"Uncle, what kind of gift box do you want?"
"I want the kind that comes with eight zongzi in a gift box. I want the triangular ones like the ones you made today."
"So what flavor do you want? More sweet or salty?"
"Half and half, today's red bean paste rice dumplings, and the candied date rice dumplings and eight-treasure rice dumplings you just mentioned."
"Red bean paste dumplings, candied date dumplings, and eight-treasure dumplings are sweet, while the salty ones include fresh meat dumplings, egg yolk dumplings, preserved vegetable dumplings, and so on."
"Pickled mustard greens look weird. I don't want this. Let me think..." Uncle Qian tapped the table. "I want two pieces of fresh meat, two pieces of red bean paste, two pieces of egg yolk meat, one candied date rice dumpling, and one eight-treasure rice dumpling. I want ten in a gift box. Is that okay with you?"
Lin Yan asked for other details: "When do you plan to receive it? Do you want me to prepare the gift box or do you provide it?"
"The Dragon Boat Festival is in three days. I can just ask for it the day before. As for the gift box, I think I have some leftover gifts from last year. I'll take a look when I get back and give you a more accurate answer this afternoon."
"OK."
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