Chapter Thirteen Beef Pies
After Yu Miaoyin finished cooking, she gave the rice noodles to Li Xiuyue, who reluctantly shared some with her son.
As she tasted the fried rice noodles, she thought to herself that she was quite grateful that her son had insisted on eating the tea eggs at this restaurant; otherwise, she wouldn't have known that the food at this restaurant could be so delicious.
Both of them were full. When it was time to pay, Li Xiuyue asked Yu Miaoyin if the shop would still be open on Saturdays and Sundays.
"I'm not sure, but it won't be open tomorrow." She was going to take Xiaotangbao to play; she had promised Xiaotangbao.
"Okay." Li Xiuyue's tone was somewhat disappointed; she had hoped to have another meal with him tomorrow.
When Li Xiuyue left with Wu Zixuan, Wu Zixuan excitedly shouted, as if he had seen Ultraman: "Fried rice noodles are the best! None of them have eaten fried rice noodles! I'm the only one who has ever eaten them!"
The noise was so loud that many diners heard it, and everyone laughed.
As darkness fell, Yu Miaoyin closed the roller shutter door, slung Xiaotangbao's schoolbag over her shoulder, and walked next door to hand He Li a lunchbox: "I made these little wontons myself. There aren't many, but you can take them back and have Xiaoran try them."
He Li accepted it with both hands: "Thank you, Xiao Yin."
After spending some time with Yu Miaoyin, Xiao Ran became less shy, and she has also become good friends with Xiao Tangbao.
Xiao Tangbao ran over and said a few words to Xiao Ran, "Will you come here again in the future? I want to play with you again."
Xiao Ran glanced at He Li, who smiled and nodded. "I want to play with you too. I'll come here."
"Let's pinky swear, okay? You have to be my best friend," Xiao Tangbao said earnestly, holding out her hand. Xiao Ran also held out her hand.
"Pinky promise, never to change, whoever changes is the one who changes..." Little Tangbao shook her hand, seemingly forgetting that it had always been the one who changed, without saying anything.
Yu Miaoyin and He Li wanted to laugh, and were about to remind her, but Xiao Tangbao quickly widened her eyes and said, "Whoever lies is a little wonton!"
The two of them burst out laughing.
so cute.
The two children chatted for a few more minutes before heading back. As they left, Xiao Tangbao boasted, "My older sister is going to take me to play!"
...
The next morning, the sun rose as usual. Perhaps because she was going to play, Xiao Tangbao was quite excited and woke up even earlier than Yu Miaoyin this time.
When Yu Miaoyin got up, she was brushing her teeth with a small toothbrush. "Sister."
"You woke up so early! Isn't our little Tangbao happy?" Yu Miaoyin picked up her toothbrush, squeezed out toothpaste, and the two stood together.
Little Tangbao isn't tall; she has to stand on a chair to see the mirror.
After brushing their teeth, the two of them, one big and one small, finished eating the small wontons they had prepared yesterday for breakfast before setting off.
She accompanied Xiaotangbao on a trip to the amusement park. They went on the carousel, bumper cars, and maze. Both of them had a great time, and the smile on Xiaotangbao's face never disappeared.
After leaving the amusement park, the two went to have lunch before going to the supermarket. The child loves going to the supermarket because many things are new and exciting to her. Yu Miaoyin bought her many pretty clothes, as well as a toy and a doll.
Xiao Tangbao said that this doll is just like Sister Ayin, very cute. She also said that hugging the doll at night is like hugging her older sister, and it will feel very warm.
The supermarket had plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and eggs. Out of a chef's instinct, Yu Miaoyin simply couldn't resist buying them.
Yu Miaoyin bought a lot of beef, in particular.
"Big sister, let me help you. I'm not a little kid. Little kids don't need to carry things. I'm a kid, so I can help you." Little Tangbao reached out her hand to help.
"So, Little Tangbao, take your clothes, and I'll take the rest. According to your logic, you're a child, so you can do a little, but I'm an adult, which is much higher in rank than a child, so naturally I should take more. Isn't that the logic?"
The two returned home, and Yu Miaoyin went to the kitchen after putting her things down. She had bought the beef to make beef pies.
Pour baking powder, yeast, flour, and warm water with dissolved sugar and salt into a stainless steel bowl. Stir with a spatula until the dough forms. Add a little oil and mix until the dough is smooth and elastic. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for a while to ferment and expand.
Next, mince the beef you bought from the market and put it in a bowl with minced ginger, garlic, and scallions. Add a spoonful of oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, and light soy sauce, sprinkle with pepper, chicken powder, and sugar, and finally pour hot oil over it. With a sizzling sound, the aroma bursts out instantly.
She divided the dough, took out a portion, stuffed it with meat filling, slowly tightened it, placed the seam side down, and then flattened it a little with her palm. The beef patty was done.
Little Tangbao also copied her older sister and made several of them, looking quite similar.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the pancake until it's golden brown on both sides, with a little bit of charred edges.
Little Tangbao smelled the beef patties, and her stomach rumbled. "It smells so good!"
"Come and try it." Yu Miaoyin handed the beef patty to Xiao Tangbao. Xiao Tangbao quickly reached out to take it, but burned her hand and quickly pulled it away.
Once it wasn't so hot anymore, Xiao Tangbao immediately picked up the beef patty, took a small bite, and the crust had a slightly burnt aroma. The crispy outer shell made a crunching sound when you bit into it.
Little Tangbao stopped eating and called out to Yu Miaoyin with bright eyes, "Sister, this beef patty is so delicious! It's fragrant and crispy!"
If you bite down further, you'll find the meat filling, which is fragrant, tender, and juicy, making the beef patty even more delicious.
"It's so delicious, I don't want to finish it," said Xiaotangbao. With the next bite, she took an even smaller bite.
“There are many more, as many as you want to eat,” Yu Miaoyin said.
Little Tangbao thought that being her older sister's younger sister was the happiest thing in the world. She wanted to study hard, grow up well, and then make her older sister the happiest adult in the world.
On the other side, Grandpa Xu was cooking when he was suddenly drawn in by the aroma of beef patties wafting from somewhere. The smell was so enticing that he stood outside, completely captivated by the aroma, and didn't want to leave.
When Grandpa Xu's son, Xu Changxing, returned home, he saw his father standing at the door looking up and thought something terrible had happened.
"Dad, what's wrong?" After asking, he also smelled the delicious aroma of beef patties and muttered cautiously, "Which restaurant is this? It smells so good."
Grandpa Xu's daughter-in-law, Zhou Gui, also returned. "Why are you all standing here?"
"Can't you smell the delicious beef patties?"
The two looked at each other and nodded.
Grandpa Xu said leisurely, "It smells so good, I don't want to leave."
The two: "..."
But they also have to admit that it does smell good.
"Grandma Chen." Yu Miaoyin brought two beef patties in a lunchbox to Grandma Chen and Yiling. The two families had a good relationship. Grandma Chen had bought a lot of clothes for Xiaotangbao and would often bring them fruit and snacks.
Grandma Chen opened the door, and Yiling skipped out. Her eyes lit up when she saw the beef patties. "Sister Ayin, I couldn't even finish my homework. Your beef patties smell so good, they're amazing!"
"Then come and try it."
Grandpa Xu looked on with envy, almost to the point of tears. It smelled so good, he wanted to eat it too!
Yu Miaoyin chatted with Grandma Chen and Yiling for a few more minutes, and soon noticed a few people standing nearby.
"Uncle Xu, Uncle Xu and Aunt Zhou, it's been a long time."
Little Tangbao greeted the two people: "Hello, Grandpa; Hello, Uncle; Hello, Aunt."
It has indeed been a long time since we last met. Yu Miaoyin used to work outside and has only been back for a few days, so we haven't seen each other much.
Zhou Gui was a little surprised to see Yu Miaoyin. "Xiaoyin's back?"
"Yes, I opened a small restaurant here."
"Oh, right, I made some beef patties, and I happen to have three left. You can try them, don't mind them." Yu Miaoyin said as she walked into the house.
Grandpa Xu was embarrassed to accept Yu Miaoyin's gifts, but smelling the fragrance in the air, he really couldn't bring himself to say he didn't want such things that went against his conscience!
The same applies to Zhou Gui and Xu Changxing.
“Xiaoyin opened a restaurant? We’re neighbors, we should help her out more often.” Zhou Gui said, feeling heartbroken as she recalled what had happened to the Yu family.
Xu Changxing hummed in agreement, "After all, it's not easy..."
Soon, Yu Miaoyin brought the beef patties back to them.
Grandpa Xu was so hungry he was practically drooling. He rummaged around in the air and pulled out a fifty-yuan note, handing it to Yu Miaoyin. "I won't eat for free, I won't eat for free."
"Really, there's no need," Yu Miaoyin said.
"No, you must accept it, otherwise how can I accept it!" Grandpa Xu insisted repeatedly.
"Really, it's not necessary," Yu Miaoyin said. "My beef patties aren't worth much. If you think they're delicious, then I think it's worth it."
"Where is it worthless!" Zhou Gui thought to herself. If such fragrant beef patties were sold for fifty yuan each, she would buy them to try. She just couldn't resist the temptation.
In the end, Yu Miaoyin didn't take the fifty yuan, but Grandpa Xu gave her a big bag of lychees.
The lychees were packed in burlap sacks, and there were many of them. Grandpa Xu said that the lychee trees in his hometown had a bumper harvest.
The group took the beef patties home. Zhou Gui looked at the beef patties and said, "Let's eat quickly. When Xiao An gets home, we'll have to share some with him."
That makes perfect sense! Several people quickly popped the beef patties into their mouths. The beef patties were thin-skinned and generously filled; a big bite revealed the meat filling. The crust was golden and crispy, with the meat juices seeping into it, warm yet chewy. The beef inside was tender, bursting with meaty flavor.
After eating, the aroma of charred grilling and the wheat flavor of dough lingered in my mouth.
Zhou Gui quickly opened the window to let the fragrance waft out a bit.
"Dad, Mom, Grandpa, I'm back!" Just then, Xu Ruian returned. He had enrolled in a tutoring class and had just finished his lesson.
Xu Changxing hurriedly got up to wash his hands, and Grandpa Xu also went to the kitchen. Zhou Gui opened the window as wide as possible, but no one in the family came over to hug him.
Xu Ruian looked puzzled, then sniffed, "Mom and Dad, can you smell something delicious?"
"No, no, there isn't any," Zhou Gui said.
Grandpa Xu coughed and said, "That's right, there's no fragrance at all."
Xu Changxing lied through his teeth, "Maybe it's because the food I cooked today smelled good."
Thinking of his father's cooking, Xu Ruian changed his shoes and whispered, "But Dad's cooking never smells this good."
A note from the author:
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