Chapter Thirty-Nine: Making Mooncakes
The three of them went to the supermarket again and bought some molds, bases, and other items needed to make mooncakes. When they came back, they were carrying big and small bags. Luckily, they had a shopping cart, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to walk.
"I'll help you make mooncakes later," Grandma Chen said.
"Thank you, Grandma." Yu Miaoyin was deeply moved.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Tangbao said, "I want to help my older sister make mooncakes too! I can make mooncakes too!"
"good."
Passing by a bakery, Yu Miaoyin said, "I'm going to buy some lotus seed paste. Wait for me a moment."
"Boss, do you have lotus seed paste?" Yu Miaoyin asked as she came in.
Chen Fugui replied, "You want lotus seed paste? I have some here, made from lotus seeds I bought myself. How much do you want?"
Yu Miaoyin gave Chen Fugui the weight of the lotus seed paste, and he handed it to her. "Boss, if you like it, you can buy from me regularly. I also have other lotus seed paste products, such as lotus seed paste mooncakes, shortbread, chicken biscuits, and butterfly cookies. They are all homemade."
Yu Miaoyin looked at the simply decorated bakery, where all kinds of pastries and cakes looked very tempting, much like the bakeries she used to frequent when she was a child. "Okay, I'll come again when I have the chance."
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After returning home, Yu Miaoyin soaked the snails in water and then started making mooncakes. She set aside the kneaded dough and then began working on other things.
She cracked the salted duck egg and separated the yolk. Boss Zhao's yolk was indeed very good, round and full like a bright moon. She sprayed some white wine on it and put it in the oven to bake until the oil was released.
Yu Miaoyin poured out the lotus seed paste she had bought from the bakery. The lotus seed paste was delicate and smooth, with a faint fragrance of lotus seeds.
"Grandma, could you please help me divide the lotus seed paste?" Yu Miaoyin said. "Just make sure the pieces are all the same size."
Grandma Chen put on disposable gloves: "Okay, I guarantee I'll complete the task."
"What about me? What about me? Sister, what about me? I can do it too!" Little Tangbao quickly raised her hand to indicate that she could help as well.
"Why don't you sit there and wait for your older sister?" Yu Miaoyin said. Little Tangbao is still too young, and there are no suitable jobs for her.
"Okay, then I'll sit here obediently." After saying that, Xiao Tangbao left. Her back looked a little disappointed. After taking a couple of steps, Xiao Tangbao turned back and said very seriously, "Big sister, grandma, if you need anything, please call me anytime. I'm the ever-changing Xiao Tangbao, and I can help you!"
"Okay." Yu Miaoyin was amused by the phrase "ever-changing little Tangbao".
Once the dough had risen sufficiently, Yu Miaoyin took out a piece of lotus seed paste, pressed it down, and then wrapped two egg yolks inside to form a ball. Grandma Chen also came to help. She learned things quickly, and although it was her first time making mooncakes, her previous experience making other types of cakes allowed her to make them quite skillfully and get the hang of it very quickly.
After shaping the dough into balls, flatten the divided dough pieces into round discs, wrap the prepared filling inside, and then shape them into balls again. With Grandma Chen's help, the round dumplings were quickly made.
Yu Miaoyin called out towards the living room, "Little Tangbao, we need your help! If you press down hard, it will transform into a beautiful shape!"
Yu Miaoyin stuffed the prepared dumplings into the mold. Xiao Tangbao pressed hard, and when she removed the mold, the originally round dumplings had developed beautiful patterns, and in the middle was a little rabbit looking up at the bright moon.
Xiao Tangbao was very proud and excited to have made a beautiful mooncake.
Yu Miaoyin bought four molds. Although they wouldn't affect the taste of the mooncakes, they would make them look nicer and more pleasing to the eye.
After pressing out each mooncake, Yu Miaoyin placed them on a baking tray, sprayed some water on them, and put them in the oven. Then she said, "Thank you, Grandma, for helping me."
"What's the big deal? This job is so simple," Grandma Chen said.
Little Tangbao bowed to her grandmother and said, "Thank you, Grandma, for helping my sister. You are the best grandma."
“That’s right,” Grandma Chen replied with a smile, happily accepting the title.
After baking the mooncakes for a short while, Yu Miaoyin brushed them with egg yolk liquid to color them and put them back in the oven for a second bake. After repeating this process, the mooncakes were all baked. Yu Miaoyin took the mooncakes out, and they were glistening with an egg yolk color. The patterns on them were exceptionally beautiful, and the aroma of eggs after baking was even richer and more pleasant.
"It's a pity that it doesn't taste very good right now," Yu Miaoyin said, looking at Xiao Tangbao's expectant expression.
Little Tangbao tilted her head, somewhat puzzled, "Why? Isn't it better when it's fresh out of the pot?"
A small head, a big question.
"Well, the mooncakes are still a bit dry right now. They'll soften up in a day or two and the oil will seep back in. They'll taste better when the crust is a little softer," Yu Miaoyin explained.
"Oh, I see." The mooncakes made by the kindergarten hadn't been kept for more than two days, so they weren't very tasty. Little Tangbao came to the conclusion that the mooncakes she made weren't good.
The temperature is nice now, and it usually takes about a day for the oil to seep back in.
"Thank you for helping me, Grandma. Come to my place for a free meal these next couple of days. Eat as much as you want, I'll make whatever you want." Yu Miaoyin remembered the cantaloupe Xiao Ran had given her, so she took it out, cut it up, and shared it with the two of them.
Little Tangbao looked at the cantaloupes and asked, "Sister, should we plant cantaloupes?"
Yu Miaoyin nodded, picked out some melon seeds with the back of her knife, and said to Xiao Tangbao, "Put the melon seeds in a dish, cover them lightly with a layer of soil, and then water them."
She used to plant them often when she was a child. It wasn't difficult at all, just like how sometimes people can grow some fruits and vegetables by simply throwing some seeds into the ground.
Following her older sister's instructions, she spread the fragrant fruit seeds in the flowerpot, covered them with a thin layer of soil, and watered them. After doing all this, Xiao Tangbao was quite happy.
"It's so easy!" Little Tangbao munched on a cantaloupe, which was sweet and delicious, with a crisp skin and a soft, sweet interior. "Can cantaloupe really be grown?"
If only she could grow a melon as crisp and sweet as this one, she would sell it and earn money for her older sister...
Because it's almost October, the temperature is starting to drop a little, which isn't the best time to plant cantaloupes. However, there's a certain probability that you can grow cantaloupes that might not be very sweet. Yu Miaoyin didn't say whether it was possible or not, but said, "You can come and check every day. You might see the seeds sprout and seedlings grow."
"I've seen it in picture books. I'm a little scientist, responsible for the growth of cantaloupes," said Xiaotangbao.
Yu Miaoyin nodded, "Yes, you are a little scientist."
Even if you don't grow cantaloupes, seeing the seeds sprout is still a very rewarding thing.
The group chatted for a while longer. Finally, Grandma Chen looked at the clock on the wall and said, "It's not late now. You have to open the shop tomorrow, and Xiaotangbao has to go to school. Go to bed early."
"good."
"Goodnight, Grandma." Little Tangbao waved goodbye to her grandma.
This was the first time someone had said goodnight to her, and Grandma found it very strange. She really didn't understand the world of the new century. "Okay, goodnight Xiaoyin, goodnight Xiaotangbao," Grandma said.
It was indeed late, so the two of them washed up and went to bed early.
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