Zhang Hongmei thought for a moment and said, "Let's leave at four o'clock tomorrow. Anyway, there's snow, so we can see the road. We'll bring fishing nets, and if we can get up there, we'll just cast the nets."
Liu Jingze had no objections; whatever Zhang Hongmei said went.
The two girls huddled together again. "Oh right, remember to bring cotton-padded pants and cotton-padded shoes tomorrow. If we get to the pond, we'll suffer if we don't have clothes to change into. You know, I'm really going all out for this food," Zhang Hongmei said, making fun of herself.
Zhu Zi looked troubled. "We brought too much stuff. What if we catch too many fish like last time? How are we going to get them back?"
"How silly! We can make a sled, bring more bags, and pull them back with the sled. It might even be less strenuous than carrying them back on our backs!"
"Yeah, then bring all the ropes from home. Alright, I'm going back to get ready." Zhu Zi left. The others also went back.
"Hongmei, what time do you want to fry the fried dough twists?"
"I want to fry them after 2 p.m., otherwise the dough won't rise properly."
"Okay, go back and get some sleep. I'll come to your house to help you when it's time." Liu Jingze left as well.
When Zhang Hongmei returned, she first used goat milk to make dough, as she needed to bring lunch tomorrow.
Life in Liujiatun was much better. I doubt I'd be as carefree as I am now if I left.
If things really get chaotic, the capital city is probably the safest place. It just means my friends won't be able to go, but it shouldn't really affect them; they just won't be able to continue going to school.
Instead of going into the space, I lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) to rest for a while. I didn't dare to actually sleep, for fear that I might accidentally fall asleep in the cold and catch a cold.
We'll need to make some soybean oil later. Actually, peanut oil, salad oil, or olive oil would taste even better for frying the dough twists, but we can't take them out now, as this is where the soybean oil is produced.
Now even soybean oil is in short supply; it's really tough.
Zhang Hongmei always used IV bottles to store soybean oil, each bottle containing just over a pound. She couldn't very well use a plastic bucket, so she took out three more bottles. Five pounds of oil should be enough. She also took out a clay pot of lard from her storage space; Liu Jingze's constant visits were really bothering her.
There was a half-full bag of broken rice, half a bag of wheat flour, and a bag of cornmeal and sorghum flour. That should last until I pass away.
I hope I can get up the mountain smoothly tomorrow. I don't really want to eat fish, but I mainly want to improve my friends' lives. I always feel embarrassed to eat alone.
And then there's the joy I feel from the harvest. And the satisfied smiles on my friends' faces.
I don't know if I can be admitted to the Capital University. With my grades, there shouldn't be any problem at all, but I'm afraid of unexpected events. That's why I'm being perfunctory with people I don't know well.
He felt relieved after making arrangements for the former principal. As for his high school teachers, they shouldn't be greatly affected, since they were just ordinary teachers.
I'm increasingly convinced that Liujiatun is a paradise on earth.
After thinking freely for a while, I felt a little sleepy, so I quickly got up and brought out everything I had just thought of.
Liu Jingze arrived shortly afterward.
"Grandma is waiting at home to eat."
"Don't worry, let's get started right away. You start the fire and clean the pot. We'll fry the savory stuff first and send it over to Grandma."
"I will follow orders in all actions. I will go wherever I am told."
"Hongmei, I'm here." Erya also came over.
"You've come at the perfect time; the two of us can finish faster."
"I'm here to learn."
The two washed their hands. "Actually, I'm not very good at it either. I just go by feel. Let's try it first."
Everyone says that to make twisted dough sticks, you have to divide the dough into small pieces and roll them into strips.
Zhang Hongmei slowly rubbed a small dough ball on the board, thinking about how to make hemp rope as she rubbed. Before she knew it, it was done.
"Sister Er Ya, it's just like twisting hemp rope, you should try it."
“But the twisted dough sticks at Hongmei’s house are all big, yours are too small.”
"Let's try again. I think it's about rolling three strands together. Let's give it a try."
Zhang Hongmei really has a talent for cooking; she mastered it in no time.
"Alright, we can officially begin now." Zhang Hongmei was very confident and felt that she could definitely do it.
The two of them made more than ten. At this point, the pot was heated up. After asking Zhang Hongmei, Liu Jingze poured five bottles of soybean oil into the pot. Not bad, at least it made the fried dough twists float, indicating that they were deep-fried instead of pan-fried.
"Hongmei, I'll fry it while you continue." Er Ya took over the job because she was afraid the hot oil would splash on Zhang Hongmei.
Liu Jingze glanced at Er Ya and thought she was a pretty good girl; he could get her to work for Hong Mei in the future.
"Sister Er Ya, take them out once they're cooked through, then fry them a second time later. That way they won't burn and will stay crispy."
"Brother Jingze, you need to turn the heat down a bit. If it's too high, it'll burn easily; if it's too low, the oil will get trapped."
"Okay, got it."
The three of them were busy in the kitchen, and the aroma wafted far and wide.
The savory ones were all fried, fifty pieces in total. Er Ya started frying them a second time. Liu Jingze was very talented; the second time, the heat was lower than the first time.
The first one was fried and set aside. It looked golden brown and oily, and it looked quite appetizing.
Zhang Hongmei was anxious and broke off a piece, asking, "Why isn't it crispy?"
"It's fresh out of the pan and still hot. It will become crispy once it cools down."
"Oh, right. But it tastes pretty good." Zhang Hongmei broke off a piece and put it in Er Ya's mouth, then broke off another piece and put it in Liu Jingze's mouth.
"How is it? Is the taste alright?"
"Mmm, it's delicious. I think this is the taste I'm looking for," Er Ya said happily.
"Yes, that's how it tastes." Actually, Liu Jingze didn't even know what it tasted like anymore. The intimate gesture Hongmei had given him earlier was what made him happiest.
"Then I'll make the sweet version. Brother Jingze, could you send it to Grandma first?"
"Hehe, there's no need to rush. Once we've made all three, we'll take them all to Grandma to try."
"That works too. I think Grandma would like fermented dough."
Why didn't Stone come over? He missed out on some good food.
"My dad made him do his homework."
"Haha, that's great! Shi Tou is really smart. He doesn't usually do his homework, but his grades are still so good."
"He got too excited and let it slip, which is how my dad caught him."
"Where is Sanya?"
"Sanya is with her."
"I'll send it to them in a bit."
Zhang Hongmei finished making the sweet twisted dough sticks, more than 120 in total, and Er Ya also finished frying the savory twisted dough sticks a second time.
Zhang Hongmei picked up the first twisted dough stick again, and knew it was crispy as she broke it.
"It's really crispy, this should meet Grandma's requirements."
Liu Jingze waited with his mouth open for Zhang Hongmei to feed him, but Zhang Hongmei had no choice but to break off a piece of meat and feed it to him.
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