"It's alright, Manager Xu. I'm almost fully recovered. I was just too tired and fell asleep," Anan hurriedly waved his hand and replied.
Xu Yuehuai was relieved and pulled the two children closer to look at them. She praised Jiang Shichen again and again. Of course, she didn't forget Anan either, and asked him about his well-being.
"Grandma, I want to eat your pudding." Jiang Shichen suddenly remembered something and grabbed Xu Yuehuai's arm, which reminded Xu Yuehuai that he was still a child.
Anan nodded in agreement. Although he wasn't as direct as Jiang Shichen, the expectant look on his face betrayed him.
"Alright, alright, Grandma will make some for you two little gluttons in a bit." Xu Yuehuai said, flicking the noses of the two little devils.
After she finished scraping, she smiled and said to Zhou Wan and the others, "Why are there so many happy events today? I'm almost overwhelmed. I've been so busy talking that I've left you all standing here. I'm so sorry."
After she finished speaking, she took the lead and set off to lead everyone to their lodgings to rest.
Xu Yuehuai, holding Jiang Shichen's hand with her left hand and Anan's hand with her right, led the way and brought Zhou Wan and the others to their residence. Along the way, everyone chatted and laughed, and the previous gloom instantly disappeared.
The accommodation was not far away, and the group arrived in just a few steps.
"You've all had a long and bumpy journey, so please get some rest. I'll treat you to a welcome dinner tonight," Xu Yuehuai said, and then had Qi Guze arrange rooms for everyone.
She immediately plunged into the small kitchen. She could deal with the housewarming party later; right now, she had to keep her promise to the children and make them pudding.
All the way, she kept thinking about what kind of pudding to make. They had already eaten the ones she made in the past. Now that they were in the Mingyue Kingdom, she naturally wanted to make some with unique local flavors. This would make it easier to open up the local market. Otherwise, if the people here couldn't get used to the taste of the Central Plains, it would be a waste.
For Xu Yuehuai, wasting food is equivalent to wasting life, so she would never do such a thing.
The famous fruit of the Kingdom of Mingyue is cantaloupe, so why doesn't she make cantaloupe-flavored pudding today? It would also be a good opportunity to attract some customers to the restaurant.
Thinking of this, Xu Yuehuai quickly went out and bought two large cantaloupes. She originally wanted Tiexiong to go for her, but thinking that he might not be able to tell which was ripe and which was unripe, she decided to go herself.
After haggling with the cantaloupe vendor for a long time, Xu Yuehuai finally bought two at a price that satisfied her, and then happily walked back.
As soon as she returned to the small kitchen with the two cantaloupes in her arms, she quickly washed them and put them in the icebox to freeze. After all, the best thing about these kinds of things is freshness; if they get exposed to wind or anything, the taste will be greatly diminished.
The next step is the most crucial one in the whole process—making the pudding.
She took out ten eggs, separated the egg whites and yolks. Only the yolks were needed to make pudding, but she naturally wouldn't waste the egg whites. Steaming them would make a nice little dessert.
Next comes starting the stove and lighting the fire, a process that is quite difficult.
The stoves in the Mingyue Kingdom are completely different from those in the Central Plains. It takes Xu Yuehuai a lot of effort to start a fire every time. Fortunately, she was blessed by the heavens today and succeeded on her first try. It seems that this is what is called divine intervention.
After adding water to the steamer and waiting for it to boil, Xu Yuehuai began steaming the pudding. She was very careful during this process, as it required precise control of the heat. Too high a heat would not work, and too low a heat would not work either. She carefully observed the process, not wanting any small flaws to affect the taste. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
When it was almost done, Xu Yuehuai pulled the firewood out of the stove. Now there was no need for a big fire; the temperature of the boiling water in the pot was enough to cook the pudding through.
She poured some water on the firewood, since open flames are quite dangerous in a place like the kitchen. Once she was sure the fire was out, Xu Yuehuai turned around to prepare the cantaloupe.
She took the cantaloupe out of the ice chest, and the cool sensation instantly invigorated her. After cutting it in half, the aroma of the cantaloupe immediately filled her nose, making her shiver involuntarily. The aroma of the cantaloupe was very special, and no matter how much she smelled it, she would never get tired of it.
She used a small round spoon to scoop out the pulp from the sides and set it aside.
The ones in the very center, which were the juiciest, were taken out, mashed into a paste, and set aside.
As for the melon seeds, she thought about it for a moment and then casually placed them by the window to dry. She originally planned to throw them away, but then she thought that they could be roasted and eaten.
The remaining half of the melon rind became two natural large bowls, which is the idea of making the most of everything.
Next, we can officially start making the cantaloupe pudding.
Whisk the ten egg yolks until smooth and elastic, then add milk and the mashed cantaloupe puree in batches. The dish didn't look very appealing when it was first added, but Xu Yuehuai wasn't worried, since it would need to be steamed later.
Xu Yuehuai brought more firewood and stuffed it into the stove. The hissing sound immediately filled the air. Although the firewood had been wet before, the charcoal fire inside the stove was still very hot. She understood the principle that a strong fire cannot be built with wet firewood.
The steamer soon came to a boil, and she poured the whipped pudding mixture into a large bowl of cantaloupe before putting it into the steamer to steam.
After steaming for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, the stove can be turned down to a low flame, and the residual heat will bake the pudding.
Xu Yuehuai straightened her back and felt her bones cracking all over. She happily took out a tray to wait for the pudding.
Soon, the aroma of cantaloupe pudding wafted from the pot, filling the entire kitchen. Xu Yuehuai couldn't help but take a deep, blissful breath, as if all the fatigue she had felt earlier had vanished.
"knock off!"
With a joyful expression, she ran over, lifted the lid, took out the pudding, and then evenly spread the cantaloupe balls on top of the pudding.
The appearance is now several times better than before, and the smell is also really good.
Xu Yuehuai took one in each hand and went out.
Jiang Shichen and Anan had been waiting eagerly outside. When they saw Xu Yuehuai come out, they rushed over and took one of the two from him.
"Grandma, why did it take so long this time? Is it because you haven't cooked for a long time and your skills have become rusty?" Jiang Shichen asked with a smile, holding half a cantaloupe.
Xu Yuehua frowned slightly after hearing this.
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