Aunt Wang made the pastry at home, then carried the wooden bucket wrapped in a cotton quilt to the back kitchen of Fengyue Tower.
The wooden bucket contains fermented dough. Her sesame seed cakes taste better than others because she uses more oil and the proportions are just right.
Zhang's mother and Er Ya also prepared the dough, while Wang Da Niang brought the sesame oil pastry.
"Sister, what do you think of the filling my son Long'er made?"
Mrs. Zhang placed a bowl of bright red squid filling in front of Aunt Wang. The pungent aroma of garlic chili sauce neutralized the fishy smell of the squid, and the scallions inside added another layer of flavor to the filling.
This looks really appetizing.
Aunt Wang picked up a piece with her chopsticks and tasted it.
"Is this made with octopus?"
Mrs. Zhang nodded and said
"Yeah, sis, does it taste alright?"
"It's not just okay, it's fantastic! Let's quickly make some for the kids to try!"
As she spoke, Aunt Wang mixed the fermented dough with oil and began kneading it.
"I thought some girl wanted to eat my sesame cakes, but your little darling has quite the appetite!" said Aunt Wang.
"That's for sure, our Long'er has always been someone who's never lacked for food or clothing."
While helping to knead the dough, Zhang's mother replied to Wang's mother.
"I heard that the little girl's biological parents have come looking for her?"
Things can't be kept secret in brothels. The place isn't big, and everyone knows each other. Since there's no attempt to hide it, news spread quickly. Now most people on the street know that the parents of the child from the brothel have come looking for him.
Zhang's mother replied
"Yes, her parents and their whole family have come looking for her, wanting to take Long'er back."
"And then what? He didn't bring enough money?"
"Why didn't you bring enough? Sister, you don't know, that family is quite capable. They scraped together a hundred taels of silver in just a few days. They came yesterday to try and redeem her."
"Then why didn't you take the child with you?" Aunt Wang asked doubtfully. Although the madam of the brothel had a cold face, she was a genuinely kind-hearted person. There was no way that Cen's mother wouldn't let the child go.
Mrs. Zhang slammed the dough onto the cutting board and continued speaking.
"That family is very kind. Seeing that Old Cen and we were reluctant to part with the little girl, and that the child was also reluctant to leave, they agreed to move in with us. That way, no one has to suffer the pain of separation, right?"
"Oh, that's great! You all spoiled the little girl for nothing."
"That's right, sis. The dough's almost ready, shall we open it?"
Half an hour later, a fragrant aroma wafted from the pot. The golden-brown sesame flatbread was cut into four pieces with a cleaver. As the cleaver fell, steam rose from the flatbread, carrying with it a spicy and savory flavor.
Er Ya was sent by Zhang's mother to wake Huo Xiaolong up, while the two cooks tasted the food in the kitchen first.
"This octopus is much easier to chew now, and it tastes better too."
"You bet it, it tastes really good."
Zhang's mother greeted the waiter.
"Ah Cai, distribute these sesame cakes to the girls and take them upstairs."
"Okay!"
Ah Cai, with a white towel draped over his shoulder, bent over as he entered the kitchen. He had been squatting at the door since the pot of pancakes and filling was being prepared, just waiting for this sound. The filling smelled so good it almost made his nose tingle. The golden, crispy pancakes paired with small, spicy pieces of octopus—he couldn't even imagine how delicious one bite would be.
If he distributes all the pieces to the girls in the building, and there's a piece or two left, he can have a treat, and maybe even bring one or two back for his wife.
The squid pancakes received unanimous praise from the girls in the building. The key point is that the ingredients are not expensive, and they taste no worse than carefully prepared dishes.
If we were to nitpick, the only thing is that it might be a bit tacky to serve such a sesame seed cake to those noble gentlemen. What kind of gentleman would come to a brothel and sit there eating a sesame seed cake?
The same topic was being discussed in the kitchen. The little dumpling, eating a sesame seed cake, swung her little legs back and forth as she spoke.
"That's it, just cut the sesame seed cake in half, arrange it on a plate, and you're good to go."
"And we haven't added any spiritual spring water to it yet," Huo Xiaolong said, raising his eyebrows at Zhang's mother in a gesture of respect.
Mrs. Zhang was amused by the little girl's appearance.
Look at you, all timid and pathetic.
As Aunt Wang ate her sesame seed cake, she thought to herself, "If only my family's sesame seed cake stall could also sell these squid sesame seed cakes, I could earn a little more money. My husband's legs hurt terribly every winter, and with more money, he can get more medicine."
At that moment, Cen's mother came in with a hand warmer.
"I think I've raised a little Pixiu (a mythical creature believed to bring wealth and prosperity), it's always eating too much."
The little boy smiled at her and continued to munch on his second sesame seed cake. Grandma Wang's sesame seed cakes were quite large; most people could eat their fill with two in the morning, but this amount was still a bit much for a four-year-old.
"How many have you eaten?"
Cen's mother pretended to be angry and asked her...
The little girl on the stool held up two fingers to indicate...
"The second one!"
"Are you going to eat dinner after eating so much?"
Cen's mother picked her up and said
"You're allowed to eat half."
The little dumpling nodded.
Okay.
Huo Xiaolong usually obeys in these kinds of trivial matters. He's not really a four-year-old child; he can tell right from wrong.
As Cen's mother was cleaning up the leftover half of the sesame seed cake for her daughter, Aunt Wang asked...
"Mr. Cen, I'd like to ask you, do you sell the filling for these sesame seed cakes?"
Cen Ang glanced at Zhang Mama
What she meant was: Old Zhang, do you know that Aunt Wang has this idea? Asking a brothel if they sell fillings makes it seem like a brothel to those in the know, but a restaurant to those who don't.
But Zhang's mother didn't know what Wang's mother was thinking. She shook her head at Cen's mother. Although it wasn't anything abrupt, this question was a bit unexpected, wasn't it?
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