When Xia Liang got home, she first had Aunt Liu wash the molds. Then, Xia Liang lit the oven and began preparing to make a simple sponge cake. She cracked the eggs into a bowl, added a little white vinegar and sugar, and then plugged in the electric fan whisk she had just made that day to mix the batter. After the eggs were mixed well, she added the flour and mixed them together. Aunt Liu dried the baking pan and molds and brushed them with oil. Xia Liang poured the batter into the molds, smoothed it with a spoon, and then tapped them heavily on the table a few times to remove any air bubbles. She then sprinkled white sesame seeds on top and put the cakes in the oven to bake.
Xia Liang checked the time; it would bake for another twenty minutes. She wrapped her hands with a damp towel and took the baking tray out. Instantly, the aroma of cake wafted out, attracting the two sisters playing in the yard. Gu Yuanzhi asked curiously, "Mommy, is this sponge cake? It smells so good!" Xia Liang flipped the baking tray over, placed a winnowing basket underneath, and used two damp towels to hold the tray, tapping it against the edge of the basket. The sponge cakes fell out one by one. She took two out and gave them to her children, saying, "Be careful, they're a little hot." The two little ones nodded obediently, "Okay, Mommy." They went outside into the yard. Since it was cold outside, the cakes cooled down in less than a minute. They took a bite and exclaimed, "So delicious! Mommy, you're amazing!" Xia Liang felt incredibly satisfied under her daughters' admiring gazes! This strengthened her resolve to make more delicious food for her daughters. The two little ones had no idea how many treats their sweet words would earn them.
Whether it was Aunt Liu or Chen Yanling and her three fellow apprentices, after finishing their meal, they all said, "It's really delicious, much better than what they sell at the pastry factory." Xia Liang smiled modestly and said, "Of course, homemade is different from what's sold. I add more eggs and other things to mine, so it's much more fragrant." The others then said "Oh" to indicate that they understood.
Xia Liang was full of energy. She called Aunt Liu, and the two of them carried the milk that had been left outside yesterday into the house. Seeing a thick layer of milk skin on top of the basin, Xia Liang scooped it all out and put it in another basin. She used an electric fan and an egg beater to whip it, adding the remaining iced milk while whipping. After adding it several times, the fat separated. Xia Liang found a strainer, quickly filtered it out, wrapped it in cheesecloth, pressed it into a rectangular block, and then put it in a clean basin to freeze. The butter was ready. With butter, making cookies and bread would be much easier.
Gu Yuanzhi watched her mother's flurry of activity, thinking there was something delicious to eat again. But after her mother finished, she put the food back outside to freeze. She asked疑惑地问道, "Mommy, when can we eat that?" Xia Liang looked at her little gluttonous daughter, "Sweetie, you can't eat that right away. Mommy will use it to make something delicious for you tomorrow." The little one was disappointed, pouting, "We have to wait until tomorrow? What are we eating today?" Seeing her daughter's aggrieved expression, Xia Liang couldn't bear it, "Then Mommy will go out and see what we can make. If there is, Mommy will buy it and make it for you. If not, then we'll just have to wait until tomorrow, okay?" The little one wasn't unreasonable; hearing her mother discussing it with her, she obediently nodded, "Okay, Mommy."
Xia Liang rode his bicycle out, circled around, but didn't see anything suitable. He wanted to go further out to see if there was anything else, but then he saw an old woman who had fallen in a ditch by the roadside. The old woman was carrying two chickens on her back. She had probably slipped and fallen because of the slippery road due to the snow and couldn't get up. Xia Liang righted his bicycle, got off, and helped the old woman up. "Auntie, are you alright?" The old woman's voice trembled. "I'm fine, thank you for your help." Xia Liang was relieved to see that the old woman wasn't injured. "Auntie, should I take you to the hospital for a check-up?" Hearing that they were going to the hospital, the old woman quickly waved her hand. "I'm not injured anywhere, why go to the hospital! Besides, we country folk don't go to the hospital so easily! We don't have that kind of money!" she said. "No need, I'm not injured anywhere." She then checked the chickens in her basket, and only felt relieved to see they were still alive. "It's good that the chickens aren't dead, I can still sell them. If they had frozen to death, my fall today would have been for nothing." It turned out the old woman was there to sell chickens! Xia Liang asked, "Auntie, how much are you planning to sell these two chickens for?" Seeing that Xia Liang intended to buy her chickens, the old woman quickly replied, "I can't sell them to you. You've already done me a great favor; how could I possibly sell them to you again and make money off you again?" She then said with a hint of reluctance, "Young lady, I'll give you one of the chickens as a thank you for saving me." Xia Liang, judging from the old woman's clothes, knew she wasn't well-off and refused to take her chicken. "No, Auntie, it was just a small favor. How could I accept your chicken? I was planning to buy chickens today anyway. See how much it costs, and I'll pay you. Besides, you can tell I'm not short of money, right?" Xia Liang even added a touch of humor, and in the end, the old woman was persuaded. After all, her husband still needed to take his medicine! She said, "Alright then! Young lady, give me ten yuan, and you can take these two chickens." Xia Liang quickly pulled out a ten-yuan note and handed it to the old woman, telling her to drive carefully on her way home. Then she rode her bicycle home with the two chickens.
Looking at the two chickens, Xia Liang thought about what to cook for her little glutton. She handed the chickens to Liu Ma to help prepare them, while Xia Liang went to prepare the seasonings and helped with scalding the feathers. Once the chickens were ready, Xia Liang chopped off the heads and feet, put them in a bowl, added the seasonings, mixed well, and marinated them. She covered the bowl and waited for evening preparation. After washing her hands, Xia Liang went to the study to supervise her two children's homework. The two little ones were obediently doing their homework; when they saw their mother, they only looked up to greet her briefly before going back to their work. After an hour, Xia Liang told them to take a break and followed her to the kitchen to make something delicious. Her younger daughter exclaimed happily, "Great! More delicious food!" She jumped off the stool, grabbed her mother's hand, and skipped off to the kitchen.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com