The lunch was simple. When Yang Donghu exchanged eggs for duck eggs, he remembered to leave two for his grandmother. The chickens at home could produce two eggs every day. If they finished eating today, they could get more tomorrow.
Steamed eggs are delicious but you can’t resist eating them all day long. Yang Donghu had been taking supplements for so long that he was already a little tired of it and quietly skipped the eggs he ate every day.
There is a tofu grinder in the village, not far away. Chop the green onions and add two drops of sesame oil, then mix it with the white and tender tofu. It tastes great.
There is also stir-fried loofah with a little lard. Although there is no meat mince, it tastes meaty.
The puppies were still young and didn't eat much, so Yang Donghu found a bowl for them to use as a food bowl and soaked some white steamed buns in vegetable soup for them to eat.
Yang Donghu went to exchange duck eggs today because he promised Zhang Baoyu that he would make cakes for her. He wanted to use them to make egg yolk pastries. Tomorrow is the day to send the cakes to the town, so it was just right to make them today and send them together tomorrow.
Zhao Luochuan would go to the mountains for several days. The weather was hot and food could not keep well, but a kind of dry biscuits baked in a big pot could keep well and satisfy hunger. Since the summer came, the thing Zhao Luochuan brought with him the most was these biscuits.
Zhao Luochuan spoke in a hurry, and Yang Donghu had to make pancakes. After dinner, he didn't even take a nap. Zhao Fangchu took the money and did a good job. Knowing that Yang Donghu was too busy, he took the job of making the pastries.
The egg yolk pastry is divided into the outer skin, the inner filling and the yolk. Only the yolk of the duck egg is used. After separating the egg white and yolk, sprinkle a layer of white wine on the yolk. The earthen kiln is heated in advance and baked in the kiln for a while until the outside of the egg yolk is slightly shiny. It doesn't need to be baked for too long, otherwise it will not taste good.
The outer crust is also divided into oil crust and water crust. When Zhao Fangchu made peach blossom cake, he kneaded it out in one piece, while Yang Donghu only needed to make the red bean paste filling inside.
The red beans have been soaked overnight and are now much softer. Put them in a large pot and cook until the skin and flesh separate and they are soft when squeezed by hand.
Zhao Fangchu had work to do, so he had to ask Zhao Luochuan to help with the fire. It was already hot outside, and there was a fire in the house. Soon, the three of them were soaked in sweat.
Yang Donghu couldn't stand it any longer, so he scraped the red beans from the pot, wrapped them in gauze, and hid out of the kitchen. He found a cool place under the corridor, rubbed the beans until they were fine, and filtered out the dry shells with gauze. What was left was red bean paste.
Wrap the egg yolk with red bean paste, then wrap it tightly with water-oil dough. The egg yolk pastry does not need to be too fancy. Roll it into a round shape, put some beaten egg liquid on it, sprinkle some black sesame seeds, and then bake it with a layer of golden coating on the top.
These are not snacks for the restaurant, so there is no need to make too many. Only seven in total were made.
He separated four of them and packed them separately to send to Zhang Baoyu the next day. He cut the remaining three into pieces and gave each of them a piece to try.
Yang Donghu was still worried before giving it out, but fortunately the Zhao family was not surprised at all that he could make such a novel thing. The old lady just smiled gently while eating it and praised it for being delicious, without asking any questions like before.
It was getting late after such a busy day. Today, thanks to Zhao Fangchu, all the pastries sent to the restaurant were made by him. After drinking sour plum water to quench his thirst, Yang Donghu even said that he would give him a raise.
In the evening, the cool breeze blowing from the river behind the house is the most refreshing. The river surface is covered with half the sky with orange-red sunset glow, as if it were dyed with rouge, like a shy girl with a blushing face.
While they were busy in the yard, Zhu Cuilan prepared dinner and put the table outside the yard. The sun was not too hot at this time, and there were many people eating at tables under a row of big trees at the door.
Zhu Cuilan stewed the last bit of bacon and spare ribs with loofah, and added steamed eggplant with garlic. She didn't want to waste the duck egg white from lunch, so she fried a plate of duck egg white and vegetables, and added some pickled vegetables that Zhu Cuilan had prepared.
There weren't many types of dishes but the portions were large. The white flour buns that Zhu Cuilan had just steamed in the afternoon were large and fluffy. Even though Zhao Luochuan's portion was large, two were enough for him.
The Zhao family even uses lard when stir-frying vegetarian dishes, and the soup is full of oil and water. The white steamed buns soaked up the soup and tasted even more delicious than the vegetables. The puppies gathered under the table, begging for food. Yang Donghu divided the white steamed buns into small pieces and shared them between the two of them.
A passerby greeted Zhu Cuilan. It was an aunt who was usually quite close to her. She spoke loudly and called out from a distance: "Cuilan, what are you eating? It smells so good."
"No, just eat something. Have you eaten yet? Sit down and eat something with us."
Zhu Cuilan smiled and made room for her. However, anyone with a thick skin would know that this was just a polite remark and would not really sit down and not leave. The auntie waved her hand and said, "No, no, I have prepared something at home and we are waiting for you to eat when we get home. You guys eat yourselves."
"Hey, hey, okay."
Zhu Cuilan sent her aunt away and turned back to give the old lady a piece of edible bacon: "Old lady, please eat more. I'll add a bowl of soup later."
"Why."
Only then did Zhu Cuilan remember to ask Zhao Luochuan that since the wedding date was approaching, should she tell everyone in the village? It was not too late now.
The busy farming season here is divided into two periods: wheat in spring and ploughing in autumn. September is also a busy time with no time to rest, so you have to greet people in advance to avoid being rude.
Zhao Luochuan swallowed the porridge in his mouth and nodded, saying, "I've already told Dong Hu about this today, but I have to leave tomorrow, so I'd like to ask Auntie to help me tell everyone in the village."
As long as it is a happy event, it is considered a happy event. Besides, it is the first time for Zhao Luochuan and Yang Donghu, so they are not much worse than others.
"Okay, it's time to take back the wedding quilt I made these past two days. I'll talk to the villagers about it then."
Zhu Cuilan was delighted and offered Yang Donghu another piece of pork chop. "I'm almost done embroidering your wedding dress. Try it on later. If it doesn't fit, there's still time to alter it. I've made clothes for you many times, and I know your measurements. It won't be much different. September is just getting colder, so you'll need to wear clothes underneath."
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