Qin Xiaozhou was unaware of the commotion outside. He was busy with Lu Yu and Zhao Fang researching new products. The towel rolls and cakes were a bit monotonous, and there weren't many puddings either. He wanted to come up with more novel things so that he could surprise the ladies and young women when their expectations were at their peak.
The lotus-shaped and begonia-shaped pastries were as thin as cicada wings. When Qin Xiaozhou first tried making them and took them out of the oil, Zhao Fang and Lu Yu were stunned. They carefully touched the petals that had bloomed under the high temperature of the oil. "Daughter-in-law, these are so beautiful! Are they really edible?"
Qin Xiaozhou smiled and said, "Try it."
Zhao Fang wiped her hands twice, somewhat at a loss, before picking one up. It was so crisp and crunchy that she was amazed again. Then, she was eager to try it herself. "Xiao Zhou, I just saw you make one. I'll make one too."
Qin Xiaozhou meant it this way: the main event was making taro cake with milk, taro, and eggs, as well as taro ball milk tea.
Zhao Fang started kneading the dough, while Lu Yunfeng helped tend the fire. Taro was peeled, sliced, and steamed on the large stove over high heat with cold water. Once steamed until soft and tender, it was mashed and mixed with milk and sugar. The large pot was cleaned and oil was added. The taro paste was poured in and stirred constantly over medium-low heat to prevent burning. As the oil was slowly absorbed, Qin Xiaozhou checked and added a little more oil, continuing to stir-fry. When the taro paste stuck to the spatula, it was ready to be scooped into a bowl and then strained through a sieve to ensure a smooth texture and better taste.
Qin Xiaozhou served everyone a small bowl, saying, "Try it, this is taro paste that can be used to make cakes."
"Delicious, with a rich milky flavor." Zhao Fang took a couple of bites, then felt a little regretful. If her youngest son could be brought here, he would grow so strong eating like this every day. But they were both busy and didn't have time to take care of the child, and they didn't have that much food at home.
After finishing her taro paste, Zhao Fang continued making her lotus flower pastries. An hour later, the pastries were taken out of the oil, but the petals hadn't unfolded, and they weren't crispy; they were rather hard.
After failing once, she became a little hesitant. "Xiaozhou, maybe I shouldn't learn this one."
Qin Xiaozhou tasted it carefully, "You need to add some rapeseed oil when kneading the dough, and then let it rest for a longer time. Keep going, you need to learn all of these. Just throw away the ones that don't taste good."
Zhao Fang quickly put away the failed product, saying, "I'll take it home with me tonight."
These are all made of oil, flour, and sugar, and they're quite expensive. Even if they're burnt or charred, let alone if they're just not crispy and are considered failures, there aren't many people in the village who can afford them.
Lu Yunfeng, who was chopping wood in the yard, chimed in, "If it's not cooked properly, I'll just eat it."
Qin Xiaozhou didn't care. As long as these defective products didn't appear in front of the guests, that was fine. A freshly baked taro cake was cut into four pieces for everyone to try.
They all nodded in praise.
Qin Xiaozhou then brewed milk tea with milk and jasmine tea, and made the filling with tapioca flour and taro. They ate and drank in the kitchen until evening, and the four of them didn't have a proper meal and weren't hungry.
Zhao Fang missed her youngest son and wanted to go home. After all, her son was not yet a year old and had never been away from her like this before. The village was far away, and if he cried at night, she would not be able to find him for a while and might cry herself to sleep. So the four of them discussed it and decided that Lu Yunfeng would continue to guard the shop while the three women would walk home together.
Qin Xiaozhou carried a large basket on her back, brimming with the imperfect work she had done in class that day. Walking along the mountain path in the afterglow of the setting sun, with weary birds returning to their nests and the evening glow painting the sky, she was in high spirits and couldn't help but burst into song: "The great river flows eastward, the stars in the sky point to the Big Dipper, a bowl of wine for sworn brothers..."
His voice was full of vigor and unrestrained spirit, with the imposing presence of someone ready to fight a tiger on a mountain.
Zhao Fang felt her vision blur. Although this wasn't Jiangnan, it was still not far from the water towns, and the people were mostly gentle and mild-mannered, especially the women. What woman acted like this, as if she wanted to go up the mountain and become a female bandit queen? But to be honest, when the sun was about to set but hadn't yet set, and this song came on, it seemed like even jackals and tigers ran far away. She wasn't afraid at all.
The three women were initially a little scared walking along the mountain path as it was getting dark, especially at this time of day. For some reason, they felt empty and inevitably sad. But now, all sadness and loneliness were gone.
Lu Yu couldn't help but look up at Qin Xiaozhou walking ahead. She had never seen such a woman before. She was free-spirited, bold, and decisive, with a fiery temper. It seemed that she was living to make trouble, and that the petty squabbles of the village women were insignificant and laughable in front of her.
When they got home, it was getting dark. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone was eating, the three of them quietly passed through the village. The gate of the Lu family's courtyard opened, and Lu Yan bent down and pinched Xiao Si's arm, who was nestled under the eaves learning to walk. She was very happy to see them. "Mom, Aunt, Sister-in-law, you're back! Mom, Mom, my little brother can talk now. This afternoon in the orchard, he was calling for his mother."
"Really!" Zhao Fang was also happy, and smiled. She couldn't wait to pick up her youngest son and couldn't help but kiss him on the cheek. "Son, call me again."
Unfortunately, Xiao Si didn't cry out. When she saw Zhao Fang, she burst into tears, hugging Zhao Fang's neck with her little arms, crying her heart out, tears streaming down her face. It was clear that she was truly heartbroken.
When Zhao Fang saw her son crying so sadly, she couldn't help but shed tears silently, which also made Wang Lan in the kitchen's eyes red.
Even someone as hard-hearted as Qin Xiaozhou couldn't bring herself to say anything harsh to this mother and son. However, Zhao Fang had already learned how to make cakes, towel rolls, taro milk tea, and other similar dishes. She wouldn't let Zhao Fang stay at home. Children always need to learn to leave their parents. They need to be weaned when they're young, go to school, learn to be independent, learn to get along with others, and eventually get married, have children, and start their own families. A mama's boy is not a good option.
Wang Lan was taking care of her grandson today, so she naturally felt his emotions the most deeply. Therefore, she asked Qin Xiaozhou to discuss, "How about letting Xiaoyan go to the shop and your mother stay at home? This child is too young and can't be separated from his mother."
"No way." Qin Xiaozhou refused without hesitation. Turning her head, she saw Xiao Yan looking at her expectantly, her eyes filled with disappointment after hearing her refusal. She couldn't help but click her tongue softly. "Let Xiao Yan go with us, and bring Xiao Si along too. It's just that there will only be two people in the house."
Qin Xiaozhou was a little worried about leaving the elderly and frail at home, but she didn't want others to learn her dessert-making skills. Only uniqueness could ensure long-term success. In a big city like the prefecture or the capital, there could be a wide variety of desserts, but a county town was so small that competition was a battlefield, and losing one person meant losing one person.
She's going to sell high-priced desserts, and there aren't many wealthy people in a small county, so she can't create a competitor for herself.
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