Chapter 241 Morning Tea Prepared for Daiyu
Knowing people well and assigning them to suitable positions is something Yuan Hongqu has always excelled at.
With Xiangtao's abilities, it's a waste for her to just be a cook in the Lin family. She can achieve great things in the vast world outside.
Even Xiangling, the younger sister Xiangtao recognized, is literate and has taken on the job of bookkeeper at the village estate in E'er Village.
When Yuan Hongqu visited the estate last time, she almost didn't recognize that the shrewish and generous accountant girl was actually Xiangling, who used to be resigned to fate and work hard without complaint.
Yuan Hongqu felt a great sense of accomplishment in being able to fully tap into the potential talents of these girls.
However, these girls do not include Daiyu.
Yuan Hongqu allowed Daiyu to grow freely and basically fulfilled all her requests. No matter whether her ideas were naive or whimsical, Yuan Hongqu would always find a way to realize them and not disappoint her.
If they hadn't stayed at Rongguo Mansion last night, they would have planned to have a Cantonese-style morning tea this morning.
Although Daiyu had not yet returned, it did not prevent Yuan Hongqu from making the morning tea and then delivering it to Rongyue Courtyard.
Shrimp dumplings were something Daiyu specifically requested, and they are the essence of morning tea. They usually appear on the breakfast table three or four times a month, and naturally, they were no exception this time.
The dumpling wrappers should be as thin as cicada wings, revealing the tender pink shrimp inside. Yuan Hongqu mixes wheat starch and cornstarch in the right proportions, adds boiling water and stirs quickly. She kneads the dough in her hands, gradually making it smooth and delicate. With swift strokes, Yuan Hongqu divides the long strip of dough into equal-sized pieces. Then, she takes a small piece, flattens it with the back of a knife, and wraps a marinated shrimp inside.
The water in the steamer was already boiling, and Yuan Hongqu neatly arranged the shrimp dumplings on the bamboo tray.
She turned around and went to prepare the dough for the char siu buns. The fermented dough gave off a faint sweet and sour smell. She wrapped the secret char siu filling inside and pinched the edges to create a decorative pattern.
After Yuan Hongqu entered the kitchen, her hands never stopped moving.
It wasn't until dawn that she finally finished preparing the morning tea.
There were hardly any people on the streets in the early morning, so it didn't matter if the carriage traveled a little faster.
On the carriage, several cooks from the Lin family, along with Yuan Hongqu, were protecting several large food boxes as they headed towards the Rongguo Mansion.
Inside Rongyue Courtyard, Daiyu had just gotten up, and Xueyan and Zijuan were helping her get dressed and wash up.
She had just finished combing her hair when she heard a gasp coming from the doorway.
Then came Wang Xifeng's exaggerated voice.
"Sister Yuan, are you worried that Lin Meimei won't have enough to eat at my house? That's why you sent all this over! Even with Lin Meimei's big appetite, she can't possibly eat this much, can she?"
"It's a rare occasion to make this, and you think it'll be just for my Daiyu to eat by herself? If I really did that, you'd eat me alive." Yuan Hongqu's lips curled up slightly.
"I'm only getting this thanks to Sister Lin. Sister Lin, come and see what delicious food you're having today, so we can have a look too." Wang Xifeng smiled, but didn't steal the show, and had someone open the food box.
Daiyu had just come out and was quite surprised when she saw the three huge food boxes: These are not food boxes, but steamers from the kitchen.
She had originally thought that staying at her grandmother's house was inconvenient, so she would go home after washing up.
Since the nanny said we'd be having morning tea, she must be preparing it at home.
"Granny," Daiyu ran to Yuan Hongqu's side, hugged Yuan Hongqu's arm, and rubbed her little head against her arm, showing great affection.
"I'll just eat at home. You're working too hard, and I can't bear to see you like this," Daiyu said softly.
Hearing Daiyu's warm, gentle voice, Yuan Hongqu's heart felt as sweet as if it had been soaked in honey, and she felt indescribably comfortable. The fatigue and hardship of the morning were swept away.
"What are you saying? I promised you, so I can't let you go through all that trouble. Let's go have some morning tea!"
The group entered the dining hall. Daiyu, gazing at the extravagantly large food box, turned to instruct Zijuan.
"Zijuan, go and call the other girls to come over too. It'll be more lively if everyone eats together."
Before the words were finished, Yingchun's voice came from the doorway.
"Sister Lin, there's no need to invite him. We heard that Mr. Yuan prepared some delicious food and sent it over, so we came uninvited."
"Oh my, these noses are even more sensitive than kittens'! Sister Yuan, please don't laugh at us, they're all here because of your cooking skills," Wang Xifeng teased.
Yuan Hongqu ignored her and went forward to open the food box herself.
The moment the food box was opened, a waft of steam carrying various aromas wafted out.
The first thing that catches the eye is the crystal-clear shrimp dumpling. The skin is as thin as a cicada's wing and almost transparent, revealing the red shrimp inside. Each shrimp dumpling is pinched with twelve even pleats, making it look like a delicate work of art.
Take a bite, and you'll find the outer skin is tender yet elastic, the shrimp is fresh, sweet, and bouncy, with a hint of water chestnut crispness.
The char siu bun next to it was white and plump, with three cracks on the top, revealing the bright red char siu filling inside.
Gently break it open, and the rich honey glaze flows down the soft dough. The char siu, with its perfect balance of lean and fatty meat, melts in your mouth, offering a sweet and savory flavor with a hint of freshness.
A plate of steamed spare ribs with black bean sauce is glossy and reddish-brown. The spare ribs are chopped into small pieces, and the salty aroma of black beans and the spiciness of minced garlic blend perfectly. With a gentle suck, the meat separates from the bone, and your mouth is full of meaty flavor.
The rice noodle rolls are as white as snow, with thin rice skin wrapping tender slices of beef, drizzled with special soy sauce, and sprinkled with bright green scallions.
Pick it up with chopsticks, the rice noodles are chewy, the beef is tender, and the aroma of rice and meat intertwine in your mouth, creating a complex and novel flavor.
The shumai, topped with golden crab roe, resemble budding flowers. The wrapper is almost as thin as gauze, encasing pork, shrimp, and shiitake mushrooms. One bite releases a burst of juicy flavor, filling your mouth with a savory aroma. The crab roe explodes on your tongue, carrying a hint of the salty freshness of the ocean.
The square-shaped glutinous rice chicken, wrapped in lotus leaves, had a fragrant aroma when opened.
The glutinous rice is crystal clear, wrapped around fillings such as chicken, mushrooms, and salted egg yolk. Every bite is soft, sticky, and savory, with the fragrance of lotus leaves lingering in the air.
The radish cake is pan-fried until golden and crispy on the outside, while the inside is soft and chewy. The sweetness of the radish and the savory aroma of the preserved meat blend perfectly, and it tastes even better with a little chili sauce.
The appearance of a custard bun is unremarkable, with a few tiny sugar granules dotting the plump white bun skin. However, when you gently break it open, the golden custard filling flows out slowly like lava, exuding a rich aroma of salted egg yolk.
One bite reveals a soft and fluffy outer layer and a delicate and smooth filling. The combination of salty and sweet flavors, along with a slightly grainy texture, melts on the tongue, as if you've bitten into flowing gold, making it irresistible.
There's also fried milk, tofu skin rolls, red rice sausage, and more.
The table was filled with small steamer dishes, a mix of salty and sweet, so many that it was dazzling to look at them all, and you didn't know which one to eat first.
In order for Daiyu to be able to taste more dishes, Yuan Hongqu specially made each dish half the size of the normal one.
These pastries were already known for their exquisiteness, but now that they're half the size, they look even more delicate.
"Sister Lin, can I stay at your house? I'll trade all my possessions for you! I'll do anything as long as I can eat Granny Yuan's cooking every day." Xi Chun ate a small shumai and then a custard bun, and finally couldn't help but ask.
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