Chapter 2016: Expanding (Third update)
“Make more, and let’s eat together tomorrow night, admire the moon, and eat moon cakes.”
Sun nodded happily and kneaded the dough. The movements are also more interesting.
On Yang Ruoqing's side, she was also preparing mooncake fillings in an orderly manner.
"Sister Lan'er, you are pregnant. Don't stand. Come, sit on the stool and peel the melon seeds."
Yang Ruoqing brought a small stool to the side of the small round table and asked Yang Ruolan to sit down.
Yang Ruolan glanced at Yang Ruoqing gratefully and then sat down.
She glanced at the melon seeds and peanuts in front of her, and asked Yang Ruoqing: "Is it my job to peel these?"
Yang Ruoqing nodded: "Peel them first, don't worry, wait for me to peel them" The mooncake fillings here are ready, I'll peel them with you."
Yang Ruolan smiled and nodded, "It's okay, my job is easy, you go about your business first."
Yang Ruoqing also smiled, turned around and came to the ground in the corner of the stove, and took out a small wooden bucket.
In the wooden barrel, there are red beans soaked in water last night.
Every red bean is a plump and round bean after removing impurities and bad beans.
After absorbing water all night, I am now a little worried.
Yang Ruoqing fished them out, put them into a small pot on the pot table, added an appropriate amount of water, covered the pot lid, and started to simmer.
When it is almost cooked, take it out and put it in a small bamboo sieve with a basin of water under the basket.
The hot, soft red beans have been cooked to the point of swelling.
Yang Ruoqing picked up the spatula and kneaded, pressed, rubbed, pounded...
In short, she tried her best to smash the red beans.
A lot of the splashing red bean puree fell through the gaps in the bamboo sieve into the basin below.
When it was all over, Yang Ruoqing found a piece of cotton cloth, wrapped it all up with a basin of water and red bean paste, and then squeezed out the water inside.
After squeezing it around, loosen the cloth, and the maroon-red lumps left inside are the red bean paste needed to make mooncake fillings.
Heat a small pot, add an appropriate amount of lard, pour the red bean paste into it and stir-fry.
"Would you like brown sugar?"
Sun poked her head over and asked.
Yang Ruoqing shook her head: "The brown sugar is a bit greasy, and the texture is a bit rough. I prepared sophora flower honey!"
While she was talking, she brought a small jar and scooped out a spoonful of shiny, shiny honey from it. Freshly scented honey.
Pour evenly on top of the red bean paste in the pot, then stir-fry.
The warm and sweet fragrance spreads little by little in the kitchen.
The smiles on people’s faces are infected and become sweet.
When the bean paste fillings were about the same temperature, Yang Ruoqing kneaded them into meatball-sized balls and set them aside to cool.
"The bean paste stuffing is ready, Sister Lan'er, let me help you peel the melon seeds." Yang Ruoqing washed her hands, turned around and came to the small table here.
Yang Ruolan smiled and said: "It's almost peeled."
Yang Ruoqing took a look and sure enough, the melon seeds and peanuts were all peeled.
There were only a few pine nuts left, so there was no need for her to take action.
"Okay, then I'll continue pounding, haha."
She smiled, took a small wooden basin, and put these melon seeds, peanut kernels, pine nuts, black sesame seeds, white sesame seeds and so on together.
Put in some rock sugar granules and mash them with a rolling pin until they make a splash. Then, add an appropriate amount of glutinous rice flour and the previously cooled cold boiled water, stir evenly, then knead the stuffing into a ball and set it aside.
"I'm almost done here, I can start making moon cakes." Sun's voice also came from over there.
At first glance, Mr. Sun had already kneaded the mooncake dough into round balls, and placed them neatly on a large, clean tray, like soldiers lining up, preparing to go into battle. !
"Okay, let's pack it now." Yang Ruoqing said.
The three mothers sat down and started making moon cakes.
The stuffing and everything are ready, so the process of making this bag is much simpler.
Just like making glutinous rice balls, flatten the mooncake skin, add the round fillings, and then pinch it up from the periphery.
After pinching it, place it into the mooncake mold that has been prepared aside.
The bottom of the mold must first be brushed with a layer of oil, and then pressed hard after placing it in.
Knock it on the tray aside, and it becomes a mooncake with exquisitely carved patterns.
At this time, it’s time for the men to come on stage.
Luo Fengtang and Ah Hao entered the kitchen. Luo Fengtang said to Yang Ruoqing: "Qing'er, the iron stove for baking is ready."
Yang Ruoqing said: "Very good. Brush the first wave of mooncakes with a layer of egg wash and send them in for baking!"
...
Male and female are matched, so the work is not tiring.
After spending most of the day making and baking moon cakes, the warm and sweet fragrance lingered in the sky above Yang Huazhong's backyard.
Not only the villagers passing by stopped to take a few more sniffs, but the children in the whole village drooled as they looked at it.
After making the mooncakes, Mrs. Sun kept the ones that the family would eat for the festival and those needed for the family banquet tomorrow night.
The rest was sorted into several copies and given to relatives and friends.
Between relatives and friends, to put it bluntly, it’s just a matter of human relations.
Don’t ask for incredible wealth, just give small favors. This is how relationships are maintained.
In the afternoon, Yang Huazhou and Yang Yongjin returned to the village together.
Yang Ruoqing guessed that the two of them were going home for a walk and would definitely come over to Yang Huazhong's house to chat at night.
Sure enough, after dinner, uncle and nephew Yang Huazhou and Yang Yongjin came over together.
Both of them brought mooncakes bought from the county and county towns.
"My Mianmian said that the mooncakes my father brought back from the county are not as delicious as the mooncakes made by my third mother." Yang Huazhou laughed.
"Well, that's all for this festival. Third sister-in-law, you can also accept my mooncakes."
Ms. Sun smiled and accepted the moon cake. Everyone exchanged some pleasantries with each other, and then Ms. Sun went to the backyard, leaving the main room to the men to talk about things.
Yang Ruoqing and Luo Fengtang are also among them.
First of all, of course, let’s talk business. Yang Huazhou and Yang Yongjin reported to Yang Ruoqing respectively on the business conditions of the restaurants they were managing during this period.
As well as the thick account books brought back, as well as some other purchasing and operating records, for Yang Ruoqing to slowly sort out and better understand the situation.
After finishing talking about the business in the restaurant, Yang Ruoqing began to ask Yang Huazhou about his third brother Yang Yongzhi.
"I originally thought he would come back during the Mid-Autumn Festival, but why didn't he come back?" she asked.
Yang Huazhou said: "I also invited him to come back together. It seems that he also wants to come back to see Hong'er."
(End of this chapter)