Meng Yan's Transformation

When Zhan Mengyan spoke, her eyes revealed a look of longing.

Yunqing looked at Zhan Mengyan, opened her mouth, and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

The moment Yunqing lightly touched the radish with the blade, purple-red juice oozed out in fine lines, like rouge smudged on rice paper.

Yunqing placed her thumb against the middle of the radish and cut in at a 45-degree angle. The first petal she cut out was as wide as a fingernail, its edge as thin as a cicada's wing, revealing the gradient rose-red color of the inner part. As she rotated the radish, the tip of the knife paused briefly at the junction of two petals, shaving the edges into smooth arcs, as gently as arranging the folds of silk. When the third layer of petals began to close, she used the tip of the knife to pick out the dense stamens. The purple-red radish was carved into curled threads, stained with a few drops of lingering juice, as if morning dew condensed in the heart of the flower. Throughout the process, the blade remained close to the surface of the radish, preventing the tender flesh from breaking while ensuring that the thickness of each petal did not exceed two millimeters. This was the key to the radish flower maintaining its translucent texture.

When carving the fifth layer, Yunqing suddenly tapped the base of the radish with the flat of her knife, causing the entire flower to tremble slightly like a blooming peony. Squinting, Yunqing scrutinized the layers of petals, shaving off any that were too long by half a millimeter and carving fine serrations along the edges—these inconspicuous details suddenly imbued the still radish flower with the air of wind. Finally, she used tweezers to pick up a thinly sliced ​​radish and gently placed it against the back of the pistil. The once perfectly round center immediately took on a natural curve. As the purple-red radish flower was immersed in ice water, the anthocyanins gradually smudged in the acidic solution, leaving the once distinct petals with a soft, misty gradient, as if gently brushed with a watercolor brush. Yunqing lifted a flower with a bamboo skewer and adjusted the angle to the light. Veins like veins appeared on the gauze-thin petals. Now, the radish flower was no longer food but a living, miniature work of art.

"Good! Good! Gorgeous!"

Zhan Mengyan exclaimed loudly.

Zhan Yu came over upon hearing the sound and saw a peony flower carved out of radish by Yun Qing placed in the center of a white porcelain plate, surrounded by shredded cabbage, carrots, and tofu.

"It looks good, but it's just a cold dish, not as delicious as chicken stewed with mushrooms. What's the point of making it so fancy? It's a waste of time and effort. Zhan Mengyan, you're shouting and raving about it. If you like it so much, this dish is yours tonight. Don't eat the others."

As Zhan Yu spoke, he kicked the half-burned wooden stick in front of the stove into the stove and walked away angrily.

"Mom, I'm back! Grandma Liu was as happy as a child when she received the gifts we gave her. Liu Mingming even jumped for joy when he saw the rabbit lantern. Grandma Liu asked her to catch a rooster for us. I said we had four chickens that had been killed by weasels and we couldn't eat them all. Grandma Liu then insisted on bringing me thirty-six eggs."

While Zhan Yingying was speaking, she placed the basket of eggs on the stove.

"Hey, Zhan Yingying, I asked you to return the gift, why are you taking someone else's eggs?"

Yunqing revealed a reproachful tone when she spoke.

"Mom, it's not my fault. Our gift was so good. Grandma Liu was so touched. If I didn't take the eggs, she would have asked Liu Mingming to come to our house to give them eggs. It's Chinese New Year, why would a child run back and forth? It's hard to refuse such a kind invitation. Mom, I'm back now, you can rest. What else is left to cook? Let me do it. Wow, this plate of salad is so beautiful, how can I bear to pick up my chopsticks!"

As Zhan Yingying was speaking, she saw the peony flower that Yunqing had just carved out of the Xinlimei radish and couldn't help but sigh.