Is the beginning of a catastrophe? The little farm cook is raising a family with a full warehouse.

In the afternoon, Cheng Yuntao began to prepare the food needed for the evening stall.

The play being performed in the theater tonight is "The Legend of White Snake". She originally planned to make Broken Bridge Pastry, but suddenly changed her mind.

This morning, while she was out and about, she passed by the market and saw an elderly man selling two baskets of mushrooms. She hadn't thought much of it at first, but when she returned, she realized the man hadn't sold any of his mushrooms yet. She couldn't help but feel pity for him. Without further ado, she pulled out her wallet and bought both baskets so the man could go home earlier.

But staring at the two large baskets of mushrooms, Cheng Yuntao began to feel troubled. Even if the family ate several meals in a row, they might not be able to consume all the mushrooms. If left alone, they would start to rot in a few days, and that would be a waste.

Suddenly, her eyes fell on the mushrooms again. Their plump, round caps and slender, upright stems resembled oil-paper umbrellas opened in the rain. And in the "Legend of the White Snake," wasn't it the chance encounter of borrowing an umbrella that sparked the gradual affection between Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen, kicking off their lingering love story?

Cheng Yuntao suddenly had an idea. In that case, why not just make a fried mushroom dish? Not only would it cleverly correspond to the opera, but it would also make full use of the mushrooms.

First, draw a basin of clear well water and place the mushrooms in it. Gently scrub with your fingers to remove any surface sand and impurities, then separate them into evenly spaced pieces. Then, take a large stoneware bowl, pick up a bag of flour, pour it into the bowl, and scoop an equal amount of cornstarch from a small jar nearby. With slender fingers, deftly stir the two in the bowl, blending them perfectly.

Add a pinch of salt, appropriate amount of black pepper and cumin powder, lightly tap two eggs on the edge of the bowl, and the egg liquid will slide into the bowl. Then add a little water, pick up the chopsticks, and stir quickly clockwise. The batter will gradually take shape, from thin to thick, and finally become just the right thickness, which can be hung on the chopsticks without dripping.

As soon as the batter was ready, Cheng Yuntao turned and walked over to the stove. She squatted down and neatly added a few handfuls of dry wood to the stove. Sparks flew and the fire spread rapidly. She stood up, picked up the oil pot, and poured enough oil into the pot. When the oil temperature gradually rose, the surface of the oil rippled slightly and emitted wisps of hot steam, it was about 60% to 70% hot, then it was time to fry the mushrooms.

Pick up a mushroom slice and dip it lightly into the batter, ensuring both sides are evenly coated. Then, with a flick of the wrist, gently place the battered mushroom slice into the hot oil pan. The hot oil swirls happily, and golden bubbles quickly swell around it, making a sizzling sound.

Cheng Yuntao kept using her chopsticks to gently turn the mushrooms in the pan so that they were heated evenly. When the mushrooms were fried until golden brown, she quickly picked up the colander, scooped them out one by one, drained the oil and put them on a plate.

After a short break, seeing that the oil temperature has risen to 80% again, I decisively put the fried mushroom slices into the pan again. In just one minute, the surface of the mushroom slices became more crispy and the color became more attractive. Finally, pick up the fried mushroom slices, drain the oil, and sprinkle a layer of fine pepper and salt powder.

Jiang Yu, Cheng Jingzhu and Shaobing gathered at the kitchen door early, waiting for Cheng Yuntao's order to come in and taste the food. Cheng Yuntao naturally noticed their eagerness and waved for them to come in and try it.

Jiang Yu and Cheng Jingzhu ran the fastest, their feet flying. Shaobing could only watch helplessly, tiptoeing behind them and shouting, "There's me too!"

Hearing the shout, Jiang Yu and Cheng Jingzhu stopped in their tracks, looked at each other with a hint of annoyance on their faces, and hurriedly turned back, one on each side, to help Shaobing in.

"I was in such a hurry that I accidentally left you behind."

Cheng Yuntao leaned on the stove with one hand, shook her head helplessly, then took out some fried mushrooms and handed them over.

The mushrooms were just out of the pot and still had a hint of heat, a thin and crispy skin, and a tender and juicy inside. The crispy skin rubbed between the lips and teeth, bringing a slight grainy feeling. As you chew, the softness of the mushroom meat gradually takes over, the juice overflows, and the taste is distinct.

The three of them showed satisfied expressions and said that they wanted to eat more, but Cheng Yuntao rejected their extended hands without hesitation.

"That won't do," Cheng Yuntao said, his face stern and pretending to be serious. "These are to be saved for the stall tonight. If you eat them all, what will the customers buy when they come?"

Seeing Cheng Yuntao's firm attitude, the three of them had to suppress the gluttony in their stomachs.

……

At night, the lights are on.

Before Cheng Yuntao even opened her stall, a group of young men and women in gorgeous clothes had already gathered there early, like a group of eagerly awaited migratory birds, eagerly guessing what kind of novel food she would come up with tonight.

Feng Mulin closed his folding fan, tapped his chin lightly, raised his eyebrows and said, "In my opinion, Miss Cheng might serve snake soup tonight. In "The Legend of White Snake", the White Snake is the protagonist, and snake soup is very suitable for the occasion. Although the preparation is a bit complicated, with Miss Cheng's skills, she will definitely be able to prepare a unique flavor." As soon as these words came out, the young ladies around were frightened and took a few steps back, blaming the young man for his recklessness.

Li Yuanyuan glared at him with some displeasure and retorted, "How could it be snake soup? That sounds so scary. I'm guessing it's a vegetarian lotus rice dumpling. Think about it, White Snake revealed her true form during the Dragon Boat Festival, and Xu Xian tested her with realgar wine, which ultimately led to their separation. Using this vegetarian rice dumpling would both commemorate the Dragon Boat Festival and also express the hope that White Snake and Xu Xian could reunite soon and live happily together. How interesting."

After hearing this, the people around nodded in agreement.

Before he finished speaking, a scholar dressed in a simple blue robe and with an elegant demeanor walked out from the crowd. His eyes were filled with a certainty as he spoke slowly and calmly, "What you are saying is a bit cliché. Look at the food Miss Cheng sold the past two days; it was all very elegant. How could it be so subpar today?"

After hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought, whispering to each other, and became more and more curious about Cheng Yuntao's "new trick".

As everyone expected, Cheng Yuntao and Jiang Yu appeared on time. The sharp-eyed diners spotted their figures instantly. In an instant, the crowd surged like a tide and quickly surrounded the two of them.

Jing Zimo, the elegant scholar who had just expressed a different opinion, spoke first: "Miss Cheng, everyone has made different guesses about the food you will sell tonight. We are really curious about what kind of delicious food you have prepared today." After saying that, he looked at Cheng Yuntao with burning eyes, his eyes full of exploration and expectation.

"Yes, yes, show it to us!" The young men and women around echoed one after another, and noisy discussions came one after another, all of which were filled with an eager desire to reveal the answer.