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

Although selling medicinal food was done with good intentions, things are unpredictable. This seemingly simple business caused a lot of trouble for no reason.

In addition, the weather is getting hotter and hotter, making people feel more tired. After thinking it over again and again, Cheng Yuntao simply stopped running the stall herself and changed her mind. She packed some medicinal food ingredients every day and asked Xu Ranyuan to help distribute them to people in need.

He had made a lot of money setting up a stall outside the theater before, and on the 15th of every month when he went to Ji's house to cook, Ji Yanchuan would also give him a lot of tips. Even if he didn't work for a long time, the money he had was more than enough to support his family for a long time.

Time flies, and it is already August 15th, the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Cheng Yuntao informed Ji Yanchuan early in the morning that she might not be able to go to Ji's house on the fifteenth of this month and would have to stay at home to celebrate the festival. Fortunately, Ji Yanchuan did not make things difficult for her. He only asked her to remember to send a portion to Ji's house after she made the mooncakes.

Mooncakes, also known as moon cakes, harvest cakes, reunion cakes, etc., are shaped like a full moon, representing the image of the round sky and the square earth, and implying reunion of the nine provinces and a happy family.

The crust is made of crispy dough, which symbolizes the virtue of the thriving earth; the filling may be wrapped with elegant lotus seed paste, which symbolizes the auspicious sign of "lotus bearing a noble son"; or filled with sweet red bean paste, which symbolizes the wish for a good harvest; the five nuts are especially respected, including walnuts, almonds, melon seeds, sesame seeds, and olives, which symbolize the principle of the mutual generation of the five elements, and imply the thoughts of the elders being healthy, the young children being intelligent, and the family being harmonious.

On the night when the golden osmanthus is fragrant, the whole family sits together and shares this food, looking up at the bright moon in the sky, savoring the sweetness and bitterness of life, and praying for good health and a complete reunion of the world.

Such an important festival gift would naturally be more meaningful if it were made by oneself, so on the day before the Mid-Autumn Festival, after breakfast, everyone gathered together and planned to work together to make mooncakes.

However, before making mooncakes, the fillings must be prepared first. The kitchen is not large, and too many people will block the space and make things more chaotic.

Cheng Yuntao simply drove everyone out, saying that she would call everyone to help after her filling was ready.

This time she plans to make four flavors of mooncakes: red bean paste, five-nut, lotus seed paste, and jujube paste.

First, pour plump red beans into a ceramic basin and rinse repeatedly with clean water until the water is clear. Then, add the beans to a pot and add water. A firewood fire blazes, and steam rises from the stove. Once the beans are soft, remove them, carefully peel them, and place them in a stone mortar and pestle, grinding them until they become a fine bean paste.

Then pour the bean paste into the pot, add crystal sugar and fragrant lard, and simmer over low heat. Stir constantly during this process. As the bean paste rolls in the pot, the sweet aroma spreads, and the bean paste filling is ready.

After placing the prepared red bean paste filling in place, Cheng Yuntao then began making the five-nut filling. She first took walnuts, almonds, melon seeds, peanuts, and sesame seeds, finely chopped them one by one, and placed them in a large bowl. She then added chopped raisins and brightly colored green and red shredded vegetables, sprinkled with sugar, poured in cooking oil, and gently mixed with her hands. The unique aroma of the five-nut filling instantly wafted into the air.

Cheng Yuntao then turned her attention to the lotus seeds. After soaking and removing the cores, she placed them in a steamer until cooked. The steamed lotus seeds were then placed in a stone mill and slowly ground into lotus paste. The paste was then added to a pot, rock sugar, and lard, and stir-fried until it thickened and exuded a delicate lotus fragrance. The lotus paste filling was ready.

Finally, the jujube paste filling is prepared. Cheng Yuntao selects plump red dates, washes them, and cooks them in a pot until they are soft. She then peels and pits them, then uses a spoon to mash them into a paste. Adding the paste, brown sugar, and a little sesame oil, the mixture is stir-fried over low heat until it becomes smooth and glossy, and the rich aroma of dates fills the air.

With the fillings ready, Cheng Yuntao began making the mooncake dough. She poured flour into a wooden basin, added warm water, yeast, and a little lard, and kneaded it into a smooth dough. She then let it rise. Once the dough had doubled in size, she divided it into small pieces and rolled them into thin sheets.

When the filling and dough were ready, Cheng Yuntao held the basin of ingredients steadily in both hands and moved them briskly into the courtyard. After placing them on the stone table in the center of the courtyard, she clapped her hands and called out in a crisp voice, "Come on, come on, let's make mooncakes together!"

Everyone had been eager to try it out, and when they heard her words, they all gathered around.

"The remaining steps are actually very simple. I'll demonstrate them to you first. Pay attention to the movements of my hands." After saying that, Cheng Yuntao took the lead in picking up a piece of dough and spread it out in the palm of his hand with skillful movements. Then he scooped up a spoonful of filling with a spoon and placed it precisely in the center of the dough.

First, pinch the edge of the dough, fold it up little by little, and wrap the filling with gentle and steady techniques. After a while, a round and plump mooncake prototype appears in Cheng Yuntao's palm.

She placed this prototype into an exquisite mooncake mold and pressed it gently so that the delicate patterns on the mold were perfectly imprinted on the mooncake. Then she knocked the mold, and a mooncake with clear patterns and beautiful shapes was born.

A full moon is printed in the center of the mooncake, and the lines on the edge outline layers of halo, like clear light.

A laurel tree stands in the center of the moon, its leaves like carved jade, their veins distinct; the osmanthus petals plump and like tiny specks of gold. Beside the moon, a jade rabbit pounding medicine, its figure sturdy, its eyes gentle, its hair distinct. Auspicious cloud patterns swirl around it, their flowing lines contrasting with the full moon, laurel tree, and jade rabbit, creating a picture of a celestial lunar scene.

"So beautiful!" Cheng Yueli's eyes lit up, the corners of her mouth couldn't help but rise, her tone full of surprise.

She pointed at the mooncake with an exquisite pattern on it and turned to ask Cheng Yuntao, "Sister, I know a poem about mooncakes. It goes, 'The little cake is like chewing the moon, with crispy fillings and sweet fillings inside.' Sweet fillings are sweet candies, but what exactly are these crispy fillings?"

Cheng Yuntao explained with a smile, "There are several types of 'crisp' in mooncakes. When we make the filling, we use nuts like walnuts, sesame seeds, and melon seeds. When we grind them up, they taste fragrant and crispy, which is one type of 'crisp'. Also, when we make the mooncake skin, we use flour, oil, and water. After baking, the crust becomes thin and crispy, which is also 'crisp'."

Cheng Yueli suddenly realized: "So that's how it is!"

Everyone picked up a piece of dough, put in a spoonful of filling, closed the top like making glutinous rice balls, rolled it into a ball, put it into the mold and pressed it. When it came out upside down, a complete mooncake blank was formed.

"Wow, it turns out making mooncakes is so easy!" Cheng Jingzhu's eyes widened with excitement. He fiddled with the dough in his hands and shouted, "Just put it in the mold and it's done. It's much easier than making dumplings!"

Shaobing also echoed from the side, his hands moving non-stop, his voice full of excitement: "Ha! I finished another one! Faster than you!"

"Damn it! Stop being so arrogant! I'm going to catch up with you!"

The two of them were full of energy, chatting with each other, but they didn't stop working. After a while, the area in front of them was filled with the mooncake dough they made.

……