The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

In the dead of night, the entire capital city was shrouded in darkness.

In a courtyard of the Grand Tutor's mansion, a room was still lit by a dim candlelight.

Shen Chen, who had been engrossed in his book, finally looked up from it, pinched his forehead, and rubbed his temples.

Finally, the day's plans are over.

The chicken soup my sister brought this afternoon was so delicious that he ate half a bowl more rice than usual.

I'm actually a little hungry right now.

He got up, intending to go to the small kitchen to find something to eat.

Since his exams started, Lili has been preparing some food for him in his small kitchen, just so he can eat something when he gets hungry while studying.

He had just stood up when he caught a glimpse of chestnut cake on the table.

He remembered that when his sister left today, she seemed to have left a plate of pastries on the table.

He was engrossed in his book at the time and didn't pay attention to what she was saying.

It turns out that she had instructed him to eat chestnut cake when he was hungry.

He picked up a piece of chestnut cake with his clean hands. The pale yellow chestnut cake smelled strongly of chestnuts with a hint of milk.

Take a bite, and the subtle sweetness and rich chestnut flavor immediately fill your mouth.

good to eat.

He ate three pieces in one go before the hunger in his stomach subsided.

While eating chestnut cake, he remembered his childhood, when Shen Cao would take his younger siblings into the mountains every year at this time to pick lots and lots of chestnuts.

In winter, they would gather around a fire pit to roast chestnuts and eat them.

……

Soon, the day before the autumn imperial examination arrived.

The autumn air is crisp and clear.

As if they had planned it together, none of the Shen family members went out.

Even Mr. and Mrs. Shen did not go to Xueyue Tower to help out, which was quite unusual.

Bang Bang Bang!

There was a lot of noise coming from the Shen family's kitchen early in the morning.

This time, however, the commotion was clearly different from the previous days, and Lai Cai was no longer wagging its tail at the kitchen door as eagerly as before.

The sound didn't seem like chopping bones; it sounded more like a rolling pin hitting a cutting board.

"This time we will definitely succeed."

Shen's mother heard Shen Wan's voice from the kitchen doorway.

As she approached, she saw the two sisters carefully lifting up the mold-like object, one on each side.

Just as she was about to ask, she saw Shen Wan jump up happily, "It worked! It worked!" She looked as if she had done something amazing.

She looked down and saw a red pastry. Upon closer inspection, the shape of the pastry seemed somewhat familiar, and the words "定胜" (meaning "victory is assured") were imprinted on its surface.

"What are you so happy about? What did you succeed at?" she continued, pointing to the object in front of her. "What is this?"

Shen Cao replied, "Mother, this is Ding Sheng Gao (a type of sweet cake). My older brother has an exam tomorrow, so I made him a sweet cake with auspicious meaning."

"Mother, if you eat this Ding Sheng cake, my eldest brother will definitely be on the list of successful candidates." Shen Wan was afraid of putting pressure on her eldest brother, so she didn't dare to tell her mother that he would definitely become the top scholar.

Mrs. Shen said with a smile, "You're so thoughtful. Your older brother will definitely be very happy to eat this."

To make this Dingsheng cake, Shen Cao got up at dawn.

She had never made this Ding Sheng Gao (a type of sweet rice cake) before; she had only seen the recipe in a book.

She mixed the rice flour and glutinous rice flour in a certain ratio, and she tried this ratio several times.

In the end, she used a ratio of two parts japonica rice flour to one part glutinous rice flour, and she felt that the texture was the best for her.

Add an appropriate amount of powdered sugar and pour in slightly less water than glutinous rice flour, then mix the rice flour and water thoroughly.

Continue squeezing until you can shape it by hand.

To bring good luck, Shen Cao added red yeast rice powder to adjust the color, making the Ding Sheng Gao (a type of rice cake) red.

A blazing success means certain victory.

Cover the mixed rice flour with a damp cloth to prevent moisture from evaporating.

Wait about an hour for the water and rice noodles to fully combine.

Then find a sieve, sift the mixed powder through it, sift the powder into the mold, and use a scraper to scrape off the excess powder from the mold.

Then poke a hole in the center of the dough on each mold to put the filling in.

Shen Cao prepared red bean paste for the filling.

This is also because of its auspicious meaning.

After dusting the filling with some powder to cover it, use a scraper to scrape off any excess powder from the mold.

Then place a clean steaming cloth on the mold, put the rack on it, and then flip the mold over.

Next, use a rolling pin to tap the sides and center of the mold to release the shaped pastry.

Shen Cao failed the most times in this step, and the Ding Sheng Gao (a type of rice cake) did not take shape.

It will either crack or collapse completely.

She thought about the reason and concluded that it was probably because the moisture in the previously mixed rice noodles had evaporated, making the rice noodles too dry.

Therefore, she always adds some water to the rice noodles every time she makes them.

Even the damp cloth covering the rice noodles had a lot of water added.

I don't know how many times it was done, but Shen Wan also came.

Then the two sisters kept trying, and finally succeeded.

The two of them then carefully placed the Dingsheng cakes, one on each side, into the steamer that had already been boiling for who knows how many times.

Shen Cao added some cold water to it.

About fifteen minutes later, I began to smell the sweet aroma of rice.

Shen Cao solemnly lifted the pot lid.

After the steam dissipated, the bright red Dingsheng cakes were neatly arranged in the steamer.

Shen Cao carefully picked up a piece with her chopsticks.

The steamed Dingsheng cake is completely different from the unsteamed one.

By this time, the rice flour in the Dingsheng cake has already stuck together due to the steam, so there's no need to worry about it not taking shape.

Squeeze it; it's soft yet has a slight resilience.

Shen Cao deftly picked out all the Dingsheng cakes from the steamer.

With the experience of the first success, the subsequent ones were much easier.

While the second batch of steamed cakes was being prepared, the first batch of Dingsheng cakes had already cooled down.

Shen Wan couldn't wait to take a piece and put it in her mouth.

Dingsheng cake tasted unlike any other pastry she had ever eaten before.

It's soft yet slightly chewy, with a pleasant texture, a subtle sweetness, and a rich aroma of rice.

Biting into the middle, you'll find the sweetness of red bean paste, and the soft, powdery texture mixed with the aroma of rice.

It's so addictive, and the more you chew, the more delicious it becomes.

The first pot was quickly devoured by the three of them.

The exam is tomorrow, and I'll be staying at the exam center for three days, so I'll have to prepare my own meals for those three days.

He could also take a break while preparing things.

As soon as he entered the house, he smelled a sweet aroma coming from the kitchen.

It also has a strong aroma of rice.

Just as he was wondering what delicious food his sister had made, he saw Shen Wan come out of the kitchen carrying a plate of red pastries.

"Huh, big brother?"

"Big brother! You're here! Come and eat some Ding Sheng Gao (a type of rice cake). You must eat a lot today so that you can do well on your exam tomorrow."

"Big brother, you have no idea, Father went to the Confucius Temple in the suburbs of Beijing early this morning to be the first to offer incense for you."

Shen Chen [...]