Siheyuan: A warm home with wife and children

Chapter 141 Qin Huairu gives gifts to her master

The old yeast, leftover dough from when I steamed buns last time, was kneaded into a ball and left to dry.

Next time you need to use it, take it out and knead it with flour.

Let it ferment before steaming the buns!

Take out the fermented dough and knead it vigorously on the work surface.

Then stretch it into a long strip about the thickness of a baby's wrist, and then pinch off pieces the size of a fist.

Knead the dough, then loosely grasp it with both hands and rotate it into a ball.

After that, put it in a pot and steam it.

It takes 25-30 minutes to cook one pot. Turn off the heat and let it sit for another two or three minutes.

Lifting the lid, steaming hot, golden-brown steamed buns are ready.

"Try it." Holding a steaming hot bun, she tossed it back and forth between her hands and brought it to Yang Jianguo's mouth.

Take a bite, and it's fragrant, sticky, and sweet.

"Wife, why isn't this sour?" Yang Jianguo's eyes lit up as he kneaded the dough.

Because of the alkaline taste inherent in fermentation, the steamed buns at this stage have a slightly sour taste.

It's not serious, but you can still taste it; you can't cover it up.

But when Yingzi steamed these buns, there wasn't a trace of alkaline taste.

Weird!

Seeing his surprised look, Yingzi was a little smug: "Isn't it delicious? My mother taught me how to make it."

The key to preventing it from being sour lies in the ratio of yeast to cornmeal.

Don't be fooled by the fact that cornmeal is coarse and rough on the throat.

But as long as you get the proportions right, the natural corn aroma can neutralize the alkali and acid.

It retains the soft and chewy texture of white flour while enhancing the taste.

"My wife is really great," Yang Jianguo praised, giving Yingzi a thumbs up, which made her laugh heartily.

And just like that, the heat in the room never stopped.

You can tell from the smell that they're steaming buns.

"Sister." It was almost lunchtime when He Yushui rushed over to the door.

"Rain Water, come on, try the steamed buns I made." Yingzi handed her a steamed bun, and He Yushui happily took it and took a bite.

While chewing, she said, "Sister, my brother asked me to ask if we could share a few steamed buns with him first. We have money and coupons."

Yingzi glanced at her husband and said with a smile, "Sure, why not?"

"What's wrong? Did you finish eating at home?"

He Yushui nodded, holding up the steamed bun in her hand curiously: "Sister, why does your steamed bun smell so good?"

"A secret recipe, haha." Yingzi picked up ten steamed buns for her.

He Yushui counted out two mao (0.2 yuan) and two jin (0.5 kg) of grain coupons.

He said, "I'll bring the basin back to you later," then took a bite of the unfinished steamed bun and went back with it in his arms.

After she left, Yang Jianguo said, "My wife is losing money by selling these steamed buns for two cents."

Yingzi smiled and said, "It's not about selling or not, it's just neighbors helping each other out."

"Master He is a cook, how could he not know how to steam buns? If it were a business, I wouldn't dare to do it."

Yingzi would never dare to engage in speculation or profiteering.

"How could that be? I don't even have enough to eat!" Yang Jianguo's distressed expression amused her again.

By the time we finished steaming the last batch, it was already past mealtime.

Yingzi started preparing dinner again. There were freshly steamed buns, so she could just make a couple of dishes and start eating.

Yingzi opened the door and went into the cellar, planning to make a pork stew with vermicelli using cabbage, cured meat, and vermicelli.

Cut half a white radish, boil it with water from the broth of the pork stew with vermicelli, and then simmer two potatoes under the stove.

One dish, one soup, plus some snacks—that's it.

In the north, there aren't many vegetables available at home in winter; the two most frequent types are just a few.

Chinese cabbage, white radish.

You have to stock up in advance, otherwise you won't even be able to find cabbage when winter comes.

Like the sweet potatoes and potatoes we eat at home now.

The cucumbers I photographed earlier were prepared in advance.

Although it's not fresh anymore, it's the dead of winter these days.

Seeing a bit of green on the table is rarer than meat!

In other words, ordinary families are used to being poor and have no money to spare.

That's why Dajuan and Xiaojuan went to pick up cucumbers first, thinking they weren't as precious as meat.

No matter what, it can't compare to meat.

But for those who have plenty of meat, it is indeed more precious than meat.

He carried the vegetables and meat back to the house in a basin, and Yingzi quickly cleaned it up and started stewing the vegetables.

Just as the steamed buns were almost cooked, the side dishes were also ready.

Radish and vermicelli soup, pork stew with vermicelli, and freshly steamed buns.

Snoring, snoring…

Yang Jianguo drank two large bowls of wine and ate four steamed buns in one go.

He also finished most of the pork stew with vermicelli served in a small bowl.

Fragrant, really scented!

Pour the remaining food together and let it cool under the stove and windowsill.

Tomorrow morning, I'll boil it in a pot.

A few steamed buns and two eggs make a breakfast.

I was hoping to find some fun to pass the time, but it ended up being an afternoon of steaming buns.

Yang Jianguo, however, did not feel bored or disappointed; on the contrary, he felt exceptionally at ease.

Life should be this simple and unpretentious.

The next morning, I boiled the pork stew with vermicelli that I had made with radish the night before.

The two planned to visit Yingzi's house to wish her a Happy New Year after breakfast.

It's better to do it early than late; that shows you value it.

Just then, He Yuzhu and his sister arrived, carrying the bowl they had used to hold the steamed buns from the night before.

"Jianguo, Yingzi, you're eating!"

"Hmm, something's up so early in the morning?"

When Yang Jianguo asked, Shazhu scratched his head and chuckled, "Um, Jianguo, were those steamed buns yesterday made by Yingzi?"

"I steamed them myself. Didn't you have enough, Chef He?" Yingzi said, standing up. "Then I'll get you a few more. It's no trouble!"

"That's enough, that's enough."

Sha Zhu quickly stopped her and said, "I'm just curious, why do your steamed buns smell so good?"

Yang Jianguo chuckled and said, "A special skill, you know?"

Sha Zhu nodded in understanding and said, "I understand. You two eat, I'm going back to my room."

He Yushui was a little disappointed; she had been looking forward to having sweet steamed buns to eat from now on.

That's good, her silly brother didn't even open his mouth, why don't you ask him yourself?

Inside the room, Yingzi glanced at Yang Jianguo, a smile spreading across her face.

"If Master He wants to learn, I'll teach you."

Sha Zhu stopped, turned around and looked at Yingzi, saying, "Yingzi, don't be so polite, just call me Zhu."

After saying that, he took two steps forward and asked, "Can you really talk?"

"It's not that difficult to talk about it; if you really want to try, you'll get it."

Sha Zhu didn't take her words seriously.

It's all very simple to those who know the tricks of the trade.

Just like his cooking, some dishes, if you miss one ingredient or add one ingredient, will be completely different.

No one will explain it to you clearly; you'll have to figure it out yourself, which takes a lot of time.

"Come in and sit down, don't just stand there at the door." Yang Jianguo called the two of them in and told them to sit down and talk slowly.

Yingzi gestured with her hands, explaining the proportions, the tricks to kneading the dough, and how to dissolve the yeast.

He's a chef after all; he understood everything after just one explanation.

"No wonder, Yingzi, I really have to thank you." Shazhu sincerely thanked her.

But in her heart she was thinking about what to bring for them later, since the two of them would have to go back to her parents' house after dinner.

In the first year of the new year, gifts must be given with care.

Just as he was pondering this, Qin Huairu's voice came from outside: "Master Yang, are you home?"

They looked at each other, wondering why she was here.

"here I am!"

Yang Jianguo shouted something, got up and walked out, without any intention of inviting her in.

As soon as they went outside, they saw Qin Huairu standing there holding a small bottle in her hands.

Upon seeing him, he stepped forward and said, "Master, I have some sesame oil here, which I brought especially for you."

Inside the house, they heard Qin Huai say that he had come to deliver sesame oil.

Sha Zhu's eyes flickered as if he had learned how to change faces.

He brought so much food to Widow Qin's family.

In the end, all that's left is complaints, nothing at all.

These days, Sha Zhu is living comfortably, busy with blind dates and setting a date with Teacher Ran.

Confront Yi Zhonghai about all that ridiculous nonsense.

Qin Huairu didn't bother him anymore and put those past events behind her.

Now, I can hear her voice again, so close to her.

It felt like a different world.

My heart is filled with mixed feelings!

It was an indescribable mix of sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy flavors, as if I had tasted them all at once.

Seeing that she had a third of a bottle of sesame oil in her hand, Yang Jianguo asked curiously, "Where did you get this?"

Qin Huairu held up the bottle and said, "I brought it from home."

The amount of sesame oil inside is at most two or three ounces.

But in these days, giving a gift is not considered insignificant.

Yang Jianguo glanced at her and said, "Keep it for yourself, we have enough at home."