kvmb Chapter 201 Home Cooking
Chapter 201 Home Cooking
"Master Ma, please try our craftsmanship. This is freshly baked flower cake."
Ma Qiushan picked up one, took a bite, and praised it casually: "It's soft and sweet but not greasy, delicious."
"If it tastes good, take more."
"Thanks, but I'm not one for eating too many sweets."
Machushan had a quick taste and sat aside.
Chen Nanxing placed a few flower cakes in front of Lu Cheng: "Lu Cheng, guess which one of these was made by me and which one was made by red beans."
Lu Cheng picked up one of them, put it in his mouth and tasted it, and commented: "This one has a soft outer layer, the more you chew it, the more fragrant it is. The inside is sweet but not greasy, and the aftertaste is endless. At first glance, it is..."
When Lu Cheng said these words, he was always paying attention to the expressions of the two women. It was obvious that when he began to comment, Xu Hongdou's expression was obviously very happy and concerned, while Chen Nanxing lowered his head to look at the one on the left side of the plate.
By observing the other person's micro-expressions and his own intuition, Lu Cheng smiled and said, "This one is obviously made by Hongdou. Hongdou is more rigorous and serious in his work. Although this flower cake is a beginner's cake, it has a full and round shape. It is obvious that a lot of effort has been put into the appearance."
Xu Hongdou's lips curled up slightly, and she was obviously in a good mood: "You are right. But among the remaining ones, you have to pick out which one was made by Nanxing."
Lu Cheng nodded in agreement: "No problem, I can definitely pick it out."
As he spoke, Lu Cheng had already stretched out his hand to the one on the left, but then he deliberately skipped over it and picked up the one in the middle which was a little bit larger, irregular in shape, and even had a little bit of stuffing sticking out.
Although Chen Nanxing hadn't spoken yet, there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes.
Lu Cheng picked up the one that looked like a substandard product, took a bite, and nodded, "This one has a thin skin and a large filling. Although the shape is slightly flawed, it can be seen that the maker has obviously tried his best and put in a lot of effort. I believe there will be great improvements next time. So, this one should be made of barley."
Da Mai was delighted when he heard this, and gave Lu Cheng a thumbs up, "Teacher Lu, you are awesome. I admire you."
When Chen Nanxing heard Lu Cheng's words, the slight sense of loss in his heart disappeared, and hope was rekindled. He waited for Lu Cheng to make a new choice.
This time, Lu Cheng picked up the one on the far left without hesitation. Chen Nanxing's eyes flashed and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, obviously feeling happy.
This time, Lu Cheng took a bite and pointed at the section he had bitten off. "This one has eight distinct layers of pastry, and the texture is crisper, but not greasy at all. When the maker rolls out the dough, the action should be very gentle and careful, with an even thickness, and then rolled up.
The result is soft like clouds, but slightly crispy, sweet and delicious. It's like the breeze blowing through rose petals and the endless wheat fields. So, this one should be the work of Chen Nanxing, am I right? "
At this moment, Ma Qiushan, Damai, and Xu Hongdou all gave a thumbs up. Chen Nanxing was even more delighted: "Is it really that good? I didn't expect it."
"Of course. Although the cooking skills of the three of you are somewhat different, I can all feel the care that goes into them. Food can convey not only the enjoyment of the taste buds, but also the feelings of the soul."
Ma Qiushan laughed: "High!"
Xu Hongdou teased, "Lu Cheng, I didn't expect you to be so good at talking. You praised everyone and gave such high praise to Nanxing's work."
"My work is not as good as Hongdou's. Damayi's is also good. He said he didn't know how to make it, but he got the hang of it pretty quickly. These are our first works. There are others that haven't been baked yet. After they are baked, we plan to send some back to our families to eat."
"This is a good idea. You should let everyone in your family try it and share the fruits of your labor."
That afternoon, several people couldn't wait to send the finished flower cakes by express delivery to their respective hometowns.
The next morning, when Lu Cheng just got up and was about to exercise, he saw Chen Nanxing and Xu Hongdou had also gotten up and washed up.
Lu Cheng couldn't help but joke: "What day is it today? Why did you get up so early?"
"It's not a special day. I've been practicing the Ba Duan Jin you taught me these past two days, and I really feel good. I sleep more soundly at night and feel more energetic in the morning. I plan to practice with you in the future."
"This is a good thing. You should go to bed early and get up early, breathe in the fresh air, greet the first rays of sunshine in the morning, and your body will become more and more energetic."
Chen Nanxing nodded in agreement: "That's right, I feel healthier and healthier now, much better than before I got sick. By the way, Hongdou also said that she would cook for you this morning so that you can taste her cooking skills. Please look forward to it."
“Then I’m really looking forward to it.”
The three of them jogged out of the yard and ran along the stone road in the village towards the outside of the village.
After leaving Yunmiao Village, there are endless fields on one side of the road and a sea of rapeseed flowers covering the mountains on the other.
Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing sometimes ran forward slowly, sometimes stretched out their arms and strode forward, and sometimes jumped forward, looking very brisk.
Lu Cheng always kept a constant distance from them and followed them at a leisurely pace.
On both sides of the road near the town, there would be many uncles and aunts going to the market to set up stalls in the morning. Each of them would drive a three-wheeled motorcycle or a small electric scooter, and carry two baskets or backpacks. They would come to the sides of the road, choose a place to park the car, spread a snakeskin bag on the ground, and place fresh vegetables grown in their own fields or their own chickens, ducks and geese.
The vegetables here are not necessarily cheaper than those sold in supermarkets, and they may not look as good, but they are basically very fresh. Many of them are just pulled out of the ground early in the morning, with fresh soil on the roots and dew on the leaves.
A few people bought some onions, ginger, tomatoes, eggs and other ingredients, carried them in their hands, and walked back slowly. They were not in a hurry and could enjoy the scenery along the way.
Back at the Fengyuan Courtyard, Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing walked into the kitchen and started to get busy.
Lu Cheng helped to pick the onions, Xu Hongdou beat the eggs and began to skillfully cut the potatoes into shreds, while Chen Nanxing cut the washed tomatoes, put them on a plate and took a picture.
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes, shredded potatoes with vinegar, and stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers were three simple home-cooked dishes that Xu Hongdou cooked very skillfully. It didn't take long to put the dishes on the table, and Chen Nanxing also started to serve rice.
Seeing that Damai was resting with his eyes closed in the yard, Chen Nanxing took the initiative to walk out and pushed Damai: "Damai, you haven't had breakfast yet? Let's eat together?"
Da Mai was still in a daze, so he followed Chen Nanxing.
Lu Cheng called out to Ma Qiushan who was meditating nearby, "Master Ma, do you want to eat something together?"
Machushan didn't move at first, but after smelling the fragrance coming from the kitchen, he got up and went to wash his hands.
Da Mai took a bite of the vinegar-fried potato shreds and was a little surprised: "Hongdou, you put dark soy sauce in your vinegar-fried potato shreds?"
Xu Hongdou nodded: "Yes, my mother has always done this, I learned it from my mother."
Chen Nanxing also added: "Hongdou's mother's cooking is delicious. I've eaten it a few times and I can't forget it."
Ma Qiushan nodded immediately: "Mom is justice. I'll pour some soup and mix the rice."
As he spoke, he saw Ma Qiushan pick up the plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, pour some vegetable soup into his bowl, stir it, then pick up some shredded potatoes and stir-fried meat with chili peppers, and started eating with big mouthfuls.
Xu Hongdou looked at Lu Cheng again: "Teacher Lu, can you give me some comments?"
"These three home-cooked dishes are very homely, with the taste of home and mother, and are very warm."
"Is this the end?"
"I think this is the highest praise for home-cooked food. Isn't it? Master Ma, at your speed, the rest will be mine, and no one can snatch it away..."