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Yang Chao and Yang Qian were warmly welcomed, even the two birds and the dog surrounded them. Zhui Feng barked loudly, flaunting his presence.
Dabao showed off, “Brother Chao, Sister Qian, look, this is our Zhui Feng, so adorable.”
He then said to Qiqi and Gray, “Quick, learn to bark like Zhui Feng. Once you’ve mastered it, I’ll give you something delicious to eat.”
Qiqi and Gray stood in front of Zhui Feng, stretched their necks, and started barking, sounding exactly like Zhui Feng.
Zhui Feng was bewildered, stopped barking, and didn’t run around, staring blankly at Qiqi and Gray, looking extremely confused.
Yang Chao and Yang Qian were laughing heartily.
Chen Feng silently cursed, seeing Zhui Feng acting so foolishly, it was hard to believe he was a guard dog, clearly, he was a pet, selling cuteness. It seemed that Golden Treasure’s judgment might not be entirely accurate.
Old Yang, Lidong, and Old Lady Huang brought many things from the carriage, including five pounds of mooncakes, five pounds of apples, two pieces of meat, and two Xile Restaurant’s rouge geese.
Chen Feng took the two children to the new courtyard to play with Dabao, Lu, and the two birds and the dog, and offered them fresh dates to eat. Chen Ming kept Old Yang company, chatting and having tea, while she went to the kitchen with Mrs. Wang, who had just returned from town.
The dates that had been soaked in the morning were ready, so Chen Feng took them out, sliced them with a small knife, but without cutting them completely, then removed the pits. She added sugar water to glutinous rice flour, kneading it into a soft dough. She then took a small piece of the dough, shaped it into a long strip, and stuffed it into the sliced red dates. She placed half a bowl of water and some rock sugar in a pot, brought it to a boil, and then added the stuffed red dates to continue cooking.
While she was doing this, Mrs. Wang was toasting white sesame seeds in a small pot beside her.
The children’s laughter and the sounds of the birds and the dog constantly reached the kitchen, making Chen Feng feel extremely content and sweet. In her previous life, she had always longed for a lively family.
Especially after turning thirty, she often dreamt of a house full of children, and in her half-asleep state, she would hear the children’s laughter ringing in her ears. She wanted children, and she wanted several, both boys and girls. Even though she hadn’t married in her previous life and was dissatisfied with the one-child policy, she had secretly rejoiced when the policy was eventually relaxed to allow for two children. Little did she know that she would lose her life… Thankfully, in this life, she already had Dabao.
Her eyes became misty, resembling teardrops, as well as the steam rising from the pot.
After fifteen minutes, she lifted the lid, and the glutinous rice dates had thickened. She then sprinkled osmanthus and sesame, stirred well, and it was ready.
The glutinous rice stuffed red dates were incredibly sweet and fragrant. Chen Feng tried one and found it even more delicious than the ones she had made in her previous life. Mrs. Wang and Chen Ming also tried them, nodding in agreement, saying they were extremely tasty.
Chen Feng brought a small plate to the new courtyard for the children to eat, but she didn’t dare let them eat too much as it was almost lunchtime. She also brought a plate for Old Yang, Lidong, and Old Lady Huang to enjoy.
The glutinous rice dates received praise from everyone. Chen Feng smirked inwardly, it seemed that this kind of snack might not yet exist in this era.
After the children finished eating and wanted more, Chen Feng said, “I’ll make more for you to take home, but you can’t eat more now, it’s almost time for lunch.”
Both children obediently nodded.
Because they arrived late and had made osmanthus glutinous rice dates, a relatively simple lunch was prepared. They made golden pork chops, Kung Pao diced pork, wood ear and pork slices, dry-fried green beans, radish soup, and even cut half a rouge goose. They also specially steamed a bowl of minced meat and egg custard, just for the little girl, Yang Qian.
Chen Lu led the children in eating, while Old Lady Huang fed Yang Qian, and Chen Ming accompanied Mr. Yang. Due to the short marinating time, the golden pork chops weren’t particularly delicious, but the children exclaimed that they were tasty. Especially Yang Chao, who said that their restaurant didn’t have such delicious meat.
Not only the children, but even Mrs. Wang was puzzled. The lean meat, which was somewhat dry and lacked grease, became exceptionally delicious after her daughter’s cooking—crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and with a beautiful golden color. She hadn’t expected that something as simple as bread crumbs could turn into something so delicious and visually appealing.
A food entMrs. Huast, Chen Feng, had remembered the golden pork chops from her previous life. Considering that lean meat and ribs were cheaper than fatty meat in this era, she wanted to make this dish.
Since this era didn’t have modern bread crumbs, she decided to use steamed bread crumbs as a substitute. Two days ago, she had specially steamed white flour buns, and after they dried, she cut them into small pieces, fried them in a pan over low heat until they turned hard and golden, then removed and pounded them to small pieces on a cutting board, and sifted out the coarse particles, thus making homemade bread crumbs.
She told Mrs. Wang that these were fine crumbs and warned her not to reveal the method.
She stored the fine crumbs in a small porcelain jar, sealing it with wax.
However, due to being occupied, she hadn’t had the chance to buy lean meat or ribs. When Yang Chao and Yang Qian arrived with pork tenderloin, she decided to make this dish. As she expected, it was a favorite of the children. She even gave this dish a new name suited to this era—Golden Smooth Pork.
Chen Feng and Mrs. Wang didn’t eat with them, as she planned to make more glutinous rice dates for them to take home.
Upon hearing that Aunt Chen was making more dates for them, Yang Qian ran to the kitchen and said, “Aunt Chen, can you please make more? These dates are delicious, and I want Grandpa and Grandma to eat more.”
The little girl wore a green embroidered vest, white underclothes, and pants, with a small bag tied with a green ribbon on her head. Her chubby, fair, and shiny face with big, watery eyes, and her soft, sweet manner of speaking made her utterly adorable.
Chen Feng liked pretty girls, but in this life, she was only familiar with rowdy boys. There was a girl named Chen Daya, but due to Mrs. Hu’s relationship, she didn’t want to provoke the child. Therefore, the moment she saw Yang Qian’s little appearance, she took a liking to her.
Moreover, hearing that she only allowed her dad and grandparents to eat, she must be a child without a mother. Regardless of the era, a child without a mother was always pitiable.
Chen Feng squatted down and smiled at Yang Qian, “Oh, Qian, you’re such a filial child. Alright, Aunt Chen will make more. Not only will your dad and grandparent eat more, but you’ll eat plenty too.”
Upon hearing Chen Feng’s words, Yang Qian smiled and gratefully said, “Thank you, Aunt Chen.”
Old Lady Huang followed, blushing as she said, “Qian, don’t say that, it’ll make people laugh.” She then smiled at Chen Feng, “Little Lady Chen, my dear girl is just being playful.”
Chen Feng laughed, “Old Lady Huang, you’re too modest. Qian’s words are innocent and praiseworthy. Mr. Yang is blessed to have such a good daughter.”
Her words made Old Lady Huang laugh heartily. She was Yang Qian’s wet nurse.
After the meal, Old Lady Huang, Old Yang, and Lidong mentioned that they should leave. Both children began to cry and didn’t want to go, as they hadn’t finished playing with Dabao, Qiqi, Gray, and Zhui Feng.