Chapter 14
There was still half of the mung bean cake left. When Father came back from work later, they could eat it after dinner.
After buying the mung beans that day, Luo Yan had taken out two jin and soaked them in water.
The mung beans were peeled, dried in the sun, and then ground into powder. The mung bean powder was placed into the pot and steamed for around half an hour to remove the beany smell.
When the mung bean powder came out of the pot, it had clumped together. Luo Yan quickly took advantage of the heat and crushed it with a rolling pin, then sifted the mung bean powder.
Before mixing, Luo Yan added the usual white sugar and warm boiled water, then added a bit of honey as well… After a series of steps, the mung bean cakes were placed back into the pot to steam again. After steaming for □□ minutes, she stopped the fire. After waiting another five or six minutes, the mung bean cakes were ready.
Before the mung bean cakes were even done steaming, Mother Luo had already smelled their fragrance. Luo Yan had used sesame oil while making them, so the kitchen was now filled with the aroma of mung bean cakes.
Just smelling it made one want to take a bite. It was too fragrant!
The moment Luo Yan lifted the pot lid, Mother Luo eagerly picked up a piece and began eating!
Luo Yan immediately held back laughter in her heart. Mother was way too impatient.
She made around seventy to eighty mung bean cakes. Luo Yan did not count the exact number. She saved the remaining mung bean powder to make cake early tomorrow morning.
Judging by the current situation, the cow could only produce several dozen jin of milk per day. She would have to wait until tomorrow morning to milk the cow again.
Mother Luo said, “Yan’er, the mung bean cakes you made are really delicious.”
“As long as Mother likes them,” Luo Yan replied while putting away the mung bean cakes.
Mother Luo said, “Yan’er, how much do you plan to sell them for? That shop in the market sells one packet of mung bean cakes for fifty wen. One packet has six pieces.”
“We’ll also sell six pieces, for the same price.”
Mother Luo asked, “Why sell them for the same price?” She truly did not understand why Yan’er would do this.
Hanxue, standing at the side, understood a little. If the price was higher, it would not seem very reasonable, and people might not be too willing to buy them.
If the price was lower than other shops, and their family’s mung bean cakes tasted better, then if they sold well and attracted more customers, other shops would definitely feel that they were starting a price war. Hanxue felt that Husband’s decision to sell them at the same price was very good.
“Mother, only by selling them at the same price can we make the other shops that sell mung bean cakes feel that we know how to do business. We’ve only just started, so we can’t attract enemies to deal with us.”
Mother Luo said, “Yan’er is right.” As she spoke, Mother Luo picked up another mung bean cake.
Pfft~ Even while worrying about her, Mother could not forget to eat, huh~
Hanxue also picked up a mung bean cake and tried it. From the look of it, she liked it too. “Do you like it?”
“Mm, it’s very delicious.” When Husband was making mung bean cakes and mung bean cake, she had watched very seriously. She was very curious about the cake Husband made and thought that when she had time, she would also try making it herself.
When they came back, Luo Yan went to milk the cow again. This time, she did not get much milk, but it was enough for her to use.
Luo Yan used this small amount of milk to make □□ dozen little milk-scented steamed buns. They were fragrant, soft, and sweet, very delicious.
From now on, the cow would have to be milked three times a day. If it was milked only twice a day, then over time, the cow’s milk production would decrease more and more, and it would also shorten the cow’s productive period.
When Mother Luo saw that the little steamed buns were finished, she started eating again. “Wu, this one is very delicious too!”
“Mother, I think you won’t be able to eat dinner tonight.” In just a short while, Mother Luo had already eaten seven or eight of them…
“I won’t eat dinner tonight. I’m already full now.” As Mother Luo said this, she was still holding a milk-scented steamed bun in her hand.
…Pfft~
There was still one jin of mung beans left. After Luo Yan processed them, she saved them to take to the shop tomorrow to make mung bean meat pies.
The milk tea would also have to wait until tomorrow to be made. Since there were no eggs left, she could not even make a simple custard cake.
Once sales stabilized after these two days, she would have to buy another dairy cow and a few more chickens. That way, afterward, she could steadily make more things to sell.
When Father Luo came back, the sun was about to disappear. Before that, Luo Yan and her wife had watched the evening glow in the courtyard, witnessing it until the sunset vanished.
Mother Luo was chatting with the neighbors at the door, and Luo Yan could not hear them from inside the house.
“Did Wife like all the food I made today?” Luo Yan asked her wife tentatively.
Hanxue looked at Husband and blinked. “They were all very delicious. The flavors were very fragrant and sweet.”
“As long as Wife likes them.” She had been acknowledged~ Oh yeah~ Luo Yan suddenly wanted to twist her waist, three circles to the left and three circles to the right…
No, no. If she did that in front of her wife, she would have no image left at all. She had to stay calm. She could not act too silly.
That night, Luo Yan simply stir-fried some dishes, mainly for Father Luo to eat. In the afternoon, Mother Luo really had eaten her fill, and her wife also had a small appetite.
Luo Yan herself did not eat much either. There were three dishes: one shredded radish dish, one plate of braised ribs, and one vegetable dish.
Father Luo had worked hard all day and ate more at dinner. All the dishes they made were finished by Father Luo.
Father Luo said, “The mung bean cakes were well made, and the little steamed buns were very good too.”
Luo Yan suddenly felt embarrassed. Father Luo’s praise was so direct. Hanxue looked at Husband’s embarrassed appearance and thought it was very cute.
Mother Luo said, “Everything you made was delicious. When I was chatting with the neighbors, they even asked about the fragrance drifting out of our house this afternoon.” Just thinking about it filled her face with pride. However, she had not said that they were making mung bean cakes. She said they were steaming buns at home. The neighbors were half-convinced and did not say anything else.
“Now I just hope all of these can be sold tomorrow.”
Father Luo said, “They’ll definitely sell. The milk tea sold well, so the mung bean cakes will definitely sell well too. Don’t think too much about it.”
“Mm, I know.”
“Oh, right, Father. Can you quit the job you’re doing?”
Father Luo asked, “Have you spoken with Boss Pu?”
“Not yet, but it should be in the next two days. Tomorrow, I’ll sign and press fingerprints with Boss Pu. Father, will it be easy for you to quit?”
Father Luo said, “I can quit, but I have to finish this month before I can go to Boss Pu’s place.”
“All right. I’ll speak with Boss Pu in advance when the time comes.”
Father Luo said, “Mm.”
After chatting for a while, the family ate the remaining cake. Mother Luo ate a very large piece too. Watching Mother Luo seriously eat the cake, Luo Yan was really afraid Mother Luo would overstuff herself.
After a tiring day, Luo Yan happily took a hot bath, then held her wife and quickly fell asleep.
Li Hanxue lay in Husband’s arms and soon heard Husband’s steady breathing. This person really had been exhausted today after working all day. Her hand was held in Husband’s hand, and even now, their palms were very warm.
Hanxue lightly kissed Husband’s neck, then lay quietly in Husband’s arms and fell asleep.
The next day, Luo Yan woke up very early. Luo Yan looked at the night sky. The moon was very bright, even a little dazzling, and stars covered the sky. It was breathtaking.
This was a scene that was hard to see in her own era. She estimated that it should be around three or four o’clock right now.
Luo Yan did not continue sleeping. She got up, tucked the quilt properly around her wife, then went straight to the kitchen.
Luo Yan first went to the chicken coop. The chickens had laid two eggs. She first made the cake, then prepared the cream and mung bean powder before setting them aside.
When she went to milk the cow, Luo Yan added some wheat straw, then began milking.
The cow must have been enjoying its food. It let out a moo and even kicked its legs. The key point was that Luo Yan, who was currently milking it, got a face full of milk. It was quite a spectacular scene.
Cow: Whoa~ You won the prize! Washing your face with milk whitens the skin!
Tsk, there’s really no need.
After the milk was collected, Luo Yan did not immediately go boil the milk tea. Instead, she thoroughly cleaned up the cow’s area.
Regular cleaning could prevent pests, and if the cow ate well, it would live longer too.
Luo Yan stared seriously at the cow for quite a while. The more she looked, the more she felt that the cow looked very silly. Its two ears looked exactly like two little braids had been tied on, giving it a very silly-cute look.
The cow’s nose connected to its mouth in a way that made it look as if it had inflammation. Luo Yan almost wanted to feed it some anti-inflammatory medicine.
Cow: …
There’s really no need!
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Look at your little eyes. Truly handsome. Hahaha…
Cow: …Duck Sister, save me! Hurry and make this person leave.
…
After the ducks they bought laid eggs, Luo Yan had put all the duck eggs into a jar and salted them to pickle.
For pickled duck eggs, adding water and salt was enough. The ratio was water to salt at 5:1. After around twenty-five days, they could be taken out, boiled, and eaten. Not only would they taste very fragrant, the yolks would also release a lot of oil.
While cleaning the duck enclosure, Luo Yan saw that Brother Duck had laid two duck eggs. Luo Yan happily took the duck eggs and placed them into the jar. After sealing the opening properly, she continued cleaning.
Because she had gotten up very early, Luo Yan swept everything once. Usually, Father Luo was the one who got up in the morning to clean, finishing the cleaning before going off to work.
After everything was handled, Luo Yan returned to the main room and saw that Mother had also gotten up.
Mother Luo asked, “Why did you get up so early?”
“I heard the rooster crowing and woke up. Since I couldn’t sleep, I got up.”
Mother Luo looked at the courtyard, which had been cleaned very neatly. It was obvious that Yan’er had swept it. “I’ll make breakfast. Go back and sleep a little more.”
“All right.” Luo Yan did not refuse. After cleaning, she felt even more tired than when she had done a big classroom cleanup back at school.
After returning to the room, Luo Yan drank several cups of water. Only after she finished drinking did she lie back down on the bed.
Her wife was still sleeping soundly. Just as Luo Yan lay down, her wife leaned closer to her. Luo Yan kissed her wife’s soft hair and soon fell asleep again.
When Mother Luo came to call them for breakfast, Luo Yan immediately woke up and opened her eyes. Her wife should have woken up much earlier and was quietly watching her from the side.
She did not know how long she had slept. Tending the stove and cooking probably had not even taken an hour. But she had slept very deeply, as if an entire night had passed.
It seemed she really was tired. Only then could she sleep so deeply without thinking about anything.
“Let’s go eat.”
Li Hanxue said, “Mm.” Just now, she had pinched Husband’s soft cheek, and Husband had not reacted at all. Her breathing had been very steady. Hanxue, on the other hand, had been afraid Husband would catch her, so her heart had been hanging the entire time as she carefully pinched Husband’s face.
It felt very nice~ Soft and smooth.
After breakfast, Luo Yan went to milk the cow again. She would milk it once more after returning in the evening. After finishing the milking, Luo Yan began making milk tea and cake.
Today, she worked quickly. Soon, after everything was prepared, the three of them hurried toward the market.
When they arrived at the market, Xiao Xu was already at the shop.
Luo Yan saw that Xiao Xu had already brought over the signboard and the customized molds she had ordered for making food. After cleaning up, Luo Yan had Mother Luo continue mixing the filling for the mung bean cakes.
With her wife supervising, the signboard was quickly hung up.
The shop’s name was: Juewei Shop.
The people lining up to buy milk tea looked at the two words “Juewei” and strongly approved. The milk tea it sold was already jue—absolutely amazing—and as for the flavor, that went without saying.
After Luo Yan spoke, everyone stepped back some distance. Now that the new shop was officially opening, how could firecrackers be missing?
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