allonlinenovel Chapter 257 Making Pancakes
Chapter 257 Making Pancakes
Chapter 257 Making Pancakes
In my previous life, I could have just bought the special sauce for savory pancakes. It would have saved me time and effort and tasted even better than homemade sauce!
There's no other way; with limited resources these days, I have to do everything myself.
However, homemade food contains no additives, making it healthier. It's good for the health of guests, and I feel more at ease eating it myself.
She picked up a little with her chopsticks, tasted it to check the saltiness, and after carefully savoring it, felt it was a bit bland, so she added a little more salt before nodding in satisfaction.
The sweet bean sauce is now ready!
She picked up a large spoon to scoop the sweet bean sauce into the earthenware jar, but her fourth uncle stopped her.
Shen Qianchuan said, "Xiao Tang, don't move. Let your fourth uncle do it. You're still young, don't get burned. From now on, your fourth uncle will do everything himself. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. Your fourth uncle is clumsy and not very skilled. If he doesn't do more, how will he sell breakfast in the future?"
That's true, she couldn't help but sigh to herself, she was just destined to be a workaholic, always eager to do any kind of job.
However, this kind of busy and fulfilling life with the whole family together is exactly what she longed for as an orphan in her previous life.
As long as everyone works together, is diligent and capable, and helps each other, it doesn't matter who does more or less.
She smiled and handed over the large ladle of rice, "Fourth Uncle, you're right. From today onwards, you'll have to start doing all of this. Practice makes perfect. The more you practice now, the less flustered you'll be when you set up your stall in the morning."
Shen Qianchuan nodded and used a large spoon to scoop the cooked sweet bean sauce from the pot into the cleaned earthenware jar, one spoonful at a time.
The courtyard was filled with a wonderful fragrance, and Xiaoyu immediately came over, looking up at the pottery jar with longing eyes.
"Sister, Fourth Uncle, may I...may I try some?"
Lin Xiaotang picked some food from the still-uncleaned bottom of the pot and held it to Xiaoyu's lips.
Xiaoyu opened her mouth and gently licked it, her delicate eyebrows immediately furrowing.
"Sister, why is this a bit salty and a bit spicy?"
Lin Xiaotang chuckled and said, "This isn't meant to be eaten alone, so it's bound to be a bit salty. Once the flatbread is ready, we'll brush a thin layer of this sauce on it and sprinkle some chopped green onions on top. It won't taste so salty then. Just wait patiently for a while. Your older sister and fourth uncle will definitely let you try it first when it's ready."
When Xiaoyu heard that she would be the first to try it, she was so happy that she covered her mouth and giggled. She took two deep breaths into the air.
Well, it’s so sweet!
The savory pancakes that my older sister and fourth uncle are about to make must be delicious. That's why she doesn't want to go anywhere else to play. What if she comes back late and can't be the first to eat them?
So, like a little tail, she followed her older sister wherever she went. When her older sister stood on a stool to mix the oil paste and stood in front of the cart to roll out flatbread with a rolling pin, she stood next to the cart, watching intently without blinking.
While her hands were busy, Lin Xiaotang patiently explained to her fourth uncle step by step.
"Fourth Uncle, did you see that? The pastry just now only had a little salt and a tiny bit of seasoning, and a little bit of flour in it. The taste of the pastry isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is the sweet bean sauce that we made before."
Shen Qianchuan was puzzled. He asked, "Since we've already made the sweet bean sauce, why do we need to make the oil paste? You said it's not important, isn't that redundant?"
Lin Xiaotang smiled and said, "Fourth Uncle, that's a good question. Look, I first roll the dough into a large round sheet, spread a layer of oil paste on it, then cut it like this, and then stack them together in order, pinching the edges tightly to prevent the oil paste from leaking out."
Then spread another layer of oil paste on the outside of the dough, so that the dough has several layers. Finally, roll it out again. This time, you can't roll it out as casually as the first time. You have to roll it out very thinly.
Another thing to note is that you should roll it out evenly and into a round shape, avoiding uneven thickness or tearing.
Shen Qianchuan watched with utmost seriousness, dozens of times more attentive than when he was studying. He nodded emphatically and said, "Okay, Fourth Uncle will remember this. You demonstrate for Fourth Uncle this time, and Fourth Uncle will do the next one himself."
"Okay, Fourth Uncle, look carefully."
Lin Xiaotang rolled out the flatbread and brushed a thin layer of oil on it. Then she replaced the flatbread with a frying pan on the iron cart. The frying pan only occupied one-sixth of the iron cart's work surface. In one corner of the iron cart, under the frying pan, there was a separate stove in the carriage for burning firewood.
However, no matter how well it was designed, it was still a thousand times worse than the gas cylinders of the previous life.
She said, "Fourth Uncle, you start the fire. My hands are covered in oil, so I won't get them wet."
Shen Qianchuan nodded in agreement and squatted down to start a fire.
Ever since his mother smashed the signboard of Juxian Restaurant, he and his second, third, and youngest brothers were forced to work at Juxian Restaurant to pay off their debts. Over the course of several months, he learned many jobs, such as starting fires, chopping wood, carrying water, peeling and washing vegetables, which he had never done before.
The fire was lit, and the pot gradually heated up. Lin Xiaotang poured oil into the pot, and the oil sizzled and began to smoke.
Lin Xiaotang rolled the flatbread onto a rolling pin and slowly spread it in the oil pan.
Shen Qianchuan couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement, "Xiao Tang, your movements are too skilled! You're a genius who can learn without even trying!"
Xiaoyu clapped her hands and cheered on, standing on tiptoe, "Oh, sister is so amazing..."
The people who were busy cleaning pig's trotters in the yard were drawn over by the aroma.
Shuisheng and Xiaojiu, who had gone to the foot of the mountain to cut grass to feed the horses, smelled the grass, quickly threw it in the stable, and trotted over.
The whole family stared at Xiao Tang, a seven-year-old girl.
Lin Xiaotang suddenly felt a lot of pressure. If she did too well, it would make her seven-year-old body seem abnormal. If she didn't do well, her fourth uncle was counting on this to make money. She couldn't let her fourth uncle get discouraged at the beginning!
Sigh, whatever. These are all her relatives and friends, the people she trusts most, the people who are good to her. They'll probably just mention her unusual behavior, but they won't really care.
She moved methodically, first using bamboo tongs to lift the flatbread to check if the bottom was slightly browned, then using two bamboo sieves to flip the flatbread over.
The pan was still sizzling, and the golden-brown side that had been flipped over smelled wonderfully caramelized. The layer of oil on top glistened and emitted a delicious aroma, making one's mouth water.
Shui Sheng said, "My goodness, Xiao Tang, you really know how to make pancakes! You're so skillful! No wonder you were so confident in supporting your fourth uncle to sell breakfast. If you take these out to sell, they'll definitely work. As long as your fourth uncle can learn how, he'll never have to worry about making money."
Shen Qianchuan's eyes lit up as he watched, and he grew increasingly impressed with his clever, quick-witted, and skillful niece!
Liu Cai'er couldn't help but marvel, "Feng'er, you must have accumulated good fortune over several lifetimes to give birth to such a wonderful daughter as Xiao Tang. I will definitely accumulate good deeds in the future so that I can give birth to such a wonderful daughter in my next life as well."
Liu and her husband exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh together.