Baozi Xishi's Struggle

Making dumplings looks simple, but it is not something you can learn in one or two times.

When it was time for dinner, there was only half a small bowl of reheated pork stewed with vermicelli and a basket of freshly steamed buns.

Yu Cheng couldn't help pouting when he saw the buns in the winnowing basket. He looked at Li pitifully and said, "Mom, you steamed so many buns with red bean paste and candied dates, why didn't you steam meat buns?"

Li looked a little uncomfortable, and she glared at him, trying to act like a mother, and said angrily, "You little bastard, it's good enough to have something to eat. You've only had enough food for a few days, and you've already learned to be picky! Eat quickly, and go to bed early after eating."

Yu Cheng reluctantly picked up a red bean paste bun and muttered, "This red bean paste bun is not as delicious as the meat bun. I want to eat a meat bun."

Shen Yu and Yu Tao took the buns and ate them silently. Li picked through the basket and finally found three round buns that looked neither like buns nor steamed buns at the bottom of the basket. She placed them in front of Yu Cheng and said unhappily, "Hey, these three are meat buns. You can eat these."

Yucheng looked at the three buns that were barely closed and were round and without wrinkles. He was a little confused and wanted to open his mouth again, but Li gave him a look that said "You'd better stop talking". He closed his mouth tactfully and started eating quietly.

Yucheng finished the red bean paste bun in his hand, picked up the round bun given by Li, and took a bite. Hmm, it tasted like wheat flour, quite fragrant, but there was no filling. It was ok to eat with some cabbage.

Maybe this bite was too small, Yu Cheng thought to himself, and took another big bite. There was still no filling, but there was a fragrance of meat filling in his mouth.

Yu Cheng looked at the so-called meat bun in his hand with some confusion, and complained aggrievedly: "Mom, you gave me the wrong one, this is a steamed bun."

Li also took a so-called meat bun and ate it with the cabbage vermicelli in the soup bowl. When she heard Yu Cheng's words, she said vaguely without raising her head: "It's a meat bun. If you take a few more bites, you will get the meat filling."

Yu Cheng nodded honestly, said "oh", and continued to eat the "meat bun".

Shen Yu and Yu Tao looked at each other and tried hard not to laugh out loud.

If Li got angry, they would both be scolded, so the two of them had no choice but to lower their heads and pretend to be eating happily.

When Shen Yu thought of the scene when Li was making dumplings in the afternoon, he couldn't help laughing.

In the afternoon, after the filling was prepared, Shen Yu took out the fermented dough that had been reserved in the morning and taught Li and Yutao how to make dumplings and pinch out beautiful folds.

Shen Yu suggested practicing first with the red bean paste and candied dates filling which is easier to wrap.

The red bean paste and candied dates filling is relatively sticky and not loose, so it is easy to roll into a ball.

Moreover, this kind of sweet filling uses less filling, so it is easier to wrap it well when you are just starting to learn.

After learning this pleating technique, you can wrap the meat filling, which is softer due to the soup, and the vegetables, which are more chopped.

Li insisted on making meat buns directly.

She said confidently: Although I have never made this kind of buns, I often make vegetable dumplings at home. Vegetable dumplings are loose and not more difficult to make than this. I make them well every time and the vegetable filling does not leak out.

Shen Yu couldn't beat her, so he had to roll up a ball of red bean paste and candied date filling himself, and then pinched it one fold at a time with very slow hands, and finally made a big round, plump bun with beautiful fine folds.

After seeing it, Li said it was a piece of cake. She held the dough with her left hand, picked up a ball of meat filling with her right hand and put it on the dough, then pinched the folds like Shen Yu.

It looks easy but is harder to do. When Shen Yu pinched the pleats, his fingers pinched and turned lightly, pinched and turned again, and soon a round bun with chrysanthemum-like pleats was ready. But when it came to Li, ten fingers seemed not enough.

If you pinch this side, the filling will flow out. If you quickly pinch that side, it will spread out again. In your last hurry, the dough will be torn, and the filling will still leak out, not to mention the delicate folds like a chrysanthemum.

Li tried a few more reluctantly, but the more anxious she became, the harder it was to grasp the key points. She failed again and again, and finally said with disgust that the filling was too soft and not as firm as the vegetable dumplings at home, so she would not make them anymore.

Shen Yu had no choice but to take the mess of stuffing and dough, roll them into a ball, and barely cut them into several pieces. He then wrapped them with dough to seal them. The steamed buns looked neither like steamed buns nor like meat buns without the full meat stuffing.

Li looked at the messy result and regretted it secretly. She shouldn't have been so stubborn and put the meat filling first. On the surface, she pretended to be calm and said, "I tried half of the red bean paste and candied dates filling yesterday. I haven't tasted it well yet. Today, I will put the red bean paste and candied dates filling. Our Yutao likes sweet food the most."

Yutao smiled and lowered her head to carefully use her fingers to figure out the technique of pinching pleats, willingly taking the blame for her mother.

An afternoon of practice was quite effective. Although Li and Yutao were not as fast and good as Shen Yu, they were able to make some dumplings that looked like buns. It seems that after practicing for another two or three days, they will be able to get the hang of it.

The result of the practice was that dinner only had buns filled with red bean paste and candied dates and “meat buns” without much filling.

After dinner, the family packed the firewood for the next day and put it on the car. There was no need to bring clean water. They prepared the stuffing and put it in a water tank to calm it down. They deflated the dough and added some newly kneaded flour to knead it again. Although the gong of the hour of Xu had just been struck in the street, Li urged the children to go to bed quickly.

Because he got up early in the middle of the night and was busy without making up for any sleep during the day, Shen Yu's eyelids began to droop while he was eating, and Yutao and Yucheng were not much better.

After making preparations for setting up the stall tomorrow, they all went to sleep at Li's urging. Shen Yu felt that he knew nothing as soon as he touched the pillow.

Shen Yu woke up at the hour of Yin the next day. As he got up, he heard the sound of the wooden fish announcing the dawn on the street.

Shen Yu stretched and moved his body, feeling a little sore in his back.

She secretly thought that the original owner's body was indeed too thin, and she should eat more and exercise more. If her body was not strong, she would not be able to bear getting up so early every day.

She lit the oil lamp, fumbled to put on her clothes, combed her hair and wrapped it with a headscarf. There were also rustling noises coming from Li's side.

With yesterday's experience, the utensils and ingredients needed for setting up the stall were quickly loaded into the cart. The family lit torches, locked the gate, and pulled the cart towards the market entrance.

When they arrived in front of the stall, they lit an oil candle as thick as a child's arm. Just as they took down the stove and the counter, a tall and sturdy man drove a cart pulled by two big blue mules and stopped in front of the food stall.