Chapter 31: A Space Where Nothing Can Be Taken Out
Chen Sufen and Liu Yue'e quickly prepared dinner.
The delicious mutton soup served with scallion pancakes was the most satisfying meal Tong Huaqiong had since coming to the Gu family.
After dinner, Liu Yue'e rushed to clean up the dishes, while Gu Dashu went to the stove to wash the pots and dishes, and even Gu Yaozu took a broom and learned to sweep the floor.
Tong Huaqiong watched coldly, she just hoped that Gu Dashu's family could keep going.
"Mom, I have already made mung bean paste during the day." Chen Sufen said.
She has mastered the method of making mung bean paste and mung bean puree. She makes it during the day so that her mother-in-law doesn't have to stay up late at night to make pastries.
Tong Huaqiong pondered for a moment and said, "I won't be setting up the stall tomorrow. I'll stay at home these two days to think about new recipes and concentrate on making cakes for Mr. Huang."
When Gu Taohua heard that she would not be setting up the stall the next day, she jumped up excitedly.
Emma, she can finally have a good sleep. She is so tired from going out early and coming back late these days.
"Mom, you are so amazing to come up with such a good recipe. I smelled the mung bean cake yesterday and it was so fragrant." Liu Yue'e came in and said.
"Okay, stop flattering me. You have to get rid of your lazy body and help me in the future. I make money by heaven and earth. Do you think it's easy for me?"
Liu Yue'e smiled awkwardly, nodded desperately and said, "From now on, I will do whatever my mother tells me to do, without hesitation."
"You'd better do what you say." Tong Huaqiong said.
After beating Liu Yue'e, Tong Huaqiong just felt tired. Chen Sufen brought some hot water, and she went to bed to rest after soaking her feet.
Although she was very tired, she couldn't sleep. She lay in bed thinking about what kind of pastries she should make to satisfy Mr. Huang and make it famous through Mr. Huang's mother's birthday.
Mung bean cake is a must-have. If you have red dates and walnuts at home, you can bake some date and walnut cake, and then bake a batch of waterless egg cake.
Open-mouthed Pastry, Honey Horn Buns, Honey Sanda... These sugar and oil snacks that are commonly seen in later generations mostly use simple ingredients and are not difficult to make.
Based on her observations from the last time she went to the county town to buy pastries, she learned that these pastries are rarely available in the pastry shops in Pingchuan County, perhaps because these pastries require a lot of sugar.
After all, sugar was still a rare commodity in this era.
Perhaps only in the wealthy Shengjing were pastries rich in sugars popular.
Date paste pastry, peach pastry, pea yellow pastry, sachima, osmanthus cake, these are not difficult to make and can be arranged.
Because it was a snack for a birthday banquet, if she could make a birthday cake it would definitely be a big hit, but the ingredients used for birthday cakes were not available in this era.
Tong Huaqiong was a little worried about what to use to replace the birthday cake that would be both festive and cool.
Got it!
Tong Huaqiong's eyes lit up, a longevity peach!
When her grandmother celebrated her birthday, a big birthday peach was placed on the table, surrounded by a bunch of small peaches. The old lady liked it visibly.
And longevity peaches are not difficult to make, just steam them the same way as steamed buns made with flour. The most important step is shaping them, and Tong Huaqiong has a pair of deft hands, so she has no problem making longevity peaches.
The more Tong Huaqiong thought about it, the more excited she became.
"Grandma." As the door was pushed open, a soft voice interrupted Tong Huaqiong's thoughts.
"It's Maner." Taking advantage of the bright moonlight, Tong Huaqiong saw Maner standing at the door of her room.
"I want to sleep with grandma." Maner said timidly.
"Okay, come on." Tong Huaqiong sat up.
Maner got Tong Huaqiong's consent and ran to Tong Huaqiong's bed with her short legs. Tong Huaqiong bent down and pulled Maner onto the bed.
Maner quickly got into the quilt and stuck close to Tong Huaqiong.
It was her first time sleeping with her grandmother and she was filled with excitement.
"Grandma smells so good. Maner likes her so much." Maner said while hugging Tong Huaqiong's neck.
"Man'er smells good too." Tong Huaqiong rubbed Man'er's head and gave her a big kiss.
The six-year-old girl is delicate and soft, very cute.
"Grandma, I told my eldest aunt today that grandma has become a very good person now, but she and my cousin didn't believe it. Man'er was very angry."
"Daya and the others don't believe that grandma loves Man'er. Grandma bought some flowered cloth for Man'er, and mom made new clothes for me. I'll wear them out to show Daya and see if they believe it."
……
Man'er mumbled something to Tong Huaqiong, and Tong Huaqiong responded incoherently.
The grandparents and grandchildren soon fell asleep.
In the dream, Tong Huaqiong entered a space again, pushed open a door and entered the house of her previous life.
"I'm home again." Tong Huaqiong shouted in surprise.
She ran straight to the kitchen again, opened the refrigerator, and the finished cake was still inside.
Tong Huaqiong reached out towards the cake.
"Damn it." Tong Huaqiong cursed.
Still can't lift it.
God knows how much she wanted to swallow that piece of cake.
The refrigerator was full of butter, eggs, milk, condensed milk, lard, coconut flakes, bean paste...all kinds of baking ingredients, each of which was what she desired.
She tried to pick up the butter but couldn't.
I tried to pick up the egg, but I couldn't.
All I can do is look at the things but I can’t take them out.
"What the hell is this space? Isn't this just fooling people? It only allows people to come in and take a look, but not allow them to take anything." Tong Huaqiong cursed inwardly.
She was indeed not the lucky one who traveled through time to a girls' school.
In this situation, it would be better not to let her in, that way at least she will give up.
Now she is hanging in the air, neither up nor down, which is so uncomfortable.
Tong Huaqiong paced around the room in frustration and walked to the storage room.
Because she had experienced the closure of the community, she felt very insecure. Therefore, she kept shopping online, and her storage room was filled with flour, grain, oil, seasoning, and various unopened dried fruits and honey.
According to conservative estimates, even if a disaster strikes, the things in the storage room can last for three years.
She was envious. If she could take all these things to the Gu family's kitchen, she would be even more powerful and be able to make pastries that would beat the whole Pingchuan County.
Too bad she can't take it away.
“Hey, where is this?”
"Grandma, why are you here?"
A familiar voice sounded behind Tong Huaqiong. Tong Huaqiong turned around and saw Man'er standing barefoot behind her.
"Man'er."
There was disappointment in Tong Huaqiong's voice.
Since Man'er is here, it means she is dreaming.
Because Maner couldn't possibly appear in her modern room.
The luck of having space was completely shattered.
"This house is so big and beautiful." Maner said softly and sweetly.
"This is a table, this is a chair, what is this, I don't know what this is."
Maner ran around the room with cheerful steps, pointing at the table, chairs, TV and computer with a look of curiosity on her face.
"Hey, grandma, what is this? Can I eat it?"
Maner stood at the table in the living room and pointed at the snacks on the table and asked.
Tong Huaqiong wanted to shake her head.
The snacks on the table were the ones she had bought online before she came to Gu's house. They were piled up on the table. She tried to lift them, but couldn't open them.
"It's edible. Why don't you open it and try it."
Tong Huaqiong blurted out unconsciously when she saw Maner actually picked up a piece of cake and tore open the package.
The next second, Tong Huaqiong was stunned.
This must be a dream. How could Maner do what she couldn't do?
What shocked Tong Huaqiong even more was that Maner actually put the pastry into her mouth.
Tong Huaqiong seemed to remember something, took Maner's hand and went to the kitchen, picked her up, opened the refrigerator, and pointed at the piece of butter for her to take.
Maner picked it up effortlessly.
Tong Huaqiong opened her mouth in surprise.