Chapter 39 The Laws of Space
The evening breeze is gentle, and the western sky is dyed red by the sunset.
It will be a nice day tomorrow!
Tong Huaqiong sat in the yard, enjoying the breeze and watching the sunset gradually disappear into the mountains.
Perhaps it was because it was getting dark, and people were easily moved by the scenery in the twilight. Tong Huaqiong missed her home and parents in her previous life.
She must live well in this world, maybe one day she will be able to find the way home.
Thinking of this, my eyes became sore.
"Mom, the cookies are ready!"
Tong Huaqiong had just entered a sad state of homesickness when she was interrupted by Chen Sufen's excited shouts.
Immediately, a rich and persistent fragrance filled the air.
The fragrance attracted the children and dogs in the village. A group of children and their dogs were leaning on the door frame to peek, but they were afraid of Widow Tong's power and did not dare to go to the house to see what was going on.
Tong Huaqiong quickly got up and walked into the kitchen.
Chen Sufen was using chopsticks to pick up biscuits one by one and put them onto the bamboo grate.
The cookies were intact, not a single one was cracked.
The coloring is also perfect, each piece is golden and makes people's appetite grow just by looking at it.
"It's grilled well." Tong Huaqiong praised.
"My mother's cooking skills are really good. These cookies look delicious. They are made with the same ingredients of oil, sugar and flour, but why do her recipe smell so good and look so good?" Honest Chen Sufen would never flatter her mother-in-law. She was expressing her feelings from the bottom of her heart.
"That's right, mom has a very good brain. Even my dad praised him, saying that Jingzhe inherited his reading ability from mom. Mom was just too lazy before..." Liu Yue'e couldn't stop while playing the flute and almost exposed her mother-in-law's past. She looked at her mother-in-law with a guilty look on her face.
"My craftsmanship is just very good." Tong Huaqiong is not modest at all.
Then he praised Chen Sufen and said, "Of course, I can't do without Sufen's help. For example, I don't have the patience to sift the flour."
Tong Huaqiong would never admit that she used butter and milk powder. How could it not taste good when these two things were added together?
It is said that a certain Hong Kong brand of mooncakes was able to make a name for itself in the mooncake industry in later generations because it established its market position by improving traditional mooncakes with butter.
Chen Sufen was so overwhelmed by Tong Huaqiong's praise that she didn't know where to put her hands and feet.
She really didn't understand what contribution she made by sifting flour? It was not an easy job!
"The color of these cookies is really nice," said Liu Yue'e.
Tong Huaqiong knew that Liu Yue'e was indirectly praising her for her good cooking skills.
Of course, temperature is as important as the ingredients in baking.
In this era without electricity, ovens or thermometers, heat control is particularly important.
I have to say that Liu Yue'e is much better at making fire than Gu Taohua.
It is indeed worthy of praise.
"The cookies are well colored because you cooked them well and controlled the temperature well." Tong Huaqiong said to Liu Yue'e, "You are more capable than your sister-in-law in this respect."
Emma, it’s not easy!
These past few days my mother-in-law has either been cold to me or scolding me. Finally, I have done something to win her favor.
Her mother-in-law’s praise made Liu Yue’e feel more motivated!
It’s just like the feeling I had when I sold steamed buns in Pingchuan County that day.
"Mom, can you teach me how to make pastries later?" Liu Yue'e took the opportunity to make a request.
Tong Huaqiong felt that Liu Yue'e was not as honest and hardworking as Chen Sufen. She was too active-minded and not suitable to be a baker. She couldn't concentrate.
What if she is blinded by money and cuts corners, which will only ruin her reputation?
It’s not that Tong Huaqiong doesn’t trust Liu Yue’e, but that Liu Yue’e is just that kind of person.
However, being quick-witted also has its advantages. When you open a shop in the future, she can attract customers and manage the people in the shop.
"Don't worry, you will need it in the future." Tong Huaqiong said.
Liu Yue'e's eyes darkened. Her mother-in-law would rather teach her stepson's wife than her own daughter-in-law.
"You think making cakes is so simple, it requires carefulness, and every step can't go wrong. Do you think you can calm down?" Tong Huaqiong said, "But you also have your uses. Last time I sold steamed buns in Pingchuan County, I saw that you were very good at shouting. I plan to let you follow me to the town to sell cakes, but not now. These few days, your sister-in-law is busy preparing cake ingredients, and Dashu has to take care of wheat. You stay at home to cook and do housework for the time being. After this busy period, I will take you to the market."
Sure enough, when Liu Yue'e heard this, she couldn't hide her smile and nodded hurriedly.
It’s good to go to the market. She doesn’t like staying at home, so she likes to go shopping.
I never had the chance to visit before.
From now on, I can go shopping openly when I follow my mother-in-law to sell cakes.
Tong Huaqiong took stock of today's achievements.
Date cakes, butter biscuits, walnut cakes, honey cakes, date paste cakes... every kind of cake is mouth-watering. Tong Huaqiong feels that if she puts these cakes in front of Mr. Huang, he will be dazzled by the fragrance.
Tomorrow I plan to bake chestnut crisps, honey-coated mutton, coconut crisps, mung bean cakes and other pastries, leaving enough for Mr. Huang to sample, and also some for a competition at the entrance of the Pastry Garden.
......
In the evening, after washing up after dinner, Tong Huaqiong took the initiative to call Man'er to sleep with her.
She hasn't found the pattern to enter the space yet.
So I just kept Maner with me.
If she enters the space again, she plans to take out a few molds.
For example, butter biscuits can only be made into a single flat shape without a mold. If you have a mold, you have a lot of room for creativity in the shape.
For example, cookies in the shape of animals.
In addition to paying attention to the taste of pastries, she believes that wealthy people like Mr. Huang who love to show off must want the pastries they buy to have novel shapes on top of satisfying their taste buds.
Thinking of this, Tong Huaqiong fell asleep while hugging Man'er.
When people are tired, they feel that their sleep is very short. Tong Huaqiong felt that she had just fallen asleep when the day broke.
I opened my eyes and saw Man'er sleeping soundly, so I put on my clothes quietly for fear of waking her up.
Tong Huaqiong got out of bed and tucked the quilt for Maner, and when she did so she felt something hard.
Tong Huaqiong looked down and laughed.
It turned out to be several molds in the shapes of flowers and animals, and a large bag of coconut flakes.
Tong Huaqiong thought about it, and before going to bed, she sighed that if she wanted cookie-shaped molds and coconut flakes, she would walk into the space in her dream.
Could it be that the rule of entering space is that whatever you think about during the day you will dream about at night?
However, she is not sure yet whether the things in the space can only be taken out by her and Maner together, or whether Maner can go in alone to take them out.
The loud slam of the door interrupted Tong Huaqiong's thoughts.
She did not forget that the five-day deadline had arrived and today was the day that Butler He would collect the debt.
No need to ask, the person outside the door must be Butler He.
Chen Sufen, who had gotten up early, opened the door. Tong Huaqiong looked through the window and saw Butler He walking into the yard surrounded by several servants.
Tong Huaqiong straightened her clothes and prepared to go out to meet housekeeper He.