Chapter 81 Lotus Crispy
Tong Huaqiong and Gu Taohua went all out.
When the peach blossom pastry came out of the oven, the fragrance wafted out from Old Mrs. Huang's yard and spread throughout the Huang family.
All the guests who came to celebrate Old Mrs. Huang's birthday would sniff hard.
The maids who stayed behind in Old Lady Huang's yard could not bear the torture of the smell, and rushed to the door of the small kitchen, prying open the door to look inside.
What kind of pastry did Widow Tong make? Why is it so fragrant?
"Widow Tong's cooking skills are quite good. The smell has made me hungry."
"This pastry smells better than Peach Blossom Dessert's."
The two little maids started discussing.
The Huang family has always been generous to their servants. These maids have a high monthly salary and would go to the town from time to time to buy some fresh food.
Peach Blossom Dessert has become the new internet-famous pastry in Yanguan Town these days. Naturally, they have bought some to try, and everyone who has eaten it has spoken highly of it.
"You may not know this yet, but Peach Blossom Dessert belongs to this widow Tong." said one of the maids who knew Tong Huaqiong's origins.
After hearing this, everyone wanted to try the snacks made by Tong Huaqiong even more.
The pastries sold at the Taohua dessert stall are not all that delicious if they are freshly baked, let alone these freshly baked ones.
Tong Huaqiong was making lotus cakes. She looked up and saw a group of people gathered in the small kitchen, all of whom were smiling at her.
"Hey, Sister Tong, do you need any help?"
Tong Huaqiong recognized that the person who spoke was one of the three mothers who stayed behind to help when she entered the small kitchen.
Before Tong Huaqiong could say anything, other maids and mothers-in-law spoke up one after another.
"Sister Tong, I can also roll out puff pastry."
"Aunt Tong, I can make a fire."
"Sister Taohua, take a rest. Let me help you."
......
Tong Huaqiong almost couldn't stand the fiery attitude.
She must refuse this offer, otherwise how can she cheat in the space and get the cake?
In fact, these maids and old women didn’t really want to help. Don’t they just want to eat freshly baked cakes?
She had already considered this, so while baking the peach blossom pastry, she also baked a batch of large butter cookies.
It’s out now.
Tong Huaqiong smiled and swiftly brought out the big butter biscuits to the mother who was squeezing in front to help, and said: "Big sister, these baked biscuits are for you to eat. You don't need to help, the peach blossoms are enough. I have to say something unpleasant, I have never worked with you, I don't know how to cooperate, it would be bad if we delay the old lady's birthday cakes."
Tong Huaqiong's meaning was very clear. They were not familiar with each other, and if they helped but ended up doing more harm than good, no one would be in trouble.
The maids and nannies in Old Lady Huang's yard were naturally all smart people, and they understood what this meant as soon as they heard it.
Today is the old lady's big day, and there can't be any mistakes.
So the mother who was squeezed in the front took the big butter biscuit and said with a smile: "Sister Tong, then we won't make trouble."
After saying that, she grabbed a handful of biscuits and put them in her pocket, which made the other maids and nannies unhappy.
One maidservant, relying on her height over the others, stretched out her hand and snatched the whole plate of butter biscuits. This disturbed the hornet's nest, and all the maidservants and old women followed her and asked for more butter biscuits.
Tong Huaqiong breathed a sigh of relief. This maid did a good job. She finally led the people away from the kitchen door.
Otherwise, these people gathering at the door of the small kitchen would really affect her work.
"Mom, the oil is hot." Gu Taohua stood up, looked at the oil pan and told Tong Huaqiong that it was time to fry the peach blossom cakes.
Tong Huaqiong placed the prepared peach blossom pastry on a bamboo grate and brought it to the oil pan. She grabbed a small piece of dough and threw it into the oil pan to test the oil temperature.
Soon, a circle of bubbles appeared around the dough and floated up.
Tong Huaqiong knew that this oil temperature was suitable for frying lotus crisps.
So she used tongs to carefully put the lotus cakes into the oil pan one by one.
"Add some more fire." Tong Huaqiong observed the temperature of the oil pan and instructed Gu Taohua.
As the fire heated up, the lotus crisps gradually floated up.
Tong Huaqiong waited quietly.
With another fire, the floating lotus cakes gradually opened their petals. After stretching out their petals, the lotus cakes floated in the oil pan, just like real lotus flowers blooming in the lotus pond.
"It's done. Don't add more fuel." Tong Huaqiong said to Gu Taohua.
Gu Taohua put down the firewood in her hand.
Tong Huaqiong used a strainer to scoop the lotus crisps out of the oil pan and placed them in a colander to drain the oil.
Gu Taohua stood up. Her fair and delicate face was covered with sweat after burning fire for a long time. Maner jumped off the chair, soaked the handkerchief Lu Zhaozhao gave her in the basin, wrung it dry and handed it to Gu Taohua.
Gu Taohua took the handkerchief and wiped her face, then asked Tong Huaqiong: "Is there anything else to do?"
Tong Huaqiong said, "Bake a few more plates of snacks, and then we'll just wait for instructions from the front to bring out the birthday peaches and other things."
So the mother and daughter worked together to bake the dim sum, including Chinese dim sum and cake rolls.
Finally, Tong Huaqiong used the remaining materials to make a lifelike big koi.
I've been busy all morning and I'm so tired.
Tong Huaqiong asked Gu Taohua to wash her face and hands, while she began to arrange the longevity peaches. The lifelike longevity peaches looked very festive.
Lotus Blossom Pastry, Peach Blossom Pastry and Plum Blossom Pastry are like real flowers blooming in the snow-white plates.
Tong Huaqiong was very satisfied with the results of the morning and couldn't help feeling a sense of pride. After all, she made a living by her cooking skills.
There was no one in the yard at this time. Some of the maids and old women had gone to slack off, while others had gone to the front hall to join in the birthday party.
Soon Yuqin sent two maids to bring two boxes of food, saying that it was a reward from the old lady to Tong Huaqiong and her two grandchildren, and told them to get ready, as someone would be sent to notify them to deliver the birthday cakes after the birthday banquet began.
After all, I have lived through an era of equality for all, and the word "reward" sounds quite harsh to me.
Tong Huaqiong couldn't help but sigh. Although they were both widows, their life circumstances were different. Old Mrs. Huang was holding a grand birthday banquet, and she, Tong Huaqiong, was a worker at the banquet.
The contrast is tragic, just like that between Granny Liu and Lady Jia.
Fortunately, she didn't need to go deep into the Grand View Garden to engage in social flattery like Granny Liu did.
Thinking of this, Tong Huaqiong opened the lunch box without hesitation.
You know what, Mrs. Huang is really generous. She carries a box full of roast chicken, braised goose, beef, mutton...
Probably knowing that they were a poor peasant family and would not do anything unkind, and knowing that they were short of meat, the “rewards” given to them were all solid meat.
Tong Huaqiong was not polite and asked Gu Taohua and Maner to sit at the door of the kitchen to eat meat and enjoy the fresh air.
"Mom, I wish our family could eat meat every day like the Huang family." Gu Taohua said while chewing a chicken leg with a mouthful of oil.
"It will be done soon, Taohua, you should set your sights higher. Eating meat every meal is nothing." Tong Huaqiong said.
Gu Taohua said: "Not only do they eat meat, but they also want to live in a big house like this, wear silk and satin, and go to Pingchuan County to buy rouge and powder."
And she also wants to marry Mr. Fan.
Of course, Gu Taohua didn't dare say this, for she was afraid that Tong Huaqiong would pick up a rolling pin and hit her if she said it.
"Set your sights higher, don't always focus on Pingchuan, focus on Fucheng and Shengjing." Tong Huaqiong said.
The corners of Gu Taohua's mouth twitched. Why did she feel that she had become more and more arrogant ever since her mother opened the door to the pastry business?
Walking from Qinghe Bay into Fucheng and Shengjing, how bold is that!