freenovelworld Chapter 65 Liangpi (Cold Skin Noodles)
Chapter 65 Liangpi (Cold Skin Noodles)
Xiao Siyue has been staying at her maternal grandmother's house for three or four days.
During this time, it became clear that Grandma Lin's family was now living frugally. Their daily meals were barely enough to keep them from going hungry, but they weren't truly full either, and consisted mainly of coarse grain porridge with little nutritional value.
Looking at Grandma Lin busy in the kitchen, Xiao Siyue couldn't help but feel a little sad. Her eldest uncle was injured and needed to recuperate so he couldn't earn money, and her cousins were too young to earn any income.
Xiao Siyue racked her brains and finally came up with a solution.
Selling cold noodles at a street stall.
Although making liangpi (cold skin noodles) is simple, it's not something that can be easily learned. Plus, the weather is hot right now, so it's a good time to make some extra money.
Another advantage is that you can make liangpi (cold skin noodles) at home and then sell it on the street without needing to buy too much furniture.
It seems I'll have to go to town. The Lin family doesn't have much fine flour at home right now, and she also needs to go to the pharmacy to buy some spices.
Oh, right, we also need two gongs for making liangpi (cold skin noodles), but that's easy, just have my uncle make two.
Xiao Siyue immediately called her cousins to go to town. There were also oxcarts from Dahe Village to town. Xiao Siyue had money, so she didn't want to suffer the hardship of walking. Moreover, the distance from Dahe Village to town was farther than that from Xiaojia Village. It cost three coins per person. The three of them got up early in the morning and headed to town.
"Yue'er, what are we going to town for?" Lin Dandan asked, puzzled. She had been dragged out of bed by Xiao Siyue early in the morning, but she was very happy. She rarely went to town before, and she wanted to go out and play.
Seeing Lin Dandan's puzzled expression, Xiao Siyue said, "Sister Dandan, I want to make some food, but I need to go to town to buy some things first."
"Food, what food?" Lin Dandan's eyes gleamed with excitement.
"I'll call it Liangpi (cold skin noodles). You'll know once I make it." Xiao Siyue looked at Lin Dandan with a bit of helplessness. Her cousin was only three years older than her and was still a child, completely powerless against food.
Xiao Siyue turned to look at Lin Xinzhou, whose expression was indifferent, seemingly without any emotional fluctuations, but he was always paying attention to his two younger sisters.
"What is liangpi? Do you know, brother?" Lin Dandan looked confused when Xiao Siyue mentioned liangpi; she had never heard of it before.
"I don't know either." Lin Xinzhou patted Lin Dandan's head.
"Hmm, but it was made by Yue'er, so it must be delicious." Lin Dandan didn't mind, as long as it was food.
Upon arriving in town, Xiao Siyue didn't immediately buy noodles. Instead, she took her older brother and sister to eat a bowl of hot wontons.
"Yue'er, the wontons are so delicious!" Lin Dandan said with sparkling eyes after finishing a bowl.
Xiao Siyue finished her bowl and instantly felt energized. She said, "Sister Dandan, you can have another bowl if you want."
Lin Dandan quickly waved her hand: "No need, I'm already full."
Xiao Siyue glanced at Lin Dandan's round belly, but bought Lin Xinzhou another bowl.
Lin Xinzhou was a twelve-year-old boy, and one bowl was definitely not enough to fill him up. Moreover, the Lin family had been saving every penny during this period, so Lin Xinzhou had basically never had a full meal.
After the owner brought the wontons over, Lin Xinzhou was still a little embarrassed and blushed as he said, "Yue'er, this..."
"Cousin, please eat," Xiao Siyue said with a smile, not giving Lin Xinzhou a chance to refuse.
After they finished eating, they went directly to the pharmacy to buy cinnamon and other spices before buying flour.
However, Xiao Siyue also bought some sesame seeds and sesame oil, intending to make sesame-flavored cold noodles.
After returning to the Lin family home, Xiao Siyue called on her maternal grandmother and aunt to start making liangpi (cold skin noodles).
Making liangpi (cold skin noodles) is simple. After kneading the dough into a smooth ball, put it directly into clean water and start washing it, changing the water halfway through, until the water becomes clear.
"Yue'er, you've finished washing. What should we do with the rest?" Auntie looked at the large clump of gluten in the basin and asked in confusion. "Are we going to throw it away? That's such a waste, it's all fine flour."
"Aunt, this is gluten. Cover it with a bowl and let it rise for an hour. Then steam it until cooked and it's ready to eat," Xiao Siyue explained.
"Oh, that's good." As long as it's not thrown away.
After all the noodles were washed, Xiao Siyue discovered that Uncle Lin and Lin Xinzhou had already ground the sesame paste.
By the afternoon, the batter for the cold noodles had settled. The clear water on top was poured off, leaving only a batter similar to milk, which was then ready to be steamed.
Xiao Siyue took the steamer that her uncle had prepared long ago, scooped a spoonful of batter into it, and started steaming the cold noodles.
After the first sheet of cold skin noodles was steamed, Xiao Siyue tested it and found it to be very elastic, so it seemed to be a success.
"Yue'er, this is liangpi (cold skin noodles)! It's amazing!" Auntie exclaimed in amazement, pulling on the liangpi and letting it bounce back.
"Okay, Aunt, you continue steaming, I'll prepare the seasoning sauce."
"Let's eat!" After the cold noodles were ready, Xiao Siyue and the others all sat down at the table.
Lin Dandan couldn't wait to serve herself a bowl, ready to eat it right away.
"Sister Dandan, wait a minute," Xiao Siyue hurriedly interrupted.
"Yue'er, what's wrong?" Lin Dandan stopped what she was doing.
"It's not mixed yet, watch my steps." Xiao Siyue said, picking up her own bowl.
"First add a spoonful of sesame paste, then a spoonful of vinegar, a spoonful of minced garlic, a small spoonful of salt, and finally a little water. Stir well and it's ready," Xiao Siyue said as she added the seasonings.
Seeing this, everyone quickly followed Xiao Siyue's steps and added seasonings to their bowls.
"It's so delicious!" Lin Dandan put a bite in her mouth.
"Mmm, it's really delicious, with a wonderful sesame flavor," Grandma Lin couldn't help but exclaim.
"The noodles are very chewy, and the gluten is delicious too." Uncle Lin finished a bowl in just a few bites.
Seeing everyone enjoying their meal, Xiao Siyue also picked up her bowl and started to taste it.
Hmm, it's alright. The rich sesame sauce flavor leaves a lingering fragrance in your mouth, but the sesame sauce flavor is a bit strong, and it can get cloying if you eat too much.
The most important thing is that there's no chili oil. Cold noodles without chili are soulless.
When this year's chili peppers are harvested, she will give some seeds to her grandmother's family so that they can make spicy cold noodles next year.
"You can also try it without sesame paste," Xiao Siyue suggested after finishing her meal.
Everyone then began trying their second bowl.
"Hmm, I prefer it without sesame paste. It's sour and spicy, and it makes you feel instantly cooler when you eat it." Uncle Lin felt that it was more to his liking without sesame paste.
“Yeah, I also like it without sesame paste,” Lin Xinzhou chimed in.
"But the sesame sauce version is clearly tastier." Lin Dandan prefers sesame sauce cold noodles.
"They're both delicious." Aunt Lin thought both were tasty and she wasn't picky.
That afternoon was arguably the happiest day for the Lin family in a long time, with long-lost smiles on everyone's faces.