Rebirth: My Dear Little Wife Is So Scheming

Chapter 151 - 151 151 Making Dumplings (Part 2)

?Chapter 151: Chapter 151 Making Dumplings (Part 2) Chapter 151: Chapter 151 Making Dumplings (Part 2) It didn’t take long for Bai Song and An Zhiyuan to get dressed and come out, and now, their tone of speaking had become very familiar, as if they had instantly transformed from strangers into long-time friends.

In the yard, three women were busily working.

“Are we having dumplings for lunch?”

Bai Song, looking somewhat greedy, mused that, while their troops weren’t without dumplings, they were only a special treat during festive seasons. Their training was grueling, and often took them deep into deserted mountains for three to four months at a stretch, without a chance for dumplings. Even having cornmeal pancakes was considered good fortune. There were plenty of times they went without food and water during field training, so a meal of dumplings was indeed a mouthwatering prospect.

Bai Yue pointed to the water jar, “Go, fetch some water. Since you’ve come home today, we’ve slaughtered some pork. We’ll make dumplings. Camp Chief An, you can’t leave at noon, stay here and have dumplings with us. Did you hear me?”

Bai Song, grinning, quickly grabbed the shoulder pole to draw water. He was happy to work, especially with so many people at home watching; it made him even happier.

An Zhiyuan wasn’t shy about it. He usually came over in the evenings after training, but he had a day off today, and Bai Xiao was about to leave, so he wanted to see if Bai Xiao needed anything. He had come over and had a sparring session with his uncle-in-law. That bout had truly been satisfying.

It had been a long time since he’d encountered a worthy opponent to spar with, especially one who was his uncle-in-law. He figured his uncle-in-law had wanted to show his mettle today, warning him not to mistreat his sister, or else he, as her big brother, could wipe him out.

Rolling up his sleeves, he said to Bai Yue, “Big sister, let me chop the meat filling, I’m more suitable for this kind of physical work!” Not waiting for Bai Yue’s response, he took the cleaver and began chopping.

Bai Yue laughed, “Oh, Instructor An, you certainly look the part there. Do you also cook at home?” The more impressive her brother-in-law was, the less her sister would have to suffer in the future. What woman didn’t do everything at home?

If Instructor An was also capable, it would make a difference, and seeing Bai Yue was truly pleased.

An Zhiyuan chuckled, “Not really, I just make some simple dishes.”

Liu Hong glanced at Bai Xiao, “Xiao, you sure are lucky for the future!”

“Just pick your vegetables, we’ll need them shortly! No more idle chitchat!” She had already washed the pork tripe and intestines, ready to be cooked later. All the spices in the house were supplied by Li Chunmei. She went next door to ask the auntie for a bunch of chili peppers; everyone here loved their chili peppers.

In no time, An Zhiyuan had the meat filling ready, Bai Xiao grabbed a basin and began to mix the filling, while Liu Hong took over chopping the Chinese chives and fennel, ready to make two distinct fillings for the dumplings.

The three of them started making dumplings in the kitchen.

Bai Yue rolled out the dough skins, Bai Xiao and Liu Hong wrapped the dumplings.

Bai Xiao used to be very good at household chores, a skill underappreciated in her past life. In Fang Xiaoshan’s family, she did everything, inside and out. Fang Xiaoshan’s grandparents and parents were the elders, how could they do any work? And Fang Xiaoshan himself was the only child in their family. As the old lady used to say, how could a man enter the kitchen?

So she had to do everything.

Bai Yue glanced at Bai Xiao’s dumplings and couldn’t help but praise, “Xiao, your dumplings look really good. This way of wrapping is somewhat like our mother’s. Beautiful!”

Liu Hong glanced at her own lopsided dumplings and felt a bit embarrassed.

At her parents’ home, she was so cherished she never had to lift a finger. How could she know how to make dumplings? Eating them was likely the extent of her expertise.

Bai Xiao taught Liu Hong how to wrap dumplings; after all, practice makes perfect. Anyone starting out was bound to produce less than perfect dumplings at first, but after a little practice, one does get the hang of it.

Liu Hong, being smart, learned quickly just by watching Bai Xiao wrap a few and soon began to mimic her with skill.

By the time Li Chunmei and Liu Baoguo arrived together, Li Chunmei rolled up her sleeves, ready to help make dumplings, only to be shocked at the sight of the dumplings her daughter had made.

“Are these… dumplings made by Liu Hong?”

No wonder Li Chunmei was surprised; she knew her daughter had been spoiled by them her whole life. How could she possibly know how to wrap dumplings?

Yet now, Liu Hong proudly displayed the dumpling she had just made in front of her mother.

“How about that, Mom? My dumplings are pretty good, aren’t they?”

Li Chunmei was delighted, “Not bad, not bad at all. Your dumplings are even prettier than the ones your mom makes!”

Liu Hong looked smugly at Bai Xiao, “See that? The student starves the teacher.”

Bai Xiao dodged her flour-covered claws, “I know, I, the teacher, am about to be starved by my student.”

Li Chunmei was even more grateful, never expecting Bai Xiao to have taught her daughter so well.

“Godmother, why don’t you go outside? The kitchen is small, and the three of us fit perfectly to finish making these. If you really can’t sit still, how about sitting in the yard and peeling a couple heads of garlic for us?” Bai Xiao ushered Li Chunmei out.

Li Chunmei went to peel and crush the garlic.

The three brothers had already moved a small table outside, actually two tables because of their small size.

The men sat at one table, and the women at another.

On the other side, Bai Yue had already put water on to boil, just waiting for it to boil to cook the dumplings.

Bai Xiao took advantage of the other burner on the stove to fry up some fragrant peanuts. She prepared them according to a future recipe for boozy peanuts—soaking them in hot water to remove the skins, then frying them until crisp. She then stir-fried them with Sichuan pepper and chili in the pan, added seasoning and five-spice powder, and served them as a perfect accompaniment to drinks.

Bai Xiao had already cleaned the pork tripe, rubbed it with cornmeal, removed all the white film, and scrubbed it with salt twice.

Earlier, they had boiled water in a large pot with ginger slices and added some baijiu since they didn’t have cooking wine to hand. The tripe had already been cut into strips after boiling.

Now she heated the oil in a hot wok, threw in onions, Sichuan pepper, chilies, garlic, and some bean paste she’d made herself. Adding soy sauce, vinegar, baijiu, and a touch of sugar, she stir-fried it until it took on color. After adding green and red bell pepper strips, she quickly stirred and poured it out of the wok.

When Liu Hong served the dish, she couldn’t resist pinching a piece to taste, and her eyes immediately smiled with delight.

“Xiao, your stir-fried pork tripe is really delicious, and there’s no gamey taste at all. Dad’s in for a treat this time. This drink accompaniment can compete with those in town restaurants.”

As she said that and carried it out, Bai Xiao had already portioned a plate for each table. Indeed, when Liu Baoguo saw the colorful and appetizing stir-fried pork tripe, he couldn’t help but swallow hard.

“I knew Xiao was a good cook, but I never knew the girl had this skill.”

An Zhiyuan gazed at the dishes in front of him feeling delighted inside. His wife was indeed incredible. He would surely be the one reaping the benefits in the future.

He poured baijiu into the cup in front of Liu Baoguo.