After the performance, Qin Luo felt that she deserved a 95 out of 100 performance and was worth the reward of getting to eat the Four Happiness Dumplings first. She pestered Qin Huai, claiming she was growing and getting hungry quickly, and only had two and a half bowls of rice at lunch, which was far from enough, so she convinced him to steam 4 dumplings and 1 meat bun to fill her stomach.
As for the fresh shrimp wontons, she didn't need them; she and Zhao Rong had made them, and she didn't want to eat them.
Considering that Qin Luo's performance, although exaggerated, was effective, Qin Huai agreed.
A thrilled Qin Luo chose to squat in the kitchen to eat the freshly cooked dumplings.
Generally speaking, having the first bite of a newly cooked dish is enjoyable, but the first bite of a freshly cooked snack isn't always the same.
Freshly steamed buns can be scalding.
The average person can't handle the first bite of one that's too hot.
But Qin Luo was different; she was resilient.
Qin Huai always felt that Qin Luo's resilience was both inside and outside. From her bottom to her palms, to her tongue, to her esophagus, to her stomach, all were seemingly made of steel. Physical injuries from clotheslines or bamboo rods couldn't break her defenses, nor could the blistering hot buns, which could make one feel like they should cover their mouth and perform a tap dance due to the heat. She's truly a master of both martial and magical defenses.
Four Happiness Dumplings can be steamed for 8 minutes and then taken out.
The buns take a little bit longer.
"Brother, is it done? It's been 8 minutes. I think they're ready to eat. Let me taste one first!" Qin Luo squatted in front of the steamer, timing with her phone's stopwatch.
Judging they were probably done, Qin Huai nodded, lifted the steamer lid, picked up one with tongs, placed it on a small plate, and handed it to Qin Luo.
For convenience and presentation, Qin Huai purposely cut carrot slices of even thickness, seasoned them with salad oil, and steamed them under the Four Happiness Dumplings as a base. The orange-red bottom, with the distinct green, yellow, brown, and pink colors, made the dumplings look like a vibrant, beautiful flower, round and adorably cute.
"Wow!" Qin Luo half-heartedly praised the good-looking appearance of the Four Happiness Dumplings, then eagerly grabbed one with her hand.
Since her brother had so thoughtfully placed a base beneath them, using chopsticks slowly would be a waste.
Just out of the steamer, still steaming, the fairly large Four Happiness Dumpling was consumed by Qin Luo in one gulp.
"Mmm." Qin Luo happily chewed while grimacing from the heat, with steam puffing out of her mouth like she was a jet engine, unable to utter a complete word.
Although it burned her mouth, it was indeed delicious.
The dumplings fresh from the steamer had all their juices sealed within the filling, with four different garnishing ingredients alongside the sweet carrot slices. The blend of fresh, salty, and sweet flavors burst in her mouth, the hot juices combining with the chewy dough added an extra dimension of deliciousness.
"Mmm mmm mmm mmm!" Qin Luo nodded vigorously, indicating they were ready to be served.
Normally, you could only eat Four Happiness Dumplings during festivals, but now you could eat them without a festival. If you round off, isn't it just like celebrating New Year directly?
With this thought, Qin Luo opened the camera app and snapped a perfect picture of the steamed dumplings still giving off steam, with a dreamy feel to it.
She sent it to He Cheng.
At 6:30 PM, Ouyang, Chen Huihong, and Chen Huixi arrived at Qin Huai's house on time.
Compared to noon, Chen Huixi seemed in significantly better shape; her face wasn't pale anymore, and she looked more energetic. As soon as she walked in, she greeted everyone sweetly, resembling an adorable and well-mannered little girl.
Ouyang and Chen Huihong also brought gifts.
Chen Huihong brought an air purifier that could be placed in either the living room or the bedroom.
Ouyang also brought an air purifier—specifically, two pots of cacti that could be placed on either the windowsill or table.
The food was already prepared.
Two plates of Four Happiness Dumplings, two plates of buns, and each person had a small bowl of fresh shrimp wontons with scallions and cilantro to help themselves. As for the red bean paste buns favored by Chen Huihong and loved by Chen Huixi, Qin Huai made 6 Red Bean Hedgehog Buns.
The Red Bean Hedgehog Bun, as the name suggests, is a small, adorable bun shaped like a hedgehog and filled with red bean paste. It is one of the hottest snacks at the Qin Family Breakfast Shop, beloved by local children aged 3 to 12.
As a 9-year-old child, the sight of Red Bean Hedgehog Buns lit up Chen Huixi's eyes.
"Mom, little hedgehogs!" Chen Huixi whispered excitedly.
"Everyone, please sit down for dinner. There are more wontons in the pot if anyone wants more." Qin Huai said, smiling as he invited everyone to the meal.
Chen Huixi was the first to sit down obediently, taking the seat closest to the Red Bean Hedgehog Buns. Qin Luo immediately claimed the seat closest to the Four Happiness Dumplings. Ouyang, with his long arms, didn't mind where he sat, originally planning to sit beside Chen Huihong to curry favor during the meal, but Qin Huai had already taken that spot, so he settled between Qin Congwen and Qin Luo, trying to blend into the Qin Family.
Ouyang was the first to pick up his chopsticks, grabbing a large meat bun. He took a bite, chewed twice, and swallowed it whole with a satisfied sigh, "This is the taste!"
"I've been thinking about this for years, Sister Hong. You won't believe it. Ever since that year, in the competition, when I had Qin Huai's large meat bun, I've been unable to think about anything while eating buns from the cafeteria. Even the most delicious buns feel like they're just so-so compared to these."
Amused by Ouyang's words, Chen Huihong also picked up a bun, smiled, and said, "Is it that exaggerated? I barely saw you eating buns in the morning."
Then she took a bite and nodded.
"It's really good," Chen Huihong affirmed.
Meanwhile, Chen Huixi nibbled at the Red Bean Hedgehog Bun, taking small, slow bites, without saying a word.
While Ouyang and Chen Huihong were talking, she had already eaten two Four Happiness Dumplings, showing no sign that she had eaten earlier that day.
Being young is good; you have a big appetite.
Seeing Qin Luo constantly eating Four Happiness Dumplings, Ouyang, out of curiosity, picked one up too, "This must be that Four Happiness Dumpling, right? It's so pretty. Why does it look familiar to me?"
Completely frozen in place for seven or eight seconds.
With Ouyang suddenly petrified, Qin Luo, who was trying to eat as much as possible before her stomach could react, even stopped and asked uncertainly, "Is... is it salty?"
Could it be that Qin Huai sometimes forgot to dissolve the salt in the filling?
It shouldn't be; such beginner mistakes usually could only happen with her dad, Qin Congwen.
In the next second, Ouyang's eyes became misty.
"Master Huai!" Ouyang lamented, like he was upset, "Why didn't you make this during the competition that year?!"
"If you had made this, we would have put the dining hall's manager's nephew into a sack and beat him to get you the first place!"
No need for that, no need. I hardly ever have meals at Hall 6, and cash rewards are way better than a year's worth of free coupons.
"If I had known your culinary skills," Ouyang choked up, "when I started my business, I should have hired you as my chef."
"Then my fish hotpot restaurant wouldn't have shut down just one year in."
This led to his parents stopping his allowance, leaving him destitute, with just a 4k monthly salary, on the premise that they'll only give him more money once he settles down and works steadily.
I considered you my senior, and you see me as a source of unpaid work?
Ouyang, with mixed emotions, transformed his grief into appetite, digging into the Four Happiness Dumplings.
Feeling the crisis, Qin Luo also sped up, devouring hungrily.
Chen Huihong, thinking it was really interesting how the younger generation competed over everything, even eating like kids, watched the two speed-eating with interest. At her age, her portion size had decreased significantly and she gets full quickly with staple food. Compared to eating herself, watching others eat was more entertaining.
By the time Ouyang and Qin Luo had eaten about a third of the dumplings, Chen Huixi finally finished her first Red Bean Hedgehog Bun.
"Huixi, do you want some little wontons or would you prefer dumplings first?" Chen Huihong asked, leaning down.
Chen Huixi shook her head, "Mom, the hedgehog bun is delicious."
"Let's make hedgehog buns next Wednesday."
He knew it; Huixi was a good kid at first glance.
Not only was she shy, but also cute, sensible, and smart.
The most important thing was her intelligence.
Look at her name, Huihui, meaning wise, double the wisdom!
She was really insightful.
This hedgehog bun was specially made for Chen Huixi!
He didn't even have to subtly steer the conversation there; Huixi brought it up on her own.
One hundred fans drawn in, it's simply a breeze!