20demayo Chapter 59 Wiping Sweat
Chapter 59 Wiping Sweat
The moment the shopping basket was put down, the plump auntie deftly took it, rummaging through it and exclaiming, "Wow, mutton! Tofu! Eggs! And spinach... What a feast!"
Lin Weiwei wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled, "Auntie, thank you for coming to help. We're not very good at cooking, so please give us some pointers."
"It's nothing! We're neighbors, it's only right to lend a hand."
The plump aunt waved her hand and took out some mutton from the basket. "This mutton is just the right amount of fat and lean; it'll be perfect for stewing with radishes. Wanwan, go wash and peel the radishes, then cut them into chunks. Weiwei, wash the cabbage, separate the leaves, and slice the stalks thinly."
The two responded and immediately got to work.
Su Wanwan squatted by the water vat washing radishes. The radishes from the Gobi Desert grew sturdily, their skins still covered in dirt, and she washed them very carefully.
The sun was shining on my back, making me feel warm and cozy.
Beside her, Lin Weiwei was already washing cabbage in a large basin, splashing water everywhere.
The plump auntie placed the mutton on the cutting board, picked up the cleaver, and quickly and skillfully cut it into even pieces.
As she chopped the lamb, she said, "Our lamb here is of good quality. We don't need to blanch it. We just stir-fry it in a pot until the oil comes out, then add hot water to simmer it. That makes the soup so delicious."
The pot was heated, a spoonful of mutton fat was scooped in, it melted, and smoke rose from it.
The mutton chunks were poured in, and with a "sizzle," oil splattered everywhere.
The plump auntie was stirring the mutton with a spatula, and the mutton quickly changed color, the fat was rendered out, and the whole yard was filled with a delicious aroma.
Zhao Dayong, sitting on the shelf, sniffed and exclaimed, "Auntie Pang, your cooking is amazing! Just the smell makes me hungry!"
"Get to work if you're hungry!" the plump auntie scolded with a laugh. "You'll only get to eat after you've finished!"
Bai Rongbei was applying cement to the roof when he heard this and looked down.
Su Wanwan was squatting there cutting radishes, her face turned to the side, focused. Stray hairs slipped down behind her ears, which she casually tucked behind her ears as she continued cutting.
The radish pieces in her hand were all the same size and looked quite presentable.
He looked at Su Wanwan for a while before continuing his work.
Bai Si'an was troweling the floor in the toilet. The cement mortar needed to be smoothed with a trowel, which was a delicate job.
He had an injury to his right shoulder and couldn't exert much strength, so he mainly relied on his left hand and waist strength. Before long, sweat started to appear on his forehead.
Lin Weiwei finished washing the cabbage and came over to look: "How is it?"
"Almost done." Bai Si'an didn't even look up, using a trowel to smooth out the last bit of unevenness.
The ground was smooth and even, not as good as a professional bricklayer's work, but it was still quite good.
"Great job, Technician Bai!" Lin Weiwei praised. "With this skill, you won't starve even if you become a bricklayer after losing your job."
Bai Si'an glanced at her: "Are you hoping I'll lose my job?"
"No way!" Lin Wei smiled and said, "I'm just praising your many talents."
Bai Si'an's lips curved slightly, then quickly straightened again.
He stood up, supporting himself on his knees. His right leg swayed slightly when he put weight on it, but he quickly regained his balance.
"I'm going to wash my hands," he said, limping toward the tap.
"I'll go help with the cooking too!" Lin Weiwei ran in to help with the cooking as well. Everyone was busy, and she couldn't fall behind!
The mutton stew is underway, bubbling away in the pot, and the aroma is growing stronger.
The plump auntie lit another stove, preparing to cook.
Cabbage and tofu, scrambled eggs, stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, and a spinach soup—that's it!
After Su Wanwan finished chopping the radish, she was called by the fat aunt to knead the dough.
"We're having noodles for lunch, hand-pulled noodles with a chewy texture," said the plump auntie. "The dough needs to be firm; it has to be kneaded thoroughly to taste good."
Su Wanwan looked at the large bowl of flour, a little confused: "Auntie, I...I've never kneaded dough before."
"I'll teach you, it's simple!" The plump aunt scooped up some water and added it to the flour little by little. "Add it while stirring, and once it becomes flocculent, then knead it by hand."
Su Wanwan did as instructed, carefully adding water and stirring with chopsticks.
The flour gradually clumped together, and she put down her chopsticks and reached out to knead it.
As soon as she pressed down, the flour puff flew up and made her cough.
"Use your strength evenly, don't be too forceful." The plump aunt demonstrated, "Like this, push forward with the heel of your palm, then pull back and fold it, kneading repeatedly."
Su Wanwan tried to knead the dough, but at first she was clumsy and the dough wouldn't cooperate. It was either too hard to knead or too soft and sticky.
Add water if there's too much flour, add flour if there's too much water. Su Wanwan felt that if she kept adding more, she might be able to make a pancake the size of a quilt.
This pancake is so plump and bulging; if you put it on your body like this, it'll probably keep you warm. If you get hungry, you can even take a bite at night.
After finally adding enough flour, Su Wanwan kneaded it a few times, leaving her hands, arms, and face covered in flour, making her look like a cat covered in grime.
Lin Weiwei watched from the side, amused: "Wanwan, are you kneading dough or waging a war?"
Su Wanwan blushed and tightened her grip even more.
The plump auntie laughed and said, "It's alright, just knead it a little more. Kneading dough is hard work; the more you knead it, the more elastic it will be."
Su Wanwan gritted her teeth and kneaded the dough again and again. The dough gradually became smooth and less sticky.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, and stray hairs clung to her face, but she didn't bother to wipe them away.
Bai Rongbei climbed down from the shelf to get a drink of water and saw her kneading dough with great effort, her face covered in flour, with a little bit on the tip of her nose, yet her expression was very serious.
He walked over, picked up the ladle, took a sip of water, and said, "The dough is too stiff. Wet your hands before kneading it."
Su Wanwan looked up at him, her eyes bright: "Getting wet?"
"Hmm." Bai Rongbei put down the water ladle, walked over, washed his hands, and then pressed the dough with her hand.
"Wet your hands a little before kneading; the dough will be softer and easier to knead evenly."
His large hand covered the back of her hand, his calloused palm rough and warm.
Su Wanwan's heart skipped a beat, and she whispered, "I...I'll try."
Bai Rongbei withdrew his hand, then inexplicably reached out again to wipe Su Wanwan's sweat.
Su Wanwan's face was as white as a dough ball, and when you touched it lightly, it felt like touching a very soft dough ball, with an excellent feel to it.
When the man's hand, which had been gently peeling away calluses, touched Su Wanwan's cheek, she froze.
A tingling, electric-like sensation appeared on her face, spreading down her body. Although it wasn't very intense, it was a feeling Su Wanwan had never experienced before.
Su Wanwan had never been in a relationship or had any contact with a man in her entire life, so she was somewhat at a loss when faced with Bai Rongbei's actions.
Bai Rongbei gently wiped the sweat from Su Wanwan's face.
Seeing Su Wanwan's slight nervousness, he said without changing his expression, "It'll be uncomfortable if the sweat drips into your eyes later."
Su Wanwan responded softly, "Th...thank you."
After wiping his sweat, Bai Rongbei turned and left.
Su Wanwan stood there stunned, not having reacted yet, when Bai Rongbei left.
Su Wanwan blushed, but didn't think much of it. As he instructed, she wet her hands and continued to rub.
Sure enough, the dough was much easier to knead and gradually became smooth and soft.
"That's it! Just like that!" the plump aunt praised. "Wanwan learns so quickly!"
Lin Weiwei leaned closer and poked the dough: "Wow, Wanwan, you're amazing! From now on, our family's noodles will depend on you!"
Su Wanwan smiled, feeling a little sense of accomplishment.
After Bai Rongbei left, he subconsciously raised his hand and smelled it; there was a delicate fragrance of magnolia blossoms.
He was a little curious as to why women smelled good when they sweated.
Over there, the waterproof mortar on the roof was applied, and Bai Rongbei and Zhao Dayong came down from the scaffold.
As soon as Zhao Dayong landed, he shouted, "I'm starving! Auntie Fatty, is dinner ready yet?"
"What's the rush! The noodles haven't been rolled out yet!" the plump auntie said, taking out the rested dough and starting to roll it out with a rolling pin.
Her movements as she rolled out the dough were fluid and graceful; the dough quickly transformed into a large, round sheet of dough, evenly thin.
Sprinkle with dry flour, stack up, and then use a cleaver to cut into thin strips.
The technique was clean and efficient, leaving Lin Weiwei and Su Wanwan dumbfounded.
"Auntie, you're amazing!" Lin Weiwei exclaimed sincerely.
The plump auntie chuckled, "What's the big deal? I've been cooking for decades, practice makes perfect. You're young, you'll learn in a few tries."
Put the noodles in the pot, bring the water to a boil three times, then take them out and rinse them in cold water to make them more chewy.
The dishes were gradually taken out of the pot.
A large bowl of mutton stew with radish was served, the soup was milky white and the aroma was irresistible.
Cabbage and tofu are light and refreshing, scrambled eggs are bright yellow, stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar are tangy and spicy, and spinach soup is bright green.
The table was set up in the yard, and the dishes were laid out on it, filling the table to the brim.
"Dinner's ready!" the plump auntie called out.
The workers washed their hands and gathered around.