Pei Jin found it quite curious. She pinched the made milk fan with her finger.
It was milky white, thin, smooth and shiny, roughly in the shape of a rhombus bamboo fan.
"Sister Jiaoniang, can I eat this milk fan directly?" Pei Jin could already smell a strong milky fragrance.
Qi Jiao said of course. "Hurry up and have a taste."
Pei Jin chewed it carefully. At first, it just tasted like dry cheese with a bit of sourness, but the more she ate, the more she wanted to, and it had quite a unique flavor.
"The line of floating milk like flower petals on the green cup" described the milk fan.
Actually, the milk fan was air - dried casein. It got its name because it resembled a folding fan and had appeared before the Ming Dynasty.
Qi Jiao took down the milk fans from the bamboo poles one by one. About two catties of milk fans were obtained from twenty catties of milk, truly a concentrated essence.
The good thing about this was that it could be stored for a long time. As long as it was properly preserved, it could be kept for several months.
Qi Jiao carefully folded the milk fans. Besides the ones for Miss Guo and the ones left for her own family, she also separated a part and packed them with snacks like egg yolk pastries. She tied them into two paper packages and sent them to the Ye family and the Cai family next door respectively.
The Ye family was not only her adoptive mother's family but also her close neighbor. Aunt Ye was kind to her, Uncle Ye was an honest man, and her three elder brothers were also nice. So whenever Qi Jiao made something delicious, she would always think of them.
As for the Cai family, Mrs. Cai was warm - hearted. Although she was straightforward, she often helped the Pei family.
Moreover, Qi Jiao heard from Pei Xia that they owed silver to the two families.
Although they didn't need to pay it back immediately, they still had to show their gratitude.
On weekdays, even a melon or a fruit could represent the friendship between neighbors.
Naturally, there was an extra dish for dinner - deep - fried milk fans.
Qi Jiao washed the milk fans and wrapped them with dehydrated vegetable leaves for about two hours.
When the milk fans softened, she unwrapped them one by one. She laid a damp gauze on the chopping board.
She put the milk fans on the gauze, wrapped them up, and pressed a heavy object on them to flatten the milk fans.
Then she poured refined lard into the pot and heated it over a low flame until it was 30% hot.
She held one end of the milk fan with her left hand and clamped the other end with bamboo chopsticks in her right hand. Then she put it into the pot and rotated the chopsticks while frying. When the milk fan shrank due to the heat and curled around the chopsticks into a tube shape, and when it was fried to a golden color, it could be taken out of the pot.
She arranged the milk fans in the plate one by one and evenly sprinkled them with Chinese prickly ash salt. This was the deep - fried rolled milk fan.
The deep - fried milk fan was extremely crispy, fragrant, and full of a creamy aroma.
The whole family didn't even bother to eat rice. They were already full just by focusing on these various pastries.
After dinner, Tang Guiniang felt a bit bloated. She went out for a stroll. Under the big banyan tree at the village entrance, she casually mentioned the snacks made by Jiaoniang to the villagers. She praised them so much!
Although she didn't mean to show off, it seemed a bit like it.
It made everyone praise and envy.
Especially A Hu, the grandson of Mrs. Cai. He had his hair tied up in two buns, looked very cute, and was holding half of a cut - open egg yolk pastry in his hand, munching on it. The other village children gathered around him, drooling with envy.
There were some well - off families in the village. Some women and old people who doted on their children immediately carried their babies and took their baskets to find Jiaoniang to buy egg yolk pastries.
A lot of people suddenly rushed into the courtyard.
Jiaoniang was startled. She jumped off the couch and then gave Pei Xia, who was snickering, a hard pinch.
Actually, both of them had indigestion after dinner.
Qi Jiao suggested going out for a walk, but Pei Xia said he was a bit tired and wanted to rest.
Qi Jiao didn't force him. Pei Xia had to get up early to go out to sea every day, which was very hard. She just happened to make an inventory of the things to take to the county.
But somehow, Pei Xia lured her into the east wing.
Pei Xia said he would make fruit tea for her.
Since the beginning of winter, Pei Xia was afraid that Qi Jiao would be cold, so he had dug a hearth in the room early. He built bricks around it and burned charcoal in the middle for heating.
There was a thick pea - green cushion on the narrow couch by the window. There was also a bamboo incense burner by the bed, and a light - yellow curtain was newly hung. The room was as warm as spring.
There was a small clay pot on the hearth, and the tea in it was always hot throughout the day.
Pei Xia knew that Qi Jiao liked to eat fruits, so he picked a lot from outside every day. There were plenty of fruits on the mountain. If no one ate them, they would just rot in the ground.
Qi Jiao watched as he seriously cut Chinese flowering crabapples, oranges, and autumn pears. He also took out a small jar of dried jasmine flowers and added a pinch for fragrance. There was no need to add rock sugar. The hot water brought out the fragrance of the fruits and flowers, and it already tasted very sweet and fragrant when it entered the mouth.
Qi Jiao held the small cup and drank it. She looked at Pei Xia with a smile. "I didn't expect Ah Xia to be such an elegant person. 'Newly brewed green wine, a small red - clay stove.'"
The room was as warm as spring. Qi Jiao was in a lazy posture. Her long black hair was casually coiled behind her head. Against the candlelight, her face was as fair and smooth as mutton fat.
Pei Xia put down the orange in his hand, glanced at the distance between Qi Jiao and himself, and was a bit dissatisfied. "Come here."
Qi Jiao poured herself another cup of fruit tea and leaned a bit closer to him. There was still enough space for a cup between them.
Pei Xia was still dissatisfied. He frowned and simply pulled her into his arms.
Qi Jiao's pretty face flushed. She glared at Pei Xia and then simply leaned against him, sipping the fruit tea in small sips.
Actually, Pei Xia made a pretty good human cushion. It was very comfortable.
Pei Xia stared at Qi Jiao. He thought she looked extremely charming and his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her on the face.
Qi Jiao almost choked. Pei Xia directly picked her up and put her on his lap.
Pei Xia buried his head in the crook of her neck and smelled the fragrance on her body, which was more alluring to him than any floral or fruity fragrance.
Qi Jiao thought Pei Xia's rubbing action was just like the cat she had raised in her previous life.
It was so ticklish that Qi Jiao couldn't help laughing.
After Pei Xia had enough fun, he slowly raised his head. His eyebrows and eyes were as charming as the rising mist.
He stroked a strand of Qi Jiao's black hair and whispered in her ear, "Jiaoniang, let's get married."
Qi Jiao was stunned. She was puzzled. "Get married? Haven't we already been married once?"
Pei Xia shook his head. There was tenderness and guilt in his eyes. "Fate has played a cruel joke on us. I want to give you a better wedding, a wedding that is more worthy of you."
He added, "I've thought a lot these days. If I let you live with me muddle - headedly, bearing the name of a substitute bride, I would never forgive myself. It's too unfair to you."
Qi Jiao's mind was in a mess. She felt a thousand emotions welling up in her heart. After a moment, she said, "Isn't it too soon?"
Pei Xia was unhappy. "Too soon? Don't you want to?"
Suddenly, he felt a bit aggrieved. Did Jiaoniang not like him? Did she not like him enough?
Seeing his sudden change of expression, Qi Jiao quickly said, "No. Getting married is a major event. There are too many things to prepare and arrange. And it costs a lot of money."
Pei Xia's expression softened a bit. He took her hand. "You don't have to worry about the money. Leave everything to me."
Qi Jiao glanced at him. "Really? I'd like to see what kind of surprise you can come up with."
Her charming and coquettish look made Pei Xia love her even more. He got the idea of teasing her and reached out to tickle her waist.
Qi Jiao didn't expect him to tickle her. She laughed uncontrollably and grabbed his hand to tickle him back.
While they were laughing and playing around, they fell on the couch together. "… Hahaha, no! Stop… Pei Xia! Let go of me…"