Everyone was staying up late to work. Qi Jiao tied on an apron and went to the kitchen to prepare midnight snacks.
There was fresh durian at hand, so she could use it right away.
This would also save Li from having to endure the unique smell of durian.
The fire in the backyard kiln hadn't died out yet, which was perfect for making durian pastries.
Qi Jiao carried a large durian and scooped out the thick, golden flesh. She didn't throw away the spiky husk, thinking that it might come in handy for Xia one day.
Qi Jiao kneaded the dough with a smile, looking up at Pei Xia from time to time.
Pei Xia vaguely felt as if there were needles on his back. He wondered what about the durian made Jiao Niang so excited.
When it came to making durian pastries, Qi Jiao was very familiar with the process.
The most important part of making durian pastries was making the crispy pastry.
She stretched out her fair and clean fingers, mixed all the ingredients for the oil pastry evenly, and kneaded them into a dough.
Then she wrapped the oil pastry into the outer dough, flattened it, folded it three times, flattened it again, and folded it three more times. Finally, she rolled it into a round sheet, and the crispy pastry was ready.
Next was to make the filling. She made a soft and smooth filling with fresh durian flesh, paired it with the crispy pastry with distinct layers and an extremely flaky texture. She brushed a thin layer of egg liquid on the surface and baked it. The pastries were brightly colored and fragrant, making people's mouths water.
After the Ye family finished dinner, they came over to help one after another.
As soon as Aunt Ye entered the courtyard, she took a deep breath. "What's this smell? Jiao Niang is making something delicious again!"
Ye Geng and Jiang Yuniang came in hand in hand. "We came at a good time. We're in for a treat!"
Jiang Yuniang was holding Qin Jie'er in her arms.
The little one's nose twitched. She lay on her mother's shoulder, looking around as if searching for the source of the special fragrance.
Qi Jiao baked a large tray of durian pastries.
She asked Pei Xia to carry the tray out directly.
There were so many people in the family anyway, and they could finish them.
"Come on! Freshly baked durian pastries. This stuff should be eaten while it's hot!"
For a moment, everyone had one in their hand. The pastries were flaky and delicious in the mouth, sweet and crispy.
After eating, the faint smell of durian made people reluctant to leave.
Even Pei Li, who kept saying he wouldn't eat, was like opening a new world after taking a small bite. He ate six in one go.
Next to Pei Li was Fu Chengyi.
He ate five and a half.
Qi Jiao loved her little niece and broke the durian pastry into small pieces, feeding them to Qin Jie'er bit by bit.
Qin Jie'er was five months old and could have complementary foods other than milk.
The little one ate happily, smacking her lips constantly. As she ate, the pastry fell off.
This made Qi Jiao laugh out loud.
Aunt Zheng held the durian pastry and marveled. "This durian is really strange. It smells bad but tastes good. Made into durian pastries, it's so fragrant that one would want to swallow their tongue. Our Jiao Niang is really talented!"
Everyone laughed at her words.
Although they said they were staying up late to work, with so many people, they were really powerful. Before the third watch, a large number of fruits had been processed.
Qin Jie'er went to bed early, so Jiang Yuniang took her back after helping for a while.
After finishing the work, Pei Xia, Ye Geng and the other brothers loaded the fruits onto the carts by the way.
They left two baskets for their own consumption, and the rest were taken to the county town. Qi Jiao had a great use for them.
Qi Jiao noticed two large baskets of mangoes in the corner of the room. They were the ones Ye Geng had brought a few days ago. The green mangoes were turning yellow, and most of them were ready to eat.
Qi Jiao ordered, "Take the mangoes too."
The whole family washed up and fell into a sweet sleep.
The next day, two mule carts drove into Lingle County.
They left early. When they arrived at the store, Yao's steamed bun shop had just opened.
Yao brought out two large plates of stewed meat buns and a pot of sweet soybean milk.
Qi Jiao and the others had a delicious breakfast.
Then they started a busy day.
Fu Chengyi wasn't convenient to show his face.
Qi Jiao sent him to the backyard to squeeze fruit juice and boil coconut milk.
After Ge Fan arrived at the store, Qi Jiao asked him to quickly write a blue cloth sign, which read the special offerings for today, "Fresh Coconut Milk, Qingbueliang, Durian Pastries, Mango Sago Pudding."
Ge Fan was also amazed when he saw the rare fruits Qi Jiao and the others had brought back.
When Qi Jiao was making drinks, he watched and learned carefully beside her.
Coconut milk was relatively the easiest to make. "Fresh" meant it was the freshest, so there was no need to elaborate.
Let's talk about Qingbueliang first.
Qingbueliang was hailed as "the coolness on the tip of the tongue" and was once praised by Su Shi as "picking the sweet nectar from the coconut tree and bringing a bowl of white jade fragrance."
Qi Jiao skillfully grabbed some green beans, barley, taro, quail eggs, small glutinous rice balls, etc., and cooked them separately until they were just done. Then she fished them out and drained them.
She prepared brown sugar and boiled it into a sweet and thick brown sugar syrup.
She added sweet coconut juice, grabbed a little of each ingredient, put crushed ice in the bowl, or no ice at all, added the brown sugar water, and then put two spoons of tender white coconut meat.
There was no need to stir. The cold Qingbueliang was ready and could be served directly to the guests.
Qi Jiao made several bowls of Qingbueliang and let everyone in the store, young and old, have a taste.
Le took a bite of the coconut meat and squinted his eyes happily. "After eating the Qingbueliang made by the boss, I don't feel hot at all."
Shuangshuang laughed at him. "One bite of coolness. If you eat a whole bowl, won't you become an immortal?"
Le handed his share to Shuangshuang and took another small spoon for her. "Shuangshuang, you eat. Don't worry, it's all clean. I haven't touched it."
"I've already eaten. Who wants yours?"
Although Shuangshuang said she disliked it, there was a smile in her eyes. She ate it bite by bite from Le's hand.
Unexpectedly, this scene fell completely into the eyes of Madam Hua.
She frowned and wanted to step forward to interrupt.
But seeing her daughter's shy look as a young girl, a look she had never seen before.
Madam Hua couldn't bear to do it. She stopped in her tracks and pretended not to see.
---
Now let's talk about Mango Sago Pudding.
Sago was an edible starch made from the trunks and bodies of palm trees. Through processing, soaking, precipitation, and drying, the most traditional sago was extracted from the pith of the sago palm (also known as Shagu or Shagu) and made by hand.
The sago that was pure and white in color was called pearl sago. It was clean, smooth, and waxy, and quite nutritious.
Qi Jiao hadn't found this kind of plant in Lingle County for the time being.
So she used tapioca flour instead.
They were both starches, and the taste was similar.
When the sago was cooked until it was completely transparent, it was ready. She fished it out and let it cool for later use.
Then she cut the mango along the pit, made a cross cut on the pulp with a knife, turned the peel over, and cut off the bright yellow pulp.
She poured in milk and coconut juice and stirred them evenly.
After the sago had soaked in the milk for a quarter of an hour, she added mango juice, mango pulp, and a little honey. The taste was excellent.
Qi Jiao made the Mango Sago Pudding and asked Yindie to take it to the well in the backyard to chill.
After being chilled, the strong smell of mango and the fragrance of coconut juice were both brought out. Coupled with the smoothness of milk and the chewiness of sago, the taste was rich and the flavor was strong. It was a must - have cold drink for home and travel in the hot summer.
After the store opened, the heat was steaming outside.
The new products of Jiao Niang's Restaurant really attracted a lot of curious people.
Le stood at the door and shouted, "Our boss brought back fresh fruits from the small island of Qiongzhou. There are all kinds of snacks and drinks, with unique flavors and able to relieve the summer heat. Please come into the store and have a taste and a try!"
Sure enough, many old customers were tempted.
"Let's go. Let's go and have a look."
The whole afternoon was spent selling the new products.
Since Ge Fan wasn't very skilled yet, Qi Jiao stayed at the tea counter in the front to supervise.
She greeted the diners with a smile. Unexpectedly, she caught sight of a familiar face in the crowd.
Pei Xia saw Qi Jiao staring blankly. He turned to look and his expression immediately turned cold.