The villagers were reassured, and the seaweed farming factory was on the right track. Li Ying finally put her mind at ease. She then sent people to the baozi shop and the remaining restaurants in the town with recipes, sharing all the ham and mushroom dishes she had cooked on the way.
She washed her hands, soaked the ham to remove the salt, stewed it for two quarters of an hour, and then leisurely started to bake pastries.
The chopped ham cubes were marinated in top - grade jujube flower honey overnight. When the sweet fragrance of the honey fully penetrated into every fiber of the meat, they were mixed with brown sugar, lard, and cooked flour.
The waxberry wine brewed by Li Ying herself in midsummer had been fermenting for more than three months. The wine had taken on the bright red color of the waxberries, looking extremely charming.
Using this fragrant waxberry wine to blend the filling, the ham filling was moist but not greasy, with a faint and lovely rouge color.
The dough for the ham pastries was kneaded with sugar - oil and alkaline water. It was filled with a generous amount of filling, rolled into a shape as round and cute as a crescent moon. Then, with a chopstick dipped in red yeast rice soup, five small red dots were dotted on each pastry for decoration.
The baked ham pastries were like beautiful women with a delicate flower decoration on their foreheads. The crust was crispy and melted in the mouth, while the filling was thick and chewy, with a perfect balance of saltiness and sweetness. Every bite contained soft ham grains, and when chewed carefully, one could taste the unique fragrance of the waxberry wine.
This was a new product Li Ying left for her own pastry shop. When the ham pastries came out of the oven, the whole long street was filled with a strong aroma of oil. Passers - by couldn't help but take a deep breath and eagerly stepped into the shop, eager to be the first to taste them.
Lu Xunguang knew that Li Ying had to take care of all the business in the town before she went to the capital, so he simply didn't bother her and stayed in the room, concentrating on researching new special drinks.
Among the souvenirs A Man gave to Li Ying, there were many kinds of cheese. The most novel one was what Li Ying called "milk fans".
The people from the Xikang and Hu regions tied the white cheese between two bamboo chopsticks and pulled it back and forth repeatedly until it became a uniform thin sheet. After drying, it was easy to store and carry.
When eating, one only needed to bake it soft again and sprinkle some brown sugar and honey on it.
Lu Xunguang didn't understand what Li Ying meant by "sticky" and "milky", but seeing her excited little face with her eyes full of shining stars as she ate, he knew that she must love this food very much.
Naturally, the new special drink used milk fans as the main ingredient.
To match Li Ying's ham pastries, Lu Xunguang was very creative. He added a little waxberry wine to the latte made with milk, whipped up a thick layer of milk foam, and finally decorated it with a grilled milk fan that smelled fragrant.
Although the special drink was brewed, he frowned and tasted it again and again, but always felt that something was missing.
The coffee was rich, the milk was creamy, and the milk fan left a lingering fragrance in the mouth. But when combined, they didn't create a particularly amazing taste. It was like a heavily - made - up courtesan. She was beautiful, but lacked charm.
He was troubled. He adjusted the proportions several times, but was still not satisfied.
From afar, he saw Li Ying obtain Yan Lianzhi's calligraphy. Su Buchi, a gentle and elegant gentleman, saw her off. The two seemed to be chatting happily. Lu Xunguang felt his hand tremble, and his heart also seemed to beat a little out of rhythm.
Caught off - guard, he accidentally smashed a clay pot.
Hearing the noise, Li Ying looked up and happened to meet his eyes.
Su Buchi said gently, "Miss Li, A Xun, I still have some luggage to pack, so I won't stay any longer."
He bowed slightly to Li Ying and then turned to leave, leaving only Lu Xunguang and Li Ying standing face to face.
Before she could speak, Lu Xunguang said seriously, "A Ying, it's not what you think. I... I never suspected you and Uncle Su's... It's just..."
He was eager to defend himself. He really didn't want to be seen as a narrow - minded and jealous person in A Ying's heart.
Li Ying saw seven or eight unwashed coffee cups piled beside him and immediately understood what was going on.
But she put on a straight face and deliberately asked, "You still say you didn't suspect? I just chatted with Uncle Su for a while, and you were so jealous that you smashed a clay pot! You're really so petty, Mr. Lu!"
"Mr. Lu, why don't you trust me? I'm really disappointed!"
She stamped her foot and turned around angrily. Lu Xunguang was anxious but didn't know how to defend himself. In his haste, he felt extremely flustered, and even his hands seemed to tremble more severely.
Seeing his state, Li Ying couldn't bear to tease him anymore. She finally put away her joking mood and poured a cup of hot tea.
She placed three fingers on his wrist, pondered for a moment, and said seriously, "Mr. Lu's pulse... In my opinion, your restlessness is mostly due to excessive caffeine intake, and a small part is because you're jealous when you see Uncle Su. Am I right?"
Only then did Lu Xunguang realize that the indescribable uneasiness in his heart was caused by drinking too much coffee. He nodded obediently.
After thinking for a while, he said, "A Ying... Seeing you chatting and laughing happily with Uncle Su, I..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Li Ying stood on tiptoe, and her soft cherry lips swallowed all the words he hadn't said.
"Of course I know that Mr. Lu is an open - minded person and not a suspicious and jealous one."
Her flexible tongue was like a naughty goldfish, tracing the shape of Lu Xunguang's lips and teeth, swimming back and forth proudly.
But within half a moment, Lu Xunguang took the initiative, grabbed the back of her head, and launched a fierce attack, making her surrender.
"Um..."
With great difficulty, she finally broke free from his iron - like embrace, out of breath. Lu Xunguang looked at her face as red as a waxberry, lowered his voice, and raised his eyebrows at her.
"So A Ying knew that my restlessness was just because I drank too much coffee, but still deliberately teased me and made me worry?"
His voice was a little hoarse. Li Ying secretly thought it was bad. She quickly begged for mercy and presented a basket she had hidden behind her like a treasure.
"Mr. Lu, Uncle Su told me that you were struggling with the recipe for the special drink, so I came to help you out of your predicament!"
Lu Xunguang looked and saw several strange - looking fruits in the bamboo basket. He took a deep breath and suppressed the restless throbbing in his heart.
"These fruits are called papayas. They are also from Xikang. Milk fans are made by boiling the sour juice of unripe green papayas with milk. Since you think the taste of the coffee lacks layers, why not try adding some papaya juice?"
Lu Xunguang's eyes lit up. His expression immediately regained its usual clarity. He took the papayas as if they were treasures. After grinding and clarifying them, he poured the juice into the latte again.
The refreshing fruit fragrance immediately resolved the heaviness of the milk. The coffee took on a bright and refreshing sour taste, with distinct layers.