Chapter 015 Delicious Dumplings

Gao Ren was the first one to jump out of the window, causing Feng Jian, who had just got up, to be blown with leftover snow on his face and head, instantly dispelling the last traces of sleepiness.

Lao Yang flashed a smile, but quickly closed the window. "What delicious food did Miss Lu make again? Living here for a few months, I'm afraid the old man will soon become too fat to walk."

Feng Jian unconsciously raised a slight smile. During busy times, he never knew that a good night's sleep followed by anticipating delicious food upon waking up was such a happy thing.

In the kitchen, Lu Xiaomi scolded and pulled Gao Ren out. "Eating without washing hands! Hurry up and wash up, or I won't give you breakfast!"

Gao Ren's anger surged. He shook his head, with his braids swaying, wanting to pinch the offending little girl to death, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, no matter how much he clenched his fist.

He angrily sniffed the aroma in the kitchen and then ran to the well, ignoring the bone-chilling coldness of the winter water. He lifted a bucket and started to wash vigorously.

He vowed to give that little girl a piece of his mind after this breakfast! But he heard they were going to eat frozen tofu for lunch—did he have to wait again?

Lu Xiaomi shivered, watching Gao Ren immerse his head in the water, and hurried back to prepare the noodles.

Wearing a padded jacket and wiping his face, Lao Yang, when he went to the kitchen to help, was startled by the two large bowls of dough. "Miss Lu, are you planning to... roll out the noodles?"

Lu Xiaomi wiped the sweat off her forehead and said with a smile, "Not exactly. I'm planning to make more dumplings and buns to send to the academy. My third brother can have them as a snack during his study breaks."

Lao Yang couldn't help but glance at the two hefty bowls of dough and marvel at her care for her brother.

So much dough—it seemed like they wouldn't finish it in a whole day...

"If you trust me, why not call us for help after the meal, Miss?" Lao Yang suggested.

Lu Xiaomi hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded. "Alright, then, thank you, Uncle Yang."

Lao Yang smiled and said, "Our young master also has skillful hands. Since he can't move his legs, making dumplings would be a good way to pass the time."

Lu Xiaomi didn't think much about it and said, "Sure, let's eat first, then."

Since entering the Lu family's door, it seemed that nearly half a month had passed in the blink of an eye, and Feng Jian had gotten used to having the whole family gather in his room for meals. If he had to eat alone like he did twenty years ago, it would be tasteless. Habits are indeed a terrifying thing...

But now, as he looked at the large bowls of bright white noodles with colorful meat sauce, green scallion, cucumber strips, and golden egg pancakes, he felt content, although his bowl was missing the spicy sauce.

He didn't say anything and followed the Lu brothers' example in mixing the noodles with chopsticks, but his eyes frequently glanced at everyone else's bowls.

Lu Xiaomi naturally noticed and quickly explained, "Brother Feng, half of the meat sauce contains chili. You still need to avoid spicy food due to your leg injury, so I apologize for the inconvenience."

Feng Jian arched his eyebrows, showing his dissatisfaction.

Gao Ren always found a way to oppose his master. Now, seeing his master treated differently, he was almost jumping with glee. He loudly praised, "This meat sauce is so fragrant, much better than the famous Liu family's meat sauce in Beijing!"

Unsurprisingly, Feng Jian's face darkened noticeably.

Lu Xiaomi shot Gao Ren a fierce glare. "Eat quietly, and if you cause trouble again, I won't give you dumplings for lunch!"

Gao Ren, annoyed, puffed up his cheeks, glared, and forcefully stuffed the noodles into his mouth.

As Lu Xiaomi continued to mix the noodles, she inexplicably felt soft-hearted and added a spoonful of meat sauce into Feng Jian's bowl.

Feng Jian looked up, his eyes brightening for a moment. He made Lu Xiaomi blush and whispered, "I can only eat half a spoon; any more will be too much. I have to take medicine later, so I must avoid spicy foods."

Feng Jian nodded, but as he lowered his head, a smile crept onto his face.

The fried meat chunks, mixed with a bit of oil, had a slightly burnt aroma, combined with the spiciness of the chili, the freshness of scallions and ginger, the saltiness of bean paste—all wrapped around the thin noodles. Every bite felt as though all the delicacies in the world were possessed by his stomach—truly satisfying.

Gao Ren, seeing his master enjoying the food, annoyed, scooped up a large spoonful of meat sauce...

After finishing a large bowl of boiled noodles for breakfast, Lao Yang helped to clear the dishes but didn't move the table.

When Lu Xiao San was about to do it, Lao Yang stopped him with a smile. "Third Young Master, Xiaomi wants to bring dumplings and buns to the academy with everyone."

"Dumplings?" Lao Da and Lao Er, who were just about to leave, were overjoyed and turned back. Instead of being annoyed, they were extremely pleased.

Only Lu San wrinkled his brow and asked, "I'll be back at the academy within a month; isn't it too much food?"

But Lu Wu rubbed his hands and laughed. "Not at all, not at all. Xiaomi's fillings are the best. If you think it's too much, I’ll eat more for you on the way back."

Lao Lu gave his younger brother a rough pat on the back and was about to speak when Xiao Mi came in with a basin, followed by Lao Yang carrying the minced meat.

Feng Jian had been leaning on the quilt, holding a book, but upon seeing this, he furrowed his brow slightly and put the book down.

Xiao Mi greeted everyone to wash their hands and then began to organize the dough, knead the dough, and roll out the dough.

Including Gao Ren, the men and boys sat around the table, each holding a round dumpling skin, looking tense as if facing a formidable enemy.

Xiao Mi skillfully spread a spoonful of oil-coated pickled cabbage and pork filling on the dough, deftly pinching and shaping it into a beautiful dumpling.

Everyone thought it looked easy, but when they tried it themselves, they found it was indeed as the old saying goes, "It's easy to watch but hard to do."

"Oh no, it's leaking, it's leaking!"

"Girl, the dough is too small, it won't fit!"

Xiao Mi turned into a firefighter, reducing the size of the big-bellied dumplings in her second brother's hands, and then shooing away Gao Ren's sneaky hands trying to steal the meat filling.

After much effort, everyone finally managed to get the hang of it. When Xiao Mi turned around, she noticed that Feng Jian had already made two dumplings. Although they were not as beautifully shaped as hers, they were still neatly done.

Unable to contain herself, she laughed and said, "Oh, Brother Feng, what a skillful hand you have. No wonder Yang Bo praised you this morning!"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked over, expressing their envy and jealousy.

Feng Jian didn't respond, but a hint of redness appeared on his ears, and there was a touch of pride in his eyes and at the corners of his mouth. He then became even more focused on achieving perfection.

With fewer people, the meal was more enjoyable, and with more people, the work was easier. Xiao Mi was in charge of rolling out the dough, and everyone else started making dumplings. By the end of the morning, they had filled six large sorghum stalk baskets with dumplings. Xiao Mi had initially wanted to suggest making buns as well, but seeing that everyone seemed to prefer dumplings, she didn't bring it up.

The largest iron pot in the kitchen was filled with hot water, and as the water bubbled, the dumplings were cooked. They sank into the water for a moment and then floated to the surface, looking like cute little white geese.

Gao Ren squatted in front of the stove, claiming to be tending the fire, but in reality, he kept grabbing dumplings from the pot to check if they were cooked, much to Xiao Mi's constant surprise. In the end, she discovered that his hands hadn't been scalded by the hot water at all.

Once the dumplings were on the table, everyone had already prepared garlic sauce and other condiments.

Even Lao Lao, who hadn't been out for several days, was present. Although he looked tired, his chopstick skills were not lacking.

Xiao Mi was delighted and kept urging everyone to eat more.

In the mountains, every household was accustomed to pickling cabbage at the end of August or the beginning of September. Larger families often filled two large pottery jars, while smaller families used a small jar.

At this time, the pickled cabbage had been fermenting for over two months, and it was at its crispiest. With few fresh vegetables available in winter, cabbage and radish dumplings tasted too bland, so when Xiao Mi prepared the filling last night, she hesitated for a while before deciding to use pickled cabbage.

When she used to sell candied haws, she would reward the younger ones by making buns with sweetened bean paste. Now, she could only use more lard and bone broth to make the filling.

Unexpectedly, when the dumplings were cooked, biting into one would release a scalding soup, similar to the soup dumplings from the south.

After a tiring morning, everyone enjoyed the fruits of their labor and felt extremely satisfied.

Seeing Gao Ren constantly peeking at the dumplings outside that had been shaped by the wind and frost, Xiao Mi quickly finished her bowl of dumplings and ran to pack the frozen dumplings into a cloth bag. This annoyed Gao Ren, who rolled his eyes and cleared the table of all the remaining dumplings.

After the meal, everyone was too full to move, and the empty plates and bowls continued to occupy the table.

It was at this moment that a visitor arrived at the house.

Liu Xiao Dao carried a black iron object into the courtyard and called out, "Xiao Mi, look what I've brought for you."

Xiao Mi came out and took a quick glance before exclaiming, "Oh, Xiao Dao, has Uncle Liu already set up the stove so quickly?"

"Of course, I also helped out on the side."

Liu Xiao Dao's bright smile and shining white teeth glistened in the thin winter sunlight, causing Feng Jian, who was peeking through the window, to find it somewhat dazzling.

Fortunately, Xiao Mi circled around the black lump a few times and said, "Take this stove to my third brother at the academy first. As for the other one, you can leave it in Brother Feng's room. There's no rush. Tell Uncle Liu not to overwork himself. It's fine if it takes a few days."

With that, she ran to the kitchen and handed a bowl of dumplings to Liu Xiao Dao, saying, "We were making dumplings at home, and I was just thinking of taking some to Aunt Liu. Your visit is perfect, saving me the trouble of running around."