On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Jiang Miao started making glutinous rice dumplings after lunch. After eating early today, she could go to the streets to watch lanterns in the evening. Although she had visited various temple fairs and lantern fairs in modern times, the ancient ones were still the first.
Jiang Miao was still very excited after her first visit.
In the north, they roll yuanxiao and in the south, they make glutinous rice balls. These are two different ways to eat them.
The fillings of Yuanxiao are on the hard side, and usually only have a single sweet filling and are often fried, while the fillings of Tangyuan are on the softer side, with many choices of salty, sweet, meat and vegetable options. After cooking, each bite is soft and glutinous, but not sticky to the teeth.
Jiang Miao didn't know whether the Shen family was in the south or the north. Wheat and rice were grown here, the temperature in winter was not high, and it was quite close to the capital. She guessed it was the Central Plains.
Jiang Miao made two kinds of fillings, black sesame peanut and bean paste filling.
Fry black sesame seeds and peanuts together and crush them on a stone grinder. Then add lard and sugar and mix well. Refrigerate outside for a while and wait for the lard to solidify, which will make it easier to wrap the stuffing.
Add glutinous rice flour to warm water and mix, knead it into a relatively soft dough, cut it into small pieces, round and flatten it, and wrap the fillings in it like making dumplings.
The Shen family had never eaten glutinous rice balls. They usually ate Yuanxiao during Chinese New Year and festivals. They looked at the white and plump glutinous rice balls made by Jiang Miao with a puzzled look on their faces.
"These glutinous rice balls look the same as Yuanxiao, but the way of eating them is very different, which is strange."
"Yeah, one is boiled and the other fried, there's a big difference."
The water in the pot boiled, Jiang Miao put down all the wrapped glutinous rice balls, and the glutinous rice balls rolled in the boiling water. When they all floated up, it meant they were cooked.
The black sesame seeds are sweet and glutinous, the bean paste is soft and sweet, and the glutinous rice skin wrapped around the outside just balances the sweetness. Not only Mrs. Zhang and others like it, but also Father Shen and his sons.
"The glutinous rice balls are still delicious. The fried yuanxiao is a bit greasy. Although this one is sweet, it is not greasy at all."
"Yeah." Shen Erlang nodded his head in agreement after hearing what Father Shen said. He also didn't like eating Yuanxiao which was disgusting, and wished he could choke to death.
Jiang Miao pursed her lips and smiled. She also felt that glutinous rice balls were more delicious. They were soft, glutinous and sweet and made her heart feel sweet after eating them.
She was thinking about something and her lips were touched by a spoon. Jiang Miao raised her eyes and saw Shen Yanqing scooping up a glutinous rice ball and feeding it to her mouth.
"You eat too."
Jiang Miao wanted to do it by herself, but Shen Yanqing was stubborn and insisted on feeding it to her. Jiang Miao had no choice but to open her mouth and bite it. The sweetness of the sesame melted in her mouth and was sweet to her heart.
"Is it delicious?" Shen Yanqing asked in a gentle tone.
"Yeah." She made it herself, how could it not be delicious? After all, it is her favorite taste.
Shen Yanqing was so satisfied that she took one of the spoons she had bitten. Jiang Miao's face turned red when she saw this.
He was too shameless in public.
Shen Yanqing still wanted to feed her, but Jiang Miao refused to eat anything this time.
"I'm full, you can eat it yourself!" There were so many bowls in the house, and she didn't want to share one with him!
Shen Yanqing looked at her blushing cheeks, her eyes full of endearment.
Well, he just teased her on purpose. When Jiang Miao is shy, she is as cute as a kitten with its furry hair, and she wants to be held in her arms and stroked.
Because they had to go shopping for lanterns, the Shen family had finished their meal early. Jiang Miao was wearing a bright yellow jacket today, which looked as pretty as a daisy. She stood next to Shen Yanqing in a white robe and a jade face. Not to mention they were a perfect match.
The Shen family knew what was going on and let Jiang Miao and the two go shopping by themselves, which was perfect for cultivating their relationship. They would never disturb them.
Jiang Miao looked shy and walked ahead of Shen Yanqing. The day before, the sky was already dark, the lanterns on the street were lit one after another, and the stars and street lamps in the sky reflected together. Jiang Miao felt like she had traveled through time and space.
None of this was what she saw on TV, but what she had experienced personally.
“It’s so beautiful!”
"Well, it's beautiful." Shen Yanqing looked straight at her with affection in his eyes. It was unclear whether he was talking about the scenery or the people. Jiang Miao's face was so hot that she didn't dare to look at him anymore. Her heart was uncontrollable. She was beating hard and gently covered her chest with her hands.
"Let's go take a look at the front."
As she spoke, her pace quickened. Shen Yanqing took her hand and held it tightly.
"There are too many people, don't get lost."
"Um."
There were many kinds of lanterns on the street, and Jiang Miao was dazzled by them as she walked around and ate them with a candy figure in her hand.
"This rabbit lantern is so cute, white and fat."
Jiang Miao's eyes were attracted by the rabbit lantern on the stall opposite. The fat body with red eyes was made of scraps of paper, making it look furry.
Not only Jiang Miao liked it, but there were also a circle of children and young ladies surrounding it.
"Boss, how do you sell this lamp?"
Shen Yanqing saw that she liked her and took the initiative to ask.
"Here, it doesn't cost money. If you guess the lantern riddle below, you can take it away."
The stall owner looked complacent. This rabbit lantern was his most satisfying work. He would not sell it casually unless he found a suitable person.
"Don't believe this gentleman. The riddles he poses have no answers at all. They are just for fun!"
The onlookers tried to persuade him, but they guessed it for a long time without even guessing it.
"Go, go, you can't guess it because you are stupid. I think this gentleman can definitely guess it with his talent!"
"Hmph, he can guess the answer if he looks good. What if he doesn't have a good brain?"
"Pfft!" Jiang Miao couldn't help but laugh out loud. In order to win the argument, these people even called Shen Yanqing a fool.
Shen Yanqing pinched her hand punitively. Jiang Miao's palms felt itchy and Shen Yanqing glared at her, not daring to laugh at him anymore.
"My husband is the smartest, I can definitely guess it!"
"Yeah," Shen Yanqing nodded slightly, and Jiang Miao sweetly flattered and encouraged him. He was very happy to hear this. She was bound to get this rabbit lantern.
It was only after Shen Yanqing got the puzzle that he realized why others couldn't guess it. Not only were the questions difficult, but there were too many.
The stall owner asked a total of ten questions. The first two questions were very simple, which gave everyone hope that they could answer them, but they became more and more difficult.
"There's one person on the left, one person on the right, and there's a row on top of the mound."
"sit."
"The wind is blowing and the sky is waiting for the night to come."
"Su."
"The clouds follow the wild geese and the word hangs."
"meeting."
"......."
As soon as the stall owner read out the riddle, Shen Yanqing figured out the answer after a little thought. The two of them went back and forth, and everyone around them watched happily.
"This young man is really smart and knowledgeable. I underestimated him just now. I'm really stupid!"
"Yeah, why haven't I heard of such a person before..."
"Don't you know, he is Shen Yanqing, the top candidate in last year's provincial examination!"
"It turns out to be him, no wonder..."
Everyone whispered, knowing his identity, they looked at him with admiration.
"Three mountains scattered beyond the clouds."
"Rise."
"All the answers are correct, Mr. Gentleman, this rabbit lantern is yours!"
Finally, someone got all the answers correct. The stall owner was so excited that he handed the lantern to Shen Yanqing.
Shen Yanqing took it and handed it to Jiang Miao with thanks, and then took Jiang Miao's hand and left amidst the praises of everyone.
