How to eat pineapple buns on the immigration ship

Chapter 269 Baking Bread on the First Day of Summer Vacation
"That's the whole story of how that soldier and my brother met."

Kagawa sat on the sofa in his classroom, sipping a straw as he briefly summarized what he had heard from Rivi and Xiangqi after dinner the previous night.

"...Wait, how did it suddenly jump from the officer going to the agricultural university to the end? Even AI novels online don't jump the plot this fast."

Aino accurately commented.

"There's nothing we can do. Yesterday they just said they bumped into each other at school by chance, chatted for a bit, and hit it off immediately. They also heard that the military officer had met me before, so Brother Xiangqi invited him to his house. Besides, he has nowhere to stay on the main ship right now, which is quite pitiful."

Upon hearing this, even Ouyang Yating and Liang Gong, who were standing silently nearby, almost choked on their half-finished juice and milk.

Ouyang Yating quickly recovered from her embarrassment and explained to Xiang Chuan in a serious tone:

"Cough cough...cough...Kagawa, our main ship isn't so poor that we'd mistreat the pioneering troops who've come from afar. From what I've heard, the government has arranged for them to stay in a high-end hotel on the main ship for an extended period. If they wish to stay here temporarily, the government will also provide them with housing subsidies according to our pioneering troops' welfare standards. It's definitely not a case of being pitied."

Liang Gong and Ai Nuo, who were standing next to him, nodded repeatedly.

"Huh? Is that so?" Kagawa was taken aback. "If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have let him stay. Judging from that soldier's attitude, it seems like he's planning to freeload at my house for a long time... No, I have to have my brother ask him for the food expenses."

As he spoke, Kagawa immediately opened his terminal and sent a message to Kagawa.

There's no time to lose. Soldiers' appetites have always been among the highest of all professions. Based on Kagawa's observations in the mess hall of the escort ship, and after watching Rivi devour three plates of beef fried noodles last night, and then casually eat four steamed buns and three pieces of cake while watching a live-streamed drama with Xiangxue and Linming, she has a clear understanding of the appetites of modern soldiers. She also knows that if she doesn't start charging for food soon, her family's food reserves will be completely depleted within the next three months.

What's more, there are also the people who will be staying here for an extended period during the summer vacation.

Kagawa blinked as he looked at his company members.

"That's not the point..."

Ouyang Yating held her forehead, while Aino and Liang Gong also had expressions that said, "These kids are hopeless."

In other words, during their stay at Kagawa's house, they would have to live under the same roof as that officer.

Will everything be okay?
The three of them were very uneasy.
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Kagawa didn't really take it to heart; all she could think about was the outdoor study tour and the first episode of "A Bite of China" that was going to air that evening.

She asked Little Star One and Little Star Two, who were on holiday and had come home with her, to help her take out the pre-fermented dough from the freezer and put it in the insulated food cart. She then led the three of them to the courtyard of the Xiang family mansion.

As summer vacation begins, the sun overhead becomes increasingly glaring, and the rising temperature makes people feel more and more uncomfortable. As a result, various cooling devices and summer resorts have become the first choice for modern people in the summer.

If you go to the commercial area now, you will see that almost everyone on the street is wearing long-sleeved clothing that covers their entire body, only exposing their necks and palms. If you didn't know better, you might think that they are wearing retro sun protection clothing from the 21st century or that some online serial websites have banned it.

Actually, that's not the case. The inner material of these clothes is sewn with a metal that is difficult to conduct heat, and there are also small cooling and dehumidifying devices on the neck, shoulders, thighs, etc. So the more tightly you wear them, the cooler you will feel.

As for exposed heads, there's even less to worry about. Hats of all shapes and sizes come with built-in mini cooling devices, which might even be cooler than the fabric inside your clothes.

So even in modern summers with temperatures reaching 35 or 36 degrees Celsius, many people are still willing to go out for socializing or leisure activities.

In the upscale residential area where the Xiang family lives, transparent cooling sheds are almost standard in the garden.
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Upon arriving in the garden, Kagawa guided the three of them in kneading and shaping the fermented dough. Since it was just an experimental baking process, Kagawa didn't restrict the shapes; as long as they weren't made into thin strips or flattened into round cakes, she generally wouldn't object.

This process was not unfamiliar to the three members of the Tongue Club. They had tried making steamed buns under Kagawa's guidance when they were doing club activities at school. Although the buns they made were either too thick and hard or had too much filling, causing them to break during steaming, at least they were not completely inexperienced.

So the bread-making process quickly came to the most crucial step—baking.

The Xiang family's oven was built outside the refrigerated shed. Xiang Chuan was unwilling to leave the comfortable air-conditioned area, so he directly instructed Xiao Xing No. 1 to help take out the baking tray from the oven, brush the bottom with oil, put the bread on it, and then wait for Aino to operate the oven's temperature control and start waiting for the bread to come out of the oven.

This time, Kagawa learned from his previous experience and specifically asked Aino to lower the temperature by two more degrees in an attempt to find the key to the problem.

The wait was long, and the simulated sun overhead gradually drew closer. Kagawa felt a little dizzy from the glaring sunlight. Although the glass of the cooling shed had built-in UV protection, Kagawa still chose to open the awning to block out the light.

Since the four of them had nothing better to do, they started talking about bread.

Will this bread really be as popular as steamed buns?

Liang Gong's sudden remark immediately drew everyone's attention at the table. Startled, he quickly explained:
"I... I mean, the ingredients for bread seem to be similar to those for steamed buns, just with more oil, salt, sugar, and the only difference in the heating process is that one is steamed over water and the other is baked in an oven. For consumers who are used to eating steamed buns, steamed buns seem to be more versatile and more attractive than bread... right?"

He spoke fluently, making Ai Nuo and Ouyang Yating nod repeatedly, but a question mark at the end almost made them lose their composure.

Well, at least there's some progress. This introverted child can now offer some theoretical insights. Ai Nuo and Ouyang Yating thought in unison.

As the only person from the pre-21st century who had actually eaten bread, Kagawa was still focused on the question raised by Yoshikyo. She picked up a small piece of fruit cake in front of her with a fork and said:
"According to this logic, isn't a cake just like a steamed bun, except that it contains eggs?"

"In the ancient Chinese culinary logic, an extra spoonful of sugar or a little less salt could drastically alter the texture of food. This is especially true for steamed buns and bread, which are prepared in completely different ways. Because the outer skin of steamed buns is not heavily seasoned, the filling is highly versatile; it can be savory, sweet, sour, or spicy, and can be purely vegetarian or purely meat-based. If you get tired of eating the same thing, there are steamed buns, which can simply satisfy your appetite."

"However, according to ancient records, bread, like steamed buns, has a long history of consumption. Unlike steamed buns, bread can be filled with various ingredients and its shape can be customized. For example, it can be sprinkled with scallions and baked to make scallion-flavored bread, or filled with cheese and ham and baked to make ham bread. It can also be made into crispy baguettes to be eaten with cream soup, or into dinner rolls, with lettuce, meat patties and sauces added in the middle to make hamburger sandwiches."

"Whether it's steamed buns or bread, in the ancient records I know, there is almost no claim that one side completely defeated the other; it's just a matter of regional eating habits."

"Moreover, even in countries and regions where steamed buns hold an absolute dominant position, there are still some enthusiasts who spontaneously make bread, which shows that this staple food itself still has considerable appeal."

"So since our market can accept cakes and steamed buns, it will definitely not reject bread either."

After rattling off a long string of words, Kagawa quickly took a big gulp of fruit milk to moisten her throat. Even in the cool shed with the air conditioning on at 26 degrees Celsius, looking out at the bright sunshine, she still felt that her throat was drier than usual.

Liang Gong and the others did not respond immediately. Instead, they turned to look at the oven that was gradually emitting white smoke not far away, quietly digesting the information in Kagawa's words.
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Twenty minutes later, four semi-carbonized loaves of bread were brought out by Little Star One.

Kagawa expressionlessly pulled apart the round loaf of bread she had kneaded. The good news was that only the top half of the bread was burnt this time, while the bottom half retained the familiar texture of bread.

The bad news is that the texture feels somewhat like a baguette.

Kagawa: I want to eat soft bread, not French reserve weapons!