Transmigrated into the fat wife of the future prime minister

Chapter 195 Honey Date Cake

Sister-in-law Xu then stopped insisting and decided to go back.

Xu Qingmeng quickly called out, "Sister-in-law, wait a minute, we haven't paid for the dates yet!"

"We're family, why would we need money? No, no."

"No, no, one thing at a time. The dates were sold to the shop, and besides, the shop isn't mine. That won't do."

Finally, Xu Qingmeng paid the highest market price for the dates, since they were fresher, larger, and undamaged than those on the market. She felt perfectly justified in giving them to Xu Qingmeng.

Sister-in-law Su still felt she should stay, but Xu Qingmeng said it was alright if she was ruthless, so she had no choice but to give up.

After seeing the two off, Xu Qingmengniang wanted to help tidy up the courtyard, but He Shi and Xinting disagreed and told her to sit and rest.

After tidying up the yard, Yun Sheng and Yun Mo returned covered in mud, and Xin Ting quickly led them to clean up.

He and Xu Qingmeng exchanged a glance, and then went to the side room together.

Once inside the room, Madam He could no longer suppress her excitement and said, "Quick, Mengniang, let's see how much silver it is."

Subconsciously, He felt as if she had seen the banknotes before, but she couldn't quite remember when. Regardless of whether she had seen them or not, she was still quite excited.

Gu Yunyi was leaning against the bed reading a book when he saw his mother staring excitedly at his wife's cuffs.

Xu Qingmeng did not hesitate and took out the three silver coins from her sleeve and handed them to Madam He.

"The total is nine hundred taels, the same price we agreed on in the prefectural city. It's just that we've done a lot these past two days."

"Nine hundred taels? That much?" Madam He was stunned.

Xu Qingmeng knew exactly how much she had done, so she wasn't too surprised. She then walked to the dressing table and took out a small box.

"Adding what I had saved up before, it's about 1,500 taels."

"What?"

Mrs. He knew her daughter-in-law was wealthy, but she didn't expect her to have accumulated so much.

Xu Qingmeng opened the box; for convenience, she had already exchanged it for silver notes.

Mrs. He excitedly held the box, "So much money, I don't even know how to spend it!"

Xu Qingmeng smiled and said, "How could anyone not know how to spend money!"

“Yunyi and I had calculated that the location of the academy is relatively remote, but fortunately the courtyard is not that expensive. With this nine hundred taels, we should be able to buy a larger courtyard and a storefront without any problem.”

Ms. He's initial excitement vanished instantly.

This trip to the prefectural city will cost a lot of money, and she felt embarrassed. All of this was earned by her daughter-in-law herself. The whole family was supported by her pregnant daughter-in-law. It's really... not very considerate.

"Mengniang, I've also saved some money, it's all from the restaurant's revenue, I'll bring it to you later."

"No need, Mother, you can keep all of those. When Yun Sheng and Yun Mo go to the prefectural city, their education will cost money. They're already late, we can't delay any longer."

"That's enough!"

Gu Yunyi glanced at the two of them, who were so impolite, and muttered, "We're all family, why bother with these things?"

Before Xu Qingmeng could speak, Madam He turned to look at him and said, "Shut up!"

What right does someone who lives off his wife have to say such things?

Looking at her son, Madam He felt terrible and suddenly realized that her son was not good enough for Mengniang.

No matter how learned he is, it's useless. Without Mengniang, he would just be a poor, penniless scholar who can't support his family.

Xu Qingmeng suppressed a laugh, and then discussed the plans for the prefectural city with Madam He. The next day, Shen Jinwen delivered a batch of materials, and the opening date of the Gu family restaurant was postponed for a few more days.

However, Xu Qingmeng wasn't in a rush this time and planned to take her time, given her physical condition and Shen Ji's lack of a rush.

During this time, Xu Qingmeng also went to Jinxiuxuan and talked to the manager about the dates. Afterwards, she asked Xinting to cook a pot of candied dates in front of everyone.

Everyone in the shop studied very diligently. They had been fortunate enough to eat there once before, and it was truly wonderful.

Xu Qingmeng told them that she would come over and teach them how to make pastries with candied dates after she finished her work.

Once the chili oil was all prepared, Gu Family Restaurant opened for business.

Business was exceptionally good after being closed for several days. Xu Qing wanted to help, but He Shi and Xin Ting stopped her. Xin Ting would stay to help every morning, and then rush to Jinxiuxuan after the crowds thinned out.

That day, just as everyone finished cooking the jujubes, Xu Qingmeng arrived.

Xu Qingmeng plans to teach them how to make pastries with jujubes today.

Jujube cake is a traditional pastry with a soft, glutinous texture and a sweet taste. It is also relatively simple and not too complicated.

It is made by mixing glutinous rice flour and wheat flour in a certain proportion, adding sugar and water, stirring well, and kneading into a smooth dough.

Then cut the jujubes into small pieces, wrap them in the dough, press them into shape in a mold, and then steam them until cooked.

The steamed jujube cake has a soft and chewy outer layer, and the sweetness of the jujubes blends perfectly with the stickiness of the glutinous rice, creating a wonderful taste.

The enticing aroma and sweet dates made mouths water, and Xinting couldn't resist picking one up and tasting it.

Everyone was eager to make a move, but they were all trying their best to restrain themselves.

One bite reveals a slightly sweet exterior and a soft, tender interior—sweet but not cloying!
It’s so delicious!
So one after another.

Seeing her so unrestrained, how could the crowd possibly tolerate it?

"Don't finish eating, let me have a taste."

"And I!"

"I haven't even started eating yet!"

······
"It's so delicious, I couldn't resist."

"You!"

"Auntie, this looks simple, but it's really delicious."

"Mmm, it's soft and chewy, quite different from what I've had before."

Xu Qingmeng also ordered another type, jujube and walnut pastry, which has a crispy texture and is also quite nutritious.

It is made with candied dates, sugar, and other ingredients as the main components, and candied dates and walnuts are added as filling.

Cut the prepared candied dates into small cubes and set aside. Put the peeled walnuts into the oven and roast until fragrant. Remove them, let them cool slightly, and then chop them up and set aside.

Mix diced jujubes and chopped walnuts with an appropriate amount of sugar until well combined. Because of Xu Qingmeng's preference for certain textures, she added some white sesame seeds, which made the mixture even more fragrant.

Since she didn't have butter, she used lard instead. "You shouldn't add too much lard, because its flavor is quite strong. If you don't get the proportion right, it will mask the aroma of the dates, walnuts, and sesame seeds," Xu Qingmeng said as she cooked.

After the lard has softened completely, add powdered sugar and salt and stir well. Then add the egg liquid and continue stirring.

Sift in the flour and use a tool to mix it into a dough. "At this point, you can't use your hands, as this is not suitable for excessive kneading."

Let the kneaded dough rest for half an hour, then divide it into small portions, wrap the filling inside, flatten them, arrange them on a plate, brush the surface with egg wash, sprinkle with white sesame seeds, and then bake in the oven.

(End of this chapter)