80s Transmigration: The Young Widow's Hustle to Riches-Chapter 132 - 129: Something Else in the Eyes

Remembering they were out of milk powder at home, she bought two cans from Li Wu. She also ordered some flour and glutinous rice, then carried everything over to the tree where Li Xiangyang was squatting.

"Xiangyang, Liqun has started making tofu too. Could you do me a favor and order a truckload of coal for me at the end of the month?" 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Li Xiangyang smiled and nodded. "Sure! We butchered a big fat pig today, and I saved the lard for you."

"Great! Now that it’s getting cold, save any good lard for me." Lin Lan thought for a moment, then added, "I’m planning to make pumpkin cakes today. When you close up your stall, swing by my place and take some back for Uncle Li and Xiuyun."

"Mhm!" Li Xiangyang produced a basket filled with gleaming white lard and four pig’s trotters. "Keep two for yourself and give the other two to Grandma Yang."

"You got it!" Lin Lan accepted it with a smile, paid for the lard, and started walking back with the basket.

Yang Liying had already packed up the stall. The two of them shouldered their carrying poles and headed home, passing several fellow villagers on their way back from selling vegetables.

When Lin Lan got home, Little Douzi was already back from school. As soon as he saw her, he said, "Mama, I finished all my homework before I came home."

"Mama has a lot to cook. Since you’ve finished your homework, take the pig’s trotters to Great-Grandma. After Dandan finishes her homework, ask Great-Grandma to come over with her to have some pumpkin cakes."

"Oh!" Little Douzi thought for a moment. "Mama, the fried pumpkin cakes are too greasy. They’re not good!"

"We’re not frying them today. I guarantee they’ll be even better than last time."

Yang Liying laughed and gave him a gentle pat. "You little rascal, you’re getting so picky. You’re saying fried pumpkin cakes aren’t good enough for you now?"

Little Douzi pouted. "Mama said I should give her feedback after eating her pastries so she can make them better!"

Beaming, Yang Liying scooped him into her arms. "You little smarty-pants! Well then, tell me, how are your third aunt’s tofu pudding and tofu?"

Little Douzi thought for a bit and said, "Mama says tofu pudding is delicious. It would be great if Third Aunt made some for us to eat."

Yang Liying gave him a doting kiss. "Alright, you want tofu pudding? That’s easy! Third Aunt will make some for you tomorrow!"

Little Douzi nodded eagerly. "Mhm! I’m going to take the pig’s trotters to Great-Grandma."

Watching Little Douzi leave with a pig’s trotter in each hand, Yang Liying sighed. ’The little one has been gone for so long,’ she thought, ’but I’ve never heard Little Douzi say he misses his dad, and he never asks where his dad went.’

’Was it because my brother wasn’t good to him when he was alive? Or does his little heart already understand that his daddy is dead and he’ll never see him again?’

At these thoughts, she rubbed her face sadly, then picked up the tofu cloth and mold and headed to the backyard.

Lin Lan washed her hands and went into the kitchen. Lin Yuezhen lifted the cover off the countertop, revealing a porcelain basin more than half-full of mashed pumpkin puree from three pumpkins.

"Sis, after you wash the things from the stall, please fire up the oven. I’ll get the pumpkin cakes ready to be baked."

Lin Yuezhen nodded and went to the backyard.

Lin Lan added beaten eggs and milk powder to the pumpkin puree. She then added flour and glutinous rice flour in several batches, followed by a small amount of powdered sugar. She mixed everything evenly and kneaded it into a smooth dough, then covered the bowl to let it proof.

Just as she was about to prepare the pig’s trotters, Little Douzi and Dandan arrived.

"Auntie, are the pumpkin cakes ready yet?" Dandan burst in like a little cannonball.

Lin Lan laughed. "I just finished mixing the dough. Are you done with your homework?"

Dandan nodded. "I finished. I even helped my little brother with his reading."

"Go play for a little while. Auntie will call you when they’re ready."

"Okay! Let’s go jump rope." The two of them ran out, hand in hand.

Lin Lan placed the two pig’s trotters directly on the stove flame, searing them until the skin was browned. She then used a knife to scrape away the bristles from the crevices and the tough outer layer of skin. After a thorough rinse with hot water, she opened a spring-loaded knife. She placed the blade on top of the trotter, between the two toes, and sliced forcefully downward, following the line of the joint.

In no time, she had broken the two trotters down into ten pieces, which she put in a pot of boiling water to blanch.

The old lady walked slowly into the courtyard. Seeing the radish seedlings and celery sprouting in the vegetable patch, she said with a smile, "Now that it’s getting cold, I have some cauliflower and stem mustard seeds. I’ll bring them over for you to plant here."

"Sounds great! After I harvest the potatoes, I’ll plant the whole private plot with stem mustard and pickle it for next year," Lin Lan said, bringing a chair over for her. "Please, sit for a bit. I’m going to check if the dough has proofed."

The old lady waved her hand dismissively. "You go on and get busy. I’ll go to the backyard and see those chickens you’re raising."

Lin Lan nodded. She went to check, and the dough had finished proofing.

She scooped out the dough, rolled it into a long log, and pinched off small, even portions. She rolled each portion into a ball, coated it in white sesame seeds, and flattened it into a round patty. Finally, she brushed the tops with a bit of oil and arranged them on a baking sheet to rest again briefly.

By the time she had filled all four baking sheets with pumpkin cakes, Lin Yuezhen had the oven ready. She put them in to bake for twenty minutes, then took them out.

The two children crowded around the baking sheet. "Mama! Auntie!" they cheered. "It smells so good!"

"Smells good, doesn’t it? I added milk powder and eggs, so they have a nice, milky flavor." Lin Lan used bamboo tongs to place one on a plate and handed it to Dandan. "Let it cool a bit before you eat."

"Mhm!" The two children carried the plate over to the steps.

Yang Liying stared at the golden-brown pumpkin cakes on the baking sheet, marveling, "The baked pumpkin cakes are so beautiful!"

Lin Lan smiled proudly. "They taste even better when they’re hot."

"Third Aunt, this is way better than the fried ones," Little Douzi and Dandan said as they came over, eating their pumpkin cakes.

The old lady nodded in agreement. "Fried food is hard to digest. These baked ones are much softer."

After trying them, Yang Liying and Lin Yuezhen also agreed they tasted better than the fried version and weren’t greasy at all.

Lin Lan packed some into a wax paper bag and handed it to Yang Liying. "Third Sister, take some of these back for Little Yun and the others."

Yang Liying accepted it with a smile. "Alright, I’ll bring you a few of the old pumpkins from my house."

"Not so fast. Let’s see how they sell at the stall for a couple of days. If the sales are good, then you can bring them over!"

"Okay!" Yang Liying left with a grin, holding the pumpkin cakes.

Lin Lan transferred the cakes from the baking sheet to a small bamboo basket. She tried one and thought it tasted even better than her previous attempts. Picking up the baking sheet, she said with a smile, "You all take your time and eat! I’m going to bake the rest."

’Let’s see,’ she calculated. ’Pumpkin is two cents a pound. Among the ingredients, only the sesame seeds, milk powder, and eggs are a bit pricey. After averaging out all the costs, if I sell them for twenty cents each, there’s still a good profit to be made.’

Just as she finished arranging the rest of the cakes on the baking sheets, the two brothers, Li Xiangyang and Wang Zhixue, walked into the courtyard.

Seeing the old lady, the two brothers said happily, "Great-Grandma, you’re all better!"

The old lady smiled and nodded. "Yes, I’m better. First time being hospitalized in all my decades." She then pointed to the pumpkin cakes on the table. "Xiangyang, come try Lin Lan’s pumpkin cakes."

"That’s exactly why I’m here," Li Xiangyang said with a laugh, walking over to sit in the bamboo chair next to her. Wangcai immediately trotted over, wagging its tail, and lay down beside him.

The old lady looked at him and gave him a mischievous wink. "Lin Lan is so clever with her hands. She can take things we’re all tired of eating and turn them into something delicious to sell."