Chapter 075
Chapter 75: Sweet Steamed Egg Custard and Candied Egg Yolks
Early the next morning, Lin Yu Ning flitted around Second House’s courtyard like a butterfly, telling everyone she met as she said: “Listen to me! Sister Xiao Man’s Brown Sugar Mochi are the best thing on earth. Number one delicious!”
Lin Yu Jiao was drawing her brows in the mirror. At those words, her hand paused, and she shot a sideways look in the glass as she said: “Oh? In just a few days you’re calling her sister now? Who was it not long ago yelling that she and Elder Cousin were carrying on in the yard in broad daylight and shaming the Lin clan?”
Lin Yu Ning’s face flushed red in an instant as she mumbled a defense: “Well, I hadn’t eaten her pastries yet.” She scooted over to Lin Yu Jiao and shook her arm like a little flatterer as she said: “Second Sister, her mochi are too good! Let’s go ask her to make more, please?”
Before Lin Yu Jiao could answer, the eldest sister, Lin Yu Wan, who was reading a book to the side, spoke first without lifting her head as she said: “If you want to go, go yourself. Just bring some back for me.”
“Okay!” Lin Yu Ning perked right up as if she had received an imperial decree. She called for her maid, Chun Cao, and dashed off toward the Auspicious Cloud Residence.
When she arrived, she spotted Xiao Man tending flowers in the courtyard. She ran over, clung to Xiao Man’s sleeve, and looked up with shining eyes as she asked: “Sister Xiao Man, could you make me some more mochi?”
Seeing her greedy-cat face, Xiao Man looked a bit embarrassed and explained patiently: “Third Miss, making mochi is a little troublesome. The rice has to soak in water all night, and the house doesn’t have ready-made rice flour. I’m afraid I can’t make it today.”
Lin Yu Ning’s face fell at once, her little mouth pouting. Xiao Man quickly added with a smile as she said: “But the kitchen just sent fresh goat’s milk. I can make you Sweet Steamed Egg Custard. How about that?”
“Is it good?” Lin Yu Ning’s eyes brightened again. She leaned closer and asked, hopeful: “Really good, Sister?”
“It’s very good, and you can eat it right away. No waiting until tomorrow,” Xiao Man said.
“That’s perfect!” Lin Yu Ning clapped as she said: “Sister, please make extra! I’ll have Chun Cao carry some back for Eldest Sister and Second Sister to try.”
Warmth touched Xiao Man’s eyes as she said: “You’re a good little sister, always thinking of your sisters when you eat. Will you wait here in the yard, or go elsewhere and come back?”
“I’ll go pay respects to Grandmother and be right back!” Lin Yu Ning called, hitching up her skirt as she ran off.
Xiao Man went into the little kitchen and began to work with quick hands. For three bowls of custard, she used four eggs in each bowl, fresh goat’s milk, three spoonfuls of clear honey, and a tiny pinch of dried osmanthus. She took out three clay bowls, separated the eggs, and used only the whites for the custard, setting the yolks aside for something else. She loosened the whites with chopsticks, careful not to beat them too much or they would not be tender. Then she poured in the goat’s milk and honey and stirred gently.
The key step was straining the egg-milk through a fine silk sieve to remove any strings and foam so the steamed custard would be smooth as a mirror. She greased the inside of each clay bowl with a thin coat of lard to prevent sticking, then poured in the custard and covered each bowl with a wooden lid. When the water in the pot boiled, she turned the fire to its lowest and set the bowls in. She stayed by the stove the whole time, afraid that if the heat spiked, bubbles would form and ruin the texture. This was a delicate job.
While the custard steamed, Xiao Man did not sit idle. She steamed the leftover egg yolks over water, then pressed them into small round patties with a spoon. In another pot, she melted white sugar into syrup. She slid the yolk patties into it and stirred slowly over low heat. As the moisture evaporated, a snowy sugar shell formed on the surface. The Candied Egg Yolks were done. Not a bit of food was wasted.
Just as both treats were finished, Lin Yu Ning came back. Xiao Man brought out the still-steaming Sweet Steamed Egg Custard and the neatly arranged Candied Egg Yolks, packed them into a pretty food box, and handed it over as she said: “Third Miss, take these back and eat them while they’re hot. Next time you want mochi, just tell me a few days ahead.”
“Thank you, Sister Xiao Man!” Lin Yu Ning cried, hugging the box as she lifted her skirt and ran, as if one second late would make the treasure go cold. “Chun Cao! Keep up!”
Chun Cao chased after her, panting as she said: “Miss, slow down!” Lin Yu Ning called back without turning her head as she said: “Be careful! If you drop Sister Xiao Man’s treats, you couldn’t pay for them even if we sold you!”
She blew back into Second House like a gust of wind, and the three sisters sat down together at once. When they opened the box, a sweet scent of milk, egg, and osmanthus filled the room. The Sweet Steamed Egg Custard was smooth as jade. A gentle shake made ripples, and golden osmanthus petals dotted the top.
Lin Yu Ning scooped a spoonful and put it in her mouth. It melted at once. It was silk-smooth, tender, and lightly sweet. The goat’s milk flavor had been balanced by honey and osmanthus just right, leaving only deep dairy fragrance with no gamey smell. She squinted with happiness and said: “Delicious!”
Lin Yu Jiao tasted a spoonful, and her eyes changed. She then picked up a piece of Candied Egg Yolk. The outer sugar shell was crisp and sweet, cracking under her teeth. Inside, the steamed yolk was mealy and sandy in a pleasant way. The yolk’s savory richness and the shell’s sweet crunch made a wonderful contrast. So many layers of texture, yet not cloying. Truly rare and tasty.
“I never expected this Xiao Man to be a first-rate cook,” Lin Yu Jiao said, setting down her chopsticks with a complicated look. “I thought she was just a girl who climbed up by flirting.”
“Second Sister! You can’t say that,” Lin Yu Ning protested at once, bristling like a little animal guarding food. “Sister Xiao Man is not a fox spirit. She’s beautiful and cooks so well!” She pulled the box a little closer to herself and added: “If you keep badmouthing her, I won’t let you eat.”
“Oh, my good little sister,” Lin Yu Jiao laughed, reaching out to tap her forehead as she said: “After only two bites of her treats, you’re calling her Sister already? Who was it who used to shout every day about her ‘broad daylight indecency,’ hoping the whole house would hear?”
“I said I was wrong,” Lin Yu Ning shot back, quite sure of herself.
The eldest, Lin Yu Wan, who had been quiet, spoke slowly then as her gaze fell on her two younger sisters: “I don’t think Xiao Man is like the rumors say, some bad woman who seduced Elder Cousin. Remember that time with Qiu Ru Ying? If Xiao Man hadn’t been quick and warned us ahead of time, your dear friend Qiu Ru Ying would have been trapped by the Third Princess, and our Lin clan would have been dragged down with her.”
Hearing Eldest Sister say this, Lin Yu Jiao nodded and fell into thought as she admitted: “True. She is very different from the rumors.”