Chapter 080
Chapter 80: Plum Pastries and Almond Custard
After they bought all the ingredients and headed back to the manor without trouble, Xiao Man finally let out a long breath.
As soon as the carriage stopped, Black Cat Tuan Tuan shot out like an arrow, sprang onto the high wall, and swaggered into the manor; watching that nimble shadow, Lin Qing Xuan said coldly: “Wicked beast, there is a door, yet you insist on climbing walls.”
Xiao Man bit back a laugh and said softly: “Cats are born loving freedom.”
Buddha’s Chosen glanced at her and said: “So you speak up for it now.”
Xiao Man stuck out her tongue, grabbed her little basket, and dashed to the small kitchen, because if she said one word more, this big Buddha would start arguing again.
After Chen Shi stacked the big and small bundles neatly in the kitchen, he ran off to find Granny Chen and said excitedly: “Mom, guess what, at the market today, Eldest Grandson Young Master held Xiao Man’s hand, and Xiao Man didn’t pull away!”
Cracking melon seeds with a look of I knew it all along, Granny Chen said: “Isn’t that normal?”
Old Chen, pipe stem between his teeth and eyes half closed, asked: “Eldest Grandson Young Master wore casual clothes today, right?”
Chen Shi nodded hard and said: “Casual clothes, yes.”
Old Chen finally let out a breath and said: “Good.”
Suddenly slapping her thigh, Granny Chen burst into laughter and said: “If he wore monk robes and held a little Miss’s hand, now that would be shameless. The teahouse storyteller even has that bit about the ‘handsome Monk eloping with his wife’.”
Old Chen’s face went dark as he glared and said: “You hush. I worry he will give people gossip, and you think up all kinds of nonsense.”
When the laugh was out of her system, Granny Chen wiped her eyes and asked: “So why did you all go to the market today anyway?”
Scratching his head, Chen Shi said: “Eldest Grandson Young Master said the Miss wanted to make almond custard, so he took her to pick out ingredients.” Then he remembered something and quickly added: “Oh, and the Young Master asked you to make a few jars of preserved plums. He said Xiao Man is craving them.”
Granny Chen froze and said: “Where would we get fresh plums this season?” She muttered as she turned to rummage through a cabinet in the corner. In a moment, she carried out a small clay jar and said: “But I still have half a jar from last year. The flavor is rich now. Take it to Xiao Man to satisfy her craving.”
Perched on the wall, Black Cat Tuan Tuan elegantly licked a paw, its golden eyes watching the busy figures in the kitchen. With a flick of its tail, it dropped to the ground without a sound and slipped into the shadows. It felt that behind this short spell of calm, an unseen current was creeping in. Lin Qing Xuan and Xiao Man had been followed.
Seeing the half jar of preserved plums, Xiao Man’s eyes lit up. She thought to herself: [After the almond custard is done, I’ll make some plum pastries so everyone can have a treat.]
They had bought plenty of ingredients today. She planned to send portions to the three Cousin Misses and also let Old Madam taste something fresh.
She poured the sweet almonds into a basin to soak and peel. The blanched almonds turned snow white and full. She put them with a little soaked glutinous rice into the stone mill and began to grind. Soon, milky white liquid slid from the groove of the mill, and a light, sweet fragrance spread through the air.
When she finished, Xiao Man strained the almond milk through fine gauze, removing every tiny bit of grit. The key step came next: cooking the milk. Almonds have a slight toxin, so it must be brought fully to a boil and cooked through. Standing at the stove with a focused look, she used a small wooden spoon to skim off the white foam as the milk rolled.
Sometime during this, Lin Qing Xuan had changed back into casual clothes. He stood quietly in the doorway, the corners of his mouth tipped with a smile he did not notice. Xiao Man cooking this seriously looked bright and alive. She was not the careful, overly humble girl she used to act like in front of him. It was a kind of beauty steeped in the steam of daily life.
Watching, he walked in and reached to wipe the fine sweat at her temple. Startled, Xiao Man stepped back and said: “Eldest Grandson Young Master, what are you doing? The kitchen is greasy and not clean. Please go out.”
His hand paused in midair, yet he did not leave as he said: “I can help.”
Xiao Man did not believe that and thought: [You only know how to chant scriptures and talk big. Help? I’ll thank the heavens if you don’t make a mess.]
“I can do more than chant. I can help,” Lin Qing Xuan said with a hint of stubborn pride.
Xiao Man went stiff and thought: [Great, so I can’t even mutter the smallest thing now?]
Turning to glare, she said: “Eldest Grandson Young Master, your ability to hear my Heart Voice leaves me with no privacy.” It felt unfair that he could hear hers while she could not hear his. She thought again: [And the Empathic Link that time too. I was so mad I whacked your head, got scared and forgot the pain, but once I calmed down, that dull ache followed Lin Qing Xuan for days.]
“This… I can’t control it. The words are right in my ears,” Lin Qing Xuan said helplessly. “As for you not hearing mine, I will check the archives when I return and see if there is a way to let you hear me too.”
Xiao Man felt his thinking was upside down and said: “Who wants to hear yours!”
She spun back to the stove, still annoyed. Her mind slipped, and her hand did too as she yelped: “Ah!” A drop of boiling almond milk splashed onto her fingertip. She hissed and pulled her hand back. At the same moment, Lin Qing Xuan sharply felt the same sting at his own fingertip. His face changed. Not caring about himself at all, he stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and plunged it into a wooden basin filled with clear water.
The cold bit her skin and made her shiver. She glared at him and said: “This is your fault. You distracted me, and I got burned for nothing.”
Looking at her reddened fingertip, he felt both pained and guilty and said: “I’ll get mint balm.”
“Don’t,” Xiao Man refused at once. “It’s a small burn. You should leave now. I’m going to knead dough for pastries, and if I use mint balm, all the dough will taste like mint.”
Worried still, Lin Qing Xuan asked: “And your hand, is it really fine?”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Please go out now, be good,” Xiao Man said, soothing him as if he were a child.
“Alright, I’ll listen,” he said, giving her a deep look. “If anything happens, call me right away.”
Xiao Man nodded several times and ignored him. Inside she shouted: [Go, go, you are a total hassle.] Lin Qing Xuan’s steps faltered. In the end, he turned and left the small kitchen.
The fire under the stove then leaped happily against the pot, and the almond milk boiled again. Xiao Man mixed a bit of glutinous rice flour with water to thicken it, stirring gently with long chopsticks as the almond milk grew more and more thick and silky, close to a half-set custard. At the end, she added yellow rock sugar for color and sweetness. The almond custard was finally done.
The sweet smell boldly pushed out of the small kitchen, making mouths water. A cheerful voice came from the doorway as Granny Chen poked her head in, eyes fixed on the creamy custard, and said: “Oh my, what good thing is this? The smell alone stops this Old Granny’s feet.”
Xiao Man laughed, ladled the custard into bowls, and set three green porcelain bowls heaped high for Granny Chen’s family as she said: “Nanny Chen, there is plenty today. But be careful, it’s hot. Let it cool a little before you eat. If it isn’t sweet enough, add more sugar yourself.”
“Sweet enough, sweet enough. Old Granny loves it sweet,” Granny Chen said with a broad grin as she took the tray carefully. “Xiao Man, your skills are amazing. This is no worse than what the Head Chef’s dessert Master makes.”
She was about to leave when she remembered something and asked: “Could I bring a bowl to Granny Wang who does the cleaning?”
“Of course,” Xiao Man said, bright and quick. “I made a big pot. Come back for more when you finish.” Then she added while pulling out flour: “Nanny Chen, I have a favor. Could Shi Tou run to Old Madam’s yard to call Dong Chun over for almond custard? I’m making pastries next. When they’re done, you come get some too.”
The pastries she wanted to make were a bit like modern cookies. Half her sweets skills came from her Aunt, and half from dessert classes she paid for long ago. Mixing old and new, her treats had a special taste.
She stepped on a stool and took several carved molds from a high shelf: twin fish, lotus pods, and smiling faces. She thought: [This Heir Apparent Manor is really wonderful.] Then she sighed inwardly: [Outside, where would I find ingredients this complete? Even fine white flour isn’t easy to buy. All this is paid for with silver.]
She looked at the prepared items on the board: flour, sesame oil, honey, fresh elsholtzia juice pounded from the herb, a half jar of clear preserved plums, and, for decoration, osmanthus blossoms and sesame seeds.
Fine flour sifted through silk fell into a green porcelain basin, piling up like a small snow mountains. Xiao Man rolled up her sleeves and poured sesame oil into a clay pan. The coals licked the pan. Tiny crab-eye bubbles rose on the oil with a gentle sizzle. She tipped her wrist, and the hot oil rushed into the flour mountain. Chopsticks spun fast in her hand as the flour shreds wrapped amber oil beads and tumbled. A warm aroma drifted past her damp hairline.
When the oiled flour cooled to warm and soft, she streamed in golden osmanthus honey, dipped her fingers in the clean green elsholtzia juice, and kneaded. The dough gained strength and became a heavy, smooth ball.
She dusted the elm board with a fine coat of flour and rolled the dough with a jujube-wood pin. As she leaned in, the earrings at her ears swayed. The sheet went so thin you could see the wood grain beneath, about the thickness of three sheets of paper, as even as a full moon.
Before she could call, Dong Chun’s voice arrived first as she burst in like a little whirlwind and said: “Xiao Man, is there a bowl of almond custard for me?”
“Perfect timing. Don’t just eat. Come help with pastries,” Xiao Man said, pushing a mold to her.
Dong Chun oiled the molds carefully. She picked a pear-wood mold carved with twin fish, pressed it onto the dough, and lifted with a neat twist. A glossy dough flower bloomed on the board. Then lotus pods, then smiling faces. Soon the board was covered with shapes. She lifted one. Sunlight shone through the thin dough, showing a fine honeycomb of bubbles like silk weave and said: “Xiao Man, this dough is so thin. Once it hits oil, it will be shatter crisp.”
Xiao Man set the pot and poured in oil. Dong Chun leaned closer to remind her and said: “Make sure the oil is hot enough, or it will waste such good pastries.”
Xiao Man answered “Mm,” eyes on the oil. Fine bubbles rose. She slid a dough flower into the oil. Sizzle. A golden edge shot across the thin sheet like dawn breaking mist. The pastry rolled in amber oil, puffing into a pretty honeycomb. In about thirty heartbeats, it floated up, golden like a little cloud. The honey-sweet smell shoved past the oil smoke and took over the kitchen.
The irresistible smell drew Granny Chen’s whole family and even Lin Qing Xuan. Xiao Man said to Granny Chen, who came to help: “Nanny, please bring a few bamboo racks. We need to thread the pastries and hang them to cool.”
“Right away,” Granny Chen answered as she went to fetch the tools. Clinging to the door frame, Shi Tou craned his neck, Adam’s apple bobbing as he begged: “Mom, let me taste one first.”
Granny Chen widened her eyes and scolded with a smile: “Greedy little monkey. Eldest Grandson Young Master hasn’t eaten yet. You dare steal?”
Old Chen tapped his pipe bowl on the door frame and said lazily as he came in: “Well now, this smells so good my tobacco has no taste anymore.”
At the stove, Xiao Man dipped and lifted the strainer. A net of golden pastries hopped into the plain clay basin in Dong Chun’s hands. Dong Chun pinched the hot edges with two swift fingers and flicked off the oil. With colorful thread, Granny Chen used her thin but nimble fingers to string the pastries through the tiny holes Xiao Man had poked earlier with a hairpin. After the hot oil bath, the holes looked neat and clear.
Eyeing the pretty strings, Dong Chun said a little sadly: “We’re missing rose jam. Brush on a layer and it would be perfect.”
Xiao Man’s eyes turned as she said: “What if we try the preserved plums Nanny gave me? Put one on each pastry. Sweet and sour might be a nice surprise.”
“Preserved plums?” Dong Chun’s eyes lit at once as she said: “Oh my, with preserved plums too? Xiao Man, you are clever. Who would think of that!”
Lin Qing Xuan stood in the doorway without a word, watching Xiao Man command the busy room, a bright spark on her face. Wherever she went, she glowed. She carried the fierce warmth of a life lived fully.