With a look of curiosity, Qi Huan opened the outer packaging of the two express boxes and unpacked them one by one.
The first package was a set of skincare products, which Qi Huan had seen the price of over two thousand yuan on a certain shopping site. This package had almost used up all of her accumulated points, so she could only redeem two packages this time.
The second package was a box of sweet potatoes.
Qi Huan was delighted, as sweet potatoes were a high-yield crop!
However, she didn't know how to grow them, and the climate in Mo County was not very suitable for growing them either.
She gazed at the sweet potatoes wistfully: "Are you destined to become roasted sweet potatoes?"
As she looked at them, she suddenly remembered the handmade sweet potato noodles and sweet potato starch her mother-in-law used to make.
Huh? Sweet potato... starch!
Her dream of making spicy snacks was finally within reach!
Although there were many kinds of spicy snacks, she had only made one kind in her previous life, which required main ingredients such as rice, flour, starch, chili powder, and five-spice powder.
Qi Huan's spirits instantly lifted, and she decided to make the starch first.
Without further ado, she sprang into action.
First, she washed the sweet potatoes, peeled them, cut them into small pieces, and then pounded them into a paste using a stone mortar.
Just this step alone nearly exhausted her patience.
After pounding for a while, her arms started to ache. A little while longer, and her palms were sore from the rubbing.
The new wooden pestle wasn't smooth yet, and a little splinter got stuck in her palm, causing her to let out a yelp of pain.
Hearing her cry, Li Shuchen's pupils suddenly contracted, and he set down his book and hurried to the kitchen.
"What's wrong?"
"I got a splinter stuck... Li Shuchen, please help me get the tweezers. I need to pick it out."
A moment later, Li Shuchen brought the tweezers, but instead of handing them to her directly, he gently held her hand in his palm and carefully picked out the splinter.
Qi Huan gazed at his focused expression, and her heart skipped a beat again. Thankfully, the small splinter was quickly removed, and she hastily withdrew her hand, taking a step back.
Just as she was about to pick up the pestle and continue, Li Shuchen took it from her.
"Let me handle this kind of heavy work from now on."
With that, Li Shuchen began forcefully pounding the sweet potatoes. With his help, Qi Huan felt much relieved.
She squatted nearby idly, taking out two more sweet potatoes from her space and tossing them into the fire pit, burying them under the ashes to roast.
By sunset, Li Shuchen had helped her pound all the sweet potato chunks into a paste. At the same time, the sweet potatoes she had buried in the fire pit were now roasted.
Peeling off the blackened outer skin, the soft, sweet roasted sweet potatoes made Qi Huan's mouth water.
She eagerly took a bite, and the delicious flavor instantly delighted her taste buds.
Noticing the black ash on the corner of her lips, Li Shuchen unconsciously raised his finger and wiped it away for her.
When he accidentally touched her warm, tender lips, Li Shuchen suddenly felt a thirst in his throat.
The atmosphere around them gradually heated up, and Qi Huan's lips and cheeks where he had touched her also felt hot.
"I... I'll continue making the starch."
Finding an excuse, Qi Huan averted her eyes from Li Shuchen's smoldering gaze and busied herself with the task.
She poured the sweet potato paste into a cloth sack, squeezing out the excess water, and then washed it in a basin of clean water. After the second wash, she washed it a third time.
The wash water was poured into a tub and left to settle overnight, allowing the sweet potato starch to be obtained the next day.
Worried that the water might freeze, Qi Huan also bought a charcoal brazier and placed it next to the tub to keep it warm.
The next morning, Qi Huan eagerly ran over to see the fruits of her labor.
She scooped up the water with a ladle and poured it out, revealing the sediment at the bottom of the tub.
Using a spatula, she scooped out the sediment and spread it onto a cloth-lined bamboo tray to dry. Once completely dry, the sweet potato starch was ready.
With all the materials prepared, Qi Huan could finally make the spicy snacks she had been dreaming of.
The next day, she steamed a pot of white rice and pounded it into a sticky paste in the stone mortar. Then, she added flour, starch, cumin powder, five-spice powder, chili powder, and an appropriate amount of salt. Finally, she cracked an egg into the mixture and kneaded everything together.
As she kneaded, she gradually added a small amount of water at a time and continued kneading until the mixture became a smooth dough.
Sprinkling some flour on the cutting board to prevent sticking, she used a rolling pin to roll the dough into long, tongue-shaped strips. Then, using the back of a knife, she pressed down twice without cutting through, and on the third press, she cut through, forming the shape of spicy snacks.
Next, she steamed the snacks, taking them out after five minutes of boiling water and letting them cool for later use.
At this point, the basic form of the spicy snacks had been made.
Qi Huan's confidence grew, and she continued by heating oil in a wok, adding white sesame seeds she had bought from the grain shop, and then adding chili powder, cumin powder, Sichuan peppercorn powder, salt, and sugar. After frying the spices until fragrant, she poured in the steamed spicy snacks.
After mixing everything evenly, a pot of additive-free, colorant-free spicy snacks was ready.
Qi Huan couldn't wait to grab one and stuff it into her mouth. The familiar spicy flavor exploded on her tongue, and the more spicy it was, the more she wanted to eat, and the more she ate, the spicier it tasted.
Following the principle of sharing good things, she grabbed another one and ran into the living room, presenting it to Li Shuchen like an offering.
"Li Shuchen, try this! The super delicious spicy snacks, I guarantee you'll want more after trying them."
Li Shuchen put down the book in his hand, his gaze shifting from the spicy snack held between her fingers to her plump, reddened lips from the spiciness. Once again, he felt a desire to be closer to her.
Perhaps his gaze was too obvious in its intensity, as Qi Huan shrank back a little, hastily withdrawing her outstretched hand and trying to retreat.
"I just remembered that I've been so busy making spicy snacks these past few days that I haven't been to the noodle shop to check on things. I'll go to the noodle shop first, and I'll leave the spicy snacks in the kitchen for you to take and eat later."
Without waiting for Li Shuchen's response, she quickly turned and headed back to the kitchen.
She divided the spicy snacks into several ceramic bowls, covered them with cloth, and placed them in a basket.
After tidying up, Qi Huan picked up the basket and had just stepped out of the kitchen when she encountered Li Shuchen again.
"Together," he said naturally, taking the basket from her hand and carrying it at his side as they walked towards Qi's Noodle Shop.
Upon arriving at the noodle shop, it was the lunch rush, and the dining hall was particularly crowded.
Qing Ke and Qing Guo were continuously carrying food boxes through the dining hall, about to leave to deliver takeout orders.
For each takeout order, they could earn an extra two coins as a delivery fee, so the two of them were particularly happy to make the deliveries.
Seeing the satisfied customers and the energetic staff, the smile in Qi Huan's eyes deepened.
At this moment, some regular customers greeted her.
"Oh, Miss Qi is here."
"Good afternoon, Miss Qi, have you had lunch yet?"
Indeed, no matter the era, the universal greeting will always be: Have you eaten?
Qi Huan smiled and replied, "Not yet, I'll eat later."
Then, she pointed to the basket in Li Shuchen's hand and explained, "I've been busy developing new foods, so I haven't had time to cook. That's why I came to the noodle shop to eat noodles."
"Oh? New foods?"
The customers' curiosity was piqued, and many of them stopped eating and looked towards the basket.
Unfortunately, the basket was covered with a cloth, so they couldn't see what was inside.
Someone then urged, "Miss Qi, you've made something delicious again, quick, show us!"
