Chapter 278: Simple Kneading Machine
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Xueye nodded enthusiastically. Now that he had found his passion, he had something he genuinely wanted to do.
Madam Zhou was thrilled and insisted that Su Binglan join them for lunch, but Su Binglan politely refused because she still needed to go home and check on something.
Since that was the case, Madam Zhou did not push further. She held Su Binglan’s hand and said, “Don’t worry, Binglan. I’ll tell Zhengde about your factory when he returns.
“Your uncle has two construction teams, too, so he’ll have no problems arranging a team for your factory. Zhengde can still build more teams, even if he’s too busy.”
Most villagers knew Su Zhengde had built a team of construction workers. They even sought him because of his reputation and wanted to join him. However, Su Zhengde was too busy, so he planned to teach his three sons to lead their own teams. Therefore, he would not have to focus on too many things at once—instead, he could take things one step at a time.
That was because his reputation had spread too fast, and he could not keep up with too many projects.
Su Binglan nodded. “Yes, I think Xueye is ready to handle his own construction team. Xueye, you can ask your grandfather for help if you need it. Learning through practice is the fastest way to improve, after all.”
Su Xueye felt touched when he heard that. Madam Zhou nodded, saying, “I’ll tell your uncle about this, Binglan.”
When Su Binglan reached home, her mother had already prepared lunch. Meanwhile, Su Fengmao and Su Wenwu also returned with their hoes. The father and son duo were exhausted from working all morning.
“Mother, I’m famished.” Su Wenwu did not have much strength left when he got home.
Su Fengmao smelled the food and said, ‘You made something delicious, didn’t you? It smells delicious.”
Shen Qiuhua removed the pot lid and said, “I made braised pork and spicy chicken. I just made it and was afraid it would get cold, so I placed it in the pot to reheat it. I knew it would be just right as soon as you two got home. I also made some noodles and steamed buns.”
Su Wenwu got excited. “The steamed buns you just made smell great. Theyre soft and fragrant!
He felt tired, even though he was looking at the food. He could never bear to think about such foods in the past.
Meanwhile, Su Binglan helped her mother bring the food to the table. “Father, Wenwu, quickly wash your hands and feet. Then you can have some food.”
“Okay.”
The family washed up and sat around the dining table to eat. Su Fengmao and Su Wenwu did not care about anything else as they picked up the steamed buns and started eating.
“It’s so delicious! Your cooking skills have improved, Mother!”
Shen QIuhua explained smilingly, “Well, I learned everything from your sister, and now I can cook these dishes. Your sister is so busy these days, so we can’t keep depending on her to cook every meal.”
Su Wenwu spoke with a lisp as he ate, “Indeed, I want to learn how to cook too. Then I can help with the cooking in the future.
Shen Qiuhua nodded. “Yes, It’s always good to learn more.”
Since her family’s conditions had improved, Shen Qiuhua would no longer be stingy regarding food. She knew the family would be healthier if they ate more. Otherwise, they would feel exhausted and unable to eat their fill. If that went on for too long, their bodies would suffer.
‘My daughter is right. One can only work hard when one’s body is in good condition.’
Shen Qiuhua had experienced it herself. After Su Fengmao injured his foot in the past, he could not do many things. It was indeed a hindrance. However, if one’s body was healthy and fully functional, one could work hard and earn money.
Nonetheless, the family could earn back their food, no matter how much they ate, and Shen Qiuhua naturally understood what was most important.
While eating, Su Fengmao said, “Don’t worry, Binglan. Everyone is working hard, and no one is slacking off.”
Su Wenwu had just eaten a piece of chicken and swallowed it. After all, he was exhausted and hungry, so it felt good to be full. He quickly ate a few mouthfuls and said, “Indeed, that’s the case. Also, everyone looked at Father and me with grateful eyes, but I felt embarrassed.”
He felt he was a junior among the elders who were working. He was still not accustomed to them speaking to him so warmly, as he was usually the one who took the initiative to call and greet them. Now, the elders of a few villages would talk to him first.
“Still, it feels pretty good,” Su Wenwu chuckled as he spoke.
Shen Qiuhua patted his head. “Don’t show it even if you are happy. You must respect the elderly and love the young.”
“I know, Mother. I still respect the elders very much.”
Su Binglan looked at her father and third brother. She knew they must have put in plenty of effort in the morning and that it must have been tough, especially since one needed an abundance of physical strength to reclaim 50 acres of land.
She said, “You don’t have to put in so much effort, Father. You only need to check on the workers and the land. Third Brother, our hotpot restaurant should open soon, so go and prepare the ingredients now and talk to other vendors about cooperation. You don’t have to worry about the land.”
Su Binglan did not want her father and third brother to exhaust themselves. She only wanted Su Wenwu to run errands and prepare the ingredients for the hotpot restaurant.
Still, talking about cooperation with others was also a way to train Su Wenwu.
Su Wenwu said thoughtfully, “Don’t worry, Sister. I will contact a few people this afternoon and talk about it.”
“Well, you can use your wits to make things more convenient. Use your thoughts instead of physical efforts.” Su Binglan knew her third brother was more enthusiastic, so she would not clearly explain certain things and allowed him to figure things out independently.
She wanted to train his abilities because she still had many things to do in the future. Therefore, she wanted to prepare Su Wenwu to do some of these things.
Su Binglan made some desserts at home during the afternoon. She even made many molds, props, and simple kneading machines herself.
There was no electricity in that era, so she made a shaking kneading machine instead of an electronic one. She put in the flour and water according to the proper ratio, then shook the wooden stick outside to stir the flour and water inside.
It saved Su Binglan time and effort so she could make several pieces of dough at once. She realized people liked to eat mooncakes with various fillings, but she could not always sell them after the Mooncake Festival.
So, she changed the dough patterns. The fillings were the same, but they were not mooncakes. Instead, they were egg yolk chips, tarts, and soybean cakes.
Meanwhile, Shen Qiuhua was still grinding soybeans with the donkey in the yard. The yard at the new house was huge, so Su Binglan made a large stone mill to make it more convenient for the family to grind soybeans. Now, Shen Qiuhua could grind many soybeans at once.
After making the desserts, Su Binglan went to the warehouse in her pocket dimension. She also discreetly put more soybeans there. It was a big basket of soybeans, and no one knew how many were inside.
She planned to use the soybeans in her dimension as seeds so that they could ripen more quickly during the winter. Moreover, her dimension had improved the soybeans, and the yield was considerable.
That way, the family did not have to worry about lacking soybeans to make more tofu.
After preparing the desserts, Su Binglan packed boxes of them and prepared to go to town. Just then, Su Wenwu rushed home, yelling, “Sister!”
“What’s wrong, Third Brother?” Su Binglan asked.
Su Wenwu gathered himself and said, “Can you lend me a silver tael, Sister?” He felt ashamed that he had to borrow money from his sister.
Su Binglan raised her eyebrows, asking, “What are you going to do, Third Brother?”
