Chapter 472

She sliced up tenderloin into small strips and added egg wash, corn starch and soy sauce to it. She mixed them well and sliced dried tofu into little pieces.When the pot was warm, she tossed the meat inside and scooped them right back out when as soon as they had changed colors. She added in sweet bean paste and granulated sugar. She stir fried them till they were bubbling before she added the pork back inside.When it was done, she added cucumber strips and dried tofu to it and the dish was ready.She then made a cold dish with pork ears and two other side dishes. She also made red date cakes and some candies.Tong Xuelu was still working on the candies when Shen Wanrong walked inside.She added water into the flour and stirred as she mixed the two. She added butter to the dough before she let them rise.Shen Wanrong was very envious when she saw how skillful Tong Xuelu was. “You are so good with your hands, unlike me. I don’t think I will ever be able to make tasty food like you can.”Tong Xuelu mixed a small amount of flour with granulated sugar and said as she combined then, “Grandma Shen’s hands were made to make clothing. You leave the cooking to Grandpa Wei.”Shen Wanrong covered up her mouth and smiled. “Oh right, I’ve heard from Zhuzhu’s grandpa that the troop had tried to set your grandpa up recent and he almost got a heart attack when he found that out.”Tong Xuelu also giggled when she heard that. “Was the arranged date that scary?”Her grandma had passed away such a long time ago. She did not object to her grandpa looking for another partner. She only asked that she be a nice person.Shen Wanrong smiled and said, “I heard that she is in her 40s and very good at cooking and cleaning. Unfortunately, your grandpa refused no matter what. The troop couldn’t really force him.”“Grandpa mentioned in his last letter that he anticipated to be transferred to Capital City before end of the year.”As she talked, Tong Xuelu sliced the rose dough into 10+ little balls, rolled them into oblong shape, added granulated sugar filling in the middle, squeezed the ends shut, and finally rolled them back to oblong shape.When she took the college entrance examination, she would not be able to be home everyday afterward. Her grandpa would be able to help out in caring for her younger siblings when he returned.Shen Wanrong, “I’ve heard about that as well from Zhuzhu’s grandfather. We heard that your grandpa is looking for a courtyard house in Capital City. We’ve been neighbors for so long and it would take some getting used to with new neighbors. As such, I had Zhuzhu’s grandpa helped look for a courtyard house. Ideally, you can find somewhere that is close by.”Tong Xuelu brushed a layer of honey on the surface of the dough and another layer of white sesame. She smiled and nodded. “That would be great. I would like to continue to be Grandma Shen’s neighbor as well.”When she was done with all those, she put the doughs into the oven to be baked.When Tong Jiaming returned from delivering, he was carrying an additional two boxes of snacks.Something felt odd to him right away as soon as he stepped inside the courtyard. There was no lights from the rooms or the kitchen. And the courtyard was eerily quiet.Had everyone gone over to the Wei’s?Tong Jiaming walked over to the living room while carrying the two boxes of snacks. The second that he set food into the living room, the light snapped on.And a burst of cheers could be heard. “Happy birthday!”Tong Jiaming was startled and his eyes widened. But he held onto the snacks without dropping them.Tong Jiaxin’s mouth cracked open when he smiled. “Second Brother, were you startled? Big Sister said to give you surprise.”Tong Jiaming looked at everyone who was smiling at him and saw the paper cutting that said “Happy Birthday” on the wall. There was a table full of food.Grabbing tightly onto the snacks in his head, he felt a stream of warmth crossed his heart. “Yes, I was startled.” But also very happy.