Moreover, using Scallion and Ginger water allows those who dislike eating scallion and ginger to avoid consuming the minced herbs.

「At the same time.」

In the Longqi Mountain Scenic Area of Yinzhou City.

Chen Meijuan looked at her husband, Lin Hongqi, and asked, "Yueyue's parents have met Lin Xu. Old Lin, don't you think I should also go to Beijing to meet them? If we don't show any concern, wouldn't that be impolite?"

Her son had been approved by his fiancée's parents, and she was truly delighted. But she was also worried that her son might only be sharing the good news and hiding any troubles. So she felt uneasy and wanted to go to Beijing to see for herself, and perhaps sit down for a meal with Shen Jiayue's parents.

If it were possible, she even wanted to arrange for the two kids to get engaged if they could find the time. Yueyue and her son had been university classmates for four years and were already as familiar as could be. If they could get engaged, it would put both sets of parents at ease.

Lin Hongqi took a sip of water brewed with Wild Mountain Tea picked from the hills. He said, "Ever since Lin Xu called, you've been anxious. Let's go have a look then. Should we bring some of our mountain specialties? Their family might be wealthy, but they may not have had the chance to try our local delicacies."

After Panda brought more than a thousand students and teachers last time, they bought up all the mountain goods. This inspired the people in the scenic area to harvest with great enthusiasm. They harvested not only in the scenic area but also ventured into nearby mountains during their free time. So, before long, the supply of mountain goods in the scenic area had increased once again.

"Let's take some. Lin Xu can only make a few toppings for his hand-pulled noodles. This time, I plan to bring more wild mushrooms and teach him how to make wild mushroom broth noodles. I'll also show off my cooking skills to my future in-laws," she said.

Unable to compete with them financially, she would make up for it with her culinary skills.

「In the restaurant.」

After Lin Xu prepared the Scallion and Ginger water, he took a piece of pork shoulder and sliced it thinly. Then, he retrieved the soaked dried shrimp, drained them, and placed them on the pork slices to begin chopping the filling. The dried shrimp didn't need to be fully soaked; just slightly softened was fine. This way, their umami flavor wouldn't be lost, and the resulting filling would be more delicious. Chopping the dried shrimp with the pork allowed the umami flavor to permeate the pork, giving the filling a rich taste.

Once the meat filling was chopped, it was placed in a basin to start seasoning. Into the basin, he added Light Soy Sauce, Dark Soy Sauce, pepper powder, and a small spoonful of Sesame Oil. Since the dried shrimp and Light Soy Sauce both contained salt, there was no need to add extra. Moreover, salt would be added to the soup when the wontons were cooked, so the filling should be kept relatively light.

All the seasonings were stirred until evenly mixed. Then he poured in the Scallion and Ginger water and stirred the meat filling in one direction. While stirring, he repeatedly picked up the filling and slammed it against the bottom of the basin. This would make the meat bind and become sticky, resulting in a better texture.

Once the meat filling was ready, he placed it in the refrigerator to marinate.

By then, the dough had proofed enough. Lin Xu took it out and began rolling out the wonton wrappers with a rolling pin. The process for making wonton wrappers was almost the same as for hand-pulled noodles, the only difference being the addition of lye water. He rolled the dough into a thin sheet, then wrapped it around the rolling pin. Using a kitchen knife, he sliced along the pin, transforming the single large sheet of dough into several wide strips. He then cut these strips into even squares. The square wonton wrappers were ready.

"Boss, are you making wontons?" Che Zai asked curiously, having finished preparing the ingredients for several noodle toppings.

Lin Xu nodded. "My mother-in-law likes small wontons, so I'm preparing to make some for her to try."

Che Zai suggested, "At the shop where I used to work, we liked to add Lotus Root to the wontons. It makes them crunchy and delicious. Do you want to try adding some?"

Che Zai's suggestion made Lin Xu's eyes light up.

Right, why didn't I think of adding some Lotus Root? The texture of a meat-only wonton filling can be a bit monotonous. With crunchy Lotus Root, it should be delicious, right? Moreover, the natural sweetness of Lotus Root can enhance the umami flavor of the filling.

But would my mother-in-law like it?

After thinking it over, Lin Xu grabbed his phone and sent a message to his dear Shen Jiayue, asking.

Shen Jiayue, who was idling at the audit office, saw the message. She secretly swallowed. With a TAP TAP TAP of her keyboard, she replied: "Sure, my mom absolutely loves them. Just go ahead and make them, and remember to make plenty!"

After sending the message, she muttered to herself, "I like to eat them, so Mom should like them too, right? But even if she doesn't, it's no big deal. I'll just have to make a little sacrifice and eat them all myself..."

Upon seeing Shen Jiayue's message, Lin Xu immediately grabbed a Lotus Root from the storage room. After peeling it, he finely chopped the Lotus Root into mung bean-sized pieces. He then rinsed them twice in water with a little White Vinegar added to remove surface starch, before mixing them evenly into the meat filling.

He took out the prepared wonton wrappers and began to wrap the wontons. The method for wrapping small wontons is quite simple. Just place a bit of meat filling in the center of the wrapper, then casually scrunch the dough together. The key is to be unceremonious. Wrapping large wontons, however, is more elaborate. There are shapes like ingots and boats, among others; there are four or five different wrapping methods alone.

It wasn't dinnertime yet, so Lin Xu placed the wontons in the freezer. This would prevent the wrappers from becoming sticky and also lock in the freshness of the filling.

At four-forty in the afternoon, when everyone came from work for dinner, Lin Xu took the frozen wontons out of the freezer and started to cook them. Once the water was boiling, he prepared several bowls. Into each, he added some soaked seaweed, a small handful of dried shrimp skins, a pinch of salt and pepper, and finally, a small spoonful of lard. This fresh meat small wonton dish, with both its filling and the seaweed and dried shrimp skins, was designed to maximize umami. The savory flavor was quite prominent. Therefore, lard was needed to balance it with a rich aroma. Only then could it achieve a delicious, irresistible flavor.

When small bubbles began to rise from the bottom of the pot (indicating the water was hot but not yet at a rolling boil), he added the frozen wontons. Once the water returned to a boil, the wontons were nearly cooked. Lin Xu first ladled some of the hot cooking water into each bowl to dissolve the seasonings. Then, using a slotted spoon, he transferred the cooked wontons from the pot to the bowls and topped them off with another ladleful of the soup.

This bowl of fresh meat small wontons, intensely aromatic and flavorful, was now ready.

Not far away, Han Shuzhen, having finished her day's work, watched the kitchen with a satisfied expression.

Having such a thoughtful son-in-law really made a difference! She had only bought him a few clothes the day before, and here he was, secretly making fresh meat small wontons to thank her.

Although her daughter Yueyue could be unreliable, her judgment in picking a partner was excellent.

And the girl even knew that she liked fresh meat small wontons.

That showed some filial piety, at least.

Unlike a few days ago, when Yueyue was spouting all sorts of thoughtless nonsense, making one seriously wonder if they'd brought the wrong baby home from the hospital.

Soon, the wontons were served.

"This smells so fragrant and savory! Thank you for your hard work, Xiaoxu," Han Shuzhen said, finding the aroma tantalizing and eager to taste them.

Lin Xu replied, "Yueyue mentioned you like wontons with Lotus Root filling, so I added some. Please try them and see how they taste."

Lotus Root?

I'm not particularly fond of wontons with Lotus Root.

The only one in our family who likes them is Yueyue.

Could it be that little minx...

Han Shuzhen glanced at her daughter, who was enjoying the wontons with a contented expression, and sighed softly in her heart.

She had just been praising the girl for being considerate.

But now it seemed...

Maybe they really did bring the wrong baby home from the hospital after all!

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This chapter is 5,400 characters long. 2,000 characters are the base update, and the remaining 3,400 are an added bonus chapter thanks to [Gray Comes and Goes]. Thank you for the two 'Helmsman' tier tips! Much appreciated, boss!

Today, I've released a total of 9,600 characters. I hope you all enjoy it! Starting tomorrow, I'll aim for each chapter to exceed 5,000 characters so you all have plenty to read!

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