After dividing the dough into portions, she spread the red bean filling, cut the bottom part into strips, and rolled it up from top to bottom.
She placed the dough in the preheated oven…
As Shen Miao worked busily, Ji Ge, rubbing his eyes, came out silently and squatted down to help her stoke the fire.
“Did I wake you?”
Shen Miao casually grabbed a piece of chicken chop from the table and put it in Ji Ge’s mouth.
“No, I woke up from the smell,” Ji Ge replied, chewing and fanning the stove with a fan.
Shen Miao smiled.
The bread certainly filled the house with a delightful fragrance.
She had always liked the smell of bakery shops in the past; it made her feel warm and at ease.
By the time Aunt Li’s rooster crowed from the neighbor’s house, Shen Miao had finished.
She stretched her arms and waist and looked outside the window.
The sky, which had been dark, had now turned grayish-blue, and the eastern horizon was already brightening—it was time to set up the stall.
Xiang Jie, already awake from the smell, had dressed herself and came to find Shen Miao to braid her hair.
Since Shen Miao had started doing her hair in different styles, like braids, pigtails, bows, and princess braids, Xiang Jie had begun to dislike the messy buns Ji Ge used to give her.
Shen Miao had her sit on a small stool and quickly braided a double bun with a flower-like shape, securing it with red string.
Xiang Jie touched the two round buns behind her ears, then ran outside to the big water tank in the kitchen to look at herself in the mirror.
Upon seeing her reflection, she instantly smiled, her eyes crinkling.
“Still looks the best when you do my hair, Sister!” she said happily.
After braiding Xiang Jie’s hair, Shen Miao called Ji Ge over to do his hair as well.
She had neglected to fix his hair for a few days, and he had been styling it into two simple buns himself.
The way he did it, combined with his serious expression, was a little funny.
Children’s hairstyles back then were quite amusing.
Some kids had their heads shaved clean except for three small sections of hair on the top, sides, and back, and these were braided into small braids, known as “bird’s nests.”
Ji Ge didn’t have his head shaved.
He had been sick recently and wore his hair messy for a day or two, but now it had grown back, and he only knew how to style it into two small buns.
Shen Miao decided to give him a half-bun hairstyle.
Since Ji Ge was young and had only recently started growing his hair, it was still just a little over an inch long, so Shen Miao had to carefully comb it into a small bun, leaving some of the new hair along his temples and sideburns hanging loose.
The rest was gathered into a high bun on top of his head, tied with a blue cloth that matched his clothes.
Shen Miao intentionally left a bit of long ribbon hanging down behind his head.
After finishing, she stood back to admire her work, and Ji Ge shyly looked around.
Shen Miao nodded in satisfaction.
The Shen family had good looks and fair skin, and this hairstyle made Ji Ge look much younger and more youthful.
He had delicate and handsome features—quite a handsome boy.
Today, Shen Miao didn’t borrow a cart from the Gu family.
The large bamboo backpack and long shoulder pole she had bought yesterday were put to good use.
And since their house had a courtyard wall and gate now, there was no need to leave someone at home to guard the door.
She placed the ingredients in the backpack and used the shoulder pole to carry the stove and table, steadying the pole with one hand while Xiang Jie helped by holding the small stool and Ji Ge carried a basket of charcoal.
The three of them set off, ready to make money.
When they arrived at the stall, Shen Miao organized everything and handed Ji Ge a small basket with two pieces of red bean bread cut into pieces, telling him to share some with the shopkeeper and workers at the bookstore before heading off to copy books.
Xiang Jie stayed with her, and Shen Miao planned to have her help collect the money so she could focus on baking.
As soon as Shen Miao set up, customers who hadn’t gotten their pancakes the day before were already waiting.
The burly man from yesterday came again and ordered three pancakes, with double the sauce.
Shen Miao immediately began working.
Xiang Jie obediently sat on a small stool by the table, nibbling on a huge red bean pull-apart bread Shen Miao had made just for her.
The bread had a layer of sugar syrup brushed on top before being baked, which gave it a golden, slightly crispy crust.
The inside was soft and fluffy, and when pulled apart, it stretched like a fine thread.
The red bean paste inside was smooth but still had a bit of texture from being hand-mashed, adding an extra layer of flavor.
Today, Xiang Jie wore the pale yellow dress Shen Miao had made for her.
Her hair was styled in two small round buns tied with red string, with the ribbons hanging by her ears, making her round face look even more chubby and fair.
She ate seriously and intently, holding the large pull-apart bread with both hands, taking bite after bite.
Red bean paste smeared the corners of her mouth, making her look like a little hamster who had just fallen into a rice jar.
Xiang Jie’s enthusiastic eating made her the dream granddaughter of all the elderly people nearby.
As she ate so happily, her presence attracted the attention of several older men and women, as well as children her age, who tugged at their parents’ sleeves and stared wide-eyed at her.
“She eats so well, and she’s such a pretty child,” an old woman with a cane said, smiling as she watched Xiang Jie eat heartily.
“A good eater is blessed! She’ll be rich and prosperous in the future!”
Shen Miao smiled and handed over two “family-style” hand-grabbed pancakes to the big man, saying to take his time.
She also passed the bamboo tube of tea soup to Xiang Jie, saying, “Drink some tea, don’t choke.”
This was the honey date soup the chubby woman had just sent over for Xiang Jie.
Xiang Jie obediently drank the tea, then continued eating the giant bread.
“It smells so good! Shen, what is this?”
The old woman couldn’t help but sniff the air, following the lingering scent of freshly baked bread.
“This bread smells so sweet.”
“It’s my red bean sugar-crust bread,” Shen Miao said, coming up with a name that fit the current era.
She lifted the cloth covering the red bean pull-apart bread on the table.
“Normally, buns are steamed, but I thought baking them might taste good too, so I gave it a try. My little sister is eating a whole one, but it can be cut into four pieces, enough for a family of three to have breakfast with some tea.
It’s only eight wen, or three wen per piece if you want to buy just one. You see, it’s made with finely sifted flour, with eggs and sugar added, and the filling is plentiful.
I baked them fresh this morning, and they taste wonderful. Even if you don’t finish them today, you can eat them tomorrow. With this weather, they’ll last two or three days!”
She cut a piece off quickly and offered it for tasting.
Everyone eagerly reached for the free sample, and the first old woman who grabbed a piece put it in her mouth.
It was sweet, soft, and the fragrance spread across her tongue.
She immediately wanted more, but the plate was already empty.
Not only that, but a few customers who had tasted Shen Miao’s pancakes yesterday immediately ordered.
“I’ll take two, that’s sixteen wen!”
“I’ll take four, they’re so flavorful!”
The red bean pull-apart bread sold quickly.
Shen Miao immediately called Xiang Jie to collect the money, and she carefully placed her large bread under the table in the bamboo basket before standing on the stool to collect the payments, putting them into a clay pot.
Just then, Wei Yao, the owner of the pastry shop across the street, drove his donkey cart past, delivering wedding cakes to his regular customers.
But the delicious fragrance of freshly baked bread caught his attention, and he stopped in his tracks.
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