Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 444: Flower Rolls and Date Cake

"Madam, breakfast is ready."

Mrs. Li finished setting the table and stood at the doorway of the main room, calling softly.

The children reacted more quickly than Qin Yao, rushing into the main room and taking their seats.

It’s understandable that they were a bit unruly today; every morning before heading to school was inevitably hectic.

Sometimes Qin Yao thought it might be easier to just hire a tutor to stay at home.

But then she reconsidered, as the children really enjoyed going to school. There were many peers there, and the learning atmosphere was better, so she didn’t think about it further.

Furthermore, the Ding Family School had the best teachers in all of Kaiyang County. Many families wanted to get in but couldn’t.

Qin Yao called toward the study in the backyard, "Liu Ji!"

The study door opened, and a freshly dressed Liu Ji jogged over. The couple sat down at the table to start tasting the food.

Today’s breakfast prepared by Mrs. Li included two dishes.

One was rice cake, made from millet and red dates.

Beautifully presented, it looked like a stack of golden sunflower petals.

The other was two-tone flower rolls, made from buckwheat and white flour.

When had such delicate breakfast appeared in the house?

Qin Yao nodded, and the children eagerly reached out with their chopsticks, picking up the sweet-smelling and beautifully looking rice cake and putting it into their mouths.

Sanlang loved sweets the most, and his eyes lit up immediately. Delighted, he looked up at Qin Yao and said, "Mother, it’s delicious!"

Da Lang and Second Lang also nodded in agreement.

Si Niang was already reaching for a second piece. Though this rice cake seemed thin, it was quite filling. After two pieces, Si Niang’s small stomach was half full and slightly greasy.

Her big, bright eyes turned toward the two-color steamed buns in the bamboo basket.

Usually, they only saw either black buckwheat gray buns or white flour white buns, or perhaps yellow sorghum buns.

But mixing two colors together to make a layered white and gray bun indeed surprised Qin Yao a little.

Today was the first time she saw such two-tone flower rolls since she arrived here.

She reached for one, broke it in half, and handed half to Si Niang, who was waiting expectantly.

She knew she couldn’t finish a whole roll and was waiting for someone to suggest sharing one.

Happily taking the half roll, which was about the size of her fist, from her mother’s hand, Si Niang opened her mouth wide and took a big bite.

The roll was soft and fluffy, biting right through to the bottom. It tasted slightly salty with a hint of green onion fragrance, balancing the previous greasiness from the rice cake. It was savory and very refreshing.

"Mother, it’s a salty bun!" Si Niang exclaimed in surprise, "I didn’t know buns could be salty."

"Salty?" Liu Ji raised an eyebrow curiously. He had never tasted a salty bun before.

He immediately set down the small millet and red date cake in his bowl and turned towards the scallion flower roll.

Taking a bite, Liu Ji was surprised, "I didn’t see any scallions, but it still has a scallion aroma."

Mrs. Li explained with a smile, "Sir, I poured hot oil over the scallions and then strained out the burnt scallions, leaving only the scented oil, and mixed a bit into the dough. This way, the steamed rolls carry a scallion fragrance."

Scallions have a naturally strong fragrance, so the faint scallion scent left after steaming was just right, not too overpowering.

Before making these two-tone flower rolls, Mrs. Li had prepared with Ah Wang in advance, knowing the family ate scallions, hence she made it specially.

"By the way," noticing that the children liked the rice cake but found it greasy after eating too much, Mrs. Li said:

"This rice cake can also be grilled over a charcoal fire. Once the edges are roasted and crispy, it’s not greasy when eaten. If you like it sweet, dipping it in honey would make it even tastier."

As she spoke, Si Niang twitched her nose, "I can smell the charcoal!"

Mrs. Li bowed slightly, smiling at Si Niang, "Fourth Miss, you have a keen nose. I’ve just prepared the roasted rice cake."

Liu Ji quickly swallowed the flavorful two-tone bun in his mouth, "Quickly bring it up!"

Mrs. Li nodded and returned to the kitchen, bringing out the rice cake that Ah Wang had helped roast.

Last autumn, Ah Wang took the children to the mountains and found two wild beehives, extracting ten small jars of fresh honey.

Qin Yao sent two jars to the old house and two to the Lotus Courtyard, leaving six jars for their own use.

There was still one jar left, just in time to use.

Liu Ji, who loved sweets, would surely dip in honey. What Qin Yao found overly sweet, Liu Ji found just right.

Qin Yao enjoyed the roasted original flavor. Mrs. Li’s rice cake hadn’t been made too sweet initially, and after roasting the edges, the texture became richer and perfectly balanced, making it addictive, unlike a pastry but more like a biscuit.

"I find it very tasty." Qin Yao nodded with satisfaction.

Liu Ji also said, "Sitting by the furnace in winter, roasting and eating, would taste even better."

Taking a sip of fragrant tea after the food was even more delightful.

As for the children, needless to say, the four siblings split the remaining portions on the table, packed them into their book boxes, and happily headed to school.

Mrs. Li knew she had passed the test and secretly sighed in relief.

Liu Ji, carrying the packed rice cake and scallion rolls, left for the Lotus Courtyard to share his find, while Qin Yao wiped her mouth clean and looked at Mrs. Li, who waited nervously for instructions.

Qin Yao assigned to Mrs. Li, "From now on, you’ll be responsible for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as needlework and laundry. You’ll receive a monthly wage of two hundred cents."

"You should come early in the morning and leave after preparing dinner. You can join us for breakfast and lunch. We’ll handle the dinner dishes, and you can wash them the next morning when you arrive."

"As for ingredients, we have a vegetable garden in the backyard. Pick whatever you need, and if something is lacking or insufficient, let Ah Wang know, and he’ll go to town to buy it."

"Also, the family should have meat at least every three days. Breakfast and lunch can be more casual, but dinner must be carefully prepared. For the household’s monthly food budget, consult with Ah Wang."

Mrs. Li bowed in agreement, "Understood."

"That’s all for now." Qin Yao stood up, instructing Ah Wang to assist Mrs. Li and preparing to take Song Yu to the stationery factory.

As for Little Lai Fu, attending school was not possible in the first half of this year; they would have to see about the second half.

The accommodation for the family of three was yet to be determined, so they temporarily stayed with Mrs. Li, helping with tasks like herding cows and feeding chickens.

However, Ah Wang had already finished these chores, so Qin Yao decided to take him and Song Yu out to the village to familiarize themselves with the roads.

Little Lai Fu, who was about the same age as Second Lang, was lively and well-behaved, not shy at all, calling her "Madam" with every sentence.

Especially after realizing that their family wasn’t brought in as slaves but rather to help with housework, he became bolder and curiously asked about everything he saw on the road:

"Madam, what is that? Madam, what are those people doing in the tree?"