The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 174 The Most Perfect Dumplings in History_1

Chapter 174: Chapter 174 The Most Perfect Dumplings in History_1

The old man was very cautious, it was going to take a lot of persuasion.

When Huo Yingjie saw that the gatekeeper remained unmoved, he continued trying to reason with him, "Sir, look at us, the elderly and the young, do we look like bad people? Sir, at first glance, I can tell you’re a kind person, so I’ll tell you the truth. Third Grandma Qi’s son, Jian Guo, went to school here on the eve of the establishment of the new China, but after liberation, there was no news from him. Later, we heard from a fellow villager that he died. In those chaotic times, death was a common occurrence. It’s just that the old lady never got to see her son for the last time, and she yearned to see the school one last time in her remaining years."

The gatekeeper saw the old man and woman, and truly pitied them.

"Ah, which son of theirs passed away?" the gatekeeper asked, feeling compassion.

Huo Yingjie replied, "They had only one cherished son. They’ve come all this way now, using up all their savings to have a look. It’s quite pitiable, please let us in to see."

The gatekeeper felt even more sympathy for the elderly couple outside upon hearing this.

"It is pitiable, but they are outsiders. Though from your accent, you sound like a local. Bring me your household registration book to have a look," the gatekeeper said, willing to help, but needing some assurance.

Huo Yingjie was stunned; who carries their household registration book with them when they go out!

"Sir, I didn’t bring my household registration book, but I truly am a local," Huo Yingjie said. "Sir, have a smoke; we won’t go far inside, just around the entrance. Is that all right?"

As he spoke, he stuffed a whole pack of cigarettes into the gatekeeper’s vest pocket.

The gatekeeper had already smoked one of those cigarettes just now and was craving for more. He wanted to refuse, but couldn’t bear to take it out.

Seeing that the old man didn’t take it out, Huo Yingjie took out a dollar from another pocket and said, "Sir, think of us as tourists visiting a scenic spot. We’ll buy a ticket, okay?"

The gatekeeper, who only made fourteen dollars a month and normally lived a dry life, saw the money and his eyes turned red. Looking at Huo Yingjie and the young girl outside, as well as the two elderly people, it seemed unlikely that there would be trouble.

Besides, if these people did make trouble, he could just shout and there were people living in the dormitory behind who could come and help.

When Huo Yingjie saw that the gatekeeper had agreed, he thanked him profusely, "Sir, thank you! We’ll just stay for a little while and then leave."

The gatekeeper came out and opened the door for them.

With a loud bang, the thick ancient door slowly opened.

What met their eyes was not a thriving campus, nor did their ears catch the clear sounds of students studying.

There was only the disorderly overgrowth of weeds, the howling cold wind, and a desolate chill.

"Alright, you can look around here, but when you come out, I will have to check you, to make sure you don’t take anything from inside," the gatekeeper reminded them, knowing that there was nothing of value inside, but saying such things was a good indication of his diligence at work.

"Yes, yes, we’re just here to look, we won’t take a single needle or thread, not even touch a blade of grass or a tree," Old Man Qi said with an apologetic smile, guessing that Huo Yingjie had given the gatekeeper some benefits during the time he spent in the guardroom.

The gatekeeper let them through, and Huo Yingjie rode his tricycle forward with He Tiantian in tow.

Huo Yingjie had been to the school a few times before and had explained it to them, with He Tiantian listening in as well.

However, the sight of the desolation left everyone feeling uneasy.

When Third Grandma Qi saw it was midday, she said, "Alright, let’s go home for lunch."

"Okay!" He Tiantian answered.

Old Man Qi felt a sourness in his heart. He had been here once before; even in the most chaotic times, when Japan occupied Nan City, this school still had students and teachers. But now, in peaceful times, shouldn’t this place, which ought to educate and cultivate talent for the nation, be flourishing instead of like this?

He was a simple man, only knowing how to fight, unable to comprehend the reason why this was so or make any sense of it!

He Tiantian, despite feeling upset, knew things would get better eventually and soon let go of the dejection she had felt moments earlier.

After returning home, He Tiantian, as usual, prepared four bowls of ginger soup. After drinking it, He Tiantian started cooking, while Huo Yingjie was washing the vegetables.

This noon, seeing that everyone was in a bad mood, He Tiantian decided to make something delicious and settled on making dumplings.

She had bought flour today and kneaded a dough, then let it rest in a bowl covered with a lid. She began chopping cabbage to make the filling.

There was game chicken at home, so He Tiantian asked Huo Yingjie to scrape off the meat from the bones, soak it in water, and wait until the meat softened before chopping it into tiny pieces. She then stir-fried it in a pan to bring out its fragrance, added the cabbage to stir fry for a bit—no need for oil, just a bit of salt and five-spice powder as seasoning—and she immediately took it off the stove.

He Tiantian rolled out the dough, transforming round balls of dough into circular wrappers in the palm of her hands.

Huo Yingjie moved a stool over and reached for a wrapper to start making dumplings, his had thick centers with thinner edges.

He Tiantian slapped Huo Yingjie’s hand and scolded, "You don’t even know how to make dumplings, so why are you grabbing the dough?"

Huo Yingjie, not willing to back down, slightly lifted his chin and retorted, "When did I not know how to make dumplings, huh? You didn’t know how to roll out dough or make dumplings before, so how come you know everything now?"

He almost gave himself away, Huo Yingjie was feeling guilty.

"I learned it from others in the countryside," He Tiantian said. "Did you also learn how to make dumplings at your unit?"

"Of course, I did," Huo Yingjie replied. "Not everyone may know how to cook, but making dumplings, that’s a must. If you don’t do it well, it gets pointed out and set aside—you eat what you make. That way, even people with the clumsiest hands don’t want to end up with just dumpling wrappers and dumpling soup! So everyone learns to make dumplings."

Hearing Huo Yingjie say that, He Tiantian reluctantly believed him.

"Then make one for me to see," He Tiantian said. "If it’s not good, then I’ll do it myself."

"Hmph!" Huo Yingjie huffed discontentedly, "Today I’ll show you what’s called the most perfect dumpling in history."

"Haha!" He Tiantian laughed heartily. "All right, enlighten me with your so-called most perfect dumpling in history."

Huo Yingjie held a wrapper in his left hand and scooped just the right amount of filling with a spoon in his right, enough to make one dumpling.

The wrapper was very round, and Huo Yingjie’s dumpling-making skills were excellent. A cute little dumpling soon emerged from his hands, its plump belly upright, confidently sitting on the cutting board.

He Tiantian’s eyes widened as she looked at the adorable little dumpling on the table and asked in surprise, "Brother Yingjie, the dumpling you made is really pretty."

"Not just pretty, but delicious too," Huo Yingjie boasted, pointing to the dumpling he had made. "Look at this dumpling; doesn’t it resemble you?"

Upon hearing this, He Tiantian puffed up indignantly, her cheeks bulging as she retorted, "In what way do I resemble a dumpling?"

She unconsciously glanced at her own belly. Thankfully, even with a cotton jacket on, her belly wasn’t that big!

******

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As the saying goes, a melon forcibly twisted off the vine won’t be sweet.

Someone: Who says? I twisted it, and it’s very sweet.

A melon: ...