dognovel Chapter 111 Lotus Root Starch Mochi
Chapter 111 Lotus Root Starch Mochi
They also brought each of them a set of blue-printed cotton fabric as a gift.
Upon entering the private room, Qiao Zhenhai personally pulled out a chair for Su Peixue. Dishes were served one by one.
At the dinner table, Qiao Zhenhai began to tell the story of Lanhu lotus root starch from the beginning.
Peng Zhao added from the side, when it came to Zehuai's trademark squatting and online manipulation of reviews to dump products at low prices, Qiao Zhenhai took over the conversation, not with anger, but simply stating the facts:
"Our biggest problem now is that fewer and fewer people know that Lanhu lotus root powder is good."
After five dishes, Qiao Zhenhai asked Lin Ran for her opinion. Lin Ran put down her chopsticks: "Plain lotus root starch is too monotonous. Even if it's good, the lotus root starch will just turn into a paste after soaking, and the visual appeal isn't enough."
"I understand. Just like the honey you photographed, honey doesn't look very appealing on its own, but it looks beautiful when made into osmanthus cake. Osmanthus can also be added to lotus root starch..."
"We need to change it," Lin Ran said. "The audience will get tired of it. This time, let's make lotus root starch mochi."
Qiao Zhenhai and Peng Zhao's eyes lit up at the same time.
After the meal, Lin Ran asked the two to lead the way to the lotus pond deep in the mountains, saying that they would start filming from picking lotus roots.
Then he took Su Peixue back to the hotel to change clothes. As soon as the door closed, Su Peixue began to take off her "A Nightmare in the Garden" outfit.
Lin Ran quickly turned his back. In front of him was the night view of Lanhu Lake outside the hotel's floor-to-ceiling windows, and behind him were the rustling sounds of the girl changing clothes and the fragrance filling the room.
"Girls, be careful. What if someone sees you?"
"The zookeeper isn't just anyone. Xuexue wants to show you."
Lin Ran remained silent.
The two changed into one-piece waders, the kind with rubber overalls, the pant legs connected to rubber boots, and two straps around their waists hanging over their shoulders, the kind farmers wear when digging lotus roots in ponds.
Su Peixue put her hair up and tucked it into a fisherman's hat, while Lin Ran carried the waterproof box containing the equipment downstairs.
Although it was work attire, it couldn't hide the girl's pure and charming appearance when worn.
Qiao Zhenhai and Peng Zhao waited in the car. Seeing the two men dressed so well, they knew they had done their homework, and they were particularly pleased. The SUV started, turned out of the city, and headed towards the lotus pond deep in the mountains.
Qiao Zhenhai parked the SUV at the end of the dirt road, and the four of them walked through a pine forest, where the view suddenly opened up.
Nestled in the mountain valley lies a small lotus pond, with withered lotus leaves and branches standing on its surface. The morning mist has not yet dissipated, clinging in wisps to the lotus stems.
There is a small courtyard by the pond, with blue brick and tile houses. Several strings of dried chili peppers hang under the eaves. In the courtyard, there is a stone mill, a grater, a drying rack, and a wood-fired stove built in the corner.
"This courtyard was left to me by my grandfather."
Qiao Zhenhai pushed open the wooden door. Moss grew in the cracks of the stone slabs in the courtyard. "He used to make a living from this lotus pond. He dug lotus roots, ground them into powder, and dried them all in this courtyard. I learned from him when I was a child, but later I went into the cultural tourism industry and gave up this skill."
He walked to the millstone and patted the dust off the millstone with his palm.
Qiao Zhenhai led Su Peixue through the entire process, from digging lotus roots in the pond to grinding and washing them into starch, personally demonstrating each step.
Su Peixue, wearing a one-piece waders, stood by and watched for a moment before trying it herself. As she bent down to feel the lotus roots, Qiao Zhenhai reminded her, "Slow down, feel along the nodes."
Before she finished speaking, she had already pulled a whole lotus root out of the mud. The root was intact, and even the roots were not broken.
While washing the lotus root paste, she repeatedly rubbed the paste in the gauze bag with both hands, using even pressure and a steady rhythm. Qiao Zhenhai stood beside her, watching the paste dripping from the gauze bag, its color a pure white.
"Those hands are so skillful," Peng Zhao exclaimed from the side.
Lin Ran stood beside the drying rack, watching Su Peixue squatting in front of the ceramic vat, carefully pouring out the top layer of water. "She's a Challenger player in League of Legends, very skillful."
Peng Zhao laughed heartily: "I know that game. My son plays it every day, and I've played a few rounds with him. He's really good at King of Glory."
Su Peixue turned around and glanced in their direction.
Her gaze fell on Lin Ran's face. When he said those words, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and his eyes held an undisguised light.
The zookeeper was proud of himself, but not in a ostentatious way. Su Peixue felt a sweet warmth in her heart, like she had drunk warm honey water.
Filming began the next morning. Lin Ran set up the equipment, but Su Peixue was the only person in the viewfinder.
Nestled in a mountain valley, a lotus pond stands silently in the water, withered lotus leaves and branches still damp with morning mist, while birdsong drifts from the depths of the pine forest.
Su Peixue walked along the mountain path carrying a bamboo basket, her canvas shoes making a soft rustling sound as she stepped on the fallen leaves. She stopped by the pond, bent down, and gently traced a line on the water's surface with her finger, creating ripples that spread outwards, the water tinged with a pale gold by the morning light.
She put on a onesie and walked into the lotus pond.
The mud reached her calves. She looked down at the water and slowly probed her feet in the mud. A string of tiny bubbles rose to the surface.
She bent down, reached her hand underwater, and groped along the direction of the lotus root nodes. A dull thud echoed from beneath the surface as her hand sliced through the mud. She found it.
She held the lotus root with both hands and slowly pulled it upwards. The lotus root emerged from the water, creating a splashing sound.
A whole lotus root was held in her palm, covered with mud, and black mud slowly slid down the nodes.
She gently rinsed the lotus root in the water, the mud dispersing to reveal the yellowish-white skin underneath. The whole lotus root, with three or four sections intact, was placed in a bamboo basket; the root made a dull thud as it hit the bottom of the basket.
She continued bending over to search for lotus roots, her figure appearing and disappearing among the withered lotus leaves and branches. Finally, four lotus roots were placed in the bamboo basket, their surfaces glistening with water droplets in the morning light.
The mountain stream is located beside the pine forest. The water is shallow and clear, and you can see the pebbles at the bottom.
Su Peixue carried a bamboo basket to the stream, squatted on a flat stone, took out a bamboo brush, dipped it in the stream water, and scrubbed the lotus root section by section. The bamboo bristles made a rustling sound as they brushed against the lotus root skin, mixed with the gurgling sound of the stream.
The mud at the lotus root nodes was brushed away, revealing the yellowish-white lotus skin underneath, its color warm and lustrous. She picked up a small knife and trimmed off the roots, nodes, and any damaged parts of the skin, the sound of the blade scraping against the lotus skin filling the air. The cleaned lotus roots were arranged neatly on a clean stone beside her, four in total.
Washed lotus roots were stacked on the wooden table in the courtyard. The wind rustled the leaves. Su Peixue picked up a knife, and with a swift motion, the lotus roots were cut into small pieces, the sound of the blade cutting into the crisp lotus root clear and crisp.
She placed the lotus root pieces on a grater and rubbed them repeatedly against the copper plate until they became a snow-white, fine paste, the rubbing sound of which was continuous and incessant. The lotus root paste fell into a wooden basin, pure white and delicate, dripping from the holes in the grater.
She poured the lotus root pulp into a fine gauze bag, lifted the four corners of the bag with both hands, and the pulp dripped down through the holes. She then poured water into the gauze bag and repeatedly rubbed it inside with both hands.