Chapter 186

He chuckled, "If I'd known you were coming, I would have at least called over the Dharma Protector and Guard to bark at you in thanks."

Zhou Yan: "Did they run off to play in the village?"

Qing Mengzhu: "No, I was playing on the mountain."

Qing Mengzhu led Zhou Yan into the courtyard and took the vegetables Zhou Yan had brought to the kitchen.

When they came out, Zhou Yan was bending over, looking at his family's woven bags.

Qing Mengzhu called out, "Brother Zhou, what are you looking at?"

Zhou Yan: "These are the bamboo leaves you said you wanted to use for silage?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, what's wrong?"

Zhou Yan brushed aside the bamboo leaves with his hand. "They feel very tender, and the bamboo aroma is strong."

Qing Meng was puzzled and looked up at him.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Isn't the Dragon Boat Festival just a couple of days away? Everyone's going to be making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings)."

This year's Dragon Boat Festival is relatively late, it won't be until late June, which is just a few days away.

Qing Mengzhu nodded. "I know. When I went to plant the tea trees, the villagers were already picking bamboo leaves to prepare for making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). This week, we also included an extra vegetable in the vegetable packages we delivered to our members to celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival, along with greeting cards. But what does it have to do with bamboo leaves?"

Zhou Yan held up the bamboo leaves and looked at them. "Bamboo leaves can also be used to wrap zongzi (sticky rice dumplings)."

Qing Mengzhu also picked up two bamboo leaves and looked at them. "Brother Zhou, are you kidding me? How could such small bamboo leaves be used to wrap zongzi?"

Zhou Yan: "Why are you trying to fool me? Don't even mention bamboo leaves, some people in the Northwest use oak leaves to wrap zongzi. Bigger is big, smaller is small, we're eating the zongzi, not the packaging. Shall I take some bamboo leaves back and try it?"

Seeing his serious expression, Qing Mengzhu readily agreed, "You take it."

Zhou Yan thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you have any good quality wood ash here? I need some wood ash to wrap alkaline rice dumplings."

Qing Mengzhu: "As for wood ash, we'll have to go up the mountain and sweep up some bamboo leaves; that should be the best wood ash we have right now."

Zhou Yan: "You sweep, I'll make you some zongzi (sticky rice dumplings)."

Qing Mengzhu looked up at the sky. "I'll go sweep now and bring it to you tomorrow."

There were many fallen leaves in the bamboo forest. Although the quality of the fallen leaves was not as high as that of the fresh bamboo leaves, they were still quite good.

Qing Mengzhu took two woven bags upstairs, used a rake to sweep the fallen leaves into a pile, and brought them down in two large bags.

At dusk, he and Ming Chunxi, who had just returned from work, burned bamboo leaves in the yard.

They used a clean, large vat and put the bamboo leaves inside to burn.

The bamboo leaves swept from the bamboo forest were mostly fallen, withered leaves, and very dry. The ash from burning the bamboo leaves was grayish-white overall and had a subtle fragrance.

Qing Mengzhu took a picture of Zhou Yan and sent it to him: [Brother Zhou, the bamboo leaf ash is ready.]

Zhou Yan: [I saw it. The bamboo leaf ash burned really well. Bring it over for me tomorrow. We don't need to make zongzi at home anymore. We'll make them together here and send some over to you.]

Qing Mengzhu herself wasn't really interested in making zongzi, but upon hearing this, she said, "[Thank you, Brother Zhou, then we'll wait to eat!]"

Zhou Yan: [You're welcome. Just make me some better ingredients next time.]

The next day, Qing Mengzhu delivered the bamboo leaf ash to the farm's kitchen.

He noticed that there were more people in the kitchen, probably the ones Zhou Yan had hired in the last couple of days.

Zhou Yan had informed him beforehand, but he wasn't very involved in personnel matters and wasn't familiar with the kitchen, so he left Zhou Yan to manage it entirely on his own.

Now, looking into the kitchen, the new faces are skilled and efficient; they must be very good chefs.

It seems that kitchens are getting better and better.

Everyone in the kitchen was busy. When Zhou Yan saw Qing Mengzhu coming over, he nodded briefly before going back to work.

Not wanting to disturb them further, Qing Mengzhu put down the bamboo leaf ash she had brought and tiptoed out.

Zhao Linling, on the other hand, specially gave him a lunchbox filled with food for lunch.

Zhou Yan acted quickly. Qing Mengzhu had just sent the bamboo leaf ash over in the morning, and by evening they had already made the zongzi and sent a basket to Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi.

Zhou Yan said, "He Xi also has them. The bamboo leaf rice dumplings are smaller and steam quickly, while the reed leaf rice dumplings might need to be steamed overnight."

Qing Mengzhu took two zongzi and Ming Chunxi one. "That's really fast. Why are the strings binding the zongzi different colors? Are there three flavors in total?"

Zhou Yan nodded and pointed them out. "Yes, these are alkaline rice dumplings, meat rice dumplings, and salted egg yolk rice dumplings. The salted egg yolk rice dumplings have lightly salted egg yolks in them. Try them and see if you like them?"

Qing Mengzhu took it in her hand and examined it carefully. "I'll eat an alkaline rice dumpling first."

The bamboo leaf-wrapped rice dumplings are only slightly larger than longans. The fresh bamboo leaves are a lighter color after boiling, with a hint of yellowish-green. They are wrapped in grayish-white hemp rope, making them look very delicate and cute.

Qing Mengzhu held the zongzi to her nose and sniffed it, smelling a very fragrant bamboo scent.

He peeled open the zongzi, revealing pale yellow zongzi inside, small and cute, just the right size for one bite.

Qing Mengzhu put it in her mouth and tasted it. The first thing she tasted was the very fragrant aroma of rice, followed by the aroma of bamboo leaf ash water. It was very fragrant, had a relatively chewy texture, and a distinct sweet aftertaste.

One bite at a time is just right; it's neither bland nor greasy.

If all zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) tasted and were this size, he probably wouldn't dislike them anymore.

Qing Mengzhu's eyes sparkled as she praised, "It's delicious! Even better than I imagined! Brother Zhou, your cooking is amazing! Right?"

The "right?" was said while looking at Ming Chunxi nodded in agreement, clearly liking the alkaline rice dumpling as well.

Zhou Yan laughed heartily upon receiving the praise, "Then you should try this meat-filled rice dumpling. It's the favorite of most people in the kitchen; it's fragrant and delicious."

Qing Mengzhu, having received a recommendation, took two more zongzi, one for himself and one for Ming Chunxi, then peeled them and put them in his mouth.

The meat-filled rice dumpling contains a small piece of lean and fatty meat. The meat is well-prepared and very fragrant. The rice perfectly wraps around the meat, making it easy to eat one bite at a time without being greasy. The combination of rice and meat creates a unique flavor.

It's really delicious, the kind of delicious that's guilt-free.

Qing Mengzhu praised Zhou Yan profusely, and then she and Ming Chunxi tasted the salted egg yolk rice dumpling.

Salted egg yolk rice dumplings are also delicious, just the right amount of flavor, not too sweet, and you can easily eat several.

Qing Mengzhu exclaimed to Zhou Yan, "Brother Zhou, your idea is absolutely brilliant! The bamboo leaf rice dumplings are truly delicious!"

Zhou Yan laughed, "Right? We'll do an event these next couple of days; every guest who dines at the farm will receive a free zongzi (sticky rice dumpling)."

Qing Mengzhu agreed, "This is good. The cost is relatively low, but it shows creativity and thoughtfulness. I've been taking some people up the mountain to collect bamboo leaves these past few days. Do you still need the bamboo leaf ash? I'd like to burn some more."

Zhou Yan nodded. "Yes! The more the better!"

Qing Mengzhu assured him, "Don't worry, there's plenty of both materials!"

Chapter 186

It's the Dragon Boat Festival, and most restaurants will be giving away zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).

The same goes for Zhuxi Farm.

During the week of the Dragon Boat Festival, Zhuxi Farm gave every customer who visited the store a string of small zongzi (sticky rice dumplings).

Originally, their zongzi were tied with ordinary cotton rope, but later some employees at the farm suggested that they tie them with five-colored cotton rope, since five colors are said to ward off evil spirits and also fit the custom of wearing five-colored silk during the Dragon Boat Festival.

So, their restaurant started tying five-colored silk threads to the rice dumplings and giving them to their customers.

The rice dumplings at their farm are really special; they're small and very pretty, tied with five-colored silk threads, like little bracelets.

When the diners received their food, many were reluctant to eat it and instead took photos to commemorate the occasion.

Diners posted the exquisite photos on their respective social media platforms, attracting a lot of attention.

[Wow, is this a real rice dumpling or a creative product? It's so cute!]

[I know, these are zongzi from Zhuxi Farm. My brother brought me a string of them yesterday. I originally wanted to keep them as toys, but they smelled so good that I peeled one open and ate it.]