Chapter 9: Poria cocos cake

While making the poria cocos cake, she replied, "Don't worry, I'll definitely come back for some delicious food tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow!"

After packing their things and saying goodbye, the two drifted off to sleep, filled with anticipation for tomorrow. Just as dawn was breaking, Qu Xiaoxiao forced herself to wake up. She glanced at the time; it was only six o'clock. She should have enough time.

She had promised to get the ingredients from Grandpa Song, and she wasn't going to give up easily.

She had already decided what she would make to get Grandpa Song's approval the day before yesterday—poria cocos cake.

Although there were many vegetables and fruits in the yard, they couldn't mask the faint medicinal aroma emanating from the house.

As expected, a quick look around revealed the poria cocos drying in the backyard.

The poria cocos and the red roses growing in the front yard could perfectly complement each other to make a delicious pastry—poria cocos cake.

Since medicine and food share the same origin, using poria cocos to make food should be a clever idea for Grandpa Song.

"Slap slap!"

Qu Xiaoxiao slapped her face, forcing herself to wake up. She quickly washed up, went to the kitchen, and began her task for the day.

First, she took out the dried rose petals. She didn't know what variety Grandpa Song had grown; the color was so vibrant it seemed like it would burn her eyes.

But it had to be said, it was precisely this intensity that meant she didn't need to add much when mixing it with the poria cocos to achieve the desired color.

She mixed the petals with the poria cocos and white sugar, blended them in a high-speed blender, sifted them, and placed them in front of her.

Then, she added rice flour and glutinous rice flour in the correct proportions, mixing it into a light pink powder.

Even at this step, the fresh color satisfied Qu Xiaoxiao immensely; it was truly worth the effort of getting the roses from Grandpa Song.

She could even smell a faint floral and fungal aroma if she got close enough.

Nodding contentedly, she poured water into the bowl with one hand and stirred it continuously with chopsticks with the other.

She continued until she could clearly feel the powder clump together when she gently squeezed it, but immediately disperse when she shook it slightly.

This was the state of the powder and water mixture.

Now, only the final step remained to complete the poria cocos cake—steaming.

Qu Xiaoxiao evenly sprinkled the powder onto the steamer, divided it into pieces beforehand, and waited patiently for the steam to rise.

As the steam in the kitchen thickened, she could feel the air becoming increasingly misty, and the floral fragrance in the air acted like a hook, luring her appetite out of her stomach.

She could only say that Grandpa Song's roses were of exceptional quality—not only beautiful, but also incredibly fragrant.

They were a wonderful choice, both for their beauty and to satisfy her hunger.

She couldn't help but take a deep breath, trying to soothe her restless stomach. Even though she had already eaten breakfast, the aroma was irresistible.

"Sigh, is this what a gluttonous girl is like?"

After a moment of reflection, Qu Xiaoxiao took a vicious bite of the brown sugar rice cake in her hand, trying to calm herself.

She didn't know how much time had passed when the alarm clock shattered the silence of the kitchen.

"Ring ring—"

Qu Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up; finally, it was ready to be taken out of the steamer.

She hurriedly lifted the lid, and a large plume of steam rushed out, forcing her to dodge it.

When she looked at the steamer again, the poria cocos cake in front of her was no longer the pale pink it had been when it was put into the pot; its color was deeper, revealing a hint of orange.

A single glance was enough to whet one's appetite, just like Qu Xiaoxiao's at that moment.

But she didn't forget her purpose for the day, suppressing the urge to try a bite, and packed all the poria cocos cake into her lunchbox.

She hurried along, carrying the lunchbox, and sped off in her red convertible towards Grandpa Song's house.

Half an hour later, she appeared in front of Song Guoqiang's house.

At that moment, Song Guoqiang was practicing Tai Chi in the front yard. Hearing the familiar car sound, he immediately looked towards the door.

The moment he recognized Qu Xiaoxiao, he immediately stopped what he was doing, his face beaming with joy, and excitedly waved, signaling Qu Xiaoxiao to open the door herself.

Seeing this, Qu Xiaoxiao, carrying the lunchbox, walked briskly closer.

When she stood five steps away from Grandpa Song, she confidently lifted the lunchbox and gently shook it to show him.

"Grandpa Song, I've brought some delicious food! Try it while it's still warm!"

She looked around and suggested, "How about we try it over at the pavilion?"

"Come on! You're quite the talker, young lady. I want to see how good your cooking is. This old man has traveled all over the country; I've tasted all sorts of good food."

Despite her words, she wore a warm, smiling expression.

Song Guoqiang was genuinely curious and fond of Qu Xiaoxiao, and couldn't help but be curious about the food in her hands.

"Click."

Qu Xiaoxiao opened the lunchbox, and a long-sealed aroma, accompanied by steam, instantly wafted out.

The fragrance wasn't overpowering when it reached Song Guoqiang's nose, but for some reason, he couldn't forget it.

He quickly sat down and looked at the food in the lunchbox.

A touch of pink adorned the white lunchbox, fresh and elegant, contrasting beautifully with the surrounding hazy spring scenery.

But if only a better plate could be used; the square lunchbox was too rigid.

With that, Song Guoqiang couldn't help but let out a long sigh, releasing his frustration.

"Grandpa Song, try some!"

Qu Xiaoxiao, having waited a while without seeing Grandpa Song make any move, quickly reminded him.

"Okay, okay!"

Song Guoqiang nodded repeatedly, as if flipping a switch, and hurriedly reached into the lunchbox.

He clearly felt his touch was very light, but when he touched the pastry, he could still feel the crumbs scattering from the edges.

He tried hard to control the pressure, preventing it from crumbling.

As the pastry drew closer, the aroma in the air grew stronger.

When it was about a fist's distance from his nose, Song Guoqiang finally identified the scent—roses.

The image of Qu Xiaoxiao acting as a flower thief the day before flashed through his mind; it turned out she was doing it to enhance the aroma and color of the pastry.

A slight smile appeared on his lips, admiring her thoughtfulness.

As for the faint mushroom scent at the tip of his nose, it was barely perceptible under the suppression of the floral fragrance, unless one had a very keen sense of smell.

Therefore, Song Guoqiang didn't pay it any mind.

The image of Qu Xiaoxiao taking away the Poria cocos the day before yesterday flashed through his mind, but he quickly put it out of his mind.

His whole focus was on the pastry at his lips, his mouth wide open, his lips trembling slightly, as if afraid that the pastry might accidentally spill out, and even his breathing unconsciously slowed down.

He subconsciously thought that his movements were very slow.

But to Qu Xiaoxiao, who was sitting opposite him, the pastry almost fell between her lips and teeth without stopping.

The moment it entered his mouth, Song Guoqiang subconsciously tried to separate the pastry with the pressure of his upper and lower lips.

But when the pastry was actually squeezed, he realized that the pastry he was eating now was very different from what he had eaten before.

Beneath its loose appearance lay a sticky interior.

He had to use his teeth to cut it, and it was at this moment that a flash of inspiration struck him.

It was Poria cocos!

Poria cocos!

Cooked Poria cocos becomes sticky and can act as an adhesive in pastries, no wonder the texture and appearance gave him a sense of disharmony.

He took a small piece from the pastry with the tip of his tongue, pressed it gently in his mouth, took a deep breath and carefully savored it, and the unique, slightly bitter taste of Poria cocos instantly filled his mouth.

Song Guoqiang had eaten Poria cocos cake before, but this one was exceptionally different.

The bitterness of Poria cocos was very faint; if you didn't specifically look for it, you couldn't taste it at all.

As for its stickiness, it was also very weak; it was just that the unexpected taste had brought him such a strong mental shock that he had been so flustered.

As he chewed slowly, the medicinal and floral aromas of Poria cocos blended perfectly.

The morning fatigue vanished under her soothing touch, leaving him feeling refreshed and full of energy.

The subtle sweetness was also perfect for an elderly man like him.

So, after finishing one piece, he eagerly reached for the next.

After three or five pieces, Song Guoqiang's satisfaction with Qu Xiaoxiao's cooking reached its peak.

Someone with such skill would never waste the ingredients he had carefully cultivated; after all, who knows how much of the ingredients he had delivered over the years had gone to waste? It would be better to sell them to the community canteen.

Most of the diners there were elderly, so he felt he had done a good deed.

He quickly wiped his hands clean, looked up at the person opposite him, and solemnly said,

"The combination is exquisite, and the taste is excellent.

From now on, all the vegetables in my garden are in your hands; you must make the most of them."

Hearing this, Qu Xiaoxiao abruptly stood up from her stool, bowed deeply in Song Guoqiang's direction, and made her promise.

"Don't worry, I definitely won't waste your efforts. If you want to investigate or offer guidance, you're welcome anytime."

"Okay! I'll definitely go when I have time."

These words seemed to awaken Song Guoqiang. He was an elderly man, and he sold his own vegetables; eating at the community canteen shouldn't be a problem, right?

After agreeing on the plan, Qu Xiaoxiao picked fresh bok choy, chives, and spinach based on the estimated number of customers for the day.

Then, she rushed to the market and bought all the pork belly, eggs, and other side dishes that the system had selected.

Just as she finished shopping and excitedly began preparing the canteen's meals, another person arrived at Grandpa Song's door.

Looking at the ruffled rose bushes in front of the door, his brow furrowed and then relaxed.

If one didn't observe closely, they would likely think it was their imagination.

Song Guoqiang, having just enjoyed a delicious meal, was in a good mood and didn't want to pay attention to the change in the visitor's expression.

He even secretly rejoiced, waiting to see the man make a fool of himself; he didn't believe the newcomer could resist.

Before assigning the task, however, he smugly displayed the pastries before him, saying, "You little rascal, did you specifically check the calendar to come today? I just got some goodies, have a piece for you too."

Hearing this, the newcomer walked at a leisurely pace, the sound of his shoes scraping the concrete floor audible.

When he stopped in the pavilion, he looked up at the pastries on the table and stated, "Grandpa, you used the roses I cultivated to make something to eat."

Indeed, the newcomer was Song Guoqiang's grandson—Song Han, the true owner of the roses Qu Xiaoxiao had picked.