After a simple rebirth

Sunday was a rare day when the whole family didn't have to work, so on Saturday night, Fu's mother asked Fu Ying what she wanted to eat. Fu Ying blurted out dumplings, and then Fu's father went to buy vegetables and meat on Sunday morning and came back to chop the stuffing, while Fu's mother prepared the stuffing.

Perhaps everyone’s memories of family after leaving home are inseparable from the activities done together as a family, such as making dumplings together, eating hot pot together, and going out to play together.

The Fu family is a typical southerner. They don’t have the custom of eating dumplings during festivals. Instead, eating glutinous rice balls is the standard for festivals. However, Fu Ying and Fu Zhe don’t like eating glutinous rice balls that much, so when Fu’s mother made dumplings on a whim one time, they started eating more dumplings.

Fu Ying remembers that when she was in junior high school, every time she made dumplings, her father would go shopping early in the morning. There were usually two kinds of stuffing: pork and chives. Her mother would be in charge of making the stuffing and preparing the tools. At first, her father would roll the dough himself, but later her mother thought it was too much trouble and went to buy dumpling wrappers. Then her mother would prepare the dipping sauce, while Fu Ying and her father would wrap the dumplings. Little Heitan never liked to participate, and he didn't know how to wrap them.

So when she came back from leaving home, every time Fu's mother asked her what she wanted to eat, she would say dumplings. Fu's mother would sometimes make dumplings for her, and Fu Ying didn't say anything. In fact, Fu Ying really wanted to tell Fu's mother that dumplings are indeed delicious, but she didn't make dumplings just to eat them.

What she enjoys more is the warm atmosphere of the family sitting together, doing things with their hands and chatting.

So when Fu's mother asked, Fu Ying thought of dumplings.

Without a part-time job, Fu Ying went to bed a little later. When she went downstairs, her father had already returned from shopping and was chopping meat on the table. She didn't see her mother.

After Fu Ying finished washing up, she washed the vegetables and waited for her father to cut them together. Fu's mother came back with plastic wrap in her hand. She must have gone to the supermarket to buy something.

Fu's mother set up a big table, spread plastic wrap on the table, and then started to mix the stuffing in a big bowl. Fu Ying prepared chopsticks and spoons to scoop the stuffing. She was used to using a spoon, while Fu's mother was used to using chopsticks.

Dad Fu had also cut the vegetables, washed his hands and dried them, and prepared to make dumplings together.

Dad Fu, Mom Fu, and Fu Ying sat together and started making dumplings.

"Look at the dumplings I made. They're so pretty. They're just the right size and round. They're just nice to look at." Mother Fu couldn't help but speak as she looked at the row of dumplings she had made.

"Forget it, yours is just average." Before Fu Ying could even open her mouth, her father had already started to confront her mother.

"Your talent is average. Yours is the ugliest among the three of us." Fu's mother scolded back.

"Hey, look at you, you get excited when I talk about you. I think Xiaoying's is well-proportioned and beautiful." Fu's father used Fu Ying as a shield.

Fu Ying...don't call me, I haven't wrapped my hair for a long time and I'm getting uglier and uglier.

“Fu Ying, you put too much stuffing in there. It will fall apart when you stir it while cooking.” Fu’s mother always disapproved of Fu Ying putting so much stuffing in there because she couldn’t make many dumplings and it would fall apart easily.

"It's delicious this way. It's all filling in one bite. I feel full and happy after eating it." Fu Ying would not admit that she scooped too much. It was like this every time. She couldn't grasp the details, and the dumpling skin almost couldn't close after one spoonful.

"Let me show you another way of wrapping it, it's better looking!" After Fu Ying finished wrapping the one in her hand, she started to get playful and wanted to use the wrapping method that Zhang Zun had taught her in her previous life.

At that time, due to a special period, I went to work for Zhang Zun for a month after falling out with my boss. Zhang Zun taught me this way of wrapping. It looks a bit like the veins of a leaf, all in one direction, and also like a fishbone braid. Anyway, it looks good.

Fu Ying took a dumpling wrapper, scooped as little stuffing as possible, and began to stuff the wrapper in little by little, and then failed as expected. In fact, Fu Ying had never made a successful dumpling because none of them looked good.

As expected, Fu's mother complained, "What are you wrapping? It's so ugly. The seal is not tight and it will fall apart when cooked."

Fu Ying silently put it aside and continued with the old method.

The filling was almost gone and there was too much skin. Fu's mother was about to cut the extra skin into strips and cook it as wide noodles, but was stopped by Fu Ying.

"Mix the rest with some stuffing and make them into dumplings. Put the leftovers in the refrigerator and have them as a midnight snack. Dad can cook them for us in the evening."

When Fu's father comes home tired from overtime work at night, he will have a midnight snack. He often cooks packaged noodles for convenience. His stomach is not good to begin with, so he is too thin no matter how much he eats. Cooking dumplings instead is more nutritious.

"There's no more stuffing. Your dad has used up all the vegetables he bought."

"Dad, do you still have the meat we bought?" Fu Ying looked at her father.

"We still have pork, so I bought more so I can cook it next time. As for the vegetables, I thought I'd buy fresh ones, so I didn't buy too much." Dad Fu replied.

"Dad, please go to the market and buy some coriander. We can make some coriander and pork filling."

"Coriander and pork, how can this be a combination? It's so disgusting." When Fu's mother heard the strange combination, she wanted to refuse.

"It's delicious. I'll make some and you'll know after you try it." Coriander and pork dumplings are Fu Ying's favorite dumplings. At first, she thought they sounded strange, but after eating them a few times, she found them delicious.

There are no coriander pork dumplings in the Cantonese area. What people eat are shrimp dumplings. It was when Fu Ying followed Zhang Zun to live in eastern Guangdong that she came into contact with this kind of dumplings. Fresh coriander is chopped and mixed with pork, and various seasonings are added as usual. After steaming, it is a bit like leek pork, but when you bite it, you can taste the crunchy coriander, the fragrance of meat and the sweetness of coriander, but it is not strong, does not leave a lingering taste, and is very delicious.

At his daughter's request, Fu's father bought a pound of coriander, and Fu Ying washed and chopped the coriander for Fu's mother to mix with the stuffing. Fu Ying's skill in mixing ingredients was not good enough, and the stuffing was ruined by the mixing.

Then Fu Ying wrapped it in a fishbone braid style. Although it was a bit ugly, it was still distinguishable because she was afraid that someone in the family really couldn’t eat it.

When they were almost done, Fu's mother boiled water to cook the dumplings, putting 20 of each filling in the pot. Then she called upstairs: "Fu Zhe, Fu Zhe, come down and call your sister and the others to come and eat dumplings!"

"Oh!" Little Black Charcoal came down from upstairs slowly and went to his sister's house.

After a while, Fu Zhe came running over with his two older nephews, and the little nephews chased after them and shouted, "Uncle, wait for me!"

Behind them were Wang Changjie and Fu Yu, holding the third child.

Seeing them coming, Fu Ying took out the corresponding number of chopsticks and bowls, and served the dumplings themselves. Each person ate a different amount.

"Who made this dumpling, it's so ugly?" Wang Changjie said as he looked at the crooked fish bone dumplings.

Fu Ying glared at him. She hated it most when others questioned the results of her work.

Fu Yuze slapped his hand and said, "Even if there's food to eat, I can't stop you from talking!"

"That's what it is. Why did they suddenly make it so ugly? It doesn't look like it's stuffed with leeks." Wang Changjie picked one up and looked at it.

Fu Ying ignored him and hugged the second child Wang Ruiya and asked her, "Yaya, what kind of dumplings do you want to eat? There are pork, leek, and coriander."

"Auntie, what are leeks and coriander?" The child looked at her with his round grape eyes. Children of this age have chubby baby fat on their faces, which makes them very cute.

"Well, leeks and coriander are both green vegetables. Eating them is good for your health and can help you grow taller!"

“Then I want to eat them all!” said the child.

Fu Ying scooped a spoonful of coriander, then scooped another half spoonful and fed it to her, then asked her how she felt.

"Coriander dumplings are delicious, I like cilantro dumplings!" The children did not resist the cilantro dumplings, but liked them very much.

Fu Ying scooped another piece of leek and fed it to her, but she didn't want to eat it after taking one bite.

"This dumpling is not delicious. It stinks."

Fu Ying also thinks leeks are not tasty. The steamed leeks dumplings have a strong taste, and the leaves are hard to chew and get stuck in the teeth. It's not that Fu Mahe's stuffing is not tasty, but leeks are not tasty, except when grilled.

Fu Yu and Fu's father also took a bite of the coriander one and both found it delicious.

Dad Fu said, "This one with cilantro is good. Next time, I'll make one with pork and cilantro."

Fu's mother said, "I think celery is delicious too, but Fu Yu and Fu Ying don't know how to enjoy it and don't eat celery."

Fu Yu replied, "Forget it, Mom. You're the only one who eats the celery. You knew that Fu Ying and I don't eat celery, but you were the only one who ate the celery you made last time."

Little Black Charcoal also said, "Yes, Mom buys more whenever she wants to eat."

Then Fu's mother slapped her in the face and said, "When have I not bought your favorite food? Do you think you don't have enough to eat?"

Seeing that everyone liked it very much, Fu's father cooked a second pot. Fu Ying also picked up a few more, and ate about fifteen in total, with coriander eating the most.

But the biggest eaters were Fu Zhe and Wang Changjie, who ate two plates each, probably about thirty or forty pieces.