Chapter 105: Pan-Fried Shepherd’s Purse Dumplings p1
When Ji Junxin woke up, the room was dark, only a faint light emanating from Mi Hongdou’s bed. She fumbled for her phone, the screen showing it was past 10 PM. Her mind was hazy, the events in the bathroom earlier, were they a dream? The kind of dream you have in spring?
“Awake?”
Mi Hongdou’s sudden voice startled Ji Junxin, her hand trembling, and her phone fell back onto the bed, plunging her into darkness again.
“Mmm…” she mumbled, retrieving her phone. The shock had woken her up, so it hadn’t been a dream after all.
“Hungry?” Mi Hongdou asked.
“Hungry…” Ji Junxin instinctively replied, then instantly regretted it. Oh my god, I cried again earlier, are my eyes puffy? What if Mi Hongdou turns on the light and sees them! She quickly burrowed under the covers.
A rustling sound from the other bed. “Then I’ll make dumplings, you can get up later.” Mi Hongdou’s voice faded with her retreating footsteps.
Ji Junxin cautiously peeked out from under the covers. Still dark, she was relieved, and stuck her head out.
With Mi Hongdou gone, Ji Junxin turned on the light, used her phone as a mirror, and checked her face. Her eyes seemed fine, just a little dry, probably because she had slept for a while.
After applying eye drops, Ji Junxin decided to follow Mi Hongdou’s advice and stay in bed for a little longer.
In the kitchen, Mi Hongdou mixed the minced pork and chopped shepherd’s purse, added an egg white, ginger, scallions, garlic, and other seasonings, and slowly stirred it clockwise until the mixture became sticky.
When Mi Hongdou started wrapping the dumplings, Ji Junxin came out, as usual, wandered into the kitchen, then went to the sofa and waited. Mi Hongdou, while wrapping, glanced at Ji Junxin, who was playing with her phone, seemingly normal, and felt relieved.
Ji Junxin had fallen asleep, but Mi Hongdou, after lying in bed for a while, couldn’t sleep. She got up, found some double-sided tape, and reattached the shower curtain. Although it didn’t seem very secure, it should last the night.
Back in bed, she still couldn’t sleep, her mind replaying the bathroom incident. It was frustrating. To Ji Junxin, it had just been a playful joke, but to Mi Hongdou, who had been seen naked and even bitten by the person she liked… it was both embarrassing and strangely exciting.
Having lived two lifetimes, even with her limited romantic experience, she knew… she had been aroused when Ji Junxin bit and licked her. That strange sensation, caused by Ji Junxin, wasn’t unpleasant, she even felt a lingering… longing.
But… it was wrong. Ji Junxin was straight! Her past relationship with Zhang Zijing was proof! Mi Hongdou wouldn’t let that scumbag near Ji Junxin in this life, but she also couldn’t confess her feelings to a straight girl. Ji Junxin deserved better, and her own arousal from Ji Junxin’s unintentional actions made her feel… like a predator…
Although Ji Junxin had been the one teasing her, Mi Hongdou felt guilty.
Seeing that Ji Junxin didn’t mention the bathroom incident after waking up, Mi Hongdou was relieved.
Ji Junxin naturally wouldn’t mention it. She had seen the reattached curtain.
It was just an accident, what was there to expect? … She rubbed her slightly sore eyes, suppressing her inappropriate fantasies.
Mi Hongdou had originally planned to boil the dumplings, not wanting to deal with the oil and smoke after showering. But feeling guilty, she decided to pan-fry them instead.
She heated the wok, oiled it, added the dumplings and water, and turned on the heat… Pan-fried dumplings were easy to make, but achieving the perfect crispy skin and tender filling required precise control of the heat and the amount of water.
Of course, it was no problem for Mi Hongdou. Soon, the aroma of frying filled the room.
Ji Junxin sniffed the air. Although still sad, she felt a little happier.
The shepherd’s purse and pork dumplings, thin-skinned and generously filled, after frying, the top skin tightened, the bottom crispy, their golden-brown color incredibly appetizing.
Ji Junxin carefully picked one up, blew on it, and took a small bite. A burst of hot steam, carrying the unique aroma of shepherd’s purse, filled her mouth. Tilting the dumpling slightly, she tasted the hot, savory juices, making her anticipate the next bite.
The dumpling skin, firm and slightly crispy, the filling with the perfect ratio of meat and vegetables, juicy and flavorful, chewy but not tough, it was incredibly delicious.
Normally, dumplings with the same filling, when boiled, would have a lighter flavor, refreshing and easy to eat in large quantities. Steamed dumplings would be slightly saltier, the flavors more concentrated, the skin chewier. And pan-fried dumplings were the most aromatic and flavorful of the three. Similar in size to steamed dumplings, the skin both chewy and crispy, richer in both flavor and texture, although slightly greasy, and you couldn’t eat too many.
Of course, that was… under normal circumstances.
The pan wasn’t large, only holding twenty dumplings at a time. Mi Hongdou had made forty, planning to fry two batches, Ji Junxin eating most of them, and herself having a dozen or so.
Perhaps because it was a late dinner, Ji Junxin ate with focused attention, picking up, blowing on, and eating one dumpling after another, her movements smooth and efficient, even accelerating slightly. Mi Hongdou, seeing this, made another twenty while waiting for the second batch to finish frying.
Although the meal was long, it was quiet. After three batches of dumplings, they only chatted briefly about what happened on set today, mostly eating in silence. Mi Hongdou felt the atmosphere was different, a little strange, but seeing Ji Junxin seemingly enjoying the food, she figured she was just overthinking, perhaps Ji Junxin was just tired after her nap and not as lively as usual.
Actually… that wasn’t the case…
The warm, delicious dumplings did comfort Ji Junxin. After a few, although her heart still ached, she felt a little better. The power of food… She devoured more than two plates of dumplings, feeling incredibly full.
Even for Ji Junxin, this was more than her usual amount. Although she enjoyed the meal, she felt uncomfortable later.
They had woken up around 10 PM and finished eating close to midnight. They had an early call time for the last day of the escape scenes, so they quickly washed up and went to bed.
With the lights off, and Mi Hongdou’s phone also dark, the bedroom was quiet and dark, perfect for sleeping. But Ji Junxin tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Her earlier nap was one reason, overeating was another. And the third reason, comforted by the food, she finally had the courage and the time to process the afternoon’s events.
To be precise, whenever she closed her eyes, she saw the image of a naked Mi Hongdou.
Perhaps because of the darkness, Ji Junxin no longer suppressed her thoughts, indulging in them, replaying every detail of the scene that afternoon. Perhaps it was the greasy dumplings, a full stomach breeds lustful thoughts?
Standing, lying down, kneeling… the damp hair, the smooth skin, the delicate collarbones, the partially exposed breasts, and further down… Ji Junxin remembered Mi Hongdou on the floor, clutching the towel, the small movements of her hand beneath it…
The familiar heat, fueled by her imagination, spread through her. And the image of Mi Hongdou became clearer, more vivid…
The bed was warm, the hot water bottle Mi Hongdou had thoughtfully refilled radiating heat, adding to her internal fire, making her uncomfortable. She closed her eyes, but all she saw was Mi Hongdou on the bathroom floor, tugging at the towel. Ji Junxin fidgeted restlessly…
In the darkness, her legs pressed together, her fingers nervously clutching the edge of her nightgown, her teeth biting her lower lip, her expression strained, her thoughts racing. She imagined herself opening the bathroom door, walking towards the fallen Mi Hongdou, pulling away the towel, removing her hand, and then… She imagined herself opening the door, walking towards the kneeling Mi Hongdou, letting her approach, that position, the places she could touch, similar to the birthing scene, no… not just touching…
The chaotic thoughts and the burning sensation gradually subsided. Ji Junxin’s indulgence in her fantasies only made her more uncomfortable.
Mi Hongdou, you’re the worst! Ji Junxin bit her lip and angrily kicked the hot water bottle.
The only result was a burning sensation on her foot, not any relief.
The night was long, and Ji Junxin finally drifted off to sleep, her mind filled with frustrated thoughts of Mi Hongdou. Her last thought before falling asleep was… after reacting like that today, am I still a qualified neko?
Under the cover of darkness, we often indulge our desires. And when dawn arrives, it brings back the rationality we abandoned.
Both the sunlight and the hustle and bustle of the film set revitalized Ji Junxin. Last night’s fantasies seemed like a distant dream, and her interactions with Mi Hongdou returned to normal. Well, a deliberately constructed normalcy, but still…
The next day’s escape scenes were successfully completed, but there was no celebration. For most of the actors from the estate scenes, their part in “Imperial Secrets” was over, including Ye Xin and Hao Ba from Mengguan. After the last scene, the crew had a small farewell dinner, and the next day, many of the rooms in the hotel were occupied by new faces, the next batch of palace maids.
For Ji Junxin and Mi Hongdou, the changes in the crew didn’t affect them much. After the escape scenes, before returning to the palace, they, along with the surviving concubines, had to go to the battlefield set and film a few scenes of their reunion with the emperor and their return to the palace with his army.
They didn’t have many lines in these scenes, just a few at the beginning, during their reunion with the emperor, and then just a few shots in the background of the battle scenes.
This took a few days.
Having been tormented by Jiang Duo’s NGs during the two months of filming at the estate, the crew seemed to have forgotten about Zhang Zijing’s own tendency for NGs. The scenes went smoothly without Jiang Duo, and many no longer resented Zhang Zijing. Except, of course, Mi Hongdou.
Zhang Zijing, as if having undergone a personality change, had become cheerful and approachable. He was good-looking, and now, without his usual bad temper, he quickly became popular with the girls in the crew. Although he hadn’t made any obvious moves on Ji Junxin yet, Mi Hongdou still felt a sense of unease.
Logically, the best defense was offense. If she was worried about Ji Junxin getting together with Zhang Zijing again, she should find a suitable boyfriend for Ji Junxin. Mi Hongdou knew this… but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She wanted Ji Junxin to find someone better, but she also wanted to keep her by her side.
The more you loved someone, the more you wanted them to be happy, but you also couldn’t be completely selfless, couldn’t just push them towards someone else, even if it meant their happiness…
Mi Hongdou, despising her own selfishness while also guarding against Zhang Zijing, was exhausted after a few days of filming at the battlefield set.
After the battlefield scenes, they returned to the palace set in Shudian. Considering they had been working non-stop for over three months, and the palace set needed to be rearranged, the crew was given a two-day break.
Mi Hongdou hadn’t been home in over three months, even spending New Year’s Eve at Jiang Lingling’s restaurant. Now, with a break, she was naturally going back to Jiang City.
Ji Junxin hesitated. Her father had called a few days ago, first lecturing her about the hardships of being an actress and the benefits of being a teacher, then subtly mentioning a young doctor from a scholarly family, whose parents were also teachers, a decent and good-looking young man. He asked if she wanted to meet him when she returned.
“Meet,” wasn’t that just a blind date? … Ji Junxin was surprised. She had thought her parents didn’t care about anything besides their teaching careers. So, they did care about her marriage? She was already struggling with her feelings for Mi Hongdou, how could she deal with a blind date? But… facing her parents’ rare display of concern, she couldn’t refuse directly, so she used the excuse of being busy with filming. Her father, naturally, launched into another lecture about her career choice, urging her to become a teacher.
And now, after just a few days, she had a break.
She couldn’t go back to her parents’ place, only to her small, empty apartment, what was the point? Ji Junxin didn’t want to go back.
But when Mi Hongdou learned that Zhang Zijing was also staying on set during the break, she insisted on taking Ji Junxin with her. Two days, she couldn’t leave Ji Junxin alone with Zhang Zijing. What if he used his sweet words to seduce her? She would regret it forever.
So, Mi Hongdou enthusiastically praised her mother’s cooking and sincerely invited Ji Junxin, successfully taking her back to Jiang City.
Ji Junxin felt a little embarrassed about imposing on them for a meal, but Mi Hongdou’s detailed descriptions of the dishes, from their aroma and texture to their taste, from the ingredients to the sauces, made it sound irresistible. And she didn’t want to be apart from Mi Hongdou either. Traveling together, and then having a meal at Mi Hongdou’s place, meant more time together than staying alone at the hotel. So, she readily agreed.
As promised months ago, Ji Junxin brought delicious meatballs from Shudian as a gift for Mi’s mother, who welcomed her warmly.
Leaving Shudian in the morning, they arrived at Mi Hongdou’s place just in time for lunch. A home-cooked meal, naturally, couldn’t compare to Jiang Lingling’s daily feasts. But Mi’s mother’s cooking was also far from ordinary.
Braised mutton with cabbage and vermicelli, a simmering pot of beef with enoki mushrooms in bone broth, sweet and sour spare ribs sprinkled with sesame seeds, a whole five-spice chicken and a pile of braised quail eggs, a clay pot of pork bone and radish soup in the center of the table, and two vegetarian dishes: stir-fried bok choy with mushrooms and bamboo shoots, and sauteed king oyster mushrooms with bacon and butter.
While Mi’s mother went to put away the meatballs, Ji Junxin tugged at Mi Hongdou’s sleeve, her face slightly red. “This is too much food, I’m so embarrassed,” she whispered.
Before Mi Hongdou could comfort the seemingly apprehensive Ji Junxin, Mi’s mother returned with a large plate.
“Why are you standing? Come, sit and eat!” She waved them over and squeezed the plate onto the only empty spot on the table. It was a plate of fried small yellow croaker, neatly arranged, still steaming, surrounded by butterflied, fried shrimp, sprinkled with spices.
The aroma of the dishes filled the air, a comforting, homey scent.
This meal… must have taken hours to prepare. Ji Junxin, feeling embarrassed, hesitantly picked up her chopsticks.
The bok choy, crisp and tender, the bamboo shoots fresh and flavorful, the mushrooms plump and not salty, it was delicious! Ji Junxin’s eyes narrowed slightly, a small, unconscious gesture she always made when enjoying food.
Although it was a small gesture, Mi Hongdou was very familiar with it. Ji Junxin liking her mother’s cooking was wonderful. But… why did Ji Junxin, three times in a row, only take small portions of the stir-fried bok choy with mushrooms and bamboo shoots?
“You’re so thin… don’t just eat vegetables. It’s okay to have some meat, you won’t gain weight,” Mi’s mother said, swapping the vegetable dish with the fried yellow croaker.
Having closely observed her idol, and seeing that Ji Junxin had only eaten vegetables, Mama Fan was worried.
Gain weight? What’s that? Ji Junxin, who never gained weight no matter how much she ate, didn’t understand the concept.
The fried yellow croaker was now closer, its aroma even more enticing. Ji Junxin took a small fish and ate it.
Crispy! Fragrant! Tender! So much better than the ones at the buffet!
The fish was slightly hot, but not too hot to eat. The batter was fragrant and not too salty, the fish crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, even the bones were edible. The heads had been removed, and the tails were crispy, so Ji Junxin ate the entire fish, bones and all.
One led to another, and encouraged by Mi’s mother’s smile, Ji Junxin ate quite a few.
Delicious food, instead of filling you up, only whetted your appetite. Although she wanted to be more reserved, Ji Junxin gradually shed her embarrassment and indulged in the feast.
Perhaps because Ji Junxin’s first few bites were all vegetables, or perhaps because she ate the small yellow croaker so slowly and delicately, even the tails, or perhaps because Mi’s mother often read gossip news about celebrities who only ate vegetables to stay slim, she now looked at Ji Junxin with concern and kept urging her to eat more, to try different dishes, to have some soup…
Mi Hongdou, at first, found it a bit awkward. Ji Junxin could devour over forty pan-fried dumplings in one sitting, could her mother please not look at her with such pity, as if she was a starving child who hadn’t eaten meat in years? And… wouldn’t it make Ji Junxin feel even more embarrassed?
But Ji Junxin didn’t seem embarrassed at all, she even seemed to enjoy Mi’s mother’s nagging. She ate whatever Mi’s mother offered, her movements still refined, but her speed not at all slow.
Soon, Mi Hongdou felt like the odd one out at the table… with one busy talking and the other busy eating, who had time for her?
Why did she always feel superfluous whenever Ji Junxin was around?
The lunch lasted for over an hour. Mi’s mother was happy, Ji Junxin was full. As for Mi Hongdou… who cared about her?
After lunch and some chatting with Mi’s mother, Ji Junxin felt she should leave, after all, Mi Hongdou hadn’t been home in a long time, they needed some mother-daughter time.
Just as she was about to excuse herself, Mi’s mother looked surprised. “Not staying for dinner? You brought those delicious meatballs, I was planning to make three delicacies soup with them tonight. Meatballs with quail eggs, bamboo shoots, yellow chives, tofu skin, and wood ear mushrooms, and some egg dumplings, it’s so delicious. You have to stay and try it. I also bought a black fish, we can make boiled fish, or do you prefer boiled pork slices? I think both are good, with some Sichuan peppercorns… the aroma would fill the entire room! I have other ingredients in the refrigerator, tell me what you want, and I’ll make them all!”
Mi’s mother’s enthusiastic invitation, listing dishes, made Ji Junxin speechless… so this tactic was hereditary!
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