Chapter 33: Just Let Me Die of Craving

“Mhm mhm, Grandpa Zhao, hurry up and chop it already!” Taozi couldn’t help but urge him.

“What’s the rush? Craving dumplings?”

“Of course I am! Dumplings are so delicious—who wouldn’t love them?”

“Sister Chao, Brother Gangzi, Xiao Hui, do you guys like dumplings?” Su Tao glanced at the people around her.

“I love them! Dumplings are the best. They’re my favorite!”

“Me too!”

“Grandpa Zhao, are there going to be enough dumplings for everyone today?” Su Tao asked.

“Of course! I’ll make sure you all eat your fill!” Master Zhao nodded.

“Yay! We used to have dumplings during the holidays too, but we only got six each. I was never full.”

“Today I’ve prepared all kinds of different fillings. Later, I’ll also make some steamed and pan-fried dumplings for you.” Master Zhao looked at them with a hint of pity in his eyes.

“Woohoo! Long live Grandpa Zhao!”

“Long live Grandpa Zhao!”

【Just regular dumplings, but in their mouths, they seem like some kind of divine delicacy.】

【Kids really are the happiest. A meal of dumplings is enough to make them smile like fools!】

【You don’t get it. The orphanage used to be really poor. They didn’t even have enough to eat, let alone dumplings whenever they wanted.】

【Poor? With shrimp of that quality and so many different dumpling fillings, you call that poor? Then I must be dirt poor!】

【Hey genius, maybe check your eyes. Didn’t you see I said “used to be”?】

【Ahhh, now I want dumplings too!】

【I want to go home to my mom. Every time I visit, she makes dumplings for me. I used to complain about it. I’m such an ungrateful brat!】

【Dumplings when you arrive, noodles when you leave—it’s tradition!】

【In China, dumplings symbolize reunion. A family sitting together eating dumplings—that’s what New Year’s is all about…】

【…】

The comment section was buzzing, while Master Zhao and the others were so busy they barely had time to breathe.

Yuan Yuan brought more people over to help.

Even the driver, Xiao Zhang, and Yan Fang, who wasn’t on duty at the moment, joined in.

Aunt Liu had wanted to help too.

But someone firmly made her go rest.

She’d been staying at the hospital recently, taking turns with the caregiver to look after Xiao Hui, and she was absolutely exhausted.

While Master Zhao was chopping the filling, everyone else stayed busy.

Some were picking vegetables, some washing them, some peeling garlic, and others rolling out dumpling wrappers~

Once Master Zhao finished prepping the ingredients and started mixing the filling, the livestream viewers couldn’t help but speak up through Su Tao.

“Grandpa Zhao, is there a secret to mixing dumpling filling?”

“What, you want to learn?”

“Mhm!” Su Tao nodded.

Yesterday, Teacher Yuan had just taught them a saying: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.”

So starting today, she planned to stick close to Grandpa Zhao and learn how to cook.

Once she mastered Grandpa Zhao’s cooking skills, she could make whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. Hehe.

“If you want to learn, I’ll teach you.”

“The one I’m making now is celery and pork.”

“It’s simple. Start with minced pork, add one egg and mix well. Then slowly add scallion-ginger water in small amounts and stir.”

“Chop the celery finely, salt it to draw out the moisture, squeeze it dry, then mix it into the meat.”

“Add chopped scallions, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, white pepper, and five-spice powder, and mix it all together.”

“How’s that? Got it?”

“Mhm, I got it!” Su Tao nodded.

“Smart little girl. Next time, I’ll let you try making it yourself.”

“Yay, I’d love that!”

“For now, start with the celery and pork dumplings.”

“Okay!”

Making dumplings was something many of them already knew how to do.

Back at the orphanage, the dumplings they ate were always made together like this.

They only knew one method of folding, though.

Soon, Master Zhao had finished preparing several other fillings.

“For this Spanish mackerel filling, fold the dumplings into a crescent shape. I’ll show you!”

“Mhm mhm.”

“What about the lamb and carrot ones?”

“Fold those like little ingots.”

“And the lotus root and pork?”

“Those can be round.”

“What about the three-delicacy ones?”

“Triangle-shaped.”

“…”

Under Master Zhao’s hands-on guidance, everyone learned new ways to fold dumplings.

By the end, they were even making dumplings shaped like flower petals, pinwheels, sunflowers, and little goldfish.

The Little Radish Heads were absolutely thrilled.

Of course, if you asked who was the fastest at folding dumplings—besides Master Zhao—it had to be Zhang Qiang from security.

Not even Teacher Yuan Yuan could keep up with his speed.

Even the viewers were stunned.

No one expected this tall, burly, quiet man to be so fast and nimble when it came to making dumplings.

There were so many dumplings, they had to cook them in several batches.

Fortunately, the kitchen had a row of stoves and large iron pots.

Once three big pots of dumplings were boiling, Master Zhao began preparing the dipping sauces.

He made both dry dipping sauces and a tangy soup base.

By the time he finished, the dumplings were cooked.

“Food’s ready!”

As soon as Master Zhao called out, everyone jumped up with bowls and plates, lining up for food.

He scooped the dumplings into three large insulated iron containers, each with a slotted spoon beside it so people could help themselves.

The smell was mouthwatering, but everyone waited patiently in line, no pushing or shoving.

Since they wanted to try different fillings from the next batch, most people only took five or six dumplings at first.

Worried the Little Radish Heads might burn themselves, Yan Fang stepped up to help them.

Yuan Yuan helped on the other side. The two worked together seamlessly.

If you wanted the tangy soup dumplings, you’d scoop the dumplings into your bowl first, then ladle the soup over them.

The soup smelled incredibly appetizing, topped with chopped scallions and dried shrimp. Just looking at it made your mouth water.

If you wanted the dry dipping sauce, you’d take a small dish and spoon some in.

The dipping sauce was one of Master Zhao’s secret recipes and looked absolutely delicious.

Once everyone had their dumplings, they sat down in rows with their bowls and plates.

“Go ahead and eat! What are you waiting for? They’ll get cold,” Master Zhao called out.

“Mama Lu and Aunt Liu aren’t here yet. We’re waiting for them.”

“Grandpa Zhao, you’re still busy. Come eat dumplings with us!” everyone called out.

“You go ahead. The director and Aunt Liu are out taking care of something. I’ll make a fresh batch for them when they get back.”

When the dumplings were almost done, Yuan Yuan had called Aunt Liu, only to find out she hadn’t been resting at all—she’d gone out to run some errands and would be back soon.

As for Director Lu Qingqiang, she was always busy.

When Yuan Yuan messaged her, she replied that she’d be back shortly and told everyone to eat without waiting.

“Alright then.”

The Little Radish Heads obediently lowered their heads and started eating.

The dumplings were just too good. Too delicious. So fragrant that they didn’t even have time to talk—they just kept eating with their heads down.

Even when the heat made them hiss and puff, no one was willing to spit out a single bite.

Meanwhile, Master Zhao was already busy again.

He started making steamed and pan-fried dumplings.

【Ahhh, just let me die of craving already! I’m starving, absolutely starving!】

【That’s it. I’m getting dumplings for lunch!】

【Dumplings dumplings dumplings, just give me one bite (eyes glowing). Give it to me. If you don’t, I’ll cry!】

【Ahhh, someone give me the orphanage address. I’ll hop on a train right now just to crash their meal.】

After finishing a round of steamed and pan-fried dumplings, Master Zhao moved on to frying chicken drumsticks.

The director had said that today, everyone would get a big drumstick.

Seeing Master Zhao already prepping the chicken without a break, the livestream chat exploded once again.

— Translator’s Notes —

– Dumplings when you arrive, noodles when you leave: This is a traditional Chinese saying: dumplings are served to welcome guests, while noodles are served when they depart, symbolizing good fortune and long life.