Breakfast consisted of hand-pulled noodles. Xia Zhaoyun dictated the recipe while He Qingran did the actual pulling. Although the noodles were uneven in thickness, they still had the satisfyingly smooth texture of fresh, handmade noodles.
Each bowl was topped with a spoonful of crushed peanuts, a spoonful of Xia Zhaoyun's homemade, mildly spicy soybean paste, stir-fried shreds of cucumber, potato, and carrot, and a fried egg. The meal was nutritious, texturally complex, and refreshingly savory and spicy.
He Qingran jotted down the recipe as she cooked. Tasting the fragrant breakfast she had made herself, she was practically moved to tears by her own accomplishment.
"Yunyun, how do you make this soybean paste? It's so delicious!"
As they would say in a later era, the paste was the very soul of the dish.
Xia Zhaoyun gestured with her chin for He Qingran to grab a pen and paper, then dictated the steps. She even provided variations for a spicy version and a savory one.
