Mo Li who worked in the kitchen, didn't notice the awkward atmosphere in the dining room. She grabbed the dumplings and threw them into the sizzling wok.
The most important tip about frying dumplings is not to move the dumplings too much when they're in the wok. One only need to nudge the dumplings gently as they gradually take on the golden hue.
Mo Li smiled as the color painted on her dumplings. There had been a lot of pressure on her lately and she found cooking to be quite relaxing.
Elder Mo glanced at the kitchen and felt quite resentful of his son's family who had popped up uninvited. If they weren't around, he would be able to enjoy the delicious fried dumplings prepared by his own granddaughter.
Mo Yu also swallowed subconsciously, thinking, This smells so heavenly!
After a few minutes, Mo Li turned up the heat and placed the lid over the wok. Instantly, the oil sizzled and popped.
Jiang Yao was instantly worried. What if Mo Li was splashed by the oil? It will leave scars on her body.
"Don't you worry, the child knows what she's doing," Old Madam Mo announced calmly. Jiang Yao immediately settled down, she felt ashamed that she didn't realize sooner how good of a cook her daughter was.
In the kitchen, Mo Li removed the lid from the wok, grabbed a handful of black sesame seeds, and sprinkled them into the pot. Thanks to the steam, the sesame seeds stuck to the dumplings perfectly.
She plated the dumplings. The golden dumplings were dusted with spring onion and black sesame seeds. They looked delectable and smelled delicious.
Mo Li placed the dumplings on a tray and scooped a bowl of pork rib soup that Old Madam Mo cooked. She grabbed a small plate of sweet and sour dipping sauce. With everything on the tray, Mo Li walked out from the kitchen.
She strode towards Mo Zheng and then placed the tray before him.
Mo Zheng looked a little dazed. His mouth opened but he words stuck in his throat. In the end, he could only mumble, "Is this for me?"
Mo Li nodded. She scooped some chili oil from the jar on the dining table and served it to Mo Zheng on a sauce plate.
...
Mo Zheng had been bedridden since his accident. Due to guilt from his anger misdirected at Mo Li, Mo Zheng didn't have much appetite. As delicious as Auntie Qiu's cooking was, Mo Zheng couldn't bring himself to eat much. Sometimes, he would only eat a single meal a day. He had lost a lot of weight because of it.
...
Mo Li observed that as well, which was why she had prepared this fried dumpling for Mo Zheng. The ingredients she used, water chestnut, black sesame, spring onion, they were all sweet on the tongue and would have the least amount of pressure on the stomach. They also helped with internal heat dissipation.
As Mo Zheng picked up the fried dumpling and dipped it in sauce, Mo Yu, who watched him, swallowed greedily. Mo Zheng took a bite and the dumpling skin cracked crisply.
Old Madam Mo had rolled out the dumpling skin herself. The skin was thin and was fried by Mo Li to golden perfection. The steaming filling oozed out and amped up the fragrance.
"It's... very delicious!" Mo Zheng took a few more bites. Mo Li's dumplings weren't greasy even though it was fried. The water chestnut lent a freshness to the otherwise oily food.
Mo Zheng was quite depressed when he was told that he was going to visit his grandparents. When dinner was served earlier, he still couldn't summon his appetite. But with these dumplings, he could hear his stomach grumbling.
"Wait, leave some for me..." Mo Yu requested.
"You brat, is the steak not enough for you?" Elder Mo scolded. This kid always chimes in at the wrong time.
"Ha ha, we should all dig in!" Seeing Mo Zheng finally eating the food with appetite after so long, his parents were overjoyed. This trip to Elder Mo's home was already worth it.
They would take about Mo Li's return home after the dinner. Mo Zheng would be less resistant to her return by then.