The ham and rape flower soup that Seventh Uncle mentioned is actually quite simple to make.
Early in the morning, head to the Riverside Beach to slaughter a plump and still spry hen, and a young rooster that was raised in the winter with good strength. After bleeding and plucking, use the hen to stew the soup and keep the rooster for later use.
While stewing the soup, no time is wasted: "Qiaoqiao, go to the mountain and dig up a few nests of potatoes for lunch. We'll make potato-braised chicken, and bake a few buns—should we do plain flour buns or crispy buns?"
"Crispy buns, crispy buns!" Zhang Yanping, who was having breakfast, immediately responded: "We've always had plain or yellow cornmeal buns before, let's try something crispy this time!"
But Qiaoqiao was a bit hesitant: "The potatoes haven't grown big yet..."
