I was reborn after my cousin stole my life.

Chapter 250: Teething Cookies

Jiang Zhou went downstairs and asked Aunt Zhao, who also said that he hadn't gained weight.

"You're not fat at all! I'm afraid your mom will scold me when she sees you, blaming me for not cooking good food for you and not taking good care of you."

As Aunt Zhao brought the food from the kitchen, she urged everyone to eat: "We're having noodles this morning. It's so convenient to have a refrigerator at home. The braised meat I stir-fried last night can be heated up on the stove this morning if you want to eat it. It won't spoil even on a hot day. I also cut some cucumber strips and bean sprouts, and blanched some bok choy. Do you want all of these?"

Jiang Zhou realized he had asked the wrong person.

After breakfast, he went to the camp headquarters, pulled Li Shan aside, and asked, "Do I look fatter?"

Li Shan rolled his eyes at him: "I know you run a good food business, so why are you envious of me first thing in the morning?"

The Jiang family's house is filled with delicious fragrance every day; everyone living nearby knows that.

They don't eat meat every day, but the two women in his family can make ordinary dishes look amazing. Even a simple spicy dish can smell delicious for miles. I don't know how they do it.

"It's lucky you don't live in an apartment building. If you did, those begging kids would stay right outside your door and never leave."

Jiang Zhou spread his hands out in front of him and twirled them around. "I'm really asking you."

If he really asked, then he would really answer. Li Shan looked him up and down, "Hiss..."

"After you've finished your spitting, at least say something!"

What's going on with the light hissing?

"I didn't notice."

Okay, another question went unanswered.

Li Shan was a big mouth, and in less than a day, all the leaders knew that Jiang Zhou had gained weight.

"Xiao Jiang, I heard you've gained weight. Let me see... Hmm, you do seem a little heavier than before. That's a good thing! It means our lives are getting better and better, and things are thriving!"

"..."

Jiang Zhou wanted to spit out Li Shan's mouth!

He didn't ask anyone else and increased his daily morning training time by half an hour.

As for meals, there's no way to eat less if he wants to; Aunt Zhao is always worried that there won't be enough for him when she serves him rice.

The effect of increasing training time was obvious; in just one week, the belt buckle returned to its original position.

Jiang Zhou felt refreshed and invigorated!

"The tofu at the market today is exceptionally good, not too firm or too soft. It would definitely be delicious stewed with cabbage!"

Aunt Zhao returned from buying groceries and discussed lunch with Yuan Xiu downstairs.

"Sure, let's use a clay pot. We still have some meat at home. It'll taste even better if we add some minced meat when we fry the tofu."

Aunt Zhao also bought cucumbers. "Let's make some smashed cucumber, add more sourness, and a touch of the chili oil we fried last time..."

The two discussed it, and Jiang Zhou went downstairs, picked up one child in each arm, and listened intently, his mouth watering.

Yuan Xiu wanted to eat preserved eggs. "Let's save some duck eggs and make some preserved eggs when autumn comes. Preserved eggs with roasted peppers, preserved egg and lean pork congee, and cucumber and preserved egg soup are all delicious."

Aunt Zhao doesn't know how to make this.

Yuan Xiu: "I can do it."

She makes preserved eggs that can be sold at the market; she must have made a lot of them in her past life.

"...Eat!" Qiaoqiao kicked her little legs in her father's arms, drooling.

Yuan Xiu quickly went over, picked up the bib hanging on his chest and wiped his drool. After wiping Qiao Qiao, she wiped Zhi Zhi.

The two little ones each had a bib hanging around their necks. They're teething, and their drool can't be contained; one bib a day isn't enough.

They're also incredibly greedy; they grab whatever food they see and stuff it into their mouths, so you have to keep an eye on them constantly.

"I'll boil a carrot for them so they can gnaw on it," Aunt Zhao suggested. She explained that it's uncomfortable for children when they're teething, so it's best to give them something to chew on. Dried slices of steamed bread, boiled pepperwood sticks, or small peachwood sticks would all work.

We happened to have carrots at home, so we cooked them until they were just the right consistency to hold and gnaw on.

"I'll bake some cookies for them this afternoon."

The biscuits Yuan Xiu mentioned were different from those sold at the supply and marketing cooperative. The cooperative's biscuits were meant to fill stomachs and provide nutrition, and they were high in oil and sugar, making them unsuitable for young children. What she wanted to make were sugar-free and low in oil, shaped into long strips that were easy for children to hold and gnaw on.

After lunch, Aunt Zhao helped with the cooking. Yuan Xiu kneaded the dough, rolled it into long strips about the length of a finger, and placed an iron plate on the stove to slowly bake it with Xiao Hong.

Before long, the aroma wafted out. Unlike the sweet fragrance you smell as soon as you walk in, the aroma of wheat was different from what you smell at the supply and marketing cooperative.

If you want the cookies to be hard, you need to bake them for a longer time to dry out the moisture inside.

When the first batch came out, Yuan Xiu tried one; it was hard, crisp, and dry, perfect for chewing.

"Ah, Mom... Mom!" Qiaoqiao reached out to grab the cookies waiting to cool on the table, without even checking if she could actually reach them.

Zhizhi held her father's thumb with her little hand, looked at her father, and then looked at the cookie.

Jiang Zhou: "...Dad will blow on it to cool it down before we eat it."

Zhizhi smacked her lips and nodded.

Aunt Zhao laughed and said, "She really understood."

Jiangzhou proudly declared, "Our Zhizhi is so clever!"

Qiaoqiao withdrew her little hands and crossed them to her chest. What does that mean? Isn't he smart?

Five minutes later, the brother and sister each held a cookie stick and were happily munching on it, but after a long time, they still couldn't seem to finish the cookie stick.

"You two really know how to come up with solutions, but isn't this all for nothing!" Shen's mother came over with Xuanxuan in her arms, and smiled as she watched the two children eat.

Yuan Xiu handed one to Xuanxuan, "so they won't grab other things and stuff them in their mouths. Eating like this will make their stomachs bloated."

"Then why is my stomach bloated? I can't even finish one after eating it all day."

Shen's mother put the child on the mat and let Xuanxuan and her brother and sister play.

The three little ones sat in a row, each holding a cookie stick, competing to see who could finish eating the cookies first.

I'll nibble for a bit, then take a break. Oh, I'm so tired...

Xuanxuan tossed aside the cookie stick she'd been munching on for ages without getting hurt, and shakily stood up, leaning on the sofa for support. She wobbled over to get the toys from the basket next to her; she preferred playing with toys to eating.

Shen's mother didn't move, talking to Yuan Xiu while watching the child.

Yuan Xiu praised, "Xuanxuan walked so well."

As soon as she finished praising her, Qiaoqiao put her hands on the mat, stuck out her little bottom, and stood up with a burst of strength.

He stood up but didn't leave, his two little legs trembling as he clapped his hands happily, still holding the biscuit he'd been munching on for a while.

"Oh my! Qiaoqiao can walk now. Come here, come to Grandma Shen." Mother Shen clapped her hands.

Qiaoqiao and Zhizhi used to need someone to help them walk just a few steps, and this was the first time they had stood up on their own.

Jiang Zhou and Aunt Zhao came over when they heard the noise.

Seeing so many people looking at him, Qiao Qiao chuckled and plopped down back down.

Jiang Zhou: "..."

That kid definitely did it on purpose.

"Zhizhi."

Zhizhi wiggled her little bottom and gave her dad a view of her back.