Chapter 116 Frying French Fries

Chapter 116: Homemade Fries

"Aunt Su! Aunt Su!"

While Su He was cutting potatoes, she heard voices calling from outside.

The kids were here.

"I'm in the kitchen, come on in!" Su He shouted back.

Da Ya led her younger siblings into Su He's kitchen, where they saw their sweet and pretty aunt already preparing to make fried potatoes for them.

"Auntie, Grandma asked me to bring this."

Out of breath, Da Ya handed a plastic bag to Su He.

Hearing this, Su He quickly wiped her hands on her apron and took the bag.

Opening it, she found sweet potatoes and potatoes inside.

"Da Ya, what did Grandma send these for?" Su He asked.

"Grandma said they're for making those fries," Da Ya answered helpfully.

After speaking, she glanced around the kitchen and added, "Auntie, I can help peel these sweet potatoes and potatoes for you."

"Oh, that'd be a big help, thanks!"

Since Da Ya had been busy with school before, she hadn’t visited Su He’s home much, so the two hadn’t interacted often.

Now, Su He couldn’t help but adore this thoughtful girl.

"Mom, I can help peel too!" Zai Zai piped up.

"Me too!"

"And me!"

"I want to too!"

Some kids just copied the others.

Su He: "..."

These little rascals! How could she dare give them knives? What if they cut themselves?

Thinking fast, she quickly said to the children, "How about this? Can you help me with this?"

The kids were thrilled and shouted in unison, "Yes!"

"Good! Grab a bowl, put the peeled sweet potatoes and potatoes inside, then go to the backyard to wash them. After that, bring them back for me to chop. Think you can manage that?"

"Auntie, I can do it!" Zhuang Zhuang said excitedly.

"Aunt Su, I can too," Ji Liangchuan joined in.

"Mom, mom!" Niu Niu clamored for attention nearby. Mom was in high demand now—everyone wanted her attention.

Su He scooped Niu Niu up and gently asked, "Niu Niu, can you help with the job alongside your brothers and sisters?"

"I can, Mommy!"

Su He smiled and patted her daughter's head, then set her down and let the kids figure it out themselves.

Meanwhile, she began preparing the ingredients, peeling and chopping potatoes and sweet potatoes.

The potatoes would be used for fries, and the sweet potatoes for sweet plum-seasoned fries.

Not a single thing went to waste.

Su He didn’t interfere with the kids, letting them practice being independent and work as a team.

Looking closer, it was Ji Liangchuan calling the shots.

Ya Ya and Niu Niu were crouched by the faucet in the yard, responsible for washing.

Zai Zai and Zhuang Zhuang were running to get the peeled sweet potatoes.

The other children were loading the ingredients into bowls and bringing them to Su He to be sliced.

Once sliced, Su He instructed the kids to rinse the strips of sweet potatoes and potatoes so they wouldn't turn out mushy when fried.

Meanwhile, she got the fire going, put the pot on, and poured in oil.

When the oil was good and hot, Su He tossed the rinsed fries in flour. She started frying the first batch.

"Wow~" The children, lured by the smell of frying food, crowded around Su He.

"Stay back from the fire, or the oil might splash on you," Su He warned.

But the kids weren’t scared at all. Excitedly, they asked, "Aunt Su, when can we eat?"

"Gotta fry up more first, no rush." She had just started frying and had to laugh.

After frying a large bowl of fries, Su He set them out on the table and brought out the prepared ketchup.

The sweet potato fries were set aside in a separate bowl, dusted with that sweet plum powder.

Su He tasted each type of fry. To her surprise, her first attempt was a success—she felt pretty proud of herself.

The kids gathered around the table, their mouths watering as they watched Su He sample the fries.

When Su He announced, "You can eat now," the children eagerly grabbed the fries.

Most chose the sweet plum fries because they had bigger pieces.

"Wow~ These fries are so delicious!"

"You gotta make these again!" Niu Niu said, already thinking ahead after her first bite.

"Sure, but just every other week. These are junk food."

Fried food wasn’t something Su He recommended for frequent consumption by kids.

The sweet plum fries were quickly devoured, and the children turned their attention to the potato fries.

"Mom, how come these aren't flavored?" Zai Zai asked after taking a bite.

"Add some ketchup, just like Mom did earlier." When Su He was trying them earlier, she had added some ketchup.

So the kids sprinkled ketchup on their fries and quickly got hooked on the tangy-sweet flavor.

It was so delicious—sour and sweet at the same time.

Su He fried extra fries and sent some with Da Ya to Wu Yanhua.

At noon, she had the kids stay for lunch and asked what they wanted to eat. They said they wanted dumplings.

Last time they had dumplings at Su He’s house, they'd had a blast.

What really made it special was the atmosphere of everyone making dumplings together, which made the kids feel so happy.

Da Ya had to go back to help Wu Yanhua with lunch, and Su He was really moved by how responsible she was.

"Go ahead then. Auntie's selling malt candy tomorrow, and I’ll give you extra," Su He said, patting Da Ya’s head with a smile.

"Okay, Auntie, you’re the best," Da Ya replied, gazing at Su He with a goofy look.

"You're such a good kid, so sensible. Auntie is proud of you," Su He praised before giving Da Ya some last-minute instructions and sending her back to the Fu household.

Then she got to work kneading dough so the kids could make their own dumplings.

Childhood only comes once, and Su He hoped that through her efforts, these kids would have childhoods they'd always remember.

Especially for her own two children—their happiness was more important than anything else.

So Su He didn't mind going the extra mile. She was the kind of person who handled everything with ease.

Thanks to their previous dumpling-making experience, the kids did much better this time.

Though the shapes were still pretty wonky, at least they remembered to put filling inside.

Thinking back to how Fu Tinghua had put on a brave face while eating the rabbit-shaped dumpling Niu Niu made, Su He had to chuckle.