The oil reached a medium-high heat, so Feng Qingxue asked Lu Jiang to turn it down to a low flame.
She tied on an apron herself, washed her hands, and asked Ping Zhengkai to help move the basin filled with radish stuffing to the stove. She reached in, grabbed a clump of stuffing, squeezed out a yolk-sized ball, and gently placed it in the oil pan, where it immediately began to sizzle and pop.
One meatball after another went into the pot. Once they were fried to a golden brown, she would scoop them out with a skimmer to drain, then placed them in the bamboo basket.
A pancake was spread out at the bottom of the bamboo basket, so the oil from the meatballs wouldn't get on the basket itself.
While she continued to drop newly formed meatballs into the hot oil, Feng Qingxue called out to Ping Zhengkai, "There are chopsticks over there. Try one!"
Ping Zhengkai was embarrassed, "How could I? Sister-in-law, we should wait for the kids to come back and eat together."
