159: Chapter 159 Lin Feng Baking Cookies

By the fifth day of practicing latte art, Lin Feng was already able to draw a decent rose on the coffee. Molly said it was enough, that he was already better than her. Lin Feng set down the milk pitcher and looked at the coffee on the counter; every petal of the rose was distinct. The cat squatted nearby, craning its neck to look, and stuck out its tongue to lick the tip of a petal, melting a small patch of milk foam. Lin Feng reached out, picked up the cup of coffee, and drank it himself. Since the cat couldn't lick it anymore, it patted the counter with its paw. Lin Feng ignored it, finished the coffee in the cup, set it down, and looked at Molly. "Is there anything else to learn?" Molly was stunned for a moment. "What else do you want to learn?" Lin Feng thought for a while. "Food. Food to go with coffee. I have the coffee, but no food." Molly pointed to the oven behind the counter. "Do you know how to bake cookies?" Lin Feng shook his head. "No. I can learn." Molly took a bag of flour, a box of butter, a jar of sugar, and a carton of eggs off the shelf. "We'll make butter cookies first. Soften the butter, cream it with sugar, stir in the eggs until even, sift in the flour, knead it into a dough, roll it flat, press out the molds, and bake for fifteen minutes." Lin Feng listened, memorizing each step one by one. After Molly finished speaking, she looked at him. "Remembered it?" Lin Feng nodded. "Remembered it. Soften the butter, cream it with sugar, stir in the eggs until even, sift in the flour, knead it into a dough, roll it flat, press out the molds, and bake for fifteen minutes." Molly laughed. "You remembered it just by repeating it once?" Lin Feng said, "I have nothing to do while squatting, so my memory is good." He took the butter out of the refrigerator and left it at room temperature to soften. While waiting for the butter to soften, he squatted behind the counter and watched the cat. The cat watched him back. The person and the cat stared at each other for a while before the cat yawned and turned its head away.

Lin Feng reached out and touched the butter; it was already soft, leaving a pit with a single press of his finger. He put the butter into a bowl, added sugar, picked up the eggbeater, and began to stir. He stirred very slowly, round and round, as the sugar and butter gradually mixed together and the color lightened, looking like cream. Molly leaned over to look. "That's good, add the eggs." Lin Feng cracked the eggs in and continued to stir. The eggs and butter blended together, turning into a pale yellow paste. He sifted in the flour and used a spatula to fold it in; the flour and paste combined to become a ball of dough. He reached out and touched it; it wasn't sticky, but soft, like a cat's belly. The cat jumped onto the counter, leaned in to sniff the dough, stuck out its tongue for a lick, and then wrinkled its nose and walked away. Lin Feng looked at the cat. "You don't like it?" The cat didn't answer; it jumped off the counter, walked back to the tree pit, curled up on the blue cloth, and closed its eyes. Lin Feng placed the dough on the cutting board and rolled it flat with a rolling pin. He rolled very slowly; one side was thick and the other thin, the thick parts like small hills and the thin parts like paper. Molly watched and laughed. "You have to roll it evenly." Lin Feng rolled the thick parts a few more times but didn't dare touch the thin parts, fearing they would break. When he finished rolling, the entire sheet of dough was uneven, like the ground after an earthquake. He used molds to press out shapes: stars, moons, and hearts. After pressing them out, he carefully moved the dough pieces to the baking tray. Some stars had broken points, some moons were missing edges, and some hearts were crooked. He didn't care; he put the baking tray into the oven and set the timer for fifteen minutes. While waiting, he squatted in front of the oven, watching the cookies inside through the glass door. The cookies were slowly expanding, their edges turning golden brown. The cat ran over again, squatted beside him, and also watched the oven. It reached out a paw and batted at the oven door, but the door didn't open. It batted again, and the door still didn't open. Lin Feng looked at the cat. "Hot. Can't open." The cat retracted its paw and squatted nearby, the tip of its tail swaying gently.

Ding—the oven chimed. Lin Feng put on thick gloves, took the baking tray out, and placed it on a rack. The cookies were golden and crispy, their edges slightly charred, but they smelled very fragrant. The cat stood up and craned its neck to sniff. Lin Feng broke off a small piece, blew on it, and handed it to the cat. The cat took it, took a bite, chewed, and swallowed. It licked its mouth and rubbed its head against Lin Feng's hand. Lin Feng broke off another small piece and ate it himself. It was crispy, sweet, and had a strong milky flavor, though it was a bit hard. Molly also ate a piece. "For a first bake, it's not bad. Next time put in a bit more butter, it'll be crispier." Lin Feng nodded and put the remaining cookies on a plate, placing it on the counter. The cat squatted beside the plate, looking at the cookies, but didn't steal any. Chen Xiaoyuan walked over, took one, and took a bite. "Delicious." Lin Feng also took one and squatted in front of the counter, eating slowly. Margaret pushed the door open and came in, seeing Lin Feng eating cookies. "You baked these?" Lin Feng nodded. Margaret took one and took a bite. "Delicious. Just a bit hard." Lin Feng said, "Next time I'll put more butter." Margaret took another one and squatted beside him to eat. The cat also took one—batting it to the floor with its paw before jumping down to eat. The four people—plus the cat—squatted in the Coffee Shop, eating the rock-hard cookies, and no one complained about the hardness.

The next day, Lin Feng baked again. He added more butter, rolled the dough thinner, and was more careful with the molds. When the cookies came out of the oven, they were golden and crispy, crumbling at the slightest touch. Molly ate one and nodded. "This time they're good." Lin Feng also ate one and felt they were much better than yesterday's. The cat ate one too; after finishing, it licked its paws and then jumped onto the counter, squatting beside the plate of cookies as if guarding them. Chen Xiaoyuan came in, saw the cat squatting by the plate, and laughed. "It's afraid people will steal them." Lin Feng said, "It already ate its share. It's afraid others will steal." Chen Xiaoyuan took one; the cat didn't stop him, it just watched. As Chen Xiaoyuan took a bite, the cat's Ears twitched. When Chen Xiaoyuan took another bite, the cat stood up and nudged the plate with its paw, moving the plate an inch to the side. Chen Xiaoyuan laughed. "It's afraid I'll finish them." Lin Feng said, "It wants you to leave some." Only after Chen Xiaoyuan put the remaining half back on the plate did the cat squat back down and close its eyes.

In the afternoon, Old Zhou came to deliver mail. He smelled the fragrance of the cookies and walked into the Coffee Shop. Lin Feng handed him one. Old Zhou took it and took a bite. "You made this?" Lin Feng nodded. Old Zhou took another bite, chewing very slowly. "Delicious." He stuffed the rest into his mouth and took another one from the plate, putting it into his envelope? No, he put it into his pocket. "Saving it to eat on the road." He got on his bike, the chain clinking as he rode away. Lin Feng watched his retreating back. "He took it with him," Molly said. Lin Feng nodded. "Mm. He liked it." He looked down at the cat; it was squatted by the plate and had already fallen asleep, snoring so loudly that the cookie crumbs were fluttering slightly.

In the evening, Lin Feng sat on the steps in front of the Restaurant. Not squatting, but sitting. Margaret came out carrying a plate of mushrooms and sat beside him. The two of them sat there, looking at the sky. The stars lit up one by one, just like yesterday. The cat crawled out of the tree pit, walked to their feet, squatted down, and looked up at the stars with its head tilted. It watched for a long time, then closed its eyes, curled into a ball, and started snoring. Margaret looked at the cat. "It didn't steal any cookies today," Lin Feng said. "It doesn't need to steal. I gave it some to eat." Margaret asked him if he would bake again tomorrow. Lin Feng thought for a while. "I will. I'll put in more butter and a bit of salt. Sweet with a hint of salt tastes even better." Margaret laughed. "You've only baked twice and you already understand?" Lin Feng said, "I have nothing to do while squatting, so I ponder things." The wind blew over, carrying the scent of cookies, the aroma of coffee, and the fresh sweetness of mushrooms. Lin Feng closed his eyes and took a sniff. He opened his eyes, stood up, and patted his pants. "I'm going to sleep." Margaret also stood up. "When you've baked them tomorrow, save a piece for me." Lin Feng nodded. "Mm." He turned and walked into the Restaurant, with Margaret following behind him. The door closed, and the lights went out. The cat jumped down from the steps, walked back to the tree pit, curled up on the blue cloth, and closed its eyes. The moon emerged from behind the clouds, casting its shadow on the ground—small and round, like a ball of yarn. The wind blew and the shadow swayed, but it did not scatter. Lin Feng stood inside the Restaurant, looking out the window. He saw the cat's shadow, the tree's shadow, and the moon's shadow. He watched for a long time, then pulled the curtains and went to sleep.

[Chapter 159 End]