Peng’s daughter helps her knead the wheat dough to make wedding knots. Taking the dough from a large gourd bowl, Peng weighs out two 1½ kilogram portions of dough and shapes them into two long cylinders. Then she weaves the dough into the shape of a thick Chinese knot that is placed on wheat stalks and put into the steamer to cook. Although she could put the knots on cloth, Peng prefers the flavor the wheat stalks give the dough.

After they are brightly painted with a paintbrush, knots are decorated with small, brightly colored dough figures of birds, fish, frogs, children, fruit, and flowers.