34 Chapter 34 (Second Update) A Palm of Afterglow

Chapter 34 A Palm of Afterglow

People's thoughts are not static.

Wang Sumo previously thought that Bazhenlou was fine with just her and Lao Qu; if there were more people, the kitchen would be crowded and there wouldn't be enough room to maneuver.

But this time, with He Qingque helping her out at Qingyun Manor, she suddenly felt quite happy.

It's lively.

He Qingque still can't cook. If there were a handyman in the kitchen who could do odd jobs, help wash vegetables and dishes, and do everything else, it would help share some of the old man's work, and she wouldn't have to wash dishes every time she cooks.

If a sous chef could come to the kitchen and chop up all the chicken, duck, fish, and meat, (⊙o⊙)…, she suddenly thought of the knife skill she had seen in Carp Town. That knife skill was amazing at cutting vegetables and chopping meat. That would save her a lot of trouble and allow her to spend more time studying seasonings.

A handyman, a bodyguard, a sous chef, plus her, Old Master Qu, Master He, oh, and six fish, and a watchdog.

Haha, the Eight Treasures Pavilion is really going to be lively!

It's good to have a lively atmosphere.

As Wang Sumo thought about it, he used scissors to trim the toenails on the chicken feet. The grand feast that Bazhenlou served to its own people and friends was called the Bazhen Banquet.

The Eight Treasures Banquet should, of course, be a grand affair.

He Qingque had asked everyone about their menus beforehand, and before leaving Carp Town, she made sure to buy everything she wanted.

She was really not used to He Qingque, who was so dedicated and responsible, suddenly having to go back!

Where will we find someone more dedicated than He Qingque in the future? A bodyguard? A sous chef?

Although she was hardworking and occasionally a bit silly, and liked to jot things down in a notebook, it had to be said that a bad pen was indeed better than a good memory, and she was somewhat reluctant to part with the chattering He Qingque.

He Qingque reported from the side, "The pig's trotters are washed and clean."

"Okay." Wang Sumo has finished cutting the chicken feet here.

Pig's trotters and chicken feet are not easy to braise until tender and take a long time. Today we also have braised mutton hot pot, all of which are hearty dishes. Fortunately, Bazhenlou still has enough firewood, pots, and seats. With He Qingque helping out, Wang Sumo's cooking can be much faster.

"Wash the chicken feet too," Wang Sumo instructed. He Qingque, already on the same page, took the task and hurried off.

Wang Sumo slices ginger in preparation.

After He Qingque finished washing the chicken feet, Wang Sumo put the washed chicken feet and pig's trotters into a pot of cold water, added sliced ​​ginger and rice wine, and boiled them for about half an incense stick's time (2-3 minutes) to remove the blood foam. Then they could be taken out and set aside.

While Wang Sumo was preparing the pork fat, He Qingque had already washed the pig's trotters and chicken feet that had just been boiled to remove the blood foam, and scrubbed the pot. After Wang Sumo finished his work, she put the pot back on the stove and dried it off before using it.

Pig's trotters and chicken feet are different and require different braising times. If you braise them together, the chicken feet will easily fall off the bone, but the pig's trotters will still be soft. This is the most important step in braising pig's trotters with chicken feet.

Depending on personal taste, Wang Sumo also prepared soybeans. Adding soybeans to the stew will result in a sticky and tender braised pig's trotters and chicken feet.

Normally, soybeans need to be soaked in advance, but Wang Sumo happened to find fresh soybeans in Carp Town that didn't need to be soaked at all, so he decided to add them to the braised pig's trotters and chicken feet to enrich the flavor.

Once the pork fat has melted, you can directly add rock sugar and stir-fry.

Rock sugar has a lighter flavor than granulated sugar; it's not as sweet or overpowering, but it still provides a rich texture and a beautiful caramel color.

Once the rock sugar is stir-fried, add the pig's trotters and chicken feet directly. Sauté the pig's trotters and chicken feet in oil until cooked through, and then repeatedly coat them with the sauce to color. When the pig's trotters and chicken feet start to change color, add the chopped garlic, dried dogwood fruit, cinnamon, star anise, and the scallions brought back from Qingyun Mountain Villa!

Once the seasonings are added and the stir-frying continues, it's easy to develop the rich aroma of pork trotters and chicken feet, a blend of spices, soy sauce, and oil, characteristic of meat with skin. This is just the beginning. The aroma that emerges later, after being properly simmered over high heat, is truly mouthwatering.

When the pig's trotters and chicken feet are almost cooked, add the fermented soybean paste, fermented black beans, Shaoxing wine, a little rice wine, and thick fermented soybean paste and continue to stir-fry evenly. Then you can add the prepared boiling water.

Put the chicken feet into the boiling water, cover the pot and simmer for about an incense stick's time. Then remove the chicken feet from the broth to prevent them from falling apart and becoming mushy when simmered with the pig's trotters.

The remaining pig's trotters were simmered in the pot over low heat for almost an hour, at which point the chicken feet and soybeans were added.

Even though the lid was on, the aroma of the braised pig's trotters still made He Lin's mouth water!

"Miss Wang, if you were to make this dish at Qingyun Manor, it would probably make a bunch of your fellow disciples drool," He Qingque said, her eyes practically sparkling with envy. Wang Sumo bluntly retorted, "You'd be the one drooling over it!"

He Qingque: (⊙o⊙)…

He Qingque gave an awkward laugh.

Actually, every time he watched Miss Wang cook, it felt like he could do it himself with ease, but no matter what, He Lin wrote it all down in his little notebook!

When I return to Qingyun Manor this time, I must sneak into the main kitchen and cook it twice to see if I can make it myself.

While the pig's trotters were stewing, Wang Sumo continued to prepare the other dishes.

He Lin was still writing in his little notebook while lying down to the side.

For Wang Sumo, the candied ginkgo nuts and soup can be left until last, while the dumplings (should be called "jiaozi," but that's too unpleasant to call them, so let's just call them dumplings) and the braised mutton hot pot should be made first.

The cooking time for braised pig's trotters and lamb chops is about the same, and they will be taken out of the pot one after the other, so you won't be in a rush. While braising the pig's trotters and lamb chops, you can also make dumplings at the same time, so the timing is just right.

This time, I bought lamb chops and taro in Liyu Town, so I used them to make braised lamb chops hot pot.

Taro can absorb the aroma of lamb chops, and its soft and glutinous texture will make the lamb chops even more delicious.

Even people with weak teeth will enjoy the taro flavor.

Before braising the pig's trotters, the whole lamb chops are soaked in salt water. Soaking in salt water can reduce the muttony smell of the lamb chops and also make it easier to clean them.

Once the pig's trotters were put into the pot to simmer, the lamb chops were taken out of the salt water and washed. This task naturally fell to He Qingque.

After washing the mutton, cut it open and put it in a pot of cold water with ginger slices and a small bowl of Shaoxing wine. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface as the raw meat cooks.

After about half an incense stick's time, the lamb chops were quickly blanched and then taken out of the water.

Similar to stir-frying pig's trotters, first sauté ginger slices, scallions, and dried dogwood fruit in hot oil in a pan until fragrant, then add the lamb chops.

The lamb chops are tender and should be stir-fried until golden brown and fragrant. However, it must be said that compared to pig's trotters and chicken feet, the rich aroma of lamb chops is almost overwhelming the moment they hit the pan; it's the unique richness and succulence of lamb.

He Qingque couldn't help but swallow, "It smells so good even though it's only just been put in the pot!"

"Lamb stew is so fragrant! I'll make you stewed lamb chops next time," Wang Sumo said with a smile.

He Qingque rested her chin on her hand, looking at it with a sigh, "No wonder the old master loves to eat mutton!"

"Lamb is best used in autumn and winter. Add some herbs to make a tonic soup. After drinking it, stew it and you will be warm throughout the autumn and winter."

He Qingque's eyes widened. "That's amazing!"

“This is called dietary supplementation,” Wang Sumo said, as the mutton was already stir-fried. “Give me boiling water.”

When Wang Sumo spoke, He Qingque quickly went to get it.

"Well, when stewing mutton, you must use boiling water. This way, the mutton won't suddenly tighten and become tough, losing its unique freshness. Also, you must add salt after stewing until it's soft, for the same reason."

He Qingque nodded as she took out her notebook and began to take notes.

Mr. He's little notebook was filled with many notes.

Put the lamb chops into the pot, along with garlic, ginger, dried evodia fruit, dried tangerine peel, pepper, and Sichuan peppercorns. Add a bowl of Shaoxing wine, a bowl of rice wine, and boiling water, and simmer together.

With that settled, Wang Sumo began working on making dumplings.

Ideally, you should make the dumpling wrappers yourself, but there were a lot of dishes to cook today, and it would be too slow to cook by myself. Luckily, I happened to come across a dumpling wrapper vendor in Carp Town, so I just bought some.

The soul of a dumpling lies in its filling.

In spring, a meal of fresh chive and pork dumplings can warm you up from the chill of winter. The chewy dough wraps around the generous and juicy filling, and with each bite, the aroma and warmth flow from your tongue to your very bones.

But it's late summer and early autumn now, and chives are out of season.

But if it's later, when it's autumn and I write more, I can make a batch of dumplings with crab roe and crab meat filling!

That's the delicious taste of autumn.

As autumn winds blow, crabs get restless, and the rich, creamy flavor of crab meat is the ultimate enjoyment of autumn dumplings.

It wouldn't be bad to make crab dumplings myself when the time comes.

Wang Sumo sometimes drools just thinking about it. A good chef needs to be familiar with the ingredients for each solar term, and be able to imagine the cooking process and the taste of the dish in his mind. More importantly, you need to have expectations for the dish before you can make it taste like something to look forward to.

Sister Zhen, Dunzi, and Heping all ordered dumplings, which shows how popular dumplings are.

And this is the perfect time of year for mushrooms.

When I was in Carp Town, I bought some fresh asparagus and cabbage to make soup, so I also bought some more asparagus to make pork and asparagus dumplings.

Wash and chop the fresh mushrooms, then mix them with minced pork. Chopping the filling requires skillful knife work, and the minced pork shouldn't be all lean meat. One of the secrets to delicious dumpling filling is using meat with a good balance of lean and fat. However, large chunks of fat can make it greasy, so the fat should be chopped very finely to blend with the unique wild aroma of the mushrooms.

Put down the knife, wash your hands again, pour the bean paste, salt and a little pepper into the bowl of filling, and start to knead and mix it repeatedly with your hands to make the filling fully blended and allow the seasonings to penetrate the meat filling evenly.

Whether steamed or boiled, to ensure the first bite of the dumpling is flavorful and aromatic, you must use fatty pork to enhance the aroma, mushrooms to enhance the umami, and the dough to be chewy and perfectly pleated. This way, the rich juices locked in the filling can slide into your mouth along with the dumplings, and a touch of vinegar will cut through the richness.

This bite truly captures the essence of the Lunar New Year!

Wang Sumo suddenly remembered a long time ago, when her father and mother were still alive.

The laughter and joy of making dumplings together at home filled the air, but she was too young then and didn't know how to make them properly; the dumplings would always fall apart. Seeing her dumplings crumble would make her pout and feel unhappy. Her parents would comfort her, but she still couldn't help feeling sad. Looking back now, that was the best of times, a time that can never be relived…

But she is still grateful that such a period of time is her most cherished memory.

After her mother passed away, she spent several New Years alone, sometimes with Sister Zhen and Dunzi.

Later, she met Lao Qu.

These New Year's dumplings carry countless memories.

Sister Zhen and Dunzi love dumplings the most. The old man might complain about the hassle, but he eats them one after another. Everyone at Bazhenlou has their own preferences and personalities; they are her new family…

The Eight Treasures Pavilion is where these memories are kept.

Just like now.

Wang Sumo repeatedly mixed the mushroom and pork filling with her hands, feeling a calm and gentle sense of satisfaction.

Besides the people eating, the people cooking also experience a sense of satisfaction.

Especially before being kicked out of "Bazhenglou" yesterday, she bought a bottle of exorbitantly priced vinegar. To be honest, this vinegar makes dumplings very fragrant, and she regretted not buying a few more bottles, fearing she might not be able to buy it again.

That's life; you can't always tell whether you encounter a major shock, a minor surprise, or a small stroke of luck.

But this bottle of balsamic vinegar is really good; at least it added flavor to tonight's dumplings.

Standing to the side, He Qingque was dividing dumpling wrappers when she sighed, "It reminds me of Chinese New Year!"

He Qingque's mind was always filled with his own collection of strange and wonderful things. For example, "Every year during the Spring Festival, the Manor Lord and the Old Manor Lord would take us to the training ground to make dumplings. A huge, densely packed group of people, making so many dumplings! The entire training ground was covered in dumplings. But there were so many people! There weren't enough pots to cook them all! I'm so small, I couldn't squeeze in, so I just jumped and jumped at the back of the crowd! In the end, my senior brother was so kind; he gave me his spot!"

The scene described by He Qingque appeared vividly in my mind, perhaps because I had carefully observed it while passing by the training ground.

Wang Sumo felt the imagery was overwhelming.

As Wang Sumo listened, she continued kneading the filling, and time seemed to fly by.

He Qingque continued: "Later, everyone said there weren't enough pots, not enough pots. The main kitchen was in an uproar, so they prepared more pots every year. Later on, it wasn't the chefs in the main kitchen who cooked the dumplings anymore; the apprentices cooked them themselves. But even then, it still took a very long time to finish cooking them. The apprentices wouldn't wait for the dumplings to be fully cooked before scooping them out, because there wouldn't be any left later. Nobody cared if the dumplings were scooped out raw!"

"So you eat dumplings raw?" Wang Sumo was stunned.

┭┮﹏┭┮, He Qingque looked at her with a pitiful expression, "It's better than not being able to eat at all!"

Poor He Qingque~

Wang Sumo recalled the huge crowd at Nanshan Garden when she saw Master He and He Lingyun sparring with swords. The rooftops and trees were filled with people. She could imagine the scene of so many people from Qingyun Manor gathering together to grab dumplings.

The festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year is there, but whether we have enough to eat and whether the food is cooked properly is another matter entirely.

"However, there are good things at the end of the year too!" He Qingque changed the subject, continuing to tear dumpling wrappers as she cheerfully said, "We can drink that day! My senior brothers all drink, but we're not old enough to drink, so we can only watch them drink! Moreover, the manor lord said that if anyone secretly gives drinks to disciples who are underage, they will be punished by cleaning up the fallen leaves along the mountain twice a day for two months. So no one dares to secretly give them to us."

Wang Sumo teased him, "Even the eldest brother isn't good enough?"

He Qingque sighed softly, "At this moment, Senior Brother is no longer Senior Brother!"

Wang Sumo: (⊙o⊙)…

It's all very well organized.

"When I become the master of Qingyun Manor one day, I will issue a decree that all dumplings eaten at the end of the year must be cooked thoroughly before being eaten!" He Qingque held up a dumpling wrapper, her spirited demeanor like a painting, leaving a deep impression on everyone.

Wang Sumo remembered it and exclaimed with admiration, "What a magnificent ambition!"

Hahahaha, He Qingque is happy.

If I hadn't made him wear a mask earlier, we wouldn't have had to eat this meal!

"Then let's make a lot of dumplings today so He Qingque can have her fill." After Wang Sumo finished speaking, He Qingque was almost overjoyed.

Wang Sumo increasingly felt that having more people in the kitchen was quite nice; at least it added a lively atmosphere...

Once Wang Sumo's dumpling filling was ready and He Lin's dumpling wrappers were torn, they began the enjoyable dumpling-making process.

"Miss Wang, you can wrap dumplings even faster than Chef Chen!" He Lin exclaimed in surprise.

Wang Sumo could tell that Master Chen's dumpling-making skills held a special place in He Lin's heart. Knowing that he wanted to learn, Wang Sumo slowed down and demonstrated for him little by little, "To make dumplings look nice, the pleats must be pinched well. Like this, pinch one spot and squeeze it forward little by little."

He Linyi tried to imitate the style of a gourd, but while he could see it clearly, he couldn't quite execute it.

"Making dumplings is something you get better with practice; just make a few more and you'll get the hang of it," Wang Sumo continued, demonstrating. "Like this."

"Still like a dead rat!" He Qingque said dejectedly.

Wang Sumo was startled when she heard the term "dead rat." "He Qingque, what kind of shocking adjectives are these?"

He Qingque pouted, "My senior brothers all said the dumplings I made looked like dead rats, and they all laughed at me!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Sumo actually leaned over to take a closer look. And to her surprise, He Qingque's senior brothers' descriptions were quite accurate. (⊙o⊙)…

Perhaps they had developed a tacit understanding after spending so much time together, He Qingque seemed to be able to read her thoughts from her eyes.

He Qingque was speechless. "Miss Wang!"

"Cough cough cough," Wang Sumo corrected, "These senior brothers really bully their junior brothers everywhere, and Qingyun Manor is no exception!"

He Qingque's heart seemed to have been soothed, but as soon as she was soothed, she quickly forgot about what had happened before and said with a grin, "I'll make a round one~ We don't usually have that much filling for the New Year, but this time there's plenty!"

As He Qingque spoke, she added filling to the dumpling. Wang Sumo sighed, "He Qingque, be careful. If you stuff it too full, it will leak when you cook it. You can't put too much stuff in a dumpling, or it will fall apart after cooking for a while."

He Qingque: Σ(⊙▽⊙"a

Will it?

"I can't say for sure about other things, but this one of yours is definitely broken."

He Qingque quickly cleared the plate, saying, "That won't do, don't waste it! It's not easy to even get a raw one during the New Year, I have to eat the whole thing."

Wang Sumo couldn't suppress her laughter.

Wang Sumo asked, "He Qingque, what kind of dumplings do you like to eat?"

"Pork and chives!"

"And you, Miss Wang?" He Qingque asked her curiously.

Wang Sumo lowered her head slightly. Her father liked shrimp, pork, and chive filling, and her mother liked pork and cabbage filling, but she liked the "family reunion" filling, which had all kinds of fillings. She liked all kinds of fillings, as long as it was a "family reunion" dumpling, any filling would be fine...

"Oh, I see..." He Qingque thought for a moment, "Once I learn how to make dumplings, I'll make some for you."

"Hey, hurry up!"

"Hahahaha," He Qingque exclaimed happily.

Soon, amidst laughter and chatter, all the dumplings filled with mushroom and pork were wrapped and neatly placed on the cutting board, ready to be cooked together later.

He Qingque's pile of wrappers also stood out prominently at the back of the cutting board.

Wang Sumo really wanted to draw him...

The pig's trotters were ready around the same time. "Chicken feet," Wang Sumo ordered, and the little helper quickly brought them over.

The intense aroma of the pig's trotters as soon as the lid was opened was so enticing that one would want to reach out and steal a piece. Wang Sumo was busy cutting the chicken feet while keeping an eye out for other people's hands, while He Qingque could only watch longingly.

"Soybeans," Wang Sumo instructed again.

He Qingque brought over the soybeans, and Wang Sumo poured them into the pot as well, simmering them together with the pig's trotters and chicken feet.

"How much longer?" He Qingque thought that even just imagining things was enough to quench her thirst.

"It should take about half an hour." Wang Sumo had just gently poked the pig's trotters with his chopsticks to check how tender they were, and it should take about half an hour.

ah! ! !

For a foodie, sitting in front of several pots must be incredibly painful and arduous. Wang Sumo assigned tasks, "Go wash the cabbage and the remaining mushrooms."

"Oh." Although reluctant, He Qingque went anyway.

Meanwhile, Wang Sumo started washing the taro. The taro she bought this time was small. After washing and rinsing it, there was no need to scrape the surface of the taro clean. It could be put directly into the steamer and steamed until cooked.

After steaming, the taro becomes soft and glutinous, making it easy to peel, and you can also smell the unique sweet aroma that comes with steaming.

"What else can you do with taro?" Taro is rarely eaten at Qingyun Manor.

As Wang Sumo peeled the taro, she said, "Taro stewed with duck is also delicious. Have you ever tried it?"

He Qingque shook her head crisply.

“I really don’t want to leave Bazhenlou…” He Qingque rested her chin on her hand again, “and I don’t want to leave Qingyun Manor either.”

Wang Sumo sautéed ginger and garlic in hot oil until fragrant, then added the peeled taro and stir-fried it briefly. He then lifted the lid of the pot containing stewed mutton and added it to the pot.

"Wow~" He Qingque's eyes widened, then she looked at Wang Sumo with envy, "Is the food at Bazhenlou always this good?"

He Qingque: ┭┮﹏┭┮

Wang Sumo gently tapped his head with the remaining half of a scallion, "Great, after you finish this meal, you'll be starving for half a month."

He Qingque: "..."

*

In the small courtyard of Bazhenlou, Old Master He and Old Master Qu were together. As the sun set and the afterglow danced lightly in the dust, the chattering of Wang Sumo and He Lin from the kitchen highlighted the ethereal tranquility of the surroundings, as well as the warmth and nostalgia of their long-awaited reunion.

"How can you age so quickly?" Old Master He sighed.

The old man glanced at him and said, "You're always out in the world of martial arts, how could you possibly maintain such good looks like me!"

Master He raised his glass, just like the old man, and the two clinked glasses. Then they watched the sunset and the afterglow fall on the surrounding area, just like decades ago.

"What, couldn't hold it in any longer?" Old Master Qu pointed out.

Master He nodded, "It was nothing originally, but when I heard you were still out there, I couldn't sit still."

"Then let me show you, your legs are perfectly fine!"

Master He burst into laughter, and Lao Qu laughed along with him.

...

Outside the Bazhen Building, He Ping and A Zhen set up their tent for sleeping at night.

“The Eight Treasures Pavilion is usually put back into the wooden box, so most of the time no one sleeps there. But if it’s not put away at night, you can put the tent in the small courtyard of the Eight Treasures Pavilion to keep it dry from the ground,” Ah Zhen said softly.

He Ping nodded.

Ah Zhen continued, "In towns, the old man and Su Mo stay in courtyards or inns. In the wilderness, they have no choice but to make do like this. After sleeping in a carriage for a long time, they'll want to switch to sleeping in a tent. When traveling the world, it's not as comfortable as staying in Qingyun Manor."

He Ping listened with a smile as the sun gradually sank behind the mountains.

"I smell something delicious." Ah Zhen stopped what she was doing, and He Ping stopped as well, reaching out his hand, the afterglow of the setting sun falling perfectly into his palm.

He Ping withdrew his palm and said softly, "I will not compensate you today. I have given up a gold ingot, but I have left you with a lingering glow."

Ah Zhen clapped her hands and stood up, "So scholarly."

[Author's Note]

I went to the hospital today, so it's even later now, sorry~

Appear on time tomorrow