Chapter 3. Jiang Can begins purchasing, half a pound of beef...

Jiang Can started shopping: half a pound of beef, two bunches of bean sprouts, a sheet of tofu skin, and two pounds each of scallions, ginger, and garlic, plus fifty eggs and five pounds of chives.

When we arrived at the pork shop, we picked out another ten pounds of pork shoulder, which was lean with some fat, perfect for making steamed bun filling.

Pork shoulder is 2.6 yuan per jin (500g), so 10 jin would cost 26 yuan.

Jiang Can looked at the pot of pig intestines. They were only seven cents a pound. They were cheap, oily, and clean. They were delicious whether braised or stewed.

I also bought ten jin (5 kg).

Because I bought a lot, the owner also gave me two large bones that hadn't been cleaned of meat.

Jiang Can paid for the pork and pork intestines, but Shen Lang, disgusted by the intestines, didn't even want to carry them. "These things are dirty and smelly; even a dog wouldn't eat them," he said. Jiang Can found it strange. "Why did you buy so much?"

Jiang Can looked at him, so how could he bear to buy ten pounds of pork and ten pounds of pork intestines?

Pork intestines are indeed cheap, but ten pounds still cost seven yuan.

I only bought half a pound of beef that costs 2.5 yuan per pound!

Jiang Can glanced at Shen Lang, ignoring his ridiculous statement: "I'm going to sell food."

I'll try making steamed buns with either fresh pork filling or chive and egg filling, just to see how it goes.

Add some braised pork intestines; it's cheap and juicy.

Shen Lang: ? ? ?

I asked him about Zhang's Restaurant this morning, and he started preparing to sell food and make money this afternoon. That's incredibly efficient; he really doesn't waste a single moment.

Then she bought rice, flour, cooking oil, and other miscellaneous items, spending over eighty yuan. Looking at the groceries hanging on her bicycle, she felt a pang of regret; she had bought too much beef! Two ounces would have been enough.

Boiled beef is best enjoyed with plenty of side dishes; it's healthy and won't make you gain weight.

She looked at the beef with obvious heartache, and Shen Lang's lips twitched. Luckily, he had bought the beef early.

Once home, Jiang Can began preparing lunch. He first turned on the coal stove to steam rice, and then sliced ​​the beef into thin slices and marinated it.

Shen Lang watched her cook with such skill, quite impressive indeed. He grabbed a handful of peanuts and started popping them into his mouth. "A master!" he exclaimed.

Jiang Can smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliment." Seeing that he was bored, she tossed him two heads of garlic and a bundle of green onions, asking him to peel them.

Shen Lang was reluctant to do it; he hadn't even had a meal yet, but he was already assigned a lot of work.

After steaming the rice, Jiang Can replaced the honeycomb briquette with another one. Once the flames were burning, he put on an iron pot, heated oil in it, and stir-fried Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant. He then added minced ginger and garlic and stir-fried until fragrant. Finally, he added two spoonfuls of fermented bean paste and stir-fried until the oil turned red. The spicy and savory aroma immediately came out.

This flavor is so good, it would even taste good when boiled with shoe uppers!

Add bean sprouts and bean curd sheets in that order, and finally cook the beef.

After it was cooked, he sprinkled on minced garlic, Sichuan peppercorns, and chili pepper pieces, poured hot oil over it, and gestured for Shen Lang to serve the rice.

A large bowl of boiled beef was placed on the table. Shen Lang picked up a slice of beef with his chopsticks, took a bite, and found the beef tender and delicious.

Shen Lang gave a thumbs up: "Master Jiang, you're amazing! Sit down and eat." He then put a large slice of beef into Jiang Can's bowl, and then started eating his rice.

The boiled beef was spicy and flavorful, and went perfectly with rice. Jiang Can ate a bowl of rice, and the rest of the pot of rice ended up in Shen Lang's stomach.

As he ate, he exclaimed, "With your skills, it's hard not to make money!"

With this skill, he could live off it for the rest of his life!

He ate with great satisfaction, and while washing the dishes, he remarked, "We didn't buy enough beef; it wasn't satisfying at all. Shall we have boiled sliced ​​pork for dinner?"

Jiang Can said, "We'll have meat pies and stir-fried pork intestines for dinner." Before Shen Lang could complain, she added, "Stir-fried pork intestines are just as good as boiled beef!"

Shen Lang didn't believe it, but Jiang Can said with a grin, "If you don't like it, I'll make you boiled beef every day for the next week, and you won't even have to wash the dishes."

She stood in the courtyard, sunlight filtering through the gaps in the jujube tree and falling on her face, making her even more beautiful.

Shen Lang: "So generous? Is there some condition?"

Jiang Can feigned shyness and said in a coquettish voice, "The most important step in making stir-fried pork intestines is to clean the pig intestines thoroughly. From now on, this task will be yours."

She didn't want to wash pig intestines either.

Shen Lang: ...

Jiang Can: "Imagine a week of boiled beef, a week without washing dishes."

Shen Lang: "This stuff doesn't taste good. Who would spend money to buy this if you make it? You don't need to bother making it. It's definitely not going to taste good. For the next week, you don't have to eat boiled beef every day. Chicken, duck, fish, or any kind of meat is fine. I love all kinds of meat."

Jiang Can was speechless and had lost patience with him. "Dream on, forget I said anything. If you want to eat pork pies tonight, you have to do something, so chop up the pork."

Once the stir-fried pork intestines are ready, she doesn't believe Shen Lang will be able to resist.

Shen Lang wasn't on his honeymoon at home to chop meat and wash pig intestines! He was there to hug his wife!

He could also see that Jiang Can, despite her delicate and soft appearance, was never one to suffer losses in her actions. He felt that if he were to act as a hands-off manager at this time, he might not be able to go to bed at night.

In order to be able to hold his wife and eat boiled beef, he still took the job of cleaning pig intestines. He thought that once she found out that no one eats pig intestines, she would stop buying them.

Shen Lang looked at the pig intestines in the basin with great disgust. Afraid of getting his white shirt dirty, he unbuttoned his shirt and took it off. When he turned his head, he saw Jiang Can staring at his abs.

Shen Lang smiled, a charming smile playing on his lips. "Shall we go back inside and take a look?"

"I'll take a closer look tonight," Jiang Can said softly, her cheeks flushed, and looked away.

There's a carrot dangling in front of the donkey; Shen Lang needs some motivation.

The two had just gotten married, and there was no love involved; they were just living together as a couple. However, she could tell that Shen Lang really enjoyed sleeping with her.

Her sweet, coquettish voice, with a hint of deliberate intent, made Shen Lang wish he could carry her to bed right now.

Under that intense gaze, Jiang Can's cheeks flushed even more. She cleared her throat and said, "I'll go knead the dough."

Shen Lang clicked his tongue, tossed his white shirt onto the wicker chair, and walked into the kitchen. He put his arm around Jiang Can's slender waist and said, "Let's collect some interest first." He then lowered his head and kissed her lips.

Jiang Can's first thought was, "He just ate, did Shen Lang even rinse his mouth?!" But then he remembered that Shen Lang had drunk a whole mug of mint water after the meal, so he felt relieved and let him kiss him.

...

Shen Lang carried a basin of pig intestines to the well. Following Jiang Can's instructions, he first rinsed the intestines twice with water, then sprinkled coarse salt and white vinegar on them and vigorously scrubbed off the mucus. Finally, he rinsed them clean with water.

Next, turn the pig intestines inside out. This step is really disgusting; you have to clean out any remaining pig feces inside!

Shen Lang snapped, "Damn it! The interest rate is too low!"

Next, knead the pig intestines repeatedly with flour and salt, rinse them with clean water, repeat this process twice, and then soak them in clean water.

It took almost half an hour to wash such a large basin of pig intestines.

Shen Lang washed his hands with soap several times, but they still smelled bad! Damn it!

Jiang Can praised, "Shen Lang is not only good-looking and has a great figure, but he's also very capable. When I make money in the future, I'll open a small restaurant, buy a Great Wall 18-inch color TV for the house, and a Panasonic refrigerator, filled with beer and soda. I'll cook chicken, duck, fish and meat for you every day. While eating, you can watch 'Journey to the West,' and enjoy a bite of meat and a sip of ice-cold beer. Wouldn't that be the best life ever?"

Shen Lang didn't want to laugh, but he couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. He smiled and thought he could wash another basin of pig intestines.

No, he doesn't want to wash pig intestines!!!

"You're just making empty promises without even a glimpse of the money."

Jiang Can: "Once our family becomes a household with ten thousand yuan, I'll buy you a motorcycle."

Shen Lang rolled his eyes. "I'll be waiting for you."

Jiang Can continued to coax Shen Lang into chopping the filling for the buns, but Shen Lang had just picked up the cleaver when someone knocked on the door and called out, "Brother Shen, Brother Shen."

Shen Lang put down the kitchen knife and went outside. A young man with a crew cut said in a panic, "Something terrible has happened at the factory! You have to go and see."

Shen Lang pulled the white shirt off the rattan chair and put it on, buttoning it as he walked out. "What's wrong?" When he reached the gate of the yard, he remembered that there was a wife at home and some filling for dumplings that he hadn't started chopping yet. He turned back and said, "Can Can, I'm going out for a bit. Leave the filling there and I'll chop it when I get back."

Before Jiang Can could reply, he had already closed the gate and ridden away on his old bicycle.

Jiang Can was also quite curious about what major incident could have happened at the Liaoxian Cotton Mill, and he even called over Shen Lang, the security guard from the security department.

She glanced at the pig intestines; they were very clean and didn't smell bad. She thought Shen Lang was reliable; once he agreed, he wouldn't cut corners. Jiang Can drained the water, carried the pig intestines into the kitchen, and prepared to braise them.

In one afternoon, Jiang Can braised a large pot of pig intestines. During this time, he also chopped the dumpling filling. All that was left was for the dough to rise before steaming the buns.

The aroma of pig intestines was so irresistible that neighbors peeked in and knocked on the door. Widow Qian came with her two grandsons, who were drooling with envy. When they saw Jiang Can, they pitifully cried out, "Auntie, I want to eat meat."

Widow Qian said, "Shen Lang's wife, what delicious food have you made? My grandson is so hungry he's crying. Share some with them so they can taste it. I won't eat for free; I'll go home later and pick a big cabbage to exchange for you."

She laughed very warmly, showing no trace of her sharp tongue from the morning, as if she hadn't been the one arguing that morning.

Several other families nearby also brought their children over, saying they wouldn't eat for free and would exchange some of their food for some meat for their children.

Jiang Can smiled warmly at everyone: "Kids, don't worry, there's plenty! My family makes braised pig intestines, they taste just as good as meat. I'll bring some back for you to try later."

She went back to the courtyard, took a pig intestine from the large iron pot, placed it on the cutting board, cut it into half-centimeter-long pieces, brought out a small bowl, and warmly greeted, "Children, do you want to eat some fragrant pieces of intestine? Whoever lines up the longest will get a piece of intestine to eat."

The noisy children then happily lined up.

Seeing her gentle nature, the neighbors were even more enthusiastic and friendly as they offered her braised pork intestines to the child. One old lady reached into the bowl and grabbed some, saying, "These pork intestines smell so good! This old woman will have to try them too."

Jiang Can quickly moved the bowl aside: "There's not much, let's give it to the kids first."

One piece for each child, and after serving about ten children, there were still two small pieces left in the bowl. Just as that old lady with the slanted eyes reached for her own, Jiang Can simply tossed the rest into her mouth and commented, "It smells delicious, and it tastes even better. Children, is the braised pork intestine tasty? If you want more, you can come to my house to buy braised pork intestine, it's five yuan a pound. I only have a little over two pounds left, and once it's sold out, it's gone!"

He then told the adults, "We can also exchange vegetables for it, and we'll go by the market price."

You can't expect to get something for free.

No one should take advantage of the other.