Chapter 171 The Secret of Cold Cabbage

"There's nothing to regret. I've already wasted four years. It would be a shame to waste a few more. Sister Jingzi, you know, our major is quite popular. It's easy to find a job after graduation. After a few years of hard work, if you work hard to get a certificate, you can get a good salary.

But the situation has changed in the past two years. Many seniors in our major are unemployed. Our former student union president even said in the group chat that he was planning to go out and deliver food! There's been no money in our industry these past two years, and there are very few people hiring. Graduation means unemployment. Many of my recent graduates are talking about becoming drivers or driving excavators. I'm afraid the situation will be even worse when I graduate next year."

Lu Hongwen lowered his head and peeled garlic vigorously.

"Maybe being unemployed right after graduation isn't the worst scenario. The worst scenario is that there are companies that want people like us at the beginning, but after a few years of crazy hard work, the company collapses. Then, as some of my seniors have said, you're in your 40s or 50s, and you've finally become a small leader, but the industry is about to disappear, and you have to start looking for a job all over again, with elderly parents and young children to support.

As for my family, I can't just accept being oppressed forever. If I want to truly break free, I have to stand up for myself. I have to resist. I've had enough of the inexplicable abuse over the years."

Lu Hongwen pursed his lips and put the peeled garlic into a clean small bowl. Zhao Xiaojing took a piece of pork tenderloin, cut it into slightly thicker slices, and mixed some batter to marinate the pork tenderloin.

“Times are indeed changing rapidly, and no one knows whether they will be eliminated next. But fortunately, we still have the ability to learn. As long as we are willing to learn, there will always be new opportunities.

Don't worry, you can do so well selling sweet soup, you have the ability. Even if you do something else, it won't be too bad. If you can't find a job, we are willing to let you come here, just think it through."

Seeing Lu Hongwen's depressed look, Zhao Xiaojing tried to comfort him in a relaxed tone.

"Got it, thank you, sister! Actually, I was just playing the victim because I was afraid you wouldn't accept me."

Lu Hongwen tilted his neck slightly, exhaled, and smiled in a feigned cheerful manner.

Zhao Xiaojing glanced at him without saying anything. After mixing the pork tenderloin, she took off her gloves, lowered her head, smashed the green peppers with a knife, removed the stems and poured out the seeds, then put them in the pot to dry.

"Tiger-skin green peppers?" Lu Hongwen asked after glancing at the pot.

"right."

"Then I'll chop the garlic for you." Lu Hongwen picked up the kitchen knife beside him quite skillfully, smashed the garlic with a few strokes, and then quickly cut it into garlic cloves of the right size.

"Wow, sister, where did you buy this kitchen knife? It's sharp and fast, feels good in the hand, and the weight is just right!" After chopping garlic, Lu Hongwen picked up the kitchen knife and looked at it again and again in surprise.

"I bought it casually from a roadside stall. Unfortunately, the stall disappeared later and I don't know where it is now." Zhao Xiaojing's eyes flashed, and she made up a story while looking at the kitchen knife drawn by the system.

She also felt that this kitchen knife was very handy. She had been using it every day since she won it in the lottery. In fact, it was not as sharp as it was at the beginning. She was thinking of buying a whetstone at the vegetable market to sharpen it one day.

"Okay, I was thinking that since it's so useful, I might as well get one. So, sister, next time you see one, just tell me, or just buy one for me." Lu Hongwen smacked his lips regretfully.

"Okay, I'll buy it for you next time I see you. You really know more about this than a comb. If a comb were here, I would use a garlic grinder." Zhao Xiaojing smiled, roasted the green peppers in the pot until the skin peeled, then took them all out and heated the oil in a new pot.

After the oil is hot, add the minced garlic and some fermented black beans chopped by Lv Hongwen, then add green pepper, salt, and light soy sauce, stir-fry over high heat and remove from the pan.

Then heat the oil in a pan and quickly stir-fry the shredded pork with grandma's vegetables.

Grandma's dish is a home-cooked dish in Xiangxi. It contains white radish, dried beans, pickled mustard greens, etc. It is made by drying and pickling in a jar using the traditional folk production method of Xiangxi. It has a dry, crispy and refreshing taste, and it is extremely delicious when stir-fried with meat.

It is impossible to make the authentic taste of this grandma's dish once it leaves its place of origin, so Zhao Xiaojing buys the finished product directly. When eating, she stir-fries the shredded pork and seasons it, then pours the grandma's dish in to sauté until fragrant and stir-fries for a few times.

Next came fried pork tenderloin, potato chips, and ham sausage. It's been a while since Su Yuchen had eaten fried food. A few nights ago, on the way home, Su Yuchen saw some starch sausages and was tempted, so she bought two. But neither of them liked them, so today was the perfect time to make some to satisfy her craving.

While Zhao Xiaojing was frying something, Lu Hongwen cleaned the kitchen counter, various vegetable baskets and seasoning bowls, as well as every nook and cranny. Su Yuchen also finished cleaning and went into the kitchen. The two of them served the rice and took the dishes to the front hall one by one.

Zhao Xiaojing's last dish, cold cabbage, was also prepared in no time.

Zhao Xiaojing practiced making this dish in virtual space after buying it in the morning. It seemed simple, just cutting the cabbage into shreds and mixing it with the cabbage, but it took her quite a while to research how to replicate the taste of the Cantonese restaurant that Wang Jiandang liked to eat.

This dish emphasizes freshness, and many restaurants offer it, but few have the same flavor as that of the Cantonese restaurant. Generally, it is either simple and refreshing, or complex, sour, spicy and slightly heavy.

But the cold-mixed cabbage there, although it tastes light and refreshing at first, has a subtle fresh and fragrant flavor when you taste it carefully, which seems to be more complex than just a simple refreshing taste.

After Zhao Xiaojing tried several times in the morning without success, she accidentally saw the cooking oil and added it on a whim. As expected, the dish had a complex oily aroma.

After adding and subtracting a few seasonings, Zhao Xiaojing finally found the secret of this cold dish of cabbage, and reproduced the final method based on the taste in her memory.

The first thing to do is to boil the cooking oil. Pour half a bucket of oil and boil over medium-low heat. First add carrots, onions, celery, coriander, and green onions. Boil until they turn yellow. Then add star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Boil until they turn golden brown. Then, remove them and let the cooking oil cool for later use.

After that, cut the cabbage leaves into as thin strips as possible and mix them in three batches.

Add cooking oil for the first time and mix well; add chicken essence, a little sugar and salt for the second time and mix well; add sesame oil, balsamic vinegar or rice vinegar for the last time and mix well.

This dish is not like other mixed vegetables. The longer it is marinated, the more flavorful and delicious it becomes. Instead, it is best eaten right after it is marinated, so Zhao Xiaojing prepared this dish last.

The cabbage eaten in this way is crispy and sweet, and the seasoning does not cover the taste of the cabbage itself.

After being pickled for a long time, the cabbage will inevitably release water. Over time, the cabbage will absorb the taste of the soup, so the seasoning will become salty and heavy, destroying the original refreshing taste.