Chapter 34 Eggplant Rice Bowl with Minced Meat

After much deliberation, she made up her mind, opened her chat window with Lu Zheng, and typed:

[Officer Lu, I apologize for bothering you again. I just received that strange phone call again… This time there was no talking, only some knocking sounds. I feel like things are getting increasingly wrong. When are you free? Could we find a place to discuss this in detail?]

The message was sent successfully.

She held her phone, waiting for a response.

The evening breeze on the riverbank ruffled her hair, but it couldn't dispel the heavy fog in her heart.

Shortly after the message was sent, the system notification sound arrived as expected.

[Ding! Daily Quest (Sell 50 Extra Spicy Chicken Wings) Completed! Reward: 450 Merit Points Issued!]

Current merit points: 3100.

Looking at the merit points that had surpassed three thousand, Su Xiaonuan felt a surge of joy.

But the thought of those two strange phone calls and Lu Zheng's "distress signal" dampened her joy considerably.

I feel a bit insecure; I should probably improve my skills further!

She opened the system interface and decided to make a complete upgrade:

"System, upgrade [Cooking Skill] to Level 4!"

[Ding! 150 merit points consumed, cooking skill upgraded to level four! Current merit points: 2950.]

[Enhanced Effects: Significantly improves knife skills, heat control, seasoning precision, and creative fusion abilities. Enhances the deliciousness and overall enjoyment of food.]

"Upgrade [Body Enhancement] to Tier 5!"

[Ding! 250 merit points consumed, body enhancement upgraded to level 5! Current merit points: 2700.]

[Enhancement Effects: Significantly increases strength, speed, stamina, reflexes, and recovery; extremely high resistance to blows; greatly enhances resistance to common toxins/drugs; effects are amplified.]

"Upgrade the [Streetcart] to Tier 3!"

[Ding! 250 Merit Points consumed, cart upgraded to Tier 3! Current Merit Points: 2450.]

[Enhancement Effects: Increased space, enhanced energy system, reinforced structure, and improved camouflage. Unlocks 'Environmental Adaptability Adjustment' for constant temperature and humidity inside the vehicle, suitable for setting up a stall in extreme weather.]

After a series of upgrades, Su Xiaonuan felt that her physical condition had reached a new peak. Her senses became more acute, and she could even vaguely "hear" the noise of the distant street and the sound of the television in her neighbor's house nearby.

Her control over her own strength became more refined, and the cart became more powerful and practical.

I feel much more at ease now.

She packed her things quickly and drove her brand-new RV home.

Once she got home and relaxed, she realized she was a little hungry.

If you don't want anything too complicated for dinner, make a simple and delicious eggplant and minced meat rice bowl.

Choose long, purple-skinned eggplants with thick flesh. Wash them but do not peel them (the skin is rich in anthocyanins). Cut them into chunks and immediately soak them in lightly salted water to prevent oxidation and blackening, and to reduce the amount of oil absorbed by the eggplants during cooking.

Minced pork is made from three parts fat and seven parts lean pork leg meat. It is then mixed with a little cooking wine, white pepper powder, light soy sauce, and cornstarch and marinated for a while.

Mince the garlic and ginger, slice the chili peppers into rings (optional if you don't like spicy food), and chop the scallions.

Then comes the soul sauce.

In a bowl, combine fermented soybean paste, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, aged vinegar, sugar, a small amount of water, and cornstarch. Stir well and set aside.

Next, Su Xiaonuan began making it.

Remove the soaked eggplant pieces from the water and squeeze out the excess water. This step is crucial.

Pour a little more oil than you would normally use for stir-frying into a wok, heat it up, then add the eggplant pieces and stir-fry over medium heat until the eggplant pieces soften and turn a light golden brown. Remove and set aside. This method preserves the texture of the eggplant without making it too greasy.

Using the oil in the pan (you can add more if needed), sauté minced ginger, minced garlic, and chopped chili peppers until fragrant.

Pour in the marinated minced meat, quickly stir-fry until it changes color, releases its oil, and becomes dry and fragrant.

Return the previously stir-fried eggplant to the pan, stir-fry it evenly with the minced meat, pour in the prepared sauce, bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and simmer for a while to allow the flavor of the sauce to fully penetrate the eggplant and minced meat.

Once the broth has thickened and evenly coats each piece of eggplant, bubbling enticingly and emitting a fragrant aroma, sprinkle on most of the chopped scallions, stir-fry quickly and evenly, then turn off the heat.

Pour the steaming, savory eggplant and minced meat sauce, along with the sauce, over the pre-steamed white rice in a bowl. The dark brown sauce seeps into the snow-white rice grains, while the glossy eggplant pieces and fragrant minced meat cover them. Finally, garnish with the remaining green scallions.

It looks so appetizing!

The soft and tender eggplant, the savory minced meat, and the rich, slightly spicy and sweet sauce blend together perfectly, creating an extremely simple yet incredibly satisfying home-style delicacy.

Su Xiaonuan was cooking, but she was somewhat absent-minded, glancing at her phone every now and then.

Just as she picked up her chopsticks to eat, her phone finally rang. It was Lu Zheng calling.

She quickly answered, "Hello, Officer Lu?"

"Okay." Lu Zheng's steady voice came from the other end of the phone. "If you're free tomorrow morning, come to the bureau. We can discuss the phone call in detail."

"Yes, yes, I'm free! I'll go tomorrow morning!" Su Xiaonuan quickly agreed.

"Okay, just tell the receptionist to look for me when you get there." Lu Zheng hung up the phone after saying that, seemingly still busy.

The system's daily task notifications refreshed immediately after the call ended.

[Daily Quest Refresh: Tomorrow, successfully set up a stall at the main entrance of the Municipal Public Security Bureau and sell 1000 'Deadly Barbecue Skewers'. Reward: 450 Merit Points.]

1000 skewers?! And right in front of the police station?!

Su Xiaonuan gasped when she saw the number. This was a much larger quantity than any previous mission! And the location... was too coincidental! They had just arranged to meet at the police station, and the mission location was right outside the police station?

However, after the initial surprise, she quickly calmed down.

Although 1,000 skewers is a lot, barbecue skewers are quick to skewer and grill, and she has confidence in herself and her stall thanks to the system's support.

It's good that it's in front of the police station; it saves her from running around, and her safety is guaranteed.

The ingredients for barbecue must be fresh, especially meat, which should not be marinated overnight.

Su Xiaonuan could only hurry up and finish the fragrant rice bowl. Even though she had something on her mind, the delicious food still made her squint her eyes happily.

Before going to bed, she relieved her stress by scrolling through her phone in bed for a while. She saw a video of a food blogger failing to recreate a popular dessert and laughed so hard she almost fell over.

I checked the weather forecast again and confirmed that tomorrow will be a sunny day, perfect for setting up a stall.

Silently calculating how much ingredients I would need to prepare for 1000 skewers, I drifted off to sleep, clutching my pillow.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Su Xiaonuan got up.

After washing up, I started preparing for today's "battle" with renewed energy.