Chapter 67 Celebrity Fu Lilian

The girl, holding her omelet rice, thanked them again solemnly before hopping away like a happy little bird, her twin ponytails drawing lively arcs in the sunlight.

Su Xiaonuan looked at the contact name sent by the other party—"Fu Lilian"—and her eyes widened slightly, a look of surprise on her face.

Fu Lilian? Isn't that the young actress who has been frequently appearing on trending topics and screens recently, who rose to fame quickly because of a hit drama and her outstanding acting skills, and who is said to be a former member of a popular girl group?

No wonder those eyes looked familiar; I was just distracted by the mask and exaggerated eye makeup.

I heard she's in the prime of her career and incredibly busy, but I never expected her to come all the way to the aquarium by herself and buy an omelet rice like a regular fan.

"What's wrong? Do you know her?" Zhao Liyue, who had been standing quietly to the side, seemingly keeping watch on the surroundings but actually taking everything in, noticed the change in Su Xiaonuan's expression and asked casually.

She paid no attention to the entertainment industry, only that the girl's outfit was a bit eye-catching, but her behavior didn't seem threatening.

Su Xiaonuan snapped out of her surprise, put away her phone, couldn't help but smile, and shook her head: "It's nothing, I just thought that girl was quite pretty, with particularly bright and expressive eyes. With that kind of looks, it's a shame she's not a star."

She didn't reveal Fu Lilian's identity, feeling it was unnecessary.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liyue recalled the girl's appearance from earlier. Although she hadn't seen her full face, her eyes were indeed outstanding, and her figure and temperament were also quite good. She nodded in agreement and objectively commented, "Yes, she's a good prospect."

The two exchanged a smile, and the tense atmosphere brought about by the sudden incident seemed to have dissipated somewhat during this little interlude.

Su Xiaonuan started packing up her stall, preparing to head home.

Back in Su Xiaonuan's cozy little apartment where live fish had inexplicably appeared, the adrenaline from the aquarium incident had long since subsided, replaced by a sense of relaxation after exhaustion, and... a rumbling stomach.

"Sister Yue, you can rest for a while, or do your own thing. I'll make dinner." Su Xiaonuan said, kicking off her shoes, putting on comfortable slippers, and naturally walking to a corner of the living room.

Zhao Liyue nodded and was about to get her laptop to work on some reports when her gaze inadvertently followed Su Xiaonuan.

Then, she froze, her usually calm and sharp eyes widening in surprise, as if she had seen something unbelievable.

Su Xiaonuan walked to the window in the living room, where there was a... well, a very professional-looking aquarium. The tank was clear, the aquatic plants were lush, and the aquascape was beautiful.

There was nothing wrong with that in itself. What was strange was that Su Xiaonuan calmly picked up the fishing net hanging next to her, bent down, aimed, and with a light flick of her wrist, a well-proportioned, silvery-scaled, and very lively bass was scooped out!

The fish's tail thrashed violently in the net, splashing up tiny water droplets.

Zhao Liyue: "???"

She watched as Su Xiaonuan, her expression unchanged, picked up the still-throwing bass and turned to walk towards the kitchen, her mind momentarily blank. Who would put an aquarium in the living room not for decoration, but for... storing food?! Wasn't this a bit too hardcore? Even Zhao Liyue, with her vast experience, was stunned by this sudden "live-action catching," unable to utter a single word for a long time.

Su Xiaonuan seemed completely oblivious to Zhao Liyue's shock, or perhaps she had become accustomed to other people's reactions to her family's "mobile food warehouse."

As she prepared the sea bass, she said through the kitchen door, "Sister Yue, we're having steamed sea bass today. You seem to have a good appetite, how about we add some boiled pork slices? It'll go well with rice."

Zhao Liyue opened her mouth, the words "My appetite is normal" swirling on her tongue, but recalling the bowl of tomato and egg noodles she had been longing for at noon and the omelet rice she had caught a glimpse of in the afternoon, she swallowed them back and replied dryly, "...Okay, thank you."

She silently sat down at the dining table, opened her laptop, and tried to suppress the restless desire in her heart caused by the anticipation of delicious food, which was not in line with her aloof and elegant persona.

In the kitchen, Su Xiaonuan had already begun to cast her magic.

That unfortunate... oh no, the sea bass that had the honor of becoming dinner had been thoroughly cleaned.

Su Xiaonuan made several elegant diagonal cuts on both sides of the fish, then carefully rubbed it with a little salt and cooking wine to marinate and remove the fishy smell.

Stuff a few thin slices of ginger and scallion segments into the fish's belly and place them on the bottom of the plate.

Take out a steaming plate of suitable size and place the sea bass on it steadily.

Once the steamer is steaming, place the fish plate inside, cover the pot, and steam over high heat.

Time management is key.

Su Xiaonuan silently counted down in her mind, and after only seven or eight minutes, she immediately turned off the stove.

Instead of immediately lifting the lid, she let the fish steam for a while using the residual heat to ensure it reached its most tender and smooth state, locking in its freshness.

Meanwhile, she finely shredded ginger, scallions, and red peppers, and soaked them in water for later use.

Time's up! The moment the lid is lifted, an extremely pure, sweet steam mixed with a faint aroma of ginger and scallions wafts out.

The clear, bright fish juice that seeps out from the bottom of the plate is the essence of the dish.

She carefully drained the excess liquid from the plate, then removed the ginger and scallions used for steaming, and evenly spread the soaked shredded vegetables on the freshly steamed sea bass, whose skin was slightly cracked and whose flesh was as white as garlic cloves.

In a separate small pot, heat a small amount of the premium peanut oil provided by the system until wisps of blue smoke rise from the surface of the oil.

With a flick of her wrist, the scalding hot oil sizzled and poured precisely onto the prepared shredded vegetables!

Instantly, the combined aroma of ginger, scallions, and chili peppers was fully released by the hot oil. Accompanied by a pleasant sizzling sound, it blended perfectly with the sweet and fresh aroma of the sea bass, rising up and domineeringly filling every corner of the living room.

Meanwhile, Su Xiaonuan was preparing another main dish.

She sliced ​​a piece of pork tenderloin with alternating layers of fat and lean meat into thin, almost transparent slices against the grain. She then mixed it with salt, pepper, cooking wine, egg white, and a small amount of starch to coat the meat. Finally, she drizzled a little oil over the slices to lock in the moisture, giving the meat slices an enticingly tender and glossy appearance.

The side dishes are also meticulously prepared: bean sprouts, bok choy, wood ear mushrooms, etc. are washed clean and drained before use.

Heat oil in a wok, add fermented broad bean paste, dried chili pepper pieces, Sichuan peppercorns, minced ginger and garlic, and stir-fry over low heat until the oil turns red and a fragrant spicy aroma is released.

Add an appropriate amount of broth or water, bring to a boil, and simmer for a few minutes to allow the spicy flavor to fully infuse the soup.

First, blanch the prepared vegetables in a pot until cooked, then remove them and place them at the bottom of a large bowl.

Turn the heat to low and keep the soup simmering. Slide the marinated meat slices into the pot one by one and gently separate them with chopsticks.