Wash, rinse, marinate and blanch.

At about half past ten, Xie Qing put the blanched small pieces of pork belly into the pot, stir-fried with green onions, ginger and garlic, added cuttlefish after two minutes, stir-fried again, added sugar and soy sauce, added hot water after three minutes, and simmered for fifteen minutes...

During this time, she steamed mantis shrimp and cleaned the tentacles and intestinal glands of the prawns.

Just after eleven o'clock, the staff of the affordable seafood restaurant delivered the dishes.

Xie Qing put the dishes on her own plate, sent the staff away, and was about to take something to cover the dishes when she heard a knock on the door.

"I'm here, I'm here." She trotted over and opened the door, "Master, Coco, Pass, uh, Captain Tan..."

"Sister Qingqing." Chai Yu's head popped out from Tan Yi's shoulder.

"And me." Xie Chen jumped twice behind Chai Yu, so that his sister wouldn't forget about him.

"Come in, come in." Xie Qing was stunned for less than a second, then returned to normal, "Those who want to change slippers can change slippers, those who don't want to can not change, I don't mind."

People just finished cleaning, so they definitely couldn't not change their shoes, so everyone changed slippers automatically.

Chai Yu complained, "Xie Xiao, you are so mean. You moved into our neighborhood without telling us."

Xie Qing smiled embarrassedly and said, "I just wanted to give you a surprise. I have thought of the gifts."

There was light in Tan Yi's eyes, "No need for gifts. Just let us have a meal."

Xie Qing said, "Captain Tan, there is no need. I have formally invited you two."

Tan Yi nodded seriously, "Okay, then we will agree with reluctance."

...

Everyone put the gifts they brought on the coffee table and began to visit spontaneously.

Cao Haisheng walked to the center of the living room and looked around, "Xie, you said that your renovation cost was not high. I didn't believe it at first, but now I see that it is indeed not expensive."

Chai Yu said, "It's either cement or brick walls, how can it be expensive? In my opinion, the most expensive things in the whole living room are the marble floor and the sofa."

Xie Chen glanced at Xie Qing, "Brother Chai, you think it doesn't look good? Why do I think it looks good!"

Chai Yu sat down on the blue-gray leather sofa and raised his hand to touch the real red brick wall behind the sofa, "Inexpensive doesn't mean it doesn't look good. This design is warm in the cold and cold in the warmth. It is simple and rough with a hint of delicate and warm pastoral atmosphere. It is very fashionable and unique. I like it very much too."

Cao Haisheng He walked around the bumpy but polished rectangular dining table, his eyes swept over the sunflower cement wall and the dining chairs full of quaint atmosphere, and patted the colorful cushions with his big hands, "I understand now that you put it, little brother."

At this point, he looked at Xie Qing, "A dining table like this must not be expensive."

Xie Chen interjected, "It's not expensive. I followed my sister's instructions and specially picked out scraps and asked a carpenter to make it."

Cao Haisheng nodded repeatedly, "I learned something. It's really good."

Li Ke walked to the stairs and looked down, "Qingqing, what's down there?"

Xie Qing said, "I bought a billiard table, installed a sandbag, and the rest of the space is the work area."

A forensic doctor has a work area at home?

Tan Yi went downstairs curiously, and saw a large workbench opposite the billiard table, on which were placed saws, planes, files, sandpaper, measuring tools and other tools that only carpenters would use.

What was even more outrageous was that there was a woodworking machine in the corner, and a pile of processed wooden boards were neatly stacked next to the machine.

Chai Yu and others also came down, and they were all stunned at these things.

Xie Chen explained: "My grandfather likes to tinker with these things, and Qingqing also learned a few tricks. She bought this house just to do handicrafts."

In fact, the original owner only knew a few tricks and was limited to using various tools, and was far less proficient than Xie Qing.

Xie Qing heard what he said upstairs and said, "Carpentry can relieve stress. Whenever we hate someone too much, we can imagine the wood in our hands as that person."

"Hahaha..." Chai Yu laughed, "After all, he is a forensic scientist, which means he is bloodier than ordinary people."

Cao Haisheng said, "You think too much, little brother. I have been a forensic scientist for twenty years, but I have never used a saw."

Xie Chen said, "I was given a tour of the house as soon as I entered the door, and I didn't have time to introduce myself. Chief Cao, I am Xie Chen, Qingqing's brother. This is a friend of Captain Tan who works in the government."

"Chai Yu." Chai Yu stretched out his hand, "Just call me Xiao Chai."

The two shook hands.

Before they let go of their hands, Xie Qing's voice rang out again, "Everyone, wash your hands quickly and get ready for dinner."

"Coming!" Li Ke and Li Ji responded at the same time. They quickly went upstairs, rushed to the kitchen to wash their hands, and helped Xie Qing get bowls and chopsticks.

Tan Yi and Chai Yu also came in. Chai Yu walked into the kitchen like a master with his hands behind his back.

Xie Qing's kitchen was very different from the style outside. It was decorated very formally, with haze blue tiles, white wall cabinets, clean and tidy, a bit like a cold style. (surname, gender)

But the stove was very lively, the fire was on, the oil was already smoking, and the green onions, ginger and garlic were put in together, making a sizzling sound, and the aroma filled the air.

Xie Qing methodically put the vegetables, seasonings, stir-fry, and finally add the sauce...

Her bare hands moved fluently.

Tan Yi was fascinated by what he saw, and only woke up when the plate of vegetables was passed to him. He quickly took the plate and turned to leave.

Xie Qing looked at his back and thought, why is he so absent-minded? Is he embarrassed because he didn't give any gifts?

The thought flashed through her mind, and she put her mind back on the dishes, washing the pots and pans and cooking...

Three minutes later, she and Li Ke returned to the restaurant with a dish each.

Li Ke raised the large blue-and-white porcelain bowl in his hand, "Guess what I have in my hand?"

Xie Chen sniffed it, "Red-braised pork, it doesn't seem so pure."

Cao Haisheng smiled and said, "Red-braised pork and cuttlefish are braised together, my wife also likes to make this dish."

Xie Qing sat down between him and Xie Chen, "Master is still amazing, that's the dish."

Li Ke put the dishes on the table, and saw that the red-braised pork was evenly sized, rosy in color, fat and thin, the cuttlefish was shiny and shiny, and there were small white quail eggs here and there.

The top egg was inserted with a green coriander leaf, which was the finishing touch, and it was full of color, fragrance and taste.

Cao Haisheng said, "Just looking at the appearance, our Xiao Xie wins."

"Thank you for the compliment, Master." Xie Qing smiled, "Thank you all for helping me warm the house. I don't have everything at home. I ordered these six dishes from the seafood restaurant. They all taste good. Come and try them."

Everyone was not interested in the seafood made in the hotel, but they all wanted to try the braised pork. Six pairs of chopsticks reached out at the same time...

Tan Yi picked up a cuttlefish and put it in his mouth. The cuttlefish was soft and chewy, without any fishy smell.

He praised, "It's delicious!"

Chai Yu also said, "The braised pork is excellent, not worse than the one in a big hotel."

Cao Haisheng smiled, "After eating Xiao Xie's stew, I feel that my wife is at most overcooked."

Li Ke and Li Ji didn't say anything, but picked up their chopsticks again, one picked up the quail egg and the other picked up the braised pork.

Xie Qing said, "Because I like this, I have asked several master chefs for advice. If you like it, eat more, otherwise I won't be able to finish it all by myself."

Chai Yu smiled, "What are you afraid of? Tan Yi and I live in this neighborhood. If you can't finish it, just pack it up."

Tan Yi nodded, "Don't forget, I live next door to you."

Xie Chen said, "Qingqing, if you are scared living alone, remember to call big brother, and big brother will keep you company."

Li Ke raised his hand, "I can too."

Xie Qing said dimly, "Master, do you see? I am surrounded by wolves."

"Haha..." Cao Haisheng laughed a few times, "Li Ji and I are also anxious, but we don't have a chance."

Li Ji was peeling shrimps, and heard what he said to Tan Yi, "Captain Tan, do you want to follow me? I'll be your assistant for a few days."

It is a kind of happiness for a chef to have his cooking skills recognized by diners.

Xie Qing said, "Don't worry. If you want to eat, just get together when you are free. And there is this braised pork. I will write a recipe for Master later."

Cao Haisheng nodded, "This is even better. Master can eat delicious food at home." After that, he raised the red wine glass, "Let's raise our glasses together. I wish our little Xie a happy life here, smooth work, and a more prosperous life."

"Cheers!"

Everyone raised their glasses together and drank the wine in the glass.

The food in the restaurant is delicious, and Xie Qing's cooking is not bad.

Although there are ten dishes, the portions are not large. Except for the steamed mantis shrimp, the other dishes are all cleaned up.

Everyone cleaned up the kitchen together. Xie Qing made a pot of tea and filled everyone's cups one by one, and then sat on the sofa to open the gifts.

Cao Haisheng bought a set of four, Li Ke bought a set of porcelain ornaments, and Li Ji brought a porcelain vase.

Xie Qing didn't want to charge them, but she didn't want them to spend more money, so she simply specified the gifts, each of which should not exceed fifty yuan.

Xie Qing placed the porcelain ornaments in a small grid on the red brick wall, the vase on the coffee table, and took out a dried flower from the drawer, and the atmosphere was set.

She smiled and said, "Once I wash the four-piece set that my master gave me, I will have new sheets."

Chai Yu said, "Just wait, I'll get you two too, and then your brick wall will be full."

Xie Qing joked, "Brother Chai, don't buy the expensive ones. My small brick wall can't afford it."

Chai Yu was a little embarrassed, because he really didn't have any cheap things in his hands.

Xie Chen also said, "You're welcome, Brother Chai. As your elder brother, I haven't given you anything, either. Next time you come for dinner, just bring some good ingredients."

"Hahaha..." Chai Yu tapped Xie Chen on the shoulder, "I like you more and more, what you said really touches my heart."

Tan Yi nodded repeatedly in his heart, but his face remained expressionless, "Don't forget to call me when Old Chai comes. We share the good and the bad."

Chai Yu said, "Don't worry, we're just following each other."

...

Xie Qing stood up after drinking two cups of tea and said to Li Ji, "I've written down the method of making pork belly. I'll make it for you now and take it back to everyone as a return gift."

Li Ji was overjoyed, "Thank you, Xie, that's great."

Xie Chen and the others didn't understand what was going on, but they also stood up and went into the kitchen together.

Xie Qing put the marinated pork belly on a baking tray, wrapped it with wax paper, wiped the skin with a clean cloth, brushed it with white vinegar, sprinkled it with coarse salt evenly, put it in the oven, and set the temperature to 200 degrees...

She said to Li Ji, "Bake for 39 minutes, remove the salt, brush it with a layer of white vinegar, and bake until the skin bubbles, and the crispy pork belly is ready."

Chai Yu expressed doubts, "It's okay to cut the pork belly into small pieces and braise it, but won't such a big piece be too greasy?"

Tan Yi immediately said, "If it doesn't taste good, who do you think Xie would recommend it to? " You?"

Chai Yu raised his eyebrows, "That's true. Come on, let's play billiard for a while, Lao Tan, you come, I want revenge."

Tan Yi smiled and said, "I think you have not yet settled the old grudge, and you want to add new hatred."

Chai Yu looked at Xie Chen, "Then I won't play with you, Xie Chen, let me beat him twice."

Tan Yi said, "Xie Chen, don't be scared by him, my Lao Hei plays better than him."

Xie Chen was a little puzzled, "Lao Hei?"

Chai Yu punched Tan Yi on the shoulder, "You Lao Tan, you actually compared your Blackback with me, I think you don't want to live a good life."

"Haha..." Everyone laughed again.

An expert can tell whether a player is good or not with just one move. Xie Chen played billiard quite well. Chai Yu didn't beat anyone but was beaten instead, so he had to turn his attention to Li Ji.

Li Ji is a policeman and basically doesn't play billiard. He is a beginner.

Chai Yu found happiness in him.

Xie Qing covered the workbench with a blanket, turning it into a mahjong table, and the rest of the people were playing mahjong.

About an hour later, the pork belly was ready, and the group put down their entertainment and went to the kitchen with her again.

Xie Qing took out the baking tray with thick gloves, tapped the pork belly with the back of a knife, and the pork belly made a "clang" sound.

She smiled and said, "It's a success, it's fragrant and crispy."

Chai Yu sniffed, "It's indeed fragrant, I take back what I said before, although you will get sick of it if you eat too much, but I don't mind eating a lot occasionally."

Xie Qing cut the pork belly into several strips, cut one of them into small pieces, and gave each person a piece.

Li Ji put it in his mouth and took a bite. He heard a "crunch" sound, and the aroma of oil quickly conquered his taste buds...

He was grateful, "Thank you, Xiao Xie, this thing is really delicious."

Tan Yi reacted quickly, "Li Ji's family wants to sell this?"

Li Ji nodded, "Yes, my dad is going to resign, and Xiao Xie said she made this for my dad."

Chai Yu and Tan Yi looked at each other.

Chai Yu said, "Then you have to thank him very much, hahaha, little Li, your family is going to get rich."

Xie Qing was afraid that Li Ji would take it to heart, so she quickly took over the topic, "It's just a small favor, don't be polite. Come on, the meat buns are ready, one small piece for each person, and if you want to eat it in the future, just go to Li Ji's house to buy it."

Tan Yi understood what she meant, "This thing can smell delicious for ten miles, but I'm afraid they will have sold out before we buy it."

Cao Haisheng said, "That makes sense."

...

Cao Haisheng had something to do at home, so he left after eating the meat.

The others followed him for fear of disturbing Xie Qing's rest.

Xie Qing cleaned the oven by herself, and was about to go to bed for a while when the door was knocked again.