Chapter 9 Fried Rice with Pork Cracklings
The two men over there were suspicious.
The two girls here are carefree and at ease.
Gu Yuan has a bit of a bossy personality; to say she's bold is actually just that she's a bit unconventional.
When she shouted this, everyone around her, including Jiang Zhi, was startled.
The crowd surrounding them, having long heard of Miss Gu's penchant for wielding knives, quietly took a step back.
Jiang Zhi reacted quickly. Seeing the person next to her quietly take a step back, she knew that a famous person had arrived. She still greeted him with a smile, grabbed one of each string in her hands, and handed it over while slightly pressing down on the skewer.
As soon as Gu Yuan received it, he immediately put it in his mouth without any hesitation.
The first thing she tasted was the braised pork intestines mixed with chili oil.
I've always really liked pig intestines because they absorb the flavors so well when braised, and when coated with a layer of red oil, they're incredibly delicious!
Clearly, Gu Yuan thought the same thing after taking the first bite.
The first thing to drip into her mouth was the red chili oil wrapped around the sausage casing. It was slightly spicy on her tongue, with a hint of numbing sensation from Sichuan peppercorns. What might be too strong a flavor for others was just right for Gu Yuan at that moment.
She was instantly excited by the drops of red oil.
Immediately afterwards, the soft yet slightly chewy sausage casing, now braised, nestled between his teeth, released the savory aroma of the braising sauce through the opening created by Gu Yuan's teeth. This suppressed the spiciness that had been burning between his teeth, instead creating a unique and delightful flavor.
One bite, and all I feel is the taste of life!
Seeing the quick-witted girl's mouth agape in surprise at the taste, Jiang Zhi smiled and poured a pot of tea from the table beside her.
He gestured for her to drink some water first.
Gu Yuan didn't refuse. After finishing the dish in one gulp, she continued eating the pig lung, carrot, mushroom, cucumber, and lettuce. She took a bite of each of them, and the more she ate, the more amazed she became.
The broth is clearly all the same spicy red oil, but it's inexplicably mixed with the different flavors of each ingredient, making the spiciness distinct.
In two words, it's delicious!
Before he could even swallow, Gu Yuan shouted loudly.
"Boss, give me five more of each!"
As he spoke, he pulled a delicate money pouch from his sleeve and threw it at the ground, where it clattered loudly.
Little Twist silently emerged from behind Jiang Zhi, picked up the money bag, carefully counted out the amount of money, and then earnestly stuffed the money bag into Gu Yuangang's still free hand after he finished eating.
Gu Yuan then noticed Xiao Mahua. She let out a soft exclamation and subconsciously looked around. Sure enough, she saw Pei Ye walking towards her with his head held high, and behind him, a certain You, cowering in Pei Er's shadow.
While holding the skewers that Jiang Zhi had just taken out, she strode forward, patted Pei Ye's shoulder hard, and laughed as she spoke.
"Oh! What a rare guest, Pei Er..."
"What, accompanying You Laoyao to find his sister?"
"Look, it's over there."
As she chewed on a carrot skewer, she smiled and tilted her head up, indicating a direction to them.
Pei Ye chuckled and casually pulled You Yi, who was trying to hide behind him, out of the way, and replied lazily.
"That young boss and Little Twist are good friends! Little Twist voluntarily helped her count the accounts, so don't come here and bother her stall so often in the future?"
"Oh, so protective of him today!..."
Gu Yuan laughed and joked.
You Yi, who was standing to the side, finally managed to interject with a comment.
"Sister Yuan, you don't know, Pei Er seems indifferent, but he's actually very protective of this Miss Jiang! He even managed to get someone to rent his house where he lives alone, and he argued with me, saying he was worried that the young girl was weak and pitiful!"
"That's utter nonsense! When has Pei Er ever been the type to cherish women? Before, when a girl knelt before his horse, he could ride on without even glancing at her..."
"You Yi, can't you shut your mouth?!"
Just as You Dang was excitedly complaining, a sinister voice quietly interrupted him.
Just as You Yi was about to be brutally beaten, Gu Yuan's eyes lit up.
"Wait, did you just say that this Miss Jiang is staying at Pei Er's house?"
"Then it's settled: Pei Er, starting tomorrow, remember to prepare a bowl and plate at home, and I'll come to eat on time!"
*
Jiang Zhi was already extremely busy.
Based on Gu Yuan's demeanor just now, most of the onlookers believed in how delicious Jiang Zhi was.
The young woman from the east took a small bite, then gasped for breath from the spiciness. The old man, who did manual labor, carefully selected the largest skewer, chewing it with great relish, his expression one of utter satisfaction.
The girl who wore a veil last time was now completely uninhibited. She didn't even wear a veil anymore, and skipped and squeezed in front of Jiang Zhi. She picked out some skewers that weren't too covered in chili oil and ate them with relish.
After finishing his conversation with those people, Gu Yuan hurriedly rushed into the crowd, dropped his money bag again, grabbed a few slices of his favorite cucumber, and began to chew them in large bites.
More and more passersby were attracted by the scene, and given the cheapness of the vegetarian skewers, they didn't mind buying one or two to try.
In less than 15 minutes, the round stools that Jiang Zhi had set up outside were already full of people, and her own stall was also packed with people.
Later on, Jiang Zhi's bowls were almost empty, so the customers had to eat the skewers sideways.
But this did not dampen the enthusiasm of the customers queuing up.
In just a quarter of an hour, Jiang Zhi's large basin of food was completely sold out.
Customers who couldn't get a turn could only stare longingly at the little bit of chili oil Jiang Zhi had left, while making reservations for their next meal with her.
Jiang Zhi smiled and greeted everyone as she tidied up the small round stools, bowls, and chopsticks scattered around. Only then did she call to the others, preparing to end her stall for the day.
Why is there an extra person among the people we've called over?
It's still that girl who started eating the most enthusiastically!
*
The girl smiled gracefully at Jiang Zhi, then pinched Xiao Mahua's cheek without any hesitation and introduced herself.
Hello, Miss Jiang!
"My name is Gu Yuan. May I ask if I can mooch a meal from you someday? Like this idiot surnamed You."
"I won't take advantage of you. I'll pay one tael of silver for the meal. I only have one small problem: could Miss Jiang please make me some more spicy dishes?"
As she spoke, she scratched her head and said somewhat embarrassedly.
"Because I've always preferred stronger flavors, and today's skewers from Miss Jiang are simply the most to my liking in all my nearly 20 years of life!"
Jiang Zhi was taken aback by these straightforward words, but then she laughed frankly.
Although she had Xiao Mahua help her collect money and keep accounts this time, she still had a general idea of how much she had earned.
There were roughly 2,000 copper coins, which is about 2 taels of silver.
But this girl actually said that if she cooked some dishes for her every day, she could get one tael of silver per meal.
This isn't a girl at all!
He's clearly the God of Wealth!
Jiang Zhi's eyes flickered, and she smiled, revealing two rows of white teeth.
"Of course I'll grant your request, young lady! But, about buying groceries this morning..."
"I'll take it all!"
When Gu Yuan heard Jiang Zhi agree, she immediately patted her chest with a beaming smile. She even added an explanation, fearing that Jiang Zhi might feel guilty.
"Don't worry about it, Miss Jiang. My biggest dream has always been to join the army in the Northwest. I train outside every morning. Bringing some vegetables is nothing!"
Pei Ye and You Yi, who were standing to the side, immediately agreed to buy groceries without hesitation when they saw Jiang Zhi's slightly turned gaze.
After all, judging from Jiang Zhi's eyes, if they dared not agree, they would be in deep trouble in the future!
Moreover, as Gu Yuan said, it was just a matter of convenience.
Jiang Zhi smiled as soon as she saw that another burden had been removed, and said to the three people who were standing there dumbfounded.
"I'm in a good mood today. Go buy some groceries now, and I'll make you a late-night snack later!"
As she spoke, Jiang Zhi began to direct the crowd:
Pei Ye, go to the butcher shop and buy some of the pork fat that should be left over!
Youyi, go buy some odds and ends, such as eggs and mushrooms.
Gu Yuan, along with Jiang Zhi, packed up their belongings and carried them home together.
Pei Ye grumbled somewhat in dissatisfaction. He was usually a clean freak, and he just didn't want to go to that pigsty too often.
Unexpectedly, he still had to go there today to get about a pound of pork fat, but he couldn't bear to part with Jiang Zhi's cooking skills.
He could only walk over there with a sullen face, feeling wronged.
Jiang Zhi secretly laughed behind his back.
Hmph! Who told this guy to be so sarcastic and not pay her? Even though they had initially agreed that Jiang Zhi could use his kitchen freely, Jiang Zhi still had a grand dream, like opening a small restaurant!
Now, with the help of the beautiful older sister Gu Yuan, Jiang Zhi truly feels that this dream is not far away!
*
Not long after Jiang and Gu arrived home, they quickly bought all the groceries.
Pei Ye half-raised his arm, trying to move the still-smelling pork fat further away from his body.
Meanwhile, You Yi, who was traveling with him, had been mercilessly mocking his good brother the whole way, watching Pei Ye's posture, until his stomach hurt from laughing.
Looking at the two of them, Jiang Zhi couldn't help but beam with joy, finally feeling relieved after Pei Ye's venomous words.
She strode forward, took the pork belly from Pei Ye, and said...
"Thanks, Brother Pei! You can just sit there and wait for your meal. I'll take care of the rest!"
After receiving the items, Jiang Zhi strode over and headed towards the kitchen.
Unbeknownst to her, right behind her, Pei Ye remained in the same position, but his face had turned slightly red with embarrassment.
She called me "brother" today!
Suddenly, Pei Ye no longer felt tired. He felt so healthy that he could go up the mountain to fight tigers and go down into the water to catch dragons.
You Yi, who was slightly behind and to the side of Pei Ye, could barely contain his laughter. He even patted Pei Ye's shoulder from behind with a strange sense of pity, accompanied by a barely concealed chuckle.
However, Pei Ye was in a good mood at the moment and didn't bother to pay attention to this guy's annoying smile.
Jiang Zhi, carrying a piece of pork fat, hurried towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, Pei Ye, though told to wait at the table for his meal, couldn't resist heading towards the kitchen as well.
Jiang Zhi had already decided what to have for a late-night snack. In her opinion, a late-night snack should be fried rice and barbecue!
Of course, she found barbecuing a bit too much trouble.
Then let's just make fried rice with pork cracklings!
She first picked out a handful of pork fat, diced it, and put it in a pot to blanch it.
Once the pork fat in the pot started to turn a light brown color, she quickly scooped it out, made sure it was drained, and then put it directly into the hot pot, where it immediately started to sizzle.
To remove the fishy smell of an uncastrated animal, Jiang Zhi did some special processing:
For example, during the blanching process, you should add long slices of ginger and scallion segments cut into several sections.
When frying the oil, she deliberately fried it repeatedly: she wasn't planning to render lard today, she only intended to take a little of the last clear oil and the cracklings to make a fragrant fried rice.
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