Chapter 20: Living a Busy and Lively Life
She was truly dejected. These past few days, Chen Zhenzhu had been immersed in Gu Yanzheng's notes, frantically absorbing criminal investigation knowledge in an attempt to shake off her bad mood.
The agile young police officer continued to run laps before dawn, purposefully improving his physical fitness. He would also practice boxing in the backyard of Uncle Lu's shop, pulling his younger sister along to practice the moves.
Three years later, she's going to make a name for herself!
A left hook to Hong Le, a right hook to Lao Huang, and a flying kick to shatter the dark clouds above!
“If you keep practicing like this, even your uncle won’t be able to beat you.” Sometimes Uncle Lu would be attracted by her ingenious moves and would sit in the study all day thinking about how to counter them.
“I call this surpassing my teacher.” Shen Zhenzhu returned from running laps outside, energetically doing high kicks on the spot, and saw Yuan Jiangxue yawning as she walked into the shop.
Needless to say, he must have stayed up all night coding the Great Wall.
Seeing that Shen Liuhe was still in the shop, Yuan Jiangxue called over the mysterious Shen Zhenzhu.
"Aunt Yuan, please let me know if you need anything."
“I ran into your dad at Lianshang yesterday.” Yuan Jiangxue turned to look at Shen Liuhe, then whispered in Shen Zhenzhu’s ear, “He’s a real scoundrel. He spends money on his mistress without batting an eye, only buying expensive things, not the right ones. Let me tell you, don’t forgive him. You and your two children are slowly getting better. Live your own lives and don’t pay any attention to that bastard.”
She mainly wanted to tell Shen Zhenzhu and Shen Yuyuan not to let down Shen Liuhe's hard work over the years. Then she thought that the two of them were the most sensible people on this street, so she could just give them a little pointers.
"Don't worry, Aunt Yuan, I know what I'm doing," Chen Zhenzhu said. "I'm going with my mom to the small commodities market to buy a steamer cloth later. Do you want me to bring you anything?"
"Two pounds of peanuts and melon seeds, one of each." Yuan Jiangxue took out some money and handed it to her: "Use the rest to buy some peanut candy for you two sisters."
"Okay." When we were kids, we always got paid for running errands for others, and even now that we're older, the habit hasn't changed. It's another way of showing affection.
"Bring me three liang of Tieguanyin from the good tea shop, the lightly fragrant type. Use the rest of the money to buy some Beibingyang soda." Uncle Lu looked up and saw Yuan Jiangxue, feigning surprise: "Oh my, this enormous mouth! How many people did you eat last night?"
"I'll chew up your brains!" Yuan Jiangxue said fiercely, then turned and went into Sixth Sister's shop.
"That's quite a good amount to eat." Uncle Lu chuckled, and Chen Zhenzhu chuckled too. The two of them laughed for a long time without stopping.
The small commodities market was located inside the large vegetable market. Shen Liuhe had brought a little extra money with her. As the weather got warmer, she wanted to buy a loose-fitting short-sleeved shirt, as it was a bit tight on her and her sister's.
"Mom, if you don't buy it here, I'll take you to the mall as soon as I get my salary." Pearl, carrying a basket on her back, linked arms with Shen Liuhe and hurried towards the small commodities market. Thinking of what Yuan Jiangxue had said, she felt sorry for Shen Liuhe.
"It's cheap here, and I can't afford anything nice to wear for work. Besides, I can get my nice clothes from your Aunt Yuan; she can give me them at cost price."
She and Yuan Jiangxue became friends after a fight when they were young. Now, even if Yuan Jiangxue sells her nice clothes at a loss, she'll say it's cost price. Shen Liuhe cooks delicious dishes and invites Yuan Jiangxue over to eat, without asking for money. They get along better than blood sisters.
"No, we have to go to the mall."
"Okay, okay, then I won't buy it for now."
Shen Liuhe couldn't pull her away; the little girl was all brawn and no brains.
After buying things for Yuan Jiangxue and Uncle Lu, the two of them also bought a steamer cloth, so they squeezed into the large vegetable market to browse and see what fresh and delicious vegetables were available.
There's no need to cook large meals in a big pot, and we don't have to travel all the way to the suburbs to buy vegetables every day. Although it's a few cents or ten cents more expensive here, we don't need to spend that much in quantity. A small amount of money is spent in exchange for time and ease.
Passing by the poultry section, looking at the duck offal sold by the basin, Shen Liuhe sighed, "So cheap! Your grandpa used to make such delicious braised duck offal when I was little. It's a pity I don't remember the recipe very well, otherwise this place would definitely make money."
"Sixth Sister, why don't you buy one and take it home? You can figure out the recipe slowly. You're so talented, you'll definitely be able to figure it out."
In her previous life, Shen Zhenzhu was a traditional martial arts athlete. Because of competitions, she couldn't eat out often, so she came up with many delicious recipes.
Among them, Zhou's duck is her favorite, and she has figured out the best way to make it by following many recipes shared online.
"Can you really figure it out?" Shen Liuhe asked, but still respected Shen Zhenzhu's wishes and immediately started bargaining with the stall owner.
"The three of us are as clever as Zhuge Liang; we're sure to find a way. Dare to give it a try?"
"What's there to be afraid of? I'm your mother!"
Shen Zhenzhu was overjoyed to see that Shen Liuhe had spent two yuan to buy a whole basin of duck offal.
There's also a braised food shop on Tiesi Street that sells braised beef and donkey meat, but not duck offal. The ones sold in the city generally don't taste good, and their business is so-so.
When they got home, Shen Zhenzhu and Shen Liuhe immediately started cleaning the duck offal, sorting out the duck feet, duck carcasses and duck heads, and even washing out the duck intestines one by one.
The mother and daughter braised two pots together, but felt the taste was a bit lacking. Shen Zhenzhu grabbed some more star anise, and Shen Liuhe added more Sichuan peppercorns.
In the end, the flavor was still a bit lacking, so Chen Zhenzhu thought for a moment, then took a large bag of white sugar and poured it in.
Shen Liuhe asked in surprise, "Will this work?"
But when the white sugar was added and stewed, it emitted a mouthwatering aroma, and Shen Liuhe was eager to taste her eldest daughter's cooking.
"Delicious!" Shen Liuhe tasted the duck tongue that melted in her mouth. It was fragrant, soft, and tender, with tiny crunchy bones at the tip. There was no earthy taste that belonged to ducks at all.
She patted Chen Zhenzhu heavily: "We don't need three cobblers, two cobblers are enough. White sugar is the finishing touch, my eldest son is really great!"
She could let Shen Zhenzhu come up with the formula herself, but she really liked Shen Liuhe's confident demeanor! It gave her a sense of purpose in life.
Shen Zhenzhu placed the two basins of duck products where the boxed lunches used to be, wiped her sweat, and said with a smile, "Let everyone try them first. If they like them, then we'll sell them. It's too much trouble to weigh them by the pound, so we'll sell them by the portion. Duck tongues will be the most expensive at three yuan a portion, followed by duck necks at two yuan, and the rest, such as duck frames and duck intestines, will be one yuan a portion."
Shen Liuhe estimated in her mind that the duck meat she braised for two yuan could sell for at least forty or fifty yuan if she sold it the way Chen Zhenzhu did.
Just in time for lunch, Chen Zhenzhu was giving away a lot of duck parts to customers who came to eat, at half price. A cutting board was placed in front of her, so they could cut and taste as they pleased. Even acquaintances passing by couldn't resist being given a piece. People came and went, giving each other pieces, even dogs, and everyone was happy.
Brother Leng rarely comes out of the shop, but he's here to sample a duck neck.
The rich, sweet, and numbing aroma of the braised dish rushes straight to the throat, while the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns assaults the taste buds between the teeth. It's spicy but not dry, numbing but not bitter, with hidden hints of star anise, cinnamon, and rock sugar providing a complex and layered aftertaste.
Brother Leng hissed as he inhaled deeply, then grabbed another duck neck, tearing at the amber-colored shreds of meat. He savored the sweet, savory flavor of the braised meat in every fiber, swallowing the lingering aftertaste that made him clamor to keep eating.
"What's this called? Stop selling it, give me the last few boxes."
"Black Duck Shen!" Shen Zhenzhu said proudly.
"I want some too, don't forget to pack some for me. Braised duck is perfect for summer, it's appetizing and goes well with drinks, suitable for both adults and children." Uncle Pang, a regular customer, is a connoisseur of food, and he bought two boxes of duck tongues first: "This is good stuff, it's just that my wife doesn't know how to cook it."
"Uncle Fatty, here's your money. Come back if you enjoy your meal." Shen Zhenzhu beamed with joy, her hands busy finding money and packing the food.
Shen Liuhe was busy tossing the wok in the kitchen, and took a moment to give her eldest son a thumbs up!
There's hope!
After the number of customers decreased, the mother and daughter cleaned up the store together.
“With your skills, you’ll be able to join the criminal investigation team sooner or later,” Shen Liuhe suddenly said.
Shen Zhenzhu was dumbfounded. Was her intention to work in the criminal investigation team that obvious?
Thinking again about the internal matter, and Hong Le's smug look in front of her after successfully submitting his application, Shen Zhenzhu wanted to turn him into braised duck.
Wearing casual clothes, a white T-shirt and an old denim double-shoulder skirt, Chen Zhenzhu patted her cheeks to cheer herself up and get back to work full of energy.
Life goes on, so let's think long-term.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Gu Yanzheng: Young comrade, I'm busy up front, you keep your composure.
***
The "Seven Fairies" murder case begins tomorrow! [Panda head emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com