Chapter 104 The Passionate Playboy "Tell me, why just doesn't she like you...?"
Grandma's family of four came to Xinjiang, and the Chen family's courtyard was instantly full.
The bedroom originally reserved for Chen Mubai was given to his maternal grandparents, and Lin Qiaofang moved to share a room with Chen Muhe.
Fortunately, they both live at the shop during the week when they are at school, and live in the company dormitory when one of them is at work. They only need to sleep in the same bed on the weekend.
Chen Mian and Ji Yu are still living in their previous room. Because Yu Xiaoyue is pregnant, they went back to their hometown to renovate the villa, so they had to temporarily entrust it to Li Hongmei, who lives in the same community.
But I reckon it should be almost ready. Once we've bought some furniture, it'll be ready to move in.
The following morning.
The kitchen of the Chen family was bustling with activity. Chen Mianmian and her daughters were gathered together, discussing the recipe for hot and sour noodles.
Lin Qiaofang heard about this way of eating from a classmate from Sichuan. The classmate said it was made with sweet potato starch and had a sour and spicy flavor that was very satisfying.
Chen Mian pondered for a moment and felt that it should be similar to making noodle soup. As long as you are willing to put ingredients in the soup base, the taste will definitely not be bad.
Lin Huijun: "We can cook the noodles in bone broth, and then sprinkle a spoonful of minced meat, peanuts and cilantro on top when it's done, so it looks nice too."
"As for how to make the vermicelli, it should be similar to making cold fish jelly."
Chen Mian nodded in agreement, so Lin Huijun took out a bag of frozen pork ribs from the refrigerator, added the ingredients, and started making bone broth.
Chen Mian took out the finely processed sweet potato starch and scooped several large spoonfuls into the basin.
Add a spoonful of alum, then pour in boiling water, stir with chopsticks, and the thickened sauce is ready.
Now, transfer the mixture to a larger bowl, put in the prepared thickened sauce, add more sweet potato starch and water, and stir until it becomes a paste.
Once the water in the pot boils, use a wooden strainer to scoop up a spoonful of sweet potato starch paste. Use your other hand to tap the edge of the strainer so that the paste falls into the basin through the holes.
Once the batter has settled into a steady stream, transfer it back into the pot and continue tapping the strainer to ensure the batter falls evenly.
After the sweet potato noodles in the pot are cooked, they need to be rinsed with cold water again.
After the sweet potato noodles were made, Lin Huijun's pork rib soup was almost ready.
Delicious bone broth is poured over sweet potato noodles, topped with a spoonful of freshly cooked minced meat, sprinkled with chopped green onions, cilantro, and minced garlic, and finally drizzled with hot oil to enhance the aroma.
Add a spoonful of chili oil, pour in aged vinegar, and add a few crunchy peanuts.
The soup base is rich, sour, spicy, and savory, and the sweet potato noodles are chewy and smooth—it's incredibly delicious.
The freshly made Chen's hot and sour noodles received unanimous praise, except for one person who doesn't eat cilantro. It is strongly recommended that customers add cilantro themselves.
"Otherwise, I really would have given up on trying this delicious dish because of the cilantro."
Chen Mian nodded and wrote down this special requirement in her notebook.
Yan Yuhua suggested adding some side dishes to the hot and sour noodles, such as green vegetables, kelp strips, or bean curd sheets, to make the flavor richer.
"However, this would increase the cost. It's fine to make soup base with pork ribs for personal consumption, but if you're selling it, you don't have enough pork ribs to make soup," she continued.
Chen Mian: "The soup base issue is easy to resolve. We just need to tell the pork stall owner in advance to leave us some bones every day."
"Yes, and the sweet potato noodles don't need to be made fresh every time. It's faster to serve the dried noodles that the farmers have already made," Lin Huijun added.
.
When the flat peaches in the Kapok Peach Orchard ripened, Aunt Liu came over and helped out for several days.
They even helped her calm the situation, for which Chen Mian was very grateful.
Chen Mian and her family went to help with the harvest at her family's vineyard early on.
Originally, Chen Mianmian only planned to take her parents with her, but Yan Yuhua said that the two of them were bored at home, and He Maimiao said that she had never seen a vineyard before and wanted to go and see it.
As a result, Liu Qiaofeng stared blankly at the seven laborers in front of her, feeling flattered and overwhelmed.
"Kapok Girl, I just couldn't stay idle and helped you out a little. You've already given me so many peaches and vegetables, that's more than enough."
Liu Qiaofeng exclaimed, "Your family is truly thriving!"
Chen Mian didn't stand on ceremony and had already directed her family to grab their tools and get ready to work in the garden.
"Auntie, just treat us like ordinary workers," Lin Huijun said with a smile.
During the harvest season, many migrant workers come, and the farm needs to take care of even more things.
Liu Qiaofeng didn't stand on ceremony with them and quickly arranged a place for picking.
The daytime temperature in Xinjiang is very high. Even pickers can't withstand prolonged exposure to the sun, and the fruit will lose moisture.
Therefore, they are usually picked in the early morning, when the sun is just about to rise.
The sky was clear and bright, like a sapphire that had just been washed by spring water.
The gentle, warm sunlight shines on the emerald green leaves, making every vein clearly visible, and a refreshing fruity fragrance fills the air.
He Mai Miao had never seen such a large vineyard before, with rows of dark brown grapevines neatly arranged on the trellises.
The lush branches and leaves intertwine to form a huge canopy, adorned with clusters of purple or green grapes, glistening and translucent.
Chen Mian casually picked a purple Kyoho grape and put it in her mouth. The firm flesh burst open between her lips and teeth, and the sweet and rich juice slid down her throat.
Chen Mian squinted her eyes with satisfaction: "Aunt Liu really deserves the reputation of cultivating this grape variety for so many years. It tastes better than the ones sold outside."
He Maimiao's hands were itching to try it too.
The next second, he caught a glimpse of his mother-in-law's death stare out of the corner of his eye, and he withdrew his outstretched hand.
Chen Mian: "It's okay. Pickers are allowed to eat whatever they want. As long as it's not excessive, the farm owner won't pursue it."
After saying that, she took the initiative to cut a large bunch of grapes from the vine with scissors, separated them, and handed them to them.
"You all should try it, it tastes really good."
After Yan Yuhua took it, the others also started to taste it.
He Mai Miao dislikes sour tastes, so she deliberately chose the darkest one and popped it into her mouth, instantly captivated by its pure sweetness.
He didn't even bother to wipe the juice dripping down his lips, and continued eating the second one.
After tasting it, Lin Huijun seemed thoughtful. "Mianmian, what do you think about us getting a batch of grapes from Aunt Liu to make wine?"
Before Chen Mian could even reply, Lin Shanhu had already answered for her, "Brewing wine is great, I love it!"
Yan Yuhua glared at her husband, who pretended not to see her, picked up his bamboo basket, and walked away with his hands behind his back.
Chen Mian took Yan Yuhua's arm and spoke up for her grandfather, "Grandma, fruit wine doesn't have much alcohol, and by the time it's finished brewing, it'll be almost Chinese New Year..."
After appeasing her grandmother, Chen Mian quietly went to tell Lin Shanhu some good news: "I secretly hid a bottle of peach wine at home. I'll let you have a taste when we get back."
"How about a couple of drinks?" Lin Shanhu asked his granddaughter while picking grapes.
"No, one cup at most." Chen Mian said with a stern face.
"Deal." Lin Shanhu was overjoyed, and he felt much more energetic at work, humming a Northwest folk tune.
In the evening, Kalikiz invited Ji Yu for drinks.
Since Ji Yu was transferred to the Municipal Bureau, the two of them haven't seen each other for a while.
Ji Yu got off work late, and when he arrived, there were already several empty wine bottles on his desk.
Kalikiz argued, "These were left by the previous person; I haven't drunk them yet."
Under the dim lights of the tavern, Ji Yu remained seated upright, toying with the wine glass in her hand.
Kalikzi smiled and greeted the beautiful woman on the other side of the bar, then opened his cigarette case and lit a cigarette.
Ji Yu disliked the smell of smoke, so she frowned and moved a little distance away.
"Adasi, you really have to help me out this time." Kalikzi skillfully exhaled a two-layered smoke ring and reached out to put his arm around Ji Yu's shoulder.
Ji Yu dodged to the side, raised her wine glass, and the two clinked glasses.
Ji Yu took a sip with a blank expression: "Your salary isn't enough again?"
“No, that’s not it,” Kalikiz waved his hand dismissively. After a few drinks, his words were already rambling. “I was heartbroken.”
“Ah, give me a cup of forgetfulness potion, so I won’t shed a tear for one night, and let all my true feelings be washed away by the wind and rain…”[1]
The music playing in the bar had just changed to Andy Lau's "Forget Love Potion".
Kalikiz pointed at the speaker and said, "Look, even it's laughing at me."
Ji Yu reached out and snatched the wine glass from his hand. "Stop drinking. What's wrong with you now?"
"Tell me, why doesn't she like me?" Kalikzi hugged Ji Yu tightly and started wailing.
"I treated her so well, sending her flowers and taking her out to dinner, but she wouldn't even give me a smile."
“You’ll have to ask her, how would I know?” Ji Yu struggled.
Kalikiz: "Could you ask for me, Adasi?"
Ji Yu was even more confused. "Who should I ask for you? Where am I supposed to meet the girl you like?"
"I already have a wife, so don't get me into trouble."
Kalikiz continued vaguely, "You definitely know this person; you're the one who introduced him to me."
Ji Yu had lost count of how many times she had heard this man say he was "heartbroken," and he never knew the girl in each of them.
Ji Yu pushed the other person away, raised his hand to look at his watch. It was nine o'clock, and he had to go home.
Kalikiz was still dawdling, but he completely lost patience and got up to leave.
"Yu, please ask your sister-in-law for me. I really think my sister and I are a good match." Kalikzi said with a silly smile on her face.
Ji Yu paused, looking down at the drunkard in front of her.
If he remembered correctly, Chen Mian had only two younger sisters.
Chen Muhe already has someone she likes, and the only one left is Lin Qiaofang, who is still a minor.
Ji Yu sighed and rubbed her forehead: "You're shameless enough. Aren't you afraid of getting arrested by the police? You actually dare to pursue a minor."
He was taken aback when he said this, because Kalikiz himself was a policeman.
"You really don't want your job anymore?" Ji Yu questioned.
He had just heard from a colleague a few days ago that Kalikiz had been publicly criticized by his workplace for alcoholism.
Kalikiz hiccuped and waved his hand, "She's not a minor, she's already working."
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Author's note: Who ordered the hot and sour noodles? Come claim it! [eating melon emoji]
[1] The lyrics of "Forget Love Potion" quoted
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