Chapter 26 026 Big Pot Stew [Second Update]
Yang Fei and Yang Tao were just joking around, but when she met Zhang Shan, she immediately knew that this was the person she wanted to be with.
He enthusiastically chatted with Zhang Shan.
Zhang Shan was in a bad mood, but the Wen family's business was booming.
When she's busy, Yang Fei keeps her chatting about this and that, keeping her too preoccupied to lament her own troubles.
Most importantly—
The food at this restaurant is absolutely delicious.
Around noon, waves of delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen, captivating Yang Fei.
"It smells so good..."
"No, I need to lose weight..."
"It smells so good..."
"I've gained weight again..."
Zhang Shan smiled, a rare occurrence for her: "You're like this every day."
Yang Fei said painfully, "I never expected the food here to be so delicious! I've even gained two pounds."
On her first day at work, Yang Fei ate two large plates of rice until she was so full she couldn't move.
"Just thinking about what I'll eat when I go back to school after the semester starts—strawberry stir-fried with celery, dragon fruit stir-fried with chicken—makes me wish I hadn't chosen a school more than a thousand kilometers away from home."
It's over a thousand kilometers! I went straight from the north to the southwest. The snakes, rats, insects, and ants that plague the school every year are minor issues. The main problem is the unfamiliar food.
During Yang Fei's first year at school, he missed home almost every other day. He missed his parents' cooking and the meals he ate at his high school.
"My parents' cooking skills are absolutely terrible, and I've always thought the cafeteria food was the best since I was a child."
Zhang Shan suddenly fell silent.
Yang Fei was still rambling on about how carefree her school's food was, and sometimes she even wanted to beg the cafeteria cooks to stop trying to be innovative.
It all seems to end up like this after all the fuss. (Singing~)
Zhang Shan's thoughts had already drifted to the place she least wanted to go.
Family matters were a source of worry. Zhang Shan could still hear her parents' accusations echoing in her ears when she recalled the first few days after she returned home.
"I'm only doing this to keep you company! You're just a child; you'll be all alone after we're gone."
"Why are you so selfish? Wouldn't it be better to have a younger brother?"
"Your mother and I don't need your approval to make our decisions!"
A wave of sorrow washed over Zhang Shan. In that sorrow, she didn't think of her parents' unreasonable demands, but rather of her childhood.
She cried uncontrollably when she went to kindergarten. Her parents picked her up after work. Her mother gently wiped away her tears, while her father carried a chicken in his hand.
"Okay, don't cry anymore, you'll look like a little kitten soon. Mommy will make you fried chicken later, okay?"
If her parents' love was an illusion, then why let her wallow in that illusion, believing she was truly loved? And then use a younger brother to prove that her parents' love was merely a compromise because they couldn't have a son and only had her as their only child?
Yang Fei waved his hand in front of Zhang Shan: "Hey, hey, hey! Why are you suddenly spacing out!"
Zhang Shan snapped out of her daze: "I'm sorry..."
Yang Fei said casually, "It's nothing. I was just worried that something might be bothering you."
"Tell me if you're unhappy. I can't help you solve it, but sharing will make you feel better."
Zhang Shan: "...Thank you."
Yang Fei rubbed his shoulders: "I'm really not suited to saying such cheesy things. Let's go, let's go to the kitchen and see what delicious food the young boss is making!"
After saying that, he pulled Zhang Shan into the kitchen, where the sizzling sound of frying oil could be heard as soon as you got close.
Wen Fan was wearing a hat and holding a long pair of chopsticks. When he saw Zhang Shan and Yang Fei come in, he didn't chase them away. Instead, he took two pieces of fried meat out of the oil and put them on a plate next to him.
Yang Fei immediately understood and eagerly took the plate away.
"Thank you, young boss!"
For the two small pieces of crispy pork, Wen Fan added a generous amount of Sichuan peppercorns to the batter. The peppercorns were neither too big nor too small, so that eating a whole peppercorn wouldn't make you wince from the numbness, nor would the batter be too bland.
The crispy and slightly numbing pork is fried to perfection, golden brown and crispy, with tender and juicy meat inside. You'll want to eat more after just one bite.
Wen Fan looked at Yang Fei, who had come in three times, and felt a sense of helplessness, like when facing the former palace maids of the imperial kitchen.
"Wait a little longer, it's a semi-finished product."
Wen Fan set up a large wok, added some oil to the bottom, and sliced the pork belly thinly enough. With a gentle stir-fry, the rich fat was rendered out, and the pork slices curled into a nice arc. He then stir-fried various ingredients in the pork fat, added a handful of green and red peppers, and then added cabbage, carrots, and potatoes. After adding hot water, he simmered the pork.
Once the stew was bubbling away, Wen Fan added the crispy pork and a handful of soaked glass noodles.
Yang Fei peeked out and asked, "Are we having communal stew today?!"
Wen Fan: "Yes."
After changing the staple food to sesame flatbread in the last set meal, Wen Fan also tried replacing rice with steamed buns or noodles, and her mother said the feedback was good.
This area is located in the north, and most people here still eat noodles.
It just so happens that the store ran out of lunchboxes yesterday, and Wen's mother forgot to send some over, so Wen Fan thought of changing the dishes today.
This big pot of stew may not look very appealing, but it tastes delicious.
Wen Fan didn't use any store-bought fried meatballs or ready-made crispy pork; even the tofu meatballs in the dish were freshly fried by her.
A large pot of vegetables with broth, the glass noodles cooked until translucent, the crispy pork crust soaked up the broth, successfully transforming the fried food into a different texture. The potatoes were cooked until soft and the cabbage was limp, but when paired with the slices of pork belly in the pot, the flavor was completely different.
Wen Fan cooked two pots of food before he could prepare fifty meals.
Of course, they didn't forget to make sure their own family got their share.
The spicy broth is thickened by the natural starch of the potatoes, and large bubbles rise to the surface of the pot. The aroma escapes from the bursting bubbles, and the glass noodles twirl in the rich broth before sliding into the stomach.
Wen's mother could only sigh that she was lucky she had prepared a lot of steamed buns.
Otherwise, there really wouldn't be enough to eat.
The young people in the shop all had big appetites; even Zhang Shan, who wasn't in a good mood, ate two steamed buns and had her bowl refilled twice.
After finishing his meal, Wen Fan covered his mouth.
Seeing that something was wrong with her, Wen's mother said, "Come here, let me see what's wrong."
Wen Fan covered his mouth and hesitated.
"……toothache?"
Wen Fan remained silent.
Wen's mother: "It must be a toothache!"
Then you have to start chanting.
"I've told you not to eat too much sugar, not to eat too much sugar, but you drank full-sugar milk tea yesterday, didn't you?"
Wen Fan had no choice but to open his mouth and say, "Mom, no, I bit my lip."
Wen's mother took a flashlight and looked at Wen Fan's mouth.
Indeed, there was a deep tooth mark on the soft flesh inside the mouth, with some blood seeping out.
"I'm feeling hot and bothered!"
Wen Fan looked at his mother in disbelief.
She's getting a sore throat? How could she possibly be getting a sore throat!
Wen's mother: "Why not? Doesn't milk tea cause internal heat? You drink so much, the weather is hot, and you're always in front of the stove, it's normal to get internal heat."
Wen Fan looked worried and distressed.
"Let's go, let's get some medicine."
When the topic of prescribing medicine came up, Wen Fan became even more unwilling.
This was the first time she had ever been so stubborn, clinging to Wen's mother and refusing to go to the clinic.
"I'm not going!"
She hates taking bitter medicine the most; it was like that in her past life.
Wen's mother stamped her foot anxiously: "What should we do? You clearly have internal heat. If you don't take medicine, you'll get sick when the weather gets cold or you turn on the air conditioner due to the alternating hot and cold temperatures."
Wen Fan: "I...I'll cook some cooling dishes."
So in the evening, Wen Fan ate his own light meals.
Tear the steamed eggplant into strips, pour the prepared sauce over it, and the purple of the eggplant and the dark brown of the sauce complement each other perfectly with rice.
Wen's mother bought another fish and asked Wen's father to steam it for Wen Fan.
After eating it for three consecutive days, the wound in Wen Fan's mouth finally healed completely.
That day, Wen Fan was just thinking of making himself some meat to eat, to relieve the blandness of eating vegetarian food for so long.
Just then, someone asked Qu Xiaoyu at the entrance of the pharmacy.
Qu Qingqing had some business to attend to and closed the shop today, so the deliveryman came to ask the neighbor for directions.
Upon seeing the item, Wen's mother immediately understood what it was. She quickly called Qu Xiaoyu.
"Xiaoyu, your acceptance letter has arrived!"
Qu Xiaoyu's parents quickly dragged their son to the store. Although they were upset that their son hadn't gotten into a good university, they figured that after studying for more than ten years, whatever the outcome was, it didn't matter.
"Take it apart! Take it apart!"
Qu Xiaoyu was being watched by everyone as she opened her college admission notice.
Congratulations on your admission to our veterinary medicine program! Please report for duty before September 5th.
The signature is from XX Vocational and Technical College of this city.
Mr. Qu patted his son's shoulder with his large, fan-like hand: "Good, good, at least it's related to medicine."
Qu's mother then took out a red envelope from her bosom and distributed it to the people around her.
"No matter what, at least I passed the exam."
Qu Xiaoyu's score wasn't high, and she ended up applying to a local private school. The tuition wasn't high, but her parents were still satisfied with the program.
Wen's mother chimed in, "That's great, that's great. It's local, close to home. Veterinary medicine is in high demand these days. Maybe we can open a pet clinic sometime."
Qu Xiaoyu's face was flushed. Unlike his parents' expectations that he should at least stay in a medical-related major, he genuinely loved the profession of veterinarian.
He's not very talkative; his only hobby is small animals.
Qu Qingqing was also notified by her parents by an urgent phone call while she was away, and she quickly drove back home.
The family wasn't even in a hurry to open the shop; they sat down at the Wen family's house.
Qu Qingqing had no objection to the major her younger brother was admitted to; her only concern was how the family would entertain him.
"Let me make this clear first: no matter how many tables there are, don't do it at home."
Her dad is a hands-off boss; he's always out fishing or wandering around. Her mom is busy with all sorts of things at home and has to come to the store often to relieve her.
Qu Qingqing was especially insistent at this moment because she thought about how her mother would have to help when relatives came during the Spring Festival.
"Let's do it outside!"
Mr. Qu grumbled on and on, but finally agreed.
No matter how well the child scores, the procedures are still necessary.
How do I do it? Where do I do it?
Mr. Qu was concerned about his reputation, so he instinctively wanted to suggest going somewhere.
His wife and two children, however, didn't hesitate at all and immediately called him "Mother Wen".
"Aunt Xia/Yingzhi, does your shop accept graduation banquets?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
