Chapter 166 Rainy Days, Good for Relaxation and Pickling
Another business day ended, and a red exclamation mark appeared above Xiaozhi's head again.
Zhao Xiaojing clicked on it with familiarity and saw another reminder.
[Important Reminder: Heavy rain and a significant drop in temperature have been detected tomorrow at 10:00 AM. The quantity of food prepared will change, so please check it promptly. Also, due to the weather conditions, outdoor stalls will not be able to operate, so please make the necessary preparations.]
Heavy rain? Zhao Xiaojing checked the weather forecast on her phone. It said it would be sunny tomorrow, so she needed to wear sunscreen.
…
Zhao Xiaojing instantly doubted the weather forecast, which was difficult to accurately predict, and chose to trust the system.
The next morning, Zhao Xiaojing prepared the dishes according to the amount that Xiaozhi had reduced. Thinking of the joke Su Yuchen had made yesterday, she bought 100 duck eggs from the egg vendor, and finally bought 20 cabbages in a row when she bought vegetables.
It’s raining today so I have nothing to do, so I’ll try pickling salted duck eggs and some side dishes myself.
When Zhao Xiaojing was checking out, she saw some Chinese cabbage lying nearby and her heart was moved.
The last time I had dinner with Chen Huiping and her husband, Chen Huiping said that Wang Jiandang would eat the cold-mixed cabbage from the Guangdong restaurant whenever he drank. Zhao Xiaojing also thought it was crispy and refreshing, and said she wanted to learn how to make it.
After that, I renovated the store and opened it, and I forgot about it after so many days.
I'm free today anyway, and there won't be many customers due to the heavy rain, so it's a good opportunity to try all three dishes.
Zhao Xiaojing weighed five more cabbages and took them back.
Anyway, she had the virtual space to practice, so she didn't need to waste too much actual food. She could just keep five for herself and give one to Chen Huiping and her husband.
Because of this delay, I didn't get back to the store until almost eight o'clock.
"I listened to you and put on more clothes today, but I almost got a heat stroke!" Su Yuchen grumbled as soon as she entered the kitchen. "Everyone else is wearing short sleeves, and I'm wearing a coat. How stupid! How can it get colder? Where did you get that rumor?"
"I told you to bring a coat, but who told you to wear one now?" Zhao Xiaojing was at a loss for words. "I brought one myself, too. How could I possibly harm you? It's better to believe it than not. I've been watching the swallows outside, and it really is going to rain and the temperature will drop. Just wait and see."
Zhao Xiaojing checked the weather forecast on her phone again that morning; it was cloudy again. After leaving the house, she noticed spiders were already gathering their webs under the eaves of the old house she rented. Then, she noticed swallows flying low, which gave her a better idea of what was happening.
Animals that have lived in the wild for a long time are very sensitive, and there are many omens in nature. For example, when a spider pulls in its web, it means it is going to rain; when it weaves a web, it means the weather will clear up soon; when swallows, dragonflies and other birds fly low, it means it is going to rain; when frogs croak loudly, it means it is going to rain; and when fish float to the surface in groups, it means it is going to rain.
Proverbs such as "When magpies call on the branches, it will be sunny when you go out" and "When ants build nests, it will rain; when there is a rainbow in the east, there will be sunshine, and when there is a rainbow in the west, there will be rain" are all summaries of the different habits of animals in different weather conditions. So when you are not sure about the weather, just observe the animals.
At this moment, Su Yuchen had already cooked the porridge and opened the lid to let it dry. Zhao Xiaojing mixed the batter, cut some cabbage shreds and green onions, made six cabbage pancakes, and fried two sausages. Breakfast for the two was ready.
Serve the porridge, remove the sausages from the pan, and then serve the pancakes.
The two of them sat opposite each other and finished a simple breakfast. Although it was very simple, they both felt very comfortable.
Before ten o'clock, the two people who were preparing food suddenly felt that the light had dimmed.
Zhao Xiaojing looked up and out the window. The accumulated clouds suddenly became very thick, and the sky was dark, as if covered with a layer of gray.
"Is it really going to rain?" Su Yuchen said with his arms folded.
It is now the end of October and we are about to enter November. Although there are a few days of autumn heat, the weather is not hot overall. The two of them did not turn on the air conditioner in the kitchen, but they began to feel a little cold.
"How could I lie to you? Go put on more clothes!" Zhao Xiaojing glared at Su Yuchen who was hugging his arms because of the cold, washed her hands, went out to the hall to get clothes, and Su Yuchen followed behind.
While the two were getting dressed, it started to drizzle outside.
"No need to prepare the food. There won't be many customers today. I've already cut enough. You can play the guitar and I'll take care of the rest.
By the way, send a message to Lu Hongwen and tell him that he won't be selling sweet soup tonight. He can't sell it in this weather, so we don't need to prepare it. "Zhao Xiaojing closed the glass door and looked at the weather outside.
"Are you sure you don't want to be prepared? What if the rain stops later?" Su Yuchen also stood up, looking at the gray sky with some uncertainty.
"Sure, you finally have some free time, go practice your piano. I'll stew the beef and chicken. You've already prepared enough for the rest. I can cut it quickly when people come." After saying that, Zhao Xiaojing continued to go into the kitchen.
The store is currently operating at a very tight schedule. After finishing their lunch break, the two start making sweet soup. After that, they have about an hour to spare before they start preparing food for the evening.
The two were too lazy to go home for an hour in between, and it was too late to go home at night when the neighbors were all asleep, so it would be inconvenient for Su Yuchen to practice the guitar. After discussing it, the two decided to bring the guitar over. After finishing his work at noon, Su Yuchen could practice in his free time.
Zhao Xiaojing had just entered the kitchen when Su Yuchen followed her out the door. "Mirror, I just talked to Lu Hongwen. He said he didn't have classes today so he came over to help out. It's a good opportunity to get familiar with the place early."
"That's fine, he's also someone who can't sit still." Zhao Xiaojing shook her head and smiled.
After Su Yuchen finished speaking, he returned to the hall. Soon, vigorous and lively singing accompanied by the sound of guitar echoed in the store.
Zhao Xiaojing listened attentively for a while, and couldn't help but admire in her heart. While thinking about hiring someone as soon as possible so that Su Yuchen could free up time to do his own thing, she cut the cabbage in half, removed the roots, then tore fifteen cabbages into small thin slices by hand, and cut five into very thin strips using the quick module.
Zhao Xiaojing plans to make two side dishes today, one is sweet and sour cabbage kimchi, and the other is sour and spicy pickled cabbage shreds.
Kimchi is light in flavor, sour and slightly sweet, and has a long shelf life. Pickled shredded cabbage is heavier in flavor, sour and spicy, and has a shorter shelf life. Therefore, fifteen pieces of kimchi are used, while five pieces of shredded cabbage are used.
Although the small thin slices for making kimchi can be cut in one second using the quick module, I always feel that cabbage slices taste better when they are torn by hand, even when making kimchi.
In addition to preparing it as a morning side dish for her own convenience as mentioned yesterday, Zhao Xiaojing also planned to serve it as a self-service side dish in the store.
Although the rice bowls Zhao Xiaojing makes are already quite generous in portion, the customers in the restaurant have surprisingly large appetites and can finish a second plate of rice with just a spoonful of soup each time.
Zhao Xiaojing thought that eating rice alone was too bland, so adding some pickled vegetables would be cheap, and customers could at least have some rice to go with it, which would at least add some flavor.
After processing all twenty cabbages separately, Zhao Xiaojing used the quick module to wash them in one second.
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