Chapter 044
A wisp of green smoke rose from the hot iron pot.
The oil becomes hot after a while.
A few slices of pork belly slid into the hot oil, and with a sizzling sound, more green smoke rose up.
As the iron spoon flipped, the pork belly slices were fried until they were golden brown, and the aroma of oil filled the pan.
Put the ginger slices, garlic cloves and scallion segments into the wok and drop them into the hot oil with the aroma of meat.
Then add peppercorns, bay leaves and star anise into the pan and stir-fry for a few times to bring out the rich aroma.
The chicken that has been blanched in hot water in advance is put into the pot and flipped between the iron spoons. The chicken is fried in the fragrant lard until it becomes slightly golden, and the aroma of the meat fills the room.
The chicken was almost done, Chuxia poured some soy sauce on it and continued to stir-fry.
The chicken aroma becomes even more intense with the addition of soy sauce.
Chen Jinfeng couldn't help herself, so she came over to the stove and took a look. She swallowed her saliva silently and said with a smile: "Xiao Xia, your cooking skills are really not exaggerated."
The chicken hadn't even started to stew yet, but she couldn't resist the aroma.
Chuxia continued to stir-fry the chicken with an iron spoon.
She smiled and replied to Chen Jinfeng, "My grandfather and my father were both chefs. It might be hereditary. When I was a child, there was no stove, so I had to stand on a stool to cook. My grandfather is a good cook and taught me a lot. I also like to learn from him."
Chen Jinfeng smiled and said, "It would be a great blessing for anyone to marry you!"
Chu Xia smiled and didn't respond.
She had devoted herself to studying cooking in order to marry Han Ting.
But that is no longer the case. She feels that her cooking skills can be used to do more meaningful things.
The soy sauce is also fried until fragrant.
Chuxia took the kettle again and poured boiling water into the pot.
She was afraid that the pot would dry up before the chicken was properly cooked, so she poured more boiling water into the chicken.
After adding water and covering the pot, Chu Xia said to Lin Xiaohan who was lighting the fire, "It will be fine if you use medium or low heat."
Lin Xiaohan, who was sitting behind the stove, responded and directly pulled out two pieces of firewood from under the stove.
Chen Jinfeng couldn't help but smile at Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan.
From what she saw, it would be a great pleasure for the two of them to be a perfect couple.
If they were to live together, I wonder how prosperous their life would be.
It's really enviable.
It takes a long time to stew the chicken, so stew the chicken in early summer.
Lin Xiaohan lit the fire and slow-cooked the chicken while she chopped up all the vegetables she had just prepared.
After cutting the vegetables, take the noodle board and roll out the dough and cut the noodles.
Chen Jinfeng lent a hand and helped out a little, while chatting with Chuxia about other topics.
She told Chuxia about things in the countryside, and Chuxia told her about things in the city.
Roll out and cut the noodles, add the chopped potatoes to the chicken in early summer, cover the pot and continue to simmer over medium-low heat.
While continuing to stew the chicken, she added some cornmeal and asked Lin Xiaohan to heat up another pot. She used the other pot to dry-fry a plate of peanuts and a few vegetables.
Chen Jinfeng wanted to go behind the stove to light the fire, but was rejected by Lin Xiaohan.
So she continued to help Chuxia, peeling garlic, cutting vegetables, scooping water and so on.
After frying peanuts and vegetables in early summer, we start making the fried sauce.
When making the fried sauce, Chen Jinfeng's mouth was watering and she swallowed it over and over again.
Chen Jinfeng was not embarrassed at all, and said with a frank smile: "Look at me today, I am as greedy as a three-year-old child. I am so old, and I will be laughed at if I tell others about it, as if I have never eaten meat in my life."
Chu Xia naturally smiled and said, "I know, you are praising me."
She scooped the prepared fried sauce into a large bowl and added half a pot of water into the pot.
While the water was boiling, he was not idle either. He lifted the lid of the pot next to him, pressed the cornmeal he had just kneaded into small cakes, and stuck them in a circle on the iron pot.
Put the tortillas in place, cover the pot and continue to collect the sauce.
By the time the noodles were cooked, the chicken was done and the tortillas were ready.
In early summer, pour the chopped peppers into the chicken and slowly stir-fry until cooked.
Chen Jinfeng saw that the noodles and dishes were almost ready, so she said to Chu Xia, "The time is just right, it's almost time for dinner, I'll go to the brigade headquarters and call them."
Chen Jinfeng went to the brigade headquarters. Chuxia put the stewed potatoes and chicken into a clean large basin, and arranged the corn tortillas neatly in a circle along the edge of the basin.
Finally, blanch the vegetables and add them to the noodles along with the fried sauce.
Chen Jinfeng went to the brigade headquarters and called the four cadres back.
After arriving home and entering the courtyard, she led Liang Youtian and three others straight to the main hall.
On the eight-immortals table in the main room, there was steaming hot and fragrant food.
In the center of the eight-immortals table was a pot of chicken, chili and potato stew, surrounded by a circle of golden tortillas, the lower half of which was soaked with the sauce-colored soup.
Next to this pot of main dish, there are also fried peanuts, smashed cucumbers and several plates of vegetables.
There were five bowls of noodles left along the table, each with a few vegetables and meat sauce.
When Liang Youtian and the other three saw the dishes on the table, they were stunned for a moment.
Of course, because the fragrance was so strong, the four of them swallowed silently.
Secretary Liu looked at Chen Jinfeng first and said, "What are you doing? Today is not the New Year and there is nothing important to do, right?"
Chen Jinfeng smiled and said, "We are inviting you to dinner, so of course we have to eat something good."
Looking at the dishes on the table, Secretary Liu didn't dare to eat.
He looked at Chen Jinfeng and asked again: "What is it? Why don't you tell me first? If you don't tell me, I really don't dare to pick up my chopsticks."
Chen Jinfeng directly pulled a stool over for him to sit down.
She gestured to Liang Youtian and continued with a smile, "Don't worry. We've been busy for a long time and we're already hungry. Let's sit down and eat first. We can talk slowly after we're full."
Liang Youtian received Chen Jinfeng's signal and directly asked Secretary Liu to sit down.
Secretary Liu sat down, and militia captain Wu Changming and brigade accountant Qin Xue naturally followed suit.
But after Secretary Liu sat down, he did not pick up his chopsticks and continued to ask Chen Jinfeng what was the matter.
Chen Jinfeng was still smiling. She picked up a piece of chicken and put it in the bowl in front of Secretary Liu. She looked at him and said, "Secretary, please taste it first and then we can talk."
The food on the table smells so delicious it's tormenting.
Secretary Liu was indeed a little overwhelmed, so he picked up the chopsticks, picked up the chicken and put it into his mouth.
As soon as he took two bites of the chicken, his whole expression changed immediately.
After swallowing it, he looked at Chen Jinfeng in surprise: "Did you make this chicken?"
Chen Jinfeng didn't answer, but smiled and asked: "How is it? It tastes good, right?"
Secretary Liu said: "This tastes more than good."
Liang Youtian is very familiar with his wife's cooking skills.
He smiled and said, "Chicken is naturally fragrant, and it tastes good no matter who cooks it."
Secretary Liu held up his chopsticks and gestured, "Try it first."
Seeing Secretary Liu say this, Liang Youtian picked up the chopsticks and picked up a piece and put it in his mouth.
And when he put it in his mouth, his eyes widened.
After finishing his meal with his eyes wide open, Liang Youtian turned to look at Chen Jinfeng and asked in an unbelievable tone: "Did you do this?"
Chen Jinfeng still did not answer and asked Wu Changming and Qin Xue to try it.
After tasting it, Wu Changming and Qin Xue had similar expressions and nodded in admiration.
I was already very hungry when I got here.
After tasting the chicken, he couldn't bear it anymore, so Secretary Liu stopped asking Chen Jinfeng questions and just concentrated on eating.
Eat chicken and then vegetables, then eat a big mouthful of noodles.
Normally, if they ate together, they would chat about things in the village while eating leisurely, but today, none of the five people at the table were willing to talk much.
The five of them were all busy eating, nodding their heads and saying "Hmm..." after each bite.
The crispy and fragrant tortillas were gone, and half a pot of chili chicken stewed with potatoes was quickly finished as well.
In the end, even the garlic cloves and ginger slices at the bottom of the pot were eaten up.
The noodles and other stir-fried dishes in the bowl were all eaten up.
Liang Youtian saw that there was still some chicken and potato soup left in the bowl, so he got up and went to the kitchen, intending to get some more steamed buns to dip in the soup.
As a result, as soon as he entered the kitchen of his house, he was suddenly startled.
Because there were two other people sitting in his kitchen, facing each other, playing cat's tuck together. One of them was having fun while the other was playing with a blank expression.
Because sitting and waiting was a bit boring, Chuxia shamelessly asked Lin Xiaohan to play cat's tangle with her.
Just as she was thinking about how to do it, she suddenly heard a voice from the door: "Ouch!"
Hearing the voice, Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan turned their heads together.
Seeing Liang Youtian, they both stood up and called out, "Captain Liang."
Liang Youtian stared at them and was stunned again, "Why are you two here?"
***
Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan stood side by side in the main room with smiles on their faces.
Secretary Liu, Liang Youtian, Wu Changming and Qin Xue, the four of them sat at the round table looking at the two of them in a daze, especially Secretary Liu, who had a very strange expression on his face.
Liang Youtian was stunned for a while, then looked at Chen Jinfeng with an expression of disbelief and asked, "You said that these vegetables, meat, pancakes, and noodles were all made by Comrade Xiao Xia?"
Chen Jinfeng nodded and said, "Yes, could it be that I did it?"
Liang Youtian muttered, "I knew it wasn't you..."
Chen Jinfeng was his wife, so Liang Youtian spoke more directly. He changed his tone and said, "So what kind of business are you doing now? Comrade Xiaoxia and Comrade Xiaolin paid for the food, and they spent half a day making it. How could you not say anything and not let them come over to eat together? This... this is really a bit outrageous."
Without letting Chen Jinfeng speak, Chu Xia hurriedly helped Chen Jinfeng explain: "Captain Liang, we didn't let Aunt Jinfeng say it. Originally, this meal was for you. We have already eaten in the kitchen."
After five bowls of noodles with soybean paste were served, there was still some left over, which they ate.
Hearing this, Liang Youtian naturally became curious again. He looked at Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan and asked, "Why did you prepare this table of food for us to eat in such a mysterious way?" There must be something going on.
Chuxia did not answer Liang Youtian directly.
She smiled and turned her gaze to Secretary Liu, and asked softly in a tone of seeking praise: "Secretary Liu, do you think my cooking skills...are they okay?"
Hearing this, Secretary Liu cleared his throat.
He didn't say anything and cleared his throat again.
After clearing his throat for the second time, he looked at the others and said jokingly, "Did you see that? I just said that her cooking is not as good as that of a professional chef, and she came to prove it to me. You all have eaten, what do you think of Comrade Xiao Xia's cooking skills?"
I don’t know what exactly happened.
Seeing Secretary Liu asking this, Accountant Qin Xue took the lead and said, "It is no exaggeration to say that Comrade Xiao Xia's cooking skills are better than those of the chefs in the county's state-owned restaurants."
Liang Youtian and Wu Changming couldn't say anything better, so they just nodded.
Chuxia was naturally happy to be recognized and praised by everyone.
She smiled and said to everyone, "Thank you."
After Chu Xia and Secretary Liu finished talking about cooking, Lin Xiaohan brought the topic back to business, taking this opportunity to ask Secretary Liu: "Secretary Liu, since you think there is no problem with Chu Xia's cooking skills, what do you think of the things we mentioned to you..."
Secretary Liu certainly knew that they spent so much money and effort, it couldn't be just to prove their cooking skills.
After all, I still want to set up a stall at the commune market.
It is true that people are easily offended by others' favors.
Of course, Chu Xia’s cooking skills really impressed Secretary Liu from the bottom of his heart.
He looked at Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan and asked again, "Are you sure you really want to do this?"
Everything that needed to be said was said last week, so Chuxia didn't say anything more this time.
She showed her attitude directly and nodded in response: "Yeah!"
Secretary Liu looked at them and thought for a while, then said, "Okay, then you guys go back and wait, we'll discuss it together, and when we come up with a result, we'll let you know whether it succeeds or not."
Secretary Liu's attitude towards this matter had obviously softened, and Chuxia was naturally happier.
She and Lin Xiaohan were also tactful and politely said goodbye and left without staying any longer to disrupt their conversation.
After Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan left, Liang Youtian, Wu Changming and Qin Xue immediately picked up the steamed buns in the big bowl, dipped them swiftly into the soup in the basin, and continued to eat the buns.
Secretary Liu turned around and saw the three of them: "..."
He remained silent for a while, but finally couldn't help himself and reached out to break off the steamed bun and dip it in the soup.
In a short while, the soup in the basin was finished by the four of them.
The basin that originally held the vegetables was cleaner than after being washed with clean water.
I ate it all and didn't have anything else to think about.
Liang Youtian then asked Secretary Liu: "Secretary, what are they trying to do?"
Secretary Liu didn't beat around the bush and briefly told Liang Youtian and the other three what Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan had talked to him about last week.
After listening to this, the other four people naturally understood why Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan prepared this table of dishes.
Accountant Qin Xue said directly: "With this cooking skill, it's more than enough to run a noodle stall."
They had just finished eating all the food on the table, with not even a drop of soup left. Liang Youtian, Wu Changming and Chen Jinfeng were completely won over by the meal and nodded in agreement.
Secretary Liu glanced at them and asked, "Does that mean you agree?"
The meal was really delicious. Liang Youtian paused for a moment and said, "As long as they are willing, I think we can let them try. They also want to do more for the team. Isn't it for the good of our team?"
Wu Changming, Chen Jinfeng and Qin Xue all had no objections.
Secretary Liu was silent for a while and didn't speak immediately.
Qin Xue had more ideas in his mind, and suddenly he said, "Secretary Liu, if it were you, since Comrade Xiao Xia has such skills, we could even own the entire state-owned canteen."
"State-owned canteen?" Secretary Liu looked at him. "You have a better idea than them. Who would eat at a state-owned canteen in the countryside? Who has the spare money to eat out?"
Qin Xuedao said, "Secretary, even in the countryside, every family has different conditions and situations. There will always be people who need to eat out for a meal or two. What is the purpose of our work as cadres? Isn't it to serve the people? Since the people have needs and we have such talents available, then we should meet the needs of the people. Isn't that right?"
Secretary Liu looked at Qin Xue without saying anything.
Qin Xue continued, "Secretary, look, there are a total of 26 brigades in Qinghe Town. With so many brigades and so many people, there is only one state-owned canteen in the town open to the public. Isn't that too little? For the brigades close to the commune, people can walk a few steps to the commune's state-owned canteen when they need it. But for those brigades far from the commune like us, it's simply not possible."
"Of course, no one lives by eating out. I'm talking about when they need it. Who wouldn't encounter some important things? When you ask someone to do something, you have to have a good meal. Or if people from other places come to our area to do things, wouldn't it be convenient to have a state-owned canteen? For example, if the propaganda team of the commune comes to perform in various brigades in our area, so many people need to eat. Wouldn't it be able to solve many problems if there is a state-owned canteen?"
That sounds reasonable.
But opening a state-owned canteen is a bigger matter, and Secretary Liu doesn't think it can be done just by talking about it.
However, after Qin Xue said this, he made a comparison in his mind. He now felt that the noodle stall proposed by Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan was much simpler, easier, and more practical.
So he said, "I talked to you about setting up a small noodle stall, and you talked to me about a state-run canteen. You are really amazing. A state-run canteen is not a small matter. We need to think about it carefully and talk about it later. Since you have no objection to this matter, why don't you let the two kids set up a noodle stall in the market to test the waters and see how it goes."
***
The setting sun dyed the sky a deep orange.
In the twilight, Chuxia and Lin Xiaohan stood on a small hill and released chickens.
Six chickens were running and walking in the weeds, stopping from time to time to peck at food.
Chu Xia looked at the sunset in the sky and said, "I don't know how they are discussing it now."
Lin Xiaohan said calmly: "It shouldn't be a big problem."
Chu Xia glanced at him and said with a smile, "I'll take your good words."
Lin Xiaohan turned to look at her, "Are you so unconfident in your cooking skills?"
Chuxia is of course very confident in her cooking skills, but this is not just a matter of cooking.
Of course, when it comes to confidence, she is indeed no match for Lin Xiaohan.
She looked at Lin Xiaohan and said, "Yes, but I don't know what they will think."
Lin Xiaohan: "Then just wait."
It's so late today, so of course we can't get any definite news.
Chuxia didn't think any more about it. After releasing the chickens, she and Lin Xiaohan went back to the educated youth site to wash up and sleep.
When I went to school the next day, I was so focused on my teaching that I didn’t think too much about this matter.
It was not until the evening after school that she started to think about it again, muttering, "Haven't you discussed it yet?"
Lin Xiaohan lowered his brows while marking homework and continued, "Go ask after you're done."
Chuxia responded and then went about her own business.
Then, before they finished their work, the brigade accountant Qin Xue came to the school.
Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan raised their heads at the same time when they heard the knock on the door. Seeing Qin Xue standing outside the office door, they stood up together and greeted him enthusiastically, "Accountant Qin."
Qin Xue walked into the office with a smile and said, "Let me tell you about the noodle stand."
Judging from the expression on his face, it should be good news.
Chuxia couldn't help feeling happy, and hurriedly pulled a chair over, wanting Qin Xue to sit down and talk.
Qin Xue did not sit down, but said, "I can just stand and talk, just a few simple words."
Then he told Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan the result directly, "We discussed it all night yesterday, and talked about a lot of details today. Finally, we decided to agree to your proposal."
Hearing this, Chu Xia breathed a sigh of relief from the bottom of her heart.
She smiled and said to Qin Xue: "Thank you, Accountant Qin."
Qin Xue didn't bother to be polite with her, and continued, "Think about what you need to prepare, and give me a detailed list, and I'll find time to buy it. Whether it succeeds or not, you don't have to bear the responsibility for these things. Once you buy them, they will be the property of the brigade, and they will always be used somewhere."
Chuxia listened and nodded in agreement.
Qin Xue thought for a moment and added, "Yes, there is also the salary. Because this is not a proper job, it is at most a side job, so I can't give you a fixed salary. There is profit before there is profit sharing. After deducting the cost of the ingredients, the profit will be split in half between you and the team."
I learned about this from the old man who buys vegetables there before.
After hearing what Qin Xue said, Chu Xia and Lin Xiaohan didn't feel surprised at all.
It is difficult to make money these days, and personal wealth is not allowed, so they just want to have some extra income to support them to move out of the educated youth site as soon as possible.
After explaining the general situation, Qin Xue left.
Chuxia and Lin Xiaohan sent him to the school gate and watched him walk away.
Qin Xue walked away and Chu Xia withdrew her gaze.
She smiled and looked at Lin Xiaohan again, happily stretched out her hand to him and said, "Happy cooperation!"
Lin Xiaohan looked at Chu Xia's hand, then raised his gaze to look into her eyes.
He didn't reach out to shake hands with Chu Xia. After a moment, he turned around and walked back to the school, saying lazily, "It's a pleasure to work with you."
“…”
Know who he is.
Chuxia didn't feel embarrassed after she realized what was happening.
She calmly withdrew her hand, turned around and went into the school with a happy mood.
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