Chapter 237: Snacks (Subscribe to support!)
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Seeing that he had said a lot but Han Mingze didn't even respond, Gao Hailong said unhappily: "No, why don't you say something? Don't let me keep talking here. How stupid does that make me look?"
Han Mingze came back to his senses: "What do you want me to say?"
"Do you intend to participate in the competition? If so, do you have any good ideas?" Gao Hailong said.
"Do you think I have a sense of humor?" Han Mingze asked instead of answering.
"Uh… okay, I got the wrong guy."
Gao Hailong took one look at Han Mingze's resentful face and immediately gave up on trying to get Han Mingze to join his gang.
…
Those who are preparing to participate in the comedy actor selection of Happy Wheat are not only Gao Hailong and other extras in Hengdian, but also a large number of people from all over the country who are pursuing their comedy dreams.
Let’s put it this way, Kai Xin Maizi spent more than 30 million on publicity alone. The purpose was to cast a wide net, catch more fish, and then focus on selection.
At the same time, Xu Kai personally flew to Tieling to meet Zhao Laogen.
What made Xu Kai feel relieved was that Zhao Laogen actually sent his car (a motorhome modified from an International truck from the United States, with license plate "88888") to pick up Xu Kai and his group.
Seeing this level of detail, how could Xu Kai not know how much Zhao Laogen valued him?
Yang Xinchun, who came with Xu Kai, also whispered to Xu Kai: "This thing will almost work."
But to the surprise of Xu Kai, Yang Xinchun and others, Zhao Laogen did not take Xu Kai and others to a hotel or other place for business talks, but took them to Zhao Laogen's home.
Unlike what Xu Kai and others had imagined, that Zhao Laogen would live in a mansion worth hundreds of millions of dollars, Zhao Laogen's home was just a rural bungalow.
Of course, this does not mean that Zhao Laogen does not have a luxurious villa or mansion in the city.
Maybe because he is older and prefers the simple rural life, Zhao Laogen now lives in an ordinary bungalow.
Here, the front yard of the courtyard is still paved with stone and land, and the gate is also a more traditional courtyard design in rural Northeast China. There are also some flowers, plants and trees at the door.
Zhao Laogen also built a greenhouse in his home, so that even when it is very cold in winter, he can grow some vegetables in the yard.
In this way, you will not feel bored even if you live in the countryside. When you have nothing to do, you can do farm work in the yard. Growing your own vegetables and being self-sufficient is a very comfortable and pleasant life, and it will also be healthier.
The walls of Zhao Laogen's house are also made of traditional red bricks.
If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would be really hard to imagine that a famous artist would return to the countryside to live this kind of life.
When the two met, Zhao Laogen's first words were: "You are so bold, you almost trampled us underfoot, and you still dare to come to the meeting alone."
Seeing that there was a hint in Zhao Laogen's words, Yang Xinchun wanted to help Xu Kai explain.
But before Yang Xinchun could speak, Xu Kai reached out and stopped Yang Xinchun, then said with a smile: "Going all out is the greatest respect for your opponent, don't you think so?"
Zhao Laogen looked at Yang Xinchun without comment and asked Xu Kai: "Your girlfriend?"
When Yang Xinchun heard Zhao Laogen ask this, her face suddenly became hot and she couldn't help but feel happy in her heart.
However, both Yang Xinchun's shyness and secret joy were exposed by Xu Kai's next words.
"She is my agent Yang Xinchun, not my girlfriend."
Although Xu Kai was telling the truth, Yang Xinchun felt uncomfortable. She couldn't help but think, "Your woman isn't here, so why are you so anxious to distance yourself from me?"
Yang Xinchun knew that it was wrong for her to have such thoughts, so she quickly suppressed the thoughts and said to Zhao Laogen: "Teacher Zhao, we came here this time to..."
But before Yang Xinchun could finish her words to change the subject, Zhao Laogen said, "Let's talk about this later. Let's eat first."
Yang Xinchun looked at Xu Kai undecidedly.
Xu Kai smiled and said, "The guest should follow the host's wishes."
What surprised Xu Kai and Yang Xinchun was that Zhao Laogen actually led them directly into the kitchen.
The kitchen in Zhao Laogen's home is a very standard Northeastern rural kitchen. The walls are made of white square tiles. There is also a large wooden pole on the wall for hanging some household items. The family also uses large rural pots.
And in this big pot there is also "tofu" which is unique to Northeast China.
Zhao Laogen smiled and said, "How about it? I did it."
This simple rural life makes people feel more relaxed and comfortable.
This is probably the reason why Zhao Laogen chose to return to the countryside when he got older.
"I'm not very good at Northeastern cuisine, but I know a few dishes. Today I'll make some for you to try."
As he said this, Xu Kai began to take off his suit.
Zhao Laogen heard this and saw the situation, and asked with a smile: "Can you cook?"
"You must have heard that I've been in prison, right?" Xu Kai asked back.
Zhao Laogen nodded.
Xu Kai continued: "In my first year in prison, I was assigned to work in the canteen of the prison office, cooking for the prison guards. The chef who led us at the time was Master Liu Jidong from Manhanlou, who later became my master."
"My master's ancestors were imperial chefs in the Qing Dynasty, and were particularly good at making Manchu and Han banquets. My great master, my master's father Liu Zaidong, was a well-known figure in the chef world when he was alive. He was a chef at a state banquet."
"My master is also very good. He became a top chef at the age of 23, and was then hired as the head chef by Gao Xin, the owner of Dongzhou Manhan Restaurant, and worked there for 12 years."
When he said this, Xu Kai had already taken off his suit, and Yang Xinchun conspicuously took out an apron and helped Xu Kai tie it on.
Zhao Laogen said, "I've heard of Liu Jidong."
"About 17 or 18 years ago, in the early 1990s, we went to Dongzhou to perform, and the host invited us to Manhanlou for dinner. There, I heard that if you want to eat Liu Jidong's dishes, you have to make a reservation three days in advance. He is so arrogant."
"Later, five or six years later, I heard from the master that Liu Jidong married a fickle wife, and that whore was caught having an affair with Liu Jidong's apprentice. In a rage, Liu Jidong killed the whore with a kitchen knife, injured his apprentice, and then turned himself in."
Xu Kai nodded: "My master was sentenced to suspended death penalty because of this."
Zhao Laogen sighed: "Alas! What a pity for such a famous chef."
Xu Kai smiled and said, "It's not a pity. Because of his skills and fame, my master didn't suffer much in prison. He just changed his job to cook. By the way, he was released from prison two years ago and married my sister who had been waiting for him for fifteen years. They now run a private kitchen in Dongzhou and their business is very good. My sister even gave birth to twins for him. The two little guys are very cute and can call me daddy. My master is getting younger and younger and is very optimistic and cheerful."
"That really is a bad thing turned into a good thing."
"A few months ago, I took my girlfriend to see him, and he personally cooked for us a dish called Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. His cooking skills were so amazing that I think his cooking skills may have surpassed those of my great master."
"Then he's serving time in prison."
"Hey, don't listen to my nice words. I'm just saying it in a positive way. If you can avoid going to a place like prison, don't go there. It's not a place for human beings to stay."
“…”
“…”
While chatting casually with Zhao Laogen, Xu Kai also started to work skillfully.
An expert can tell whether something is good or not with just one look.
Not to mention anything else, just by looking at Xu Kai's knife skills, Zhao Laogen knew that Xu Kai must be very good at cooking.
but--
Xu Kai didn't do anything fancy today. Instead, with the help of Zhao Laogen, he made four home-cooked dishes from Northeast China: Northeastern cold dishes, small tofu, braised three whites, and braised pork ribs with sauce.
Zhao Laogen fried some peanuts himself, then went to the garden to pick some pickled vegetables and washed them.
The two of them worked together to prepare a table full of delicious food...
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(End of this chapter)
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