Watching it roll around on the ground, Zhou Chenyu couldn't help but use her sweet voice, grabbing its head and stroking it repeatedly, "Oh my, you're so cute! Whose dog is this? Is it our Little Yellow Bean?"
Hearing her praise, Little Yellow Bean barked happily twice and rolled around on the ground even more joyfully.
Looking at its white belly, Zhou Chenyu couldn't help but squat down, touch the flesh on its belly with his palm, grab it and rub it, it was soft and warm like the waves in the sea.
She laughed, "Little Soybean, I haven't played with you for a few days, how did you get so fat?"
As if understanding Zhou Chenyu's words, Little Yellow Bean sat up abruptly, shook its yellow fur, and its fur stood up like a Samoyed's. Its golden tail curled up, and its clever eyes stared at Zhou Chenyu with a mischievous glint.
"Oh dear, I said you're fat and you're not happy? Fine, fine, I won't say it anymore, I promise, okay?"
Zhou Chenyu propped her chin up, pretending not to look at it, while her beady eyes looked elsewhere. When it wasn't paying attention, Zhou Chenyu suddenly turned around and leaned close to its big face.
As if knowing she was playing with it, Huangdou kicked its legs and ran a few steps away, then wagged its tail and scurried over to Zhou Chenyu, where it sat down obediently.
Zhou Chenyu tilted her head to the left to look at it, and it tilted its head to the left as well. When Zhou Chenyu looked to the right, it followed suit. The silly scene was extremely funny.
Zhou Chenyu played with Huang Dou for a while, then heard the sound of food being put into the pot from the kitchen. "Go play by yourself," she said.
She got up and walked to the kitchen window. Li Xiuju was standing in the smoky kitchen. The pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat in the pot had been fried until golden brown, and the rendered pork fat was splattering and crackling.
Li Xiuju poured the peeled potatoes into the pot and stir-fried them with a large spatula until they were well-seasoned. The light yellow potatoes, which looked like eggs, were mixed with lard and coated with an enticing color.
Next, pour in well water to cover the potatoes, then simmer over high heat for half an hour, until the clear broth becomes thick and the potatoes break easily when poked. Finally, sprinkle in the chopped scallions for color and it's ready to serve.
"It smells so good!" Baoyu stared at the soft, golden-brown potatoes, swallowed hard, and couldn't resist eating one despite the heat.
The potatoes that had just come out of the pot were much hotter than he had expected. When he put them in his mouth, it felt like he was holding a piece of hot coal. "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, hot!"
Li Xiuju scolded him, "You deserve it, child!"
Zhou Chenyu mimicked Li Xiuju's tone, "Serves you right!"
With a potato in his mouth, Baoyu couldn't swallow it or speak. He glared at them with wide eyes before swaggering over and serving the braised potato and pork to the table.
Because lean meatballs are thick and require a short cooking time, they are prone to being undercooked. Therefore, raw meatballs are the first to be added to the pot. When they are first added, all the meatballs sink to the bottom of the broth. After the braised pork with potatoes is done, the cooked meatballs will have floated to the surface.
Li Xiuju skimmed off the foam on the surface of the water, then sprinkled in tender green cabbages picked from the garden. The tender cabbage leaves were cooked quickly by being scalded by the boiling broth. Finally, she added a small spoonful of salt, and the delicious meat broth flavor came out.
"I haven't had my mother's cooking for several days, and tonight I can finally satisfy my craving. I won't be polite."
Baoyu picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of meat and a potato, opened his mouth wide and stuffed it into his mouth, puffing out his cheeks as he ate. "This is the taste! It's much better than what I eat when I'm working."
Zhou Chenyu tried to pick up a potato twice but failed. In desperation, she stuck her chopsticks in.
Potatoes are mini versions of potatoes.
Although they looked the same to Zhou Chenyu, they tasted very different. The potatoes he had eaten before were all powdery, but these were soft and chewy, and tasted especially delicious.
"Mmm, delicious." Zhou Chenyu picked up another one and stuffed it into her mouth.
Seeing that both children's bowls were full of rice, Li Xiuju had no time to drink the meatball soup. It would get cold in a little while.
She turned and went into the kitchen, took out two more bowls, filled them with soup, and pushed them in front of them. "Potatoes can make your throat feel stuffy, so drink some soup to make you feel better. Don't just focus on eating the braised pork here, eat these meatballs too."
The soup contained both meatballs and tender green cabbage. Zhou Chenyu, true to her word, immediately picked up a meatball and ate it.
Homemade meatballs are just different. They don't contain any flour, and every bite is full of thick, meaty meat. Plus, they're all handmade, so you don't have to worry about hygiene or health issues like rat meat or lymph node meat.
After eating a meatball full of meat, a sip of tender green cabbage soup is just the right way to cleanse your palate.
Zhou Chenyu ate three potatoes and drank a whole bowl of meatball soup. Her stomach felt like it couldn't hold anything more, so she leaned back comfortably in her chair.
Baoyu's mouth never stopped. "Sister, are you done eating?"
"No, let me rest for a while first, and then I'll eat."
Zhou Chenyu patted her full stomach, while Li Xiuju, having taken a bite of a meatball, looked at her and asked, "How many days until the Tang family's housewarming banquet?"
Zhou Chenyu calculated the time and replied, "Three more days."
“No rush. You don’t need to do anything for the next three days. Just rest at home and recharge. You need to be well-rested to have the energy to work.” Li Xiuju said. Baoyu couldn’t get a word in edgewise, so he just ate his rice bowl while listening.
“I’m afraid that won’t work.” Zhou Chenyu shook his head. “I need to go to the Tang residence for a day to learn the etiquette over the next two days, and then go to the market with the servants to buy the necessary ingredients. Once the ingredients are purchased, I will have to stay there the day before the banquet.”
"So rushed?" After thinking it over, Li Xiuju agreed, "The Tang family's housewarming banquet is a big event. All the guests are important figures from Qingshui Town and even the surrounding towns. There are probably over a hundred people in total. It's best to be careful. I'll pack your clothes for you in the next two days, and you can leave as soon as you get them."
"Okay, sure." Zhou Chenyu smiled and squinted her eyes.
Knowing that Zhou Chenyu was extremely busy for the next few days, Li Xiuju sent Zhou Chenyu back to her room to rest early after dinner.
Throughout the day, Zhou Chenyu rushed to meet Chen Tongsheng before dawn. After meeting Feng Chuli and confirming the competition slots, she followed the servants of the Tang family to the market to buy the ingredients needed for the sweet soup. After buying everything, she didn't dare to rest for a moment and hurriedly ran back to the Tang family to start making the sweet soup. In the process, she also had a dispute with two despicable men.
Recalling this day, Zhou Chenyu lay on the bed, busy as a donkey, her legs were weak, but when she thought about getting through these few days, she could get two years' worth of salary.
Anyone who doesn't do it is a fool!
Zhou Chenyu rubbed her weak arm, yawned heavily, and muttered, "Once I get my money, I'm going to take a short vacation, sleep in, and treat myself to a good meal. That way, I won't have wasted all the money I worked so hard to earn."
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