Su Chenhao said, "I won't stay for dinner. It's getting late, and my brother will worry about me if I go home too late."
Qiao Xiaoni wiped her hands on her apron. "Wait a minute, I made a lot of fried dough sticks and pies today. Take some back with you so you don't have to cook dinner."
"When your brother arrives tomorrow, you don't need to prepare like this. You can just eat here and then go back."
Su Chenhao wanted to try the fried dough sticks and meat pies, so he didn't object. He watched as she kept filling the paper bag, which was already quite full. "Stop filling it," he said, "this is enough for him and me."
Qiao Xiaoni stuffed the last pie in, then found a rope, tied it tightly, and handed it over.
"When you get home, you can make some porridge or just boil a kettle of water and you can eat it."
Su Chenhao nodded and tied the things to the handlebars. "I'll come a little earlier tomorrow."
Qiao Xiaoni: "Well, even if you hadn't said anything, I would have asked you to come earlier. I have a lot to do tomorrow morning!"
Su Chenhao rode away on his bicycle. Qiao Xiaoni rubbed her sore back and saw her sister-in-law bringing over a bowl of vegetables.
Li Meihua added another piece of firewood, and the pot quickly heated up again.
Tao Chunfang said, "Xiao Ni, you've been busy all afternoon, go back to your room and rest. I'll just stir-fry the vegetables right here in the oil."
Qiao Xiaoni saw her sister-in-law about to pour the vegetables from the basin into the pot and stepped forward to stop her.
"Sister-in-law, you can't just throw the vegetables into the pot. First, smash some garlic and sauté it in the pot to release its aroma. That will make it taste better."
Tao Chunfang didn't get angry and put the bowl down. "So you have to use garlic to sauté the vegetables when cooking! I didn't even know that. Before, I would just heat the oil in the pan, throw the vegetables in, stir-fry them, add some salt, and then serve them."
The garlic is usually just left on the table; whoever wants some can peel it themselves.
Qiao Xiaoni said, "Sister-in-law, if you want the food to taste good, you can't go wrong with any step. If you're even slightly off, the taste will always be a little off."
Tao Chunfang looked like she had been taught a lesson. "I know what to do now. I'll go back to the house and get the garlic. Let's see if the dish smells good." She turned and skipped back into the house.
Li Meihua stood up and said to her back, "Hurry up, or the pot will burn."
"I understand!" Tao Chunfang replied, already inside the house.
They quickly returned, threw the garlic into the pot with a popping sound, and then poured in the bok choy.
Qiao Xiaoni deliberately left some oil at the bottom of the pot, and then added some lard. The dish was very fragrant when stir-fried with the two oils, and it was shiny with oil when it came out of the pot.
"Xiao Ni, you're amazing! You cook so well even though you haven't cooked before!" Tao Chunfang praised from the side.
Qiao Xiaoni looked at the dish that had just been cooked. It looked good on the surface, but it was still far from being as good as what a professional chef could make. However, it was already quite good.
"I'll just cook one dish today, and we can eat when my older brother comes back."
Tao Chunfang looked at the front door of her house and wondered, "Why is Dashan coming back so late today?"
"I'd usually be home by this time. Could something have delayed me on the way?"
Qiao Xiaoshan: "They probably had a lot of work today and came back a little late. Let's wait a bit longer."
Qiao Haisheng stood up, holding his pipe. "Wait for the boss to come back so we can eat together. Tidy up the things in the yard, and make sure to bring the oil inside so it doesn't get stolen in the middle of the night."
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