In her previous life, Xu Lai was betrayed and framed by her relatives during a doomsday disaster. She also witnessed too many instances where her closest relatives abandoned their own parents and children in order to survive.
So even after being reborn, in a time when social order was still intact, she naturally maintained a very wary and indifferent attitude towards outsiders other than her second uncle, parents, and younger brother.
For example, regarding her uncle's family, from the moment she was reborn in this life, she decided to eliminate that family.
But for this old soldier who had once saved her second great-uncle's life from the enemy, or rather, for the soldier who would rush to the front lines whenever the people of the motherland faced any difficulties, she felt only respect for them.
Because in her previous life, her uncle's family used her brother's life to coerce her into doing those shameful things, and they also often took away all the food she earned with her body, leaving nothing for her and her brother.
Once, she and her sick brother were so hungry that they couldn't bear it any longer, so they dragged their thin bodies out in temperatures of over 50 degrees Celsius to find food.
She encountered a group of soldiers on a mission. The leader of the group took pity on her, seeing that she was a thin and frail girl, and shared some of his compressed biscuits and drinking water with her.
She and her brother managed to survive for a while longer thanks to those few packs of compressed biscuits and a bottle of drinking water.
Moreover, in that lifetime, in order for more ordinary people to survive, many soldiers of the motherland fought against natural disasters and the evil forces in the apocalypse with their own flesh and blood.
Even though countless soldiers lose their lives every day for this work, they still haven't stopped.
In Xu Lai's heart, those soldiers, no matter when or where, were the hope of ordinary people.
So when she saw this sad elder in front of her, she was willing to help ease his sadness.
"Uncle Xiao, my second uncle is right. You can have dinner at my house tonight. My mother and I will cook some dishes for you to enjoy with your drinks. You and my second uncle can have a couple of drinks later!"
When Xu Lai mentioned drinking, he really hit a nerve with Old Master Xiao.
He loved to have a couple of drinks in his spare time, but he had a "good son" who was a doctor and wouldn't allow him to drink too much.
He was fine when he lived alone, but these days he's been staying at his son and daughter-in-law's house, and his son is keeping a tight rein on him. He hasn't been able to drink a single drop of alcohol during this time.
Seeing that the old man perked up as soon as he heard "have a couple of drinks," Xu Lai asked the Xiao family what their tastes were, and then went into the kitchen.
Drinking requires snacks to go with it. Old Master Xiao served in the military for decades and also has a strong palate.
His daughter-in-law, Li Qingya, also prefers strong flavors, while Xiao Rui, the "meddlesome" son mentioned by Old Master Xiao, is a doctor and prefers milder flavors.
Xu Lai and Song Qiu'e discussed the menu for dinner that evening.
There's plenty of frozen chicken, duck, and goose meat in the freezer, so let's make a spicy diced chicken dish and a braised goose in an iron pot.
A must-have dish to accompany drinks: salt and pepper peanuts, cold beef salad, stir-fried pork with vegetables, hot and sour shredded potatoes, steamed sea bass, and winter melon and pork rib soup.
Seven dishes and one soup, exactly eight dishes in total, which is enough for the eight people in their two families!
After finalizing the menu, Xu Lai slipped into the space from behind the kitchen door.
Xu Lai took a prepared chicken, a goose, and a sea bass from the freezer in the space warehouse, and also took a bowl of peanuts from a bag in another part of the space warehouse.
After leaving the space, Xu Lai and her daughter Song Qiu'e began to take action.
Xu Haiguo also brought his son Xu Chaolai to peel garlic and potato skins.
Stewing goose in an iron pot takes a long time, so Song Qiu'e directly instructed Xu Lai to bring out the small stove and iron pot stored in the space warehouse.
There were also quite a few coal briquettes stored in the space, which would be very convenient for stewing goose.
"Haiguo, light the coal briquettes in the small stove first!"
Song Qiu'e continued speaking.
"Here we go!"
Xu Haiguo, who had just peeled two cloves of garlic, readily agreed.
Xu Haiguo picked up the flamethrower and ignited the coal briquettes in no time.
"Mom, you take a rest first, I'll make the spicy chicken!"
After Song Qiu'e stir-fried the goose pieces, she poured them into an iron pot on a small stove and started stewing them over high heat. Xu Lai took the spatula and started making spicy chicken on the gas stove.
This is the dish that Xu Lai made most often when she was learning to cook, and it is also the dish she is most proud of.
After thawing the frozen chicken in salted water, Xu Lai first cut the chicken into cubes, rinsed it with clean water, squeezed out the water, and then marinated it for ten minutes with salt, pepper, cooking wine, light soy sauce and other seasonings.
Next, prepare the ingredients:
Cut the chili peppers into sections, prepare the Sichuan peppercorns and white sesame seeds, mince the ginger and garlic, and cut the scallions into sections.
Then fry the diced chicken:
Pour enough oil into a wok and heat it to 60-70% of its maximum temperature. Add the marinated chicken pieces and fry over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through and the surface is golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain the oil.
Then I started cooking:
Leave some oil in the wok, then add dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns and stir-fry until fragrant. Next, add minced ginger, minced garlic, and chopped scallions and continue stir-frying.
Pour in the fried chicken pieces, add MSG, sugar and other seasonings, and stir-fry quickly and evenly.
Sprinkle with toasted white sesame seeds for added aroma.
Finally, plate the dish and sprinkle with chopped green onions.
Wow, it smells so good!
Xu Chao was at the age where he was growing taller and loved to eat.
As soon as the spicy chicken was cooked, Xu Chao couldn't resist throwing the bundled chilies into the basket and immediately took two steps forward to stand beside his sister.
Xu Lai couldn't help but chuckle at her younger brother's greedy expression.
"Look, you're drooling!"
After saying that, she picked up her chopsticks, took two pieces of spicy chicken, and stuffed them into her younger brother's mouth.
After chewing and swallowing the spicy chicken pieces in his mouth, Xu Chao couldn't help but shower his sister with compliments: "My sister's spicy chicken is just so delicious!"
While slicing the braised beef, Song Qiu'e heard her son praising her daughter and jokingly scolded him, feigning jealousy, "So you mean my spicy chicken isn't good?"
Xu Chao, of course, wouldn't "offend" his mother who cooked for him every day, so he quickly offered words of comfort.
Xu Lai glanced at the living room outside, where the two old men were chatting enthusiastically.
In the kitchen, filled with the aroma of cooking, the family of four chatted as they prepared the dishes.
At that moment, she felt an unusual warmth.
Thanks to the teamwork of the four people, the meal was prepared in less than an hour and a half.
Seeing her parents and younger brother serving dishes, Xu Lai went out on her own and called over her neighbors Xiao Rui and Li Qingya.
This table of dishes includes both meat and vegetables, some with a strong, savory, salty, and spicy flavor, while others are light and refreshing.
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