Chapter 41: The food at Captain Lu’s house is so delicious
Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Qin rolled up their sleeves, stood in front of the table and started kneading the dough. Thinking that there would be many people eating today, the two did not dare to slack off at all. First, he brought two large basins, scooped out enough flour and cornmeal and mixed them evenly, added old dough, then slowly poured in clean water, and then began to stir skillfully with both hands.
After a while, the originally loose flour gradually condensed, and became strong under their kneading, pressing and rubbing. As the action continued, beads of sweat broke out on the two men's foreheads, but there was no sign of stopping. Soon, the two pots of dough were ready.
After the dough was fermented, they covered it and placed it on the kang to ferment. Then the three of them started picking vegetables. Because their family was busy entertaining guests in the evening, Lu Tingxiao had a meal in the army cafeteria. Jiang Ruoxi and the others also had a casual lunch.
The afternoon sun shone softly in the yard. Jiang Ruoxi, Mrs. Zhang, and Mrs. Qin sat around a low table, chatting and laughing while picking vegetables skillfully. The three people's hands kept moving, and the tender green leaves fluttered at their fingertips. After a while, a small green "hill" was piled up in the vegetable basket.
Just as she was picking the fruits with great enthusiasm, she heard a familiar laugh. Jiang Ruoxi looked up and saw that it was Aunt Xie and Aunt Zhou who came together. "Oh, you guys came a long time ago. We are late. We can't miss the chance to help!" Aunt Xie's hearty voice instantly broke the tranquility of the courtyard. Jiang Ruoxi quickly stood up to greet them, with a grateful smile on her face: "Aunts, it's great that you can come to help!"
After some greetings, Jiang Ruoxi began to assign tasks. She looked at Aunt Xie and Aunt Zhou and said politely and kindly, "Aunt, please help me wash the vegetables and cut the meat. Thank you for your hard work!" Aunt Xie and Aunt Zhou rolled up their sleeves without saying a word and threw themselves into the busy work.
Aunt Xie and Aunt Zhou were very skillful and in no time they had washed the vegetables clean and cut the meat into appropriate pieces. At this time, Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Qin brought over the fermented dough. Everyone gathered around the table and started making the shapes of the steamed buns. Mrs. Zhang also joked that the steamed bun had to look better, otherwise people who ate it would laugh at them. Everyone laughed after hearing this.
Amid laughter and joy, the steamed buns were made one by one and put into the steamer. The fire in the stove was burning brightly, and the red flames reflected the smiling faces of the women. Soon, hot steam came out of the steamer and the whole house was filled with the aroma of steamed buns.
On the other side, after cutting the vegetables and meat, Aunt Xie and Aunt Zhou adjusted the flavors of the cold spinach and smashed cucumber and mixed them evenly. Jiang Ruoxi began to cook the hot dishes, starting with the braised pork which takes the longest time: wash the pork belly and cut it into 2-3 cm square pieces. Add water to the pot, put in the pork belly, bring to a boil over high heat, skim off the foam, cook for 3-5 minutes, remove from the pot, rinse with clean water, and drain. Put a little oil in the pan, add rock sugar, stir-fry over low heat until the rock sugar melts and turns reddish brown, and small bubbles appear. Add the pork belly and stir-fry until each piece of meat is coated with sugar color, and stir-fry until the surface of the meat is slightly golden. Add scallion, ginger, garlic, star anise, cinnamon, soy sauce, and cooking wine, stir-fry evenly, then add appropriate amount of water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn to low heat, cover the pot and simmer for 1-1.5 hours, stirring appropriately in the middle and adding salt according to taste. When the meat becomes soft and the soup is thick, turn to high heat to reduce the sauce. When the soup reaches a satisfactory thickness, it can be served.
The braised pork was being stewed. Jiang Ruoxi seized the time and worked in an orderly manner like a chef with commanding spirit. She first put the processed fresh fish into the hot oil pan. With a "sizzling" sound, the fish was instantly fried in the pan until both sides were golden brown. Then she added the carefully prepared sauce, and instantly, the rich braised aroma filled the air.
As the braised fish was just taken out of the pot and put on a plate, she quickly turned around and poured the chopped cabbage, pork and vermicelli into the pot one by one. As the dishes are stir-fried, the sweetness of the cabbage and the mellowness of the pork blend perfectly, and the vermicelli gradually absorbs the deliciousness of the soup.
Then, eggplant with minced meat, stir-fried meat with green pepper, stir-fried meat with fresh mushrooms, and stir-fried bacon with garlic sprouts were served one by one under her skillful hands. Each dish was delicious and fragrant.
Taking advantage of the break, Jiang Ruoxi did not forget to put the bones and kelp into the stew pot, added appropriate amount of water and seasoning, and simmered over low heat. After a while, the unique aroma of the bone and kelp soup began to spread in the kitchen.
As the dishes come out of the pot one by one, the aroma spreads. At this moment, there was a sound of the door opening. Lu Tingxiao came back early because he was afraid that Jiang Ruoxi would be too busy. As soon as he entered the yard, he smelled the tempting aroma of food. His heart was filled with warmth, thinking how nice it was to have such a lively home.
Lu Tingxiao stood in the yard, watching Jiang Ruoxi, Aunt Zhang, Aunt Qin, Aunt Xie, and Aunt Zhou busy in the kitchen. Their figures moved back and forth in the smoke, and waves of tempting food aroma wafted out of the kitchen. He knew that there were many people coming to the dinner today, and the existing tables, chairs, benches, bowls and chopsticks were definitely not enough. So he decided to borrow some from the camp.
Lu Tingxiao walked out of the house quickly and walked along the familiar path towards the warehouse where the items were stored. On the way, he saw from afar Deputy Regiment Commander Zhang and Battalion Commander Qin walking towards their home, talking and laughing. His eyes lit up and he immediately quickened his pace to meet them.
"Lao Zhang, I just happened to run into you. Come and help me move the tables and chairs. You can't eat for free!" Lu Tingxiao shouted with a smile.
Deputy Captain Zhang laughed heartily: "Hey, Tingxiao, you're not at a disadvantage at all! Okay, let's go!" As he said that, he took Captain Qin and the others to follow Lu Tingxiao to the warehouse.
Along the way, everyone was talking and laughing, and soon they moved the tables, chairs and benches into the yard. Everyone worked together. Lu Tingxiao led the team to move the tables and put them into two tables. One table consisted of three tables, forming a long table. The men ate at this table, and the other table consisted of two tables, one for the women and children. The children arranged the chairs, and some went to get the bowls and chopsticks. Soon, all the necessary items were prepared, and the yard gradually became filled with the lively atmosphere of a dinner party.
When Lu Tingxiao and the soldiers had arranged the tables, chairs and benches, the kitchen was also ready. Jiang Ruoxi raised her hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead, turned to look at Sister Zhang, Sister Qin, Aunt Xie and Aunt Zhou who were also busy, and said with a smile: "Sister-in-law, aunt, let's bring the dishes to the table!" Everyone responded and carefully brought up the plates of delicious dishes.
Jiang Ruoxi held the plate of bright red and fragrant braised pork steadily in both hands, while Mrs. Zhang followed closely behind her with a steaming dish of cabbage, pork and vermicelli stew. Mrs. Qin served the eggplant with minced meat. The fresh eggplant was dotted with finely chopped meat, which made people salivate. Aunt Xie and Aunt Zhou were also not idle. They served fried meat with fresh mushrooms and fried bacon with garlic sprouts respectively. The delicious dishes were placed on the table in an orderly manner. The same dishes were also served at the table for the women and children.
Afterwards, Jiang Ruoxi quickly walked into the kitchen and took out a basket of freshly-made steamed buns made from wheat flour from the steamer. The buns were plump white and exuded a unique aroma mixed with wheat and corn flour. She placed the basket of steamed buns at one end of the table, then returned to the kitchen and placed another basket of steaming buns at the other end of the table. There was also a basket of steamed buns on the table for the women and children.
At this time, the table full of delicacies and steaming steamed buns filled the whole yard with a warm and tempting atmosphere. The children smelled the fragrance and kept asking when they could eat, as if they were quietly waiting for a happy dinner.
The men also sat down. Commander Xie took a bite of the braised pork first and praised it highly: "Xiao Lu, you married a great wife. She is not only talented, but also a great cook. You are so lucky!"
Everyone stared at Master Xie and gave him orders. When they saw him finally pick up the chopsticks and reach for the delicious dish, everyone seemed to have received some kind of tacit consent and couldn't wait to reach out their chopsticks to pick up the food.
Everyone carefully put the food they picked up into their mouths. In an instant, the only sounds in the room were those of chewing and swallowing. As the delicious dish spreads in the mouth, the rich aroma instantly spreads, stimulating the taste buds.
"Wow! This tastes absolutely amazing! My sister-in-law's cooking skills are as good as those of the chefs in state-owned restaurants!" Someone couldn't help but exclaimed, and others nodded in agreement. For a while, the sounds of praise were endless, one after another, as if they were going to break through the roof and spread into the distance.
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