Braised eggplant is his specialty and Bai Bai's favorite dish. He makes this dish whenever he misses Bai Bai these past few years.
"Then I'll make two meat dishes! One is stir-fried pork with chili peppers, and the other is twice-cooked pork!"
Bai Li thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "These two dishes are Zhao Jinxiang's two favorite dishes. I used to make these two dishes for Zhao Jinxiang often, so you could say they are my specialties."
Upon seeing this, Zhao Jinxiang's eyes immediately lit up as he looked at Bai Li, and a silly smile appeared on his face.
"Then I'll make scrambled eggs with tomatoes and four-happiness meatballs!"
Gu Nanxun also said with a smile that he chose scrambled eggs with tomatoes because he saw that the other two made dishes that were heavy and oily, and of course, he chose four-happiness meatballs because Lin Qing liked them the most.
When it was Lin Qing's turn, she thought for a moment and then said, "Then I'll make a squirrel-shaped mandarin fish and an ant-climbing-a-tree dish!"
Wow, Mom has never made these two dishes before!
Gu Nianqing suddenly heard the names of two dishes she had never heard of before, and exclaimed in surprise.
"I found this recipe recently while flipping through a cookbook, and I've never actually made it before! The squirrel-shaped mandarin fish is sweet and sour, and I'm sure your dad will love it too, as is the 'ants climbing a tree' dish."
Lin Qing replied with a smile!
Gu Nianqing's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "Mom is so good to me. Thank you, Mom. But the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish is a fish, right? How are you going to divide it, Mom?"
"That's easy, I'll just make two plates!"
Lin Qing waved her hand dismissively and said.
"Thank you for your hard work, Mom!"
Gu Nianqing said with a grin.
"You little rascal, why are you being so sweet-talking today? I've never heard you say anything to me about how hard I've worked before!"
Lin Qing looked at Gu Nianqing with amusement, then teased her with a smile.
"hey-hey……"
Gu Nianqing smiled but didn't say anything.
"Okay, let's remember to cook a little extra when we cook, because we'll be dividing it into two portions."
Bai Li watched the mother and son laughing and joking, then added with a smile.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and then they each began preparing the ingredients.
Zhao Jinxiang was busily preparing braised eggplant and stir-fried bean sprouts in the kitchen. Although his movements were clumsy, his face was full of excitement.
Bai Li methodically processed the chili peppers and pork, and through the video, Lin Qing could almost smell the aroma of twice-cooked pork.
"Thump thump thump... thump thump thump..."
Gu Nanxun was diligently chopping the meat filling. After finishing, he skillfully began cutting the tomatoes, and his egg-beating movements were also very proficient.
Meanwhile, Lin Qing was meticulously slicing the fish with knife marks to ensure the perfect presentation of the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish and the ants climbing a tree dish.
Gu Nianqing watched the video for a while, but he still couldn't understand how cutting and slicing the fish could turn it into squirrel-shaped mandarin fish. Seeing that he couldn't understand it, he didn't insist and then snuggled up to Bai Li to steal some food.
Soon, her uncle started frying eggplants. After he finished frying the eggplants, Lin Qing started frying fish.
...
Time passed by unnoticed, and one delicious dish after another was served. Except for Lin Qing's squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, which was served in two portions, everyone else divided each dish in half, and soon both tables were set with food.
Uncle's braised eggplant and stir-fried bean sprouts looked ordinary, but they were very fragrant; Uncle Bai Li's stir-fried pork with chili and twice-cooked pork had an enticing aroma; Gu Nanxun's scrambled eggs with tomatoes and four-happiness meatballs were also brightly colored and made people's mouths water; and Lin Qing's squirrel-shaped mandarin fish and ants climbing a tree were very successful in their first appearance, and they looked very appetizing.
"Wow, they all look so delicious!" Gu Nianqing exclaimed as she looked at the dishes in front of her.
"Yes, every dish looks mouthwatering," Zhao Jinxiang replied with a smile.
"Let's get started then, I can't wait."
Bai Li smiled and said, already picking up his chopsticks.
"Alright, let's have a toast to celebrate Uncle and Uncle Bai Li's successful marrow cleansing!"
Gu Nanxun raised his glass and said with a smile.
"Cheers!" everyone responded in unison.
After finishing her juice, Gu Nianqing put down the glass and eagerly reached for the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish sandwich in the center of the table.
Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but smile, and then they all reached for their favorite dishes.
Bai Li bypassed his own stir-fried pork with chili peppers and twice-cooked pork, and went straight for Zhao Jinxiang's braised eggplant.
Zhao Jinxiang, however, smiled broadly and picked up a large mouthful of twice-cooked pork and stir-fried pork with chili peppers.
Seeing this, Gu Nanxun and Lin Qing smiled at each other. Gu Nanxun picked up a Four Happiness Meatball for Lin Qing, while Lin Qing picked up a Squirrel Fish for Gu Nanxun.
Everyone enjoyed the delicious food while sharing snippets of their lives.
"After this marrow cleansing, I feel like I have more energy for work."
Bai Li said with a smile.
"Yes, I also feel relaxed all over, as if I've returned to my 20s."
Zhao Jinxiang quickly echoed this sentiment.
With her mouth full, Gu Nianqing mumbled, "Father, do the restaurants here sell squirrel-shaped mandarin fish? I want to eat it again tomorrow."
He really liked the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish, but unfortunately his mother had to go to school tomorrow. However, if a restaurant here sold it, he would eat there instead.
"Yes, I'll take you to eat there tomorrow!"
Bai Li gently wiped the sauce from the corner of Gu Nianqing's mouth with a tissue, then smiled and said...
"Okay, thank you, Father!"
Gu Nianqing thanked him with a smile while eating.
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