Chapter 30: Is Beijing-style Shredded Pork with Sauce a bit abrupt?
The task of raising chickens was released. Ji Qingzhi felt that this task was related to the taro chicken ordered by Qi Yue and the others. She began to think back to the previous tasks. Every task released seemed to be related to the diners.
Yes, the chickens on the market are almost all from farms, and the taste is somewhat different from free-range chickens. Recipes are important, but the quality of raw materials is more important. Ji Qingzhi thought that if things continued like this, she might be able to change her career to become a rural blogger.
The chicken pieces were blanching in the pot, and she went to the side to get the taro. You have to wear gloves when peeling the taro, otherwise your hands will get itchy from the taro slime. Ji Qingzhi peeled the taro very quickly with a peeler. The taro was of uniform size, so she didn't cut it into pieces. The size was just right for the whole thing, and cutting it into pieces would affect the taste.
Rinse the chicken with water, pick it up with a colander, wash it with warm water and set aside. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add the prepared ingredients into the pan and sauté until fragrant. Then add the chicken and stir-fry until evenly stir-fried. Add water to cover the chicken, then add soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, and add taro after the water boils (Note ①)
While the taro chicken was bubbling in the pot, the Beijing-style shredded pork, green vegetables, and shredded pork with sauerkraut were already cooked in the pot.
The three hundred points were credited almost at the same time, and the points board quickly changed to thirty-two thousand. She breathed a sigh of relief, and Aunt Liu took advantage of this gap to deliver the dishes to the private room.
Qi Yue and her friends had just moved to a private room. Now they were sitting in the same place where Huo Yubai sat last time and taking photos to send to the camera. This was their main purpose. When Aunt Liu came in with a tray to serve the dishes, the aroma of the taro chicken brought Qi Yue back to her senses: "Let's eat first, or the dishes will get cold later."
Of course, you have to take pictures before eating. Qin You looked at the taro chicken in front of him and said in surprise: "This portion is more than I thought."
"I think I have a filter for Sister Ji. I think the vegetables from her restaurant are better than those from other restaurants." Yang Qian said as she stretched her chopsticks towards the vermicelli soup next to her. She had to try all the dishes first.
"It shouldn't be a filter. This vegetable is really delicious." Qi Yue said as she picked up the taro from the main dish. She liked taro the most.
The taro was soft and glutinous, and absorbed the soup, making it very tasty. She gave her companions a thumbs up and said, "It's delicious."
They had already eaten most of the braised food, and they had no plans to eat rice at this moment. They just wanted to finish all the dishes, but Qi Yue felt that this soft and glutinous taro would taste better with rice.
Her proposal was unanimously agreed by everyone, so the four of them ate very full. Yang Qian touched her stomach and said, "I think I need some digestive tablets now."
"I used to think that eating too much was something only fools would do, but I never expected that one day I would become that fool." Qin You laughed out loud at the end of her speech. Even she herself did not expect that one day she would become the fool she was talking about.
"Let's go. We have shot so much material. We should edit a vlog when we get back." Qi Yue reminded. In Huo Yubai's fan group, there are often fans who share vlogs of checking in with Huo Yubai. This time it is their turn to show off to everyone.
Qin You didn't leave directly, but looked at the others: "What do you think is the possibility of seeing Huo Yubai here?"
"I guess it's not possible now. Director Jiang's crew has always been very strict. I guess they will change the shooting location next time they go down the mountain?" Yang Qian guessed.
"That's different. Didn't we go down the mountain yesterday? I plan to come over and try it when I have time." Qin You expressed his plan.
"I see that besides waiting for Huo Yubai, you want to eat here every day." Qi Yue saw through her plan at a glance. Although they all had a lot of pocket money every month, Qin You was the richest among them, so Qi Yue could understand her approach.
Seeing through Qi Yue, Qin You smiled and nodded in acknowledgement: "I can't help it. After this meal, I feel like I can't eat takeout from school or nearby anymore."
As they talked, they once again expressed regret that Ji's restaurant did not do take-out.
*
When Aunt Liu was serving the dishes, Ji Qingzhi went to the backyard again. On her tray were the taro chicken, Beijing-style shredded pork, and stir-fried vegetables. She had increased the portion size of each dish.
"Such a rich meal?" Jiang Lianmeng exclaimed. She had only eaten half of the braised food platter in front of her.
"Try it?" Ji Qingzhi pushed the plate towards her.
"By the way, this braised food is really good. By the way, is Huo Yubai really as he appears in the vlog, um, middle school student?" Jiang Lianmeng thought for a long time before he came up with the adjective "middle school student".
"That's about the same," Ji Qingzhi understood what she meant. Many artists' personalities are created by the company.
"That's quite down-to-earth. After eating boxed lunches for a week, I would find everything delicious. What's more, what you cook is really delicious." Jiang Lianmeng said as she took a big bite of the chicken leg.
After taking a bite, she couldn't help but frown. Ji Qingzhi was a little puzzled: "What's wrong?"
"You gave me the chicken leg, so there will be one less chicken leg in their dish. I hope they won't cause you any trouble?" Jiang Lianmeng said with worry.
Ji's restaurant has been very popular these days. I guess many people are watching Ji Qingzhi's mistakes, so she can't make such a mistake.
Ji Qingzhi obviously didn't expect that she was worried about this. A warm feeling flowed through his heart, and then he explained softly: "I still have some sense of propriety. This was originally added separately."
"It's a good thing you found it, otherwise they would have something to say about the three legs of a chicken." Jiang Lianmeng said as she took another bite of the chicken leg. Not to mention, the chicken leg was tender and not dry, and it absorbed all the essence of the soup, and it tasted delicious.
"You are quite protective." Ji Qingzhi teased.
"These are lessons learned with blood and tears." Jiang Lianmeng said and looked at her. Hasn't she been the same over the years?
"So don't worry. Take your time eating. I'm going to be busy outside." Ji Qingzhi sounded apologetic. Jiang Lianmeng came to see her, but she didn't have time to accompany her.
"Go ahead, I'm fine here." Jiang Lianmeng said as she looked around the yard. It didn't seem like there was anything special about it, but it was particularly comfortable to stay here.
After settling Jiang Lianmeng down, Ji Qingzhi discovered Xu Yu'an's message on her phone. She raised her lips and replied, "Of course I remember, but I should thank you, so I'll treat you and your roommates to dinner."
Ji Qingzhi originally thought that Xu Yan'an was just talking, but she didn't expect that he actually won the award. Although the theme of the photography exhibition was women and power, everyone could tell what she was doing at a glance in this photo, so this could be considered another form of publicity. Naturally, she couldn't let him spend any more money.
As soon as his cell phone rang, Xu Yu'an took it out immediately. After being disappointed several times, he took out his cell phone again when he heard the notification tone. Sure enough, this message was from Ji Qingzhi. After reading the message, he curled his lips and said, "Sister Ji said she wants to treat me and my roommates to a meal. Do you want to go?"
"You must go." Yang Li replied without raising his head.
"Yes, why not go for such a good thing?" Li Jian nodded in agreement.
"Okay, then I'll reply to Sister Ji next time." Xu Yu'an said and started replying to the message.
"No, Old Xu, what do you mean by that tone? Don't you want to take us there?" Zhou Jun asked.
"Not really, I just feel a little embarrassed to bring so many of you along." Xu Yu'an's tone was full of arrogance.
"That's right. Sister Ji rejected you so many times before. This time she is willing to treat you to a meal because your photo won an award. Just let her show off a little." Yang Li said as he changed his posture and continued playing the game.
"Hahaha, that's right. Then let you show off for two more days. Besides, I'm not a burden. Without Junzi and me, can you go to Ji's restaurant?" Li Jian snorted.
"Yes, yes, you are heroes. I will invite you to the Ji family for dinner when the prize money comes in." Xu Yu'an has been in a good mood since he learned that his photo won the award.
"By the way, there is no movement on the Internet now. When do you plan to reveal it?" Li Jian asked.
"Just in these two days." Although this competition is not the most authoritative, it has a very wide audience. He doesn't believe that there are no photography enthusiasts in the country who are paying attention to this matter.
"Having said that, Sister Ji's popularity is getting higher and higher, and more and more people are going to Ji's restaurant. I'm afraid it will be even harder to get braised food in the future." Zhou Jun couldn't help but sigh after he finished speaking. He likes braised food the most.
"She only makes so much every day. I've already prepared myself for not being able to buy it." Although Yang Li was playing games, he did not miss their conversation.
"Why are you so calm?" Zhou Jun glanced at him. This guy also loves braised food the most.
"So it all depends on Old Xu, right?" The game ended when Yang Li was talking, and he couldn't help but swear.
"Lean on me?" Xu Yu'an pointed at the tip of his nose. He was better at playing with abstractions.
"This is a great opportunity. You can use this award-winning photo as a stepping stone. Didn't Sister Ji open a new account? Since it's the account of Ji's Restaurant, she will definitely take pictures of the dishes. If you work hard to get inside, then we won't have to worry about our braised food in the future." After Yang Li finished speaking, he nodded to confirm his statement.
"That's great. I think it's okay. Let's do it this way. Old Xu, you should get into the Ji family restaurant as soon as possible so that we can make a living." Li Jian and Zhou Jun both agreed.
Xu Yu'an glanced at them unhappily: "You don't have much ability, but you have beautiful ideas."
"How can this be considered wishful thinking? Isn't this the result of hard planning? Everything is possible. Old Xu, you should be more confident." Yang Li said righteously.
"Go away, don't disturb me." Xu Yu'an said and looked at Ji Qingzhi's reply on his phone. She said, "Is Sunday noon ok?"
"Sister Ji said it's the weekend at noon, you all have nothing to do that day, right?" Xu Yu'an asked.
"Even if there is something to do, it has to be okay. But we can't go empty-handed that day, right?" Li Jian asked. He had gone there as a diner before, but this time was different, so he couldn't do the same as before.
"You reminded me. So what should I send? A flower basket or a fruit basket?" Xu Yu'an's tone was also a little uncertain.
"That should be possible, right?" The others sounded uncertain.
Ji Qingzhi had no idea about their worries. What worried her at the moment was that there were too many guests and the ingredients they prepared were still limited, so she was busy until two in the afternoon and successfully unlocked one thousand points. The points were changed to thirty-three thousand. When the points arrived, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. The limit was two hours and she was too tired.
She took a shower before going to the backyard to meet Jiang Lianmeng, otherwise she would always feel full of cooking fumes. She changed into her home clothes and sat down next to Jiang Lianmeng. Jiang Lianmeng looked at her face with some disbelief: "No way, no way!"
"What?" Ji Qingzhi didn't understand what she meant.
"You stay in the kitchen all day, how come your skin is getting better and better, you even don't have pores." Jiang Lianmeng touched her face with both hands, her eyes full of surprise.
"Eat well, sleep well, and be in a good mood every day, and you will naturally be in good shape." Ji Qingzhi knew that all this was thanks to Jingshui, but that didn't stop her from talking nonsense in a serious manner.
Jiang Lianmeng hesitated for a moment and nodded: "It seems so." She had previously developed acne due to the stress of filming. Sure enough, one's condition can best reflect one's current situation.
The two chatted casually, and Jiang Lianmeng suddenly asked, "It's very popular now, and there's that photo. If you want to come back, now is the best opportunity."
Ji Qingzhi was stunned for a moment, then shook her head: "My previous decision was made after careful consideration." She also understood what Jiang Lianmeng meant. If she wanted to go back to that circle, now was indeed the best opportunity, but she no longer had that obsession.
"It's a pity that this opportunity is gone." Jiang Lianmeng felt sorry for her.
"It's not a pity to let more people know about Ji's restaurant." Ji Qingzhi looked open-minded.
Jiang Lianmeng came here just to get together. Before this, the two hadn't seen each other for a long time. In the evening, Jiang Lianmeng said goodbye to Ji Qingzhi and left because she had an appointment in the evening. Ji Qingzhi waved at her and said with a smile: "If you plan to join the group, remember to tell me in advance before joining the group. I will prepare some meat sauce for you."
"Okay." Jiang Lianmeng agreed with a smile. Although it would be impossible for her to join a crew like Director Jiang's, Ji Qingzhi's words were indeed heartwarming.
After seeing Jiang Lianmeng off, Ji Qingzhi went to get water lily seeds. The water lily seeds needed to be germinated first. Since she had well water, she felt that she was fearless in planting anything. After spraying water on the water lily seeds and sealing them, she went to Uncle Wu's house to ask for rose branches, and asked them which market to buy the chicks.
There seemed to be no baby chicks for sale at the market where fish fry were bought today. The neighbors had all noticed the popularity of Ji's restaurant during this period, especially after the braised food and meat sauce became popular, some relatives even called to inquire about them, so everyone became relieved from their initial concerns about Ji Qingzhi.
Seeing her coming, Aunt Wu was delighted: "Qingzhi, come this way."
Recently, because Ji's restaurant and Ji Qingzhi became popular, many people wanted to check in with the same celebrity style, and made reservations for Wu's homestay online in advance. So when Aunt Wu saw Ji Qingzhi, it was like seeing the God of Wealth.
"Aunt Wu, is Uncle Wu at home?" Ji Qingzhi knew that the flowers and plants in the Wu family's backyard were Uncle Wu's treasures.
"He's taking care of his flowers in there. I'll call him out right away." Aunt Wu said as she was about to call someone.
"No, Aunt Wu, I came to see Uncle Wu about the flowers, so should I go directly to the backyard?" Ji Qingzhi asked Aunt Zhao Wu.
"Child, why do you become more polite as you grow older?" Aunt Wu glared at her. Ji Qingzhi suddenly remembered that before Qin Xiaoxiao left, she was considered a female bandit on Boulevard Street. There was no backyard that she had not sneaked into or even made trouble for.
That period of time was indeed the happiest time for Ji Qingzhi. She suddenly remembered the saying that a happy childhood can heal a lifetime, but an unhappy childhood requires a lifetime to heal. So every time she saw or thought of this sentence, she couldn't help but wonder, when Qin Xiaoxiao chose to leave when she was ten years old, had she also considered it for her?
During those years, she watched these self-deceiving speculations and went through all the difficulties in the circle. Thinking about it now, she was really naive at that time. Qin Xiaoxiao might love herself, but she knew that in addition to her identity as a mother, she was also herself, so she had to pursue her own dream.
She never thought that there was anything wrong with Qin Xiaoxiao's choice. It was a very brave thing to give up everything familiar to pursue dreams. For this, she actually admired Qin Xiaoxiao very much. She never resented her leaving. All she wanted was for her to come and see her, but this wish became a luxury.
The layout of Uncle Wu's backyard didn't seem to have changed much from when he was a child. At this moment, he was pruning branches. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and saw Ji Qingzhi. Surprise flashed in his eyes: "Qingzhi girl is here?"
"This girl said she came to see you." Aunt Wu said.
"Looking for me?" Uncle Wu was a little surprised, as if he didn't understand why she needed to find him.
"Yes, Uncle Wu, I would like to ask you for a few rose branches to take back for planting." Ji Qingzhi explained the purpose of his visit.
"Where are you going to plant it?" Uncle Wu takes good care of his flowers and plants, even those branches that originally needed pruning.
"Don't I have a fish pond in my backyard? The fish pond is not far from the back wall. I want to plant them against the back wall and let them grow into a flower wall." Ji Qingzhi's tone was full of longing.
"Can you grow flowers?" Uncle Wu's tone was full of doubt.
"I planted it before when I lived alone, and it turned out OK. Now I switch to growing it in the ground, and I think the effect should be even better." Ji Qingzhi almost admired herself after she finished speaking. She could now brag without batting an eyelid.
"Okay, as long as you love flowers, which variety do you want?" Uncle Wu has several kinds of roses.
Ji Qingzhi wanted to make a flower wall, and Uncle Wu suggested that she choose climbing roses. There are many different types of climbing roses, and Ji Qingzhi chose the best three colors: pink, orange, and light pink. The names are also very beautiful, but she was so busy nodding to Uncle Wu that she didn't even listen to the specific names.
"Take these back and cut them into branches first. We can talk about the rest after they take root." Uncle Wu felt that growing flowers also required talent, and he didn't know whether Ji Qingzhi could successfully grow a flower wall.
"Thank you, Uncle Wu." Ji Qingzhi looked very satisfied when she left. She took the rose branches and went straight back to the backyard. She had just marked the branches. She planted them according to the depth of the flower's color and then watered them with well water. All she had to wait for was for them to take root and grow vines.
After the branches drank the well water, the leaves that had wilted suddenly stretched out. Ji Qingzhi opened her mobile phone and looked at the flower stand she bought. It would arrive the day after tomorrow, so she still had enough time.
After doing all this, Ji Qingzhi belatedly felt tired. She looked at the rose leaves stretching out towards her, and suddenly an idea came to her mind: would taking a bath in well water also help relieve her fatigue? She has always been a person of action. With such a guess, she went straight to get the water pipe from the well and pulled it all the way to their own kitchen in the backyard.
If she wanted to take a bath with well water, she had to boil the water herself. If it could relieve her fatigue, she would have the water pipes in the bathroom reconfigured.
Ji Qingzhi had actually only recently experienced boiling water for a bath. Last time, Yan Si took part in that variety show for her. The variety show was specially chosen to be set in a rural area with poor conditions. During those days of recording, she boiled water for a bath in this way.
However, there is a bathtub at home, so she can take a bath in it later. It is also when she is taking a bath that she will have time to open the website that Jiang Lianmeng sent her before. The website has photos provided by all the contestants.
Her photo was ranked first, and the comments below were full of praise. Ji Qingzhi thought that no one would dislike being praised. It was not until the water in the bathtub slowly cooled down that she realized that she had been reading the comments for almost an hour. She couldn't help but hold her forehead with her hand.
What Ji Qingzhi didn't know was that Xu Yu'an's roommates had posted the news of the photo winning the award on the campus forum first. The popularity of Ji Qingzhi and Ji's Restaurant during this period was also known to the students of Yun University, so someone quickly moved the matter to the social platform.
Originally everyone was discussing the photo itself, but as more and more photography enthusiasts joined the discussion, the matter quickly became a hot topic again.
Seeing this, the Gardenias were afraid that Yan Si and the others would cause trouble, so they quickly controlled the comments. One netizen suddenly commented: Ji Qingzhi has been an unknown person for so many years, but once her contract was terminated, she became a hot topic at any time. So is there a possibility that she is not popular because her previous team was not good enough?
This comment was quickly voted as the top comment. She had already smashed two cups next to Yan Si. Song Panyan's hypocrisy had been giving her a headache recently, and Ji Qingzhi's comments were frequently on the hot searches. It was impossible for her to say that she did not regret it.
At this moment, she regretted very much that she did not make good use of the opportunity that Yun Xiangrong introduced to Ji Qingzhi. To be honest, it was also Ji Qingzhi's fault for not following her arrangements. If she had followed her arrangements, she would have become famous long ago. So her lack of fame was her own fault.
"Sister Yan, Pan Yan went to Director Liu for an audition without permission." The assistant lowered her head silently after saying this. Without thinking, she knew that Yan Si would be furious.
"She is getting bolder and bolder now. Since she wants to go, let her go," Yan Si sneered. If Song Panyan dared to go to the audition without her knowledge, she should be prepared to pay the penalty for breach of contract. Does she really think this is just a game?
"Sister Yan, do you mean that we should ignore it?" the assistant asked carefully.
"Well, don't pay attention to it. What about the thing I asked you to keep an eye on before?" Yan Si stared at the photo of Ji Qingzhi who won the Women's Power Award on the screen and frowned.
"At present, Ji Qingzhi has rejected all recruitments from companies, and she doesn't seem to have any plans to re-enter the circle." After the assistant said this, he quickly glanced at Yan Si.
"She has learned to be smart." Yan Si sneered. She didn't believe that Ji Qingzhi would give up. And the award-winning photos, where did so many coincidences come from? Did she really think that life was the same as filming a movie?
I have to say that the theme of this photography exhibition competition is very well chosen, "The Power of Women". With this name alone, the website quickly attracted attention, and this photo, which won the first prize, attracted the attention of many people.
The time when the trending search appeared was the prime time. The crew of Yun Xiangrong was having a snack at night, and the snack was the braised food in the package. The first person to see the trending search was Huo Yubai, who exclaimed, "Damn it."
"What are you doing? You're scaring me to death." Yun Xiangrong glared at him with some dissatisfaction.
"Sister Ji is on the trending search again." Huo Yubai said as he handed the phone to Yun Xiangrong.
"Damn, could it be that her former agent bought it again? I heard that Song Panyan has some dirty secrets to expose." Yun Xiangrong thought that Yan Si was going to use Ji Qingzhi as a scapegoat again.
"No, it's a good thing. Her photo won the first prize in a photography competition." Huo Yubai explained.
"So amazing?" Yun Xiangrong raised an eyebrow, then looked at the person on the screen and nodded: "This picture is indeed very impressive. Wait, why do you have a signal?"
Huo Yubai took back his phone and smiled provocatively: "I don't know either, it's probably just luck."
Yun Xiangrong glanced at him and wanted to say something, then looked down at her phone. After confirming that there was no signal, she couldn't help but sigh. This broken signal was really annoying.
Upon hearing this, Director Jiang reached out to Huo Yubai and said, "What photos? Let me see them."
"Here, this is it." Huo Yubai said as he handed it over.
Director Jiang stared at Ji Qingzhi in the photo and suddenly thought of her father. He looked at Yun Xiangrong and Huo Yubai and asked, "Would it be a bit abrupt if I suggested going to visit her father now?"
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