For dinner, I stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar, stir-fried eggs with chives, braised eggplant with pork belly slices, and also made a tomato and scallion egg soup. I also made candied loquats that I made at noon.
A sumptuous dinner was laid out on the square table, and the family sat around it to eat.
The four children love pork belly the most, but when they tasted the candied loquat, they were immediately captivated by its flavor.
Its sweet taste is mixed with a hint of sourness, unlike the one I had at noon which was hard to swallow, making it a sweet fruit that people love.
"Is this the snack that San Gui was talking about? Let me try it and see how delicious it is!"
He picked up a piece of fruit and put it in his mouth. It was sweet and refreshing, unlike the sour and astringent taste he had had at noon.
"Yes, it tastes much better than at noon, and even the wine tastes sweeter."
Seeing that even Tian Laosi praised it so highly, Zhang also picked up a piece and tasted it.
"Yes, it's so sweet! So this is how you eat it."
She learned something new; she thought all fruits were meant to be eaten directly, but this was the first time she'd seen fruit that needed sugar added before eating.
"Loquats aren't always eaten this way. Some are sweet and can be eaten directly after washing, while others are sour and can be pickled in sugar. In any case, eating some loquats is good for your health."
Tian Sangui picked up a piece to taste it; it was sweet but not cloying, unlike the overly sweet kind.
"I heard that loquats can be used to make wine. I'll see if that old lady comes again tomorrow. If she does, I'll buy some more and make loquat wine so Dad will have an endless supply of wine!"
Upon hearing that there would be an endless supply of wine, Tian Laosi was the first to wholeheartedly agree.
Zhang glanced at him sideways, and Tian Laosi immediately put down his hands, picked up his chopsticks, and started eating heartily.
Then Zhang asked curiously, "Can loquats be used to make wine?"
Tian Sangui chuckled: "Of course, it belongs to the fruit wine category, and men, women, young and old can all drink it!"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Si and Xiao Wu hurriedly tugged at Tian Sangui's sleeves.
"Third sister, can we drink too?"
Tian Sangui pinched their little cheeks with both hands and said, "Of course you can!"
The little ones danced and gesticulated with joy.
Zhang felt a little hopeful after hearing this.
Just hearing Tian Sangui talk about loquat wine made her think it would taste delicious.
Homemade wine is definitely more reassuring than wine bought from outside.
Tian Sangui thought that he should make it first and let his family try it. If it didn't taste good, he could try to improve it. At least there would be no loss and it wouldn't affect the restaurant's business.
Tomorrow I'll ask Fei Wangwang for a recipe for loquat wine, and then I can start preparing it.
After dinner, Tian Sangui helped Zhang Shi clear the dishes.
It was still early, and it wasn't completely dark yet.
The family sat on stools in the yard chatting.
Tian Er accompanied Xiao Si and Xiao Wu to the mud plate.
Seeing that the courtyard was empty, Tian Sangui had the idea of raising chickens and ducks.
She dragged the stool to Tian Laosi's side.
"Dad, shall we build a chicken coop in the yard?"
"Our yard is spacious, and we can raise some chickens and ducks to lay eggs, so we won't have to worry about chicken for the New Year!"
As soon as Zhang came out, she heard Tian Sangui's suggestion, and she thought it was indeed a good one.
“Dad, I agree with what San Gui said. Tomorrow, you should collect some clay and build a chicken coop in the corner of the backyard wall. We can also catch a few chicks to raise.”
It's embarrassing for a country person to be buying eggs in town every day!
"Okay, I'll build the chicken coop tomorrow!"
"Then, I'll talk to Sister Wang tomorrow and ask her to save a few chicks for us. In a few months, we'll be able to have eggs to eat!"
That's great, now that's what a rural home should be like.
"Mom, are there many families in our village that raise chickens?"
The plan is to open a restaurant in May, so it's time to start making arrangements for the spring chicken.
This will be the first signature dish in her restaurant, so she can't be careless.
Zhang thought for a moment and said, "Almost every household in the village raises chickens, so why are you asking this?"
"It's nothing, I was just asking."
There's still no clue about the restaurant situation, so it's not the right time to tell anyone yet.
Zhang thought it was just a casual question from Tian Sangui and didn't pay any more attention to it afterward. She went to the main room to do something, but no one knows what.
Tian Sangui pondered Zhang's words in his heart.
Every household raises chickens, so if she buys a small hill to raise chickens, she can find workers directly in the village, and she doesn't have to worry about them dying because they lack experience.
Okay, let's find a place on the mountain and buy it this month.
The weather is gradually warming up, which is perfect for raising chicks.
After the family finished washing up, it got dark.
They all went back to their rooms and drifted off to sleep.
...
The rooster crows loudly at the same time and place as always, its cries echoing throughout every corner of the village.
Tian Sangui got up, dressed neatly, and went to town with his brothers.
Today, she will teach Tian Da all the menu items so that she can go out and look for a restaurant seat with peace of mind.
Especially the step of cleaning the pig intestines.
Make sure to wash it thoroughly; there's no room for carelessness.
Next, stir-fry in a pan, first sautéing the chili, minced garlic, and minced ginger until fragrant.
Then add the chopped large intestine and stir-fry quickly until evenly mixed.
Sprinkle with a suitable amount of vinegar, salt, and roasted Sichuan peppercorn powder, then stir-fry again until evenly mixed.
Finally, drizzle with soy sauce, stir-fry to coat, and it's ready to serve.
A delicious dish of spicy and sour sausage cubes is now ready.
When the customers came in to buy breakfast, she first demonstrated.
Take a steamed bun, cut it in half with a knife, then use chopsticks to pick up the diced sausage from the bowl and place it on the bun. Wrap it in parchment paper and hand it to the guest.
Next, Tian Da was shown the process, and she watched from the side.
As the number of customers increased, Tian Da's culinary skills became more and more proficient.
I started to handle things with ease.
When it came to preparing the ingredients for lunch, she explained one by one which meats should be cooked in the broth.
Which meats need to be seasoned in advance, just in case?
Which ones need to be deep-fried, and which ones need to be marinated in advance?
Then we move on to the cooking process.
She instructed Tian Da to add the ingredients to the pot and stir-fry them step by step, following her instructions.
"Brother, don't worry. No matter how many customers are outside, it doesn't matter to you. Just focus on cooking."
Listening to Tian Sangui's words, Tian Da gradually stopped paying attention to Cui's shouts outside.
He focused his energy on learning and understanding the techniques and mastering the timing.
After a busy lunch break, Tian Da could finally relax.
"Third sister, I finally understand how hard it is for you. Cooking is really hard work."
He hadn't originally associated cooking with physical labor.
He always thought that his third sister, a little girl of only a few years old, always seemed to do things very easily.
He's a grown man, what can't he do, like cooking a dish?
Only after meeting him today did he realize how foolish his ideas had been.
"It was indeed tough, but it was mainly because my brother wasn't used to it."
"Do it for a couple more days, and you'll gradually get used to it; it will naturally become easier."
Having spent most of his life as a cook, Tian Sangui's cooking style had become a habit, giving people a sense of ease and skill when he stir-fries dishes.
In reality, she was exhausted, just like an old dog, but she didn't say it out loud.
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