Chapter 52 Dried Mustard Greens and Sausage Fried Rice
In the afternoon, they continued selling braised pork with preserved mustard greens, which everyone loved. They always wanted to come back for more. Mr. Yu's braised pork with preserved mustard greens was so delicious that they never got tired of it.
Some people even said they would be willing to live their whole lives with braised pork belly and preserved mustard greens!
Aunt Zheng also loves this braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens. It's fatty but not greasy, with both the fat and lean meat being tender and delicious. The top layer of pork skin is crispy and fragrant, while the bottom layer of sauce is mixed with the juices from the pork belly, making it especially delicious when mixed with rice.
Zhou Ningxiang and Xu Yuejia returned to the affiliated high school together, and their results came out today. Her English score was okay, but compared to her previous grades, the decline was quite obvious.
Xu Yuejia knew the reason, and the others were also shocked when they saw the results. They exclaimed, "How could Zhou, the academic genius, suffer such a crushing defeat?" After their initial shock, the group tearfully remarked that even though Zhou had suffered a major setback, his score still far surpassed theirs.
The English teacher also spoke with Zhou Ningxiang, but instead of criticizing her, she praised her. She praised her for doing very well on the objective questions, and although she made a small mistake on the continuation question, she said that her basic knowledge was still there, and it was just a mistake.
Perhaps teachers have a natural affinity for good students, because she gently patted Zhou Ningxiang on the shoulder and said, "You've worked hard studying. Don't take this monthly exam to heart. I know you definitely got a higher score."
“Okay, thank you, teacher,” Zhou Ningxiang said.
Xu Yuejia returned from the convenience store and handed the snacks to Zhou Ningxiang. Zhou Ningxiang then handed Xu Yuejia the cookies that her English teacher had given her, saying, "Let's each have one."
"Okay." She ate at small restaurants for lunch and afternoon. With good food, even failing the exam didn't affect her.
“I also bought a few tea eggs, and we ate them together,” Xu Yuejia said.
"Okay." Xu Yuejia carried the potato chips back. The second-year classes were on the first and second floors, while the third-year classes were on the third, fourth, and fifth floors. Xu Yuejia didn't know the school's purpose in arranging the classes this way; perhaps it was for good luck, hoping for each day to reach a higher level.
As they went up to the second floor, the two suddenly heard a low sob, which was not very noticeable.
The two paused, not intending to eavesdrop, but the girl's voice wasn't quiet. "I've already said it, I've tried my best. Why do you always think I'm just playing around at school? You get up at six and go to bed at one o'clock, is that playing around?"
The high school uniforms had changed once; the senior students wore blue stripes, while the junior students wore red stripes. The two recognized her; she was a senior.
They knew the pressure of being in their final year of high school was immense, and they deeply empathized with her words. Especially Zhou Ningxiang; they seemed to face the same pressure, but Zhou Ningxiang had never uttered such a rebuttal.
The phone call stopped. The corridor in the second-year high school area was always unusually noisy, and no one noticed that she was secretly crying.
Xu Yuejia glanced at Zhou Ningxiang, and the two of them seemed to have made up their minds. They ran up to the girl and said quickly, "Senior, this is for you. I hope you're happy every day!"
After saying that, the two men stuffed the things into her hands and then ran away.
The girl stood there blankly, clutching what she was holding, not yet realizing what had happened, when the two girls ran off.
She said thank you to the air. Of course, she was very touched that someone had suddenly given her so much delicious food.
Because she was in a bad mood after the results came out, she didn't eat much. She looked through the snacks the two of them had given her and suddenly smelled a very fragrant aroma coming from them.
Her sadness lessened considerably. She turned over to the tea egg lying inside, quickly peeled it, and popped it into her mouth.
Perhaps it was because she hadn't eaten in a long time, but the subtle aroma of tea and savory broth from the tea eggs whetted her appetite. Even though they were cold, they still tasted delicious. The egg whites were flavorful and firm, and the yolks were neither dry nor fishy.
Some people have said that tea eggs are the most perfect food, perfectly solving the problems of blandness and fishy yolks in boiled eggs. The girl thought that this tea egg not only inherited the advantages of tea eggs, but also made those advantages exceptionally outstanding, making it the pinnacle of tea egg cuisine.
After eating the tea egg, her sadness lessened considerably. She didn't know if it was because the two younger female students had given her the snacks or because the tea egg was particularly delicious.
Or perhaps, both.
—
I was busy a bit late today. When I pulled down the shutter, the sky had turned completely dark. The bell for Yuncheng No. 1 Middle School rang, but I couldn't tell if it was the end of get out of class or the start of class. "Sister, don't you feel a little cold?"
Xiao Tangbao asked her.
It would have been better if she hadn't asked. But when she did, Yu Miaoyin did indeed feel a chill. "It is a bit cold."
The sky was high and clear this time of year, and Yu Miaoyin felt the coolness in the air. "I have a feeling it's going to rain tomorrow."
"When we get home, I'll take out your long-sleeved shirt and light jacket, and put them away when you get warm," Yu Miaoyin said. She knew Yuncheng's weather quite well and knew that this was just one of many changes in Yuncheng's ever-changing weather.
The weather in Yuncheng is rather unpredictable, fluctuating between cold and hot. Sometimes you can still wear short sleeves in December, and the temperature difference between morning and noon means you have to wear different clothes. In short, this kind of weather is very annoying. Yu Miaoyin checked the weather forecast, which said there was a high probability of rain tomorrow.
She wrote it down in her memo to remind herself and Xiaotangbao to bring an umbrella.
“Okay.” Yu Miaoyin took Xiaotangbao to the market again. The weather was perfect for a walk, and the sky was beautiful. The two chatted as they walked. Xiaotangbao always had a lot to say, and Yu Miaoyin enjoyed listening to her.
Because when she spoke, it sounded like she was telling a story.
The two of them didn't have to do much for dinner, because the restaurant cooked a lot of rice, so there was enough leftover rice for the two of them.
The two went to a dried goods store and bought some sausages. These sausages were very oily and had a faint salty aroma, which was particularly appealing.
After returning home, Yu Miaoyin first fried some eggs and set them aside. Then she cut the sausage into small pieces, which made the sausage aroma even stronger. After cutting the sausage, she put it into the oil. The aroma of Cantonese sausage is very unique, combining the fat and lean meat flavors. Yu Miaoyin really liked this aroma.
While stir-frying, the fatty meat slowly releases its aroma. After stir-frying, add the dried preserved mustard greens and stir-fry together. When the aroma of the preserved mustard greens and sausage blends together, add the rice and eggs and stir-fry evenly.
Even when the rice has cooled down, it remains plump and fluffy. Although it appears to be sticky together, each grain is distinct and has a warm, moist color.
"Little Tangbao, come and eat." Yu Miaoyin took out two large bowls and served her rice.
"Okay, I'm here! This food smells so good!" Xiao Tangbao said. After saying that, she looked down at her stomach and wondered why she felt like she had gained a little weight.
Xiao Tangbao brought over a big spoon. Her eyes lit up as she looked at the fried rice with preserved mustard greens and sausage. She pointed and said, "There are so many vegetables in here!"
The aroma is even more enticing when you get closer. The rising steam carries the fragrance first, the rich, fatty aroma of the sausage mingling with the salty and savory scent of the preserved mustard greens, all mingling with the aroma of the rice, instantly whetting your appetite. Each grain of rice is distinct, glistening with the oil from the sausage. The sausage is finely diced, its marbled fat and lean meat releasing their oily fragrance as it's stir-fried, topped with preserved mustard greens.
Little Tangbao was especially happy while eating, saying, "This sausage is delicious! I also really like this dish."
“This is dried preserved mustard greens,” Yu Miaoyin told her.
Little Tangbao nodded, "I know, Grandma is making dried preserved mustard greens."
She thought of the dried preserved vegetables her grandma used to make, which weren't like this, but after a few days, they turned out like this. It was amazing!
Does Grandma have magic too? Little Tangbao thought about it carefully and found it very amazing. "But she wasn't like this before. The one Grandma made looks completely different from this one."
Yu Miaoyin explained to her the process of turning preserved mustard greens into dried preserved mustard greens and some of the more technical principles involved, leaving Xiao Tangbao completely bewildered. Sometimes Yu Miaoyin was also amazed, marveling at the boundless wisdom of the working people.
Yu Miaoyin also thought the preserved mustard greens and sausage fried rice was very fragrant. Some of the rice had a slightly charred aroma, and the sausage oil had been rendered out. So the preserved mustard greens absorbed both the oily aroma of the sausage and a bit of the rice's fragrance, making them soft and delicious. The rice had the texture of all three ingredients together, and when mixed together, each bite offered a unique flavor—it was very tasty.
After the two of them had finished eating, Yu Miaoyin washed the dishes and chopsticks. Looking at the bag of dried preserved vegetables, she thought they tasted very good, and there was still quite a bit left. Yu Miaoyin thought for a moment and decided to make some dried preserved vegetable buns, and even more so, the bottom of the buns would ooze oil. Just thinking about it made her mouth water...
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