Chapter 236 Braised Pork
An Lan smiled helplessly, but her eyes were full of undisguised joy as she raised her hand and gently took the reins.
She pretended to be angry, her brows furrowed slightly, and she warned Lu Fan with a stern face: "You better behave yourself and don't you dare lay a hand on me."
Lu Fan didn't back down at all; instead, he acted like a smug little fox, tightening his arms around An Lan's waist even more.
His mouth stretched from ear to ear, and he said with a grin, "Don't worry, Teacher An, I'm the most honest person."
An Lan moved her waist, which was tickled by Lu Fan, and gently tugged the reins. "Lightning" seemed to understand the command and steadily started moving forward.
Along the way, a gentle breeze blew by, carrying the unique fresh scent of the forest, mixed with the faint fragrance of wildflowers.
An Lan's hair danced wildly in the wind, occasionally brushing playfully against Lu Fan's cheek.
It was itchy, making Lu Fan feel like a kitten was scratching at his heart.
Along the way, Lu Fan held An Lan tightly, his heartbeat mingling with the sound of the horse's hooves, feeling as if he had embraced the whole world.
At this moment, time itself slows down and becomes gentle.
An Lan controlled the direction of the "lightning," but her thoughts drifted away involuntarily.
She keenly sensed a subtle yet obvious change in their relationship.
They both understood each other implicitly, and this tacit understanding quietly took root and sprouted in their hearts.
"Lu Fan, who am I in your eyes?"
Feeling the warmth and reassurance coming from behind, An Lan felt an indescribable emotion welling up in her heart and couldn't help but ask softly.
Lu Fan behind her didn't answer immediately, and An Lan's heart suddenly raced. She felt inexplicably nervous, and her hands unconsciously tightened around the reins until her knuckles turned slightly white.
After a while, Lu Fan's voice, like a spring breeze, gently brushed past An Lan's ear: "You are... my wings... the reason I'm still here..."
The voice was firm yet gentle, full of deep affection, as if it wanted to pour all the love in the world into those few words.
An Lan couldn't help but smile, feeling exceptionally happy, and gently squeezed the horse's belly.
"Lightning" seemed to sense its owner's joy and quickened its pace to get home.
...
Back at the shelter, Lu Fan was the first to leap off the horse like a nimble monkey.
He turned around, opened his arms, and helped An Lan down, saying, "Teacher An, watch your step."
Looking at Lu Fan's smug, half-smiling expression, An Lan felt an urge to punch him.
She raised her fist and said fiercely, "Don't try to act innocent after getting the benefit. I'll beat you to death."
Lu Fan quickly put on a fawning smile, clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect, and said, "No, no, don't worry, I'll help you back to rest first."
As he spoke, he carefully helped An Lan back to her room.
An Lan also forced herself to remain calm and lay down on the bed.
Although she had recovered a lot since morning, she still wanted to escape for a while, and her slightly flushed cheeks betrayed her inner panic.
Lu Fan thoughtfully covered An Lan with the bearskin, then squatted down by the bedside, quietly watching An Lan with eyes full of doting affection.
An Lan met his gaze, immediately turning her head away shyly, her face slightly flushed, and muttered softly, "What's so interesting about it..."
Looking at An Lan's appearance, Lu Fan suddenly found it somewhat amusing. He could tell that she was putting on a brave face, like a frightened fawn.
So he decided to give her some space to calm down, and said softly, "You rest first, I'll go cook. Call me if you need anything."
After saying that, he walked briskly towards the bamboo house.
Watching Lu Fan leave the room, An Lan couldn't help but pull the blanket over her head.
"Ahhh o(≧口≦)o!"
She felt utterly humiliated in front of Lu Fan, even though he was younger than her, he always managed to distract her.
Then, as if she had just remembered something, she licked her lips and began to savor... oops, to recall the scene from before.
Lu Fan went straight to the bamboo house. He couldn't wait to activate the card, and in the blink of an eye, a dazzling array of condiments were laid out on the ground.
He couldn't help but marvel at how creative Chinese people are when it comes to food; there were many seasonings that Lu Fan had never even seen before.
Lu Fan couldn't help but lower his head and ponder, "With so many seasonings, what should I make with them..."
Suddenly he noticed the sugar and cooking wine in the seasonings, and the image of the pork belly in the storage room instantly flashed into his mind, his eyes lighting up.
"Hey, I've got an idea."
Lu Fan immediately decided to make braised pork.
Without hesitation, he immediately took out a piece of top-quality pork belly from the storage room.
The meat has clear marbling and beautiful patterns, making it look like top-quality ingredient.
Then he skillfully picked up the dagger and sharpened it a few times on the whetstone. The blade flashed with a cold light and was extremely sharp.
He placed the pork belly steadily on the cutting board, and with a swift stroke of his knife, cut the meat into evenly sized cubes.
Each piece looks as if it has been meticulously measured, with a size error of no more than a fraction of a millimeter.
Next, he put the chopped meat into the pot and added an appropriate amount of water.
The yellow flames quickly licked the bottom of the pot, and soon the water began to bubble and gurgle, like a group of cheerful little elves dancing.
He picked up a spoon and skillfully skimmed off the foam, his movements clean and efficient.
Once the meat turned white, he took it out and placed it on a plate to cool.
Next comes the crucial step of caramelizing the sugar.
Lu Fan added a little lard to the hot pan. As the oil temperature rose, the lard emitted a unique aroma.
Next, add white sugar and heat slowly over low heat.
His eyes were fixed on the white sugar in the pot, not daring to be distracted for the slightest.
The sugar gradually melts, turning from white granules into a pale yellow syrup, and then slowly transforming into an enticing caramel color.
Lu Fan reacted quickly, pouring the blanched meat pieces into the pot.
The meat chunks tumbled happily in the syrup, instantly being coated with a bright red glaze.
A rich aroma began to permeate the air, as if the entire bamboo house was filled with this fragrance.
He then added cooking wine to remove the fishy smell, soy sauce to enhance the color and flavor, and spices such as star anise, cinnamon, and bay leaves.
The amount of each seasoning is just right, like conducting a precise chemical experiment; too much and the flavor is too strong, too little and it's too weak.
Then, he added an appropriate amount of water, covered the pot, and simmered it over low heat.
During the stewing process, Lu Fan would occasionally open the lid to check and adjust the heat.
The broth bubbled and simmered in the pot, the aroma of the meat growing stronger, spreading with the steam to every corner of the shelter.
After a long wait, the broth thickened and became enticingly colored. Lu Fan knew that the dish was now complete.
The aroma quickly filled the shelter.
Big Black excitedly circled around the stove, occasionally making "woof woof" sounds, as if urging its owner to hurry up and start eating.
Anlan, who was lying in the room, also smelled the aroma. The rich fragrance made her salivate and her stomach started to rumble.
However, she decided to wait for Lu Fan to call her and to act more reserved.
So she turned over and lay on her side with her back to the outside, pretending to be asleep, and tried to adjust her breathing to make herself look like she was sleeping soundly.
Then she heard Lu Fan's footsteps approaching, and her heart jumped, but she pretended to be calm and didn't react.
Lu Fan gently patted An Lan's shoulder, his voice so tender it could melt your heart: "Teacher An, wake up, it's time to eat."
She called out softly twice, but An Lan did not respond.
However, Lu Fan had already discovered that she was pretending to be asleep, because her exposed hand was constantly pulling at the bear skin, as if she wanted to tear it apart.
Lu Fan laughed instantly. He gently leaned close to An Lan's ear and blew a soft breath into her ear.
He teased her on purpose, "Are you asleep? Then it's okay if I sneak a kiss, right?"
Finally, upon hearing this, An Lan couldn't help but open her eyes, push Lu Fan's head away with her hand, and muttered, "What are you doing, you little hooligan?"
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