dkrc Chapter 25 A Long-Awaited Small Gathering at Home
Chapter 25 A Long-Awaited Small Gathering at Home
Zhao Mingzhe pulled out his bulging wallet from his pocket and handed it to Ye Fan without hesitation. Ye Fan took the money and then took out what he had earned on his side as well.
I counted the total income, which was 2065. After deducting the amount drunk by several people and the amount given to Lao Zhang, I sold the remaining amount for the total price.
"After deducting costs, it's 1800 yuan! Damn! This money is too easy to earn. The profit in less than half an hour is equivalent to many people's monthly salary. Lao Ye, you are simply a business genius!" Zhao Mingzhe excitedly put his arm around Ye Fan's shoulder.
Ye Fan was shaken so badly that he stumbled. He swayed and flung Zhao Mingzhe's hand away, saying, "This is nothing. Follow your dad, and I guarantee you'll become the pig riding the wave of opportunity."
"Damn it, a DJ."
"You're the pig!"
Zhao Mingzhe didn't understand Ye Fan's meaning; instead, he felt as if Ye Fan was scolding him.
Tang Yanning and Pei Yi'an exchanged bewildered glances, speechless at the sheer number. Tang Yanning muttered to himself, counting on his little finger, "1800 yuan... that's enough to buy so much food."
She looked up at Ye Fan with eyes full of admiration.
And so, the beverage-selling business continued until the last weekend before the college entrance examination.
From Monday to Friday, they still attend classes and review their lessons diligently, only setting up stalls on the weekends.
All told, I can only set up my stall four more times before the college entrance exam.
After closing up shop for the last time, Ye Fan checked the accounts for this period and found that he had made a total of more than 10,000 yuan.
Ye Fan took more than 10,000 yuan in profit, while Zhao Mingzhe only took a few hundred yuan, but they were still happy and didn't have the slightest thought that they had taken too little.
Although the two would bicker with each other, he would still happily help Ye Fan even if Ye Fan didn't give him a single penny.
However, Ye Fan was not saying he was stingy; it was just that now was not the right time.
Of course, that's a story for another time...
Then.
After packing up all their equipment, the group rode their bikes to Ye Fan's house.
Ye Fan continued to drive the tricycle.
Zhao Mingzhe was with the two women, each riding a bicycle.
The group parked their bicycles in the yard.
There's no need to unload the items from the tricycle; just park it in the yard. You can just drive it out next time you set up your stall, saving you the trouble of moving things back and forth.
Ye Fan invited Pei Yi'an and Tang Yanning to go into the living room to rest for a while, while he went to the kitchen to get busy.
The clattering of pots and pans soon came from inside, mixed with his humming little tune.
Zhao Mingzhe expertly opened the drawer under the coffee table, took out Tieguanyin tea, and brewed tea for the two women: "Try it, this is Uncle Ye's favorite."
As he spoke, he handed teacups to Pei Yi'an and Tang Yanning, and steam rose gently between the three of them.
the other side.
In the kitchen.
Ye Fan poured the rinsed rice into a basin to soak, and the clear water gradually covered the glistening white rice grains.
He turned and picked up the cleaver, skillfully peeling the white radish. The snow-white radish twirled in his hand, the peel falling off with a soft rustling sound. The spare ribs had already been washed and were draining to the side, gleaming with a faint pinkish sheen.
Radish and pork rib soup should ideally be simmered over low heat to allow the flavors to gradually infuse into the broth. It requires a relatively long simmering time, but there's clearly no time for that now, so I'll have to use a pressure cooker.
He had just poured the ribs into the pressure cooker when he heard rustling footsteps coming from the living room—two women were peeking in to help.
"No, no, no, the kitchen is too small, I can't turn around!"
"Today is a big meal, we can't afford to panic."
Zhao Mingzhe's voice drifted from the living room, accompanied by the crisp sound of a teacup lightly tapping on the table.
Ye Fan smiled and shook his head, then threw a few slices of ginger into the pot. The pressure cooker lid clicked shut, the steam hissing like a protesting whimper.
After seeing Ye Fan start simmering the soup, Zhao Mingzhe told the two women that they could refill their teacups when they were finished. Then he went to the large stove in the courtyard to start a fire to help Ye Fan.
He was very familiar with this process—as soon as Ye Fan's pressure cooker started releasing steam, the main stove on his side had to be prepared to be lit.
His tacit understanding with Ye Fan has always been like this; he can tell what the other is going to say just by looking at him. Not to mention, he knows the steps involved in making a big pot of rice like the back of his hand, having eaten it since he was a child.
In the courtyard, the sturdy stove made of blue bricks sat firmly in the corner, and the iron pot was polished to a bright shine.
Almost every household in southern Fujian has a large stove for burning firewood, whether you live in a three-story house, a villa with a garden, or a self-built house in the countryside.
This large cauldron is always used during festivals and holidays because many Minnan delicacies require it to be cooked, including radish cakes... Without this pot, the taste is always a little off.
Therefore, the current layout is that there is a normal kitchen in the house for everyday cooking, and another kitchen with a large stove in the yard, which is basically used for holidays.
Zhao Mingzhe squatted down and deftly stuffed several handfuls of dry pine needles into the stove.
The flames in the stove were happily licking the bottom of the pot (just like some old sycophants in front of the screen, of course! You guys can't be sycophants in this life), Ye Fan came over carrying a basin of soaking rice and a small basin of pork belly: "Old Zhao, go to the kitchen and bring over the Luxi pickled vegetables and other side dishes."
Zhao Mingzhe squatted down and added a piece of firewood to the stove, making an "OK" gesture: "So you're going to stir-fry the pork belly first, right?"
"Wow! Old Zhao, you're something else! Our young master Zhao has even learned to cook big pot rice!"
Ye Fan deliberately made a teasing remark.
"Damn it"
"I've watched Aunt Gu grow up since I was a kid, I'm not blind."
After saying that, she went to the kitchen, not forgetting to turn back and add, "You cut the pork belly like little mahjong tiles, it's so damn ugly."
Ye Fan chuckled and cursed as he poured a spoonful of oil into the pot. The sizzling oil released a few swear words in Hokkien, which mingled with the crackling of firewood in the stove, creating a vivid scene.
The cooking process of Luxi's "Big Ding Rice" is also quite elaborate, with all the details hidden in each step of the process.
Ye Fan picked up the spatula, and the hot oil sizzled as it hit the pork belly, causing the fatty parts to bubble.
Once the pork belly had browned to a golden brown, he flicked his wrist, and the pickled vegetables from Luxi that Zhao Mingzhe had brought over were sizzled into the pot and stir-fried together. The aged pickled vegetables, mixed with the aroma of pork fat, instantly released a cloud of sour white smoke.
Of course, if you are making other flavors of rice in a large pot, you can stir-fry other side dishes, such as taro, green beans, etc.
Then add the soaked rice, and as the spatula flips it around, each grain of rice is coated with the glistening pickled vegetable juice. Stir-fry it with the pork belly and main side dishes, add all the necessary seasonings, and finally, the amount of water poured in is the most important. It should just cover the rice grains by one finger joint; too much and it will be mushy, too little and it will be undercooked.
Of course, different approaches to each step will result in different final flavors. This is why, even with the same steps, some people can make something so delicious, while others can make something so bad that even a dog would shake its head in disbelief.
The control of the heat is also crucial. The most perfect Da Ding rice is one where the rice grains are soft but not mushy and flavorful. The crust at the bottom of the pot should be as thin as a cicada's wing, golden and crispy, and make a "crack" sound when poked with chopsticks. It cannot be too thick or turn black, not even a little bit.
Otherwise, it cannot be considered a perfect Luxi Big Cauldron Rice.
Of course, Ye Fan couldn't do something like that.