The Game of Life-Chapter 718 - 717: Business Trip (Five) (4800+)
Chapter 718: Chapter 717: Business Trip (Five) (4800+)
Accountant Liu ultimately did not agree on the spot; he hadn’t tasted the minced pork egg drop soup and had never experienced Cao Guixiang’s culinary skills. Even though his wife and children highly recommended it, he said he would have to think about it a bit more.
The dinner was still the simple sweet potato rice and stir-fried vegetables, just without the egg drop soup. Throughout the meal, Liu Sangen watched Cao Guixiang with stars in his eyes. He shoveled the rice into his mouth, seemingly convinced that merely watching Cao Guixiang eat made the food taste better.
Accountant Liu: ?
As Cao Guixiang had expected, after dinner the squad leader came to find Zhang Chu, mentioning that some wooden furniture at home needed mending and wanted to have Zhang Chu take a look the next day. Zhang Chu readily agreed, without bringing up the subject of payment, and they set the time for the afternoon.
Early the next day, Zhang Chu got up early to check how much furniture at Accountant Liu’s home needed mending. In his view, the furniture in Accountant Liu’s house, from tables and chairs to cabinets and beds, was old and had space for repairs. Usually, in the countryside, people did not care much about this; as long as it was usable, it wouldn’t be a big deal unless it was really broken—sometimes mending took more time than making anew, and it was better to create a new one than wasting money on repairs.
Cao Guixiang, on the other hand, was ready to go to the river to wash clothes. Just as she reached the door, she was stopped by Accountant Liu’s wife, who pulled her into a corner and whispered mysteriously, “Sister Cao, I have something I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Go ahead,” Cao Guixiang nodded.
“It’s like this; isn’t it Sangen’s birthday tomorrow? The two servings of minced pork egg drop soup you made yesterday were just too delicious. I’m convinced by your cooking skills. I’d like to ask you to take charge of the kitchen tomorrow. You don’t have to cook a lot, just handle the meat dishes. Compared to you, my own cooking skills are just a waste of good pork.” After trying the minced pork egg drop soup, Accountant Liu’s wife had a clear understanding of her own culinary prowess.
Cao Guixiang had been waiting for these words: “Of course, I can.”
“Well, I’ve got to make things clear first. You’re a knowledgeable youth from Beiping and might not know the customs here. In the past few years, when we had someone help us cook, we paid money, but now that’s not allowed, so we give things instead. The leftover dishes are yours to take. You know my situation, I can’t let you take as much pork as you want. The most I can give you is two pounds. Corn and sweet potatoes, you can take more of those, and you can also have the pig’s tail,” said Accountant Liu’s wife.
Cao Guixiang didn’t expect to get much; in those days, getting a mouthful of pork was harder than reaching the heavens. Helping to cook and being able to eat in the kitchen, plus taking an extra two pounds of pork, was already a big win. If Accountant Liu’s wife hadn’t been so impressed with Cao Guixiang’s skills, she probably wouldn’t have been willing to part with the two pounds of pork.
“Miss Liu, you’re too kind; it’s no problem at all,” Cao Guixiang readily agreed. “Oh, and if there’s any meat left, could you sell me and Zhang Chu a few pounds? We’ll pay whatever price others do, whether it’s fat or lean doesn’t matter.”
After thinking it over, Accountant Liu’s wife agreed: “Okay.”
“But there’s another thing.”
Cao Guixiang: ?
“It’s about this matter Liu won’t agree to.”
Cao Guixiang: ???
Seeing Cao Guixiang’s expression, Accountant Liu’s wife quickly explained: “It’s like this, Liu didn’t get to taste the minced pork egg drop soup yesterday; with his limited perception, he can’t imagine what your cooking is like, so he stubbornly refuses to agree. That’s why I want to ask you to make it again at noon, let him taste it. Once he tries it, he’ll definitely agree.”
As she spoke, Accountant Liu’s wife couldn’t help but lick her lips, as if she were savouring yesterday’s soup.
Cao Guixiang thought for a moment: “Making the soup is no problem, but just soup might not fully convince Accountant Liu, after all, soup and dishes are different.”
“Then what should we do?” Accountant Liu’s wife was led away by Cao Guixiang’s words again.
“I remember when dividing the meat yesterday, I specifically set aside a piece of Wuhua meat with just the right amount of fat. You know what Ten Thousand Fortune Meat is? I’ll take a small piece and make a portion of it, that should do the trick,” said Cao Guixiang.
Jiang Feng was shocked.
Not only did Cao Guixiang want to make Ten Thousand Fortune Meat, but to make it under these circumstances was truly a dish befitting the imperial court.
Accountant Liu’s wife shook her head in confusion: “What is Ten Thousand Fortune Meat?”
“A kind of delicious roasted pork.”
Upon hearing this, Accountant Liu’s wife instantly understood.
“Right, do we have any yellow wine in the kitchen? I didn’t seem to see it yesterday, and for braising meat, yellow wine is best for removing the gamey taste,” Cao Guixiang asked.
“We do, we do. I specially asked someone to buy it from the town’s supply and marketing cooperative, and I also got star anise and Sichuan pepper. I heard that these make braised meat taste better, so I had someone pick up some,” Accountant Liu’s wife had prepared very thoroughly for her son’s birthday feast, except her cooking skills weren’t up to par.
“Take out all those seasonings, I’ll go wash clothes first, and when I’m done, I’ll come back and cook. This Ten Thousand Fortune Meat is a bit of a hassle and takes time, so if I don’t start preparing early, it will delay your cooking later,” Cao Guixiang said.
“No delay, no delay,” Accountant Liu’s wife insisted.
Cao Guixiang went to the riverside to wash clothes, while Zhang Chu was still checking the furniture. Liu Sangen didn’t have school today and the pig had already been slaughtered and didn’t need to have its feed grass cut, so he was quite free and just hung around Zhang Chu. With Cao Guixiang not around, Accountant Liu’s wife seemed a bit distracted, not busy with work and just wandering around the house aimlessly, occasionally glancing at Zhang Chu, and finally couldn’t help but walk over to him.
“Carpenter Zhang, I have something I want to ask you,” Accountant Liu’s wife said.
“Hmm?”
“What exactly is this Ten Thousand Fortune Meat?”
As soon as he heard Ten Thousand Fortune Meat, Zhang Chu perked up, his interest piqued, “Miss Liu, who told you about Ten Thousand Fortune Meat?”
“It was your wife, she just told me that she will make Ten Thousand Fortune Meat when she comes back. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now. I’ve never heard of this name, only of braised pork. What exactly is this Ten Thousand Fortune Meat? If it turns out badly, Liu will definitely scold me when he comes back from work,” Accountant Liu’s wife was still not reassured.
Zhang Chu smiled and said, “Don’t worry, when Guixiang was in Beiping, her cooking skills were… well, almost comparable to the more famous cooks around these ten miles and eight villages. Ten Thousand Fortune Meat is a dish from our north, you definitely haven’t heard of it down south.”
Accountant Liu’s wife was then somewhat relieved.
About half an hour later, Cao Guixiang casually returned carrying the washed clothes. After hanging the clothes to dry, she then went to the kitchen to start preparing to cook. Seeing Cao Guixiang enter the kitchen, Liu Sangen immediately left Zhang Chu behind and scampered into the kitchen, the very image of a little fan of Cao Guixiang.
Jiang Feng was not unfamiliar with Ten Thousand Fortune Meat; he had seen it before in Xia Mushi’s memories and had eaten it when he visited Yonghe House. As a palace dish, Ten Thousand Fortune Meat had to be plated very delicately, with the meat at the table resembling a blooming flower. Turning the meat into the shape of a flower demanded extremely high knifework skills, and there were only a few chefs at Yonghe House who could do justice to Ten Thousand Fortune Meat.
Jiang Feng felt that to truly live up to its palace status and the favor of the Empress Dowager, the knifework had to be at least master level. Perhaps not even an ordinary master could do it, but rather one with especially high experience.
Cao Guixiang was one of those with an especially high level of experience.
Usually, Ten Thousand Fortune Meat starts with boiling a piece of pork belly in clear water until 80% cooked, then removing it and cutting it into roughly 3-centimeter cubes. These cubes are then horizontally sliced along the edge, the slices needing to be thin and even. When reaching a corner, turn the knife and continue slicing without breaking continuity all the way until reaching the center.
The first thing Cao Guixiang did when she entered the kitchen was not to slice the meat but to find the bones that had been shaved clean the day before, wash them, cut and smash them into pieces, and start cooking them in the pot with two slices of ginger to make a broth.
Accountant Liu’s wife would feel a pang for the pork but not for the bones; if she had been the one to deal with the bones, she would definitely have used them to make broth, too, despite being a bit wasteful with firewood. Considering she was already using so much pork for her son’s birthday celebration, she wasn’t concerned about the bit of firewood and did not stop Cao Guixiang from going on with her work.
After dealing with the bones, Cao Guixiang then turned her attention to the piece of pork belly she had cut the day before. She measured with her hands on the pork belly for a while, finally cutting off a small piece. Fang felt that this small amount could probably only make two pieces of Ten Thousand Fortune Meat at most.
Once the meat was boiled, Cao Guixiang used a knife to cut it into four small cubes. If these four small cubes were to be used for Ten Thousand Fortune Meat, it would likely be a miniature version of it.
With a large kitchen knife and small pieces of meat, the smaller the meat, the more difficult it became to slice. Cao Guixiang dared not cut quickly and could only slice slowly knife by knife. The small piece of meat twisted around under her knife, eventually turning into a twisted strip of meat.
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She took almost an hour to cut the four pieces of meat.
Accountant Liu’s wife and Liu Sangen who stood watching were almost dumbfounded; they felt as if Cao Guixiang was not slicing meat but performing a juggling act.
Accountant Liu’s wife thought of the meat she had chopped the day before and bowed her head in shame, once again painfully aware of her own lack of culinary skill.
Cao Guixiang coiled the four meat strips back into their original shape, skin side down they were neatly arranged in a bowl. She poured yellow wine and soy sauce along the twisted path, sprinkled a bit of white sugar on the meat, and placed a couple of ginger slices on top and along the sides of the meat, a handful of green onion pieces, a few star anise, and seven or eight Sichuan peppercorns.
After arranging all the ingredients, Cao Guixiang lifted the lid to check on the bone broth in the pot, which had boiled on high heat for over an hour and was about ready for use. Made with only bones and no meat, besides the ginger slices, one couldn’t expect the broth to be anything special. Nonetheless, the broth simmered from bones alone still emitted an illusion of meaty aroma. Cao Guixiang scooped two ladles of broth into the bowl, covered the pot to let the bone broth continue boiling, pulled out a few sticks of wood from the stove to lessen the fire, and only then placed the bowl into another pot to steam.
“Miss Liu, right now we just need to wait for the meat to steam and soften. After that, we’ll thicken the sauce and it should be done, but it will take some time. Since you have to cook tomorrow and these pieces of meat haven’t been dealt with much, even if Liu doesn’t agree later, it’s no problem. Just tell me what meat you want to use for which dishes, and I’ll help you prep these pieces of meat first,” Cao Guixiang said.
Accountant Liu’s wife was stunned for a long time before she found it difficult to say, “Is everything not already taken care of? Do we need to deal with it again?”
The question that followed was asked very cautiously, like a poor student who could not answer the teacher’s question.
Cao Guixiang nodded.
The level she had just displayed while cutting the meat had completely won over Accountant Liu’s wife. She now felt that Cao Guixiang was the best cook in the world, and she herself had probably never truly learned to cook. The food she had made over the years was probably fake food.
“I… I don’t know, you… you decide,” Accountant Liu’s wife dared not to speak recklessly.
“Then I’ll start by processing a portion of it for you.”
Cao Guixiang began to work on the pork, cutting it into small pieces where needed, and marinating it in advance as appropriate. Accountant Liu’s wife had bought a lot of seasoning for tomorrow’s banquet, but she ended up not using a single Sichuan peppercorn herself, leaving it all for Cao Guixiang to use. However, she wished Cao Guixiang would use them all up. She realized that the same dishes, with the same ingredients, the same knives, and even the same pots, became completely different things in the hands of Cao Guixiang compared to in her own. Cao Guixiang’s knifework was cutting meat, while hers was just butchering.
As time passed, the Ten Thousand Fortune Meat in the pot gradually became tender. The aroma of the meat, supported by yellow wine, soy sauce, star anise, Sichuan peppercorns, and rib soup, began to spread from the tightly closed pot.
For Liu Sangen and Accountant Liu’s wife, who had never tasted meat dishes of this caliber, the fragrance was a baptism for their noses.
The characteristic of Ten Thousand Fortune Meat is its fragrance. Even without the high-quality broth causing some imperfection, this did not stop Liu Sangen and Accountant Liu’s wife from sniffing the air, intoxicated by the pervasive aroma of the meat.
How can meat give off such a pleasant smell!
The meat was already fragrant, but who would have thought it could be this aromatic!
Their faces might as well have had these two sentences written on them.
Jiang Feng found it strange that Zhang Chu hadn’t come over yet with the meat smelling so good, so he went out to see where he was.
Zhang Chu was fixing the corner of a table in the living room. He originally wanted to go to the kitchen to check things out, but before he could get up, he ran into Accountant Liu coming back to get his notebook. The two of them locked gazes, and the atmosphere suddenly became extremely awkward.
Accountant Liu had never smelled such fragrant meat in his life, almost believing his nose was hallucinating.
“What is this smell…” Accountant Liu asked in a daze.
“Guixiang is making Ten Thousand Fortune Meat in the kitchen; it should be ready now. Accountant Liu, would you like to come with me and see?” Zhang Chu said.
“Yes… yes…” Accountant Liu was still a bit dazed, but though his mind was sluggish, his legs were not. Before Zhang Chu could move, he had already headed to the kitchen himself.
And indeed, the Ten Thousand Fortune Meat was almost ready.
Cao Guixiang stopped what she was doing and waited by the side of the pot for the right time, not even noticing that Accountant Liu had come in.
The other two hadn’t noticed either, as everyone was intently watching the pot that had not yet been uncovered.
Cao Guixiang lifted the wooden cover.
Accountant Liu’s entire family let out an inexperienced “wow”.
Actually, the Ten Thousand Fortune Meat in the pot wasn’t particularly attractive at that point. There were no side dishes, no plating, and the sauce had not yet been thickened, but the meat had already taken the shape of a flower.
That was enough.
Cao Guixiang removed the scallions, ginger, and star anise from the top, poured the sauce back into the pot, and inverted the meat onto a plate. She added a log and some straw to the stove to quickly rev up the flames, and since Accountant Liu’s family had no starch to thicken the sauce—accurately speaking, they had no flour at all—Cao Guixiang could only try to reduce the sauce to make it thicker and chose the right moment to pour it over the meat.
The meat was done.
Four pieces of Ten Thousand Fortune Meat lay quietly on the plate.
Liu Sangen was already silently swallowing his saliva.
It was only now that Accountant Liu’s wife began to pay attention to her surroundings and noticed that Accountant Liu had returned at some point, and Zhang Chu had come in as well.
There were five people in the kitchen, but only four pieces of meat on the plate.
This posed a dilemma for Accountant Liu’s wife. Though the firewood was from her household, the meat was hers, and even the seasoning was hers, logic dictated that how it should be divided would be for her family to decide. Yet Accountant Liu’s wife was keenly aware that while these things were hers, once they were turned into Ten Thousand Fortune Meat, they somehow didn’t seem to be hers anymore.
Accountant Liu’s wife was somewhat conflicted.
As a mother and wife, she had grown accustomed to being modest at the dining table, but in this situation, she did not want to be modest anymore.
Who knew if she would ever get to eat this a second time in her lifetime.
Cao Guixiang spoke up, “Each of you have a piece to try. It was my oversight, I only thought about how four pieces would be easier to handle and forgot we had five people. I won’t eat.”
“That wouldn’t be right,” Accountant Liu and his wife said in unison.
“It’s fine,” Cao Guixiang smiled.
Everyone else helped themselves without further ado, their mouths practically watering uncontrollably. Liu Sangen, being a child, was the least patient; he grabbed a pair of chopsticks first, scooped a piece of meat into his bowl, and, without eating or biting, or even putting it into his mouth, began to lick it carefully from the bowl.
“What kind of way to eat is that, you child!” Accountant Liu’s wife felt embarrassed by her son for the first time.
Then she noticed that Accountant Liu was licking too, their actions almost synchronized.
Accountant Liu’s wife: …
She also silently licked a piece.
And then the actions of the family of three were synchronized.
Jiang Feng & Cao Guixiang & Zhang Chu: …
Zhang Chu had been still all this while. It was only after Cao Guixiang urged him to eat quickly because the meat would soon get cold and lose its taste, that he found a bowl and chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat, and bit into it voraciously, chewing it over.
Accountant Liu had begun to regain his composure a bit and felt that he should say something to flatter Cao Guixiang but didn’t know how, especially since this situation was completely out of his depth.
“Cao Zhiqing, your cooking skills are truly… are… you could go straight to the city and become a chef at a state-owned restaurant!” Accountant Liu exclaimed.
Cao Guixiang and Zhang Chu were taken aback, and Zhang Chu’s expression visibly fell, but he quickly composed himself.
Cao Guixiang smiled at Accountant Liu.
A mist arose.
Jiang Feng began to have trouble seeing Cao Guixiang’s face clearly.
“Maybe, if I get the chance to return to the city, I might indeed become one,” her voice even began to sound ethereal, like a sigh.
Jiang Feng left the memory.
