"Okay."
Zhou Yan responded, then went to find Zhou Hao and Zhou Hai. With a quick movement, they got Zheng Qiang out of the way.
He grabbed a bowl and chopsticks, sat down next to Xiao Lei, poured liquor for his master, and chatted about the arrangements for tomorrow's banquet.
The main focus of the banquet in Jiazhou was lunch, featuring nine large bowls of main dishes to ensure guests were well-fed and satisfied.
The evening meal was simpler, with two meat dishes and a few stir-fried vegetables. Minced Meat With Pickled Long Bean were perfect accompaniments to sweet potato porridge.
In fact, not only in Jiazhou, but Zhou Yan had attended several wedding banquets in Sichuan, where the lunch banquet was always the most elaborate, with the wedding ceremony also taking place at noon, unlike the more elaborate evening banquets in Zhejiang Province.
As for the evening meal, it usually involved playing mahjong in the afternoon, having a bowl of porridge to tide them over, and then everyone going home.
Who can stomach two meals of such greasy, meaty food in a row?
Xiao Lei put an arm around Zhou Yan's shoulder and said earnestly, "Learn properly from your grandma. If you can master even eight-tenths of her braised food skills, you won't have to worry about selling your food in Suji. People from all over town will come to buy it."
"Yes, I understand." Zhou Yan nodded.
His master didn't blame him for taking someone else as his master; instead, he encouraged him to study diligently, which was extremely commendable.
After a while, his second uncle and several brothers came in turn to offer toasts, and Zhou Yan's cousins also came along. Master Xiao, who had a good capacity for alcohol, gradually became a little tipsy.
After dinner, it was already dark. Xiao Lei, who had drunk a jin of baijiu (a type of Chinese liquor), declined to stay overnight, but he couldn't get on his bicycle even after three attempts, and was finally dragged away by Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan's bedroom hadn't been slept in for a long time. There was only a wooden bed in the room, with an old trunk at the head of the bed.
The bedding was complete, but it smelled musty from not being used for a while.
After taking off master shoes and throwing his tipsy master onto the bed, Zhou Yan came back from washing up. The master had already taken off his coat and rolled over inside, leaning against the wall, fast asleep.
His drinking manners were quite good; he'd fall asleep as soon as he got drunk, without hitting, cursing, or trying to engage in idle chatter.
Zhou Yan was exhausted from all the running around today. He turned off the light, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep instantly, completely ignoring the musty-smelling blankets and his master's thunderous snoring beside him.
If he has the mind to complain about these things, it means he's not tired enough.
The next day, before dawn, Zhou Yan heard a rustling sound. Opening his eyes, he saw his master standing by the bed putting on his shoes. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and said with some surprise, "Master, why are you up so early?"
Yesterday, seeing him so drunk, he was worried he wouldn't be able to get up today, but his master was up even earlier than him.
"The rooster's crowed, what's early?" Xiao Lei pulled out his watch from his pocket and glanced at it. "Four thirty. The wedding procession is leaving at six, and they need to eat at five thirty. I'm going over now to start the fire and cook two pots of noodles for them, that should be just right."
"Okay, I'll get up too." Zhou Yan replied, and got up as well. It was still dark, so he went out with a flashlight.
In the courtyard, Comrade Old Zhou and Aunt Zhao were already brushing their teeth, each with an enamel cup.
"Why are you both up so early?" Zhou Yan asked the two of them, puzzled.
Aunt Zhao rinsed her mouth and said with a smile, "Go help out. Your second uncle said he was worried that the young people might not be careful when they went to pick up the bride and would be late, so he asked your father to go with him to lead the team. I didn't go to help yesterday, so I definitely have to go early today. Someone needs to lend a hand when cooking noodles in the morning."
"Master Xiao, our home is quite simple. You probably didn't sleep well last night, did you?" Comrade Old Zhou asked Xiao Lei with concern.
"Slept well, slept until the rooster crowed. I haven't slept so soundly in a long time." Xiao Lei replied with a smile.
After a quick wash, everyone went out.
Zhou Momo, still asleep, was wrapped in a small blanket in a bamboo basket and carried out by Comrade Old Zhou.
Zhou Yan glanced at the little girl in the basket, turned on his flashlight, and rode his bicycle towards the old house.
It was so early; Zhou Yan assumed the old lady hadn't gotten up yet.
But as the bicycle turned the corner, he saw a dim, yellow light shining from the entrance of the old house.
Zhou Weiguo was carefully wiping the inside and outside of the bicycle with a damp towel. A red ribbon was tied to the handlebars, giving it a festive look.
The old lady sat on the stone bench by the door, wearing a dark blue jacket and new cloth shoes. Her silver hair was neatly combed back, and she looked very energetic. Seeing Zhou Yan arrive on his bicycle, she smiled and stood up: "You're up early."
"Grandma, Uncle, why are you up so early too?" Zhou Yan stopped his bicycle.
"Zhou Hao is getting married, so we definitely need to get up early to prepare. He'll be using this bicycle for the wedding today; I'll clean it first before delivering it to him." Zhou Weiguo replied.
"Come on, let's grab the chickens; we'll be busy this morning." the old lady said, carrying a package, and got into the bicycle.
"Hold on tight." Zhou Yan said with a smile, pedaling away.
The whole family was taking Zhou Hao's wedding very seriously, working together to make it a success.
Zhou Yan was beginning to understand the old lady's teachings.
Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai had gotten up early to boil water and kill the chickens, and they were already cleaned thoroughly. Seeing Zhou Yan arrive, they lined a nylon bag in the basket and put the four chickens inside.
"You ride slowly and take Grandma back to the shop. I'll go get the beef and pig's head and bring them to you right away." Zhou Jie said to Zhou Yan, then got on his bicycle and left.
Zhou Yan strapped a flashlight to the handlebars and rode slowly towards town with the old lady on the back.
In those days, there were no streetlights, and the roads were bad. The old lady was quite elderly, so Zhou Yan dared not be reckless.
"Grandma, why don't we just bring the brine to the banquet area and have it used for braising? Wouldn't that be more convenient?" Zhou Yan asked on the way.
"Braised food is a skill that can provide a livelihood. Open air banquets are large venues with many people and eyes. If someone tries to steal your techniques, how will you protect yourself?" The old woman said calmly, "There are only a few spices. They can experiment by adding more or less. If it tastes five or six parts like yours, and they lower the price by 30%, customers will choose their place over yours. That's one point."
"Secondly, this pot of braising liquid is made with my old braising liquid. The bumpy ride back and forth can easily introduce impurities and spoil it. If it spills on the way, it's a huge loss. A good pot of braising liquid should not be touched easily, and certainly not by others."
"The braised dishes can be cut at the banquet without affecting the taste at all. When I had my stall, restaurants in Jiazhou would come to me everyday to get braised pig's head and ears, taking them whole and cutting them only when customers ordered them."
"I understand." Zhou Yan nodded, gaining a deeper understanding of the importance of braising liquid.
A while after Zhou Yan arrived at the shop, Zhou Jie arrived as well, carrying the meat into the kitchen.
The basket contained three boneless pig heads, plus eight extra pig ears. Butchers usually don't sell these separately; Brother Jie's connections are definitely unconventional.
There were also fifteen jin of beef shank, freshly slaughtered today. Zhou Village has no shortage of beef; his family are butchers, so they just needed to inform their colleagues beforehand.
Finally, four palm-sized pig trotters were brought out.
"Also want braised pig trotters?" Zhou Yan was a little surprised; this was not on the menu.
Zhou Jie smiled and said, "These are the trotters from the pig we slaughtered yesterday. My dad said Grandma and Momo like them, so he asked you to braise them for Grandma to have with her drinks, and for Momo to have one too."
"Sure." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. His Second Uncle was truly respectful to his elders and cared for the young. He would be in charge of braising them; he wondered if he could taste them to check the saltiness.
"Do you need any help?" Zhou Jie asked.
"No, you go to pick up the bride; I can handle things here." Zhou Yan waved his hand and started fetching water to wash the ingredients.
"Grandma, I'll head back now." Zhou Jie said to the old lady and jogged out the door.
The wedding procession is the most important part of the ceremony.
As Zhou Hao's older brother, he certainly wanted to go with him.
In the kitchen, Zhou Yan was in charge of the work, while the old lady stood by, offering guidance.
Zhou Yan was already proficient at braising pig's head and ears, handling the ingredients with ease.
He carefully separated the pig's ears and snout, and halved the pig's head meat, doing each step meticulously.
The pig's trotters were also prepared and set aside separately.
At first, the old lady offered a few pointers, but later she simply moved a stool over and sat down beside Zhou Yan, chatting away, her eyes never leaving him, nodding occasionally.
"Did you learn cold dishes from Master Xiao?" Watching Zhou Yan prepare the pig's head, the old lady finally couldn't help but ask.
"I learned a little, but my master said your skills are better than his, and told me to learn properly from you." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
The old lady nodded: "I don't think his skills are bad either. The techniques and skills he taught you for handling pig brains are quite impressive."
"He's a second level chef, after all." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. The old lady's eye for talent was too sharp; he had no choice but to push his master out as a scapegoat.
"Grandma, I've never cooked beef or chicken before. How long do I braise the beef shank? I need to decide which to cook first." Zhou Yan straightened his posture and earnestly asked the old lady for advice.
Braised beef and cold chicken dish are both delicious dishes!
The system won't provide the recipes, then he'll learn from the old lady.
Zhou Yan is no longer the same person he used to be. Now he is proficient in knife skills, and his seasoning and cooking techniques have also greatly improved. He is also an expert in braised pork products and has a certain level of understanding of braised food.
If the old lady is willing to teach, he'll definitely learn quickly.
The old lady pulled a watch from her pocket and placed it on the stove, saying, "After cleaning the beef shank, braise it for an hour and a half. This is the longest braised dish we're making today, so put the beef shank in first. Braise the pig's trotters for an hour, and the pig's ears, snout, and head meat for forty minutes each.
The cold chicken is a little different. It can't be braised directly in the pot; you need to use a separate pot of braising liquid, a white braising liquid. This way, the chicken will be white and clean. After tearing it apart, toss it with chili oil for a bright color—it's delicious and looks beautiful..."
The old lady taught, and Zhou Yan did it, carefully adding each ingredient to the pot according to the precise time, making virtually no mistakes and extremely efficient.
Even the old lady, who rarely praised anyone's cooking, couldn't help but compliment Zhou Yan:
"Your basic skills are really good."
"The seasoning is just right, the saltiness is just right, not too much, not too little."
Outside, the sky was gradually brightening.
The fire under the braising pot was slowly dying down.
The braised meat sits simmering in the pot, ready to be served.
Braising meat relies 30% on boiling and 70% on simmering; the flavor must be fully infused into the meat for it to be perfect.