Huang Chen paid the bill and also made a reservation for several dishes with Zhao Tieying, planning to bring his friends over for dinner tomorrow night.
"Why isn't braised pig's trotters on the menu?" Huang Chen asked.
Zhao Tieying smiled and explained, "Braised pig's trotters aren't on the menu yet, but you can pre-order today. We'll braise them for those who pre-order, and the price is expected to be under 1.5 yuan."
"Okay, then order one for me too." Huang Chen nodded, seeing how much the little girl was enjoying her meal, he was sure it would taste good.
"Alright, we'll prepare all the dishes for you." Zhao Tieying smiled and nodded. As expected of the deputy mayor, he ordered four dishes in one go, a serving of cross-legged beef and a braised pig's trotter.
Huang Chen rode away on his bicycle with Old Ma, completely satisfied, and muttered to himself with a smile, "He Zhiyuan, He Zhiyuan, I'll show you what Su Ji's true strength is!"
…
After the business closed at noon, Comrade Old Zhou also returned.
A tractor was parked in front of the restaurant, containing two wooden crates, a small square table, a pile of planks, two long benches, some odds and ends such as pots, pans and bowls, and two small stools.
The wooden planks had been washed; they were damp, but very clean.
Zhou Jie was driving the tractor, and Zhou Hai jumped off with Zhou Miao.
Zhou Momo was drawing on sand at the doorway when she heard the noise and came over. Seeing her little stool being taken off the tractor, she asked in confusion, "Daddy! Isn't this my stool? Why did you bring it here?"
The little one still didn't know her house had collapsed.
Of course, even if she did, she probably wouldn't quite understand what a collapsed house meant.
"Yes, it's your stool." Zhou Miao nodded, unsure how to explain.
"We've moved. From now on, you'll live in the shop with your brother." Zhao Tieying said, patting Zhou Momo's head. "Are you happy?"
"Really?! Happy!" Zhou Momo jumped up excitedly: "I love living with my Guo Guo!"
"Then take your stool with you." Zhao Tieying said with a smile, handing her the little stool.
"Okay!" Zhou Momo picked up a stool and ran into the shop with her short legs.
Zhou Yan came out and looked at Zhou Momo's beaming face, silently sighing. Such carefree age; even with the house collapsed, she could be so happy.
"Hmm, that's pretty impressive. You dug up so much stuff, and even washed the planks clean." Zhao Tieying looked at the tractor loaded with goods, somewhat surprised.
"The kitchen wasn't buried, and we managed to salvage most of the usable items. The two boxes of clothes that were under the roof weren't dirty; they belong to you and Momo. We also dug out both bed boards. Other things were either buried too deep or damaged, so I didn't keep them. There are also some farm tools that we don't need in town, so we'll put them at the old house for now." Zhou Miao said.
"Okay, that's enough." Zhao Tieying nodded. Her favorite outfits were packed in the two boxes. Then, looking at the two men, she said, "Zhou Hai, Zhou Jie, thank you for your hard work."
Zhou Jie smiled and waved his hand, "Don't mention it, Fourth Aunt. We just finished setting up our stall before going back. We borrowed a tractor to unload things. These were all dug out by First Uncle and Fourth Uncle. Where should we unload these things?"
Zhao Tieying said, "The boxes and those small items are left at the door. The boards are wet. You drive the tractor a bit further ahead and unload them at the dam to dry for two days before we can use them."
"Okay." Zhou Jie nodded, and he and Zhou Hai immediately started working.
"Brother Jie, have you both eaten?" Zhou Yan asked.
"Not yet, we'll eat after we unload the goods." Zhou Jie replied casually, handing the boxes to Zhou Hai as he stood on the tractor.
"Well, thank you for unloading. I'll go cook first; we haven't eaten either. I'll just make a couple of dishes and have something simple." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
Zhou Jie asked expectantly, "Is there any twice-cooked pork?"
Zhao Tieying smiled and said, "Yes, and braised pig's trotters too. I'll give you half each."
"Braised pig's trotters!"
"Half each!"
Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai's eyes lit up, and they immediately became energetic: "Great! Zhou Yan, hurry up and cook! We'll finish unloading this stuff right away!"
"Okay." Zhou Yan smiled and turned around. It seemed his wish to eat a whole pig's trotter today would be dashed.
There was no way around it; his own brother was helping out without fear of getting dirty or tired, so even the Emperor himself had to give up his seat.
He made quite a few dishes for lunch: twice-cooked pork, braised beef with dried bamboo shoots, spicy stir-fried pork liver, and spicy stir-fried pork kidney – four main dishes, and the portions were all very large. He stir-fried a whole jin of pork liver and filled two plates.
The braised pig's trotters were cut in half, half for each person.
The other one was simply chopped up and placed on a plate for everyone to eat.
Oh, but Zhou Momo couldn't.
She was full before she even finished the large pig's trotter, and Aunt Zhao took the rest.
However, two hours later, she was able to eat again, and was the first to climb onto the chair and sit obediently, her eyes shining as she stared at the two new dishes.
"Wow! This is such a feast!" Zhou Jie exclaimed as he came in after washing his hands and looked at the table full of meat and dishes.
"It looks delicious! It smells amazing!" Zhou Hai followed in, unable to resist swallowing hard.
Zhou Miao was also a little surprised: "There are pork liver and kidneys today, it's been a long time since I've had them."
"Come on, let's eat!" Zhou Yan served himself a large bowl of rice first.
Today the table is full of dishes that go well with rice. Everyone has been doing physical labor all morning, and it's already past 1 p.m., so they must be starving.
At times like this, nothing tastes better than a bowl of rice.
Everyone sat down, and their eyes were immediately drawn to the braised pig's trotters cut in half on the plate in front of them.
The old lady was skilled at making braised dishes, but she especially loved braised pig's trotters, usually only sharing half with the youngest member of the family.
Each of those present had only tasted half a pig's trotter as a gift from the old lady when they were the youngest in their families.
Zhao Tieying and Zhao Hong had tasted it once during their first year of marriage, and naturally, it was the children's turn after they had children.
Looking at the half of pig's trotter in front them, everyone felt a sense of solemnity.
"Eat it, or are you waiting for a reward?" Zhou Yan smiled, reaching out to grab the trotter and take a bite. The soft, tender trotter melted in his mouth, the braising sauce completely seeping into the meat, even the tendons were fragrant.
The others couldn't resist any longer and grabbed pig's trotters to gnaw on.
These large pig's trotters, even half of them weighed six or seven liang, were best enjoyed by grabbing them.
"It smells so good! It's exactly the same as Grandma's braised pig's trotters!" Zhou Jie exclaimed.
"Delicious! I haven't had this in over ten years." Zhou Hai nodded repeatedly, gnawing away with gusto.
Everyone found a taste from their memories, matching it perfectly to their own.
Zhou Momo got a small piece of pig's trotter tip, which she also ate with relish.
Everyone finished their pig's trotters, leaving not even the tendons, their hands covered in oil, almost sticky.
It smelled so good! If the bones weren't so hard, they would have gnawed on them too.
"I'll take these bones back later, to give my dog, Little Black, a treat." Zhou Jie said with a smile. He had a black dog at home, the kind that could chase rabbits up the mountain.
"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded.
Everyone washed their hands, sat down again, picked up their chopsticks, and started eating.
"Let me taste how tender the spicy stir-fried pork kidney is." Zhou Jie picked up a slice of pork kidney. The slices were cut so beautifully with a wheat-ear pattern. After being stir-fried, the kidney naturally curled up and was stained brownish-red by the red oil from the fermented soybean paste after being slowly fried over low heat. It had a glossy sheen.
One bite, still a little hot, and a gentle chew made his eyes light up.
So tender!
The intense heat of the wok, the numbing sensation of Sichuan peppercorns, the spiciness of chili peppers, and the freshness of pork kidneys, bursts forth together.
The stir-frying process gave the pork kidney a slightly crispy exterior, while the inside remained as tender as tofu, offering a slightly chewy and crunchy texture.
The flavors hidden within the delicate cuts were released all at once—it was simply too delicious!
Zhou Jie felt like he was about to scream inside.
Dad, I said deliver the goods first, then eat!
Look, if I were eating Mom's pickled vegetables and stir-fried beef offal at home, I'd never get such delicious spicy stir-fried pork kidney.
Zhou Jie was so proud of himself. He shoveled down a big mouthful of rice and then picked up a piece of spicy stir-fried pork liver.
Tender! Fresh!
Not a single strange taste.
Unlike pork kidneys, the thinly sliced pork liver is coated with a very thin layer of starch, making it exceptionally tender and smooth when bite into it.
The numbing spiciness and savory aroma need no further explanation.
Although the ingredients are similar to those in the spicy stir-fried pork kidney dish, it creates a completely different flavor profile.
It's so delicious with rice!
"Delicious!" Zhou Jie only had time to say the word before he was too busy eating to finish his meal.
Twice-cooked pork is also the ultimate rice-eating dish; he'd been craving it ever since he tried it last time, and today he finally got to eat it again.
Zhou Hai remained silent, simply focusing on eating, and soon he had already filled his second bowl.
Even Zhou Momo, a rice-eating expert, couldn't help but look up and glance at it a few more times.
Hai Guo's bowl was absolutely huge! As big as her face!
Hai Guo is truly amazing!
"Mmm, it's really delicious, stir-fried so tenderly!" Zhao Tieying nodded repeatedly.
She didn't actually like pork liver; she'd stir-fried it many times and the texture was always terrible, even a bit bitter. Once, she'd stir-fried it too tender, and the whole family had diarrhea all night.
But the one Zhou Yan stir-fried today had an excellent texture and flavor.
But...
Won't it cause diarrhea if stir-frying it so tenderly?
Zhao Tieying's chopsticks, halfway there, turned towards the twice-cooked pork.
Yes, the twice-cooked pork was fragrant too.
"Eat without worry, it's all cooked through, you won't get diarrhea." Zhou Yan saw through Aunt Zhao's little scheme in a second and said with a smile, "The dishes on the menu aren't made haphazardly. This tenderness is achieved through skillful cooking, not just by tossing them in the wok a couple of times and taking them out."
"I know, I just prefer pork belly." Aunt Zhao nodded, picking up a piece of spicy stir-fried pork kidney.
Mmm, delicious!
Zhou Yan was quite satisfied with the spicy stir-fried pork liver. The control of the heat was perfect, pursuing the ultimate tenderness without sacrificing it for being undercooked. He found a very crucial critical point.
The spicy stir-fried pork kidney, however, was slightly less than satisfactory.
[A Passable Spicy Stir-fried Pork Kidney]
This was the evaluation given.
It's alright, but not quite there yet.
The control of the heat and seasoning need to be adjusted.
For dishes that require precise control of heat, even the slightest difference can result in a significant difference in the final product.
The margin for error is too low.
However, this was the first time making it, and Zhou Yan was quite satisfied to receive a "passable" rating and the approval of everyone.
This dish won't be on the menu yet; it's not too late to add it when it reaches a "good" rating.
They finished off all the rice left in the wooden bucket.
Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai drove the tractor back, completely satisfied.
Zhou Miao was about to clear the bowls when Zhao Tieying called him aside, along with Zhou Yan.
The father and son stood there with their hands behind their backs, like school children waiting for their teacher's scolding.
Zhou Yan wondered if Comrade Old Zhou's hidden stash of money had been discovered and he had been implicated.
Comrade Old Zhou was thinking the same thing.
"Old Zhou, why don't you stop slaughtering cattle and selling beef yourself from now on? Just go when someone calls you to slaughter cattle. When there's no work, you can work in the restaurant cutting and weighing braised meat." Zhao Tieying looked at Zhou Miao with a serious expression and said, "Anyway, Zhou Yan is planning to hire someone to do this. Family members will definitely be more attentive. Let's work together as a family and earn money to repair the house!"