txolops Chapter 183 Vegetable Washing Team Leader
Chapter 183 Vegetable Washing Team Leader
Nine o'clock in the morning, downstairs in a rental house in an urban village.
A silver-gray secondhand bread cart was parked steadily at the entrance of the building.
The car door opened, and Lin Chen and Wang Hai jumped out nimbly and began carrying today's "strategic supplies" upstairs.
Seventy pounds of pork belly, eighty pounds of rice, plus several large baskets of fresh side dishes.
Even for two grown men, it took them four trips up and down the stairs to finally move everything into the second-floor room.
"Bang."
Wang Hai kicked the security door shut with his heel, placed the last basket of Shanghai bok choy in the corner of the living room, and collapsed onto the sofa, panting heavily.
"My God... Brother Chen, just carrying this pile of stuff up here almost killed me."
Wang Hai hastily wiped the sweat from his face with the towel hanging around his neck.
Lin Chen placed the two large bags of pork he was carrying on the cutting board.
"Take a five-minute break."
Lin Chen glanced at the clock on the wall. "There's a lot of meat today, so let's finish cutting it as soon as possible so we can start cooking it."
"Alright!"
Wang Hai knew what was important and what was urgent.
The meat sauce relies entirely on slow simmering; the longer it's cooked, the richer and more flavorful it becomes, so there's absolutely no time to waste.
Five minutes later, the two washed their hands in front of the sink, tied on aprons, and each stood in front of the cutting board with a kitchen knife in hand.
Two large basins of pork belly and pork shoulder cut into long strips were placed in the middle, resembling a mountain of meat.
"Let's get started!"
Wang Hai took a deep breath, pulled out a piece of pork belly, laid it flat on the cutting board, and swiftly sliced it with the cleaver.
"Tap, tap, tap, tap..."
The sound of chopping vegetables suddenly filled the rented room.
Lin Chen didn't speak; his hands moved so fast they almost left afterimages.
His incredibly solid knife skills were on full display at this moment; with each cut, the marbled pork was diced into perfectly square pieces, each one precise in size.
After half an hour.
"hiss……"
Wang Hai stopped what he was doing and painfully shook his wrist.
Cutting meat is a job that tests the strength of your forearms and wrists.
After cutting less than twenty pounds, Wang Hai felt that his right hand was almost out of control.
He secretly glanced at Lin Chen beside him.
Lin Chen's vegetable-cutting efficiency was even faster than it was half an hour ago.
Lin Chen cut most of the meat himself.
"Brother Chen, are your wrists made of iron?"
Wang Hai gripped the cleaver tightly again. "I refuse to believe it! Keep going!"
Just as the two were engrossed in their work...
The bedroom door creaked open.
Tangtang, wearing a pink short-sleeved shirt, came out of the room rubbing her eyes.
After the little girl went to the market this morning, Lin Chen carried her back to bed for a nap, and she just woke up now.
"Daddy..."
Tangtang called out in a soft, sweet voice.
Upon hearing his daughter's voice, Lin Chen immediately stopped wielding the kitchen knife.
He turned his head and asked, "Are you awake?"
Are you hungry?
I'm not hungry.
Tangtang shook her head and ran to the cutting board with her short legs.
The girl with big eyes looked at the two bowls of diced meat, then at Wang Hai, who was covered in sweat, and her little face immediately showed a serious expression.
The little girl turned around and ran to the corner of the living room, moved her little stool over, and put it next to the sink.
"Daddy, Uncle Fatty, Tangtang is awake!"
Tangtang wants to help with the chores too, and earn little red flowers!
Tangtang stepped onto the small stool, tried her best to stand on tiptoe, and stretched out her two tender little hands.
Seeing the little girl's serious expression, Wang Hai couldn't help but laugh, and the soreness in his wrist subsided considerably.
"Oh dear, is our squad leader going to personally take to the field?"
"But handling a knife is out of the question, too dangerous. Squad leader, you should rest over there."
Wang Hai teased her with a smile.
"No! I want to help!"
Tangtang wouldn't have it and stubbornly pouted her little lips.
Lin Chen wiped his hands, turned around and walked to the plastic basket containing the vegetables.
He took out a clean stainless steel basin, filled it halfway with water, and placed it on the edge of the sink, just within Tangtang's reach.
Then, he grabbed a small handful of fresh Shanghai bok choy and put it in the water.
"Don't touch the knife."
Lin Chen pointed to the small basin in front of him, "How about Tangtang helps Daddy wash the vegetables?"
Wash off the mud; we'll use it to make fried rice tonight.
Tangtang's eyes lit up instantly when she saw that she had her own special task.
"good!"
The little girl excitedly rolled up her sleeves, revealing her two lotus-root-like arms. She dipped her little hands into the basin and began scrubbing the vegetable leaves with great seriousness. "I'm the captain of the vegetable-washing team now!" she exclaimed.
With Tangtang washing vegetables nearby, the otherwise dull time spent preparing food in the rented room suddenly became much warmer.
"Knock knock knock..."
"Splash..."
The sounds of slicing meat and running water mingled together.
Tangtang washed very carefully, and although she was slow, she was full of energy.
Another hour or so passed.
With Lin Chen's final cut, the entire seventy pounds of pork belly was finally transformed into uniformly sized cubes.
Clang.
Wang Hai threw the cleaver onto the cutting board, stumbled backward, and slumped into a chair.
"No, no... Brother Chen, my right hand is completely ruined. It's shaking so badly I can't even hold chopsticks."
Wang Hai looked at his trembling hands and shook his head with a wry smile.
"Go wash your hands, get ready to start the fire."
Lin Chen spoke up.
Next comes the most crucial step.
Lin Chen turned on his eyes and opened the blazing stove, where two large iron pots were heated simultaneously.
Pour in the oil, then add the diced meat.
"Sizzle!"
The intense aroma of meat, mixed with the fragrance of heated oil, instantly exploded in the kitchen.
Lin Chen was stirring the food in the pot with an iron spoon.
Sauté the chopped scallions until fragrant, add the seasonings to the pot, and finally transfer the meat and sauce into the large stainless steel insulated container.
Cover the bucket with a heavy lid, bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer.
"call……"
As he watched the thin steam begin to rise from the edge of the insulated container, Lin Chen washed his hands.
The initial processing of the minced meat is complete; now it's just a matter of time.
At this moment, glancing at the clock on the wall, it was already 12:30 pm.
"Daddy!"
Tangtang turned around, holding the small basin like she was showing off a treasure, and said, "The vegetables are all washed clean!"
In the basin, the few Shanghai bok choy stalks were washed until they were a vibrant, glistening green.
Although the little girl only washed a few clothes, the front of the clothes was still splashed with a lot of water.
"It's washed very clean, Tangtang is great."
Lin Chen took the small basin, used a dry towel to wipe his daughter's clothes, and lifted her off the small stool. "Go play on the sofa for a while, Daddy will make lunch."
Upon hearing the word "cook," Wang Hai, who was slumped in his chair, let out a thunderous rumble from his stomach.
Lin Chen didn't delay and started heating oil in the wok again.
Lin Chen chopped a handful of green peppers and shredded lean meat, and quickly stir-fried a large plate of green pepper and shredded meat with a strong wok hei (wok aroma). He also cooked a pot of tomato, seaweed and egg drop soup.
"Dinner is served."
Lin Chen carried the dishes to the dining table.
"Coming right up!"
Wang Hai had already eagerly prepared three bowls of rice.
The three sat around a small dining table.
Lin Chen first put a piece of non-spicy lean meat into Tangtang's small bowl, and then scooped two spoonfuls of egg drop soup to mix with rice.
"Thank you, Daddy!"
Tangtang picked up the little spoon and obediently began to eat heartily.
Wang Hai, completely disregarding his image, ate his chopsticks with incredible speed.
The fiery spiciness and meaty aroma of shredded pork with green peppers explode in your mouth, making it an absolutely perfect dish to eat with rice.
Wang Hai devoured the meal in a flash, finishing three large bowls of white rice by himself, even pouring the remaining broth from the plate into his bowl and mixing it all up.
"belch……"
Wang Hai leaned back in his chair, let out a satisfied burp, and said, "I'm full, that feels so good!"
Lin Chen put the dishes in the sink after cleaning them up, but didn't wash them immediately.
He glanced at Tangtang, who had already started rubbing her eyes, and then at Wang Hai, whose face was full of exhaustion.
"I'll leave the dishes here and wash them when I get back tonight."
Lin Chen walked into the living room, picked up his phone, and set an alarm for 2:30 p.m.
"It's lunch break now. Preparing 70 pounds of meat is just physical work; the real challenge is preparing dinner. We need to be well-rested."
Lin Chen spoke up.
"Alright! I'll listen to Brother Chen."
Wang Hai was truly exhausted. He didn't even bother choosing a sofa; he just lay down on it and started snoring within two minutes.
Lin Chen picked up the drowsy Tangtang and went into the bedroom.
He drew the curtains, settled Tangtang on the bed and covered her with a blanket, and Lin Chen lay down next to her.
Listening to the soft bubbling sound of the thermos simmering in the kitchen and smelling the faint aroma of meat filling the house, Lin Chen slowly closed his eyes.