great-warnovel Chapter 34 Guests Arrive in droves
Chapter 34 Guests Arrive in droves
The setting sun cast long shadows on the floor through the half-open door of the "human touch" shop.
In the open kitchen.
Chen Feng changed into a clean black chef's uniform and stood in front of the wooden cutting board. He held a cleaver in his hand, his fingertips firmly pressed against the foreleg tip he had just bought that afternoon. As the blade sliced across the foreleg tip, a soft sound was produced.
"Daddy, I want to help you cook a big meal too!" Mengmeng was carrying her little plastic stool and struggling to get to the sink.
She was still wearing that pink bunny ear headband, which was still tilted to one side, making her serious little face even more adorable.
Hearing his daughter's sweet, childlike voice calling out, Chen Feng's lips unconsciously curled into a slight smile. He put down his knife, grabbed a small handful of tender rapeseed and two bright green scallions from the basket beside him, put them in a small basin, and handed them over.
"Okay, then Mengmeng will be our store's 'Chief Vegetable Washer'. She'll wash these vegetables until they're spotless. Whether Uncle Dazhuang and the others can have a good meal tonight depends entirely on Mengmeng."
As if she had received some sacred mission, Mengmeng solemnly took the washbasin, puffed out her little chest, and said, "Okay, Daddy, the Chief Vegetable Washer guarantees to complete the mission!"
Just as the father and daughter were busy with their tasks, the bell on the door rang out with a cheerful and clear sound.
"Fengzi! Look what good stuff your Uncle Zhang brought you!"
Zhang Dahai strode in with a loud voice, steadily carrying an earthenware jar tied with a red cloth. It was the Zhang family's homemade fruit wine, and a refreshing fruity aroma wafted out as soon as he entered. Zhang Qiang's mother, Li Xiuzhen, followed behind, carrying two bags of homemade pickled duck eggs and dried sweet potatoes.
"Uncle Zhang, Aunt Li, please have a seat." Chen Feng quickly stopped what he was doing and turned to look at the two of them. "You two are here, why did you bring all this?"
As soon as Li Xiuzhen entered the house, she went straight to the kitchen. Looking at the neatly arranged ingredients on Chen Feng's cutting board, her eyes were full of admiration.
She deftly rolled up her sleeves, making a move to take the spatula from Chen Feng's hand: "Fengzi, you've had a long day. Let's have the celebration banquet, Auntie will cook. You take a break, I'll do the rest."
Chen Feng stepped aside, half-jokingly protecting the stove: "Auntie, you can't do that."
Today is the first celebratory feast for the opening of "Human Fireworks," and I'm the host! Helping with washing scallions and peeling garlic is fine, but if you try to take over as the head chef, you'll be embarrassing me, Auntie.
Li Xiuzhen laughed heartily at his antics, lightly tapping his forehead with her finger: "You silly boy, after living in the capital for a few years, your mouth has become more and more witty. Alright, your aunt will follow your orders today, you 'head chef'."
The two chatted as they worked. Li Xiuzhen helped peel the garlic cloves, glancing at the price list on the side and then at the neatly stacked steamers.
"Fengzi, I just heard Qiangzi say that you sold out by 2 PM today? A hundred portions? And each person could only buy one?" Li Xiuzhen's voice unconsciously rose a few decibels, her face full of disbelief.
"I've lived most of my life, and I've never seen a steamed bun shop sell such expensive buns, yet they're still so popular. This...this is just too outrageous!"
Chen Feng was seasoning the meat filling for the lion's head meatballs. He sprinkled a spoonful of fine salt and a little Shaoxing wine into the porcelain bowl, gently stirring it clockwise: "Auntie, I didn't expect this either. A blogger named Lin Muyuan passed by today and posted a tweet."
To be honest, I was also startled. Around noon, the shop was packed with young people, some of whom almost came to blows over the last few steamed buns.
As he spoke, he told Li Xiuzhen about the interesting things that had happened that day. He talked about Lin Xiaoyu, who gave Mengmeng the hand-drawn comics, Lu Ming, who played the guitar, and Mengmeng's serious little face when she received the money.
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Li Xiuzhen exclaimed excitedly. "That girl even drew a picture for Mengmeng? And that young man carrying a guitar even gave her a guitar pick? Fengzi, let me tell you, this is a truly auspicious sign."
When people have feelings in their hearts, the shop comes alive. Your "human touch" has truly rekindled the spirit of this old street.
At this point, the aroma in the kitchen began to become strong and aggressive.
Chen Feng shaped the mixed minced meat into fist-sized balls. The key to braised lion's head meatballs is "finely chopped and coarsely minced," with distinct chunks of meat, unlike the rigid texture of regular meatballs. He slid the meatballs along the edge of the wok into the hot oil; a sizzling sound followed, and the aroma of the meat was instantly locked in by the high temperature. After frying until slightly golden and set, he scooped the meatballs out and placed them in a prepared casserole dish, topped with a thick layer of baby bok choy hearts, and poured in the prepared, glossy red sauce.
"Simmer it over low heat. This cabbage will absorb the meat oil and taste even better than the meat itself," Chen Feng whispered to Li Xiuzhen, his expression full of anticipation.
Immediately afterwards, he took out the bighead carp that had been "holding its breath" that afternoon.
The fish head was split in half and coated with fermented black beans, ginger, and Chen Feng's special secret sauce. In another shallow clay pot, lard was already smoking hot. Chen Feng evenly arranged the fish head on garlic cloves and ginger slices at the bottom of the clay pot.
"Sizzle—!"
A powerful plume of white smoke, carrying a burnt aroma, rose into the air. Chen Feng quickly slammed the lid on and poured a ring of Shaoxing wine along the seam.
"This is a clay pot braised fish head. The key to this dish is the 'raw' food going in and the 'cooked' food coming out. The high temperature of the clay pot cooks the fish meat instantly, locking in its freshness."
Li Xiuzhen watched intently from the side, swallowing hard: "Fengzi, watching you cook is like watching a circus act. This aroma... this is the first time I've ever seen what 'overpoweringly fragrant' really means."
The kitchen was bustling with activity, while the main room was a different story altogether.
Mengmeng had already done a great job washing the vegetables and was now showing off the beautiful comic strip Lin Xiaoyu had given her and the blue pick Lu Ming had given her in front of Zhang Dahai.
"Grandpa Zhang, look! This is what Sister Xiaoyu drew for Mengmeng. Isn't it exactly the same as Mengmeng?" Mengmeng pointed to the little figure with huge rabbit ears in the drawing and smiled until her eyes curved into crescent moons.
Zhang Dahai held the painting as if it were a priceless treasure, looking at it again and again, praising it with admiration: "Exactly the same, absolutely identical! Our Mengmeng is like a little rabbit fairy descended to earth to undergo tribulation. This painting is so well done, it has brought all of Mengmeng's spirit to life."
Zhang Qiang had just finished polishing the tables and chairs until they shone, and seeing his mother busy in the kitchen, he was happy to come out and take a break.
He strolled over to Mengmeng, grinning as he touched the drawing paper: "Hey, our Mengmeng is the ambassador for 'human warmth'!"
Mengmeng puffed out her little chest, looking very proud.
Zhang Dahai, who had been grinning from ear to ear, suddenly turned pale upon hearing Zhang Qiang's words. The speed at which he changed his expression was truly unprecedented.
He turned his head, his eyes filled with sorrow as he stared intently at Zhang Qiang. That gaze was like a rusty, dull knife, slowly scraping at Zhang Qiang.
Zhang Qiang was having a good time when he suddenly felt a chill down his spine, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.
He turned around and met his father's murderous gaze. His heart skipped a beat: Oh no, he'd triggered the old man's "birth-inducing mechanism" again.
Zhang Dahai didn't speak, but his eyes conveyed his message clearly: Look at Chen Feng, his kid can already help sell steamed buns. And look at you, all you do is wander around aimlessly all day. Where's my granddaughter? When is my "Little Rabbit Fairy" going to appear?
Zhang Qiang coughed twice, a chill running down his spine. He quickly looked away, muttering, "Oh, well, I'll go see if Fengzi needs any help..."
Zhang Dahai snorted heavily, then turned to face Mengmeng with that same kind, almost radiant smile. This dramatic change of expression, like something out of a Sichuan opera, sent chills down Zhang Qiang's spine.
Around six o'clock, the doorbell rang again.
Three men, Dazhuang, Lao Zhou, and Xiao Deng, pushed open the door and entered. They had obviously finished work, washed up, and changed their clothes.
"Brother Feng! Congratulations on your grand opening!" Da Zhuang shouted the loudest, carrying a bag of carefully selected rabbit dolls and several cases of chilled drinks.
"Mengmeng, look what Uncle brought you!" Xiao Deng smiled and handed over a chubby white rabbit plush toy.
Mengmeng cheered and took it, saying in a clear voice, "Thank you, Uncle!"
The group put down their things, and before they could even exchange pleasantries, they were frozen in place by the alluring fragrance in the air.
They were facing Chen Feng's open kitchen. At that moment, Chen Feng was preparing the last dish of stir-fried pork liver with soy sauce. With plenty of oil and high heat, the pork liver quickly changed color and set in the flames as the spatula was turned over. The dark red sauce coated the bright green scallions, and the aroma was irresistible.
"Plop—"
Old Zhou swallowed hard, his voice clear enough for everyone present to hear.
"My God... Fengzi, your cooking skills... are absolutely amazing! My legs are spinning just from cooking this." Dazhuang stared at the sizzling fish head in the casserole, his eyes practically popping out of his head.
Xiao Deng nodded vigorously in agreement: "Now I understand, Brother Feng, you were absolutely brilliant to insist on this open kitchen. This isn't a kitchen, it's a living 'GG'!"
I bet that from now on, anyone passing by the old street will be completely bewildered and unable to move after just one glance and a whiff of this smell.
Chen Feng turned off the stove and deftly plated the dishes. He wiped the sweat from his brow, flashed a bright smile, and waved to his group of brothers:
"Enough talk, since you're here, wash your hands and sit down. Today at this 'human feast,' there's plenty of wine and meat! Qiangzi, bring the wine!"