The ingredients could be prepped by the friendly stall owners; in Hong Kong, you can buy just a single green onion if that’s all you want. Of course, more likely than not, the vegetable vendor would just give it to you for free.
Xu Qingfan hung the big and small plastic bags on his bicycle and leisurely pedaled his way home.
When he passed by the convenience store, Xu Qingfan stopped his bike.
"Yu, Auntie!" Wu Lingyu’s dad and grandpa had already gone back to Hong Kong, and the two new female clerks hired for the New Year’s period hadn’t started working yet, so at the moment, only Li Meijuan and Wu Lingyu were in the store.
"Ah, Xiao Fan, you went grocery shopping? That’s great!"
Xu Qingfan nodded with a smile, "Auntie, I bought groceries for you and Yu. Don’t cook at noon; I’ll bring you food."
Li Meijuan had resorted to simply using a rice cooker to whip up something simple in the store these past few days, as they couldn’t leave it unattended.
"Xiao Fan, you can cook too?" Li Meijuan asked, surprised.
"What’s so hard about that? It will definitely taste good. Auntie, I need to go home and start the soup, or it won’t be ready by noon," Xu Qingfan said with a laugh.
"Alright then, I’ll have a taste of Xiao Fan’s cooking at noon."
Wu Lingyu stared unblinkingly at Xu Qingfan, as if she couldn’t get enough.
"Well, Auntie, I’m heading back first. See you later, Yu." Xu Qingfan waved goodbye to both of them.
Wu Lingyu waved back subconsciously, watching until Xu Qingfan was long out of sight.
After placing the groceries in the kitchen, Xu Qingfan checked his room and saw Xia Xiaoxiao was still sleeping.
He chuckled, quietly closed the bedroom door, and started the pork ribs in cold water, then took the beef out, putting it in a bowl with salt to draw out the blood.
The carrot, corn, and pork rib soup is the most basic soup in Hong Kong. After blanching the ribs to remove the blood and rinsing them clean, they were placed in a clay pot, along with chunks of carrot and corn and a few slices of peeled ginger. Once it came to a rapid boil over high heat, he turned the heat down and let it simmer for two hours.
After soaking the beef for about fifteen minutes, he rinsed it, drained the water, and began to marinate it – adding baking soda to tenderize, dark soy sauce for color, white pepper to eliminate any gaminess, then coating it with cornstarch to retain moisture, and finally sealing it with peanut oil.
"Xu Qingfan~ Hah~" Xu Qingfan was busy in the kitchen when Xia Xiaoxiao unexpectedly appeared at the doorway.
"You’re awake, go brush your teeth and wash your face. Lunch will be ready very soon," Xu Qingfan turned and smiled at her.
"It smells so good, what are you cooking?"
"Oh, why do I smell chili?" Xia Xiaoxiao had already moved to the living room, her voice fading.
After thickening the nearly done stir-fried crabs with starch water, Xu Qingfan cranked up the heat for a quick stir-fry before taking them off the stove and plating them.
The soup had only been boiling for a little over an hour, but it was nearly ready. Xu Qingfan added some salt, then ladled it into a thermos container. He packed half of the meal, still hot, and took it to Wu Lingyu and Li Meijuan.
As Xu Qingfan was leaving, Xia Xiaoxiao came out just after brushing her teeth, "Where are you going?" she asked.
"I’m delivering lunch to Yu and her mom. I’ll be back soon. You can start eating if you’re hungry; I’ve put the dishes in the rice cooker," Xu Qingfan said, lifting the eco-friendly bag in his hand.
After delivering the soup and meal to the convenience store, he cycled back home.
Li Meijuan and Wu Lingyu were both stunned for a moment when they opened the food container he’d brought.
The dish had looks, aroma, and flavor, with the beef tender and well-seasoned; there was nothing much to say about the crabs, as long as they were fresh, it was hard for them to taste bad.
[Is there anything Brother Fan can’t do?] Wu Lingyu’s admiration for Xu Qingfan grew with each day.
"Why aren’t you eating?" When Xu Qingfan got back home, the table was already set, and Xia Xiaoxiao was watching TV in the living room. He curiously asked.
"I was waiting for you."
"Let’s eat then." Xu Qingfan sat down on the stool, took one of the bowls of rice, and began to eat.
"Mmm!" Xia Xiaoxiao, having stealthily nibbled several pieces of beef while serving rice, eagerly sat down to eat as well.
"Xu Qingfan, how do you know how to cook?" After gobbling down half a crab, Xia Xiaoxiao looked up, puzzled.
"I learned by watching the cooking shows on Jade Channel. Once you understand the principles, it’s easy to pick up. Do you want to learn? I can teach you."
"No, I want you to cook for me!" Xia Xiaoxiao pouted, laughing.
"Then you’ll be in charge of washing dishes!" Xu Qingfan didn’t indulge her.
"Hmph~ I’ll wash them, but you have to take out the trash!"
"Right, did you have a dream this morning? What was it about?" Xu Qingfan suddenly remembered the sleep talk he heard when she woke up.
Xia Xiaoxiao’s face turned red and she looked away evasively, "I talked in my sleep?"
If Xu Qingfan hadn’t mentioned it, she would have nearly forgotten the dream’s content. Xia Xiaoxiao remembered adventuring and fighting monsters with Xu Qingfan. Many of the details had faded, but she seemed to have called him ’brother’ in her dream.
"Yeah, something about stinky pigs and brothers, and something about not leaving." Xu Qingfan teased with a smile.
Xia Xiaoxiao remembered now; it seemed like Xu Qingfan was about to leave with someone else, and in the dream, she was crying, begging him not to leave her...
"You heard wrong. I was talking about Keke, my grandma’s dog’s name!" Xia Xiaoxiao argued forcefully.
"Don’t laugh! Keke is what I said, my grandma’s dog!" Xia Xiaoxiao glared at him.
"Ah, right, right, right!"