Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Lu Yuxi was informed by Ms. Li in the afternoon that the kindergarten had finished school early that day and asked if she was going to pick Xu Tian up.
Lu Yuxi pulled Li Qing away and planned to surprise him with Xu Le.
She brought Xu Tian to the restaurant and prepared to go back after dinner.
Xu Tian’s eyes lit up when she saw her brother. She jumped up and down happily. “Brother, what are we eating tonight?”
“What do you want to eat?”
Xu Le rubbed his sister’s face and said, “You go play first. I’ll make dinner for everyone.”
“Okay.”
He went to the kitchen and took out a large chopping board. The heavy solid wood block was placed there, and he stabbed the knife into it with brute force.
The lamb spine was chopped off forcefully from the joints. This process required a fast and strong cutting. Xu Le raised his knife high up and chopped it down again.
When Lu Yuxi heard the sound, she came in and said, “I called Li Qing out to handle some matters. Hurry up and prepare it. You should be able to finish it before he comes back.”
“Okay.” Xu Le raised his hand and wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. “This bone is too hard.”
“Do you want to upload your video today?”
“What video?”
“It’s the video of you cutting tofu. I recorded it, but it’s not complete.”
Xu Le chopped off a piece of bone and said, “The account is focused on cooking tutorial. I think it’s better to follow our theme. If we upload a video just to show off my skills, it will cause the audience to misunderstand.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m worried about, too.”
Lu Yuxi went forward to put on an apron and started cutting the ginger slices tactfully. She said, “Why don’t we open another account for the shop? The video of you cutting tofu is too awesome. It would be a pity if we don’t post it.”
“Are you going to manage the accounts?”
“Of course I can.” Lu Yuxi raised her eyebrows and apologized. “It’s not a difficult task. Besides, you’re the main character in the video.”
Xu Le finally chopped up the lamb spine into pieces and soaked them in cold water. He said, “I’m fine with it.”
Lu Yuxi looked at the lamb spine and licked her lips. “This thing is like a big bone stick. It should be very satisfying to chew it. The meat is stuck to the bone and you can peel them with your teeth. This process makes me understand why dogs like to chew bones. It really gives you a sense of accomplishment.”
Her final sentence of a strange analogy amused Xu Le. He frowned and said, “What?”
“Do you need any more ingredients? I’ll prepare them for you!”
In order to eat the lamb spine pot faster, Lu Yuxi rubbed her hands excitedly to help.
Xu Le blanched the processed lamb spine and put some ginger slices and yellow wine on it. He turned on the fire and removed the foam on the water surface.
He said, “Pepper granules, cumin granules, a spoonful of fennel, three aniseeds, a piece of cinnamon, four fragrant leaves, two tsaokos… Oh right, bring another piece of orange peel over.”
Lu Yuxi had watched him cook for a long time and was gradually able to distinguish many spices. After gathering them with great difficulty, she handed them over and did not forget to complain. “With so many spices, even if you stir-fry a shoe cushion, it will be delicious.”
Xu Le retorted casually, “Then find a shoe cushion and I’ll cook it for you.”
He poured some oil into the pan. There was no need to heat it up. Various spices were then poured in. After producing a fragrance over a small fire, the ingredients was poured through a layer of gauze.
In this way, the gauze would be able to filter out the spices. He also used the hemp rope to tie the opening, so that he could throw the bag of ingredients into the soup to cook and there would not be any wastage.
The oil was soaked with the smell of spices. When it was heated up again, the fragrance filled the kitchen. Xu Le cut a piece of specially prepared hotpot base and threw it in. After it was stir-fried, he added dried chili and onions.
Then, he poured the lamb spine that had been blanched into water and stir-fried it. When the surface was covered with a layer of spicy oil, he added water inside.
The water submerged the lamb spine. Then, he threw the spice bag into the pot and covered it with a pot lid to stew it.
Taking advantage of this moment, Xu Le used the opportunity to slice the radish into pieces and even prepared bean skin and enoki mushrooms.
After the lamb spine boiled in the pot, he threw the radish into the pot. After the radish was stewed until it tasted soft, it was the same as the radish in oden. They were soft and sticky, and had fully absorbed the soup.
Having done this, Xu Le felt that it was enough. He just needed to wait patiently. Just as he closed the lid of the pot, he heard a commotion outside.
When he came out of the kitchen, he saw Sun Zhi arguing with his sister. He quickly walked over.
“I’ve already said that I’m not lending. I don’t care who you are.”
Sun Zhi hugged the card in his hand and retreated. He said, “You’re just a kid. I’m not playing with you.”
“Hmph.”
Xu Tian was pretty and sweet-talking. She was pampered everywhere she went and this was the first time she had been neglected. She was so angry that her little face trembled.
She turned around and said, “I’m the one who’s not playing with you!”
Xu Le squatted down and tried to be the mediator. “Why are you two fighting?”
Xu Tian snorted. “He has so many cards. I asked him to give me one, but he refused.”
Sun Zhi was holding a treasured game card that he had saved up from the convenience store. He was pouting so much that his lips were about to reach the sky as he said, “This is the card that I exchanged by treating my classmate to cold noodles. Why should I give it to you for free?”
Just as Xu Le was about to correct his sister’s actions, Auntie Liu hurriedly put down her mop and rushed out. “Sun Zhi, you’re a big kid now. You have to give in to a little child. Furthermore, you’re eating junk food behind my back again. Those mobile food stalls are covered in dust and the oil they used must be from the gutter. Why do you like food like that!”
“No such thing.”
Xu Le quickly stopped Auntie Liu and said seriously to his younger sister, “No matter how many cards Sun Zhi has, those are his personal belongings. They are also his favorite things. Tian Tian, think about it. You definitely don’t want to give your favorite things to others, right?”
Xu Le patiently tried to reason with Xu Tian. She thought for a while and finally understood. She nodded seriously and said, “I also won’t like that.”
Then, she added, “I won’t give my brother to anyone else!”
Xu Le, who was about to reason with her, choked on his words. He felt his heart being struck and a warm feeling spread throughout his body. He opened his mouth and could not help but smile.
Lu Yuxi corrected her from the side. “Your brother is not a thing.”
Her words sounded wrong when she said that. She added, “No, your brother is definitely not an object. He’s human.”
Xu Le patted his sister’s shoulder and said to Sun Zhi, “I’ll make you grilled cold noodles. Can you give my sister a few cards?”
When Sun Zhi heard that Xu Le wanted to cook for him, he immediately nodded and said, “Alright, I can share it with you even if you don’t make food for me. But I don’t know her, that’s why I didn’t want to give it to her.”
The child was nervous and innocent.. When Xu Tian heard this, the gloominess on her face disappeared.