Chapter 97: Chapter 097: Cooking Personally
Sheng Ning gave a bitter smile. Reborn, she wanted to show off her cooking skills for the first time, but the harsh reality forced her to give up.
After giving her the peanuts, the squad leader thought since they all liked to drink, he might as well make some Drunkard’s Peanuts.
First, he soaked the peanuts in warm water to remove the skins. Then he fried them in oil over low heat until they were golden and scooped them out. He left some oil in the pan to stir-fry dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns until fragrant. Adding the fried peanuts along with salt and sugar, he completed a mouthwatering dish of Drunkard’s Peanuts.
It was a common dish in the Southern households, but rarely seen in the North. When it was ready, the aroma made all the cooks’ mouths water.
“Sheng Ning, how come these peanuts you made smell so good? They’re even better than the ones we buy outside.”
“Yeah, what’s this called?”
“Drunkard’s Peanuts,” Sheng Ning replied without slowing her motions as she began to chop Chinese cabbage.
Fresh Chinese cabbage was common in the North, aside from the beloved pork and vermicelli stew. She wanted to make a dry pot and then thinly shave the cabbage stems, slicing them to create a dish of Jade Soup.
For the potatoes, they were like a staple in the big pot meals—a spicy and sour shredded potato dish that was appetizing and complemented rice perfectly.
She made a cold dish with the carrots.
Sheng Ning finished everything and saw there were still fifteen minutes left. Just as she was about to take a break, a comrade rushed in with a big bag of stuff, looking frantic.
“Squad Leader Zhao, Squad Leader Zhao.”
“Coming, what’s up?” Zhao Fengshou wiped her hands with an apron and walked out.
“Could you help with this? Meng Ping sent it over, for us to take care of.” The comrade shook the bag, and Zhao Fengshou looked down to see it was full of fish, shrimp, and shells—many of bizarre shapes he’d never seen before.
“I heard it’s from the South, some rare goods.” The comrade smiled naively, asking for help, “Could you please help out here? Thanks a lot!”
Zhao Fengshou replied, “Alright! Put it here!”
The happy comrade left, and Zhao Fengshou went looking for Sheng Ning, calling out to her several times without getting a response.
“Sheng Ning, Sheng Ning… what are you spacing out for?” Zhao Fengshou waved his hand in front of her face, and she suddenly snapped back to her senses.
Meng Ping… She had just heard Meng Ping’s name, right? In her past life, she wouldn’t meet him until a year later. Why had the timing moved up a year?
Sheng Ning’s complexion turned as pale as snow, as the name ‘Meng Ping’ stirred her insides like a steel knife—shifting as if her internal organs had been displaced. A surge of intense hatred flashed in her eyes. In her past life, her entire existence had been destroyed by Meng Ping: she got kicked out of the General Union Song and Dance Troupe, abandoned, had a miscarriage… All the schemes, traps, and betrayals by Qin Cuifen ultimately came down to him—he was Qin Cuifen’s accomplice.
The only consolation was that she had taken her revenge; she had stabbed this favored son of heaven three times. She couldn’t take his life, but he had put her in prison for ten whole years.
Zhao Fengshou was chilled by Sheng Ning’s gaze and, in a blink, saw nothing—it must have been a mistake.
“What’s wrong?” Sheng Ning pressed down the turmoil in her heart, striving to keep the calmest expression as she faced him.
“I was hoping you could help with something.” Zhao Fengshou opened the bag to show her, “Somebody sent over some seafood. Us folks from the rural North don’t know how to prepare this. Cooking , it needs your touch.”
“Sorry, I have something else to do later.” She was definitely not going to cook for Meng Ping.
“That’s…” If he’d known, he wouldn’t have agreed, as Meng Ping was not an easy person to deal with.
“Then I’m going now.” Sheng Ning removed her apron, and without waiting for Zhao Fengshou to say anything, she fled.
She had been very diligent helping out in the cafeteria these past days, earning everyone’s unanimous praise. So when she said she had something to do, Zhao Fengshou believed her immediately and didn’t think too much about it; he just had to get started himself.