Sheng Ning’an: "Looking down on whom?"
Just as Xu Weiran was about to speak, he heard the girl add, "But really, I can’t cook, so I only picked this." She thought this was the easiest to make, and if all else failed, it could be eaten raw.
She expected Xu Weiran to laugh at her, but to her surprise, he just curved the corners of his lips and said, "That’s great, we’re going to cook ourselves in a bit. Do you want to join us?"
Sheng Ning’an’s eyes lit up involuntarily: "Can I?"
The homeroom teacher said to do it themselves; he didn’t say they couldn’t ask for outside help.
Xu Weiran: "Should be no problem."
"Then wait for me for a moment."
Sheng Ning’an ran back, picked some more vegetables and said, "Now we’re ready, let’s go!"
The clay stoves were at the end of the Ecological Garden, a large area specifically set up for team gatherings and activities.
The homeroom teacher was already waiting there. Considering not everyone knew how to cook, he didn’t assign tasks but asked everyone to form groups freely.
In any case, the base wouldn’t prepare extra meals for everyone. Whatever they managed to cook, that’s what they’d have to eat.
Apart from the vegetables everyone picked, the base had also prepared other ingredients, all processed and just waiting to be cooked.
Besides, they had invited a professional chef to demonstrate for everyone.
Cooking might look easy, but when it came to their turn, each and every one of them was at a loss.
From time to time, you could hear exclamations from all over the place, either from oil splattering from the pan or from burnt dishes. At this rate, fearing that many would only get to eat plain rice for dinner.
However, it was a different scene at Sheng Ning’an’s side.
The research institute’s guys were also at the clay stoves, starting their own fire, busy as a hive of activity.
After she and Tang Dou had helped wash the vegetables, they were sent to sit aside.
Sheng Ning’an saw Xu Weiran wrap an apron around himself and couldn’t help but approach him: "Are you going to cook yourself?"
"What else? You are my guests, after all."
Sheng Ning’an: "And here I thought your hands were only good for experiments."
Xu Weiran said, "Then you’d better watch closely. My hands are skilled at a lot more than that!"
Sheng Ning’an was skeptical at first, but when Xu Weiran skillfully started frying some meat, seasoning and simmering it on low heat, and then quickly stir-fried two dishes of vegetables, she believed he really could cook.
When the aromatic braised pork was ready, not only was she surprised, but the others were also taken aback: "This is the first time we’re tasting Ran’s cooking.">
"Yeah, yeah, it’s our first time learning that comrade Sheng can cook. It looks like we’re in for a treat today."
As the dish was ready to be served, Xu Weiran picked up a piece with chopsticks and offered it to her mouth: "Want to try it first?"
"Isn’t that a bit inappropriate?" Sheng Ning’an was tempted by the aroma, but she was worried about being seen by the others.
Xu Weiran’s smile was gentle: "Don’t worry, even if someone sees, they won’t mind."
Sheng Ning’an looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention to them, finally couldn’t resist the enticing aroma and bit off the piece of meat from the chopsticks.
It indeed was pork from a free-range pig cooked on a clay stove, a completely different flavor from what she usually had—sweet and tender, melting in the mouth. It was ridiculously delicious.
"How is it? Is the flavor alright?"
Sheng Ning’an nodded vigorously, it was more than alright.
She had to admit he was truly remarkable; there seemed nothing that could stump him.