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Chapter Fifteen: The Tastiest Chicken
The amazed old man in everyone's eyes smiled cheerfully at everyone. Zhao Pingchuan explained, "My grandfather doesn't like those electronic gadgets. But I do, so he got everything ready for me."
Zhang Qiu immediately felt a deep respect for the old man. The ability to stick to one's principles without imposing them on others was truly admirable.
"Everyone, it's too hot. Turn on the air conditioning and rest in Zhao Pingchuan's room. I'll call you when it's time for lunch."
"Grandpa, we want to cook with you at noon."
Zhang Qiu glanced at the time; it was already eleven o'clock. With so many people around, it was enough trouble for the old man. How could they let an elderly person take care of this group of young and agile individuals? As soon as Zhang Qiu made the suggestion, everyone responded enthusiastically. The old man waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, there's a stove at home. You kids wouldn't know how to use it; let me handle it."
"I can do it!" Jiang Xue cheerfully stepped forward, pointing at the stove nearby. "I know how to use it; I often cook at Auntie's house."
Before the old man could say more, Zhang Qiu and the others took charge. Zhao Pingchuan led Zhang Qiu to the yard to chop firewood while Jiang Xue got ready to start the fire. Liu Fangfei and Rui Rui washed their hands and waited. The old man looked at these energetic children and chuckled, "Alright then, today I'll enjoy being taken care of by you kids."
Despite saying that, the old man didn't sit idle for a moment. Knowing his grandson was coming with friends, he had gone to the market early in the morning to buy meat and vegetables, even killing a live chicken and buying two fish. Liu Fangfei and Rui Rui helped him handle the chicken and duck but were not very skilled at it; they only helped chop vegetables and pour water while the old man took care of the meat himself.
After finishing chopping wood, Zhang Qiu and Zhao Pingchuan each brought in a large bundle and placed it next to the stove. Zhang Qiu helped Jiang Xue light the fire, washed his hands clean, picked up a spatula, and stood by the stove with a slight smile at Jiang Xue. "You handle the fire; I'll cook. We're a perfect couple."
"Working isn't tiring," Wang Jinghan sweetly added.
Liu Fangfei placed chopped scallions, ginger, garlic, and seasonings next to the stove with a smile. "Clever little brother, today's lunch depends on you!"
"Don't worry; if it's not delicious..." Zhang Qiu paused before adding, "then I'll eat it all myself."
"Haha..."
Rui Rui brought over a full bowl of diced pork belly to the stove. Zhang Qiu took it and poured it into a large black iron pot. In no time, the fatty parts began sizzling with oil. Once the surface turned golden brown, Zhang Qiu skillfully added scallions, ginger, and star anise for seasoning, followed by a generous spoonful of soy sauce and half a spoonful of bean paste before adding water and turning up the heat.
With the meat simmering away, the old man took the chicken outside, dug a pit, pulled out a lotus leaf from the cupboard to wrap the chicken in, stuffed unknown seasonings into its belly, covered it with mud, and placed it in the pit to start a fire.
The old man wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled, saying, "Wait for the meat to stew before stir-frying the vegetables. Kids, take a break; there are grapes in the yard. I'll go pick some for you."
"Grandpa, what about the fish? How do we cook it?" Zhang Qiu looked around and found only this one stove; there was no gas stove.
The old man was picking grapes under the trellis. Hearing Zhang Qiu's question, he replied, "You all rest; I'll handle the fish. I'll light the stove in a bit, and we can put another pot on."
Light a fire? Zhang Qiu glanced at the pipe connected to the stove; it was just a common rural fireplace. When lit, it would also warm up the kang in the house, which was an excellent heating aid in winter. But in the sweltering summer, lighting a fire...
"Grandpa, forget it. It's so hot; the kang will be too hot."
Zhao Pingchuan laughed and said, "Brother Qiu, you don't know this. My grandpa lights this stove every season, no matter spring, summer, autumn, or winter. He only sleeps on a warm kang and never complains about the heat."
Zhang Qiu couldn't help but exclaim, "That's amazing."
"Yes, my grandpa is truly amazing." Zhao Pingchuan felt very proud when talking about his grandfather.
The old man came over with a bowl of freshly washed grapes still glistening with water and said, "Here you go, kids. Eat some grapes. I grew them myself—pure and without pesticides; I don't even use fertilizers." He then smiled at Zhang Qiu and Jiang Xue at the stove and said, "You two go rest in Zhao Pingchuan's room. Look at how sweaty you are; I'll take care of the rest. Don't refuse; otherwise, I'll think you dislike me for being old."
Zhang Qiu chuckled and said, "Alright, we'll listen to you and go inside to enjoy the air conditioning. It feels a bit wrong though, haha."
"What's wrong with that? At my grandpa's place, there are no such concerns." The old man laughed happily.
Zhang Qiu, Jiang Xue, Rui Rui, and Liu Fangfei all sat in Zhao Pingchuan's room with the air conditioning set to a comfortable temperature. Before long, the whole room felt cool and pleasant. Zhao Pingchuan smiled and said, "So how is it? Did you expect to have this kind of treatment in the countryside?"
Everyone shook their heads in disbelief. Liu Fangfei exclaimed, "I thought it would be quite miserable here; I didn't expect it to be no different from being in the city—it's even better than in the city! I always heard my dad say farmers have it tough; now it seems some places aren't so bad after all."
"Some places are indeed not bad, but most are still tough." As a farmer himself, Zhao Pingchuan had a lot to say on this topic. He often stayed at his grandpa's house and knew everything about the village well. "For example, those who have air conditioning in the village are mostly young couples who just got married; there are no more than ten households like that among hundreds of families living here."
"In this heat, having air conditioning would be so comfortable. Is it due to lack of money or something?"
"It's a matter of mindset. The elderly have experienced severe material shortages, even times when people starved to death, so they are frugal and reluctant to spend money."
"Once the next generation grows up, this problem will be easily resolved."
Zhao Pingchuan suddenly sighed, "It's not easy for the young people in the countryside to find partners. The girls have all gone off to school or work. The boys in the village are left with no choice but to remain single."
The various issues in rural areas cannot be discussed thoroughly by just a few children. The largest social classes in China are workers and farmers, and our country is a socialist state based on the alliance of workers and farmers. The problems faced by farmers have always been significant; almost every year's government work report mentions them. To address these issues, the government has invested a lot, but it is still far from enough.
Outside, the sound of pots and pans clanging could be heard. Zhang Qiu and others pushed the door open and saw Zhao Pingchuan's grandfather serving meat. The red chunks of meat were bright in color, with clear layers of fat and lean meat, interspersed with wide rice noodles that made it look very appetizing.
Seeing the children come out, the old man smiled and said, "You’re out!"
"We're here, Grandpa. We’ll help you cook."
"Great! I've already stewed the fish. Once you finish cooking the vegetables, we can eat."
There were fresh vegetables available in the yard. Zhang Qiu and Zhao Pingchuan took scissors and a sickle to the garden and soon returned with a bamboo basket full of cucumbers, eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes.
Jiang Xue, Rui Rui, and Liu Fangfei worked together to wash them lightly, cutting them into pieces and strips with great coordination. Suddenly, Zhang Qiu felt a moment of daze, thinking that if these few people lived together, it would be quite nice. But he quickly shook his head to dismiss his wandering thoughts.
At twelve-thirty noon, lunch was served on time. The table was set in an air-conditioned room with a bowl of fragrant braised pork in the center that emitted a rich aroma. On the left was a plate of shredded chicken, while two fish lay on the right side with a light white broth garnished with cilantro floating on top. There were four dishes around: stir-fried three delicacies, braised eggplant, shredded potatoes, and smashed cucumbers.
The old man sat upright beside them. Zhao Pingchuan sighed, "This is my grandfather's first time eating in an air-conditioned room." Zhang Qiu and others felt more respected than before.
Zhang Qiu raised his glass with both hands and said solemnly, "Thank you for your generous hospitality, Grandpa. We collectively toast to you." As soon as Zhang Qiu finished speaking, everyone stood up to raise their glasses. Grandfather waved his hand with a smile: "Sit down! Let’s drink this toast." With that, he downed the spicy liquor without changing color or skipping a beat.
During the meal, they chatted casually. Although there was a significant age gap between the young people and Zhao Pingchuan's grandfather, there was no generational gap in their communication. Zhang Qiu couldn’t help but remember a saying: it's not age that causes generational gaps but rather differing mindsets.
Zhang Qiu's braised pork received unanimous praise; Liu Fangfei gave a thumbs up and said, "I never expected your cooking to be this delicious."
Zhang Qiu chuckled, feeling delighted to receive compliments from a beautiful woman. He began to think about a line from Eileen Chang's "Lust, Caution": "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach; the way to a woman's heart is through her vagina." Could it be that the way to a woman's heart also goes through her stomach?
"Ah!" Jiang Xue suddenly exclaimed, startling Zhang Qiu. He quickly asked, "What happened?"
Jiang Xue pointed at the chicken on the plate and said, "This chicken, this chicken..."
"What about the chicken?"
"This chicken is so delicious! You all have to try it!"
After Jiang Xue finished speaking, Zhang Qiu let out a sigh of relief. "I thought something was wrong; you scared me." He then picked up a piece of chicken and put it in his mouth, instantly freezing in place. No words could describe its taste; even the most beautiful descriptions would pale in comparison. This was definitely the best chicken Zhang Qiu had ever eaten.
Zhao Pingchuan was not surprised by any of this and smiled, saying, "How is it? Isn't it amazing? This is my grandfather's specialty."
"Grandpa, how did you make such delicious chicken?"
Zhang Qiu had a strong curiosity about food and simultaneously thought about how profitable it would be if he could open a restaurant selling this dish. Perhaps this chicken could become the signature dish of White Day Fire. Countless ideas burst into Zhang Qiu's mind in an instant.
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