Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 114 Give Me a Bowl

After removing the cotton padding, Chen Fan was about to bring up the basket containing cured meat and fish.

But when it came time to move it, she hesitated for a moment, put it back on the back of the cart, and went over to help Jiang Lili serve the armored fish.

Meat is hard to buy these days, mainly because people in the countryside have difficulty getting meat coupons. If he can sell the turtle meat, he won't be short of money for the time being, and he'll keep the meat for himself.

At this point, steam had begun to rise from the pot, but it was still a long way from boiling.

First, place two bamboo steaming racks in the pot, placing them directly above the water.

Jiang Lili was using a bamboo tube to hold the fish meat, weighing it each time she filled it, and then pouring it into another bamboo tube.

Chen Fan said one bowl for one jin, and she really did put in the ingredients according to the standard of one jin for one bowl.

Seeing her expression, Chen Fan couldn't help but wipe away a cold sweat. "Hey, Xiao Jiang, just use this bowl as a standard. When it looks about right, just pour it over. If you're worried about it being too little, just add two more pieces of meat. Why go through all this trouble weighing it every time?"

Jiang Lili looked up and blinked. "Oh right, so that's how it can be done."

Seeing her adorable expression, Chen Fan couldn't help but burst into laughter. As her face turned from white to red, he quickly shut his mouth and started packing with her.

Soon, bamboo bowls were stacked in the pot, and the turtle meat in the wooden bucket was almost gone.

However, after filling 96 bowls, there were still about a dozen bowls left in the bucket. Chen Fan didn't plan to sell them. He would heat them up on the spot later and give some to Captain Yang and Master Liu for lunch.

After the bamboo bowls were filled, before the water even boiled, a large crowd had already gathered in front of the stall.

"Master, what kind of meat are you selling?"

"What a strong fishy smell! Could it be turtle meat?"

"They even sell turtle meat? Is that even edible?"

"You're probably from out of town, aren't you? A Master Chen came to Lujiawan and taught them how to cook soft-shelled turtle. I heard it's incredibly delicious, and that one turtle is as good as two chickens. Now every household in Lujiawan is eating soft-shelled turtle. Hey, Master, are you from Lujiawan?"

Chen Fan busied himself moving the cured fish into the cured meat basket, then picked up the empty basket, checked it to make sure it wasn't dirty, wiped it clean, and then turned it upside down to use as a pot lid, firmly covering the dozens of bowls of turtles in the pot.

The pot is quite big, but unfortunately the basket isn't tall enough, so I can only steam it in batches.

Hearing the man's question, he smiled and said, "I am from Lujiawan."

He then raised his voice and said to the others, "Whether this is delicious or not is not for me to say. Only those who have tasted it after the water boils and it's steamed can give their opinion."

After saying that, he squatted down and added firewood to the earthen stove.

Today, he brought firewood specifically for his stall; it burned even longer than cotton stalks, and this large bundle could last a long time.

As soon as two pieces of firewood were added, flames immediately shot up and even burst out from the gaps between the pot and the stove, and a wave of heat quickly spread out.

Some people who came to the market very early had already walked around the lake. When they saw someone selling cooked food, including soft-shelled turtles that they had never eaten before, they couldn't help but stop and watch.

Meanwhile, the villagers from Lujiawan chimed in, "This is Master Chen, who taught the whole Lujiawan brigade how to cook soft-shelled turtle. The soft-shelled turtle he makes tastes absolutely amazing, completely different from what we used to make. I guarantee that once you taste it, you'll be talking about it for the rest of your life."

Someone immediately replied, "Is it really that exaggerated? Or are you just bragging?"

Other villagers added, "We people from Lujiawan aren't stupid. Can't we tell if it's good or not? As Master Chen would say, you'll know once you take a bite. Besides, turtle meat is very nutritious. One pound of turtle is equivalent to two pounds of chicken. After eating turtle meat, you won't be able to sleep at night."

"Oh dear, what should I do if I can't sleep?"

"If you want to know, just eat a bowl and go home. Of course, you have to be married; unmarried people shouldn't eat it."

The somewhat explicit remark immediately drew laughter and piqued the interest of many people.

Chen Fan ignored them and focused on tending the fire. Soon, steam began to rise from the steamer.

However, steaming and boiling are different. For the same thing, steaming takes much longer than boiling. It takes at least 10 minutes for the turtle meat in the pot to heat up completely.

While waiting, Chen Fan turned to look at Jiang Lili and asked, "Is there anything you want to buy?"

Jiang Lili gently shook her head. "No."

Chen Fan said, "Since I've come all this way, I'll go shopping later. Maybe I'll find something I want to buy."

Jiang Lili smiled and was about to speak when she suddenly seemed to see something and quickly lowered her head, as if afraid of being discovered.

Seeing her expression, Chen Fan naturally looked up and glanced around, but found nothing unusual. He then asked softly, "What's wrong?" Jiang Lili murmured, "Some of the educated youth from our settlement have come."

Chen Fan frowned. "They bullied you?"

Jiang Lili gently shook her head, "No. It's just..."

It just didn't say what it was.

Chen Fan's eyes flickered slightly, and he immediately understood her concerns.

On the one hand, they feel embarrassed to run into acquaintances, and on the other hand, they are afraid of getting into trouble.

It doesn't matter if he sets up a stall himself, but it can be a big deal if she, a female educated youth with family problems, comes along with him to set up a stall.

No one in Lujiawan spoke up out of consideration for their own feelings, but the educated youth wouldn't.

After a couple of seconds of hesitation, he took out the unused piece of homespun cloth from his bag, unfolded it, and handed it to her, saying softly, "Use this as a headscarf, wrap it around your head and cover your face, and no one will recognize you."

Jiang Lili took it, unfolded it, and draped it over her head, crossing it from the back of her head to cover her face. Soon, only her eyes were visible. With her head down and tending the fire, not only would the other educated youths not recognize her, but even her family members probably wouldn't recognize her.

Chen Fan stood up nonchalantly and looked around.

The people were either chatting or peering into the baskets, and no one noticed what the two of them were doing.

Even if I saw it, it wouldn't be a big deal. It's just helping out with a headscarf, what's the big deal?

As more and more steam rose, the aroma of turtle meat spread out with it, attracting more and more people to the area.

The person who was just saying that turtles were too fishy to eat couldn't help but ask, "Master Chen, how much is this?"

Chen Fan looked up and smiled, “If you go to buy meat, it will cost 8 cents to 1 yuan per pound. This big bowl of mine has a pound of turtle meat, and I’ll cook it for you. Selling it for 1 yuan isn’t too much, is it?”

Upon hearing the price, many people fell silent.

Some people think it's too expensive. Soft-shelled turtles are everywhere, and nobody used to eat them. You're selling them for 1 yuan? Are you robbing people?

Some people think it's reasonable, because a plate of stir-fried pork slices in a restaurant costs less than 3 liang (150 grams) of meat, and it costs 45 cents to serve. That translates to 1.4 to 1.5 yuan per jin (500 grams), not to mention that you also need meat coupons.

If the turtle meat is really as delicious and nutritious as the people of Lujiawan say, it wouldn't be a bad idea to spend 1 yuan to buy some and try it.

Of course, those who held the former idea were basically members of the production team, while those who held the latter idea were naturally employees of units in the town.

This is why Chen Fan hadn't thought of it before, until he heard Captain Yang and the others say that people from the town would also be coming, which made him think of making cooked food.

Ten minutes passed quickly, and Chen Fan lifted the basket, revealing a mountain of bamboo bowls piled up in front of everyone.

At the same time, an aroma ten times stronger than before quickly spread, attracting more and more onlookers.

Chen Fan picked up two bamboo sticks, used them to pick up a piece of meat, and put it in his mouth. After confirming that it was thoroughly heated, he turned around and shouted, "Top-quality turtle meat, one yuan a bowl, first come, first served!"

Some people didn't move an inch, and even took two steps back.

But some people immediately pulled out a dollar and said, "Give me a bowl."

Chen Fan put the money away, stuck a bamboo stick into the bamboo bowl, and handed it to him, saying, "Take this carefully, it's hot."

At that moment, everyone was staring at him.

The man held the bamboo bowl and weighed it in his hands a couple of times. "Ho ho, it's really hot."

He then used his own clothes as a pad, brought it to his mouth, and took a bite.

As soon as the turtle meat touched his lips, his eyes lit up, and he exclaimed, "Delicious!"

Someone nearby shouted, "Is it really delicious?"

The man couldn't stop talking, "It tastes better than chicken."

This caused quite a stir; more than a dozen hands reached out to Chen Fan, shouting, "Give me a bowl!"

(End of this chapter)