Rebirth 1977 Great Era

Chapter 646: Good days at home, eating meat in the second year of working in the production team in Gansu

While Fang Ning was still sighing in his heart, Professor Zhu and his wife had already opened the curtain and walked in carrying large and small plates of food.

Professor Zhu also shouted:
"Here comes the dumplings!"

This sound immediately brought Fang Ning back to his senses.

I saw Professor Zhu and his family coming in carrying dumplings.

My mother, He Huiru, took this opportunity to introduce Fang Ning to her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law, all of whom spoke in Fangyan.

In fact, I had already told Fang Ning about this on the way.

But this is the first time we meet.

The two sides greeted each other in a friendly manner, and then Fang Ning took the initiative to run to the kitchen to help serve the dishes.

It must be said that the food at home today really made Fang Ning drool.

When I was working in the countryside in Wuwei, Gansu, the food was not so good.

Even if you are sick and hospitalized, it is impossible to eat such delicious food in the hospital.

Although Fang Ning felt that he was not a person who cared much about food, when he came to the kitchen today and saw these exquisite dishes, he couldn't help but think of what kind of life he lived when he was in the queue.
Seeing the curly twice-cooked pork made from large slices of pork belly, the golden steamed spareribs coated with flour, and the large chunks of braised fish coated with red oil, Fang Ning felt almost dizzy from the aroma.

I originally thought that being able to have a meal of dumplings was already pretty good, but I didn't expect that the kitchen was like the imperial kitchen, and every dish was so delicious and tempting.

The eldest sister walked past Fang Ning carrying something, and she couldn't help but ask:

"The conditions of the Third Family are so good?"

In fact, most of these things were purchased by the eldest sister, and Fangyan was only responsible for cooking. However, the eldest sister did not explain these, and said with a smile:

"Well, at least we're not poor. Don't you think about how poor a person who appears in the newspapers every other day can be?"

"Even if he wants to, others may not allow it."

Hearing her elder sister say this, Fang Ning nodded thoughtfully.

Then the elder sister said to her:
"You, you finally came back, so stop worrying about it. Have a good meal and tell us what you've been through over the years."

Fang Ning nodded:
"Okay, I'm also curious about what you guys have been through...especially the third brother!" She emphasized at the end.

If she had to say who she was most curious about right now, it would definitely be Fangyan.

Then all the food was served on the table, with more than a dozen dishes in total.

The family gathered together, and the father took out a pot of rice wine and poured it for all the adults except Zhu Lin.

I hugged Laoliu, whom I hadn't seen for a long time, and treated him like a treasure.

But the child was so sleepy that she fell asleep again in a daze after being woken up. In the end, I had no choice but to put her back in the room to sleep.

After coming back, Fangyan announced the start of the meal.

After all, this courtyard is his territory. Although his family did not say it explicitly, Fangyan is basically regarded as the head of the family. After all, he is the eldest son. Now that he is married and an adult, there is nothing wrong with him being the head of the family.

But this scene made Fang Ning feel dazed for a while.

The last time we met, Fangyan was still a little kid, but now he is married and independent.

However, although Fangyan is the tacit head of the family, he still gave face to his father at today's banquet.

After the meal starts, let dad speak the first sentence.

Dad was not polite. He picked up the wine glass and said to everyone:

"Today is not only the Little New Year, but also the day for our family to reunite. Today, the last person in the family finally returns to the city. This is a day worth remembering, so I suggest that we all have a drink."

"I wish all of us good health, smooth work, happy family and harmony in the future!"

Everyone at the table raised their glasses and clinked them together.

Even Zhu Lin, who couldn't drink alcohol, drank tea instead of wine to show his appreciation.

After drinking, Fangyan asked everyone to start eating.

After a busy day, everyone was very hungry. Normally, dinner on holidays would be around 5:00-6:00. Now it was almost half past six, and many people were starting to feel hungry, especially the children. If Fangyan hadn't given them candy in the afternoon, they would have been starving by now.

The second sister Fang Ning picked up a piece of twice-cooked pork with chopsticks. The shiny meat slices glowed attractively under the bright lights in the main hall. There were burnt spots on the brown-red skin, which was slightly curled up around, with a layer of translucent fat in the middle, and the lean meat texture on the edge was clear.

She couldn't wait to put it in her mouth. She first felt the softness of the fat part. With a light sip, the fat burst between her teeth. The rich and mellow aroma instantly filled her entire mouth, fragrant but not greasy. Then the chewy texture of the lean meat came. The meat was firm but tender. Every fiber was full of the flavor of the sauce. It was salty and fragrant with a slight sweetness and spiciness. The taste slid down her throat and warmed her heart.

"How is it, second sister, am I okay with my cooking skills?" Fang Yan asked his second sister.

The elder sister chewed and nodded repeatedly, and said vaguely:
"Hmm...hmm...ok!" Then the second sister ate three slices of twice-cooked pork in a row and didn't feel sick at all.

At this time, Zhu Lin saw his second sister like this, and immediately brought her another plate of preserved vegetable braised pork, and said with a smile:

"Second sister, try Fangyan's cooking. This is the authentic method he learned in Sichuan."

Fang Ning took a look and saw more than a dozen slices of braised pork neatly stacked on the porcelain plate in front of her. Each slice was cut to an even thickness. The dark brown skin was shiny, as if it had been carefully polished by time, with fine lines printed on it. Under the skin were slices of fat and lean meat. The lean part was bright red and attractive, with clearly visible textures, while the fat part was as crystal clear as white jade, making her salivate at the sight.

Between the slices of meat is a layer of shiny black preserved vegetables. The preserved vegetables have absorbed the fat from the meat, becoming moist and soft, and exuding a unique salty and fragrant aroma, which blends with the aroma of the meat to form an irresistible and tempting fragrance.

Just the appearance of the dish made Fang Ning unable to stop drooling.

She said:
"When did the third brother's craftsmanship become so good?"

After saying that, he picked up a piece of braised pork and put it into his mouth.

First, you feel the soft and elastic texture of the skin, which seems to dance on the tip of your tongue. It breaks with a light bite. Then, the rich fat of the fat instantly bursts in your mouth, and the rich aroma instantly fills your entire mouth, but it doesn't feel greasy at all.

Then, as you chew, the firmness and chewiness of the lean meat are revealed, and every fiber is full of the salty fragrance of the pickled vegetables and the fresh aroma of the meat, the more you chew, the more delicious it becomes.

Paired with a bite of soft and rotten preserved vegetables, the salty and slightly sweet flavor of the preserved vegetables blends perfectly with the meaty aroma. The rich layering makes the taste buds immersed in an unprecedented feast.

This made Fang Ning dazed, and he muttered:

"No, no! Why do all the dishes smell so good?!"

She almost thought she was dreaming, and secretly twisted her leg with her hands until it hurt. Only then did she come to her senses and realize that everything she saw was real.

She asked in dialect:

"Lao San, are you working as a chef in Sichuan?"

Fangyan prepared a large bowl of braised pig's trotters with soybeans for the second sister and placed it in front of her, saying:
"I'm not a chef. Cooking is just my hobby. I learned some cooking skills from others and thought I would show my skills to everyone if I have the chance."

"Come on, try this."

Knowing that his second sister was suffering outside and had little money, Fangyan put whatever was most profitable on the table in front of her.

The dialects of these dishes have also been thought through.

The second sister originally wanted to say a few words to Fangyan, but she had no choice but to look at the bowl full of roasted pig's trotters with soybeans. The color was bright red and attractive. The pig's trotters were roasted to a bright golden red, and the skin was slightly wrinkled, as if it was wrapped in a layer of amber. Under the light, it was shiny and glossy. She felt that it would be unfair to the dish if she spoke at this time.

My eyes seemed to be locked on the dish and I couldn't move them away. I saw that the soybeans next to the pig's trotter had absorbed the soup and became round and plump. The color also changed from the original light yellow to a brown-yellow color similar to the pig's trotter soup. And the fragrance was so strong that it kept going straight into my nose.

It was the rich aroma of meat that I hadn't smelled for a long time, a taste that only appears in dreams when you are short of food and oil.

Fang Ning felt a little overwhelmed. She was not a foodie, but the food she had today was so delicious.

It has a light aroma of soy sauce, mixed with the unique bean aroma of soybeans, and mixed with some spicy aroma of Chinese medicinal spices that you have never seen before. These aromas are intertwined together, making people's stomachs burst with greed.

Fang Ning swallowed and wanted to say something, but suddenly found that he couldn't remember anything.

Never mind! Let’s eat first!
She picked up a piece of meat with chopsticks and couldn't wait to take a bite. She first touched the soft and chewy pig skin, and her teeth sank into it. She could feel its toughness with a light pull. After biting it open, the rich collagen brought a full sticky feeling, which was a feeling she had never enjoyed when she was sent to work in the countryside.

When you bite into the meat, you will find that the lean part is tender and juicy, and the texture is filled with rich soup. You can feel the meaty aroma spreading in your mouth with every bite.

The fat part melts in your mouth, and the aroma of the fat instantly spreads in your mouth without making you feel greasy.

Paired with a bite of soybeans, the soft and glutinous soybeans and the fresh fragrance of pig's trotters complement each other. The soybeans absorb the greasiness of the pig's trotters, and the taste becomes more mellow.

The younger brother standing by was shocked by the way the second sister ate. It was as if she had been hungry for hundreds of years and then let out.

He couldn't help but ask his second sister:

"Second sister, you were in Gansu and joined the team. What did you usually eat?"

Fang Ning felt that his eating habits might be a bit exaggerated, so he stopped what he was doing, wiped his mouth and said:
"When we first arrived in Wuwei, our staple food was mostly grains. Cornmeal steamed bread was a common food. Our rations were calculated based on work points, with men getting more and women getting less. We had 30 kilograms of raw grain a month, which was only about 20 kilograms after shelling, which was not enough. Wuwei had a high potato production, so potatoes became our "life-saving food". We steamed, boiled, and baked potatoes. I felt like vomiting when I smelled them. Boiling potatoes was usually the easiest way. We just put them in a pot and cooked them, then dipped them in salt and ate them..."

"In addition to these, there is also rice water... When I first came into contact with rice water, the sour taste was really hard to accept."

"But after a while, I fell in love with the sour soup noodles made with rice water. I put the noodles in the sour soup, sprinkled some chopped green onions and coriander on them, and after drinking the hot sour soup noodles, I felt comfortable all over."

"In winter, we would pickle sauerkraut by stacking the cabbage layer by layer in a jar, sprinkling salt on it, and waiting for it to slowly ferment..."

The eldest sister asked curiously:
"Can we eat meat during the New Year and other festivals?"

After hearing this question, the second sister paused, as if she was lost in memory, and then she said:
"It was the second year of my joining the production team. Before the Spring Festival, the production team slaughtered a pig. That was the first time I ate meat after arriving in Wuwei."

"The meat was divided per person, with each person getting a small piece. The person who distributed the meat took care of me and cut a piece with more fat and less lean meat."

"I held the piece of meat, and my hands were shaking..."

(End of this chapter)