Food: Random stalls, customers chase me all over the country

Chapter 627 - Return to Erbin
"Ahhh! I don't want to go to this crappy class for even a single day! Working from 8am to 9pm every day, this is like living like an animal!"

"Ah! Don't fools have good fortune? I'm almost exhausted, but why am I just getting fatter?"

"I don't want to get up early, I don't want to go to work, I just want to sleep, woooooo!"

“Even the donkeys in the production team didn’t dare use them like this!”

It is now the end of December, and Wang Fan has picked up Zhuo Qianqian and headed straight to the Northeast. Kainan University has a staggered winter vacation policy, so those who live far away can take exams early and have vacation early. There are few people in the school who live farther away than Zhuo Qianqian.

There were still quite a lot of cars on the road at this time, but from time to time you could see a few heads sticking out of the car windows, cursing loudly.

Perhaps it was because they had entered the Northeast, the vast snow-covered scenery on both sides of the highway allowed these people to completely release the work pressure that had been accumulating for a long time.

Those complaints are like tears and every word is full of blood and tears. It really makes people cry and feel sad. It is a living tragic history of working people.

"Wow, I feel like there's so much resentment. If ghosts see me going out in the middle of the night, they'll probably have to stay away."

Zhuo Qianqian sighed.

Wang Fan said, "There's nothing we can do. Most bosses in China have a slave-owner mentality. I pay you and you have to work. If you don't work or work overtime, they will feel they've lost out, regardless of whether you've completed your tasks or not."

"Isn't that pure cattle and horses?"

Wang Fan sighed and thought about his past life.

oxen and horses?

How dare I compare myself with cattle and horses?
Although cows have great endurance and strength and can do heavy work, they can't actually do much work because they are slow; although horses can pull and run, they have poor endurance and have to lie down and rest after getting tired after a short amount of work.

Moreover, cattle and horses must eat well, live well, and not get sick. Only healthy cattle and horses can be used by their owners.

But what about the workers?

They eat little, live poorly, are able to work, are highly efficient, rarely or even never rest, and continue to work even when they are sick.

Cows and horses need ropes to pull them and need whipping to keep working, but workers only need to whip themselves. They even spend their own money to buy coffee and red moo to refresh themselves and make their work more efficient...

"If it weren't for the pressure of life, the workers would have gone crazy long ago."

"Oh, how pitiful..."

Wang Fan nodded in agreement.

There's always something hateful about a pitiful person, but that doesn't apply to workers. The boss's bad habits were indeed cultivated by the workers, but what's the workers' fault? They just don't want to lose their jobs. Even if this job is busy and low-paying, it's still better than having no job at all, right?

Wang Fan suddenly became interested in Shen Teng's proposal.

It doesn’t matter whether he makes a lot of money or not. He just wants to provide workers with more employment options to the best of his ability.

"Shen Teng told me before that he wanted me to invest my technology in a condiment factory, and he would oversee the opening of one. I used to think it was too much trouble, but now I think it might be a good idea. First, I can make some condiments with real ingredients for them, and second, it can create more jobs. I'll make an agreement with Shen Teng in advance that the working hours must be as flexible as possible. What do you think?"

Zhuo Qianqian thought for a moment and said, "I don't think it's a big problem. First, Shen Teng's family has a solid foundation, so opening a factory won't be a problem. Second, the recipe you've prepared is definitely a rare commodity. As long as the price is fair and the taste is good, coupled with adequate publicity, it will quickly become a hit. If you add your halo effect, the speed of success will be greatly accelerated. However, this will tie you more closely to the factory, and if something goes wrong, your reputation will be tarnished."

"Well, forget it, I'll talk to Shen Teng later."

Wang Fan has not accepted any new tasks for the time being. He spent a rather busy time in Northeast China at the beginning of the year, so he has to have a good time traveling and having fun this year.

Knowing that the two were going home today, the second uncle didn't go to the store. Before the two of them had even sat down, Liu Hehe and Liu Zhaofeng, brother and sister, came to the door.

The two of them stood at the door with a bunch of gifts in their hands and smiles on their faces: "Second Uncle, Brother Fan, we are here to visit you."

Second uncle said quickly: "Why are you bringing so many things when you're here? Come in quickly."

Wang Fan took the item and put it aside: "You two are well-informed. I just arrived and you guys came right after me."

These two people were the first friends Wang Fan met in his hometown. When he was not at home, they often came to his second uncle's store. Wang Fan was naturally very grateful to them.

Liu Hehe chuckled, "I passed by my second uncle's shop this morning and saw that it wasn't open. I knew something was up today. Plus, your car was so conspicuous, someone posted on Weibo shortly after you entered Erbin."

Then he looked at Zhuo Qianqian, who was a little taller than him, and exclaimed, "Is this the boss lady? She's so pretty!"

Zhuo Qianqian wasn't shy either, and said confidently, "Hello, I'm Zhuo Qianqian. I often hear my boss mention you, saying that you two are his best friends back home."

Liu Hehe was very happy when he heard it: "That must be the best, boss lady, we have arrived in the Northeast, there is nothing to say, just listen to my arrangements, after lunch we will find a place to play."

When Liu Zhaofeng heard his elder sister's words, he quickly pulled her aside and said, "Sister! Don't be so confident! Have you forgotten that we are now my stepmother's children?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian looked at Liu Zhaofeng in confusion.

Liu Zhaofeng sighed, "Aren't the little princesses from the south heading north again? We, the children from our own family, are no match for them. We have to go to many places after them. I'm afraid my sister will brag too much and then fail to achieve her goals."

Upon hearing this, Liu Hehe cried out in dismay, "Brother Wang, you don't know. Every winter, Erbin is in such a mess. I thought it would only be like this at the beginning of this year, but I underestimated them! You know that one-piece carpet on Central Avenue last year? They changed it this year. They were worried that the edges wouldn't stick evenly, so they switched to carpeting the individual steps. I was thinking since the little princesses weren't here yet, we could go up there and try it out. Guess what?"

"What's wrong?"

Looking at Liu Hehe's uncomfortable expression as if he was constipated, Wang Fan almost laughed out loud.

"They just laid two steps! They said they were going to test it out first to see if it works! They're experimenting on us locals!"

Wang Fan quickly comforted them, "Alright, alright. They've come all this way, so I'm worried they'll have a bad experience. You two stay here, I'll go make dinner. I'll turn my anger into appetite and eat more."

As soon as these words were spoken, Liu Hehe's bitter and resentful expression immediately changed, as bright as the sunshine after the rain.

"Hey, Mom is waiting for you to say this, Brother Wang. Just two simple ones will be fine. Don't do more than that."

Wang Fan asked the two, "Is there anything you want to eat?"

Liu Hehe quickly raised his hand: "Brother Wang, I saw the Typhoon Shelter Fried Shrimp you posted before. I don't really like eating shrimp. Can you make Typhoon Shelter Fried Crab? I'll go buy it now."

Liu Zhaofeng didn't want to miss this rare opportunity, so he quickly said, "Brother Wang, I've always wanted to try the crispy large intestine from Cantonese cuisine. Can you cook this dish?"

Wang Fan nodded and said, "I know how to cook. We bought some crabs on our way back. Please sit for a while. It will be ready soon." He entered the kitchen, and Liu Hehe pulled Zhuo Qianqian aside to chat: "Where are you planning to go this afternoon, Madam? Do you have any plans?"

Zhuo Qianqian said happily, "Let's go for a stroll on the street today. I heard there are a lot of places to check in and take photos here. Do you have time tomorrow? We want to go ice skating, let's go and have some fun together."

After saying that, she added, "Sister, just call me Qianqian. It feels awkward to call me the boss lady."

"Okay, it's obvious that girls from the north are generous. We're on vacation now, and we can accompany you wherever you want to go. We'll make sure you have a good time and feel the warmth of home."

Zhuo Qianqian laughed and said, "I'm a Western girl, hahaha."

Both of them are very extroverted and became close very quickly. If you didn’t know them, you would think they were good friends who had known each other for many years.

Wang Fan also started to get busy. His second uncle wanted to help, but was pushed out of the kitchen by Wang Fan. It was just a meal for 5 people, so he really needed help?
People in Northeast China generally have the habit of storing vegetables and meat. As soon as Wang Fan opened the refrigerator, he found ready-made large intestines.

Large intestine is one of the few ingredients that chefs from all over the world can agree on. The consensus is how to clean the large intestine. Salt plus starch or other flour-based foods are the key factors in cleaning.

Cut off 30 centimeters of the two large intestine heads, turn them over and carefully clean out the grease inside, but not completely, leaving a small part.

Then add cornstarch and salt and knead carefully to remove all impurities and avoid eating the original flavor.

As for the smell, forget about cleaning it out completely.

Stir-fry ginger and scallions, rice wine and water, bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon, and peppercorns. After boiling, wait for the aroma of the spices to be released before putting the pig intestines into the pot. This step needs to be cooked for at least 45 minutes, which is just enough time for him to prepare the crabs and other side dishes.

You can't just make two dishes when someone orders two. That's not the way northerners treat guests.

After all the ingredients were prepared, Wang Fan began to prepare the crispy water for making crispy pig intestines.

After thoroughly mixing white vinegar, Zhejiang red vinegar, cornstarch, maltose and egg white, take out the cooked pig intestines and use a hair dryer to dry the surface.

Then soak it in crispy water for a while, take it out again and blow dry it with a hair dryer.

There is no rush to put the large intestine into the pot, but instead hang it aside first. The only thing left for this dish is the final frying and plating. If it is made now, it will be cold by the time you eat it.

The dishes prepared by Wang Fan are relatively solid. Crispy pork intestines and fried crab in typhoon shelter are Cantonese cuisine, Mapo tofu and boiled pork slices are Sichuan cuisine, stewed chicken with mushrooms and sweet and sour pork are Northeastern cuisine, chopped pepper fish head is Hunan cuisine, and fried double crisps are Shandong cuisine.

Not to mention ordinary restaurants, even large-scale restaurants may find it difficult to put these delicious dishes together.

This is also thanks to my second uncle who took into account that he had a great chef when he was renovating the house. The stove and other facilities are all of restaurant standard. If it were an ordinary stove, these dishes might not be cooked until evening.

Seeing Wang Fan fill a large table with dishes in an instant like magic, the brother and sister almost popped their eyes out.

"Good boy, if someone didn't know this, they would think you were using pre-prepared food, Brother Wang."

"Don't tell me, sis, if pre-made meals were this good, I would definitely buy them without hesitation."

"Hehehe, I'm in for a treat today. Brother Wang, can I take a picture?"

Wang Fan smiled and said, "Go ahead and take pictures. Just treat it like your own home. Don't be polite. After you're done, wash your hands and have dinner."

The second uncle took a deep breath and praised, "I don't know who you inherited your cooking skills from. Even if we tied up all the chefs in Erbin, they wouldn't be able to cook this table of dishes."

Wang Fan laughed heartily: "That must be something you inherited from your second uncle. If you had studied cooking back then, you would have become one of the top ten chefs in China."

Liu Hehe, Liu Zhaofeng and Zhuo Qianqian all took out their mobile phones and started taking pictures. Soon, the second uncle also joined the photo-taking army.

The table full of dishes is not only extremely rich, but also has impeccable color, aroma and taste. I’m sure many of my friends will be envious when I post it on my circle of friends.

Especially when I saw the super good looks of the two dishes ordered by my sister and brother, I couldn’t help but drool while taking pictures.

Liu Zhaofeng couldn't wait to pick up a piece of crispy pig intestines.

Unlike the usual way of cutting large intestines, Wang Fan cut it from the middle after splitting it. There were some cracks on the reddish-brown skin, and a faint crisp sound could be heard when picking it up with chopsticks. It goes without saying that it must be extremely crispy.

Under the reddish-brown skin is white, tender and thick intestine meat. When you smell it close to your nose, you can smell a strong sweet fragrance mixed with the hint of seasoning. The taste of the large intestine itself is integrated into it, which not only does not affect the overall smell, but instead evokes a hint of instinctive desire.

"Click..."

The sound is not loud but extremely crisp. The perfect cooking allows only a thin layer of crispy coating to form on the surface. When you press your teeth down again, you can feel the tender and smooth meat.

It’s salty, sweet, and slightly sour, mixed with the aroma of deep-frying. Every bite is filled with rich and mellow meaty flavor.

"Wow... I really can't describe Brother Wang's cooking skills in words."

After savoring it for a long time, Liu Zhaofeng couldn't help but give a thumbs up in praise.

Wang Fan smiled and said, "If you like eating, eat more. And you don't have to be so restrained when eating. Look at your sister, she's very relaxed."

Liu Zhaofeng turned his head and felt like running away when he saw the way his sister was eating. What girl would go to someone else's house as a guest and grab a crab leg in each hand and chew it fiercely?

Seeing his embarrassment, the second uncle laughed and stuffed half a shiny red crab into his mouth: "Don't be shy, there are no outsiders here, just eat the same way you eat at home."

Liu Zhaofeng felt a little embarrassed, but when he turned around and saw that Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian were also eating in a relaxed manner, he stopped being reserved and showed his generosity as a Northeasterner.

Eight dishes for five people is definitely not a small amount, and Wang Fan's dishes are also very generous. However, after a fierce battle, there are basically no dishes on the table except for the piles of crab shells.

The five people rubbed their stomachs and leaned back in their chairs, feeling unwilling to even move a finger.

"Brother Wang, I feel that your cooking skills have improved a lot this time. You are definitely a god-level chef."

"I think so too. I feel like every dish has touched the core of my taste buds. This is the first time I've eaten so much."

"Luckily, Brother Wang isn't staying home all the time. Otherwise, I'd be thinking about coming over every day to eat for free, and wouldn't that make me gain weight?"

"If this kid were at home every day, I'd probably gain weight. Even someone who doesn't gain weight wouldn't be able to handle eating like this every meal, right?"

There is snow outside and steam inside the house. Chatting after eating and drinking is always comfortable and warm.

This is the feeling that only home can provide.

(End of this chapter)