How did hiring someone to press a pig image during Chinese New Year become a top trend?

Chapter 34 A bowl of pork stew with vermicelli under the watchful eyes of the entire internet: This

The tricycle came to a stop.

The semi-trailer truck, which made noise everywhere except for the horn, finally stopped running under everyone's watchful eyes.

Xu An breathed a sigh of relief.

The ride was so bumpy, my butt felt like it was about to break into four pieces.

He frantically tried to untie the tape binding the rearview mirror.

Those layers of transparent tape were wrapped tightly.

On the screen of the extraordinary master, there was still a withered leaf that had blown in from who knows where.

"Comrade Xu An!"

Li Daguo swept over like a gust of wind.

He glanced at the truck full of supplies.

Those bloodshot eyes, swollen from staying up all night, suddenly shone like a 200-watt light bulb.

"Good heavens!"

"Is this our supply line?"

"That's awesome!"

Li Daguo waved his hand.

"Teams One and Two, suspend excavation!"

"Team Three, Team Four!"

"Everyone has it!"

"Objective: Unload the cargo!"

"implement!"

"yes!"

A group of men wearing safety helmets swarmed around them.

That half of a pig weighed over 100 jin (approximately 50 kg).

In the hands of the two burly men, it was carried into the yard as easily as a chick.

Two large slabs of tofu.

Several bundles of scallions.

There were also rice noodles hanging around Xu An's neck.

It was instantly transferred to the cutting board.

Xu An stood beside the empty truck bed.

He was still clutching the wad of torn tape in his hand.

I was a little stunned.

Is this the efficiency of a professional team?

Even unloading cabbage can feel like a tactical maneuver?

In the live stream room.

The number of online users had quietly surpassed 40 at this point.

The comments were scrolling by incredibly fast, but they were no longer just simple "hahaha".

[ID Cloud Supervisor 007]: Are these the elites of our Huixian Design Institute? They look so handsome even when unloading trucks?

[Third-year student in Civil Engineering]: Hello seniors! I came here to learn technology, but I got hungry just looking at this.

[ID wants to go to Xujia Village]: The blogger's eyes are just like those of a parent who entrusts their child to a special forces soldier, feeling both relieved and afraid.

Xu An came to his senses.

Carrying the phone with adhesive residue, I walked into the yard.

"that……"

"Dean Li."

"We have meat, and we have vegetables too."

"But I'm all alone..."

"I can't cut it all."

Xu An looked at the mountain of ingredients and felt a little worried.

This is enough food for dozens of people.

Just cutting the meat could cripple his wrist.

Li Daguo is looking at the blueprints.

He didn't even look up when he heard that.

He pulled a folding ruler directly from his waist.

"Team Three!"

"Step forward!"

"Assist Comrade Xu An in the pre-processing of ingredients!"

"Require:"

"The meat piece is three centimeters long and three centimeters wide, with an error margin of no more than two millimeters!"

"Potatoes cut into chunks at a 45-degree angle!"

Cut the scallions into sections, each five centimeters long!

"action!"

Xu An was stunned.

The hundreds of thousands of viewers in the live stream were stunned.

There were five engineers wearing glasses and looking rather refined.

He pulled out... from the toolbox

Vernier calipers?

A level?

There's also something that looks like a laser rangefinder?

They walked up to the cutting board.

handwashing.

disinfect.

Then I picked up the kitchen knife.

"Snap!"

A potato was cut open.

An engineer immediately took out a vernier caliper and measured it.

"The cut surface is skewed by 1.5 degrees; correct the knife technique."

"receive."

Another engineer took a level and placed it on a stack of tofu.

"The water level is normal."

"It's time to make the cut."

"Pay attention to the pressure applied to maintain the integrity of the tofu's structure."

Xu An stood to the side.

Holding the cleaver in his hand, he was caught between a dilemma: whether to raise it or put it down.

He felt like he wasn't cooking.

He's building an atomic bomb.

"that……"

"Hey guys."

"That's good enough."

"This is a stew, not a chip manufacturing process."

Xu An offered a weak reminder.

An engineer wearing thick-rimmed glasses looked up.

He pushed up his glasses.

He had a very serious expression on his face.

"Comrade Xu An."

"That's what you don't understand."

"The uniform size of the ingredients ensures consistent heating surface area."

"Only with uniform heating can the perfect blend of flavors be guaranteed."

"This is science."

"That also reflects the meticulousness of our design institute."

Xu An shut up.

We can't talk today.

Is this the romance of STEM guys?

That's too much of a brain drain.

The live stream chat exploded.

[ID: Chinese Academy of Sciences Student]: Holy crap? Is this the legendary dimensional reduction attack? Cutting potatoes with calipers?

[A perk for those with OCD]: This feels so good! Looking at that pile of perfectly uniform chunks of meat, I feel completely satisfied!

[ID New Oriental Chef]: I feel my career is threatened.

【ID Xu An's Kitchen Knife】: Blogger: I often feel out of place because I'm not twisted enough.

Although the process was very hardcore.

But the efficiency is really high.

Less than half an hour.

All the ingredients have been prepared.

They were neatly stacked in several large basins.

Like a square formation waiting to be inspected.

Next.

This is Xu An's home turf.

The door to the kitchen was too narrow, making it difficult to move around freely.

With everyone working together, they placed the large iron pot, which was one meter in diameter, on the makeshift earthen stove in the yard.

This earthen stove was also built on the spot.

The air duct was personally designed by Li Daguo.

It is said that thermal efficiency can be improved by 30%.

Xu An placed the phone stand in a place where it wouldn't get in the way.

I took a deep breath.

Social anxiety is social anxiety.

Once you stand in front of the stove.

That feeling of being in control of the entire situation has returned.

"Start a fire!"

Grandpa sat at the stove opening and struck a match.

The dried jujube wood shavings crackled and popped as they burned in the stove.

Red flames licked the bottom of the pot.

The large black pot slowly began to emit wisps of smoke.

Xu An picked up a large bucket of soybean oil.

"Splash—"

Golden oil slid down the side of the pan.

Heat the pan and add cold oil.

That's the rule.

The oil temperature should be 70% hot.

Xu An grabbed a handful of rock sugar and threw it into the pot.

Caramelizing sugar.

This is the soul of making braised pork.

The spatula kept stirring in the pot.

The rock sugar melted.

It foams.

Change color.

From light yellow to maroon.

In that very instant.

Xu An shouted, "Meat!"

An engineer, who had been waiting nearby, was carrying a bowl of precisely measured pork belly.

"fall!"

"Sizzle—!!!"

That sound.

It's like a bugle call on the battlefield.

It instantly ignited everyone's dopamine.

White steam rose up.

The aroma of meat exploded instantly.

Xu An wielded the shovel with incredible speed and dexterity.

Those 100-plus pounds of meat seemed to come alive in his hands.

Each piece of meat was evenly coated with a bright red caramel color.

"Onions, ginger, and garlic!"

"Down!"

Big news!

"Down!"

"Dark soy sauce!"

"Give me some!"

With the addition of various seasonings.

The aroma had become more complex and layered.

Rich and flavorful.

overbearing.

It directly covered the entire construction site.

The excavator operator, who was digging the foundation, suddenly jerked his hand.

The bucket almost dug at an angle.

"I can't take it anymore!"

"This flavor is amazing!"

"Professor Li! May I have a sip of soup first?"

Li Daguo was standing downwind.

His Adam's apple bobbed violently.

He tried his best to maintain the dean's authority.

"Hold on!"

"This is the final battle!"

"The meat isn't cooked yet!"

"Anyone who sneaks a bite now is a deserter!"

Although that's what they say.

But Li Daguo's eyes were fixed on the bubbling meat in the pot.

His gaze was even more affectionate than when he was looking at blueprints.

Xu An had no time to pay attention to them.

He poured five buckets of spring water into the pot.

Put the heavy wooden lid on the pot.

"Bring the fire to a boil!"

Simmer over low heat!

"Add the glass noodles and tofu in forty minutes!"

Xu An wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Step aside.

I sat back down on my special little stool.

In the live stream room.

Online users: 60 million.

This is a terrifying number.

There was no talent performance.

It was just a big pot and a group of men wearing safety helmets.

Under the warm winter sun, I sit by a pot of meat.

But this scene.

But it brought tears to the eyes of countless people.

[ID: Ten Years in Beijing]: I miss home. When I was a child, there was always a big pot like this in the village for celebrations, and I would always wait by the pot for the first piece of meat to cook.

[ID Construction Worker]: Seeing this made me throw away my lunchbox. This is what a working person should eat!

【ID wants to go to Xujia Village】: Did you guys notice that the engineer kept secretly swallowing his saliva? So cute.

[Fans of ID Xu An]: We've surpassed 199 million followers! Just 10,000 more! Brothers, let's go! The moment to witness history has arrived!

Xu An had no idea that he was about to surpass two million followers.

He simply stared quietly at the large pot emitting white steam.

Watching Grandpa's back as he added firewood to the stove.

Grandpa's back became even more hunched.

The firelight reflected on his face, making his wrinkles appear as deep as if they had been carved by a knife.

"Master."

Xu An called out softly.

"What?"

Grandpa didn't even turn his head.

"Nothing much."

"I just feel..."

"Good."

Xu An put his hands inside his sleeves.

He tucked his hands in like an old farmer.

"I used to think that there was no one left in the village."

"Too quiet."

"The silence is unsettling."

"There are so many people today."

"very nice."

Grandpa stuffed a piece of firewood into the stove.

The flame flickered.

"Man is made of iron, food is made of steel."

"As long as there's fire in the stove."

"As long as there's meat in the pot."

"people."

"They'll be back sooner or later."

Xu An was stunned for a moment.

As long as there's meat in the pot, people will come back sooner or later.

That's what I meant.

rough.

But it is the truth.

He raised his head and looked towards the Taihang Mountains in the distance.

The mountain wind was biting.

But the little courtyard was so warm that it made you want to doze off.

Forty minutes.

It felt like an eternity.

It was like the blink of an eye.

"Time's up!"

Li Daguo looked at his watch and gave a precise time.

"Lift the lid!"

Xu An stood up.

Hands wrapped in a damp rag.

Grab the handle of the pot lid.

Suddenly, it was lifted up.

"call--"

A huge mushroom cloud rose from the pot.

The white steam dissipated.

A pot of bright red broth was revealed, bubbling away.

The meat was already mushy.

The bubbles trembled and shook.

Xu An put down the soaked vermicelli and the neatly cut tofu.

They poured it all in.

Simmer for another ten minutes.

Reduce the sauce.

"Take it off the heat!"

Xu An scattered a large handful of bright green scallions.

Red meat.

White tofu.

Transparent rice noodles.

Green scallion flowers.

This pot.

It's a nuclear bomb for both sight and taste.

"Dinner's ready!!!"

Li Daguo gave the order.

These are engineers who usually draw diagrams with precision down to two decimal places.

At this moment, he completely abandoned all civility.

Each of them carried a large tea mug that had been prepared in advance.

They were queuing up.

Their eyes were glowing green.

Xu An is in charge of cooking.

A large spoonful, broth and meat, brimming with flavor.

"that……"

Is that enough?

Xu An asked the first young man who came up.

The young man's glasses almost fell into the pot.

"Enough! Enough! That's more than enough!"

"Thank you, Brother Xu!"

Everyone.

Whether it's Chief Engineer Li Daguo or the excavator operator.

Or perhaps a helper assisting from the side.

Even my grandfather.

They were all given a big bowl.

There is no table.

Everyone squatted down against the wall.

Squatting beside the millstone.

Squatting on the mound of earth at the foundation.

"Slurp—"

*Smack*

The sound of eating noodles.

The sound of someone drinking soup.

The sound of chewing meat.

They come together to form the most beautiful symphony.

Xu An also took a bowl.

Squatting on the threshold of the doorway.

This is his designated spot.

He picked up a piece of meat.

It's fatty but not greasy.

It melts at the entrance.

The savory aroma of dried radish, mixed with the fragrance of meat, explodes on the tip of the tongue.

So fragrant.

He took out his phone.

I want to see what's going on in the live stream.

result.

on the screen.

The fireworks effects filled the sky, almost completely obscuring the view.

[System notification: Congratulations to the streamer for surpassing 200.0 million followers!]

[Top ID Ranking Member]: Congratulations Xu An! You've reached two million followers and become a top internet celebrity!

[ID Huixian Culture and Tourism]: Impressive! It has to be impressive! With two million people monitoring the project online, this meal was worth it!

[ID wants to go to Xujia Village]: Watching them squatting on the ground eating, I suddenly cried. This is what you call the warmth and life of ordinary people.

Xu An looked at that number.

200 million.

I didn't feel the ecstatic joy I had imagined.

On the contrary, it gives off a sense of... peace of mind.

It's like that piece of meat just now fell into my stomach.

He was facing the camera.

He still had half a piece of tofu in his mouth.

He smiled vaguely.

"that……"

"Two million already."

Thank you everyone.

"I don't have any special talents."