Studying at Western University starts with a knife-forging competition

Chapter 120

Matt brought it up on Wednesday night.

He slumped on the sofa, holding his phone in front of his face, his thumb swiping across the screen. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he put the phone down on the coffee table and sat up straight.

"Emily's birthday is on Saturday," he said, as casually as if he were describing tomorrow's weather. "She wants to have a small party in her dorm, just seven or eight people, nothing big."

Lin Yuan was washing fruit in the kitchen when the sound of the running water drowned out the rest of Matt's sentence. He turned off the water, shook the water off his hands, and poked his head out. "What did you say?"

"Emily's birthday. Saturday," Matt repeated. "She wants you to cook a few dishes. She's too shy to ask you directly, so she asked me to sound her out first."

Lin Yuan leaned against the kitchen doorframe, slowly wiping his fingers with a hand towel. "Cooking is fine. Let her tell me herself."

Matt chuckled and picked up his phone again. "I knew you'd say that. Okay, I'll have her call you."

The next afternoon, Lin Yuan's phone rang. The screen showed an unfamiliar number with a local area code. He answered, and Emily's voice came through, a little lighter than usual at the relief station, carrying a subtle hint of probing.

"Lin Yuan? Did Matt tell you?"

"I did. About the birthday party."

"Hmm." There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "I'd like to ask you to cook a few dishes. Not too many, just three or four will do."

My roommate Anna—you know, the Russian girl—has been talking about it ever since she got some braised pork from Matt once. I told her I'd treat her to it for my birthday, and she was overjoyed.

"How long have you been talking about it?"

"It's been almost two months." Emily's tone was tinged with a helpless indulgence. "She brings it up every time she sees a Chinese takeout box. I'm so annoyed by her nagging."

Lin Yuan's lips curled up slightly. "Okay. I'll go there Saturday afternoon. Send me your dorm address so I can prepare the food in advance."

"Okay. What ingredients do you need? I'll have Anna go to the supermarket to buy them."

Lin Yuan ordered several items: pork belly, chicken thigh meat, cucumber, eggs, scallions, ginger, garlic, dried chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorns. He specifically emphasized that the pork belly should have skin on, with clear layers of fat and lean meat, and be of uniform thickness.

"And," he said, "does your dorm kitchen have enough pots and pans?"

"That should be enough. Anna has a cast iron pan; she said she uses it for frying steaks."

"Cast iron pots are fine. They'll be great for stir-frying."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yuan leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. Emily's birthday party was small, with seven or eight people. He needed to prepare the ingredients in advance so he could get right to work when he arrived; he couldn't afford to be flustered on the spot. The braised pork belly would stew for almost an hour, so he had to make it first. The other dishes could be prepared while the pork stewed.

He wrote down the order in his notebook: first, prepare the pork belly—blanch it, caramelize the sugar, and stew it. Then marinate the chicken, smash the cucumber, and prepare the ingredients for the fried rice. When the meat was stewing until the sauce had reduced, start stir-frying the chicken and egg fried rice, and finally, toss in the cucumber. The rhythm was just right, and he wouldn't mess it up.

On Saturday afternoon, Lin Yuan carried two insulated bags into Emily's dormitory building.

The elevator stopped on the sixth floor. The hallway was carpeted in dark gray, and the wall lamps cast a warm yellow glow. He found the apartment number and rang the doorbell. The door opened almost immediately.

The person who opened the door was a blonde girl with light blue eyes and a wide smile. She was wearing a light pink sweatshirt and her hair was down over her shoulders. Her eyes lit up when she saw the bulging insulated bag in Lin Yuan's hand.

"You're here!" She stepped aside and called into the house, "Emily! Lin Yuan's here!" Then she reached for the insulated bag, "Let me help you! I'm Anna, Emily's roommate. I still remember the braised pork you made last time; the sauce was amazing with rice."

Lin Yuan handed her one of the insulated bags, changed his shoes, and went inside.

Emily's dorm room was infinitely tidier than Matt's. The living room had light-colored wooden floors, and several coordinating cushions were scattered on the dark gray fabric sofa. A bunch of daisies sat on the coffee table in a clear glass vase. The curtains were made of off-white linen, and the afternoon sunlight streamed through them, making the whole room soft and bright.

A watercolor painting of a church steeple hangs on the wall, its colors leaning towards the cooler side. Next to it is a simple wooden bookshelf, stacked with several textbooks and novels, their spines neatly arranged.

Anna had already entered the kitchen with an insulated bag, taking out the ingredients one by one and placing them on the table. The pork belly had skin on, with distinct layers of fat and lean meat, and was of even thickness. The chicken thigh meat had been deboned, and the meat was firm. The cucumber was bright green, with its flower petals and prickly tips still attached.

Lin Yuan walked into the kitchen and looked around. The black cast iron pot on the stove was well-maintained, with a thin layer of oil on the surface and no rust.

He opened the refrigerator to check the ingredients. There were scallions, ginger, and garlic. The dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns were bought by Emily from an Asian supermarket. The brands of soy sauce and vinegar were different from what he usually used, but they would work.

He began preparing the ingredients.

The pork belly was the first thing to be processed. He cut the meat into two-centimeter square pieces, all the same size, each piece with skin and a three-layered structure of alternating fat and lean meat. He put it in a pot of cold water, added a few slices of ginger and two spoonfuls of cooking wine, and brought it to a boil over medium heat.

This is one of Lin Yuan's little tricks: you can't boil it over a high flame, because that won't remove all the blood, and some blood will remain in the meat.

Only by simmering over low to medium heat can the blood and water inside the meat be forced out.

After the water boiled, foam rose to the surface. He skimmed it off with a spoon, added a spoonful of cold water and continued cooking. After foam rose to the surface again, he took the meat out, rinsed it with warm water, drained it, and set it aside.

Pour oil back into the pot and heat over low heat. Add rock sugar to the pot and stir gently with a spatula. The sugar will slowly melt in the oil, changing from white to light yellow, and then to amber.

Anna peeked out from the kitchen doorway and saw Lin Yuan adding water to the pot. When it made a sizzling sound, she let out a soft "Oh".

Lin Yuan poured the pork belly into the pot and stir-fried it over medium heat.

The meat chunks rolled in the caramelized sugar, their surface coated with a bright reddish-brown color, and the edges began to brown slightly.

Ginger slices, garlic cloves, star anise, and cinnamon were added to the pot in sequence. The aroma spread amidst the hum of the range hood, mingling with the sweet scent of caramelized sugar, wafting from the kitchen into the living room.

Anna took a deep breath and turned to call into the living room, "Emily! That's the smell!"

Lin Yuan poured light and dark soy sauce into the pot, stir-fried it evenly, and then added boiling water, just enough to cover the meat. After bringing it to a boil over high heat, he turned to low heat, covered the pot, and let it simmer slowly on the stove. The lid of the cast iron pot was tightly closed, and steam squeezed out from the gaps around the edges, carrying a mixed aroma of soy sauce and meat.

He clapped his hands and began preparing the other dishes.

Cut the chicken thigh meat into cubes, marinate with cooking wine, light soy sauce, white pepper powder and a little cornstarch.

Smash the cucumber, cut it into sections, mix it with a simple garlic and vinegar sauce, and refrigerate it.

The rice for the fried rice was prepared in advance by him; each grain was distinct, and he broke it apart with his hands before using it.