Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

Chen Xiangdong didn't know what Zhu Zhengkuo had said at the meeting, but he knew that if he didn't hurry up and pound the rice, he might miss out on the steamed pork with rice flour for lunch.

The county theater troupe currently has employees, plus forty new trainees, and the workload of cooking for over a hundred people is considerable.

After returning from Xuejia Village, Fatty Qin immediately began chopping, washing, and stewing in a large pot. He'd put it in the pot at seven in the morning, and it had been simmering for almost an hour, now emitting a wonderfully fragrant aroma.

The pork and bean curd need to be cooked for at least two or three hours. Li Qiufen squatted in front of the tin stove to add firewood and tend the fire. Fatty Qin was in the kitchen preparing marinade and potato strips to line the steamer. Yu Baoliang was using a small knife to scrape off the remaining pig hair from the pig's head and trotters.

Chen Xiangdong squatted in front of the stone mortar, holding the pestle and pounding the rice. For the more than one hundred people, the rice flour alone would fill a whole basin.

The kitchen was bustling with activity all morning, with the four of them each doing their own thing, so busy that they didn't even have time to chat or boast.

Around 10 o'clock, the stewed pork was finally taken out of the pot. Then, the meat was quickly sliced, marinated, coated with rice flour, and layered in a steamer.

After rushing around, we finally managed to put the last basket of steamed pork on the stove a little after 11 o'clock. The six baskets were stacked high, and steam escaped from the gaps, filling the entire kitchen with a mouthwatering aroma of meat.

Chen Xiangdong wiped his sweat with a towel: "Finally, it's lunchtime. All that work this morning wasn't for nothing."

Fatty Qin chuckled, "This time, our kitchen is going to get a big show of itself."

"There's too much pork. One pot can only cook this much. We need to cook the rest of the pork this afternoon. We also need to take out the head, trotters, and offal, otherwise they'll start to smell bad tomorrow."

Yu Baoliang sat on the stool, smoking a cigarette, and turned to look at Chen Xiangdong, his eyes filled with eagerness: "What about the pig heads? Should we just braise them?"

Chen Xiangdong's culinary skills have won people's hearts. The dishes he made before were all more impressive than the last. He didn't hold back when cooking, which made Yu Baoliang look forward to it. Maybe this kid can really make a better braised dish?

Yu Baoliang's little schemes could not be kept from Chen Xiangdong.

However, he had no intention of opening a restaurant again in this life. He taught Qin Pangzi and the others the various secret recipes he had learned in his previous life, and he could just eat the ready-made food himself, which would save him a lot of trouble.

"How about we make some braised pork with five spices? I'll write down the ingredients list later, and I'll trouble Chef Yu to buy all the spices. We can just put them in the pot and stew it."

Yu Baoliang's eyes lit up immediately, and he patted his chest to assure him, "Don't worry about leaving it to me; it's just a matter of going out and running errands."

Just as noon arrived, a large group of people rushed into the canteen, and a long line formed in front of the food serving window. The trainees and actors, holding their food bowls, craned their necks to look inside.

"Wow, steamed pork with rice flour! What a treat! They made steamed pork with rice flour again today!"

"Jingru, have you ever had steamed pork with rice flour? It smells so good!"

"I've never tried it. My dad mentioned it before, saying it's a specialty dish from southern Shaanxi, and it smells amazing."

The people in line were talking animatedly, and the entire cafeteria hall was as lively as a market.

Lou Jingru, Guan Linlin, and Song Linfeng, these new students who were eating steamed pork for the first time, couldn't stop eating it after just one bite.

"Wow, the food in our cafeteria is so good! I've never eaten such delicious meat before!"

"Exactly, even a state-run hotel isn't all that great, is it?"

Qin Pangzi, who was peering out the window, saw the students' startled expressions and couldn't stop laughing.

It's said that everyone has different tastes and preferences; what you love to eat, others may not. But this dish received unanimous praise from everyone in the hospital, and you can imagine how proud Fatty Qin was.

Zhu Zhengwei, Han Wenxue, and Jia Dafang sat at a small table against the wall. Upon hearing the words "steamed pork with rice flour," Zhu Zhengwei's expression shifted slightly. He turned his head and saw Fatty Qin walking over with a big bowl in both hands, smiling broadly.

The steamed pork in the bowl was neatly arranged in layers, the slices of pork trembling, coated with a layer of glistening rice flour. Just looking at it made Zhu Zhengwei swallow hard.

"Secretary Zhu, have a taste. This is one of our kitchen's specialties." Fatty Qin put the bowl on the table, his face full of pride and confidence.

Zhu Zhengkuo looked somewhat agitated. Before even touching his chopsticks, his eyes welled up with tears: "Since joining the army back then, I haven't eaten steamed pork with rice flour from my hometown in southern Shaanxi for over ten years..."

As he spoke, his voice choked slightly, and he raised his hand to wipe the corner of his eye: "Hey, please excuse me, everyone. It's just that seeing this reminds me of my family back home."

Jia Dafang secretly rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that this guy's acting skills were probably not much worse than Lu Meiyin's. But on the surface, he still chuckled and said, "Secretary Zhu is a man of deep feelings. If this steamed pork can alleviate Secretary Zhu's homesickness, then our kitchen will have done a great service."

"That's right, that's right, Secretary Zhu, please try it and see how it tastes!" Han Wenxue chimed in from the side.

Zhu Zhengkuo grunted in agreement, picked up a trembling piece of meat, and stuffed it into his mouth. Taking a bite, the soft, tender texture immediately made his eyes light up: "Yes, that's the taste! So fragrant, so incredibly fragrant!"

Upon receiving praise from his new leader, Fatty Qin immediately beamed with joy, his vanity being satisfied like never before.

"Hehe, as long as Secretary Zhu likes it, that's fine." Fatty Qin pulled off the towel draped over his shoulder to wipe his hands, then looked around in confusion: "Commander Jia, why aren't your wife and Fatty here? Doesn't she love our canteen's steamed pork with rice flour the most? Last time I made it, she ate more than half a bowl by herself and kept praising my cooking skills."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhengkuo and Han Wenxue turned their attention to Jia Dafang.

Jia Dafang's lips twitched awkwardly, and he coughed lightly, saying, "Secretary Zhu just arrived, it's not appropriate for them to sit at the table... They won't be coming over today, they can just eat something at home."

"Old Jia, I have to say something to you! From now on, we'll be working together, so we're family. Stop talking about whether it's convenient or not. Quickly call your wife over to eat with us." Zhu Zhengwei frowned and slammed his chopsticks on the table, pretending to be angry. "If your wife isn't coming, then I'm not eating today either."

Jia Dafang and Han Wenxue looked at each other, thinking to themselves, "This guy surnamed Zhu is such a good actor!"

Just now I was feeling homesick, and now this is happening?

But since he had already said all that, Jia Dafang had no choice but to wave his hand at Xu Erdao beside him: "Director Xu, come to my house and invite your sister-in-law and Fatty over for some steamed pork with rice flour."

Xu Erdao at the next table put down his chopsticks and bowl, wiped his mouth, replied "Okay," and turned to leave the cafeteria.

A short while later, Xu Erdao returned, followed by Jia Dafang's wife and children.

"Commander, your wife is here." Xu Erdao returned with a grin and reported.

Zhu Zheng was about to exchange a few polite words and stood up to speak, but when he saw Jia Dafang's wife, he suddenly froze.

He stared blankly at the person in front of him, his lips trembling slightly: "Xiao...Xiao Li?"

Jia Dafang's wife's real name is Hao Meili. When she heard "Xiaoli," she froze on the spot.

Hao Meili stared at Zhu Zheng for several seconds, her eyes widening, her face filled with undisguised joy: "Brother Gouzi? It really is you!"

Do these two know each other before?

Han Wenxue and Qin Pangzi were completely bewildered, and Jia Dafang was also stunned by this sudden turn of events.

The atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.

Xu Erdao, who couldn't discern the difference in their social standing, looked at the two women and suddenly realized, "Sister-in-law, isn't your hometown also in southern Shaanxi? So you and Secretary Zhu are not only from the same hometown, but you've known each other for a long time?"

"Ah? Oh! I...I know you, we knew each other before." Hao Meili reached out and smoothed her hair, looking somewhat uneasy as she hurriedly looked away.

Zhu Zheng opened his mouth, meeting Jia Dafang's surprised and puzzled gaze. He looked a little embarrassed and said, "Before joining the army, we were neighbors and have known each other since we were little."

"Snapped!"

The sudden sound of slamming the table made Hao Meili and Zhu Zhengwei shudder simultaneously. Looking up, they saw Jia Dafang clapping his hands and laughing heartily.

"Wow! There's this connection? What a coincidence!"