Chương 73: The Complete Guide to Braised Food

When Zhou Yan left the library, his notebook was already filled with three pages of notes. Whether it was a love letter or not wasn't important; what mattered was his love of learning and the feeling of knowledge entering his mind. In addition, there was a copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms in his bicycle basket. The old man was clearly a fan of the Three Kingdoms, strongly recommending it to him and advising him against reading Water Margin.

As Zhou Yan rode away, the old man shouted after him, "A great man's ambition should be like the Yangtze River flowing eastward to the sea; why yearn for a gentle land!" A resounding, deafening statement! Wait a minute. If the old man had such lofty ambitions, how could he be so skilled at writing letters? Something's not right, something's very wrong. Zhou Yan rode his bike to the bridge and bought two jin of baijiu (Chinese liquor).

After thinking for a moment, he bought another two jin, returned to the library, put the bottle on the table, and said with a smile, "Grandpa, I got you some liquor." The old man unscrewed the cap, smelled it, and nodded with satisfaction.

"Where did you get this from Old Zhang at the bridge? You're quite savvy, kid. I'll teach you something real next time."

"Alright, see you later, Master," Zhou Yan said with a smile, and rode his bike towards Zhou Village. It was a busy time; the villagers were either selling beef or working in the fields, and he didn't see many people along the way. When Zhou Yan returned to the old house, he saw Zhou Qi squatting under the persimmon tree at the door, drinking sweet potato porridge from an enamel basin. When he saw Zhou Yan park his bike at the door, he looked up and grinned at him.

His face was dirty, but his smile was exceptionally honest and simple, and his eyes were clear.

"Eat slowly," Zhou Yan said with a smile. Today's sweet potato porridge also contained a lot of braised beef offal, clearly the old lady's handiwork. The Zhou family only got to eat the old lady's braised dishes during festivals; he was quite lucky. Zhou Yan carried the wine inside.

The old lady was feeding the chickens, a large white goose following behind her, its head held high, its crimson comb bright red, its long neck taut like a silver spear, its wings slightly spread, its snow-white feathers gleaming coldly, like a goose general accompanying the emperor on an inspection tour. A tabby cat was dozing on the courtyard wall, its white paws tucked into its chest, basking in the warm autumn sun, fast asleep.

This was the tabby the old lady had hired at the end of the village at the beginning of the year, bringing two carp with her. This tabby didn't look big, but it was a master at catching mice and often caught sparrows for a treat. The old lady had kept her previous cat for eighteen years; when Zhou Yan was little, he loved to run into the old lady's yard just to pet the cat. Now it's Zhou Momo's turn. Besides the goose and the cat, there are all sorts of snacks to eat.

There are many rats in the countryside, so the old lady likes to raise chickens, ducks, and geese. With so many grandchildren, she doesn't use rat poison, so they've always kept a cat.

"Grandma," Zhou Yan called out. The old lady turned to look at him and asked with a smile, "Why are you here so early in the morning?" The goose also fixed its gaze on him, its head forward, wings slightly spread, adopting an attack posture.

"Just came to see you," Zhou Yan casually picked up a small stick leaning against the wall and held it defensively in front of him—it was muscle memory. This was a guard goose, impossible to tame. It only recognized the old lady and Zhou Momo, keeping its distance from his uncle, but it wouldn't be polite to him. There was a reason why the stick was so conveniently placed. If it can't be tamed, can't it be stewed?

Zhou Yan strongly suggested that the old lady stew it this year for the New Year—a stewed goose in an iron pot. The old lady herded the goose back into the pen, turned around and looked at the wine in Zhou Yan's hand, sighing, "You haven't even finished the last one, why are you bringing more? You have to be able to save money even if you earn it, otherwise it's like a hen clutching chaff—all for nothing."

"The wine won't spoil, drink it slowly, I can still afford two catties of wine." Zhou Yan carried the wine into the main room and placed it on the table. The old lady washed her hands and came in, carrying a large, bright orange persimmon, which she handed to Zhou Yan with a smile, saying, "Eat this, it was just picked this morning, ripe on the tree, very sweet." The thin persimmon skin wrapped around the ripe, soft flesh.

Zhou Yan took it with both hands; it felt like it was filled with water, trembling slightly, and his fingers easily left a mark when he gently squeezed it. Some images flashed through Zhou Yan's mind. Before Zhou Momo was born, he was the youngest of the grandchildren and loved to play in the old lady's yard. She would always give him snacks and treats, until he gradually grew up and came less often.

Every time he came, the old lady would magically produce food, stuff it into his hand, and then look at him with a smile, saying, "Eat." The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Okay," Zhou Yan replied with a smile, tearing off a small piece from the stem and taking a sip. The cool, sweet juice, wrapped around a few crisp seeds, melted on his tongue like a pool of nectar, sweet and refreshing. After a few sips, he tore off the thin skin, the flesh trembling slightly in his palm. Taking a bite, the soft, tender flesh was interspersed with a bit of crispness, sweet but not cloying, quite delightful. In no time, Zhou Yan had devoured the entire persimmon.

Tree-ripened persimmons are indeed delicious. So sweet! Sweet to the core. This was the first time in his life he had been a son, and also the first time he had been a grandson. This feeling of being favored by the old lady was quite special. After finishing his meal, Zhou Yan's hands were sticky with fruit juice. He went to the kitchen to wash them and came back to ask the old lady who was pouring him water, "Grandma, my uncle came to my shop for noodles this morning.

He said he was going to work today, but I didn't have a chance to ask what position the organization arranged for him."

"The notice was delivered to our home yesterday. It says he's a committee member, in charge of the Suji Armed Forces Department. He's quite satisfied with it, saying it's similar to leading troops." The old lady handed him the water glass and smiled, "I haven't seen him so happy in a long time. He got up early this morning and exercised in the yard for an hour before going out. He's full of energy." Zhou Yan could tell that the old lady was also very happy and pleased.

The head of the Armed Forces Department, that should be a member of the town party committee, a deputy section chief level, which is pretty good. Zhou Weiguo has a strong personality but outstanding abilities. There's a box in his bedroom filled with various certificates of honor. With his status as a first-class meritorious official, his chances of promotion were definitely not small. Of course, he himself wouldn't care.

"Grandma, I had a bricklayer build a new stove yesterday, and I also bought such a big aluminum pot. I'm planning to start making brine tomorrow. Can I come pick you up and take you to the shop to give me some guidance?" Zhou Yan gestured as he spoke.

"Sure." The old lady nodded, pointing towards the kitchen.

"There's a jar in the corner of the kitchen. Try to take it back."

"What jar?" Zhou Yan got up and walked towards the kitchen. There was a large earthenware jar in the corner, just like the sauerkraut jar at home. He couldn't help but laugh.

"I have sauerkraut in the shop, I don't need yours."

"Open it and take a look." The old lady followed him into the kitchen, smiling as she spoke. Zhou Yan carefully lifted the small bowl covering it. A fragrant aroma of brine wafted out. Looking into the jar in the dim light, he saw that it wasn't sauerkraut at all, but a jar of bright red brine.

"Old brine?" Zhou Yan turned around in disbelief. Wasn't this the old lady's darling? Why was she suddenly giving it to him?

"The food you sell to customers must taste amazing, so that they'll remember it after just one bite," the old lady said, looking at him.

"New braising liquid needs to be simmered for a while to develop its full flavor; otherwise, the customers will leave."

"This jar contains half of my old braising liquid. Take it back and boil it again tonight, then pour it back into the jar and leave it in a cool, dark place. Tomorrow, come pick me up and take me to the shop; I'll teach you how to make and maintain the braising liquid."

"Grandma, I..." Zhou Yan suddenly felt a tightness in his nose, and a fire seemed to burn in his heart. The old lady's care was intense and burning.

"I must pass on this skill," the old lady said with a smile.

"Your mother has told me a few times that people in town still talk about my braised dishes. It's just that your aunties and sisters-in-law are all bad at it. I'm afraid they'll talk behind my back if I pass it on to them."

"If you, my child, learn seriously, I think you can do it." Zhou Yan sniffed and nodded solemnly, "Grandma, I will definitely learn well and not let you down."

"Then call someone to come and get it. I'm going to play mahjong next door. They called me earlier, and I said I'd go after feeding the chickens. We're short one player and we're in a hurry. Lock the door when you leave. I've put the key in my pocket." The old lady waved her hand, turned around and left, as if she had made up her mind.

"Oh, Grandma…" Zhou Yan's emotions suddenly stopped, feeling helpless and a little amused. This was probably the spirit of people from Sichuan and Chongqing. His gaze fell on the earthenware pot and became fiery again. This was the old braising liquid he had been dreaming of! Zhou Yan carried the old braising liquid towards the main room; this jar weighed at least twenty jin. [Ding! Picked up half a pot of high-quality braising liquid, obtained initial old braising liquid, beginning the journey of braising cuisine!] [Detected that the other half of the braising liquid is unobtainable, mission ended, and settlement according to progress.] [Reward obtained: Complete Guide to Braised Dishes (Fragment)] (End of Chapter)