"That can work!" Pan Ping’an said without a second thought, flourishing his hand grandly, "I don’t even need to taste it to know that every dish you make, Hua Xiaomai, is nothing less than excellent! Oh right, also prepare so of that shredded chicken you made for Big Tiger and Little Tiger last ti. If soone in the restaurant prefers sothing light, it’s the perfect accompanint for porridge!"
Since he was so sure, Hua Xiaomai saw no need to hesitate and promptly agreed to the request.
Afterward, Pan Ping’an took the big silver carp, waved it around, and said with a beaming smile, "My dad ntioned that your culinary skills, Hua Xiaomai, even surpass your candy-making abilities. He can’t stop thinking about the spicy rabbit with liquor you made a few months ago. Today, I’m shalessly coming over to freeload a al at your place. How about you take care of this fish?"
Hua Xiaomai instinctively glanced at the several large jars in a shady corner of the courtyard.
Cooking was, of course, no problem for her. Even for the sake of Pan Family’s elders, she had to do her best to prepare this fish. However... The condints in those jars had been prepared almost a month ago and were ready for eating. Since Pan Ping’an presented the opportunity, she couldn’t be blad for going along with the flow!
"Why so formal, Uncle Ping’an? You and Grandma and Grandpa should stay and have a al with us today to enjoy my little sister’s cooking skills!" Hua Erniang had already eagerly jumped in, wearing a cheerful smile, "Our Taihe, even when he occasionally feels like drinking a few cups, has no one to join him!"
"Sure, sure, sure," answered Pan Ping’an cheerfully. Hua Xiaomai then took the silver carp to the kitchen to get busy.
The fish was huge, likely weighing four or five pounds. After pondering for a mont, Hua Xiaomai quickly cleaned and gutted it, chopped off its head to make fish head soup with tofu in a clay pot, and cut the remaining body and tail into several large pieces. She seasoned them with a mix of soy sauce, vinegar, and ginger slices to make a thick and tangy sweet and sour fish.
There was no need for pretentious plating like at formal dinners for her neighbors who ca over for a casual al. The food was served in large pots and bowls, which made eating more enjoyable and intimate. Hua Xiaomai saw a handful of fresh pea shoots, still dripping with water, inside the vegetable basket. She took them out, picked and washed them, and lightly blanched them in boiling water before tossing them with sesa paste. Just before serving, she drizzled a dollop of Plum Sauce on top.
The pea shoots were fresh and tender. As Hua Xiaomai busied herself, she thought that when the ti ca for sowing, she would have Hua Erniang plant so behind their house as well—whether stir-fried or used as a side dish, they were a great choice.
Hua Erniang had set up the dining table in the courtyard. Since it was a holy al, Hua Xiaomai cooked with exceptional efficiency. The food was ready in less than the ti it takes an incense stick to burn, and Jing Taihe and Pan Ping’an had already broken the seal on the jar of wine and started toasting each other.
"Truly skilled cooking!"
Pan Ping’an, always talkative, beca even more so after a few drinks, his words flowing like a burst dam, unable to contain his praises. As he picked up a sesa paste-dressed pea shoot with his chopsticks, he exclaid loudly, "This fish soup is fresh and the fish tart, and these pea shoots are so tasty! Hua Xiaomai, besides sesa paste, you’ve added sothing else, haven’t you? I can detect a faint, fragrant aroma... No, no, it’s not the pea shoots themselves; they taste sowhat like young peach leaves, very refreshing indeed!"
Pan Grandpa nodded in agreent, "Hm, Mai is indeed improving in her culinary skills. These dishes seem to have more flavor than the spicy rabbit with liquor from before, delicious!"
Hua Xiaomai smiled with her eyes squinted, "Uncle Ping’an, and Grandpa, your palates are quite perceptive. Last ti for that spicy rabbit with liquor, I used just a little bit of dried fernted black beans sauce—borrowed from Grandpa’s house, in fact. Recently, with so spare ti, I’ve made a few condints myself. They are now almost ready to eat, and I’ve added so to each dish. The flavors are okay, right?"
"Condints?" Pan Ping’an’s eyes imdiately sparkled, "You can make condints too? Ah, I really am..."
I’ve struck gold!
"Co on, tell what condints you’ve made?" He asked eagerly.
Hua Xiaomai gestured towards the large jars in the corner and explained, "I added a mix of soy sauce in that sweet and sour fish, and a bit of sesa paste and Plum Sauce in the pea shoots. In addition, there’s dried fernted black beans, fernted paste, and soy sauce. When the hottest days of sumr arrive, you can make sweet bean paste and Plum Sauce, Plum Syrup, and in the winterti, I can use the snow on the branches to make pickling brine... In short, as long as my sister doesn’t find annoying, there’s plenty more I can do."
Pan Ping’an listened, his eyes gleaming as if two shiny gold coins were about to pop out, his mouth grinning so wide he could barely close it.
Business opportunities, silver, it’s all laid out in front of ! Only a fool would not pick up!
"Hua Xiaomai," he swallowed a mouthful of saliva, his eyes full of anticipation as he stared directly into Hua Xiaomai’s, "Would you consider selling your condints?"
No sooner had he spoken than Pan Grandpa gave him a smack on the head, "Just eat properly; all you think about is doing business!"
Hua Xiaomai seed a bit surprised, blinking and then smiling as she said, "If soone wants to buy them, my condints are naturally available for sale. But Uncle Ping’an, making condints is not like making candy or cakes. Even that Plum Sauce, which takes the shortest ti, needs at least a half month to prepare..."
"It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter!" Pan Ping’an, ignoring the pain in his head, hastily pulled out his purse and grabbed three or four strings of coins, slapping them boldly onto the table, "Just focus on making those condints, and next month, at this ti, I will bring people to take them away!" (To be continued. If you like this work, we welco you to Qidian (qidian) to cast your recomndation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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