Chapter 583: Chapter 581: New Year’s Eve Dinner (Part 3)
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Although Jiang Feng really wanted to jump up and give Jiang Xiaoran a thrashing, he couldn’t.
He couldn’t within his mories, nor outside of them. Within his mories, he couldn’t lay a hand on him, and outside, there was no justification for such an action.
All he could do was silently bury the frustration and anger of being beaten by a dozen strong n deep in his heart, waiting for the next opportunity to dine with Jiang Xiaoran and to arrange his seat between Jiang Junqing and Jiang Junlian.
Jiang Xiaoran placed the two dishes he had brought onto the table, while Lin Juan and Jiang Yanlu’s wife went into the kitchen to bring out more dishes. Jiang Yanlu and Jiang Yong sat side by side on chairs around the brazier, warming themselves by the fire. Jiang Yong’s face was expressionless, while Jiang Yanlu rubbed his hands together, showing a pleasing smile, clearly having sothing to say.
There were so scattered lon seed shells on the ground, it was obvious that Comrade Scumbag had done a perfunctory job sweeping the floor and hadn’t cleaned it up properly.
“Yong, um, there’s sothing Brother wants to discuss with you…” Before Jiang Yanlu could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Jiang Xiaoran’s grandmother, who stord out of the kitchen and then turned back to bring out another dish.
“Ti to eat, everyone to the table,” said Jiang Xiaoran’s grandmother with a smile, giving her eldest son an admonishing glare.
Jiang Yanlu quickly shut his mouth, and Jiang Yong glanced at him but said nothing, taking his seat at the table.
Jiang Zhe was the last to take his seat, only reluctantly sitting down beside his mother when Jiang Weiming brought out the last dish. As he sat down, he slightly toned down the scumbag’s aura and roguish atmosphere about him, probably because Jiang Yong was sitting right next to him.
The last dish to co to the table was stead green eel, perhaps to prevent the soup from spilling or the flavor from escaping during transportation, the plate carrying the dish was covered by another plate, and as the dish was served, Jiang Feng could sll the faint scent of eel.
“Dad, what’s this?” asked Jiang Yanlu.
“Stead green eel,” Jiang Xiaoran interjected.
Jiang Weiming nodded and moved the other dishes aside to make room: “I used to make this dish often when you two were both at ho. In recent years, since Yong only cos back during the New Year, there hasn’t been much chance to eat it, and this year we happened to have so plump green eels, so I made it.”
Jiang Weiming lifted the cover
The aroma filled the air.
As if a seal had been released, the previously contained scent within the plate burst forth all at once, the fragrance of the fish, pork, and egg custard swept through like a flash flood, enveloping everyone present.
Delicious.
Incredibly delicious, not just the scent of flowers or simply at, but the fresh scent of eel mixed with top-grade clear soup. Jiang Weiming was a master at producing clear soup, and Jiang Feng had already experienced this when he had chicken tofu pudding, but this didn’t stop him from salivating over the stead green eel in front of him.
Large and plump pieces of eel were sliced and laid bare in the dish, the color of the sauce clearly visible on the at, with the portion near the skin white and delicate.
Jiang Feng ate this dish before at Wu Family Restaurant, prepared by Wu Hanxue. While eating, Wu Minqi had introduced him to the thod of steaming green eel, and he vividly rembered her ntioning that highly skilled chefs could create a stead green eel whose fragrance would spread 50 ters when the cover was lifted.
At the ti, Jiang Feng didn’t take it seriously, considering it just a beautiful legend among chefs. After all, such legends aren’t uncommon in culinary circles, where everyone speaks of legendary chefs who could craft dishes to perfection, yet no one had ever witnessed it.
Now, Jiang Feng had seen it, the legendary stead green eel whose fragrance could spread 50 ters was gleaming right before him.
Though Jiang Feng couldn’t actually run 50 ters away to check if he could really sll the stead green eel’s aroma, he was clear that what Jiang Weiming had made was the legendary dish ntioned in the tales.
The secret to the dish’s fragrance was indeed the final spoonful of clear soup poured over it.
In so respects, the new cooking concept Tian Lin acquired, focusing on chicken soup, wasn’t wrong. Top-grade broth and clear soup truly have the magical ability to transform the mundane into the miraculous, after all, both broths represent the ultimate exploration and refinent by Chinese chefs of the essence of ingredients over nearly a thousand years.
Unparalleled.
Regrettably, Jiang Feng could only watch as Jiang Xiaoran enjoyed the al grandly at the dining table, while he stood by, drooling.
Jiang Xiaoran, as a teenager still in his growing years, was inept at many things but excelled in eating. Not only did he have a big appetite, but he also ate quickly. It was likely his speed in grabbing food, honed in the school cafeteria, that even his robust uncle Jiang Zhe seated at the sa table couldn’t beat him to the dishes.
The stead green eel on the plate was visibly diminishing at a quick pace.
Aside from the succulent eel at, the stead green eel also hid beneath it pork and egg custard that were rare delicacies. Especially the egg custard, since it lay at the bottom absorbing all sorts of juices, was almost the essence of the entire dish, where the flavors converged.
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Because Xiaoran ate quickly, by the ti he had finished the pork and eel on the surface, the egg fu yung buried at the bottom was still hot, even a bit scalding.
Xiaoran had been too busy eating to speak, but when he got to the egg fu yung, he couldn’t help but take a break to exclaim, “Wow, Grandpa, the stead egg under this fish is super delicious!”
“You guys should try a piece!” Xiaoran seed to have discovered a new treasure.
Xiaoran’s grandmother spooned up so of the egg with a smiling face, while Jiang Weiming shook his head with a smile, “Grandpa doesn’t like it much, but if Ranran likes it, he should eat more.”
“Eat slower, no one’s fighting you for it, you’re like a pig rooting for food,” Lin Juan said with a laugh.
“Ran is growing, so it’s normal for him to eat quickly,” Jiang Yanlu said.
Jiang Yong’s face also showed a hint of a smile as this New Year’s dinner finally began to take on a warm and harmonious family atmosphere.
“Hmph.” Unfortunately, a real scumbag would absolutely never allow the atmosphere to beco warm and harmonious.
Jiang Zhe’s cold snort seed to express his strong dissatisfaction to everyone present, sitting at the edge of the table propping up his head like a boneless slouch, looking like a thug who extorts protection money at the village entrance.
Jiang Yong’s smile faded when he saw Jiang Zhe like this, and couldn’t help but say, “You should look respectful when you eat. What’s with that posture? Sit up properly.”
Jiang Zhe then reluctantly resud a normal sitting posture.
Hearing Jiang Yong say this, Jiang Yanlu’s wife imdiately took issue, “Second brother, what do you an by that? It’s the New Year, why are you scolding Zhe? He can sit however he wants, however he’s comfortable.”
She even added, dissatisfied, “You didn’t say a thing when Ranran was eating like that just now, Zhe is just a bit casual in his seating.”
Xiaoran, who had been concentrating on the egg: ???
“Big sister-in-law, what do you an by that?” Lin Juan slamd her bowl down on the table, ready to argue fiercely, “What’s this about Ranran eating in such a way? What’s wrong with the way a teenager eats? Didn’t any of you eat like that at his age?”
“When Jiang Yong just spoke about Zhe’s posture, don’t you understand what he ant? If you have a problem with our family, just say it. Ever since we stepped in, Zhe has been acting all weird. What did we do to offend you? If you have sothing to say, be upfront about it; don’t beat around the bush here.”
Every housewife is an excellent fighter when it cos to argunts.
“Enough, it’s the New Year, no need to argue,” Xiaoran’s grandmother intervened to calm things down. “Zhe does need to correct his posture, and it’s fine for an elder to point it out. Ranran, you should also slow down when you eat later; you don’t want to choke. Your aunt is right too.”
“Eat your food.”
Unfortunately, except for Xiaoran, who continued to concentrate on his egg, nobody else really had an appetite anymore.
Jiang Feng wanted to sit at the table and eat for them.
Really, if they wanted to argue, they should wait until after the al and go straight to a battle in the yard. What’s the point of fighting at the table? It ruins the mood for eating.
The few people at the table ate disinterestedly, Lin Juan watched her sister-in-law like a hawk ready for battle, but for so reason, Jiang Yanlu’s wife conceded defeat without a fight and didn’t look at Lin Juan, just kept serving Jiang Zhe food.
Jiang Yong was expressionless, as if he was used to it all. Jiang Yanlu seed to have sothing to say but he never spoke up. Jiang Weiming and Jiang Yanlu’s expressions were similar, both seed conflicted, it’s just that Weiming was better at hiding it and it wasn’t apparent without careful observation. Xiaoran’s grandmother ignored everyone and continued to eat, occasionally serving Xiaoran so at dishes.
Xiaoran was definitely star of the show, having eaten the most. Though he was inexplicably dissed, he was definitely not at a loss.
“Grandma, can I stay over tonight and have Grandpa make another dish of this stead eel in the morning? I want to have it with noodles,” Xiaoran whispered into his grandmother’s ear.
“You go talk to your dad, if Ranran stays over tonight, your grandpa will definitely make it for you in the morning,” his grandmother said with a smile.
Just as Xiaoran was about to turn his head to discuss this with his dad sitting across from him, Jiang Weiming put his bowl down on the table and said, “Yanlu, Yong, co with to the room, I have sothing to tell you two.”
Xiaoran’s grandmother’s face imdiately darkened.
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