Chapter 10: Braised pork belly

Hongshaorou's tone was calm, but Grandpa Song could still detect his grandson's displeasure and confusion.

He felt a pang of embarrassment for letting Qu Xiaoxiao pick the flowers, but also pleased with his grandson's keen intuition.

Instead of directly answering the question, he played the emotional card.

"Who told me to be all alone in this place? Even my own grandson doesn't want to keep me company often, so I have to befriend others and give away a few rose bushes. What's wrong with that?"

His tone was filled with resentment and pity, as if he were the one suffering.

Seeing this, Song Han helplessly closed his eyes.

He truly had no way to deal with his grandfather, this old rascal who refused to live with him in the city, insisting on returning to the countryside to farm.

Besides, there was an auntie who cooked for him and people who helped with the farming; how could he be all alone?

He knew he couldn't win an argument with his grandfather on this point, so he opened his eyes and conceded defeat.

"Hehehe!"

Grandpa Song, seeing that his grandson wouldn't hold a grudge, couldn't help but chuckle.

He enthusiastically pushed the poria cocos cake made from flowers grown by his grandson in front of him, proudly introducing it:

"You should try this poria cocos cake made from roses you grew yourself. It's good for your spleen and stomach, perfect for you.

This was made by my new friend, delivered early this morning, it's still a little warm. Have a piece and try it."

Hearing this, Song Han looked down again; the pink cake looked appealing, but he didn't know how it would taste.

After sitting down, he hesitated for a second, glanced at his grandfather, then at the cake, and quickly took one.

The powdery residue on his hands made his eyebrows unconsciously furrow.

Grandpa Song knew his grandson's bad habit had struck again, and quickly urged, "Just put it in your mouth, wipe your hands after you're done."

Song Han didn't want to waste any more time, so he just put it in his mouth; it seemed he couldn't avoid eating today anyway.

With one hand, he defiantly stuffed the entire Poria cocos cake into his mouth, while the other hand took out a tissue to wipe away the crumbs left on his lips.

The whole process was seamless, and Grandpa Song seemed oblivious, awaiting his evaluation after eating.

Under Grandpa's expectant gaze, Song Han quickened his chewing, eager to finish quickly.

Not only was his sense of smell exceptionally keen, but his sense of taste was too.

Combined, eating something unpleasant was cruel to him.

Just as he was about to hold his breath and force himself to ignore the sensations in his mouth and swallow, his tongue unexpectedly turned, and an incredibly alluring floral fragrance instantly filled his mouth.

In a flash, it spread throughout his body, instantly calming his stomach, which had been slightly agitated since waking up that morning.

Song Han hadn't expected that the roses he had cultivated himself, when made into a dessert, would have such a flavor and effect.

Relaxing his breathing, he began to fully savor the taste of the Poria cocos cake in his mouth.

The bitterness of the Poria cocos was neutralized by the added sugar, leaving only a slight aftertaste that connected it to its ingredients.

The addition of roses was the finishing touch.

It not only enhanced the flavor of the poria cocos cake, making it unforgettable, but also made its aroma exceptional, as if one were walking through a flower garden, each breath filled with floral fragrance.

The texture was soft and glutinous yet not sticky, fluffy yet not crumbly—truly a superior dessert.

"Excellent, my roses weren't wasted."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Song's face lit up with a delighted smile, and he exclaimed repeatedly, "Excellent, excellent, excellent!"

He knew how rare it was to get a positive response from his grandson.

This was enough to prove how good Xiaoxiao's cooking skills were; he truly had a discerning eye, finding a "hidden gem" in the city.

His grandson's diet had always been a concern for him, and now that he had met a master chef, considering the ingredients provided, his grandson shouldn't have any major problems eating at the community canteen for a change of pace, right?

So, after some thought, Grandpa Song recounted how he met Qu Xiaoxiao and where she now worked.

"Tell me, should Grandpa go to the community center and ask if you can eat there a few times?"

"Just buy a house in the community, then we can eat there without any problem, right? Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

As for whether he would eat there himself, Song Han didn't answer directly.

Grandpa Song didn't notice this either, completely absorbed in his grandson's clever idea.

That's right! How come he didn't think of buying a house to eat at? Anyway, he had money, and the prices in this kind of old community shouldn't be too expensive, and there would be a market for it.

He excitedly slapped his thigh and shouted, "You've finally figured it out, kid!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he was eager to go out and buy a house.

In the end, it was only after Song Han repeatedly begged that the matter was delayed.

Just as the two of them had the idea of buying a house to eat at, Qu Xiaoxiao also officially started her daily routine of running a community canteen.

Looking at a pot of green vegetables and exquisite pork belly, she breathed a sigh of relief and rolled up her sleeves to get to work.

She planned to make the pork belly she bought today into classic braised pork, as a way to bring good luck to the opening.

Grandpa's recipe for braised pork belly showed a long cooking time.

She glanced at the dishes, estimated the time needed, and decided to make the braised pork belly first, using the time while it simmered to prepare other dishes.

Having made up her mind, Qu Xiaoxiao cleaned the pork belly she bought and cut it into pieces weighing one pound each.

She blanched the large pieces directly, then boiled them in cold water until just cooked through, turned off the heat, and let them cool.

To make the braised pork belly more shapely, she removed it, placed it on a plate, and pressed it firmly with a heavy object to shape it.

She touched the pressed meat; the cold touch traveled from her fingertips, indicating that the pork belly was ready.

She then cut it into 3x3 cm cubes (9 pieces in total) and fried them in hot oil in a pan until the fat rendered.

As the fat slowly seeped out of the pork belly, the aroma of frying fat in the air grew stronger, giving one the illusion of frying pork lard.

Qu Xiaoxiao knew perfectly well that to make braised pork belly fatty yet not greasy, a suitable amount of oil needed to be rendered out, but too much would ruin its texture.

Seeing the edges of the pork belly turn slightly yellow, she quickly inverted the spatula onto the meat, holding the pot handle with one hand and using both hands to tilt the pot, pouring out all the oil.

Then, she added Shaoxing wine and rice vinegar to the pot, which, combined with the hot pot, generated a strong steam that quickly enveloped the meat.

To prevent excessive evaporation and ensure proper removal of any unpleasant odors and enhancement of flavor, Qu Xiaoxiao quickly closed the lid and waited a moment.

When the hissing sound of water hitting the pot transformed into the sizzling sound of meat intimately contacting the hot pot, she quickly uncovered the pot, added scallions and ginger to sauté until fragrant, used dark soy sauce for color, light soy sauce for seasoning, and then added salt, stirring well.

Finally, she added enough boiling water to cover the meat, brought it to a boil over high heat, then reduced to a simmer.

She could use the remaining time to do other things.

The dishes she prepared today, apart from the pork belly, were all very simple. She planned to use the remaining ingredients to make scrambled eggs with chives, stir-fried bok choy, and spinach soup. The methods were all very simple; she could even start cooking half an hour before lunch.

So, during this time, Qu Xiaoxiao washed and prepared all the ingredients, and checked the cafeteria's hygiene again.

When she reached the front, she encountered Lian Yijun carrying a large sheaf of wheat, and was completely bewildered.

At this moment, Lian Yijun also noticed Qu Xiaoxiao inside the door, her face beaming with a bright smile, and excitedly called out:

"Xiaoxiao, big opening wheat sale!"

Qu Xiaoxiao quickly stepped forward, took the wheat from Lian Yijun's hands, and before she could even ask a question...

Lian Yiyun proactively explained,

"The 'big sale' of barley has a nice meaning, right? I heard from the florist that new stores often use barley as the main flower for their openings. This barley basket is our service center's wish for you."

Hearing this, Qu Xiaoxiao's face instantly lit up with a look of sudden understanding, and she nodded happily.

"Thank you! It has a good meaning, looks beautiful, and fits the image of my community canteen perfectly.

Today I'm making braised pork; if you like that, you must come and try it."

"Okay, okay!"

A hurried voice rang out, and Lian Yiyun immediately felt embarrassed after realizing what she meant.

The moment their eyes met, they smiled simultaneously, and all awkwardness vanished.

After agreeing to meet at the canteen at noon, Lian Yiyun went upstairs to continue working.

Qu Xiaoxiao, however, stood at the door admiring the beautiful wishes she had received. She had to admit that she liked the barley basket more and more each time she looked at it. After tidying it up a bit, she placed it in the most prominent position by the door, nodding with satisfaction as she did so.

Lian Yiyun, who had just gone upstairs, didn't waste any time either. She immediately spread the gossip that Qu Xiaoxiao had told her.

"Did you know? The chef downstairs said there's braised pork for lunch today!"

She spoke with an exaggerated tone, eagerly anticipating the surprise in everyone's eyes.

However, to her surprise, some seemed oblivious, staring blankly out the window, while others wore bitter expressions.

Confused, she scratched her head and asked,

"What's wrong with you all?"

Ma Qun, forcing himself to control his emotions, finally explained,

"We knew about it as soon as they started making it downstairs. You have no idea how overpowering the aroma of braised pork is; even with the windows closed, it's impossible to escape it.

That's why everyone is working while being tempted by the delicious food; nobody can concentrate on their work. Talking even speeds up the inhalation of the aroma. It's not that I don't want to answer you."

He immediately reverted to his previous state after saying this.

Lian Yiyun hadn't expected that this was the reason everyone was too busy to talk.

She couldn't help but sigh inwardly: The allure of delicious food is truly unbeatable!

However, she wondered if everyone had forgotten something.

"It seems none of you have your cafeteria cards yet, right? You need to swipe your cards to eat downstairs. Just come here to get them; the chef is probably busy right now."

These words instantly caused a stir in the previously quiet space.

A group of people rushed towards Lian Yiyun, excitedly shouting:

"I want to top up my account!"

"I'll top up 100 yuan!"

"I'll top up 200!"

In an instant, countless QR codes appeared before Lian Yiyun's eyes, their bright yellow lights dazzling her vision.

Anyone witnessing this bustling scene would have guessed that these people hadn't even bothered to answer Lian Yiyun's question just moments before.

While the upstairs noise was deafening, the kitchen downstairs also began to stir.

Qu Xiaoxiao checked the time; it was only about half an hour until 11:30, enough time to start cooking the other dishes.

The remaining dishes were simple, especially the bok choy. All she needed to do was wash it, heat oil in a wok, sauté garlic slices until fragrant, then add the bok choy and stir-fry briefly.

The bok choy softens and deepens in color after being soaked in water. Simply add salt for seasoning, stir-fry evenly, and it's ready to serve.

It has to be said, Grandpa Song's vegetables are really good; this bok choy barely needs stirring, softening in the pan with just a few stirs, and it's so juicy that she's almost afraid to use too much force.

Time flies, and the braised pork belly on the side is almost ready too.

Before taking it out of the pan, Qu Xiaoxiao adds rock sugar and reduces the sauce over high heat, the reddish-brown sauce evenly coating the pork pieces, giving them a glossy sheen.

All done!

Now all that's left is to wait for the diners to arrive.