Chapter 634: Stir-Fried Black Bean Paste
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Su Wenzhe thought it might be difficult for regular customers to find the restaurant if they had relocated.
Perhaps those customers would choose to eat somewhere closer. Therefore, it was good that the Liu family bought the shop lot.
“l think your parents can retire at an early age,” Su Wenzhe knew his wife’s parents lived frugally and saved as much money as possible.
‘It seems my in-laws have saved up a lot before buying the shop.’
Liu Yinyin said, “Of course. My parents have taught me to save money and be diligent since childhood. They told me not to be extravagant and wasteful so that I could live a better life.
“My mother does well with taking care of the house too. I remember some villagers not wanting to work in the fields during winter, but my parents didn’t care about the cold and worked anyway.
“My parents have worked hard ever since I can remember. They would always wake up before dawn.”
Su Wenzhe felt emotional and agreed that his in-laws had always worked hard. In the past, most relied on farming to survive. They would not feel at ease if they did not work in the fields.
Mr. and Mrs. Liu always did well with their harvests because they were hardworking. They even saved as much money as possible.
When the Su family struggled in the past, Liu Yinyin could always go to her parents for help. Su Wenzhe remembered it vividly.
Now that his family’s conditions had improved, he and his wife would often send them things and check on them. The couple considered it their filial piety to the older couple.
Su Wenzhe and Liu Yinyin washed and dried the chicken feathers as they spoke. Meanwhile, Su Wenxiu poured the chicken blood into a basin so the family could use it for cooking another day.
Su Wenwu placed the two chickens on the counter and asked, “What should we do next, Sister?”
“Let’s chop the chickens first,” Su Binglan said as she prepared the seasoning.
Su Wenwu put the chickens on the chopping board and cut them with a cleaver. Shen Mohen left the brick platform and watched curiously from behind.
He had never been in a kitchen before, but after seeing it for the first time, he
realized how fun cooking could be. He entered and asked Su Binglan, “I want to help, too, Sister Binglan.”
Su Binglan was surprised to hear Shen Mohen’s question because he was the eldest young master of the Shen family. She wondered what he could help with in the kitchen.
‘He might not even be able to light the fire since the Shen family wouldn’t let him cook.’
Su Binglan looked at the pot and said, “You can help me scoop the water from the well and pour it into the pot. Just half the pot will do.”
Shen Mohen was excited to receive his cousin’s instructions. He happily said, “I’ll do it now.”
He never expected cooking to be so interesting. He felt involved as Yue Huachen stood on the sidelines, envious that Shen Mohen could help.
Su Binglan noticed Yue Huachen’s expression and raised her brows. “Do you know how to set the fire, Master Yue?”
Yue Huachen heard Su Binglan calling him and hurriedly said, “Yes!”
“Then I’ll have to trouble you to do that, Master Yue.” Su Binglan was aware Yue Huachen knew how to cook.
“All right.”
Shen Mohen felt involved but was not satisfied with just scooping water. He felt aggrieved when Su Binglan asked for someone else’s help. can light a fire, too, Sister Binglan.”
The young lady was surprised. “Are you sure you can handle it?”
‘Ah! No, I can’t!’ Shen Mohen palmed his head.
“I-I use fire to brew medicine.’
Su Binglan said, “But the fire I need is for cooking, not brewing medicine. Still, you can help Master Yue with it. You can do it next time.”
Shen Mohen was delighted as he went to see how Yue Huachen prepared the firewood for the fire.
Meanwhile, Luo Jin’an used his excellent knife skills to peel the potatoes for his wife. With a slight knife movement, he felt the skin peeling off the potato.
Su Wenwu quickly finished chopping the chicken, and Su Binglan placed the meat into the pot for Yue Huachen to boil. Afterward, he washed the chicken meat with plain water and drained it.
Luo Jin’an sliced the ginger, peeled the garlic, and cut the potatoes into pieces while his wife washed the chili. At that time, Shen Mohen had also helped to clean the pot.
After Yue Huachen started the fire, Su Binglan added oil to the dried pot. Then she added the black bean paste and stir-fried it until it was fragrant.
Old Madam Yang used the same black bean paste with her multigrain
pancakes—everyone thought it delicious.
Everyone at home smelled the fragrance and was in awe. Su Wenzhe could smell it from the courtyard, saying, “It smells so good!”
He could not help but go to the kitchen and see how his sister made the sauce.
“That’s the bean paste you’re smelling,” Su Binglan explained.
Su Wenzhe enthusiastically said, “That means the bean paste will taste good. It smells even better when you stir-fry it with oil.”
Su Fengmao thought of something when he looked at the bean paste, saying, “Do you remember Geng Song? He’s the businessman who worked with us before.
“He often brings me his local things when he comes to collect his goods, so I gave him a bottle of your bean paste last time. He even asked if I would sell it, but I told him my daughter prefers to keep it for herself.”
The older man spoke proudly.
Su Binglan remembered Geng Song from when they first started collaborating. He was the one who gifted Su Fengmao a jar of wine last time.
Su Binglan considered making her own brand of wine after tasting that wine.
Afterward, Su Fengmao gifted Geng Song two bottles of Su Binglan’s wine. When Geng Song brought the wine home and tasted it, he thought it was delicious and made a deal with the winery to buy and resell their product.
Geng Song was no longer a small-time merchant and had become well-known.
Su Binglan looked at her bean paste in the pot and wondered if she should open a factory specializing in making sauces.
‘There should be a considerable market for these.’
With that thought in mind, she remembered having many more things to do. However, she was too busy and could not handle it, so she took one step at a time.
‘I’ll proceed with these things after the New Year. For now, I want to spend time with my family.’
Su Binglan’s hands did not stop moving while considering these things. After stir-frying the bean paste, she added the ginger slices and stir-fried them. Almost immediately after, she added the cubed chickens.
She stirred the mixture and seasoned the meat with cooking wine, rock sugar, and chili.
Meanwhile, Su Wenxiu finished handling the chicken blood and put it away.
He could not wait to enter the house. When he saw the color of the chicken inside the pot, he said, “That looks delicious!”
“Don’t get too excited yet,” Su Binglan said, “l still need to add the potatoes.”
After removing the excess water from the potatoes, Su Binglan added them to the mixture..
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