Siheyuan: A Cook in the 60s

"No, I married in later. I heard that when he got married, he invited everyone in the hospital to dinner. There were delicious fish and meat on the table..." Qin Huairu's eyes showed longing, and then something was stuffed in her mouth. She chewed it twice subconsciously.

"What are you doing?" Qin Huairu glared at Cao Wei.

"Meat, here. No matter how good you eat, can you eat as good as today?"

"Well... not really." Qin Huairu hesitated slightly. She had only heard about it from others, after all, she had never seen it. But today, in this kitchen that was almost bigger than their house, she saw the quantity and quality of the meat. She couldn't even imagine it.

Qin Huairu chewed it twice. The aroma of the meat made her feel a little dizzy and fascinated.

She had forgotten the last time she had eaten meat properly.

"That's it. From now on, be nicer to yourself. You're too thin."

Qin Huairu felt warm in her heart when she heard Cao Wei's words, but she said, "It's not easy to eat meat, and I don't know if the New Year's goods will be delivered this year."

“Didn’t you send it before?”

"If you count further back, I did get one, but last year, the year before last, and the year before that, I didn't get one. You know."

"Yeah." Cao Wei responded and started to knead the dough. As for the reason, everyone who knew would understand.

"You know, I've wondered what my wife would be like before?"

While helping Cao Wei process the materials, Qin Huairu asked curiously, "What kind?" But remembering Cao Wei's bad behavior, she added, "Don't say weird things."

"What weird things can I say?" Cao Wei said speechlessly, and his tone became more serious: "Actually, it's nothing. I just want to find a greedy wife."

"Greedy?" Qin Huairu didn't understand.

In the countryside, there are no greedy children. If there are, they will be beaten until they get rid of this bad habit.

"Yes, I am a cook. I don't have any great aspirations in life. I just like to cook. It would be best if my wife helps me while I cook, and I can stuff some delicious food into her mouth from time to time. It would be even better if she could give me a son and a daughter. Then, I can cook and feed delicious food to the children, big and small. Just thinking about that scene makes me happy."

Qin Huairu couldn't help but put herself into the scene, and the lingering fragrance on her mouth made her feel as if she were in that scene.

For some reason, she suddenly had an inexplicable feeling. She hated Cao Wei's future daughter-in-law a little, or rather, she was a little jealous.

Different women pursue different things.

For example, if you say this to Lou Xiao'e, she will probably roll her eyes and say that she will only mess with Cao Wei when she is cooking.

As for Qin Huairu, her greatest ambition was just to marry into the city and eat commercial grain. The scene Cao Wei described for her was simple yet complex.

Simple means that this matter is very simple for Cao Wei. Complex means that this matter is like a dream that has come true for her.

"Huai Ru? Huai Ru?" Cao Wei called out softly twice.

"what?"

"Are you distracted?"

"Hmm...hmm." Qin Huairu lowered her head, her face slightly flushed. She didn't dare let Cao Wei know that she had just put herself in the role of Cao Wei's wife.

"Hey, that's right. Getting up so early would make me tired too. In the future, if you work hard, I might give you a raise."

"It's settled then." Qin Huairu took advantage of the situation to back off.

The two seemed as if they had never talked about this topic before.

But unknowingly, a charming atmosphere gradually developed between the two of them.

It’s just that Qin Huairu herself didn’t realize it.

"Hey, you have to work hard then."

The noodles are ready to be put into the pot.

There are three main things to pay attention to when eating Penglai noodles.

The first thing is to use even force when kneading the dough. The noodles must be stretched to 6 pieces with moderate thickness. After stretching, they must be put into the pot immediately.

The second thing is the fish soup. The fish soup must be cooked to be fresh and free of fishy smell, and the emphasis should be on its sweetness.

Third, it is the diced fish. The bones must be removed cleanly, and the fish meat cannot be scattered, but must be arranged in an orderly manner.

This small noodle is not a very complicated dish, but making it requires extremely basic skills. It is basically impossible to make it without a few years of practice.

Penglai noodles have a very high status in Shandong cuisine.

According to the tradition of Penglai rural area, whenever there is a funeral or a wedding, "Penglai Noodles" is the staple food that must be served at folk banquets. Therefore, among the people, this kind of banquet is also referred to as "eating noodles", and going to someone else's home for a banquet means "going to eat noodles".

After the main course, eating "Penglai Noodles" is regarded as a sign of respect for the host, so the host usually hires a skilled local chef to "make noodles" on the spot.

Later, slowly, this custom was no longer limited to the local area, but gradually spread out.

After Wu Hao took the noodles away with a thumbs up.

Cao Wei also made a large bowl, placed it in front of Qin Huairu, and motioned for her to sit down.

"You sit down, I'll just stand." Qin Huairu lifted the hair stuck to her forehead and said softly.

"Sit down. I'm used to squatting when eating noodles." Cao Wei pushed her down on the seat, picked up his bowl, and started eating with a slurp.

Qin Huairu opened her mouth but didn't say anything. She took the chopsticks and put a mouthful of food into her mouth. As soon as she put it in her mouth, she was stunned.

The noodles danced in her mouth with just the right amount of chewiness. Each noodle had a sweet taste. Her mouth moved slightly, and as the noodles were crushed, the sweetness and aroma of the noodles instantly exploded in her mouth. This sweetness was layered. When she first took a sip, the sweetness was not obvious, but only a little bit, guiding her tongue to pursue it.

Chasing and pursuing, until the moment the teeth chewed the noodles, the sweetness suddenly exploded.

At this moment, Qin Huairu seemed to see the light and all the beauty in this world.

She didn't know that there really was such delicious food in the world.

She didn't know what the meaning of her life was.

What comes with the sweetness is not happiness, but the bitterness hidden deep in the heart, which is constantly being magnified.

As she ate, tears began to flow from her eyes.

Cao Wei was enjoying his meal, it was ridiculous to talk to him about keeping in touch with him instead of just having a meal. Too much is as bad as too little.

Hearing no sound behind him, he turned around to take a look.

The expression became.

Subway, old man, mobile phone.jpg

Cao Wei: ???

I was thinking, I didn’t give any drugs?

It is difficult to describe Cao Wei’s mood at this moment.

My noodles are heavenly? So delicious that I cried?

who I am? Where am I? What am I doing?

Glowing cuisine?

Drugged food?

Many thoughts flashed through my mind.