Chapter 31: Sudden change

The fire in the hearth was blazing, and the four of us sat around it, staring at the pot on the hearth, which was being licked by the flames and making a ‘gurgling’ sound inside.

Actually, to be honest, I was the only one who was staring at it, Qinhuai and Su Rou were fine, and Chengxin was very calm.

Smelling the intoxicating aroma in the room, Su Rou couldn’t stand it anymore and asked, “Brother Chengxin, is your sour soup fish ready yet?”

Cheng Xin looked at Su Rou with a smile, then used a spoon to scoop up some soup and tasted it. Then he said to Su Rou like he was comforting a child: “Don’t worry, the soup is only 70% done. It needs to be cooked a little longer. Go wash your hands, I’ll go make two more dishes, and the sour soup fish will be ready.”

Su Rou, I, Qin Huai, all swallowed a mouthful of saliva at the same time, and could only wait like this. But the fragrance was so tempting that I couldn’t stand it. I simply followed Cheng Xin Ge to the kitchen to see what he was doing.

In the kitchen, Chengxin, with his sleeves rolled up, was happily pulling a piece of bacon out of the pot. He looked at me with a satisfied expression and said, “See, this bacon is red and has a long-lasting, mellow smoky flavor. The fat is crystal clear and the lean meat is firm and tender. Hey, this Miao bacon is really something. Only the authentic bacon from the mountain villages in Sichuan can compare to it.”

I looked at Chengxin Ge in disbelief. Was a piece of bacon really worth making him so happy? It wasn’t fake happiness, because his eyes were so satisfied that they almost glowed. But he wasn’t being greedy, was he?

I realized that I couldn’t understand my second senior brother, but he didn’t seem unnatural or like he was trying to explain. Instead, he picked up a knife and started cutting the bacon. As he cut, he told me leisurely, “When you treat food, you should treat it like a lover, with a full heart, and gently experience it, to…”

Well, I don’t understand. I really don’t understand. I completely ignored Chengxin’s nonsense, just watching the thin, translucent slices of bacon fly out of his knife quickly and neatly, forming a row, tempting to death.

Seeing my greedy look, Chengxin took a piece of bacon and said to me with a gentle smile, “Want to try a piece?”

I walked up to him and couldn’t wait to take the piece of bacon and swallow it. It was so fragrant, really fragrant, even more fragrant than the bacon my mother made at home.

“Tasty?” Chengxin asked with a smile.

“Yes, it’s delicious.” I was very satisfied.

“This is not the best way to cook it. Wait and see.” Chengxin’s eyes emitted a kind of enthusiasm that ordinary people could not understand. He said very seriously. I suddenly felt that the whole aura of my second senior brother in front of me had changed, making people afraid to look at him, and his forehead was sweating.

I got goosebumps all over my body and simply fled the kitchen in a panic. I was afraid that I would affect him and he would chop me up with a cleaver.Taoist priest

There weren’t many dishes on the table, just one sour soup fish, one stir-fried bacon with garlic sprouts, and one cold dish of leek root, but each one was so delicious that I wanted to swallow my tongue.

The fish in the sour soup was tender and fresh, and the soup had a rich, but not overpowering, sour flavor that blended with the fish’s natural flavor. When I swallowed, the flavor exploded in my esophagus, carrying a warmth that flowed all the way to my stomach, and then a slight spiciness spread in my mouth, leaving a long aftertaste.

The slightly spicy flavor of the garlic sprouts and the original mellow flavor of the preserved meat are a perfect match. The right amount of heat makes the outer layer of the preserved meat slightly crispy, but the inside is quite chewy. After eating a piece, the flavor left in your mouth alone can make you want to eat a few more mouthfuls of rice.

The last dish, cold-cooked leek root, is refreshing and crispy. Chengxin took the leek root from someone else’s pickle jar and added some very simple seasonings to make it. It didn’t rob the leek root of its own fragrance, but it also set off its flavor just right. It was the best for eating with rice.

These three dishes were full of flavor, and with the special rice wine of the host, the three of us were almost dancing with joy. Brother Chengxin didn’t eat much, but he occasionally picked up a chopstick and a dish, occasionally sipped a sip of wine, with a signature smile, a satisfied look.

In the end, we finished all three dishes. The crispy pork belly said with a satisfied smile, “Brother Chengxin, you are amazing. You said that these three kids have been oppressed by Master Jiang since they were young, but the food they make is like pig food compared to yours. But it’s not their fault. Every time they are in a hurry, they look aggrieved. They look at the food and wish they could chop it all up with a knife and then stir fry it all in a pot. Hey, I can’t compare, I can’t compare.”

I stared at the meatballs with hatred, but I couldn’t say anything. First, the food I made was really just pig food compared to Chengxin’s. Second, this kid was right when he said that I had a lot of homework and had to go to school, so cooking was really a burden. I just wanted to throw it all in the water and wash it clean, then chop it up and cook it in a mess.

Chengxin smiled and said, “Chengyi doesn’t have the mood to cook. Boys are bound to be impatient, and it’s rare to have a gentle and enjoyable mood in the kitchen. I’m a hobby, so I’m especially serious.”

Qin Huai also put down his chopsticks with satisfaction and said, “Brother Chengxin, you’re a man too, so why are you so amazing? So virtuous? ! Brother, I’m not bragging today, if you were a woman, I would marry you just for cooking this dish, no matter what you look like.

“Oh?” Brother Chengxin narrowed his eyes slightly, then suddenly smiled and said, “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m a man, and chasing girls and being chased by girls is also one of my hobbies. I heard that in Miaojiang, there is a kind of mushroom that, after eating it, will suddenly make people lose their speech. Do you understand? It means that you can’t speak. Qin Huai, otherwise I’ll make you a mushroom and meat soup tomorrow?”

Qin Huai suddenly covered his mouth, probably because the smart kid had already figured out the true nature of my second senior brother and dared not speak out of turn.

“It was just a joke, don’t be afraid.” Chengxin’s gentle smile returned, and he began to quickly clean up the dishes. The three of us couldn’t laugh, though. Who knew if he was really joking?

That night, the four of us lay half-reclined on the porch in front of the wooden house, looking up at the night sky in the courtyard, dotted with stars, and feeling very relaxed.

“I really like Xiangxi Miaojiang. It’s so beautiful. The three Miao dishes that Brother Chengxin made today were so delicious. I really want to spend my whole life in this small town.” Qinhuai said with a cigarette in his mouth.

“Yes, it’s so beautiful, so much like a paradise, but the more beautiful something is, the greater the danger it hides. The Miao people’s poison, the Xiangxi corpse-chasing, and the witches and the like, if ordinary people encounter them, they’re not going to survive, right?” The meat was poisoned, and I guess the psychological shadow is also heavy.

I squinted at the night sky and didn’t say anything. Maybe there is beauty, danger, leisure, and tension. This is life.

Chengxin touched his chin and said softly, “Where in Miaojiang is the scenery beautiful and the place mysterious? The people in Miaojiang are also very beautiful and mysterious. There was a girl, a one-sided relationship, who amazed me. You think I’m good at cooking, right? In fact, the girl’s childhood friend taught me. The girl’s nickname is Tuan Tuan, and she is very good at cooking. She and her boyfriend are also very good at it. I can’t describe it, you have to eat it to know. But even so, Tuan Tuan told me that her cooking skills were not as good as her friend’s, who was called…”

Chengxin told us about the people of Miaojiang. It was a simple matter, but the three of us were fascinated by it and wanted to meet the person he was talking about. Tuan Tuan, Tuan Tuan’s boyfriend, and the woman who amazed him.

But at that moment, a knock on the door interrupted our conversation. You have to know that this is a relatively remote town, and it’s the middle of the night. Who would be knocking on the door?