Part 1 The Joker Chapter 11 Real Cooking
All dead is the norm? Glad I’m alive? Lucky I’m alive?
Klein winced violently and was busy taking two quick steps, running toward the door, trying to catch up with a couple of police officers for protection.
But he had just touched the handle when his movements suddenly stopped.
”That officer has made things sound so horrible, so why would they not protect me, a key witness or a key clue?”
”That’s too negligent, isn’t it?”
”Testing, or putting out bait?”
All sorts of thoughts were fighting in Klein’s mind, making him suspect that the police were still “watching” him in the dark, observing the reaction.
With that thought, he settled down and, no longer in a panic, slowly opened the door and shouted in a deliberately shaky voice to the stairway:
”You guys will protect me, right?”
Snap, snap, snap, there was no response from the officers, the rhythm of the leather shoes touching the wooden stairs unchanged.
”I know it! You guys will!” Klein shouted again in a tone of feigned conviction, trying to sound like a normal person in danger.
The footsteps faded and disappeared into the ground floor of the apartment.
Klein let out a low grunt and snorted in his belly:
”That’s a fake reaction, isn’t it? Substandard acting!”
He didn’t pursue it further, turning back to his room and casually closing the door behind him.
In the hours that followed, Klein gave a full performance of being upset, fidgeting, anxious and annoyed, reading without knowing the meaning and other words of the Great Eater Nation, not relaxing his requirements just because there was no one around.
It’s called actor’s self-cultivation! He laughed at himself like this in his mind.
As the sun dipped in the west, the clouds “burned” in the sky, and the apartment dwellers went home, Klein shifted his focus elsewhere.
”Melissa will be out of school soon ……” He turned his attention to the stove, lifted the kettle in one breath, peeled back the coals, and took out his revolver.
Without pause or delay, he reached down to the back of the lower planks of the high-low bed, where a dozen or so strips of wood were interlaced for support.
Having wedged the revolver between one of the strips and the board, Klein straightened up and waited apprehensively, fearing that the police would suddenly crash through the door, firearms at the ready, and burst into the room.
If it had been a normal steamy world, he made sure he wouldn’t have been seen by anyone when he did what he just did, however, there were transcendental powers here, self-validated transcendental powers.
After a few minutes of waiting, there was no movement at the door, only the sound of two tenants talking about going to the Wild at Heart bar on Iron Cross coming from far away, and then from near and far away.
”Whew.” Klein exhaled, his heart settling back into his chest.
Just waiting for Melissa to come back and make lamb stew with tender peas!
As soon as this thought appeared, Klein’s mouth seemed to overflow with the flavor of gravy, and incidentally, he also remembered how Melissa made lamb stew with tender peas.
She had boiled water to plunge the meat, then added onions, salt, a little pepper, and water, etc., and simmered it directly, adding peas and potatoes at a certain time, and simmering it for forty or fifty minutes.
”That’s quite simple and humble enough …… to rely purely on the flavor of the meat itself!” Klein couldn’t help but shake his head.
But this is also something that can’t be helped, where do commoners have a variety of seasonings, where do they have a variety of cooking techniques, they can only pursue simplicity, practicality and frugality, anyway, as long as the meat didn’t get burnt, didn’t go bad, how is it all good for those who only eat it twice a week or even once a week.
Klein couldn’t talk about being a good cook, his daily routine was based on eating outside the home, but cooking three or four times a week, building up week after week, still gave him a passing grade, and he felt that he couldn’t live up to the pounds of lamb.
”I’ll do it when Melissa gets back, it’ll be after 7:30 when it’s done, and that’ll starve her …… It’s time to show her some real cooking!” Klein gave himself an excuse, first let the stove fire rekindle, went to the communal washroom to get water to clean the lamb, and then took out the chopping board, kitchen knife, duk duk chopped into small pieces.
As for how to explain the sudden ability to cook, he decided to blame it on the dead man, Welch McGovern, a classmate who not only hired chefs specializing in the distinctive flavors of the Middle Sea, but also often worked out his own cuisine and invited people to taste it.
Well, the dead man won’t contradict me!
However, hiss, this is the world with extraordinary people, dead people may not necessarily not be able to talk ah …… Thinking like this, Klein inexplicably had a bit of a heart attack.
He put aside the stray thoughts and put the meat into the soup bowl, then took out the seasoning box and shook a spoonful and a half of yellowed coarse salt into it, in addition, he also cherished some black pepper grains from a special small bottle, scratched it together with the lamb and salt, and marinated it slightly.
Setting the crockpot on the stove and waiting for it to heat up, Klein rummaged through the leftover carrots from yesterday and cut them into several pieces, along with a piece of the onion he’d bought today.
Once he was done with the preparation, he pulled another small jar out of the cupboard and opened it to reveal what little lard was left.
Klein got a spoonful of it out, put it in a pan, sauteed it and melted it, then poured in the carrot and onion pieces and tossed them around for a while.
The aroma began to fill the room, and Klein dumped the lamb in all over and carefully browned it for a while.
The process should have involved some wine, or worse, wine instead, but the Moretti’s didn’t have those luxuries, and Benson only had one beer a week, so Klein had to keep it simple, pouring some boiling water over it, and making do with what he had.
After simmering for about twenty minutes, he opened the lid, added the tender peas and chopped potatoes, another cup of hot water, and two tablespoons of salt.
Closing the lid and turning down the heat, Klein exhaled in satisfaction and waited for his sister to come home.
Time passed, and the room became more and more fragrant, with the allure of meat, the mellowness of potatoes, and the “freshness” of onions.
The flavors gradually mingled, and every now and then Klein swallowed and pressed open the cover of his pocket watch to look at the minute hand.
After forty minutes or so, footsteps, not brisk but well-paced, approached, the key was inserted, the handle turned, and the door opened.
”It smells …… good,” Melissa whispered in a puzzled tone before the man entered.
She took her carryall and stepped in, her eyes sweeping over the fireplace.
”You made this?” Melissa’s motion to remove her sarong paused in mid-air, and her gaze at Klein was filled with horror.
She sniffled, inhaling more of the aroma, and her gaze quickly softened as if she’d found some confidence.
”You did this?” She asked again suspiciously.
”You’re afraid I’ll waste the lamb?” Klein smiled and asked rhetorically, not waiting for an answer, then said to himself, “Don’t worry, I specifically asked Welch to teach me how to make this dish, you know, he has a good cook.”
”First time doing it?” Melissa’s brow furrowed involuntarily, but was smoothed out by the aroma.
”Looks like I’m pretty talented.” Klein let out a chuckle, “Almost done, so put your book hat down, go wash your hands in the lavatory, and then wait for the tasting, I’m pretty confident.”
Listening to her brother’s methodical arrangements and looking at his gentle, calm smile, Melissa was stunned in the doorway, frozen and unresponsive.
”Do you like it stewed?” Klein urged with a smile.
”Ah, yes, yes!” Melissa came back to her senses and rushed quickly into the inner room with a handbag in one hand and a hat in the other.
Uncovering the crockpot, mist rose before Klein’s eyes as two loaves of rye bread had long since been placed on the side of the lamb and tender peas, allowing them to absorb the flavor and heat in order to become fluffy.
By the time Melissa returned from gathering her belongings and washing her hands and face, a plate of lamb stew with tender peas garnished with potatoes, carrots, and onions had been placed on the desk, while two loaves of rye bread, tinted with some of the color of the gravy, were on their respective plates.
”Here, try some.” Klein said, pointing to the wooden fork and spoon that rested against the side of the plate.
Still a bit bewildered, Melissa didn’t refuse, picked up the fork, speared a piece of potato, brought it to her mouth, and took a light bite.
The powdery stickiness of the potato and the rich flavor of the gravy filled the room at the same time, causing her saliva to go wild, and she finished the piece in three swallows, swallowing it.
”Taste the meat.” Klein said, pointing at the plate with his chin.
He had just tasted the flavor and found it to be only passable, but it was enough for the little girl who had never seen the market and could only eat meat once in a while!
Melissa’s eyes took on an extra gleam of anticipation as she carefully forked a piece of lamb.
It was braised quite well, and just as soon as it was in her mouth it felt like it was about to melt, a real meaty explosion of flavor and wonderful juices running across her mouth and filling her mouth.
It was a wonderful feeling like no other, and Melissa simply couldn’t stop.
By the time she came back to her senses, she had eaten several pieces of lamb.
”I, I, Klein, this is for you ……,” Melissa’s face flushed red for a moment and she stammered.
”I stole it a long time ago, it’s a privilege of being a chef.” Klein smiled and soothed his sister, while also picking up his fork and spoon, taking a piece of meat now and then, stuffing a mouthful of peas, and putting down his utensils to break off a piece of black bread and dip it in the juices.
Melissa relaxed, affected by Klein’s uncharacteristic demeanor, and reveled in the deliciousness.
”It’s delicious, I can’t tell at all that this is your first time making it.” Melissa complimented heartily as she glanced at the empty plate that didn’t even have any juice left on it.
”It’s not even close to Welch’s chef, when I get rich, I’ll take you and Benson out to a restaurant and have something better!” Klein said with a little longing that he was beginning to feel himself.
”Your interview will …… burp ……” Melissa suddenly let out a sound of satisfaction that was hard to control before she finished her sentence.
She scrambled to reach up and cover her mouth with a look of embarrassment.
It was all because the tender pea stew with lamb was so delicious earlier!
Klein laughed darkly and decided not to laugh at his sister as he pointed at the plate:
”Here’s your assignment.”
”Yes!” Melissa couldn’t wait to get up, grab the basin, and dash for the door.
When she returned from cleaning, she opened the cupboard and checked the spice box and other items out of habit.
”Did you just use it?” Melissa took off in surprise and turned her head to look at Klein, the black pepper bottle and lard jar in her hands.
Klein spread his hands and laughed:
”A little bit, it’s the price of deliciousness.”
Melissa’s eyes flickered and her expression changed a few times before she finally pursed her lips and said:
”It’s better for me to do the cooking in the future.”
”Well …… you have to hurry up and prepare for the interview, have to think about the job.”