Free Web NovelChapter 166: Chapter 166: Gu’er’s Craftsmanship
Gu’er looked at the prepared wild boar meat, an idea already forming in her mind of what to make.
She brought a pot of water to a boil and added the boar meat, which had a good balance of fat and lean, to stew.
Back in the hamlet, this method was called "plain stewing." The goal was to savor the meat’s original flavor. In truth, it was a cooking style born of poverty—people couldn’t afford many seasonings and didn’t know other methods. Just getting to eat a pot of meat stewed this way was considered a luxury.
She chose this simple stew because she knew that while the middle-aged man wanted to taste her cooking, what he truly craved was a taste from his memories. And the taste from his memories was precisely this kind of stew.
Gu’er was making this stew to serve the middle-aged man a memory. Without this particular wild boar stew, even if all her other dishes were delicious, the man would inevitably feel a sense of regret, that something was missing.
With the wild boar stewing on the stove, Gu’er glanced at the pork that she’d had a prep cook mince for her.
Gu’er then had them finely chop some scallions and ginger. She mixed these together and cracked an egg into the bowl.
She added various seasonings and some starch, then mixed everything until it was well combined.
Oil was quite precious in this era. Although city dwellers could afford it, very few people would use wild boar meat to make fried meatballs, and you certainly couldn’t find them in restaurants.
Gu’er paid no mind to the chefs watching her. She wasn’t afraid of them copying her. ’It’s not like I’m planning to open a restaurant,’ she thought. ’If they want to learn, they’re welcome to it.’
Once the wok of oil was hot, Gu’er squeezed the meatballs one by one into the pan. When they turned golden brown, she scooped them out.
When the oil became very hot, she put the meatballs back in to fry a second time.
After draining the excess oil, Gu’er arranged the wild boar meatballs on a plate.
"There are extra ones here. Can we try one?"
A chef asked Gu’er. He wanted to taste them, as the manager had just instructed him to sample Gu’er’s dishes first. They could only be served to the guests if they were good; if not, they couldn’t leave the kitchen.
Gu’er made a "go ahead" gesture. ’They’re serving an important guest, so of course they need to taste it first,’ she thought. ’It’s to make sure I don’t mess things up.’
Gu’er tried one herself. The meatball was a bit hot, but it was incredibly fragrant.
Wild boar meat is relatively firm, giving it a chewy texture. The seasoning was just right—not too salty, not too bland. It was quite delicious.
"Delicious, I’ll say! Frying it into meatballs seems to have gotten rid of that pine resin flavor."
The chef’s eyes lit up. ’Making wild boar meatballs is pretty simple,’ he thought. ’Looks like our hotel will have another signature dish soon.’
The meatballs were sent out to the dining room. Of course, the meal being served couldn’t consist solely of Gu’er’s wild boar dishes. The head chef also prepared a few of his own specialty dishes to be served. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
Meanwhile, Gu’er started on the soup.
She planned to make the soup with wild boar, but for the vegetable component, she chose dried cabbage. People in this area usually preferred using pickled cabbage for soup—the pork bone and pickled cabbage soup was a well-known local dish. It had a pleasant, slightly sour, and refreshing flavor. Gu’er, however, had no intention of using pickled cabbage, which was why she opted for the dried variety.
The dried cabbage was, of course, dry. Gu’er cut it into sections and soaked it in water to soften it.
Gu’er sliced some wild boar meat and marinated it with a bit of oil. Then, she placed some boar bones into a pot, added ginger slices and water, and set it to boil. This cooking method ensured that neither the skin nor the fatty parts would be greasy. Even the belly meat would turn out crisp and incredibly delicious.
After the soup had simmered for a little over half an hour, Gu’er added the dried cabbage. She then spotted some mature corn, so she cut one up and added it to the stew as well.
The chef watching from the side stared wide-eyed. ’You can make soup like that? Isn’t it just a matter of boiling the bones and tossing in some pickled cabbage?’
’I wonder if this soup Gu’er’s making will even be drinkable?’
While the soup continued to simmer, Gu’er started on another dish: stir-fried wild boar.
Of course, wild boar wasn’t as tender as domestic pork, but Gu’er stir-fried it with a generous amount of red chili peppers and large scallions. The result was fragrant, spicy, and refreshing. Eating a dish like this, especially in winter, would warm you from the inside out.
"ACHOO."
Someone who couldn’t handle spicy food sneezed, thinking Gu’er had used far too many chilies. But he couldn’t voice any objections; after all, everyone’s tastes were different. Maybe the guest loved spicy food.
The stir-fry was served. Meanwhile, Gu’er checked on the stewed wild boar. It was nearly ready. She prepared it two ways. For the first, she took out large chunks of meat and placed them directly on a large platter without slicing them.
For the second platter, she sliced the meat and served it with a dipping sauce made from minced garlic and other seasonings.
Once those two platters of meat were sent out, all the dishes were pretty much ready. Gu’er tasted the soup. It was rich and delicious. A smile graced her lips; she was confident the middle-aged man would be satisfied.
After having someone from the kitchen staff take the soup out, Gu’er left the kitchen. The moment she stepped out the door, she saw Sun Jiaming.
Sun Jiaming’s eyes scanned Gu’er from head to toe. Seeing that she was alright, he finally relaxed.
"All done?"
Uncle Zhao stepped forward and asked. They had already finished their meal.
"Mhm, all finished. Have you eaten?"
Gu’er nodded.
"We’ve eaten! I’ve lived this long and this is the first time I’ve ever eaten at a restaurant. I have to say, the food is delicious. I don’t even know what half of it is made of, but it’s all so good," Uncle Zhao exclaimed in admiration.
Gu’er smiled. ’In the future, when things are more developed, it’ll be perfectly normal for people from the hamlet to eat at restaurants.’
"Has the bill been paid?" Gu’er asked again.
"It’s paid." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Sun Jiaming nodded. The manager had personally sent someone to give him the money and had even tried to give him extra, but he had refused it. He understood the manager’s intention—the extra cash was likely meant as payment for Gu’er’s cooking. But he couldn’t accept it. Gu’er wasn’t here selling her skills; she had come simply to fulfill the middle-aged man’s request. It wasn’t about money, and accepting payment would taint the gesture.
"Alright, we should get going. It’s getting late. You all will be getting back to the hamlet pretty late. How about you stay the night here in town?"
Gu’er glanced at the sky. It was only a little past four in the afternoon, but it was already dark.
"We can’t stay. If we don’t go back, the folks at home won’t be able to sleep. It’s alright, we know the road well. Don’t you worry," Uncle Zhao said, shaking his head.
"We’ve come to the city and headed back in the middle of the night before. There are three of us, nothing will happen. Don’t worry."
Sun Jiaming also spoke to Gu’er in a low voice, explaining that if it were just him, staying over would be fine. But with his grandmother and Uncle Zhao to think of, he had to lead them back.
"Alright. In that case, you should head back directly from here. It’s a bit closer to the hamlet."
Gu’er knew they were telling the truth.
They were ready to leave, and no one stopped them. Since Gu’er had finished cooking, there was no reason for them to stay any longer.
Uncle Zhao and Sun Jiaming insisted on walking Gu’er home. Because of the incident with Xiao Li, they didn’t feel safe letting her walk back alone. Only when Gu’er had reached the entrance to her apartment building did the two men finally breathe a sigh of relief. Now that she was home safe, they felt at ease and could head back themselves. What none of them knew, however, was that someone had been secretly following them the entire time, right up to the building’s entrance.
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Thanks to Ning Zhihai for the praise, and thank you all for your support. I’m hungry...
