Chapter 812 A generation of stew
Zhaojiacun half a century ago has not changed much from Zhaojiacun now. The layout is the same. Jiang Feng recognized the iconic building at the entrance of the village - the canteen from a distance.
It should be a supply and marketing cooperative now. It was later turned into a canteen after the supply and marketing cooperative closed down and was bought by private individuals. The house has remained unchanged, and now it looks like the most impressive building in the village.
Jiang Weiguo came here on a bicycle. In this era of scarcity, a bicycle that was not too old and had its head replaced caused as much sensation in the countryside as someone who came by helicopter when Jiang Feng was in school.
Big sensation.
Everyone wanted to see it, and preferably touch it, but Jiang Weiguo came to visit for the first time. The son-in-law of the Zhao family had not yet decided to marry Zhao Lanhua, and the villagers did not dare to think about it even if they thought about it. thoughts revealed.
Zhao Lanhua is already eighteen years old, and she has finally negotiated with this person. If they get her into trouble, the Zhao family's parents will have to come to the house with a knife and chop them in pieces.
So everyone can only watch.
You can't look close yet, you have to look far away, in a way that doesn't scare Jiang Weiguo. This also led Jiang Weiguo to find that the people in this village were very strange. At meal time, everyone sat at the door to eat, holding a rice bowl and staring at him.
Jiang Weiguo:?
Zhao Lanhua:......
Of course Zhao Lanhua knew why everyone didn't have a good meal at home today, but ran to the door to eat. If it weren't for her partner riding a bicycle today, she would definitely sit at the door with a meal in hand and eat while looking at what the bicycle looked like.
It's not a big deal to watch the excitement, but it's a bit embarrassing to be the one.
Zhao Lanhua is a little embarrassed now.
"The building in front is my home. I saw my mother and she was at the door." Zhao Lanhua pointed to the bungalow in front.
Jiang Feng followed Zhao Lanhua, looking around at the houses in the village. He can roughly tell which one belongs to whose family by the location of these houses. The houses at this time are different from the ones behind them. These are old houses or half a century ago. Basically, they have been bulldozed and rebuilt into bungalows. Become a small building.
The Zhao family's old house had been torn down and rebuilt before Jiang Feng was born. This was the first time Jiang Feng saw the Zhao family's old house.
Small.
In fact, the area alone is not small, but now there are many Zhao family members, ranging from old to young. Zhao Lanhua's grandmother, Jiang Feng's great-grandmother, is still alive. In addition to Zhao Lanhua's parents, the eldest brother's family, and the three unmarried sisters including Zhao Lanhua, including the youngest family, there are a total of nine people crowded into a house with only four rooms. It seems that this originally quite The big house is small.
Including Zhao Lanhua's grandmother, eight people were guarding the door, wearing their most decent and latest clothes. Zhao Lanhua's sister-in-law held Zhao Zhuangshi, who was not very eloquent, and stretched her neck to take a look from a distance. Jiang Weiguo's bicycle.
Jiang Weiguo and Zhao Lanhua received the news as soon as they entered the village.
This village is also called Zhaojiacun, and now it is called Xiahe Production Brigade. The people in the village are basically related to each other and share the same clan. Everyone also knows that the third daughter of Zhao Sanhe’s family who is still dating at the age of 18 is going to have a partner today. Come to your door.
By the way, Zhao Lanhua’s father’s name is Zhao Sanhe.
This is a big event. Ms. Zhao Lanhua's marriage has always affected the hearts of the whole village. The main reason is that there is nothing special in the village now and they have nothing else to worry about. Worrying about other people's marriages is the most worry-free and stress-free thing.
Just talk and don't have to pay anything.
Zhao Lanhua is also not in demand in the current wedding market. At this time, everyone wants to marry someone who is in good health, strong, strong and able to work. People like Zhao Lanhua are older and thin, and even Those who were a bit thin and out of shape before were the least popular. The reason why she accidentally went to the city to go on a blind date with Jiang Weiguo was entirely because Master Huang was thinking about introducing a partner to Jiang Weiguo. Ms. Zhao Zaohua also adhered to the strategy of not losing money to outsiders, and always stayed within the scope of her own relatives. search.
Although Zhao Lanhua is not in high demand in the rural wedding market, she is quite good-looking. Aunt Zaohua thought that Jiang Weiguo didn't like people who were too strong or too small, so she introduced Zhao Lanhua to Jiang Weiguo with the mentality of giving it a try. Unexpectedly, it happened like this.
The Zhao family was very nervous.
Jiang Weiguo was also very nervous.
Jiang Weiguo and Zhao Lanhua walked towards the Zhao family step by step.
Closer, closer.
arrive.
"Dad, Mom, Grandma, this is Comrade Jiang Weiguo." Zhao Lanhua whispered.
No introduction is needed. Everyone knows the situation of both parties, but they have not met yet. Jiang Weiguo was warmly welcomed into the room and sat next to Zhao Sanhe.
The tables, chairs, bowls and chopsticks were all ready, and most of the dishes were on the table. Except for the stewed meat, everyone sat down one after another. Zhao Lanhua leaned against her mother. Grandma Zhao and her two little granddaughters sat on one side. Zhao Lanhua’s sister-in-law held Zhao Zhuangshi and Young Man in her arms. Sitting together with my great-uncle who looked very ordinary when he was young.
There were ten people sitting at a small square table, although one of them was holding someone in his arms.
Jiang Weiguo took out the wine he brought and put it on the table. The exquisite wine bottle immediately attracted everyone's attention. The two little girls of the Zhao family who had been staring at the scrambled eggs on the table stopped looking at the scrambled eggs and turned to the wine. bottle.
"Uncle Zhao, this is the wine I bought when I went to FJ earlier. I didn't know what to bring when I came here for the first time, so I just brought a bottle of wine. I hope you don't mind." Although Jiang Weiguo doesn't talk much, he usually speaks to the guests in the scene. I can still say clichés.
"FJ's wine? Then I have to try to see if it's good enough!"
In fact, Zhao Sanhe didn't even know where FJ was.
Jiang Feng was not interested in these scenes at the wine table. If he really wanted to listen to a lot of different songs when visiting relatives during the New Year, he would listen to them without repeating the same thing.
What he was really interested in was the stew.
This time Jiang Feng's moving range was not too large, but fortunately the Zhao family was not too large either, so he could barely get into the kitchen. Although he couldn't get close to the stew, he could at least see and smell it.
The stew is still in the pot, and large pieces of white fat are tumbling in the pot. Zhao Lanhua was right. The village next door had indeed left all the best meat to their family. The best meat at this time was fat meat. When this kind of pig generally cannot eat too much, it is really not easy to find such a piece of pork belly that is rated at least 28 points by visual inspection.
The current stew is the most traditional and authentic stew of the Zhao family.
The stew Jiang Feng had eaten before was all made by Tian Lin. After seeing a generation of stew, Jiang Feng found that the stew made by Tian Lin was actually quite good, at least she put enough ingredients.
Although the stew made by Tian Lin was fatty and unpalatable, at least it had flavor. It was added with scallions, ginger slices and soy sauce, and the stew was at least dyed in sauce color. The pot of stew that Jiang Feng saw now was purely boiled meat in white water. It seemed that nothing had been added except salt. The meat was white and the soup was not clear. It exuded the smell of death and bubbled.
A generation of stewed meat is so terrifying.
Seeing that Jiang Feng could only silently give the old man some wax in his heart.
After appreciating the stew at close range, Jiang Feng returned to the main hall. He was already drinking. His uncle and uncle looked a little drunk. He was holding a wine glass with only half a glass of wine left in it, and he sipped it reluctantly. He seemed to be drinking some fine wine.
"Brother-in-law, how much did you pay for this wine? I feel that the stamina is quite strong. I'm a little dizzy now." I am indeed dizzy. Jiang Weiguo and Zhao Lanhua haven't gotten married yet, and my uncle and brother-in-law are... Called.
"It should be 13 yuan." Jiang Weiguo said, very sober.
My uncle is also sober, sober.
Zhao Sanhe was also shocked. The two or three yuan of bulk liquor sold by the supply and marketing cooperative in the village was already a very high price in their opinion. However, Jiang Weiguo told him that this small bottle of wine, which weighed less than a kilogram, was actually very expensive. It costs thirteen dollars.
This is not drinking, it is just drinking money! Their family only saves a dozen yuan through frugal living throughout the year, but they may not be able to save it.
Zhao Sanhe suddenly felt that the food on the table was not enough.
In order to welcome Jiang Weiguo's arrival, the Zhao family spent a lot of money on lunch today. Stir-fried cabbage, stir-fried potato slices, stir-fried wild vegetables, stir-fried river shrimp, scrambled eggs, a bowl of tomato and egg soup and enough white rice. Even the sweet potatoes and corn were not cooked. Plus the stew in the kitchen, this meal is better than the Chinese New Year. Eat abundantly at all times.
But all this is incomparable to a bottle of liquor worth thirteen yuan.
"Is the stew ready?" Zhao Sanhe suddenly raised his voice.
Zhao's mother was talking to Zhao Lanhua in a low voice. When Zhao Sanhe called out like this, she quickly stood up: "It should be almost done. I'll go take a look."
"Okay, let's give Xiao Jiang a bowl first." Zhao Sanhe said loudly, turning to Jiang Weiguo with a smile, "Lan Hua's mother makes the most delicious stew, and she is famous in our village. Yesterday The freshly cut meat was stewed early this morning. You’re welcome to eat more later.”
"Okay, thank you, Uncle Zhao." Jiang Weiguo nodded.
When Jiang Feng went to the kitchen just now to see the stew, the stew was almost ready. Not long after, Zhao's mother came out of the kitchen with a large pot of stew. Three kilograms of meat were all in the pot, and it was piled as high as a hill. .
The meat is good meat, fresh, all-natural, carefully raised pork. After a long morning of stewing, it finally became this suffocating appearance.
White, greasy, and despairing meat stewed in white water.
Jiang Weiguo was shocked.
Young Jiang Weiguo had surprise written on his face, not just surprise, but also a hint of fear hidden in the surprise.
Different from Jiang Weiguo's normal reaction, the eyes of the other Zhao family members at the table lit up when they saw the stew. Zhao Zhuangshi, who could not speak clearly, became excited when he saw the stew. Perhaps because he had been warned by the elders in the family before, he did not dare to make too much noise, so he could only keep whispering to his mother that he wanted to eat meat.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the stew, the biggest and fattest piece on top, except Zhao Lanhua.
Jiang Feng noticed that Ms. Zhao Lanhua was acting a little strange.
Ms. Zhao Lanhua seemed a little surprised, a little disappointed, and even a little confused.
After Zhao’s mother brought out the stew, she went into the kitchen and got a plate of soy sauce. Obviously, due to the serious lack of seasonings, the stew was not stewed with soy sauce, but dipped in soy sauce after it was stewed. .
Zhao Sanhe enthusiastically served Jiang Weiguo meat and a full bowl for Jiang Weiguo. Just like every time Jiang Feng went to his uncle's house, his uncle enthusiastically served meat to every child of the Jiang family, the enthusiasm of the Zhao family was always a bit overwhelming.
Mainly because the stomach can't bear it.
"Xiao Jiang, eat meat. Let me tell you, eating a bowl of meat after drinking wine is the most comfortable thing. Look at how well Lanhua's mother stewed the meat today. It's big and fat. It's just... Oops, I forgot, Xiao Jiang, you are a chef in a state-owned hotel, your skills must be better than Lanhua's." Zhao Sanhe moved the soy sauce in front of Jiang Weiguo.
You have to eat meat in front of you.
Jiang Weiguo hesitated.
He hesitated.
Just when he hesitated, Zhao's mother had already divided the meat for others. The stew is the most precious dish in today's meal. Mother Zhao, who is in charge of dividing the dishes, must come to share it herself. Two pieces for each child. Grandma Zhao was too old and couldn't eat too much, so she only shared two pieces. Zhao Sanhe and his uncle each got more than half a bowl because they were men, and Zhao Lanhua also got more than half a bowl because she was one of today's protagonists. , and the rest each had a small bowl.
Everyone has already eaten.
Zhao Zhuangshi was not very good at using chopsticks. His mother felt sorry for him. He gave the fattest piece of meat in his bowl to his son. Zhao Zhuangshi swallowed the whole piece of white fat meat without blinking. belly, leaving only some oily flowers on the lips.
"Xiao Jiang, why don't you eat? You're welcome, just treat it like your own home." Zhao Sanhe thought Jiang Weiguo was embarrassed and urged.
Jiang Weiguo could only pick up his chopsticks with difficulty, pick up the least fat piece in the bowl, dip it in some soy sauce, and take a bite.
Then chew twice quickly and swallow decisively.
Jiang Feng understood this state very well. They all ate stew like this back then.
Because it is really unpalatable and greasy, the longer the stew stays in your mouth, the more greasy it becomes. You can taste the fishy smell of pork when chewing it carefully. Long-term pain is not as good as short-term pain. Anyway, death is inevitable. If you eat faster, the experience of death will be better.
The stewed meat passes through the intestines, leaving the fat in the mouth.
I just don’t know if it would be more delicious if dipped in soy sauce.
Jiang Weiguo quickly finished a whole bowl of stew.
If there were some flaws in Jiang Weiguo's expression at the beginning, if you look closely you can see his pain, his resistance, and his despair. By the middle and later stages, his performance has become very impeccable and cannot be faulted. The expression is natural, the movements are fast, and the way he devours the food gives people the illusion that he eats it so quickly because he thinks the bowl of stew is delicious.
After all, he is a person with rich social experience, so his acting skills are naturally different from those of ordinary people.
"How is Xiaojiang? Lanhua's mother is good at stewing meat, right?" Zhao Sanhe looked very proud.
Jiang Weiguo calmed down after taking two bites of stir-fried wild vegetables, and said calmly: "It's very good. My aunt is really good at stewing meat. Lan Hua told me about it before, and she really deserves her reputation."
"Would you like some more? There is still some in the basin." Zhao Sanhe said cheerfully. The last bit of stew in the basin was specially left by Zhao's mother for Jiang Weiguo, because she was afraid that he would not be able to eat enough.
Jiang Weiguo decisively changed the subject: "Uncle Zhao, thank you for your hospitality today, for actually cooking such a sumptuous table for me. Come, let me toast you."
It's getting foggy.
While the fog was rising, Jiang Feng noticed that Zhao Lanhua had not eaten much of the stew in his bowl, and there was still a lot left.
Mother Zhao also noticed.
"Lanhua, why don't you eat it? It's okay, don't be shy, you see Xiao Jiang and your dad are chatting very well. You don't have to come forward later, I will tell Xiao Jiang the rest." Zhao's mother thought that Zhao Lanhua was because Jiang Weiguo was here, so he was embarrassed to eat so much.
She didn't know that every time Zhao Lanhua went to the city for a date, she always ate. Zhao Lanhua was too embarrassed to go home and tell her parents that she went to the city today to eat with her partner, roast duck, braised pork ribs, roast chicken, braised prawns, and steamed pork with rice flour. ……
"No, Mom, did you stew the meat poorly today?" Zhao Lanhua asked in a low voice.
"Huh?" Mother Zhao was confused. Jiang Feng really wanted to know what Mother Zhao's expression was at this time. Unfortunately, it was foggy and he couldn't see it, so he could only listen.
"I think today's stew is not as delicious as before." Zhao Lanhua had already said it very tactfully.
"It's delicious. I stewed it early this morning and kept it there all morning. There won't be any problems. Stop thinking about it."
Jiang Feng left his memory. (End of chapter)