Food and Desire
Memory is important to everyone, but it is undoubtedly unreliable to rely solely on memories to archive one's life.
Therefore, travelogues and diaries exist, along with photos, videos, audio recordings, and stories and legends passed down orally.
Liu Chang'an remembers many interesting things lost in history, but he has also forgotten many things.
He flipped through the diary for a while but didn't find anything. He wasn't in a hurry, since Qin Yanan was still just a little girl.
This makes extending lifespan different for men and women because their bodies are different, and therefore the effects and absorption processes are also different.
Qin Yanan called and said she would cook for him that evening and bring the food over so they could have dinner together.
Liu Chang'an put away the rattan book box.
The rain stopped for a while in the afternoon, but it started raining again now. Liu Chang'an estimated when Qin Yanan would arrive, so he took an umbrella and went to the entrance of the residential area to wait for her.
After a while, a champagne-colored Bentley sports car stopped. Qin Yanan opened the car door, opened an umbrella to shield her skirt as she got out, and then picked up a food box. Liu Chang'an went over to take it.
Qin Yanan was slightly surprised. Looking at his damp umbrella and the moisture on his face, she felt that he had been waiting here for quite a while. You know, now that people have cell phones, even if they come out to wait for someone, they usually come out right on time.
She was slightly touched, but considering that she had prepared for so long and brought the food over, his attitude was understandable. He probably understood her kindness and enthusiasm for her cousin, which was why he came out. Otherwise, Qin Yanan thought he would have been lying motionless in his chair as usual.
"This car suits you quite well." Liu Chang'an looked at Qin Yanan. Today, Qin Yanan was wearing a plain white short skirt. The slightly cool air made her legs, which had just stepped out of the car, break out in goosebumps, but it did not diminish their jade-like color.
Qin Yanan explained helplessly, "You men don't understand... Women are usually discriminated against when they drive. If it's a regular luxury car, there are always drivers who want to cause trouble, overtaking you, cutting you off. Only with this kind of car will they obediently keep their distance, at most whistling and honking their horns."
"Actually, if you paint a few words on the car: 'My great-grandfather is Qin Peng,' I think no one will whistle or honk anymore," Liu Chang'an thought of a good idea.
"You're crazy!" Qin Yanan smiled charmingly, raised her hand and punched Liu Chang'an, then covered her mouth in surprise, "You seem to have grown quite a bit these past few days."
"I'm practicing the Seedling-Pulling Technique; it'll make me grow taller."
"Boys are so lucky, they can still grow taller even at eighteen. Zhu Juntang really tried so hard to grow taller, and she only grew two or three centimeters, which made her so happy." Qin Yanan was envious of Zhu Juntang, but she wasn't. She was very satisfied with her height. It would be nice to be a little shorter, but becoming shorter seemed to be more difficult than growing taller.
Liu Chang'an and Qin Yanan walked back. The sky was overcast and gloomy, and it was a bit cold. The scent on Qin Yanan mixed with this coldness was a light and pleasant fragrance, like the scent of flowers and grass after the rain.
After setting out the food at home, Qin Yanan pointed to the cuttlefish eggs, "Try this cuttlefish egg soup first."
"You can make this dish?" Liu Chang'an was a little skeptical, but after taking a bite, he immediately showed a look of admiration and nodded.
His reaction wasn't intense, but Qin Yanan was already somewhat smug. "It's a recipe from Master Hou, a Henan cuisine master, a dish served at state banquets, known as Diaoyutai State Guesthouse Soup. This dish took me quite a bit of time..."
How did you do it?
"First, wash the cuttlefish eggs to remove any fishy smell, soak them in cold water, then boil them over high heat, remove them, rinse them again with clean water, tear them into pieces, and put them into a pot of clear broth that has been simmering for a long time. After skimming off the foam, add soy sauce, pepper, salt, cooking wine, ginger and scallion water to taste, then pour in a light cornstarch slurry and white vinegar, stir, drizzle with garnish, and add cilantro for seasoning." Qin Yanan felt a sense of finding a kindred spirit; a slight smile played on her lips. "Most restaurants simply can't make cuttlefish egg soup properly because they can't even get the clear broth step right. This soup needs to be clear yet rich and flavorful; it's very difficult to make."
Liu Chang'an ate some, then closed his eyes to savor it. "Next time, try adding pork leg bone marrow to the clear broth."
"Won't that make the soup look too oily and cloudy?" Qin Yanan asked with some doubt.
"Wrap it in the heart of a Chinese cabbage and put it in a cloth bag... three minutes will be enough."
"I'll try it next time..." Qin Yanan pointed to another dish, "This braised ham with Chinese cabbage, guess how I made it?"
He actually started giving pointers on her signature dish, Qin Yanan found somewhat unconvincing.
"Hehe... The best ham, peeled, with the fat removed, leaving only the bok choy hearts. Simmered in chicken broth until the skin is tender, then add the bok choy hearts, honey, and fermented rice wine, simmering for half a day. The taste is truly sweet and fresh..." Liu Chang'an praised, "The meat and vegetables melt in your mouth, yet they don't fall apart at all in the broth. The broth is also extremely delicious, no less than fish ball soup."
Qin Yanan pointed to several other dishes, Liu Chang'an tasted them while explaining the cooking methods one by one. Although his methods might not be exactly the same as Qin Yanan's, he was able to point out the differences in taste resulting from the different methods and steps. Qin Yanan found this unbelievable. This little cousin was definitely not simple. He lived in a small house converted from a storage room, yet he confidently appraised the various dishes instructed by the chef of the State Guest House. Moreover, he was definitely not just a half-baked expert; only a true gourmet could make such comments. How could pretense fool Qin Yanan?
Take Zhu Juntang, for example. She owns Zhu's, a high-end restaurant chain that has created several Michelin-starred restaurants. Whenever she eats Qin Yanan's cooking, she can only exclaim how delicious it is. It's impossible for her to give a critique like Liu Chang'an. At most, she might say that she has some rare ingredients that she can give to Qin Yanan to cook for fun, and maybe that it will lead to some improvements.
There's some truth to the saying that wealth fosters confidence. If you haven't experienced or tried something, you simply don't have the confidence to express it.
But he was clearly poor... Never mind, Qin Yanan didn't think too much about it. His great-grandfather was elusive and disappeared without a trace. If he didn't tell her about the mystery surrounding this little cousin, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to find anything out.
Liu Chang'an and Qin Yanan both ate a very full meal today. After the meal, Qin Yanan packed up the food box and placed it outside the door. Seeing that it was still early, Liu Chang'an put up the awning, turned on the light, and sat outside chatting.
Looking out into the distance, the rain had temporarily stopped, and a sea of lights illuminated the sky, obscuring the undulating edges of the city. The view from this side was devoid of water, mountains, and people; it was as if surrounded by walls, lacking much of the natural beauty.
Qin Yanan took out her phone and glanced at it casually. Zhu Juntang had sent her a message: "The night is so beautiful. Why don't you go back inside and talk about life and your ideals?"
"What do you mean?" Qin Yanan replied to the message.
"Marriage is life, and the ideal is to have a few children."
When Qin Yanan saw Liu Chang'an's gaze drift over, she quickly grabbed her phone, stood up, pointed at Baolong Center, and made a gesture as if she were tapping someone's head.
There was no doubt that if she could find Liu Chang'an with binoculars, Zhu Juntang could definitely find him too. She just didn't know when Zhu Juntang had started spying on her. She probably had a lot of random thoughts running through her head, which made Qin Yanan want to go and confront her right now.
"I'm going to find Zhu Juntang." Qin Yanan picked up the food box.
Be careful on the road.
Qin Yanan got into the car and then realized she had forgotten to ask Liu Chang'an how the clothes were coming along. She had been thinking about it on the way here, wanting to see his craftsmanship... Maybe next time.