Su Wei pushed open the small door that was covered in grease.
It's more of a storage room than a kitchen.
A thick layer of dust had accumulated on the stove, but thankfully the natural gas was on.
The refrigerator was empty except for a piece of beef tenderloin that was probably left over from not long ago, a tray of eggs, and half a pot of cold rice left over from last night, which had hardened into clumps.
In the corner, there were a few slightly wilted scallions.
Looking at the simple ingredients, a glint of light flashed in Su Wei's eyes.
That's enough.
Good ingredients don't require complicated cooking, and leftover rice is the key to fried rice.
Su Wei rolled up his sleeves and turned on the tap.
He first carefully inspected the ingredients; the beef tenderloin and eggs were fine, although they had been sitting for a while, they hadn't spoiled.
The rice had clumped together, but it didn't smell or taste different.
In addition, Cooking skills can also help accurately determine whether an ingredient is usable.
In that case, let's begin!
First, give the kitchen a quick sweep to ensure the utensils and spatulas are clean.
Then wash and prepare the ingredients.
Su Wei's meticulous knife skills, used to process corpses in the factory, were now applied to the beef with unparalleled precision.
The beef is cut into small cubes the size of a fingernail, against the grain, to ensure a tender texture.
Cut the white part of the scallion into sections and the green part into decorative shapes; set them apart separately.
"Boom!"
The powerful stove was ignited, and blue flames leaped half a meter high, instantly raising the temperature in the kitchen.
Heat the iron pot on a rack, then grease it with oil.
Su Wei's expression was focused, even more devout than when he was handling the fox pelts.
[ Cooking LV3 ] activated.
Beat the eggs and pour them into the pan.
"Sizzle"
The golden egg mixture expanded rapidly in the hot oil, and a rich aroma of eggs exploded out, sweeping through the cramped kitchen.
With a flick of his wrist, Su Wei sent the iron wok flying through the air, scrambling the eggs into a crumbly consistency before setting them aside.
Next came the beef cubes.
Stir-fry over high heat until the meat changes color, then remove it from the pan to lock in the juices.
Finally, the half-pot of cold rice was added to the pot.
The spatula in Su Wei's hands was constantly being used to stir, press, and pound the food.
Under the influence of high temperature and oil, the rice grains separate and dance in the pot, making a pleasant sound.
Pour in the eggs and beef, sprinkle in a handful of fine salt, a pinch of black pepper, and finally drizzle a spoonful of light soy sauce along the edge of the pot.
Stir-fry over high heat for ten seconds to bring out the wok hei (wok aroma).
Finally, sprinkle in chopped green onions and turn off the heat.
The residual heat brings out the aroma of scallions.
The entire process takes no more than five minutes.
When Su Wei walked out of the cubicle carrying two large porcelain plates filled to the brim, Old Hope, who had been sitting at the table pretending to read the newspaper (but actually holding it upside down), twitched his nostrils noticeably a few times.
The aroma filled my nostrils, overpowering the formaldehyde smell in the factory.
"This is what you made?"
Old Hope stared at the plate of fried rice in front of him, each grain distinct, golden and glistening, dotted with bits of beef, and his Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty.
Without any hesitation, he grabbed a spoon, scooped out a large spoonful, and put it in his mouth.
In an instant, the old man's eyes widened.
Those eyes, which had become cloudy and yellow from years of exposure to chemicals, suddenly shone with an astonishing light.
The rice is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, chewy yet saturated with the rich flavors of beef and egg.
The beef was very tender, and the crispness of the scallions perfectly balanced the richness.
The aroma of that intense, high-heat stir-frying hits you right in the head.
The only sounds in the factory were the clinking of spoons against plates and the old man wolfing down his food.
He didn't even bother to speak, and he seemed impatient to chew, as if afraid someone would take it from him.
At this moment, all notions of mastery and the prestige of a top taxidermist were thrown into the sewer.
Three minutes later, the plate was empty, so clean that not even a single scallion was left.
Old Hope licked the oil off his lips with lingering satisfaction, his eyes filled with longing as he looked at the half-eaten food on Su Wei's plate.
Su Wei pretended not to see it, eating slowly and gracefully.
"Cough."
Old Hope coughed heavily, grabbed a towel from the side and wiped his mouth, trying to regain the momentum he had just lost and restore his aloof demeanor.
"There's too much oil."
He spoke critically, his eyes darting around.
"The beef was a little tough, and there was a tiny bit too much salt. It was just barely edible."
If he hadn't scraped the plate so clean, and his eyes had even been glancing at the empty plate, then this statement might have been somewhat convincing.
Su Wei suppressed a laugh, nodded, and cooperated fully.
"Okay, I'll improve next time."
Since you're so free...
Old Hope shoved the plate onto the table and said matter-of-factly.
"From now on, you're in charge of lunch. The cost of the ingredients will be included in the cooking fee. Don't even think about slacking off; if it tastes bad, you're fired."
This is tantamount to tacit approval.
It was even more decisive than acknowledging his skinning technique.
"No problem."
Su Wei swallowed the last bite of his meal and readily agreed.
After a satisfying meal, the brief, heartwarming time came to an end.
Old Hope stood up, and in that instant, he transformed back into that harsh tyrant, even more energetic than before.
"Eat first, then get back to work."
He walked up to a machine that looked like a miniature lathe and pressed the switch.
"Buzz"
The machine emitted a piercing roar, and a circular blade with serrated edges spun at high speed, producing a chilling whistling sound.
This is a meat slicer.
Old Hope roared, his voice booming over the noise of the machine.
"That was just playing house this morning; this is real skill."
He grabbed the otter pelt that Su Wei had just peeled off, turned it over, and placed the pelt against the rapidly spinning blade.
"Watch closely."
"This white layer on the skin is called subcutaneous connective tissue and residual fat. If it's not removed, the preservative solution can't penetrate at all. But if too much is removed, the skin will be ruined."
Old Hope's technique was both brutal and precise.
He pressed the hide onto the blade, as if to shred it, but each time he lifted it, the hide was clean, revealing the grayish-white skin layer, while the oily layer turned into shavings that flew away.
"You come here."
Old Hope stepped aside, tossing the still-dripping otter pelt to Su Wei with a hint of mockery in his eyes.
"This thing spins at 1,800 revolutions per minute. If you don't want your hand anymore, just reach up. I don't have any spare fingers to catch it."
He was ready to press the red emergency stop button at any moment.
This machine once cut off half of an apprentice's hand.
Su Wei stood in front of the machine.
The high-speed rotating blades exuded a sense of pressure, and the air pressure was overwhelming.
He took a deep breath and pressed the pedal.