Chapter 83 (continued)

Qing Mengzhu's eyes lit up immediately. "I've never properly eaten this before, would you like some steak?"

Zhou Yan: "You can fry it, or stir-fry it."

Qing Mengzhu: "If we're going to stir-fry it, how do we stir-fry it? Do we just use stir-fried beef?"

Zhou Yan looked at the bamboo shoots he was carrying. "Just stir-fry them with bamboo shoots, and it would be best to add some green and red peppers."

Qing Mengzhu: "Okay, let's stir-fry it with bamboo shoots. I'll see if there are any fresh chili peppers in the kitchen. I love beef, so let's get some good side dishes to go with it."

Zhou Yan: "I know you like it, otherwise I wouldn't have brought the beef over specifically."

Ming Chunxi chimed in, "We already have chili peppers, scallions, garlic, and other side dishes; we don't need to go out and pick any more."

Qing Mengzhu: "That's great! I'll peel the bamboo shoots. Brother Zhou, would you like to stay for dinner? You brought such a nice piece of beef; I really don't know what to do with it."

Zhou Yan laughed, "I can do it. I'll cut off the outer shell."

A large portion of dry-aged beef is inedible on the outside and must be completely removed.

Only when Zhou Yan personally takes charge can he ensure that the cuts are just right, preventing food poisoning and waste.

Qing Mengzhu had no objections and said to Zhou Yan, "Then, while we peel the bamboo shoots, can I invite He Xi to come over for dinner?"

Zhou Yan: "Go ahead and call him. I specially prepared one for him, otherwise I'll feel really awkward being the only third wheel."

Qing Mengzhu: "You're not a third wheel, you're a savior for our appetites!"

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi were peeling bamboo shoots outside. The weather was cold, so there were relatively few bamboo shoots, but the quality was even better. The peeled bamboo shoots were crisp, tender, and sweet, without any astringency or bitterness. They could be eaten after a quick blanching.

Zhou Yan picked up the peeled bamboo shoots and looked at them. "These bamboo shoots are really good. Can I just cut off the tips to stir-fry? That way, the tenderness of the bamboo shoots will be more uniform, and they can be cooked all at once, so that some bamboo shoots won't be overcooked while others haven't absorbed the flavor."

Qing Mengzhu: "Of course, I can just use the cut-off parts to make pickled bamboo shoots."

Zhou Yan: "With you saying that, I'll just watch and cut it."

Zhou Yan didn't like people entering the kitchen and interfering with his work, so Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi continued drinking tea in the courtyard.

When Zhao Hexi ran over, Qing Mengzhu was holding Ming Chunxi's hand, examining her palm lines; the two of them were almost pressed together.

As soon as Zhao Hexi pushed open the courtyard gate, she yelled at them, "Oh dear, I should have knocked first, so I wouldn't have seen anything inappropriate for children?"

Qing Mengzhu retorted, "You might as well not come at all, then you won't see me."

Zhao Hexi chuckled, "No way, I want to freeload. It smells so good, is it Brother Zhou cooking again?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Besides Brother Zhou, who else has this skill? It's only a few degrees Celsius, and you're already wearing a trench coat. Are you suffering from kidney deficiency?"

Zhao Hexi: "Go away! I drove into the mountains today to discuss a white fungus business deal. It's cold and windy in the mountains, and I didn't wear a windbreaker. I'll ask you for sick leave tomorrow."

Qing Mengzhu poured him a cup of tea. "How did the talk go?"

Zhao Hexi: "The quality of the white fungus isn't very good, not as good as the ones we bought before, so I gave up. Hey, what do you think, why don't we grow some white fungus ourselves?"

Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi exchanged a glance and both thought of the bacteria strains in the Interstellar Mall.

Unfortunately, they don't have enough Star Coins, and they have many things to buy, so they can't spare any Star Coins to buy the bacteria right now. Otherwise, they could try buying the bacteria from the Interstellar Mall.

Qing Mengzhu: "I'm not available right now, I'll see next year."

Zhao Hexi: "Then I'll mark it down. Let's see if we can get this project implemented next year. I think growing silver ear fungus is quite simple, but the environment needs to be good, otherwise the silver ear fungus won't turn out well."

"What's wrong?" Zhou Yan called out from the kitchen, "We can prepare dinner now. There are two more vegetable dishes. Why don't you serve the food to the Dharma Protector and the Guard first?"

Qing Mengzhu quickly stood up. "Coming."

Ming Chunxi placed a hand on Qing Mengzhu's shoulder and said, "I'll go feed them, you two chat."

Qing Mengzhu then sat down again and talked to Zhao Hexi about the white fungus.

Soon, the food was served. Qing Mengzhu moved her bowl slightly, her attention still on the white fungus, but her eyes inadvertently swept over the dishes on the table, and she was immediately drawn to the stir-fried beef with bamboo shoots.

Zhou Yan didn't cut the beef into slices; instead, he cut it into strips.

The beef should be of exceptionally high quality, with perfectly distributed pale yellow fat on evenly sized strips. Even after cooking, the reddish-brown beef still looks very tender.

Snow-white bamboo shoot slices are scattered throughout, coated with a thin layer of sauce and glistening with oil.

The diamond-shaped slices of green and red bell peppers are also very eye-catching, and they look like they've been stir-fried just right.

Just looking at this dish tells you it must be delicious, let alone tasting it.

Qing Mengzhu glanced at it, and then couldn't refocus her attention on the white fungus.

Ming Chunxi handed chopsticks to Qing Mengzhu: "Eat first, we can talk after you finish eating."

Zhou Yan also urged, "Eat quickly, before it gets cold."

Qing Mengzhu: "Okay."

Qing Mengzhu picked up a piece of beef, took a bite, and her eyes immediately lit up with amazement.

I don't know if it's because of the aging process, but this beef is amazing. The aroma of meat and milk is perfectly combined and concentrated countless times. It tastes so fragrant and sweet, with a burst of umami flavor in your mouth, and a savory sauce flavor that's not quite sauce.

Qing Mengzhu couldn't distinguish what the taste was at all; she only sensed a rich aroma and freshness.

Aged beef is much more tender than regular beef, incredibly juicy and tender, and it's so easy to bite into it – the texture is fantastic.

The beef was perfect in both texture and flavor, but the bamboo shoots were a different kind of perfection.

Freshly dug bamboo shoots are blanched and cooked immediately, resulting in slices that are sweet, crisp, and tender, seemingly carrying the fresh scent of the mountains.

It is also sweet, but not in an overpowering way; rather, it has an indescribable crispness and sweetness that makes it incredibly refreshing and creates a perfect contrast with the beef strips.

Aged beef and fresh bamboo shoots are two ingredients with completely different textures and flavors, yet they harmonize remarkably well when stir-fried together.

Qing Mengzhu ate, she felt the two ingredients battling in her mouth, one after the other, each releasing an exquisite freshness and aroma, making it more and more wonderful and delicious with each bite.

Zhou Yan asked, "How are you feeling?"

Zhao Hexi: "It's delicious! Brother Zhou, your cooking skills and the ingredients are top-notch!"

Ming Chunxi said, "Brother Zhou, if you can buy this kind of aged beef, could you buy some for us?"

Qing Mengzhu nodded repeatedly beside him, "Yes, yes, yes, buy some for us. This dish is absolutely perfect with rice, it's amazing!"

Zhou Yan: "Okay, I'll go back and ask if they sell it there. But the aged beef they use is cedar beef that costs 2,000 yuan per kilogram. Once the trimmed and aged beef is sent over, the price might triple."

Ming Chunxi nodded understandingly. "The beef is good, so the price will definitely be a bit higher, but we can accept that."

Qing Mengzhu: "It's just too delicious. If all else fails, I'll see how to sell the bamboo shoots and use the money to buy this beef."

After taking another bite of beef and bamboo shoots, Qing Mengzhu shook her head and said, "Perfect crispness and rich flavor, especially with Brother Zhou using chili to balance the taste, it's like the finishing touch on a masterpiece."

Zhou Yan: "If you sell a few more pounds of chili peppers, you'll have enough money to buy beef. I passed by the fields the other day, and your chili peppers were still there, not a single one missing. The trees were full, looking like decorations."

It's already early October, and the temperature has dropped; it's no longer the optimal temperature for chili pepper growth.

In this temperature, the chili peppers in many households in the village are not growing as well as before. They are not only smaller and wrinkled, but they are also more likely to taste bitter.

Many people call this type of chili pepper "autumn chili pepper," specifically to distinguish it from summer chili peppers and to show that they are different.

Qing Mengzhu didn't know if it was because she used fermented fertilizer or because she often irrigated her fields with pond water containing Spirit Pearl Dregs, but her chili peppers did indeed grow better than everyone else's.