Chapter 104 (continued)
When the onions were golden brown but not burnt, and the celery was fragrant, they added the beef, then a large amount of chopped tomatoes, and put it in a large soup pot to simmer.
The soup quickly came to a boil, with tomatoes bubbling away.
Fan Donghua added spices such as basil and pepper, and then staff members started hovering around the pot.
One person wanders around, two people wander around, three people wander around, all looking at the tomato soup in the pot.
The audience began to have doubts.
What's wrong? Does the tomato soup I made today taste off?
[Could it really be a disaster? Didn't Old Fan say before that Zhuxi's tomato shouldn't be used?]
[Haha, the live stream went wrong! They're really something else.]
Fan Donghua noticed the comments on the screen, read them carefully, and said, "The taste isn't wrong; in fact, it smells especially good."
The comments section was filled with disbelief.
Fan Donghua: "Really? I'll try it."
Fan Donghua stirred the tomato soup in the pot with a clean large spoon, then scooped some out, turning his back to the audience, wanting to taste it.
He hadn't fully turned around when he tasted it, and the audience clearly saw his brow twitch slightly the instant it entered his mouth.
The comments stopped, then erupted:
[???]
[The tomato soup definitely doesn't taste right; Old Fan's expression changed.]
[Haha, that's hilarious! His eyebrows are twitching so noticeably, it looks like his mask is cracking.]
[After all that marketing, it turns out the ingredients were of terrible quality.]
After tasting it, Fan Donghua turned around and saw the comments on the screen. He realized his expression had been off and quickly explained, "It's not that it tastes bad, it's that it's incredibly delicious."
Fan Donghua glanced at the tomato soup again. "It really is! The sour and fresh flavor is complemented by the unique sweetness of tomatoes. The taste is very rich and intense, and it tastes quite special. I'm already really looking forward to seeing how the tomato soup turns out."
Fan Donghua's apprentice peeked out from behind the camera. "It smells amazing right now, the whole house is filled with the rich aroma of tomato soup, I'm not kidding."
[Really?]
Was what Old Fan just did a concrete example of his eyebrows falling out?
[So that's why you guys were always hanging around there! You were really smitten by the fragrance!]
It smells so good, I want to try it too.
Fan Donghua and the others continued cooking. After the tomato soup thickened, they put some of the blanched seafood into the tomato pot and started simmering it over low heat.
Soon, after sprinkling on some garlic powder, they brought out the seafood hot pot.
Fan Donghua specially prepared rice. "This dish is served with rice today."
The young apprentice exclaimed, "I can't wait to pour the tomato soup over the rice! Look at this soup, it's so red, glossy, and rich!"
Fan Donghua: "Hmm, the colors are beautiful, they look very appetizing."
[Seriously, I'm drooling just looking at it.]
[It looks delicious, especially the tomato soup bubbling away.]
[Try it! If it's good, I'll make tomato seafood hot pot tomorrow.]
Fan Donghua took a bite. "Let me think how to describe it. The tomato flavor is very strong, but it doesn't mask the other ingredients. You can still taste the aromas of celery, onion, basil, black pepper, and more."
Young apprentice. "Yes! And the aroma of beef, that meaty fragrance combined with the freshness of seafood, it tastes only fragrant, not fishy at all, it's absolutely delicious."
Fan Donghua: "Tomatoes, seafood, basil, and pepper all go well together, creating a rich and layered flavor that unfolds in your mouth."
The young apprentice exclaimed, "This tomato soup is so rich! The tangy aroma of tomatoes, the rich flavor of beef, and the freshness of seafood—when you pour it over white rice and mix it all together, it's truly amazing! You guys should try it; I guarantee you'll eat it all without saying a word."
I'm drooling!
I'm so hungry!!!
[Old Fan and Xiao Tang practically cooked a dish with their mouths!]
[It sounds delicious, I'll try it tomorrow.]
[Judging from this micro-expression, it must taste really good. Is it possible to buy the same tomatoes as you? Or are regular ingredients fine too?]
[Dinner's ready! Let's pretend I've already started eating!]
Qing Mengzhu and Zhao Hexi watched it from beginning to end. Ming Chunxi returned in the middle and watched it with them.
Zhao Hexi: "It smells really good, shall we make some too?"
Qing Mengzhu was both amused and exasperated. "It's already this late, how can we possibly make it in time?"
Zhao Hexi was incredibly tempted. "There's still time! I can ride my electric bike to the field to pick vegetables, and on the way back I can buy some fish and beef at the supermarket. Anyway, all I need to do is make tomato stew."
Qing Mengzhu thought for a moment, "The fish in the supermarket isn't very tasty. I'll see if I can get Little Otter to catch one."
Ming Chunxi: "Then I should prepare the ingredients at home? Take the meat out of the freezer to thaw?"
The three hit it off immediately and went off separately to prepare.
Soon, Qing Mengzhu found the otter in its den, took it out, and carried it to catch fish.
The otter, bewildered, clung to Qing Mengzhu's arm with its paws, looking at his chin. "Eek?"
Qing Mengzhu enthusiastically, "I'm counting on you today. Try to catch a big fish, if possible."
Otter: "Eek!"
Qing Mengzhu led the otter to the riverbank and, through a combination of words and gestures, communicated with it for a while until the otter finally understood. It jumped into the river, searched for a while, and then caught a large mandarin fish.
Qing Mengzhu was extremely satisfied and patted the otter's forehead. "Good otter!"
The otter shook the water off its body and whimpered.
Qing Mengzhu and the others quickly went home to cook, strictly following Fan Donghua's steps to make tomato soup.
They found a fairly plentiful amount of ingredients, and the tomato soup they made turned out quite well—bright red, tangy, and incredibly fragrant.
Zhao Hexi: "Now I finally understand why those guys kept hanging around the pot during the live stream."
Qing Mengzhu sniffed and exclaimed, "It smells so good!"
Zhao Hexi: "It's a strange feeling that something from the video has come into reality."
The three of them took clean chopsticks and stood by the pot to taste the food.
Although the tomato soup was only just cooked and hadn't been salted yet, and the dish wasn't fully done, it already had a uniquely delicious flavor.
Because no salt was added, the flavors haven't fully melded yet, which actually makes the unique tastes of each ingredient more pronounced.
Qing Mengzhu couldn't help but exclaim, "Our tomatoes are so delicious! The onions are fragrant too! It turns out that adding a little celery doesn't produce an odd taste; instead, it gives it a unique aroma."
Zhao Hexi nodded repeatedly in agreement, "Delicious!"
The three of them exchanged a glance and then laughed together.
Ming Chunxi: "First, take out some of the fish and meat, let it cool, and then give it to the Dharma Protector to eat."
Zhao Hexi: "I'll feed them! Can I just let them cool down before feeding them?"
Ming Chunxi nodded. "Feed it directly, without adding salt or soy sauce yet."
Zhao Hexi carried a large bowl of meat, mixed it with rice, and prepared to feed the little ones.
Feeding the little ones makes it easy to build rapport and increase their affection for you.
Zhao Hexi quite likes this job.
The food bowls for the Dharma Protector and Guard were at home, so Zhao Hexi fed them first.
The two dogs had already smelled the aroma and couldn't resist anymore, jumping around excitedly.
However, they are not possessive of their food or try to steal it. Although they are excited, they will not come up to nudge Zhao Hexi, so feeding them is relatively safe.
Zhao Hexi served them their food, made them sit down, and then ordered them to come forward and eat.
The two dogs immediately transformed into excavators, gobbling down their food with their tails wagging so hard they almost took off.
Zhao Hexi touched each of them one by one, and then went to the backyard to serve food to the red fox and the otter.
Red foxes and otters are wild animals, Qing Mengzhu and the others don't feed them much. They only give them a portion when they get particularly delicious food.
Therefore, although the two little ones eat very little human food, the quality of the food they eat each time is very high.