sbdcsierra Chapter 38: Just promise me one thing.
Chapter 38: Just promise me one thing.
Buying groceries and cooking wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision for Huang Xiaochuan. During his time in Suzhou, he had thought about coming back to cook a few meals for Lao Huang and Zeng Lijuan. They had never eaten Huang Xiaochuan's cooking in their previous life, and Huang Xiaochuan was determined to make up for it in this life.
Besides, the whole family opened the admission notice together at noon today. How could such a ceremonial moment not be celebrated with a delicious meal?
Huang Xiaochuan made his decision on his way back from Suzhou: he would take care of all the meals at home every day before school started.
The price of crayfish was very cheap at this time because not many people ate them. Even the super big ones only cost four or five cents a pound. The moment Huang Xiaochuan saw the crayfish, he decided that he had to have garlic crayfish for lunch today.
My mother, Zeng Lijuan, had also bought lobsters, but back then there weren't as many ways to cook them as there are now. They could only be boiled like crabs and eaten with ginger and vinegar, which tasted similar to crabs.
Since you're making garlic lobster, you'll need a lot of garlic. However, it takes a lot of time to buy it, peel it, smash it with a knife, and chop it into minced garlic. If you're cooking alone, you probably won't be able to have this dish for lunch.
Huang Xiaochuan glanced at Yu Wei and immediately had an idea. There was a readily available laborer right in front of him, so why not use him? However, this guy never did any work at home, so he would have to think of a way to get him to do some chores.
So he coaxed, "Yu Wei, would you like to eat lobster?"
Yu Wei scoffed, "What's so good about this stuff? It's a pain to eat. I thought you could cook something special? Turns out it's just boiled lobster? I can make that too, let alone you!"
"Pshaw! I made garlic lobster, I wouldn't bother with boiled lobster. Anyway, let me tell you, it's delicious!"
Yu Wei laughed: "Can't you even count? Is 'delicious' a word?"
"These things are not important; what's important is that it's absolutely delicious." Huang Xiaochuan emphasized again that it was definitely delicious.
To lure Yu Wei in, Huang Xiaochuan made a bold move: "Here's what we'll do: I'll cook it and you can try it. If it's not good, I'll wash your socks for a month, starting from when we go to Shanghai for school."
The terms sounded good, and Yu Wei was tempted. After all, how would he manage to wash his clothes and socks once he went to school in another city? It was a big problem for Yu Wei, who wouldn't even pick up a fallen oil bottle at home.
Since Huang Xiaochuan dared to make this bet with him, Yu Wei's chances of winning seemed high no matter how he thought about it, so after considering it in his mind, he agreed.
"That's settled then. If it's not good, you'll have to wash my socks for a month!"
Huang Xiaochuan countered, "What if I cook it well?"
Yu Wei scoffed, "That's absolutely impossible!"
Huang Xiaochuan used reverse psychology again: "Here's what we'll do: if I cook well and you approve, you just have to promise me one thing. But I haven't decided what it is yet. I'll tell you when I've figured it out."
He then added, "Don't worry, I absolutely won't let you do anything illegal or disorderly, and it's definitely something you can do. How about it? Want to make a bet with me?"
Yu Wei extended his hand: "A gentleman's word is his bond."
Huang Xiaochuan slapped him: "Only a dog would go back on its word."
After the two high-fived, Huang Xiaochuan said, "I can't handle it all by myself. Could you peel a few cloves of garlic for me later? I'll take care of washing the lobsters."
"Okay!" Yu Wei agreed without hesitation.
Huang Xiaochuan then led Yu Wei on a shopping spree at the market.
"Boss, how much are the lobsters per pound?"
"Five cents? I'll buy more, can you give me a better price, boss?"
"Forty-five cents? Okay! Weigh out ten pounds for me, but don't put any dead animals in it."
"How much is your garlic per pound?"
"Fifteen cents? Weigh out two pounds for me."
"How much is the little rooster?"
"Give me one."
"Boss, it's seven yuan and sixty cents, right? Can I round it down to seven yuan?"
"Your boss is so stingy, look, I didn't even try to bargain with you in the first place..."
Huang Xiaochuan's skillful bargaining with the vegetable vendors left Yu Wei dumbfounded. How could this guy be so adept at bargaining, just like an old lady who had been buying vegetables for years?
And didn't we agree that you'd only peel a few cloves of garlic? What's the meaning of you buying a full two pounds of garlic?
In less than twenty minutes, Yu Wei's hands were full of groceries, so heavy that his arms ached.
When Huang Xiaochuan got home, he checked the time and it was almost 10:30. He quickly grabbed a pair of scissors and a large bowl and gave them to Yu Wei, and also placed the two pounds of garlic he had bought in front of him.
Looking at the pile of garlic cloves, Yu Wei angrily cursed, "Damn it, is this what you meant by peeling a few cloves of garlic?!"
Unfortunately, Huang Xiaochuan ignored him and went off to busy himself with cleaning the lobsters. Seriously though, those ten pounds of lobsters would keep Huang Xiaochuan busy for a while.
Yu Wei could only reluctantly pick up the scissors and miserably start peeling the garlic cloves, thinking bitterly to himself, "Even if you cook it perfectly, I'll lie and say it's not good. You're definitely washing these socks."
By the time Huang Xiaochuan had finished scrubbing ten pounds of lobsters, drenched in sweat, Yu Wei had just finished peeling two pounds of garlic.
Without checking Yu Wei's work, Huang Xiaochuan took over and started washing and rinsing again. Then he smashed the garlic cloves one by one and chopped them into small pieces. The kitchen was filled with the pungent smell of garlic, which made Yu Wei sneeze seven or eight times before he ran out.
Huang Xiaochuan was left alone in the kitchen, sweating profusely and with tears streaming down his face as he cooked. The tears were from the spiciness of the garlic. The only thing Huang Xiaochuan regretted was that there was no range hood in the house at that time. Cooking was really suffering. He couldn't help but feel sorry for his elderly mother, Zeng Lijuan.
Yu Wei sat comfortably in the wicker chair, flipping through a novel magazine, enjoying the breeze from the electric fan, and even casually reached into the refrigerator to grab a red bean popsicle and started slurping it down.
A dozen minutes later, Huang Xiaochuan poked his head out of the kitchen and instructed, "Yu Wei, go home and bring down two bottles of the beer we drank last night." Then he shrank back inside.
Yu Wei was a little puzzled, thinking to himself, "Cooking is fine, but why drink beer? What kind of habit is that?"
Despite his grumbling, Yu Wei quickly brought down two bottles of beer from home, and even took chilled beer from the refrigerator.
Upon arriving at Huang Xiaochuan's house, he pushed open the kitchen door and handed it in. Huang Xiaochuan took it and asked in surprise, "Is it cold?"
Yu Wei asked curiously, "On such a hot day, don't you want something cold to drink?"
Huang Xiaochuan then realized that Yu Wei had no idea that garlic lobster required beer! He must have thought Huang Xiaochuan wanted a drink.
"It wasn't for me to drink, it was for the crayfish, look!"
As he spoke, Huang Xiaochuan opened the bottle cap and poured the beer into the large pot.
Yu Wei had never seen anyone cook with beer before, so he asked, "Holy crap, is this lobster even edible?"
Huang Xiaochuan sneered, "Tch! Just don't get angry with me when they don't give you any later!"
"Okay, I'll be waiting for your big meal." After saying that, Yu Wei left the kitchen and went to the living room to read a book while enjoying the electric fan. It was too hot in the kitchen.
Around midnight, Zeng Lijuan returned home from get off work. As soon as she entered, she saw Yu Wei. Seeing the kitchen door closed, she asked him, "Yu Wei, where's Xiao Chuan?"
Yu Wei quickly stood up to report, "Aunt Zeng, you're back? Xiao Chuan is cooking in the kitchen!"
Zeng Lijuan was taken aback: "Huh? He's cooking?"
This is really strange! When did this kid learn to cook? Zeng Lijuan was full of questions.
Just then, the kitchen door opened, and Huang Xiaochuan, covered in sweat, smiled as he saw his elderly mother, Zeng Lijuan, and said, "Mom, you're home from get off work? You don't need to cook today; there's just a soup to make, so we can eat right away."
Then he instructed Yu Wei, "Yu Wei, go home and get a clean washbasin."
Upon hearing this, Yu Wei went back to get a washbasin.
Just then, Zeng Lijuan smelled the aroma of garlic wafting from the kitchen and asked, "What are you cooking?"
Huang Xiaochuan went to the bathroom to wash up, then came out and said, "Edamame and chicken stew, sweet and sour lotus root slices, stir-fried water spinach, loofah and egg soup, and a big dish, 'garlic crayfish.'"
Zeng Lijuan quickly went into the kitchen and was startled to see Huang Xiaochuan take out the large pot used for cooking zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) and use it to cook lobsters.
"You used this pot to cook lobster? How many lobsters did you buy?"
Huang Xiaochuan made a cross with his hands and said, "Ten catties. If I didn't have this pot, I would have had to cook it in two batches. It will be ready in one minute. Mom, you can taste it first and see how it tastes."
Immediately afterwards, Huang Xiaochuan took the washbasin into the kitchen in front of Zeng Lijuan, washed it clean, and then began to use the washbasin to hold the lobsters. This scene stunned Zeng Lijuan.
After realizing what had happened, she started complaining to Huang Xiaochuan: "You unlucky kid, why did you put a lobster in a washbasin?"
At this moment, Yu Wei also handed Huang Xiaochuan a washbasin from home, and Huang Xiaochuan handed Yu Wei a basin that had just been filled with lobsters.
"Be careful, it's hot. Quickly take it out for me."
Then he washed the basin that Yu Wei had brought again and took the lobsters out of the pot once more.
The aroma of garlic wafted over, and Yu Wei knew from the smell that the lobster must be delicious. However, he couldn't understand when Huang Xiaochuan had learned to cook.
After putting all the lobsters from the pot into a basin, Huang Xiaochuan carried the basin out of the kitchen.
After placing the bowl of lobsters on the dining table, Huang Xiaochuan called out to Zeng Lijuan, "Mom, try my lobsters and see how they taste."
Zeng Lijuan looked at the two large bowls of garlic-scented lobsters and tried picking one up with her chopsticks. After letting it cool for a while, she peeled it and ate it. She was surprised to find it so delicious, and her eyes lit up as she looked at her son.
"How did you cook this lobster?"
Yu Wei couldn't resist picking up a lobster, peeling it, and stuffing it into his mouth. His expression after the lobster entered his mouth was incredibly varied. "Wow! This is delicious! I never expected Huang Xiaochuan to cook lobster so well!"
Huang Xiaochuan went back to the kitchen and quickly made the loofah soup. At this time, Lao Huang also got home from get off work.
Startled by the two basins of lobsters on the table, he quickly asked, "What are you doing? Why are you cooking so many lobsters?"
Zeng Lijuan pointed to Huang Xiaochuan in the kitchen: "Your son made all of this. It's quite delicious. Come and try it."
Old Huang was shocked. What's going on? Huang Xiaochuan can cook?
The garlic lobster won over Yu Wei's taste buds, and he couldn't stop eating it. He had agreed to try it, but after eating seven or eight lobsters, he still wanted more.
Upon seeing Old Huang, he greeted him warmly, "Uncle Huang, come and try it! It's really delicious."
Just then, Huang Xiaochuan busied himself bringing dishes out of the kitchen. Upon seeing Old Huang, he said, "Dad, you're back! It's time to eat."
Old Huang looked at the dishes on the table in disbelief and asked, "Did you make all of these?"
"yes!"
"Yu Wei, I'll let you have a taste, but you're not holding back! Are you planning to eat it all?" Huang Xiaochuan promptly reprimanded Yu Wei, who was already eating non-stop.
"Xiao Chuan, I didn't expect your lobster to be so delicious! Where did you learn to cook it?" The taste of the lobster completely won over Yu Wei, and he was too embarrassed to lie and say it wasn't good.
"As long as it tastes good, just don't forget what you promised me. Take your washbasin back home; that lobster is for you."
Yu Wei happily greeted Lao Huang and Zeng Lijuan, then quickly carried a basin of his own lobsters upstairs.
After Yu Wei left, Huang Xiaochuan went into the kitchen to get rice and chopsticks. When he came out, he said to his parents, who were still staring blankly at the table full of food, "Mom and Dad, let's eat!"