Chapter 50

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Protagonist:

Lin Xiyu

"This cat is quite spirited; it knows who treats it well."

Director Du found it amusing and couldn't help but interject: "Why don't you keep one at your place?"

"We used to keep one when we lived in the Military District Compound."

Lin Xiyu thought of things from her childhood, a trace of nostalgia flashing in her eyes: "Later my father passed away, and my mother took me away from the compound. When we moved, that cat refused to follow no matter what; even tying it with rope didn't work. Once at the new home, it tore up the sofa, ran out, and never came back. My mother was heartbroken and unwilling to keep another..."

"Cats aren't as good as dogs; ungrateful white-eyed wolves."

Director Du coughed twice, his expression a bit unnatural.

"Maybe it has another family outside."

Li Yan's mind works in strange ways, with her own take: "It couldn't bear to leave its wife and children, so it went back to find them."

"That's how I persuaded my mother..."

Lin Xiyu found it amusing, a smile appearing on her face: "Later I even went back specially. In the compound I saw several litters of kittens that looked quite like it."

"Hmph."

Li Yan laughed and teased: "This fellow is quite the flirt, having fooled around with quite a few female cats."

"Mm-hmm, I think so too."

Lin Xiyu agreed wholeheartedly, nodding vigorously.

"Xiyu is back?"

Lin Xiyu's mother, Chen Xiulan, heard the laughter, lifted the curtain, and walked out from inside the house.

"Mom."

Lin Xiyu happily raised her arm, shaking the plastic bag in her hand: "Director Du said we're filming fried Couhe and radish balls for dinner, and all the needed meat and vegetables have been bought."

"It's just making a meal; no need to specially buy vegetables."

Chen Xiulan looked at a plastic bag of Maju Shaobing, smiling with narrowed eyes: "Director Du is too polite."

Director Du grinned: "There are many of us; we can't eat for nothing."

"It's almost 5 o'clock."

Chen Xiulan glanced at the wall inside the house, smiling as she urged her daughter: "Since Director Du and the others are eating at home, don't delay; hurry up and start working. First go wash the lotus root clean, and grate the radish into shreds."

"Okay."

Lin Xiyu obediently agreed, took the vegetables from Li Yan's hand, and walked toward the water basin.

—

Fried radish balls are a genuine home-style dish, and Lin Xiyu has loved them since childhood.

She learned to make fried radish balls from her maternal grandmother; facing the camera, she was not at all nervous, and soon washed the radish clean, peeled it, and grated it into fine shreds.

Her maternal grandmother also came out from the house, standing at the kitchen doorway, directing her granddaughter to add salt to the grated radish shreds and knead them with her hands.

After the radish released water and softened, green onion, minced ginger, eggs, flour, and Sichuan pepper water were added, stirred into a thick batter.

The young woman was serene and composed; her pair of white, tender, jade-like hands kneading the radish shreds made one's heart sway.

Cameraman couldn't help but aim the camera at her hand, getting a close-up of her hand.

—

The radish batter was mixed well.

Lin Xiyu added oil to the large iron pot; when the oil was sixty percent hot, she shaped the radish batter into balls one by one and put them into the pot, frying them slowly over low heat.

Quite a few people were eating dinner that evening, so she fried a whole pot of radish balls.

When the balls floated up from the bottom of the pot, turning golden yellow, ball after ball of oily, red-and-green balls floated on the surface of the pot, looking extremely delightful.

Lin Xiyu scooped out the balls with a strainer and put them in a basin to drain the oil.

"So fragrant."

Li Yan walked into the kitchen holding a microphone, picked one up with chopsticks, and put it into her mouth.

The radish balls just out of the pot had moderate saltiness, crispy and crunchy; one bite filled the mouth with fragrance.

"Delicious, so delicious."

She didn't mind the heat, blowing on the steam, eating one after another facing the camera, making Cameraman roll his eyes repeatedly.