Chapter 206: Cabbage Braised Potatoes

"Sister, is the cabbage ready?"

"No, grow a little longer."

"Sister, is the cabbage ready?"

"No, grow a little longer."

"Sister, why isn't the cabbage ready yet?"

"Because Qiao Qiao has asked three times today."

Song Tan felt tired.

"Mom! Look at you! Why did you tell him in advance?"

Now Qiao Qiao is simply waiting for the stars and the moon to go to the amusement park, which is really hard to deal with.

Until Wu Lan was carrying a basket full of tea leaves, and at this moment, she felt guilty and pretended not to hear: "Oh my, these tea leaves! Really good!"

Seventh Uncle had a trick: "Come, come, come, Qiao Qiao, during this time of learning knowledge, my cooking skills can't be lost!"

"Not lost, not lost!"

Qiao Qiao became anxious.

He now values his learning achievements in all aspects, fearing that if he is not in place, it will affect his plan to go to the amusement park.

"I am studying seriously every day."

Seventh Uncle nodded: "That's fine, then leave a dish for you to cook at noon, if it's delicious, it proves you didn't lie."

As soon as this was said, Until Wu Lan was stunned.

"Uncle, can Qiao Qiao cook now?"

Seventh Uncle said indifferently: "This is strange? When you were a child, did you practice knife skills before going to the stove? You didn't start trying to do it while stepping on a stool?"

"If he doesn't practice, he will be like this even if he looks at it a hundred times, and we are not taking a certificate according to the process."

This makes sense.

Country children, when they are as high as a stove, they dare to step on a stool to cook. For people of Until Wu Lan's generation, it's normal.

It's just that life is better now, the pressure is not so great, and there is no need to order children like this, which makes everyone look precious.

Qiao Qiao was quite confident: "Then what should I cook?"

Seventh Uncle thought for a moment: "Aren't you pondering cabbage? Pull some cabbage from the field, and make a cabbage braised potato at noon,"

The potatoes bought two days ago still have a pocket left.

"We did it before, but it was bamboo shoot leaves braised with taro, this time change the material, it must be more delicious than bamboo shoot leaves."

Seventh Uncle wouldn't admit that he had been craving the tender cabbage in the field for a long time. It's a pity that everyone watched it tightly, and usually, they could only pull a handful to stir-fry, and everyone didn't even have a chopstick.

He also knew that those were all left by Song Tan to sell for money to build a house, so he didn't have the face to open his mouth.

Qiao Qiao hesitated: "But those are to be sold for money to buy tickets!"

Good guy, can't leave the amusement park, right?

Song Tan hurriedly said: "It doesn't matter, it's

She wants to eat the vegetables she grew herself, too!

Qiao Qiao then earnestly picked up a large wicker basket: "Then I'll go see if the baby bok choy is ready."

As long as this stuff has leaves, it can be eaten; there's no such thing as "ready" or "not ready." It's just that Song Tan wanted the baby bok choy to grow a bit bigger, which is why she's been dragging her feet...

However, she had originally planned to set off tomorrow anyway. By tonight, all the people working had already been arranged, she just hadn't let Qiao Qiao know.

The baby bok choy was planted in the field, crowded and dense. With their fine roots anchored in the soil, you could grab the whole plant and pull it out easily with a light tug.

Qiao Qiao's large wicker basket was soon filled to the brim.

Don't underestimate him; ever since he started following Great-Uncle Seven every day, he has a pretty good grasp of how much produce the family uses for a single meal. He headed back excitedly, eager to show off his skills!

——Today, Qiao Qiao is the head chef!

……

It's a pity that the head chef's first dish sounds a bit perfunctory.

Bok choy stewed with potatoes sounds like a standard construction site meal, thin and watery. But because everyone uses different ingredients, it's actually really delicious.

Last time Great-Uncle Seven made that bamboo leaf and potato stew, everyone slurped it up mixed with rice, and not a single bit was left.

Aunt Lianhua came over early to help tend the fire and boil water. Qiao Qiao removed the roots from the baby bok choy, which were about twenty centimeters long, washed them, and then put them directly into the boiling water to blanch for a while.

Once the leaves turned a vibrant green, he scooped the bok choy out and quickly soaked it in cold water.

While blanching, the potatoes had also been peeled, and now he began to dice them.

Qiao Qiao's knife skills aren't exactly great, but he makes up for it with patience, steadiness, and a calm demeanor.

Soon, a basin of diced potatoes was ready.

Finally, he took out a basin of braised meat with a mix of fat and lean, also cut into small pieces.

Aunt Lianhua was about to help by scooping out the blanched, vibrant green bok choy that was cooling.

Great-Uncle Seven shot her a look.

She had no choice but to pretend she didn't see it and sat back down to tend the fire honestly.

The weather has warmed up, and she was wearing a simple shirt. Her cheeks were flushed red by the fire, and as she looked at Qiao Qiao, she looked at him as if he were her own child, her face full of satisfied smiles.

Qiao Qiao, however, didn't notice at all.

Usually, novice cooks are often flustered, but Qiao Qiao is different. In his mind, there seems to be a plan, and no matter what, he is never in a rush.

At this moment, he took the bok choy out, squeezed the water out slightly, and then cut it into small pieces as well.

Then he started the pot, heated the oil, sautéed the dried chili and minced garlic, and finally added the minced braised meat.

Once the aroma was released, he immediately added the diced potatoes and stir-fried them. When the potatoes were soft and slightly mushy, he quickly added some boiling water and sprinkled in salt...

Song Tan watched in surprise as Qiao Qiao sprinkled the salt in and then stopped. She quickly turned her head to look at Great-Uncle Seven: "Is Qiao Qiao this talented? He doesn't even need to taste if it's salty enough?"

"Talent, what talent," Great-Uncle Seven was the one with the sharp eyes: "I reckon he just saw me add that spoonful of salt last time, so he added the same amount this time."

"Just look at that water; he added about the same amount as I did last time."

"However," his eyes held a smile: "This child is steady and smart. Right now, he's learning the portions I use to cook. After doing it a few more times, he'll get a feel for it himself."

Indeed!

Qiao Qiao is especially focused when cooking and doesn't listen to anyone talking at all.

At this moment, he put the chopped bok choy in and stirred it slightly—the golden-brown meat, the vibrant green bok choy, the jade-white bok choy stems, and the bright yellow diced potatoes, with a few bright red chilies tucked in between.

The fresh fragrance of the baby bok choy became even more pronounced, stimulated by the meat and chilies.

Great-Uncle Seven suddenly slapped his thigh:

"Oh no. It's not time yet, and I haven't even cooked the rice!"

"Don't worry, in this weather, we don't have to worry about the food getting cold, and besides, this stewed dish cools down slowly anyway. We have three large pots—"

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Song Tan then continued to direct: "Qiao Qiao, can you cook the rice?"

Cooking rice is even simpler.

Rinse the rice, put it in the pot, and add water—while adding water, Qiao Qiao even asked: "Sister, do we want rice soup today? If not, I'll add a little less water."

"Yes, Grandpa and Grandma love to drink that."

"Okay!"

Qiao Qiao splashed in another ladle of water. The earthen stove had a strong fire, and even though the iron pot was large, it wasn't long before it was bubbling and boiling.

Lifting the lid to look at the rice grains, the white centers were almost gone.

He quickly picked up the ladle and scooped out all the excess rice soup, then gave Aunt Lianhua a sweet smile:

"Auntie, just leave a little bit of fire to steam it, and it'll be fine."