Chapter 232: Stir-fried Tomatoes and Eggs
Chapter 232: Chapter 232: Stir-fried Tomatoes and Eggs
The three of them wasted no time cleaning up.
Thanks to the rug an auntie had brought over, there weren’t many dirty, wet shoe prints in the house.
In less than ten minutes, the place was spotless.
Jun Qingmeng’s and Tongtong’s stomachs both started to growl.
They hadn’t eaten much for lunch, as they were already looking forward to Jiang Liu’s cooking.
They’d barely managed to hold out until evening by drinking some juice, and all the activity had now made them ravenous.
Tongtong trailed behind Jiang Liu, patting her small belly. "Be good, tummy. Don’t worry about being hungry. Daddy’s going to make us something yummy in a little bit!"
Jiang Liu gathered the trash by the door and wiped his apron. "Tongtong, you and Qingmeng go sit down. The porridge is already done. I’ll just quickly stir-fry some tomatoes and eggs, and then we can eat."
"Yay!"
Tongtong happily threw her little hands in the air and then obediently sat on a chair to wait.
"Jiang Liu, do you need any help?" Jun Qingmeng called out to Jiang Liu as he headed for the kitchen.
"Nope, just keep Tongtong company. Stir-fried tomatoes and eggs are easy. It’ll only take a few minutes."
With that, Jiang Liu walked into the kitchen.
He cracked five free-range eggs into a bowl, adding salt and light soy sauce.
Adding salt beforehand ensures the flavor is distributed evenly through the eggs, preventing some bites from being too salty while others are bland.
After whisking the eggs, Jiang Liu speared four tomatoes with a chopstick and held them over the burner to roast the skin, making it easy to peel.
The taste of peeled and unpeeled tomatoes is vastly different.
Everything was ready.
He poured a generous amount of cooking oil, purchased from the Divine Book, into the wok. Once the oil was hot, he slowly poured in the egg mixture.
WHOOSH! The sound was accompanied by a fierce sizzle of deep-frying.
The golden yellow egg mixture puffed up explosively, and the rich fragrance of egg and hot oil instantly filled the kitchen.
He fried the eggs until they were lightly golden-brown, then scooped them out. After pouring the excess oil back into a container, Jiang Liu tossed some scallions and ginger into the wok, then added a splash of the unfiltered beer that had come with the yak meat to add another layer of flavor.
...Then, he added the tomatoes.
The sweet and sour aroma of the tomatoes, mingled with the savory scent of eggs, drifted out of the kitchen.
Jun Qingmeng couldn’t help but swallow.
Tongtong, beside her, was in an even worse state. Her eyes were wide with craving, and a drop of drool plopped onto her arm.
She couldn’t resist trotting to the kitchen doorway. Her little head peeked in as she peered inside, her small nose twitching as she sniffed with all her might.
"Daddy! Your little cutie is dying of hunger over here! When’s it going to be ready?"
Jiang Liu glanced over at his daughter and chuckled.
"Almost done. Just three more minutes."
"Qingmeng, can you come help me ladle out the porridge?"
"Okay!"
Soon,
Three steaming bowls of nutritious porridge, filled with Little Cyan Dragon crawfish meat and corn kernels, were placed on the table.
In the center of the table was a large platter of stir-fried tomatoes and eggs—a vibrant dish of golden egg, red tomato, and specks of green spring onion.
The rich aroma of the eggs and the tangy scent of the tomatoes were an irresistible temptation to Jun Qingmeng’s and Tongtong’s growling stomachs.
"Stop staring, you two," Jiang Liu teased. "Hurry up and eat before you drool all over the place."
Jun Qingmeng quickly wiped the corner of her mouth, sighing in relief when she found she hadn’t actually drooled. She shot Jiang Liu a playful glare.
Then, she picked up her chopsticks, chose the largest piece of egg, and offered it to Jiang Liu.
Even though her stomach was rumbling, she still thought of her boyfriend first.
"Be a good boyfriend and eat this. I’ll feed you!"
"Mm, alright."
Jiang Liu ate the piece of egg from her chopsticks in one bite.
It was tangy and savory.
"Daddy, you and Mommy are so lovey-dovey~"
Excited, Tongtong, who was sitting next to Jun Qingmeng, looked back and forth between the two. She quickly scooped up a big spoonful of the tomatoes and eggs, stood up on her chair, and held the spoon to Jiang Liu’s mouth.
"Daddy, your little sweetie is feeding you now! Eat up!"
Jiang Liu took the bite from Tongtong’s spoon and commented with mock seriousness, "Mm, a bite from my daughter tastes the best."
"Hehe, I know, right?" Tongtong giggled.
’Daddy’s so easy to take care of.’
Glancing at Jun Qingmeng, who hadn’t eaten yet, Jiang Liu grabbed a new pair of disposable chopsticks from the side. "Here, you should use these."
Jun Qingmeng rolled her eyes at him again.
"Are you just trying to annoy me today? I want to use the ones you used. I’m not switching!"
As she spoke, she defiantly picked up a piece of golden egg dripping with the red tomato sauce and popped it into her mouth.
Her eyes immediately lit up.
’So delicious!’
The egg was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. As she bit through the lightly crisped outer layer, the sweet and tangy tomato sauce, soaked into the tender egg, flowed across her tongue.
’It was piping hot and incredibly savory!’
Any trace of pique Jun Qingmeng had felt toward Jiang Liu moments ago instantly vanished.
All that remained was an overwhelming wave of affection.
"Jiang Liu, I’ve never had stir-fried tomatoes and eggs this delicious before. I’m completely won over by your cooking. You’re incredible!"
Jiang Liu just smiled, saying nothing.
’There was a deep sense of satisfaction in seeing a dish he’d perfected himself be so well-received.’
Tongtong’s face was already a mess of stir-fried tomatoes and eggs.
’It’s so yummy, my little mouth can’t keep up! What do I do?’
’This little foodie is waiting for a solution, and it’s urgent!’
With her cheeks stuffed like a winter squirrel’s, Tongtong heard her mommy praising her daddy and quickly chimed in with a muffled, "Mmmph mmmph mmmph (So yummy! Daddy, you’re the best!)"
Jun Qingmeng found the dish more and more addictive with every bite.
She scooped up some of the slightly thick, red sauce with her spoon, poured it over the crawfish meat in her porridge, and slurped it down.
’It’s heavenly!’
’She was increasingly impressed with her own judgment. To think she’d managed to find such an amazing boyfriend. She was so touched...’
Before long,
The large platter of tomatoes and eggs was wiped clean. The three of them even poured the remaining sauce into their bowls and drank it all up.
A tiny burp escaped Tongtong.
The two beauties, one big and one small, leaned back in their chairs, sighing contentedly.
"Daddy," Tongtong said blissfully, "can we have this again tomorrow? This is me officially informing you. Rejection is not an option!"
"Boyfriend," Jun Qingmeng chimed in, "can we have this again tomorrow? This is an official notification. You are not allowed to refuse."
After they spoke, they looked at each other and burst out laughing.
’Teasing Daddy is so much fun!’
’Ordering my boyfriend around feels amazing!’
Jiang Liu, who was already clearing the dishes, glanced at the two of them with a smile. "Of course. No problem. If there’s anything you want to eat, just let me know, and I’ll make it for you anytime."
"I’ve got something even better planned for tomorrow."
’Of course he had to spoil his own daughter and girlfriend.’
An excited Jiang Tongtong let out another little burp.
"Wow, something even yummier? Tongtong is so happy! Hehe."
Jun Qingmeng was also filled with curiosity.
’Even yummier? Is it a new recipe Jiang Liu has been working on?’
"Daddy, you’ve worked so hard already. Let your little worker bee, Tongtong, help you!"
Tongtong volunteered to do the dishes.
’She really loved her daddy.’
Jun Qingmeng also volunteered to take out the trash for Jiang Liu.
「8:40 PM」
The three of them left the house under an umbrella.
The sky was dark and overcast. The rain had stopped, but the ground was dotted with small puddles.
Yangzhai Street had returned to its usual tranquility.
Jiang Liu drove the two of them back to their apartment complex.
As usual, Jun Qingmeng went back to her own apartment first to feed a certain ’little piggy’.
Jiang Liu and Tongtong got home and changed into their matching parent-child outfits. His shirt read "Busy Making Money," while hers read "Busy Being Cute."
"Tongtong, there’s plenty of fruit in the fridge. What would you like?"
"Daddy, can I have some more figs, please?"
Jiang Liu smiled and patted Tongtong’s head. "Of course. Everything in this house is yours for the eating."
"Yay! You must be the best daddy in the world. It’s official, says Tongtong!"
Jiang Liu got six figs from the fridge. They were leftovers from two days ago, but he had wrapped them carefully in plastic wrap.
They were just as good as fresh.
The fridge was now stuffed to the brim with all sorts of fruits and snacks.
A pile of gifts was stacked in a corner of the living room, while the kitchen was stocked with local produce like peanuts and purple sweet potatoes.
He washed the figs and some peaches, and also took out a bag of salt-roasted peanuts.
Jiang Liu settled on the sofa with Tongtong in his arms. He turned on the TV, and they waited for Jun Qingmeng.
"Daddy, we get to watch for a really long time today!"
Thinking about how much time she’d get to spend with her mommy and daddy, Tongtong’s little legs swung back and forth happily.