Chapter 105 - 100: Eating Beef at Home on a Rainy Day

Chapter 105: Chapter 100: Eating Beef at Home on a Rainy Day

Besides beef, he also bought some vegetables and cucumbers. He was craving a cold salad. Next on the list was rice. Although his rice dispenser at home wasn’t completely empty, he wanted a change of pace. This time, he picked up a ten-pound bag of Northeast crab-field rice, which was a bit pricey for the average person.

But who was Chen Jingle? He was a man who had made fifty grand in just a few days. Would he care about a few extra bucks for a pound of rice? He decided to buy it without hesitation. As long as it tasted good, it was worth it! A fragrant pot of slow-simmered beef had to be paired with high-quality rice!

If a certain famous region’s rice hadn’t been so overhyped that the market was flooded with fakes, he would have loved to buy some to try. But it didn’t matter if he couldn’t get it; other Northeast rice grown at the same latitude was just as good. Of course, for making congee, he still preferred Southern long-grain indica rice. It was purely a matter of personal preference—he felt indica rice made better congee than short-grain japonica rice.

Passing by the fruit section, he noticed the prices. "Huh? The dragon fruit is pretty cheap today."

Although it couldn’t compare to the street vendors selling twenty or thirty for ten bucks, it was still a good deal to buy a few. He had no particular reason for wanting them, other than a simple desire to experience the sensation of his pee turning red. He was a bit crazy like that.

Turning around, he bought some mangoes. He had used the last two in his fridge for yesterday’s mango black pepper beef, so he needed to restock. He loved mangoes, especially the small Taiwanese varieties. They might be tiny, but they were incredibly sweet. The only problem was the age-old warning: mangoes caused dampness and heat in the body, so eating too many was bad for you. However, considering that the system’s rewards included a physique enhancement that expelled internal dampness, Chen Jingle wasn’t too worried. If all else failed, he could just drink some herbal tea.

Finally, remembering he hadn’t eaten breakfast, he grabbed a few sweet, buttery croissants for a change of pace.

After finishing his shopping, he stepped out the door and looked at the sky.

"Oh great, it’s raining again."

Although it wasn’t a heavy downpour, he would definitely get soaked if he rode back like this.

"Good thing I’m smart and brought a raincoat," he thought. He dashed over to his e-bike. After stowing his groceries, he dug his raincoat out of the trunk, threw it on, and strapped on his helmet. Seeing that the rain was about to pick up, he quickly made a run for it.

Fortunately, he had left early. As soon as he got home and put his things down, the rain started pouring heavily. Chen Jingle shook the water droplets off his body and turned on the water heater, planning to take a shower after cleaning up. Whether he liked or hated rainy days depended entirely on what he was doing at the time. If he was sleeping in at home, then rain was naturally a good thing. If he was going out, it was terrible. Right now, it was very terrible.

He ate his breakfast first with some milk he had at home. Listening to the PATTER of the pouring rain, he figured the only upside was the slight chill it brought, making the day much less sweltering. When Chen Jingle came out of the shower, he found that the rain hadn’t let up at all; in fact, it was only getting heavier. A quick check of the weather forecast on his phone showed that it likely wouldn’t stop raining all day. Setting the matter aside, he began his daily coursework.

In the morning, he continued studying culinary arts—one theory lesson, one practical. For the theory portion, Chen Jingle dabbled slightly in Sichuan cuisine, one of the Eight Great Culinary Traditions. He focused mainly on the Upper River style. This was because Upper River dishes were relatively mild in flavor, featuring classics like Leshan Stewed Beef, Steamed Longsnout Catfish, and Cabbage in Clear Consommé.

He also studied the Minor River and Lower River styles, but he probably wouldn’t have many opportunities to cook them. No one at home ate spicy food; the mild heat of tiger-skin peppers was their absolute limit. At most, he might whip up something spicy for himself during the autumn and winter months to ward off the cold and satisfy his cravings. Eating spicy food in the summer was absolutely out of the question. Due to the climate and geography of Jiangbei, the weather was already hot and dry. If you added spicy food to the mix, no amount of cooling herbal tea could save you. You’d break out in acne before the tea even hit your stomach. That wasn’t an exaggeration in the slightest.

After finishing his theory lesson, Chen Jingle began preparing the day’s meals. The main course was, of course, the slow-simmered beef. First, he soaked the meat to draw out the blood, then seared it over high heat. Once it turned a beautiful golden brown, he tossed in various spices and stir-fried it before transferring everything to an earthenware pot to simmer slowly for an hour or two.

Using a pressure cooker would have sped up the process, but it would still take an hour. Slow-cooking it in an earthenware pot would take even longer. Chen Jingle always tried to avoid pressure cookers. As a self-taught chef with solid skills, this fear made him somewhat unqualified, but he had always found pressure cookers too dangerous and preferred to take his time.

If he left it simmering on the gas stove, he would have to keep an eye on the flame to prevent it from going out and causing an accident. Fortunately, he had a small iron stove. He could toss in a few pieces of charcoal, set the pot on top, and let it simmer slowly. During this time, he could comfortably play on his phone, only needing to add more charcoal when necessary.

How long did it need to simmer? It needed to cook until the broth turned glossy and thick—the kind of dish that, if seen in a late-night video, would make someone howl with hunger and scramble out of bed to raid their pantry. Once it reached that state, it was just about ready to serve. But achieving that perfection required at least an hour.

In the dead of winter, during Jiangbei’s wet and freezing season, a pot of slow-simmered beef paired with a fresh bowl of fluffy rice was an absolute god-tier indulgence! It was just as perfect for a rainy day like today.

While the beef slowly bubbled away on the stove, Chen Jingle cooked the rice and prepared the cucumber salad. Once the beef was done, they could dig in. As it turned out, the beef still wasn’t ready by the time Chen Qiyun got home from school. Chen Qiyun had worn sandals out today and was holding a little floral umbrella. The rain must have been heavy on her way back, as her pant legs were slightly damp. When she entered Chen Jingle’s courtyard, she deliberately kicked a puddle, splashing water everywhere with a beaming smile on her face.

Chen Jingle was speechless. He finally understood why his mother hated it when he played in the water as a kid. The bullet fired in his childhood had just hit him right between the eyes. To paint a clearer picture, Chen Jingle felt like Jerry from the cartoon Tom and Jerry, while Chen Qiyun was Tuffy, the mischievous little nephew.

Still, he didn’t scold her. He simply said, "Go wash your feet off at the tap."

"Okay," Chen Qiyun obediently agreed.

After washing her feet, she came back and stared curiously at the stove. "What’s stewing? It smells so good!"

"Slow-simmered beef."

"What kind of cow is a slow-simmered cow?"

Chen Jingle massaged his temples. "Simmering is a cooking method, just like stewing."

"Oh, I see. Is it done yet?" Smelling the rich aroma, she was already swallowing hard.

"Wait a bit longer." Chen Jingle felt it was still lacking a bit of heat. He had already stoked the fire slightly and used a few other tricks; otherwise, an hour and a half or even two hours wouldn’t be enough.

"How much longer?"

"About ten minutes."

Hearing this, Chen Qiyun’s little face fell. Ten minutes felt like an eternity.

Chen Jingle suggested, "Why don’t you go do your homework first?"

"Okay!" At least she wouldn’t have to sit in front of the stove—the aroma was too tempting to bear.

Exactly ten minutes later, Chen Qiyun ran back out right on the dot. Chen Jingle suspected she hadn’t focused on her homework at all and had just been watching the clock. However, it really was ready to be served now. When he lifted the lid of the earthenware pot, a rich, steaming aroma billowed out with the vapor, seeping deeply into their lungs. Chen Jingle tested the broth with a ladle—the thickness was perfect.

"It’s done!"

Wrapping the handles with a rag, he carefully carried the pot to the dining table. It was time to eat.

Chen Qiyun had already eagerly scooped out the rice for them. Copying Chen Jingle, she drizzled a little broth over her rice, picked up a piece of beef tendon, blew on it to cool it down, and stuffed it into her mouth.

MMM! Absolute perfection!

Especially in this dreary, wet weather, eating hot, fragrant food felt incredibly soothing on the stomach. Her entire body warmed up, and the slight dampness brought on by the rain was instantly driven away!

"Eat slowly, be careful not to burn yourself. You shouldn’t eat food when it’s too hot," Chen Jingle reminded her.

Chen Qiyun nodded repeatedly, too busy eating to even speak. The rice today was also exceptionally good, seemingly different from what they usually had. Mixed with a drizzle of the rich broth and shoveled into her mouth, it left a lingering fragrance that made her taste buds dance. In short, it was delicious! Whenever it felt a bit too savory, a piece of cold cucumber salad perfectly cut through the richness.

Just like that, she polished off three massive bowls of rice before finally putting down her chopsticks. Rubbing her bulging tummy, she let out a sigh of profound satisfaction. Seeing that there was still quite a bit left in the pot, she asked eagerly, "Are we having this again for dinner?"

"Sure, then I won’t make anything else tonight."

Chen Jingle had no objections. Such a substantial dish was quite a hassle to make, anyway. It was just that the rain was getting heavier, which was a bit annoying.