"Wow, it smells so good. What delicious food did Sister make?"
Xiao Yu was drawn in by the strong aroma as soon as she entered.
"Mutton soup. They said it was too late to cook when you got back, so I started boiling the mutton first," Zhan Yifang said as she stood up.
"How is it? Are you getting used to school?"
"Fortunately, I previewed the material. Otherwise, I really wouldn't be able to keep up," Xiao Yu said.
"The teacher lectures very quickly, skimming over most of the knowledge points.
Unless they are key points or what he considers testable, he only explains them in detail.
But it's fine, I can finally keep up."
"I knew you could. Did Old Evil Huang say anything to you?"
"No. He just took me to the classroom, introduced me to the classmates, and then told me to sit in an empty seat at the back before leaving."
"Alright, just do what you think is best. It's hot now, and we don't have much appetite.
I'll make a fruit salad for dessert after dinner," Zhan Yifang said.
"Okay," Xiao Yu said, putting on her apron and heading to the kitchen.
She first cleaned an unknown fish and then poured in cooking wine to remove any fishy smell.
At the same time, she washed and sliced the ginger, scallions, and garlic, spread a few slices of ginger on a plate, and placed the cleaned fish on top.
She also stuffed a few slices of ginger and scallion segments into the fish's belly and put it into a pot to steam.
While the fish was steaming, she started preparing the potatoes, peeling them, slicing them into shreds, and rinsing them.
Then, she put oil in the wok, tossed in a few star anise, peppercorns, and a small handful of scallion and ginger, and stir-fried them.
After the aromatics were fragrant, she added the shredded potatoes, lightly tossed them twice, poured in fragrant vinegar and light soy sauce, and added a few slices of garlic. Once the shredded potatoes changed color, she scooped them out.
The fish in the steamer was already releasing a fragrant aroma.
She took the mutton out of the soup pot, used a knife to separate the meat from the bones, and threw the bones back into the soup pot.
She knew that the soup relied on the bones for its flavor; the longer the bones boiled, the whiter and tastier the soup would become.
There was a lot of mutton, appearing to be two to three catties, which four people couldn't finish in one meal.
She cut the mutton into pieces and put them in a large basin, so whoever wanted to eat could directly put it into their bowls.
By the time she finished preparing the mutton, the fish was also cooked.
Wearing gloves, she took the fish plate out of the steamer, removed the ginger and scallions from the fish's belly and threw them into the trash, then placed fresh ginger, scallions, garlic, and flavor enhancer on top.
Next, she cleaned the wok, poured in oil, heated it, added peppercorns, star anise, fennel, and Angelica sinensis, then poured the hot oil over the fish.
"Mmm, delicious," Xiao Yu said, leaning over to smell it. "Sister, dinner is ready."
"So soon? How long has it been?"
"These dishes don't need much cooking time. Call the other two sisters over."
"I'll call them now," Zhan Yifang said, putting down the apple in her hand.
"Dinner is ready. I'm only calling once. If you don't come, you'll eat leftovers."
Before Zhan Yifang could finish her call, the sound of the door opening could be heard.
"It smells so good! What delicious food did you make?" Wang Qi said as soon as she entered.
"You'll know soon enough. Where's Yu Jie?"
"She's here. She's watching TV," Li Minyu said, entering with her pregnant belly.
"It smells so good. Why does it smell better than food from restaurants?"
"You're just hungry, aren't you? What time is it?" Wang Qi said.
"No, it's because Xiao Yu's cooking is good," Li Minyu said, giving her a sidelong glance.
"Yu Jie, you're making me embarrassed.
We only made stir-fried shredded potatoes and steamed fish because we were short on time at noon.
I know Yu Jie doesn't eat spicy food, so I didn't add any chili."
"It's fine to eat a little. These two girls won't let me eat spicy food, saying it's bad for the baby and can cause internal heat. I used to love spicy food."
"Try it and see how it is. If you like spicy food, I can add a little bird's eye chili when I come back to enhance the flavor," Xiao Yu said, placing chopsticks in front of everyone.
"It must be delicious," Wang Qi said, reaching for her chopsticks.
"Xiao Yu went to so much trouble, and she hasn't even sat down yet, and you're already starting to eat? Can't you wait a moment?" Zhan Yifang said, lightly hitting her hand.
"I just can't help it!"
"Sisters, please eat first. I'll bring over the mutton soup."
Xiao Yu turned and brought the soup pot to the table.
"Be careful, it's hot."
"Xiao Yu, don't put it there. Take it back," Wang Qi said quickly.
"It's too hot, don't get burned. Whoever wants to drink can serve themselves."
"Alright," Xiao Yu said, taking the soup pot back to the stove.
"There's too much mutton. If you can't finish it, you can put it in the refrigerator and eat it next time."
"We can finish it. I drank several bowls that day," Wang Qi said, standing up.
"Eat more meat and less rice. Try not to waste food."
"Yes, we'll try not to waste food. We brought quite a bit from the shop today, and there's still a lot in the refrigerator," Zhan Yifang also said.
"Then let's eat more mutton."
Xiao Yu said, scooping another ladle of mutton into her bowl, pouring the mutton soup over it, and serving it to Li Minyu.
"Yu Jie, be careful, it's hot."
"Thank you, Xiao Yu. You've worked hard."
"It's nothing. It's close to school. By the time we finish eating, my classmates might not be home yet."
"Xiao Yu, you eat your food. Don't worry about us," Zhan Yifang said, placing a bowl in front of Xiao Yu.
"After you finish, rest for a while. We don't have anything to do in the afternoon, so we can rest at home."
"Thank you, sisters."
"Don't be so polite. From now on, we are a family. We should love each other."
"Yes, if you want to eat anything, tell Fangfang, and she can get it from the shop. This mutton soup is really delicious. I think it's better than the one cooked in restaurants," Wang Qi said.
"What's the difference? It's the same mutton," Zhan Yifang said.
"You'll know when you taste it."
"It really is different," Li Minyu said after taking a sip.
"Really?" Zhan Yifang said, also lowering her head to taste it. "It really is different. It seems even more fragrant."
"We didn't take out the bones we boiled ourselves. Maybe it's because the bones were boiled for a longer time?"
"Perhaps. But it's really delicious. These shredded potatoes are also good. I don't need to diet today." Wang Qi said, and then started to eat heartily.
"You talk about dieting every day, but I haven't seen you lose any weight," Zhan Yifang said, giving her a sidelong glance.
"I need to eat enough to have the energy to diet. This fish is also good, quite tender."
"Our food critic says it must be good."
Everyone was too full to move after the meal.