The literary era since 1979

Chapter 138 Sure enough, we are like-minded

The sun gradually sets, and the bacon and sausages hanging in front of the window look like curtains with the aroma of meat.

A breeze blew, and the aroma of meat blew into the house.

At the same time, it also blew into Fangyan and Wang Zengqi's noses.

"The Chinese love for cured meat is deeply rooted in their bones. Not only gourmets love it, but ordinary people also love it."

"........."

“This is the taste of salt, the taste of mountains, the taste of wind, the taste of sunshine, the taste of time, and the taste of human feelings.”

Wang Zengqi savored the dialect prose and applauded, "Xiao Fang, this sentence of yours really captures the essence of the preserved food."

"You flatter me."

Fangyan kept glancing at the bacon on the windowsill.

"How did you come up with the idea of ​​writing this 'Lame'?"

Wang Zengqi was very curious.

"This is not just a reminder of my past."

"I think 'cured meat' embodies the deepest and most intense human touch and the flavor of fireworks in this world..."

Fangyan pointed out the window and said, "If New Year's Eve is a poem, and the flavor of the New Year is the heart and eye of the poem, then cured meat is the beautiful image in the poem, and it is the most vivid and indispensable one. Cured meat is really a bowl of fireworks on earth!"

"Snapped!"

Wang Zengqi slapped the table excitedly, "Well said, you are really good at eating, and you and I are in the same field."

"Yes, fellow Taoist, fellow Taoist."

Fangyan's throat moved slightly: "Mr. Wang, this is 'pork with clear sauce', right?"

"You have a good eye, you figured it out."

Wang Zengqi smiled and said, "Ever since I entered the room, I have been staring at this pickled bacon. Why, do you want to have one?"

"Yes, of course I do!"

Fangyan nodded.

"I can't give it to you even if I want to. This little bit of meat has to feed my grandson at home." Wang Zengqi changed the subject, "But for the essays you wrote, I can help you cook. If you want to eat it, you have to bring your own meat tickets and seasonings."

"That's no problem, thank you!"

Fangyan and he looked at each other and smiled.

While Wang Zengqi was writing down the necessary materials on paper, he said:
"I was right. Not only are you gifted in novels and dramas, you also have an extraordinary talent in prose. I thought it would take you a long time to write a good piece since you are a beginner."

Glancing at the thick stack of papers, he said, "I didn't expect you'd almost finished a collection of essays, and the title is so eye-catching."

Fangyan replied: "As the saying goes, 'food is the first necessity of the people'. I think food is one of the symbols that best represents Chinese culture, so I named it 'A Bite of China'."

"Precisely because the name is 'China', not 'Yenjing', you can't just write about Yanjing in your essay. You should at least write about a few more representative places, such as East Shandong, East Guangdong, Jiangnan, Sichuan and Shu..."

Wang Zengqi said: "Otherwise I can't live up to this name."

"Your Excellency, that's what I think."

The creative ideas are expressed in dialect with reservations.

Yanjing does not only serve Beijing cuisine. Former restaurants such as Badalou, Badachun and Badaju have reopened one after another, offering Shandong cuisine, Huaiyang cuisine, Sichuan cuisine and other cuisines. Even Tianjin's Goubuli steamed buns have landed in Yanjing, in the "Xinluchun".

What’s more, in my previous life, I had eaten a lot of delicious food from all over the country.

"It seems you have found out everything."

Wang Zengqi said appreciatively: "You just said that regional cuisine is the horizontal dimension, so there is also a vertical dimension?"

“Vertically, it means starting from all aspects of food.”

Fangyan counted on his fingers: "For example, cooking methods, frying, stir-frying, boiling, and deep-frying. High-end ingredients often only require the simplest cooking methods. Another example is the taste, sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. The five flavors are harmoniously blended and coexist with each other, creating a variety of flavors."

"That's wonderful! The sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty tastes of life. Things are like this, things are like this, and so are people." Wang Zengqi's eyes lit up.

"You have hit the nail on the head."

Fangyan looked at the pile of manuscripts and thought that any one of the essays in his collection could be made into an episode of "A Bite of China".

Wang Zengqi sighed, "What a pity! The teacher and his wife have returned to Xiangxi. It will probably take some time for them to return to Beijing."

When asked about the journal and time of publication, Fang Yan said that he planned to publish it in the first issue of Yenching Literature next year. "The journal is a good choice, and the time is even better."

Wang Zengqi was greatly impressed.

It will be published in February next year, not long after the Spring Festival. Readers will have just celebrated the New Year and eaten the New Year’s Eve dinner. Reading this essay again will feel different, especially the one about "cured meat".

"You and I are thinking alike."

Fangyan smiled and said, "I just want to make the readers envious to death."

"Hahaha!"

The two looked at each other, and the room was filled with a joyful atmosphere.

…………

When Fangyan came out of Wang Zengqi's house, he had a glass bottle of canned yellow peaches in his hand, which was filled with chive sauce.

That is, mix leeks, green pepper paste and soy sauce together, then pour boiling water into a large wooden barrel and wait for natural fermentation.

According to Mr. Wang, boiling a pot of dried shrimp and Chinese cabbage with a dish of chives is delicious and flavourful, or it can be paired with braised shrimp paste and eaten with steamed bread or flatbread, which is also a delicacy.

Soul juice, pour it on!
After a busy day, Master Fang prepared...

I went back to Nanluoguxiang first, left my things at home, and then went to Hougulouyuan Hutong. Fang Hong was still at the house.

Ever since she and Yang Xia found out that they had bought a courtyard house, they have been running here whenever they have free time these days to clean it bit by bit.

Fangyan would also come to clean up the garbage and had already cleaned up several warehouses, which were filled with a lot of fabrics and ready-made T-shirts.

At this time, Fang Hong was standing at the door of the warehouse with a pen and paper, carefully counting the cloth, silk thread, overalls, T-shirts and other things. By the way, she also served as an accountant for her brother and Han Yuemin. She was meticulous and looked like she had a bit of the style of her previous life.

"Sister, where is Brother Han?"

Fangyan came closer.

"He just came back and is now lying in the house to rest."

Fang Hong turned her head.

Fangyan followed her gaze and saw that the room was where Grandpa Wang used to live. The furniture inside, such as tables, chairs, beds, stools, etc., were all ready-made. Basically, one could move in with just their luggage.

I moved here during this period. Apart from guarding the warehouse at night, I also take time to keep an eye on the group of tailors hired by Han Yuemin.

Han Yuemin's biggest task was to travel back and forth between Yanjing and Hangzhou to deal in more fabrics and other materials.

This time, Han Yuemin went all in again.

Seeing Fangyan’s big house, he was greatly inspired. He was no longer satisfied with just changing houses, and wanted to work hard to buy a house.

"Yanzi, when exactly do you start selling?"

Fang Hong felt uneasy as she looked at the room full of fabrics and clothes.

"Tomorrow, the competition will start tomorrow."

Dialects are spoken bluntly.

"You guys made so many T-shirts, can you sell them?"

There was worry in Fang Hong's brows.

Fang Yan smiled and said, "Sister, don't worry. Our Chinese women's volleyball team is now among the top three in the world. We have a chance to win a medal this year, maybe even a gold medal."

"If you really do what you said, and the women's volleyball team can win the championship, let alone sell your clothes for 32, I would be willing to buy them even if they were sold for or !"

Fang Hong added: "I believe many people will buy it too."

"Then let us look forward to the performance of the Chinese women's volleyball team this time." Fang Yan smiled faintly.

Fang Hong's frown slowly softened, "By the way, Ruoxue told me that the drama troupe will be performing at the Huaxia Youth Art Theater tomorrow, and they hope you can attend and watch."

“I may not have the time.”

Fangyan glanced sideways, "What time tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

Fang Hong said: "After the performance, they plan to use the bonus to treat us to dinner. Of course, they mainly want to treat you. They want to thank you again, 'Teacher Fang.'"

(End of this chapter)