Chapter 405 Delicious Dinner
Along the way, he carefully eliminated any traces of someone having been here.
He carefully smoothed out every footprint with branches; he gently picked up and tidied up every fallen grass.
He carefully picked up and took away every leaf that might have been tainted with human scent.
His movements were meticulous and focused. He did not dare to slack off for the slightest bit and continued to clear the area step by step until he reached the mountain pass.
He looked back at the forest again, praying silently in his heart that An An and his family would be safe, and then he set out on the road back to Jianye Village.
Wang Jianguo pushed aside the dense weeds and saw the bicycle leaning quietly among them.
He bent down, gripped the handlebars tightly with both hands, and lifted the bicycle up steadily with force.
Then he walked to the place where the pheasants were placed, picked up the rope that had been prepared long ago, tied the claws of the three pheasants together in pairs, and then hung them on the handlebars of the bicycle.
The pheasant swayed gently with his movements, as if foreshadowing its fate of becoming a delicious meal.
After everything was ready, Wang Jianguo got on his bicycle, pedaled vigorously with his legs, and rushed towards Jianye Village.
Along the way, the breeze blew his hair, and the scenery on both sides passed by quickly like a slide show.
But at this moment, his mind was full of thoughts about preparing dinner for Zhao Shuzhuo and He Yushui, and he had no time to pay attention to the scenery along the road.
When Wang Jianguo returned to Zhao Shuzhuo's house, the yard was silent. He walked into the house and found that Zhao Shuzhuo and He Yushui had not returned yet.
He thought to himself that maybe the supply and marketing cooperative was busy and hadn't finished the work at hand. He was not idle either, and went straight to the kitchen, deciding to take action first.
He first walked to the stove, picked up the bucket skillfully, fetched a bucket of water from the well in the yard, then poured the water into the pot and started to boil water.
While the water was boiling, he turned and walked towards the three pheasants, picked up a sharp kitchen knife from the knife rack in the kitchen, his eyes focused and determined.
He first plucked the pheasant's feathers one by one. Although his movements were a little clumsy, he was very serious and cleaned every feather carefully.
After plucking the feathers, he used a knife to cut open the pheasant's belly, carefully took out the internal organs, cleaned the chicken thoroughly, cut it into even-sized pieces, and placed it on a plate aside for later use.
After processing the pheasant, Wang Jianguo rummaged in the corner of the kitchen to find the vermicelli he brought home from the supply and marketing cooperative.
As he looked at the ingredients, the tempting image of chicken stewed with vermicelli appeared in his mind.
He did it right away. He went to the stove again, heated the pot and poured in a little cooking oil.
After the oil started to smoke slightly, he added the scallions, ginger and garlic and stir-fried them. In an instant, the kitchen was filled with a rich aroma.
Then, he poured the chopped chicken pieces into the pan and kept stir-frying. The chicken gradually turned golden in the pan and made a sizzling sound.
He then added appropriate amounts of seasonings, soy sauce for color, cooking wine for removing the fishy smell, and salt for flavoring. After stir-frying evenly, he poured in an appropriate amount of water, covered the pot, and let the chicken slowly stew in the pot.
While waiting for the chicken to be stewed, Wang Jianguo soaked the vermicelli in warm water.
When the chicken in the pot is almost cooked, he opens the lid, puts in the softened vermicelli, and stirs it gently to allow the vermicelli to fully absorb the chicken broth.
At this time, the kitchen was filled with the rich aroma of chicken and vermicelli. The aroma went straight into people's hearts and made them salivate.
Then, Wang Jianguo's eyes fell on the rice jar in the corner. He walked over and opened the lid of the rice jar, and a faint rice fragrance wafted into his face.
He picked up the small ladle beside him, reached into the rice jar, and scooped up a full ladle of rice. Then he poured the rice into a delicate small bamboo sieve and brought it to the yard.
Under the bright light, he carefully picked the rice, removing the tiny impurities and broken rice one by one, leaving only the rice with full grains and crystal clear texture.
Wang Jianguo returned to the kitchen with the selected rice and poured it into a small pot. He walked to the water tank, scooped up clear water with a gourd ladle, and slowly poured it into the pot.
At the same time, he gently stirred the rice in the pot with his other hand, watching the water flow over the edge of the pot with rice bran and remaining impurities. He repeated this several times until the water became clear.
After washing the rice, he added an appropriate amount of water into the pot based on his previous experience, then covered the pot and placed the pot on a small flame on the stove.
He squatted down and lit the dry wood in the stove with a match. The flames instantly licked the bottom of the pot. As the water temperature rose, a slight gurgling sound gradually came from the pot.
Wang Jianguo would occasionally lift the lid of the pot to check on the cooking of the rice, and would gently stir it with chopsticks to ensure even heating.
In the warmth of the stove and the mist of water vapor, the rice gradually absorbs moisture and becomes soft and expanded.
Soon, a unique aroma of rice slowly spread, indicating that the rice was about to be cooked.
Wang Jianguo continued to work hard in the kitchen, carefully adjusting the heat.
Just to make a delicious meal for Zhao Shuzhuo and He Yushui to comfort them after a day of hard work.
As the sun gradually sank to the west, the sky was dyed a brilliant purple-red, and then the brilliant color slowly faded away.
The sky was like a huge black curtain, slowly pulling down.
At this moment, Wang Jianguo had just brought the steaming hot food to the table and arranged it neatly.
At this moment, Zhao Shuzhuo and He Yushui were walking side by side on their way home from the supply and marketing cooperative.
The two men talked about the affairs of the supply and marketing cooperative along the way. They looked a little tired, but their steps were still brisk.
As soon as she reached the door of her house, He Yushui's small and delicate nose keenly captured the tempting smell of food wafting from the house.
The fragrance was like an invisible hand that instantly grasped her olfactory nerves, causing her to be slightly startled and a look of surprise appeared on her face.
Just at this moment, Wang Jianguo walked out of the kitchen with a plate of food steadily in his hands.
He saw Zhao Shuzhuo and He Yushui walking in at a glance, and his face immediately filled with a warm smile, and he quickly said:
"You're finally back! You must be exhausted after a busy day. Stop dawdling and go wash your hands and eat."
"I specially cooked today to improve our meals. Come and try my cooking. If it's not tasty, don't be offended."
Zhao Shuzhuo and He Yushui listened to Wang Jianguo's words, their hearts full of expectation and curiosity. They quickened their pace and walked to the pool in the yard.
Zhao Shuzhuo reached out and turned on the faucet. Clear water flowed out and the two of them washed their hands seriously.
After washing their hands, they dried them with a towel and walked into the house, washing away the fatigue and dust of the day.