Chapter 48: Ready and Confident
Half an hour passed quickly, and the stoves below were all set up, waiting for Chen Fan to show his skills.
To ensure everyone could see clearly, they had even built a raised platform.
Standing on the platform, Chen Fan held up a turtle as big as a washbasin, looking like he was hosting a live stream sales event. "Watch closely everyone – these turtles are quite fierce, so you must be careful not to get bitten."
A woman called out from below, "Master Chen is really thoughtful. Every year when we drain the ponds, someone gets bitten. Back then, we'd just smash the turtle with a shovel, chop off its neck, then pry its mouth open – it was agony."
Someone nearby immediately added, "And it's not just in the past – just now while cleaning the turtles, Zhang Cuie got bitten. Luckily we were by the water – putting the turtle in the water made it let go."
Chen Fan chuckled. "That's why you can't just grab them with your hands when it's time to kill them. Here's a little trick – get it to bite onto a small stick, like this..."
As he spoke, he placed the turtle on the ground and stepped on it with his foot, then held out a chopstick for the turtle to clamp down on tightly. He then pulled the turtle's head out and swiftly brought down his knife.
Seeing how clean and efficient he was, everyone burst into enthusiastic applause.
The crowd was really fired up – if this were a live stream, the products would definitely sell out in seconds.
Chen Fan demonstrated while teaching, showing everyone how to kill the turtle, trim the fat, peel off the membrane, and cut it into pieces.
Zhang Changjiang and the other leaders had given up their spots to the best cooks in the village, standing in the second row instead. They all nodded approvingly as they watched.
Xiao Liewen said sincerely, "This young man is so careful – he's afraid no one will understand. He explains once before starting, again while he's working, and then one more time after he's done. If anyone's really slow to pick it up, he even takes another turtle and demonstrates again while explaining. Good, very good."
Zhang Cuie, who was standing in the front row, turned around and said defiantly, "It's not that I can't learn – I just didn't see clearly."
Xiao Liewen naturally wouldn't argue with a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl. He grinned and let out a hearty laugh. "Then watch it a few more times and make sure you see everything clearly."
Chen Fan killed two turtles on the platform, while the row of people below followed suit and killed another eight. Once they were all butchered and cut into pieces, the meat was placed in ten wooden basins, then washed with clean water and soaked in hot water.
After all the turtles were prepared, everyone moved to the stoves to start cooking.
Without Master Liu to help this time, Chen Fan was in charge of both large pots by himself.
He wasn't sure if it was because of his newfound culinary skills, but he had never felt more confident about cooking than he did at that moment.
Master Liu's technique for making large-batch turtle dishes the previous day, along with the tricks for the pork feast he'd made that morning, were all clearly etched in his mind.
Even the dishes he'd cooked before crossing over, and those he'd watched others make, he felt he could recreate perfectly – he was completely ready and confident.
Standing in front of the stoves, he truly looked like a master chef.
First, he checked the seasonings on the table beside him, then verified the types and quantities of the side ingredients. After that, he took a bamboo brush and gave both large pots a few quick swipes.
In truth, the pots had already been cleaned thoroughly, but as a head chef, it just didn't feel right not to give them a quick scrub – it was all about the ritual.
Once he'd finished checking everything, Chen Fan cleared his throat and said to the crowd, "I just taught you how to butcher the turtles – can anyone still smell any fishiness now?"
Many people immediately called out in unison, "No!"
There were nearly two to three hundred people gathered there, but only a few dozen had responded – not quite what Master Chen had hoped for.
Then someone spoke up to show their support: "Who knew there were so many things to pay attention to when killing a turtle? If we'd known that peeling the skin and trimming the fat would get rid of the fishiness, who would have fed them to the pigs?"
"Exactly – how many turtles have we thrown away over the years?"
"Thinking about how I didn't get to eat any meat while the pigs were stuffed full makes me so angry."
"You can eat plenty of meat today. If that still doesn't satisfy you, you can go eat the pig that ate all those turtles too."
"Don't be ridiculous – we're butchering it in a couple of days anyway."
Then they called out loudly, "Master Chen, come eat the pork feast with us then!"
Seeing them starting to go off-topic, Zhang Guangwen quickly shouted, "Everyone stop talking now – listen to Master Chen!"
Chen Fan just smiled – he didn't seem the least bit impatient.
Once everyone had quieted down, he continued, "Actually, at this point, no matter how you cook it, the turtle meat will taste good. If you want to be more particular though, there are countless ways to prepare turtle – braised, stewed, steamed, in soup, stir-fried with chili, dry pot, or even stewed with chicken or pigeon. Today I'll be making two dishes – one braised with potatoes, and one stewed clear with white radish."
Then he began his demonstration.
The villagers gathered around, exchanging notes with each other.
"Wow, he's putting in so much oil!"
"Look how much meat there is – those huge basins would fill both pots even if we split them up."
"These are the big pots we usually use to cook pig feed – today we're having a communal feast!"
"Ugh... can we not talk about pig feed?"
"Look, look – how quick Master Chen is. He must have worked as a cook before, right?"
"More likely someone in his family is a cook. Who'd hire someone so young?"
"Master Chen's skills are so good – he can even cook turtle. Of course he'd make a great cook!"
"Whether he would or not isn't the point – just look at his smooth skin and delicate features, he's better-looking than some young wives. He doesn't look like a cook at all."
The people crowded around the front were all the household cooks – mostly women. The men were standing on the periphery; already tempted by the aroma, but had voluntarily given up their spots to let their wives learn how to make turtle dishes.
But when they heard the women talking about the master instead of the turtle, they weren't happy. One man called out loudly, "Are you here to learn how to cook or to stare at people? Pay attention, will you?"
Women in those days weren't the type to take things lying down – especially rural women, who were known to "hold up half the sky." Under the leadership of the women's director, they worked just as hard as the men and were naturally quite spirited.
As soon as they heard the shout, someone shot back, "Liu Defu, what are you yelling about? Why don't you come up here and do it then?"
"Liu Defu feels sorry for his wife – he wants to learn so he can cook for her at home."
"Ooh, could it be? Is she expecting? Are you getting ready to wait on her during confinement?"
Liu Defu was flustered and angry at the back. "I'm not waiting on anyone's confinement!"
Someone immediately charged at him from the side. "Liu Defu, what nonsense are you spouting? I'll tear your mouth apart!"
As a fight seemed about to break out, Zhang Guangwen shouted loudly, "What's all this commotion? Quiet down everyone!"
The captain had quite a bit of authority, and with the brigade chief and deputy chiefs all present, the rowdy group immediately fell silent.
But their argument had reminded Chen Fan of something. He immediately called out loudly, "Turtle is cold in nature – it's best not to give it to pregnant women!"
Hearing this, a few groans went up from the crowd – clearly from women who were expecting.
Zhang Changjiang quickly squeezed his way over to Chen Fan's side and asked seriously, "Pregnant women really can't eat it at all?"
Chen Fan spoke earnestly, "The Compendium of Materia Medica records that turtle can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and since it's cold in nature, pregnant women who eat it are at risk of miscarriage. So to be safe, it's best not to let them eat it."
Zhang Changjiang nodded immediately, then asked, "Does Master Liu know about this?"
It seemed Captain Yang had also told him about teaching the teams separately.
Chen Fan nodded. "I've already told Master Liu – he must make sure everyone knows about this taboo."
Zhang Changjiang turned and called over a young man. "To be safe, when you go on patrol tomorrow, make sure to remind every team about this again."
Chen Fan had almost forgotten about it himself just now – it was possible Master Liu might also slip up, and this was something they couldn't afford to be careless about.
The young man nodded in agreement and even pulled out a small notebook to write it down.
Just then, the sound of hooves could be heard, and someone called out from outside, "Brother Sanhu's back!"
(End of Chapter)
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