Back To The 80s-Chapter 92 - 91: Dried Meat_1
Gu Xiaobei had some time to kill, so she decided to catch a ride into town to buy some vegetable seeds. Just as she was about to leave, Li Fengmei came over to invite her to the town as well.
The two hit it off and quickly set off. This time around, they didn’t bump into Chi Xiaoyue and others. On the way, Li Fengmei said with a hint of embarrassment: "Sis, I want to ask you for a favor."
"Go ahead," Gu Xiaobei was always generous to her friends.
"Remember those sesame pancakes you made last time? Could you make some more for me?" Li Fengmei added quickly, fearing Gu Xiaobei might think she’s taking advantage: "I’ll provide the flour, oil, and eggs. We can buy some sesame seeds later."
Gu Xiaobei laughed: "You’re being too polite. I do have flour for making the pancakes. Don’t worry about it. Otherwise, Lu Zhanguo will give me a hard time."
Li Fengmei’s hometown was in Shandong, a three-day train journey from the provincial capital. With the hot weather, she worried that the steamed buns and flatbreads would spoil. She figured Gu Xiaobei’s pancakes, with their low moisture content, would keep fresh for a few more days.
"I mainly worry about the kids not having anything to eat on the road. Us adults can tough it out," Li Fengmei explained.
Only then did Gu Xiaobei understand. There wasn’t much food available on the trains those days, and the trains were all standard green cars with hard seats and no air conditioning. Ordinary food would spoil quickly. She made a mental note.
The two got off the bus and went straight to the seed station in town. After buying the seeds, Li Fengmei, seeing Gu Xiaobei’s excited face, reminded her: "Put the seeds aside after you buy them. Do not plant them until the beginning of autumn."
"What? Another month?" Gu Xiaobei was a little disappointed.
Li Fengmei shook her head, realizing this girl had no clue how to grow vegetables. She patiently explained, "Radishes and cabbage should be sown around the beginning of autumn. By that time, you can always ask other military wives or the soldiers from the kitchen."
"Alright, let’s hurry to the market and buy some meat," Gu Xiaobei didn’t linger on the topic. Since she didn’t have to plant the seeds yet, she would focus on finishing translating her manuscript. The original book this time was quite thick, and she estimated she could earn seven to eight hundred yuan for it.
Li Fengmei took notice when Gu Xiaobei bought eight pounds of beef and advised, "It’s hot out. If you buy too much, it’s likely to spoil."
Gu Xiaobei let out a hehe and said: "I have a plan. It won’t spoil."
The small town didn’t have a wide selection of spices. Gu Xiaobei couldn’t find the bay leaves and nutmeg she wanted.
Li Fengmei indeed bought half a pound of sesame seeds and ten eggs. After buying everything they needed, they hurried to catch the bus back. Otherwise, they’d have to walk home.
After arriving home, Gu Xiaobei changed her clothes, washed the beef, and cut it into palm-sized chunks. She placed them in a steel pot for stewing.
Because she couldn’t find the spices she wanted, she only added some salt, peppercorns, scallions, and ginger. Once the pot started boiling, the aroma of beef quickly filled every corner of the corridor.
However, there was one person who found the smell unbearable — Xiangmin, who was pregnant.
Xiangmin sat in the room with a grimace on her face, trying hard to suppress the waves of nausea rolling up from her stomach. She was getting angry at Gu Xiaobei again. Why they hell was she cooking meat in this heat!
While Gu Xiaobei sat in the room translating her manuscript, she would check on the pot every now and then.
At noon, she couldn’t be bothered to cook. She washed a cucumber as a snack. The beef had been slow-cooked on a small fire for almost three hours. Then, Gu Xiaobei turned off the heat, moved the meat into a basin, placed it on the table in the room, and covered it with a net to keep out the flies. No matter how many flies you swatted, there always seemed to be a few more.
To make the meat more flavorful, she used a lot of salt, so the broth was too salty to drink. She had to throw it away, which made her feel a bit bad.
As she was washing the pot, Xiangmin, her face as pale as ashes, came in and glared at her. Gu Xiaobei found it strange but decided not to make a fuss, considering Xiangmin was pregnant.
In the evening, after the beef had cooled down, Gu Xiaobei cut the cooked beef into small square strips, about one centimeter on each side. She poured some oil into the pot and when it was hot enough, she added some peppercorns, followed by the beef, and stir-fried them.
The smell of beef that had finally dissipated now gathered again, this time even more intense. Several military wives who were passing by couldn’t help but praise, "Sis, what are you making? It’s so fragrant."
Gu Xiaobei, busy stirring the pot, smiled and replied, "Beef jerky. Help yourselves when it’s ready." She had cooked all eight pounds of beef into jerky, which was quite a lot.
Li Fengmei also came out, drawn by the smell, and stood at the doorway, joking, "You’re going to make everyone drool to death, cooking it so fragrant."
Gu Xiaobei, satisfied with herself, remained silent. Seeing that the beef was dry enough, she tossed in some sesame seeds and continued to stir-fry it. After the beef was cooked, she scooped a plate full, let Li Fengmei taste it, and also shared it with the other military wives passing by.
Li Fengmei took a strip, put it in her mouth, and instantly tasted the flavorful meat. The beef jerky was also chewy, "It’s soooooo good, very aromatic." She then hurriedly offered the other military wives to taste it.
"The beef jerky made by sis is absolutely delicious."
"I’ve always disliked beef because it’s hard to chew. But sis’s beef jerky is not tough at all."
"Sis is really skilled." The military wives praised her one after another.
Gu Xiaobei, with a smile on her face, said, "If you find it delicious, you can finish the whole plate. Otherwise, it means it’s not delicious." She was worried that they might feel embarrassed and not take a second piece. After hearing her, they laughed and gathered around to continue eating.
After washing the pan, Gu Xiaobei cooked another batch, this time making it spicy. When the fragrant and spicy aroma spread into the air, everyone started praising her again.
Xiangmin, who was already feeling nauseated in the room, was now hearing the constant laughter and chatter from outside, which made her believe that Gu Xiaobei was doing it on purpose.
The more Xiangmin thought about it, the more she believed she was right, furiously pulling her door open and shouting at Gu Xiaobei: "Gu Xiaobei, you did it on purpose, didn’t you!"
Everyone, in the middle of their chatter, stopped suddenly. Gu Xiaobei’s hand, holding the pan spatula, paused for a moment. She thought to herself, "Is this woman mentally ill?" Glancing sidelong at Xiangmin, she said, "What are you talking about?"
"What am I talking about? You know I’m pregnant and can’t stand the smell of meat. Here you are, stewing beef, stir-frying beef all day long. If this is not deliberate, then what is it?" Xiangmin argued angrily.
Gu Xiaobei felt like howling at the sky, thinking to herself, "any excuse would do when one wants to put blame on others." But her expression remained impassive as she said, "I really didn’t know that you can’t stand the smell of meat."
Li Fengmei and the other military wives also felt that Xiangmin was being unreasonable. This was not because they had accepted her food, but because one person’s pregnancy should not dictate whether or not others could cook meat.
Li Fengmei tried to mediate: "Sister Xiangmin, you must have misunderstood. How could sis from the captain’s house deliberately provoke you?"
With a cold snort, Xiangmin retorted, "Whether she’s doing this intentionally, she knows best. You should not lose your objectivity just because you’ve eaten a few pieces of her meat."
Li Fengmei got upset. It was hard to comprehend how someone who usually seemed so smart could be this irrational about things. The other military wives didn’t dare to say anything and stood by in silence.
Without shifting her gaze from the pan, Gu Xiaobei stirred it and said casually, "I’m really not clear about how I’ve offended you intentionally." In her mind, though, she was pondering a way to reduce this woman’s arrogance.
Xiangmin spewed out all of her discontent towards Gu Xiaobei, "Is it not because I took sides last time that you held a grudge against me? Why did I take sides? Looking at your usual aloof, lazy, and arrogant demeanor, how many people in the yard are on good terms with you?"
Everyone’s eyes turned towards the entrance of the corridor. Lu Zhanguo was standing there with a stern face. Guo Huaqiang and Zhang Lijun were also standing by his side.
