Chapter 133 Food Soothes the Soul

Chapter 133 Food Soothes the Soul

The kitchen exhaust fan hummed as Su Yingxue stood in front of the counter, her wisps of hair slightly damp from the steam. She tucked them behind her ear, her gaze sweeping over the ingredients laid out on the counter—the pork tripe soup in the casserole was bubbling away, the sweet aroma of cola chicken wings mingled with caramel-colored bubbles in the frying pan, and the freshly washed spinach by the sink still glistened with water droplets.

She has lost count of how many times she has prepared extra meals for her colleagues at the company, but every time she stands in front of the stove and feels the warmth of the food with her fingertips, a subtle warmth still rises in her heart.

The first thing she ordered was pork tripe soup. Before leaving, Su Yingxue went to the old market downstairs and picked out a fresh pork tripe—it had a healthy pinkish-white surface and felt elastic when squeezed. The stall owner, Lao Zhang, even helped her remove the grease and impurities from the inner wall, but Su Yingxue was used to checking it carefully again.

"The mucus must be thoroughly removed, otherwise it will have a fishy smell." She put on rubber gloves, laid the pig's stomach flat in the draining basket, and sprinkled a spoonful of flour on it. The flour fell onto the surface of the pig's stomach like fine snowflakes. She gently rubbed it with her fingertips, and the sticky feeling gradually disappeared, replaced by the grainy texture of the flour absorbing impurities. After rinsing off the flour, she squeezed two pumps of lemon juice and rinsed it repeatedly with running water until the water in the basin was crystal clear.

“Ginger and cooking wine are the soul of this dish.” Su Yingxue put the cleaned pig stomach into a pot of cold water, smashed three slices of old ginger, and poured in a spoonful of cooking wine. When the water boiled, the foam rose like a thin veil, and she immediately skimmed it off with a slotted spoon, her movements light and quick, afraid of taking away the pig stomach’s own freshness. After blanching for two minutes, she took the pig stomach out, rinsed off the surface foam with warm water, and cut it into strips about two centimeters wide.

The clay pot had already been dried. She lined it with a layer of ginger slices, then laid the pork belly strips on top, added two sections of scallion whites and a few peppercorns, and finally poured in enough spring water—Su Yingxue never drank soup made with filtered water, always feeling it lacked a natural sweetness. After bringing it to a boil over high heat, she turned it down to the lowest heat, covered the clay pot with the lid, leaving a small gap for steam to slowly escape.

"The pig's stomach needs to be stewed for a full hour for the collagen to dissolve." She glanced at the timer on her phone and turned to prepare the other ingredients. By this time, a faint aroma was wafting from the casserole, not a strong meaty smell, but a mellow fragrance with the aroma of ginger and scallions, like a warm and cozy quilt that had been sun-dried in winter.

Cola chicken wings in a frying pan are today's "most popular dish." Su Yingxue took the pre-thawed chicken wings out of the refrigerator; tiny water droplets still condensed on their cool surfaces. She used a knife to make three shallow cuts on both sides of each chicken wing, deep enough to reach the skin but not breaking it—this was a trick her grandmother taught her: "Slicing allows the seasoning to penetrate, but you can't cut too deep, otherwise it will fall apart when frying."

While marinating, she poured half a spoonful of cooking wine, a spoonful of light soy sauce, half a spoonful of dark soy sauce, a little minced ginger and garlic, and a pinch of white pepper powder into the chicken wings for aroma. "Don't add salt, the saltiness and sweetness of the light soy sauce and cola are enough," she said habitually, and as she turned the chicken wings with her fingers, you could feel the meat slowly absorbing the aroma of the seasonings.

Ten minutes later, the chicken wings were glistening with marinade. Su Yingxue heated a pan with cold oil, and when the bottom of the pan was just beginning to smoke, she laid the chicken wings out flat. While frying over medium heat, the oil sizzled and popped, and the moisture on the surface of the chicken wings evaporated quickly, gradually turning them a beautiful golden brown. "Flip them frequently, otherwise they'll burn easily," she said, gently turning them with tongs. Only after making sure each side of the chicken wings was coated with a caramel-colored layer did she pour in half a can of cola.

The brown liquid of cola spilled over the chicken wings, instantly creating tiny bubbles, and the sweet aroma mingled with the meaty scent, bursting in the kitchen. Su Yingxue covered the pot with the lid and turned the heat to low to simmer. Through the gap in the lid, she could see the cola gradually reducing, becoming thicker and thicker, like an amber-colored honey glaze coating the chicken wings.

"Keep an eye on it while the sauce is reducing, don't let it burn." She kept the heat on the lowest setting, occasionally using a spatula to gently push the chicken wings, ensuring the sauce evenly coats every crease. Finally, she sprinkled some toasted white sesame seeds on top, and the golden-red, glistening chicken wings were served on a white porcelain plate. The way the sauce stretched made her passing colleagues swallow hard.

The spinach by the pond was still fresh with morning dew. Su Yingxue removed the withered stems, leaving only the tenderest parts, and then rinsed it repeatedly with running water—the roots of spinach easily trap mud and sand, so she deliberately rubbed the crevices of the roots gently with her fingers until the water was completely clear.

"Spinach has a lot of oxalic acid, and blanching removes most of it." She boiled a pot of water, added a small spoonful of salt and a few drops of cooking oil, put the spinach stems into the pot first and blanched them for ten seconds, then added the leaves, and immediately took them out after thirty seconds to rinse them in cold water. "Rinsing them in cold water makes the spinach crisper and brighter in color."

When stir-frying spinach, she used only the simplest seasonings: minced garlic to release its aroma, then quickly stir-frying the spinach over high heat, seasoning with salt, and finally drizzling a little sesame oil for added fragrance. "Spinach is naturally very fresh, so there's no need to add too many seasonings, or it will overpower its natural flavor." The spatula flew across the pan, and the bright green spinach quickly shrank under the high temperature, yet maintained its tender texture, leaving it with a garlicky aroma and a glossy sheen when it came out of the pan.

When Su Yingxue carried three dishes out of the kitchen, several people had already gathered in the office's break room. The pork tripe soup in the casserole was still steaming slightly, with a few soft and tender pieces of pork tripe floating in the milky white broth, and bright green cilantro floating on the surface; the edge of the cola chicken wings plate still had a little sauce on it, and the golden-red sheen made people want to take a bite immediately; the stir-fried spinach was served in a celadon bowl, and its bright green color made the other dishes even more tempting.

"President Su, this pork tripe soup is so delicious!" Mengmeng was the first to come over, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and her eyes immediately lit up. "There's not a trace of fishiness, and the broth is so thick it clings to the spoon!"

"The chicken wings are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the sweetness of the cola and the saltiness of the soy sauce are perfectly balanced!" Xiao Zhao from the next workstation had already picked up a piece, nodding as he ate. "Even better than the ones I ordered at the restaurant last time!"

The kitchen exhaust fan finally stopped working, and Su Yingxue watched her colleagues sitting together, happily eating their lunchboxes, and felt as if she were soaking in honey. The golden-red sheen of the cola chicken wings reflected on everyone's faces, and the rich aroma of pork tripe soup mixed with the freshness of spinach swirled in the air. Even Xiao Lin, the pickiest new intern, had an extra half bowl of rice.

In the office that evening, Su Yingxue stared at her computer screen, repeatedly checking the final version of the promotional video. The one she sent to CEO Long last time was a rough cut; this was the result of three sleepless nights of revisions by her and her team, with every transition and every line of text meticulously crafted. She stretched, and just as she was about to click the send button, her computer screen suddenly flickered, then froze completely.

"What's going on?" She frowned and restarted her computer, her fingertips tapping unconsciously on the desktop. The source file of the promotional video was still in the drafts folder, but the detailed parameters she had just adjusted...