While Elena's family was decorating their new home, Wang Qi and Li Xiang entered the kitchen from their own side and started preparing for the dinner.
Although it was said to be a dinner party, there was actually nothing particularly good. It lacked seasonings, spices and ingredients. No matter how Wang Qi racked his brains, he still roasted, stewed, stir-fried, and even added steamed meat. In his opinion, frying There is a slight overlap between cooking and roasting, and it is not very interesting to make it without the variety of seasonings.
Wang Qi had already obtained the steamer and steamer while breaking down doors in the neighborhood to collect salt, but he hadn't used it yet.
If a piece of meat is directly steamed, it will taste very greasy. At least Wang Qi will be disgusted if he recalls it, so at least it must be paired with something, such as oiling the meat to retain water and then steaming it with cabbage leaves, because cabbage is really not good. Too many, usually I wouldn’t be willing to do it like this.
Wang Qi and Li Xiang work together. She is responsible for washing vegetables and cutting meat, and he is responsible for cooking and arranging dishes.
Li Xiang's workload is not heavy, because the largest portion is the barbecued meat of half a mantis leg, which weighs five kilograms, and the other ingredients add up to four kilograms of ingredients - not counting the soup.
For eight people, eight kilograms of meat and one kilogram of vegetables, Wang Qi and Li Xiang could eat more than a quarter of it. If it weren't for the fact that there were two weak ones who were afraid of overstretching the thin ones to death, the meat would not be enough for several heavyweights. The labor is divided.
Wang Qi also came up with a new way to stir-fry pork this time, slipping the tenderloin.
Insects do not have the concept of tenderloin, but the quality of the meat wrapped around the organs of the mantis monster can be compared with that of a small tenderloin.
The tenderloin is the real tenderloin in the traditional name, specifically referring to the meat on the inner side of the spine. A pig only has one or two kilograms of tenderloin. It is usually made into butchered vegetables and eaten by the butcher himself. After the pigs are mechanically butchered, they are less likely to flow into the vegetable vendors. Most of them are directly supplied to catering operators who use reservation channels to pay higher prices.
After getting tired of eating bacon, the parts of the newly hunted mantis monsters were sorted and some were sent to the natural refrigerator on the roof for storage, so I could get some new things.
His method of making tenderloin is very simple. After heating the animal oil, put the tenderloin slices into the pan, add salt, stir-fry, and remove from the pan. The whole process after adding the meat does not exceed 15 seconds.
The older one and the younger two had already eaten once a few days ago, and Li Xiang thought it was OK. He also felt that entertaining guests was not bad, so he wanted to do it again today.
Holding a plate of meat and staring at the temperature of the oil in the pot, he called to Li Xiang: "Go and call them to eat."
"Oh." Li Xiang answered and went out, imitating his example and knocking on the iron box in the junk pile.
There was a clang, and in this world that is particularly sensitive to sound, the huge movement immediately called the people on the opposite side to the opposite side of the corridor.
"You guys, come and eat meat." No matter what the other person's reaction was, she went back to smell the aroma and eat it secretly.
Varya and Kai stood at the end of the corridor looking at each other blankly, not knowing how to respond.
It was Elena's voice that came from the living room next to her, making the decision for them: "Invite us to dinner, then go ahead."
Several people were in a hurry, some tried to hide weapons on their bodies, some went to help Lin, and some went upstairs to call for help.
After a while, I opened the kitchen door and walked in.
Wang Qi looked at the person who came in: "Sit down, feel free to do it."
Without deliberately using the other person's language, he was putting the dishes on the table.
Today's dining table is very special. It is a modified steel shelf. Some carbon blocks are knocked from firewood and laid on the bottom to light it. Try to ensure that the stewing, steaming, and stir-frying above do not cool down so quickly.
The countertop is not big enough, so you can only take the tableware for yourself.
After placing the plates and seeing that a group of people were still standing, Wang Qi and Li Xiang took their own dishes and chopsticks first, and she started.
"Please." The local language was used. If someone with higher emotional intelligence could tell the difference, the word would not be as polite as before.
The two men standing in front of him clearly didn't have enough emotional intelligence.
Elena's words came from behind: "Don't block it, Lin, push me over."
The two men separated, and Elena let out a surprised voice: "WOW! Sir, you really know how to enjoy life."
Wang Qi nodded to the old lady and repeated again with gestures and native language: "Please do it yourself."
Next to him, Li Xiang had already finished a bowl of soup. Seeing that Wang Qi wasn't paying attention, he secretly moved the bowl to the side of the tenderloin plate, used chopsticks to scoop a small pile into the bowl, and turned it around to stuff it into his mouth.
Wang Qi glanced at her and didn't care. He scooped out the meat and soup from the broth with a male spoon. After eating a few bites, he went to the barbecue area to slice the meat.
A few people on the opposite side followed Elena and Lin and came over. They could hardly stop drooling, but the atmosphere was very awkward.
For as long as they can remember, they have shared meals. Mom or Lin served them to everyone, and everyone else just ate. This was the first time I was invited to dine, and the way I ate seemed completely different from theirs. I didn’t know what to do with my hands and feet for a while.
It’s up to a pre-disaster veteran like Elena to take the lead.
"Lin, please divide the food into two shallow plates for us first. It may not taste as good when it's cold. The barbecue and soup can wait." Elena knew that it was rude to divide the meals, but she still had to take care of the children. Thoughts, you can also use this to observe the other party's reaction.
Lin nodded and went to the place where the tableware was stored to get something. The other party carefully prepared a few wooden boards, which were large enough to put down plates and soup bowls, and there was still room for knives and forks.
They had lived a difficult life for several years, and they knew how to use chopsticks to some extent, but some people used them poorly. In order not to make a joke, she still gave everyone a fork.
Seeing her hesitating while playing with the steamed meat and sliced meat at the dining table, Wang Qi spoke in Li Xiang's ear, and she translated:
"Eat as much as you can, don't worry about us."
Lin nodded and continued busy.
Elena looked at the man opposite him curiously, wondering: What kind of will can maintain something even more absurd like "dining etiquette" in this absurd world?
Wang Qi didn't pay attention to etiquette. He was just used to not showing his teeth when eating to avoid making obvious chewing sounds, because he didn't like hearing the sound of chewing at close range. It would cause him to lose appetite, even if it was him. dispatched.
Seeing that the other party was too uncomfortable, he didn't force it. He and Li Xiang sped up a bit and ate until they were seven-tenths full before leaving, leaving the place to them.
After hearing the sound of the door being bolted outside for a while, the few here breathed a sigh of relief.
"You...hey." Elena didn't know how to blame them, and they just showed the basic caution in the wasteland.
Lin didn't want her mother to worry about what was there and what wasn't, so she used a trick to change the subject: "Mom, why did you keep looking at him just now?"
"Ah?! Is there any?" Elena smiled as she thought about it, "He is so special. Your eldest was still a baby before the disaster. I didn't have time to see her with my own eyes, so I couldn't experience that feeling."
For a while just now, I even felt that I was far away from the wasteland.
Anna's initial judgment was very accurate. He was too normal, so normal that it would make people feel abnormal.
"Walia and Kai both think he is too dangerous. Mom seems to have a different opinion now?" Anna asked.
Elena was silent for a while and shook her head: "I can't give you an answer because I can't see through people's hearts."
Lin glanced sideways at Anna: Mom was obviously remembering bad memories.
Anna stuck out her tongue and used her eyes to lead her two brothers out to deal with the unfinished work, leaving Shana behind.
Shana is still eating!
In fact, she couldn't eat anymore, but she couldn't help it. She was worried that if the door opposite opened again, the remaining barbecue would be taken away.
Everyone else disappeared for a while, and Elena noticed Shana's condition after she recovered.
"Shana?"
"Huh?" Shana turned around with her mouth half bulging.
"Let's rest for a while. I believe that gentleman will not come back to take away the food."
It was also the first time for Elena to see Shana in such a state. She knew that it was the psychological shadow accumulated unknowingly during her growth. She was reluctant to say harsh words, but it would be dangerous for her to continue eating.
"Well..." He reluctantly put down the plate, which contained more than half a kilogram of barbecue.
"Lin, I want to sit on the sofa."
Lin didn't say anything, but bent down a little to support her mother.
It was not difficult to stand up, but she had to sit on a sofa that was shorter than a wheelchair. Lin herself was not strong enough, so she reminded Shana with her eyes.
However, Shana's mind seemed to be entirely on the barbecue, and Lin had to nudge her with his heel when she passed by.
Shana turned her face, and it took several seconds to get rid of the "retarded" feeling after being full and stood up to help.
The two helped Elena sit down. Shana continued to stare at the barbecue in a daze. Lin went out to get some firewood from her home and added a piece to the fire under the barbecue.
None of the three of them spoke, which was the normal way of getting along in their family.
Upstairs, Kai, who endured it again and again, asked Anna: "Anna, what do you mean by that person?"
"what do you mean'?"
"Why did he invite us to dinner, for no reason."
Anna also thought about this problem two days ago, but after today her head was confused: "Maybe you have taken a fancy to me or Lin? Or maybe it's Shana?"
"...It doesn't seem like he's observing mom more than you." Kai shook his head.
Anna gave him a blank look. Of course she saw it too, otherwise she wouldn't have been confused.
She grew up in the wasteland and never knew the concept of "courteous corporal". This is a world where the weak eat the strong. The strong often shout at the weak. In this way, the bandits drive many people to become their informants and pay tribute to them. If you are not satisfied with the supplies, you will rob homes and even eat everyone.
No one in the wasteland "entertains" others, and all resources must be marked with prices. After eating one meal, it will last for three days, and I still don't know how the other party will price it.
Varya interjected: "Is there a possibility that he is just being kind?"
Varya, the oldest, could barely remember what happened when she was a child, and vaguely remembered that there would be uncles and aunts she didn't know who would give her snacks for free.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" From the bottom of his heart, Kai didn't want to believe that there were good people like his mother in the wasteland, and he was also a nocturnal ghost.
