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In the evening, Zhao Guangcai was in the kitchen preparing a rabbit, instructing Zhang Xiaoxiao to fetch a piece of fatty meat from the cellar. Following his directions, Zhang Xiaoxiao arrived at the entrance of the cellar.
The so-called cellar was actually a pit in the ground, designed to store food that doesn't spoil easily, such as meat and vegetables. The cooler temperature underground allowed the meat and vegetables to be preserved for a longer time. Zhao Guangcai had dug a cellar beneath the storage room where they kept their vegetables and meat.
Zhang Xiaoxiao opened the cellar door, climbed down the earthen ladder, and jumped inside. She found the jar where Zhao Guangcai stored the meat and took out a piece of fatty pork. Unraveling the string and tearing off the oil paper on top, she inspected it carefully. After confirming that the meat was not spoiled, she left the cellar with it.
At that moment, Zhao Guangcai was busy processing the rabbit meat in the kitchen. Upon seeing Zhang Xiaoxiao enter, he pointed to a pot nearby. "Xiaoxiao, you can rest over there; I'll handle this," he said.
"Okay," Zhang Xiaoxiao nodded and moved aside to sit down.
Zhao Guangcai sliced the fatty meat into thin pieces, preparing to render some oil. Zhang Xiaoxiao sat quietly beside him, watching intently. His movements were skilled, and he quickly finished cutting all the fat.
He took a piece of fat and tossed it into the pot to sauté briefly before draining the oil from it. He then added fresh water back into the pot, heated it up again, and placed the fat inside to fry. As soon as the oil began to smoke, Zhao Guangcai covered the pot and started to stoke the fire.
Zhang Xiaoxiao sat quietly beside him, observing his work when suddenly she remembered that potatoes were needed as a side dish. "Oh no! I forgot to get potatoes!" she exclaimed, jumping up and rushing outside.
"Xiaoxiao, where are you going?" Zhao Guangcai called out as he hurried after her.
"I'm going to dig up some potatoes!" Zhang Xiaoxiao replied while running.
"Wait for me; I'll grab some tools!" Zhao Guangcai said as he turned back toward the storage room.
When he came out with a hoe, Zhang Xiaoxiao had already run far away. Zhao Guangcai looked at her retreating figure and shook his head helplessly.
Zhang Xiaoxiao ran all the way to the vegetable garden in front of the yard, dug up two potatoes, and then returned. As she stepped into the kitchen, Zhao Guangcai noticed the potatoes in her hands. He set down his tools, took out a small knife, walked over to Zhang Xiaoxiao, and handed her the knife.
"Go outside and peel them," Zhao Guangcai said.
"Oh," Zhang Xiaoxiao nodded, took the knife, and turned to go outside.
She found a stone outside the yard, sat on it, and began peeling the potato skins. Just as she was halfway through, an older woman passed by in front of the gate. Seeing Zhang Xiaoxiao peeling potatoes, she curiously asked, "Oh, Xiaoxiao, what are you doing?"
"Peeling potatoes," Zhang Xiaoxiao replied.
"Peeling potatoes?" The woman paused for a moment. "What dish are you making?"
"Um..." Zhang Xiaoxiao hesitated for a moment. "Meat."
"Meat?" The woman's eyes lit up immediately. "Are you cooking meat?"
"Yes," Zhang Xiaoxiao nodded.
"Oh my, your family is doing quite well then, having meat to eat," the woman said with a smile.
Zhang Xiaoxiao smiled back but remained silent. Noticing her lack of response, the woman leaned closer and lowered her voice to ask, "Has Zhao Guangcai sold the rabbits yet?"
"Not yet," Zhang Xiaoxiao answered.
"Oh," the woman nodded. "Then what kind of meat are you cooking today?"
"Well..." Zhang Xiaoxiao was thinking about how to explain when she suddenly saw Zhao Guangcai standing at the kitchen door watching her.
With a quick thought, she smiled and said, "It's just some leftover minced meat, so I plan to stir-fry some shredded potatoes."
"Minced meat?" Upon hearing those words, the woman's interest immediately waned.
She pouted, "What's so good about minced meat? Such a waste of good potatoes."
After saying that, she shot a glare at Zhang Xiaoxiao. "You really don't know how to live."
Zhang Xiaoxiao smiled lightly but said nothing.
Seeing that she was being ignored, the woman lost interest and walked away with her hands behind her back, shaking her head.
Before leaving, she glanced back at the potatoes in Zhang Xiaoxiao's hands, shaking her head and sighing, "What a waste... using such precious oil to fry potatoes is just a waste..."
Hearing her words, the corner of Zhang Xiaoxiao's mouth twitched involuntarily.
What was wrong with frying potatoes in oil? Should she boil them in plain water instead?
After peeling the potatoes, Zhang Xiaoxiao washed them clean and took them back.
At this point, Zhao Guangcai had already prepared the oil and was getting ready to stir-fry rabbit meat and shredded potatoes.
When he saw Zhang Xiaoxiao come in, he took the potatoes from her, placed them on the cutting board, and swiftly sliced them into shreds with a knife.
He quickly tossed the shredded potatoes and rabbit meat into the pan and started cooking.
After a while, he turned to Zhang Xiaoxiao and said, "Xiaoxiao, you should step outside for a bit."
"Why?" Zhang Xiaoxiao blinked in confusion.
"The kitchen has a lot of smoke," Zhao Guangcai explained.
"Oh," Zhang Xiaoxiao nodded. "Alright then."
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