Siheyuan: Rebirth of Liu Ergou

On the night of the first day of the Lunar New Year, the lights of the courtyard lazily sprinkled on the green tiles of the quadrangle, covering this ancient courtyard with a warm golden veil. Xu Damao sat at the stone table in Liu Yi's courtyard, his brows furrowed, but his eyes flashed with indescribable excitement and expectation. He smiled self-deprecatingly, thinking: "Who made me talk too much? I had to mention that I was hungry in front of everyone. Now, I have to show off my skills in front of everyone."

Xu Damao stood up and dusted himself off, as if making final preparations for his upcoming "performance". He took a deep breath and looked towards the kitchen with a determined gaze, with an idea in mind. Shredded pork with Beijing sauce, sea cucumber with green onions, lamb skewers, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, tomato egg drop soup, and a bowl of authentic noodles with soybean paste, these names of dishes jumped in his mind like musical notes, weaving into a piece of music about food and love.

Walking into the kitchen, Xu Damao first looked around to make sure all the ingredients were ready. He first started to process the raw material for Beijing-style shredded pork - selected pork tenderloin. He skillfully cut the meat into thin strips, and each cut was extremely precise, as if he was doing a delicate carving. Then, he prepared the secret sauce, which was carefully blended from sweet bean sauce, soybean sauce, soy sauce and other seasonings. The aroma was fragrant and mouth-watering.

As the flames on the stove jumped, Xu Damao began to stir-fry the shredded pork. The oil temperature was just right, and the shredded pork jumped in the pot, blending perfectly with the sauce, and each piece was covered with a rich sauce aroma. As he stir-fried, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, enjoying the fun and sense of accomplishment brought by cooking.

Then, Xu Damao moved on to making sea cucumbers with scallions. He used top-quality sea cucumbers and soaked them just right, which not only preserved the freshness of the sea cucumbers but also added a bit of chewy texture. He cut the sea cucumbers into sections and put them into the pot with the chopped scallions, stir-frying them quickly over high heat. The fragrance of the scallions and the freshness of the sea cucumbers intertwined and instantly filled the entire kitchen.

Lamb skewers are Xu Damao's specialty. He personally selected the fat and lean lamb, cut them into small pieces, and marinated them with special seasonings. Then, he put the lamb pieces on bamboo sticks and slowly roasted them over charcoal. As the temperature of the charcoal gradually increased, the surface of the lamb skewers gradually became golden and crispy, while the inside was tender and juicy, and the aroma filled the air, attracting the cats and dogs in the yard to gather around and watch eagerly.

The process of making sweet and sour pork tenderloin is equally exciting. Xu Damao coats the tenderloin with starch paste and deep-fries it in a pan until it is golden and crispy. Then, he prepares a sweet and sour sauce with a moderate sweet and sour taste, pours the fried tenderloin into the pan and stir-fries it quickly, so that each piece of tenderloin is covered with the sweet and sour sauce, which is bright red and sweet and sour.

As for tomato egg drop soup and noodles with soybean paste, Xu Damao is even more familiar with them. He skillfully cuts tomatoes, beats eggs, and simmers them over low heat to make a pot of delicious tomato egg drop soup. As for noodles with soybean paste, he rolls the noodles himself, and pairs them with his carefully fried soybean paste. Every bite is full of happiness.

When all the dishes were served, quite a few people had gathered in the yard. Everyone sat around the stone table, looking at the food on the table, and gave him approving glances. He Yuzhu praised him generously, "Xu Damao, your cooking skills are getting better and better! These dishes are delicious and tasty, and they make people's appetites increase!"

Xu Damao listened to everyone's praise, and he felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. He smiled and asked everyone to taste it, and he also picked up a piece of Beijing-style pork shreds and savored it carefully. At that moment, he seemed to have forgotten all his worries and fatigue, and only his love for food and life remained. In this warm evening, Xu Damao conquered everyone's taste buds and warmed everyone's heart with his cooking skills.

After the midnight snack, everyone sat together to drink tea and chat. The second uncle Liu Haizhong praised Xu Damao's cooking skills, and the deaf old lady also recognized it very much. Hearing everyone's praise, Xu Damao felt very happy.

He looked at Sha Zhu proudly, his eyes full of provocation. Sha Zhu didn't care. He took a sip of tea and said calmly: "What's so great about this? At most, I'm only half as good as him." Xu Damao laughed and said: "Just brag. If you are so good, why don't you show off your skills?"

Sha Zhu said, "Don't provoke me, my food is much better than yours." The two of them kept arguing, neither of them giving in, and the atmosphere became a little tense. At this time, an old man stood up and said, "Okay, okay, stop arguing. We are all neighbors. Why should we ruin the relationship over a small matter?" After hearing this, Sha Zhu and Xu Damao stopped talking, but they were still not convinced.

He Yuzhu and Xu Damao argued for a long time, but there was no conclusion. Liu Yi, who was looking for trouble, built a fire in the yard, adding a bit of warmth to this ancient and quiet yard. He Yuzhu and Xu Damao, two neighbors who love to bicker on weekdays, decided to compete today because of a sudden bickering.

"Xu Damao, you always talk about how great your cooking skills are. Today, let's have a competition to see whose stewed chicken with mushrooms is more popular!" He Yuzhu held a kitchen knife in his hand, with a bit of provocation in his eyes, and looked at Xu Damao who was busy selecting ingredients with a smile.

Hearing this, Xu Damao's lips curled up with a smile that showed he would not admit defeat. He put down the dried mushrooms in his hand, turned to face He Yuzhu, and said with a bit of joking in his tone: "Let's compete, who's afraid of who? But having said that, Yuzhu, I have never been able to compliment you on your cooking skills."

The tension between the two spread instantly, and the neighbors gathered around to watch this rare cooking showdown. Everyone brought small stools and sat aside, their faces filled with anticipation and curiosity.

The competition officially began. He Yuzhu and Xu Damao each occupied a stove and began to get busy. He Yuzhu moved quickly, first cutting the chicken into small pieces and marinating it with cooking wine and ginger slices to remove the fishy smell. He was skilled and handled each piece of chicken just right. Xu Damao was not to be outdone. He carefully selected dried mushrooms and soaked them in warm water to ensure that each mushroom could absorb enough water and restore its original deliciousness.

"Yuzhu, you cut the chicken quite quickly, but I don't know how it tastes." Xu Damao made a sarcastic remark while processing the mushrooms.

He Yuzhu was not angry when he heard this, but just smiled faintly: "As for the taste, we will know it after it is cooked. However, I am worried that your mushrooms may be too old and hard to chew."

The two of them exchanged words and bickered with each other, causing laughter from the audience. However, in this relaxed and happy atmosphere, they were both devoted to cooking.

As the flames on the stove jumped, the aroma of chicken and mushrooms gradually spread, interweaving together to form an irresistible delicious temptation. He Yuzhu skillfully used various seasonings to perfectly blend the deliciousness of chicken and the mellowness of mushrooms, making the whole dish fragrant and mouth-watering.

Xu Damao was no less skilled. With his many years of cooking experience, he made the stewed chicken with mushrooms look delicious and fragrant. He paid special attention to the control of the heat, making the chicken stewed until it was tender but not falling apart, and the mushrooms absorbed the soup and tasted delicious.

Finally, both chicken and mushroom stew were finished. Everyone gathered around to taste the two delicacies. After tasting and discussing, everyone agreed that He Yuzhu's chicken and mushroom stew was better. His dishes were not only delicious and rich in taste, but also had a good color, aroma and taste, which made people linger.

Faced with such a result, Xu Damao seemed a little frustrated. He lowered his head and silently cleaned up the remaining ingredients on the stove, his heart full of reluctance and loss. However, when he raised his head, his eyes flashed with determination. He knew that although he lost this competition, he did not give up his pursuit and love of cooking.

"Yuzhu, you win. But I won't let you succeed so easily next time." Xu Damao's words were filled with stubbornness and confidence, as if he had already prepared for the next competition.

He Yuzhu smiled and patted Xu Damao on the shoulder, his tone gentle and sincere: "Da Mao, cooking is something that everyone has his own strengths. Your performance today was also very good. We can exchange experiences more in the future."

Just like that, after a cooking competition full of laughter and competition, the friendship between He Yuzhu and Xu Damao was not damaged but became even deeper.

"Tell me, you two, just because of a quarrel, you made us work hard to eat three meals a night. Who did we offend?"

Seeing Liu Yi's expression that looked like he deserved a beating, He Yuzhu and Xu Damao were so angry that their teeth were itching. If it weren't for this kid's kung fu skills, he would have been beaten down by these two brothers.