Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 48
Half an hour passed quickly, and the stove below was ready, just waiting for Chen Fan to show off his skills.

To give everyone a better view, they even built a high platform.

Chen Fan stood on the high platform, like a live streamer selling goods, holding up a turtle the size of a washbasin, "Everyone, look carefully, this kind of turtle is very fierce, be very careful, don't get bitten by it."

A woman below shouted, "Master Chen is indeed meticulous. In the past, when the pond was being cleared, people would get bitten every year. Back then, they would smash the fish with a shovel, cut off its neck, and pry open its mouth. It was excruciatingly painful."

Someone nearby immediately said, "Just now, when we were washing the turtle, Zhang Cuie was bitten. Luckily, we were by the water, and the fish let go as soon as she put it in the water."

Chen Fan chuckled and said, "So when you're killing a turtle, you can't just use your hands. Here's a little trick: use a small stick to help it bite down, like this."

He placed the turtle on the ground and stepped on it, then picked up a chopstick and held it to the turtle's mouth so it would bite down. He then pulled the turtle's head out and swiftly cut it with a knife.

Upon seeing his nimble movements, everyone immediately applauded enthusiastically.

The audience is really excited. If this were done on a live stream, it would be unacceptable if the items didn't sell out instantly.

Chen Fan demonstrated how to kill the fish, remove the fat, tear off the membrane, and cut it into pieces while demonstrating the process.

Zhang Changjiang and several other leaders gave up their seats to the best cook in the village, while they stood in the second row, nodding in approval as they watched.

Xiao Liewen said sincerely, "This young man is meticulous. He's afraid that others won't be able to learn it. He explains it once before doing it, once while doing it, and once after doing it. If there's a fool who can't learn it, he'll even change to another fish and continue explaining. Not bad, not bad."

Zhang Cuie, who was standing in front, turned around and said defiantly, "It's not that I can't learn it, it's that I didn't see it clearly."

Xiao Liewen naturally wouldn't argue with a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl, and grinned, "Then watch it a few more times and see it more clearly."

Chen Fan killed two turtles on the platform, and the row of people below followed suit and killed eight more. After killing them, they chopped them into pieces, put them in ten wooden basins, and then washed them with clean water and soaked them in hot water.

After all the turtles were processed, everyone moved to the stove to cook.

Today, without Liu Jujiang's help, Chen Fan made both pots himself.

Whether it was because of the skill board or not, Chen Fan had more confidence in cooking than ever before.

Yesterday, Liu Jujiang's method of making the big pot of soft-shelled turtle, and this morning's tips for making the pork stew, were clearly flashing through his mind.

He could recreate all the dishes he had made before his time travel, as well as dishes he had seen others make, with complete confidence.

Therefore, standing in front of the stove at this moment, he has quite the air of a master chef.

First, I counted the seasonings on the table next to me and checked the types and quantities of side dishes. Then, I took a bamboo pot scrubber and scrubbed it a few times in the two large pots.

Actually, the person had already cleaned the pot thoroughly, but as a chef, I always felt something was missing if I didn't scrub it a couple of times.

It's all about adding a sense of ritual.

After taking inventory, Chen Fan coughed and said to everyone, "I just taught you how to butcher the turtle. Can you still smell the fishy smell?"

Immediately, many people shouted in unison, "No!"

Two or three hundred people gathered around, but only a few dozen responded, which made Master Chen feel unsatisfied.

At this point, someone chimed in, "So there's so much to it than just killing a turtle! If we'd known that you had to skin and cut off the fat to remove the fishy smell, who would feed this thing to pigs?"

"Exactly, how many turtles have been lost over the years."

"The thought that I don't even have any meat to eat, while the pigs have eaten their fill, makes me feel irritated."

"You can eat more meat today, okay? If you're still not satisfied, then eat the pig that ate the turtle too."

"What are you talking about? We'll kill them in a couple of days."

Then he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Master Chen, come and eat the pork stew!"

Seeing that they were getting carried away with their argument, Zhang Guangwen quickly shouted, "Stop talking and listen to what Master Chen has to say."

Chen Fan chuckled, showing no sign of impatience. Once everyone had quieted down, he continued, "Actually, here, you can cook the turtle meat however you like; it'll taste delicious. If you want to be a bit more particular, there are many ways to prepare turtle, like braising, stewing, steaming, making soup, stir-frying, dry-pot, and you can even stew it with chicken or pigeon. Today I'll make two: one braised with potatoes, and one stewed with white radish."

Then the performance began.

The villagers gathered around and exchanged their experiences.

"Oh dear, so much oil!"

"Look at how much meat there is, several big basins! Even if you cook it separately, it will fill two pots."

"This is a big pot for cooking pig feed. We're having a big pot meal today."

"Ugh... Can we please not mention pig feed?"

“Look at you all, Master Chen is so skilled! Could he have been a craftsman before?”

"You'd be more likely to say he has a shovel in his house, but who would hire someone so young?"

"Master Chen is very skilled; he can even cook turtle. How could he not be a good cook?"

"Whether it's good or bad to be a craftsman is another matter. The key is that she has such delicate skin and is even prettier than a young wife. She doesn't look like someone who should be a craftsman."

The housewives who were cooking were gathered inside, while the men were on the outside. They were already itching to try it because of the smell, but they all gave up their seats so that their wives could learn how to cook turtle.

But when they heard them talking about the chef instead of the turtle, they became unhappy and immediately someone shouted, "Are you learning how to cook or are you just looking at people? Can't you pay attention?"

Women these days are not submissive, especially rural women, who are known as "women who hold up half the sky." Under the leadership of the women's team leader, they work like men and naturally have a very assertive personality.

Upon hearing the man shouting, someone immediately replied, "Liu Defu, what are you shouting for? Why don't you come over here?"

"Liu Defu feels sorry for his wife and wants to learn how to cook for her."

"Oh dear, could she be pregnant? Is she going to be taking care of her during her postpartum period?"

Liu Defu, furious, retorted, "I'll take care of your mother-in-law for a whole month."

Immediately, someone rushed over from the side, shouting, "Liu Defu, what nonsense are you spouting? I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Seeing that a conflict was about to break out, Zhang Guangwen shouted, "What's all the noise about? Be quiet!"

The captain was quite prestigious, and with the battalion commander and deputy battalion commander present, the previously noisy group immediately quieted down.

However, their argument just now reminded Chen Fan, who immediately shouted, "Turtle is cooling in nature, so it's best not to give it to pregnant women."

Upon hearing this, several cries of pain rang out from the crowd, clearly from pregnant women.

Zhang Changjiang quickly squeezed next to Chen Fan and asked with a serious face, "This is definitely not something a pregnant woman can eat?"

Chen Fan said seriously, "The Compendium of Materia Medica records that soft-shelled turtle can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and it is also cooling in nature. Pregnant women are prone to miscarriage if they eat it, so for safety reasons, it is best not to give it to pregnant women."

Zhang Changjiang nodded immediately and then asked, "Does Liu Jujiang know about him?"

It seems that Captain Yang had also told him about splitting up into two groups.

Chen Fan nodded. "I told Master Liu that we must make sure this taboo is properly conveyed."

Zhang Changjiang turned around and beckoned to a young man, "For safety's sake, when you're on patrol tomorrow, explain this to each squad again."

Chen Fan almost forgot just now. Even Liu Jujiang can be forgetful sometimes. This kind of thing can't be taken lightly.

The man nodded in agreement and even took out a small notebook to write it down.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves rang out, and someone outside shouted, "Brother Sanhu is back!"

(End of this chapter)