Chapter 190 - Family Outdoor Barbecue (1/2)

Xu Le was packing the prepared ingredients into a takeaway box. Xu Zhexian squatted down and rummaged through the cupboard at his feet.

“That’s impossible. The Maotai I’ve collected for more than ten years must be sitting in the kitchen.”

Xu Le’s hand trembled as he lifted the lotus leaves on the jar to take a look. He said, “You still have to drive later. It won’t be convenient to return later if you drink and we still have to find a designated driver. It will be quite troublesome…”

“It’s okay. Your mother always drives in our family.”

Xu Zhexian buried his head in the search and did not forget to mutter, “My goodness. How can I not find something that’s just placed in the kitchen? In the past, when a friend offered a high price, I didn’t even bear to sell it… Lele, have you seen it before?” The extremely expensive Maotai was taken by Xu Le to prepare pickled Sichuan vegetables. In the end, he even sold it outside the city. Previously, he had thought that the bidding price was high among similar products. Now, it seemed that the customers who bought it had made a killing.

Xu Le calculated in his heart. He was considering compensating Xu Zhexian at the original price, but on second thought, it would probably be difficult for him to receive such a pure and old wine. He hesitated for a moment.

Shen Hui walked into the kitchen in time. She leaned against the door and brushed her hair. “Stop looking. We have moved homes so many times. Who knows where it went? Pack the things and let’s go for the barbecue. Lele, when can you finish recording your video?”

Xu Le looked at Xu Zhexian. Although he looked dejected, he had just been scolded by Shen Hui, so at this moment, he did not dare to say anything and could only leave the kitchen quickly.

“An hour or two at most. I’m sure we can make it.”

“Alright.”

Once it was time, the Buddha Jumps Over The Wall was taken out. All kinds of ingredients were placed into the pot one after another. Finally, a spoonful of golden soup was poured over it. After half a week, the Buddha Jumps Over The Wall was done.

When Lu Yuxi smelled the fragrance, she couldn’t help but salivate. All the food was served. She could already lift the camera with one hand and pick up the abalone with the other.

Seeing that her challenging posture, Xu Le smiled and said, “Set it up first before tasting it. Don’t twist your arm.”

“I won’t.”

The abalone melted in her mouth. After chewing it twice, the rich taste of fresh soup slid down her throat. The sea cucumber was just right. It was elastic but not mushy and tasteless. It even had a hint of crispness. Most importantly, the aftertaste was indescribably delicious.

The taste of the pig’s stomach melted into the soup, while the fish lips was as chewy as jelly, the fish maw stuck to the teeth, and the soup taste with the pigeon eggs was delicious…

After Xu Zhexian finished tasting it, he commented, “There’s a saying that if there’s a taste, let it out. If there’s no taste, let it in. Buddha Jumps Over The Wall can perfectly explain this meaning.”

“Huh?” Lu Yuxi asked in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“This is a small note from Yuan Mei in the compendium. It’s very concise and can be understood as such. It’s like using onions, ginger, garlic, and chili to remove the fishy smell before cooking. These flavored things have to be integrated into the ingredient itself in the end, and the bland taste of the ingredient has to be absorbed into the essence of the condiment after it’s made.”

Xu Le continued to explain, “Take the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall in front of me as an example. There’s nothing special about sea cucumbers, fish maw, and shark fins to begin with. The taste presented now is fresh and mellow after the pork trotters, chicken, duck, and other ingredients are stewed into a pot of soup.”

“Oh.”