Volume 4: Beginning of Spring Chapter 5: Bad Luck
After Jiang You sat down, he drank a sip of tea, then turned his head and said to the counter: "Xiao Ya, I want to hear Gong Xi Fa Cai."
Xiaoya: Okay, now let’s play Chinese Doll, Wish you good fortune and prosperity.
Festive music sounded.
"Do you want to get one? There's a promotion going on recently, and the price has dropped by 200 yuan."
Tang Butian listened to the music for a while and then shook her head. "It's too loud."
"It's the New Year, it's noisy and festive," Jiang You looked at Tang Butian and asked, "Is there any progress on the small world?"
"They are following those three people," Tang Butian thought for a moment and added, "with Guan Nuo."
"I thought they could handle it before the New Year, with three nannies and a sparring partner."
"I'm recuperating." Tang Butian said.
After chatting for a while, Jiang You rolled up his sleeves and walked into the kitchen.
Tang Butian drank a sip of tea, then stood up and followed. She saw Jiang You holding the instruction manual and muttering, "Heat the oil, add the shrimps, chop them, add seasoning..."
He put the instructions aside, took the battered shrimp out of the refrigerator, opened the bag, and placed it on a plate.
Then he took out his mobile phone and clicked on a video tutorial.
Double playback speed.
After watching, light the fire and the water in the pot will slowly evaporate.
Jiang You turned his head and glanced at Tang Butian. He said, "Maybe after this night, I'll become a chef. Next year, when I start a catering business, I won't have to cooperate with the company next door."
Tang Butian looked at him suspiciously.
The pot was burned dry, so I poured some oil into it.
Soon, smoke came out.
Jiang You poured the shrimps in and stir-fried them with a spatula. The aroma soon came out. "See, it's pretty simple."
"Your phone is vibrating." Tang Butian said.
"Wait until I finish making this dish," Jiang You stir-fried it a few more times, turned off the fire, put the spatula aside, and walked out of the kitchen.
I walked to the counter and picked up my phone. There was a missed call from Dai Qi.
When Jiang You was thinking about whether to call back, his phone vibrated again. Jiang You pressed the call button and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I lost my key," Dai Qi's voice sounded a little tearful, "Youyou went back, I..."
"Where are you now?"
"I'm downstairs."
"I have the key here. I'm in the store. You can come to my store to get it. I hope you remember how to get there."
"Yes, thank you. I'll come over now."
Jiang You hung up the phone, and walked back to the kitchen. He walked to the stove and served the shrimps. "It looks delicious."
He pulled out a pair of chopsticks, picked up a shrimp and put it in his mouth. A regretful expression appeared on his face. "I forgot to add seasoning. It has no taste."
"Fry it again?" Tang Butian suggested.
" I can only stir-fry it once more. For the next dish, you stand next to me and hold the instructions. You read the steps and I do them."
The two worked together to make the stir-fried chicken with soy sauce, which was too sweet because of too much sugar, so they added too much soy sauce and salt, resulting in an indescribable taste, and the beef ribs that were overcooked but still eatable.
There was a knock on the door.
Jiang You walked out of the kitchen and saw Dai Qi standing at the store door.
She was wearing a dark brown down jacket, her face was pale and her hair was a little messy.
"Wait a minute, sit down first, I'll go upstairs and get the key for you." Jiang You said as he walked up the stairs.
Dai Qi looked at the layout of the store and saw the wooden machete on the long table. She turned around and saw Tang Butian walking out of the kitchen.
"Hello, I lost my key..." She saw Tang Butian sitting down, reached out to pick up the glass, and drank the half-cold black tea in one gulp.
Jiang You walked down and handed the key to Dai Qi, "It should be this one."
Dai Qi took it and said, "Thank you. Fortunately, your store is still open."
"I'm definitely in Tangjiang. Don't you have any plans tonight?" Jiang You asked.
"My bestie has gone back to her hometown, and I have to work overtime tomorrow. It's getting late now."
"Working overtime on New Year's Day?"
Dai Qi smiled and said, "There's not much to do on the first day of the new year. Everyone has gone back to their hometowns. The subway is not crowded when I go to work in the morning, which is equivalent to surfing the Internet at work. I also get triple salary, which is pretty good."
"That's good."
Dai Qi seemed to be trying to convince herself and said, "I went back home during the National Day holiday this year, so I won't be back for the New Year."
"Do you know Jinguang Temple? It's in Wenfeng Park."
"I know. What's wrong?"
"Jinguang Temple is very spiritual. Every year, many people line up to burn the first incense sticks. There are also New Year activities in the park, which is quite lively."
"I'll go check it out when I'm free," Dai Qi stood up and thanked Jiang You again. "Thank you, otherwise I really don't know what to do today. I'll go back and the hardware store will open in two days. I'll make a new key and return this one to you."
"Okay, be careful on the road." Jiang You said.
"Happy New Year." Dai Qi said.
"Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year."
The third tone was said by Tang Butian.
She watched Dai Qi walk out of the yard and onto the street. She asked, "Your tenant?"
"Yes, she shared an apartment with a man before. Because it was a group rental, the bathroom in the room was demolished. A man and a woman shared a bathroom, which was quite embarrassing."
"Why did you mention Jinguang Temple to her?"
"Possessed by the god of misfortune, haunted by bad luck... If Guan Nuo came, he could probably come to this conclusion, right?"
"Man-made or?"
"It doesn't seem to be man-made. I'm probably just unlucky." Jiang You also picked up his cup and took a sip of tea. "Participating in the New Year's blessing activities can at least get rid of some of the bad luck and continue to pay the rent steadily..."
Jiang You stood up and walked into the kitchen to bring out the three dishes and put them on the long table. "Let's not bother with this. These three dishes, plus the three dishes that can be heated directly in the microwave, make six dishes. I also bought a Wanshan pig's trotter, which is vacuum-packed. Let's heat it up and serve it as the main dish."
Tang Butian didn't want to go into the kitchen again, so she nodded.
So twenty minutes later, the dishes were ready.
Jiang You carried Jiang Mo down, and after he sat down, he took an empty bowl and placed it in front of him, then forked out a large piece of greasy pig's trotter meat and placed it in the bowl.
"People in Tangjiang don't eat dumplings during the New Year," Jiang You said.
"What to eat then?"
"Let's just cook some vegetables." Jiang You picked up a piece for himself as well .
After taking a bite, he stood up again. He went upstairs and brought down an iPad. "The Spring Festival Gala hasn't started yet. If nothing happens in Panjin, 123 will watch the Spring Festival Gala on Tangjiang TV. It was broadcast last night. I originally wanted to watch the live broadcast, but then I forgot about it because I was reading a novel."
Jiang You found the video, clicked play, sat down, and said, "Xiaoya, shut up."
Xiaoya: Okay.
The music stopped.
Jiang You scooped up a spoonful of river shrimp that had become too chopped and had a smell of oil because it was fried twice. "It's still edible. Try it."
Tang Butian picked up a piece of salted chicken.
