Cook

Xiaoyi was coming to Shuicheng today and sent me a message early in the morning saying she was about to arrive. I got up, took a shower, and quickly cooked a bowl of noodles for breakfast. I packed a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling) for her and headed out. Today, we were going to the Emergency Management Bureau for a qualification review. After finishing the review around noon, I took her to try some xiaoguojuan (a local rolled snack) and Yuan Kun’s mutton rice noodles. After that, she returned to Guiyang. On my way home, I bought some waxberries and, upon seeing a vendor selling bamboo shoots, picked up two as well. ...

I didn’t accomplish anything today. From morning until noon, I had an online interview with the Energy Bureau. I had prepared my self-introduction for a long time, but as soon as it started, they went straight to asking me questions, which caught me off guard. It took me a full minute to regain my composure. I feel like interviews require practice to handle various situations calmly. Still, it was a good experience for me because it highlighted areas where I need improvement. ...

13:32 First Time Stir-Frying Spicy Chicken I used too little oil for frying the chicken, so the meat didn’t dry out enough. I overlooked the saltiness of the fermented bean paste, which led to oversalting. I accidentally set the rice cooker to “keep warm” instead of “cook,” so I took the opportunity to fry a potato and mix it in. I continued stir-frying the chicken over low heat, and by adding the potato, the spicy chicken dish turned into a dry pot chicken with potatoes. ...

09:33 Starting to Study Last night, I spent some time tinkering with my phone again, but luckily, I went to bed relatively early. Maintaining a slight sense of hunger and fatigue can help foster a more disciplined and proactive lifestyle. 11:49 Lemon + Cured Meat Adding two slices of lemon when blanching cured meat can bring out a unique aroma while also reducing the oxidized taste of the meat. The main reason eggs stick to the pan is that the pan and oil aren’t hot enough. On an induction stove, try to crack the egg closer to the center of the pan. ...

Today was quite a relaxing day! After waking up in the morning, I played with my phone in bed for a while. Huanhuan suggested maybe getting up to study today, but I suddenly remembered that we had brought the game controllers back with us this time. A rare holiday is probably better spent relaxing. We bought It Takes Two a long time ago but never finished it, so today was the perfect opportunity to continue playing. By noon, we were hungry but too lazy to cook. So we decided to go out and grab some food—fried spring rolls, sweet wine with eggs, and some zhajiang noodles. ...

Morning Today, my second uncle, second aunt, fourth aunt, fourth uncle, youngest aunt, and even Huanhuan are all planning to come to my house for a visit. I remember bringing a bag of wheat gluten powder home earlier and have been thinking about improving my homemade gluten skewers. Taking advantage of my parents going out to buy food for the afternoon and evening, I poured out half the bag of wheat gluten powder to give it another try. ...

Huanhuan had a speech competition at the municipal branch today, so she practiced several times last night. Earlier, she mentioned she wanted to eat crayfish. In the morning, while she went to the competition, I went to Jiahui Supermarket and bought 3.6 jin (approx. 1.8 kg) of crayfish. On the way back, I saw an uncle selling local strawberries and bought some as well. I’ve never cooked crayfish completely on my own before, but it didn’t seem too difficult. However, handling the crayfish was a bit troublesome. When I bought them, I specifically picked live ones, but processing them felt somewhat cruel. ...