Siheyuan: Starting with one acre and three fen of land

He Yuzhu returned to the middle yard from the backyard, holding tightly in his hand the prescription that the old man had carefully prepared for him.

He gently folded the prescription and put it into his own space, preparing to go to the pharmacy to get the medicine in the afternoon. Time was of the essence, so he had to start using it today.

Feeling that the sun was already high in the sky, He Yuzhu realized that it was time to prepare lunch.

He decided to cook some delicious home-cooked dishes today. Sweet and sour pork tenderloin, osmanthus pork and four-happiness meatballs will be the main dishes today. Paired with crispy spicy and sour potato shreds and refreshing stir-fried cabbage, it will surely whet your appetite.

He walked into the kitchen, searching for the ingredients he needed. He found some black fungus, put a handful of it in a basin, poured in clean water, and let the black fungus slowly soak in the water.

Place the basin of soaked wood ear mushrooms on one side of the desk, preparing for subsequent cooking.

Then he took out the pork tenderloin he had bought in the morning, rinsed it with water, and placed it on the chopping board.

He Yuzhu pulled out the sharp kitchen knife from behind the desk, weighed it, and then began to cut the meat skillfully. With the flash of the knife, the tenderloin was cut into even shreds.

He put half of the shredded meat into a large bowl, and continued to chop the other half into fine meat filling and put it into another bowl.

Pour cooking wine, light soy sauce and salt into two bowls respectively, so that the shredded meat and minced meat will become more delicious after being soaked in the marinade.

He then washed the onions, ginger and garlic, cut them into thin strips and minced them, added some of them to the bowl containing the meat, and set the rest aside for later use.

I also specially cut the green onion whites, waiting for the perfect pairing with the four-happiness meatballs after they come out of the pot.

At this time, the fungus in the basin had been soaked and plump, and he cut it into thin strips on the chopping board along with the carrots and cucumbers.

He planned to stir-fry the osmanthus meat first, so he beat the eggs into a bowl and stirred them evenly. He heated oil in a pan, fried the eggs until golden, and put them into a bowl for later use.

He cleaned the pot and spoon, heated the oil again, added chopped green onion, ginger and garlic, and sautéed them. Then he added the marinated shredded pork and stir-fried it until it changed color.

Then add black fungus, cucumber and carrot shreds, stir-fry and pour in the eggs in the bowl. He added soy sauce and salt for seasoning, stir-fry evenly and remove from the pan, and the osmanthus meat is ready.

He then continued to stir-fry the sweet and sour pork tenderloin, and finished by stir-frying shredded potatoes and cabbage together.

He Yuzhu finally started the highlight - making four-happiness meatballs. He added soy sauce and other seasonings and eggs to the pork filling, stirred it in one direction to make the meat filling firm. He added an appropriate amount of water and continued stirring until the meat filling became sticky.

He mixed starch and flour into a batter, took out the meat filling from the bowl, rolled it into four equal-sized balls, and then rolled the surface of the balls evenly in the batter with his hands.

Pour enough cooking oil into the pot and when it is about 60% to 70% hot, he carefully puts the meatballs into the pot and frys them.

The meatballs rolled in the oil pan, gradually turning golden and crispy. He took out the meatballs after draining the oil and set them aside for later use.

He put the scallion whites into the bottom of the casserole and then placed the fried meatballs on top.

After the sauce is prepared, pour it into the casserole, add an appropriate amount of water so that the sauce just covers the meatballs. Cover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat.

As time went by, the soup in the casserole gradually thickened. When the soup was thick, he took out the meatballs and put them on a plate.

He poured the remaining soup into the pot and boiled it, thickened it with starch, and poured it over the meatballs. The whole kitchen was filled with an enticing aroma, making people salivate.

He Yuzhu heated up the steamed buns he had made in the morning before starting to carry the dishes from the table to the living room. When he served the last four-happiness meatball, he heard the sound of raindrops.

Yu Shui had just run into the living room and had no time to cheer when she heard He Yuzhu's instructions.

"Yushui, go to the backyard and invite Grandpa Zhang to come over for dinner. I invited him this morning."

"Okay, okay, I'll go right away." Yu Shui looked at the delicious food on the table reluctantly, and ran hurriedly to the backyard, almost bumping into He Daqing.

"Hey, you little girl." He Daqing murmured as he watched the figure in the rain disappear in the aisle.

He Yuzhu carried a basket of steamed buns and bowls and chopsticks, and said to He Daqing who came into the house: "Mr. Zhang from the backyard checked me out this morning and gave me a prescription. I invited him to have lunch."

"What's wrong, grandpa?" He Daqing asked puzzledly as he looked at his son who had grown taller recently.

"Well, it's okay. I prescribed some tonic medicine. I've already learned wrestling, and my body has grown fast recently, so I can't keep up with the tonic." He Yuzhu set the table with dishes and chairs.

"Where's your fine wine? Take it out and let the old man taste it. The old man also taught me a set of health-preserving exercises, fearing that I would ruin my health."

When He Daqing heard what He Yuzhu said, he thought, as the saying goes, truth is not easily spread, this is a great favor.

He walked quickly to his bedroom, and soon brought out a small jar of wine, placed it on the table, waiting for Mr. Zhang to come and eat.

A moment later, He Yushui pulled the old man's hand and chattered into the living room. He Daqing and the other man quickly stood up and welcomed the old man to the seat of honor.

After everyone was seated, He Daqing personally poured wine for the old man.

"Mr. Zhang, you have done a great favor to Zhuzi. A mere glass of wine cannot express my gratitude. I want Zhuzi to kowtow to you." He Daqing toasted the old man.

The old man waved his hand, picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

"He has already knocked on it, so he doesn't need to knock on it again. It won't count as a break if this thing is passed on to him."

"Daqing, this is not just some cheap wine. I have only had Fenjiu of this quality a few times."

"How can this compare to your kindness? Please enjoy your meal. I will also prepare food for you during the New Year holidays."

He Daqing expressed his gratitude and repeatedly offered the old man wine and food.

After the old man finished speaking, he turned his gaze to He Yuzhu and said to him, "Zhuzi, this Kung Fu is easy to learn but difficult to master. You just need to persist every day. It is normal to feel that the progress is slow."

"Okay, old man. I got it."

Lunch was held in a harmonious atmosphere.

He Yuzhu sent the old man back to the backyard and stepped back into the living room, ready to clean up the messy table with cups and plates.

He Daqing, with a flushed face, drank the tea in his hand, holding three booklets in one hand. He found a chair and sat down comfortably, placing the booklets on his legs.

"Zhu Zi, come here first."

He Yuzhu turned around when he heard the voice and saw the booklet on He Daqing's legs.

"Is this the rhythm of exposing the secret manual?"

He walked quickly, came to He Daqing and reached out to grab the book. He Daqing watched his action but did not stop him.

He Yuzhu took it and looked through it. At the top was a Shandong cuisine recipe. He flipped through it quickly and saw densely packed notes on the old paper.

Below the Shandong cuisine recipe book is a Tan family cuisine recipe book, and the last one is a collection of cooking tips.

"The cold dish you asked about yesterday is in the recipe. Don't miss the secret seasoning recipe."

"That experience book contains some of the dishes your grandfather and I discovered when we were cooking outside. The He family's cooking tradition is now passed on to you. I hope you can innovate and carry forward the tradition."

He Yuzhu solemnly put away the booklet and nodded to He Daqing.

"Dad, I will."

"The annex has already been bought. Clean up the kitchen this afternoon and come back in the evening to help move in."

He Daqing fell asleep while talking.