Chapter Sixteen: Displaying Culinary Skills

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  The squad leader's words startled Zhang Peng, who suddenly realized that tomorrow the military district would send someone to inspect their work and go down to the company to take a look and have dinner with the comrades. Yesterday, the regiment had considered it back and forth for half a day, thinking that Gao Changsu was experienced, so they decided on the first company, because he was the oldest cook squad leader among the three companies in the regiment. As soon as the regiment finished reporting, the logistics department sent over the things prepared by the military reception office (they didn't eat at the reception office, and the food couldn't be wasted). However, they hadn't considered that a grassroots company might not even get to eat meat a few times a year, let alone see such high-end stuff, which worried the two quartermasters sick.

  "Zhang Peng, can you deal with these things?" asked Gao Ban Zhang, pointing at the squid and sea cucumber with an expectant face. "I can handle it, but it's just too much trouble." Zhang Peng took a glance, picked up the octopus, its four small legs struggling non-stop, staring with green bean eyes in a stubborn expression, "Damn, you're competing with me!" Zhang Peng snapped his fingers and gave it a 'brain explosion', the octopus flipped its eyes, loosened its mouth, and fell back into the bowl.

  "Zhang Peng, stop messing around, can you really do it?" The director was still somewhat skeptical.

  "Isn't it just squid and sea cucumber?" Zhang Peng had eaten his fair share of them back in his hometown. "The ones they brought were dried, and to rehydrate them would take too long and be a hassle."

  "How long is it going to take?" Gao Ban Zhang wiped his forehead with a towel, this was unexpected, he thought he could just wash and cook directly.

  "It's going to take at least over ten hours." Zhang Peng replied.

  "Little brother, the leader is coming for lunch tomorrow, so we need to hurry up, there's still enough time." The class monitor's tone had changed.

  "What's wrong with me? I'm just a kitchen helper, not the head chef. What does it have to do with me? I still have class this afternoon." Zhang Peng didn't buy it.

  "Little brother, saving the scene is like putting out a fire. I'll go ask for leave on behalf of your captain and help big brother get through this difficult time. We can discuss any matters that arise." The quartermaster decided to make a dead horse into a live one after all.

  Before Zhang Peng could respond, the squad leader took off a small apron from a nearby cook and put it on him, pushing the reluctant Zhang Peng into the small operating room. This is where overtime meals are usually prepared, and there are plenty of cooking utensils. The quartermaster went to report to the instructor and asked for leave for Zhang Peng, while the squad leader ordered several soldiers to move the delivered goods to the small operating room.

  After a busy day, the steward also took leave and came back. The three of them got together to decide on the menu: braised duck in soy sauce, Kung Pao squid, scallion stir-fried sea cucumber, poached chicken, clear steamed turtle (let's be civilized, no more "wang ba" from now on), crystal pork knuckle, red-braised carp and steamed lion head eight main courses plus duck blood noodle soup. As for the vegetarian dishes, they would make a few of whatever was available in the garden. The steward took a look and said: "Alright, with over ten people coming to join us, that's enough."

  Zhang Peng was only responsible for making squid, sea cucumber and turtle, the rest were handed over to Gao Classmate, the two people divided their work well after that, each busy with their own tasks.

  Zhang Peng first picked four dried ginseng, found a basin to soak in cold water, and then put the dried squid in warm water to soak. He found pure alkali and lime, used boiling water to flush in, mixed and stirred evenly, then added cold water to stir evenly, until the water cooled down and filtered, making a mature alkaline liquid. After lunch, he took out the soaked dried squid and put it in the mature alkaline solution to soak for several hours. Before dinner, the squid was swollen and well done, Zhang Peng took out the soaked squid and put it in cold water to repeatedly rinse, until there was no alkali taste, then used clear water to soak again, and it could be used to make dishes tomorrow. At this time, the fish body had expanded, showing a bright red color, with elasticity, and was no longer dry and stiff.

  It was past 7 o'clock in the evening, and the sea cucumber had been soaked in cold water for almost ten hours. The squad leader and the quartermaster were still worried and followed again. The sea cucumber had already grown from the size of a finger to about a foot long. The two men looked at it with amazement. Zhang Peng took the soaked sea cucumber and cut it open from the tail to the mouth with scissors, removing its internal organs and washing away the sand. He washed it several times before it was clean, but that wasn't all - he then found a pot without oil and put the cleaned sea cucumber inside, cooking it over fire for about 20 minutes. After checking if it was cooked through, he quickly removed it from the heat. Once the sea cucumber had cooled down naturally, Zhang Peng put it back in cold water to soak again, instructing the soldier on duty to change the water several times. By this time, the lights-out signal had already been sounded, and the quartermaster and squad leader understood why Zhang Peng was reluctant to do the task. As it was late at night, the squad leader didn't let Zhang Peng go back and arranged for him to sleep in the kitchen instead.

  The next morning, Liu Dayong came to the cooking class to find Zhang Peng before he even got out of bed. Liu Dayong genuinely liked Zhang Peng and treated him like a younger brother. He thought that not letting him participate in the shooting had made him angry, so he didn't return to the class, even skipping sleep. His heart was uneasy, and he hadn't slept well all night. As soon as he entered the cooking class, Gao Changsuo understood that Zhang Peng hadn't returned last night and forgot to tell Liu Dayong. He quickly apologized and explained, knowing that Zhang Peng wasn't angry with him for not returning. Liu Dayong then left feeling relieved.

  After breakfast, the instructor stayed behind to let the quartermaster go and buy some meat and fish to add dishes for the soldiers. The quartermaster thought that the instructor was more thoughtful, a group of leaders eating fragrant and spicy food, while the soldiers' dishes didn't even have a piece of meat, and he couldn't eat it, so he quickly arranged for him to go to the market to do business.

  The instructor arranged for several more warriors to help with the cooking and personally assisted Gao Ban Zhang and Zhang Peng. Zhang Peng picked up a soft-shelled turtle, flipped it over, and placed it on the chopping board, belly up. When the turtle struggled to turn over and stretched its neck as far as possible, Zhang Peng quickly cut off its head at the base of the neck with his knife, then immediately held it upside down in a bowl to drain the blood. Unexpectedly, the severed turtle head fell to one side, and Gao Ban Zhang thought he could throw it into the trash can, unaware that turtles are "dead body, live head". Just as Zhang Peng said "don't touch it with your hands", the turtle's head bit down on Gao Ban Zhang's finger. Several people pulled and pried, finally freeing his finger, which was now covered in blood.

  "Damn it, this turtle is like an imperialist, losing his head and still biting back." The steward cursed in a fluster.

  "First find a nurse to bandage it, and then we'll talk." The instructor took Gao Class Leader away.

  "Zhang Peng, be careful, if you get hurt again, I'll hang myself." said the steward Qiu with a long face.

  Zhang Peng let out a sigh and continued to work. He put the bled soft-shell turtle into boiling water for a few minutes, then scooped it out and soaked it in cold water to lower the temperature. Next, he made a cross-shaped incision on the turtle's abdomen with a knife, removed the internal organs, and left the bitter gallbladder intact. He cut off the four limbs and tail, and scraped away the yellow fat from the legs. Then, he carefully scrubbed away the black skin all over the turtle's body, being careful not to damage the tender flesh around the edges. After scrubbing away the black skin, he washed it clean again, squeezed out the bitter gallbladder, and applied the bile juice to the turtle meat. He let it sit for a while before washing it clean once more, which was basically the end of the cleaning process.

  After processing the soft-shell turtle, Zhang Peng put it in a pot, covered it with sliced ham, mushrooms, ginger, garlic, and scallions, and added a few tablespoons of rice wine since there was no Shaoxing wine available. He ladled in some chicken broth and had the steward simmer it over low heat.

  At this time, the senior class returned, looking like he had been bitten badly, with thick gauze wrapped around his fingers, unable to use a knife, so he moved his mouth and instructed others to take action.

  Zhang Peng cut off the head and claws of the squid, removed the outer membrane, and made diagonal cross-cuts on the inside to create a flower pattern. He then cut it into long rectangular blocks and put them in a pot of boiling water. The squid was briefly blanched in the rolling water, curled up into cylindrical flower shapes resembling golden wheat ears. After draining the water, he placed them on a plate. The sea cucumber was sliced into thin strips, scallion oil was simmered, a plate of peanuts was fried, and several side dishes were selected. Zhang Peng's preparation work was done.

  Zhang Peng lifted the lid, and a fragrance wafted out. Seeing that the abalone stew was almost done, he asked the steward not to add more fire, but instead let it simmer slowly to allow the flavors to meld together.

  The instructor was chopping vegetables under the guidance of the high squad leader, cutting big ones big and small ones small, but it was too slow. The two were so anxious that they were sweating profusely, and at this rate, they would definitely not be able to complete the task. The high squad leader found an old soldier from the cooking team to replace the instructor, but although the old soldier chopped quickly, he was used to chopping radishes and couldn't do fine work with cabbage. The high squad leader didn't dare scold the instructor, but he did scold him, saying "You're supposed to chop stuffing!" and "You're supposed to cut pig food!" Zhang Peng couldn't bear it anymore, so he went over and replaced the old soldier, who wiped his sweat and left.

  As soon as the chef took action, there was nothing left. Zhang Peng glanced at the menu and without needing to be instructed by the senior class leader, he sliced and chopped with precision, his knife moving swiftly. The slices were thin as paper and the shreds fine as hair, arranged neatly in rows like soldiers on parade, coarse and fine evenly distributed. It didn't take much effort, various side dishes were categorized and placed into bowls, just waiting to be cooked. The instructor looked embarrassed, the senior class leader was full of admiration, and the logistics director was completely at ease.

  "What's going on? It smells so good, even the playground can smell it!" said Lian Bu's communication officer, running in to say.

  "Clay bun, stewed turtle shell!" The housekeeper replied with a smile and scold.

  "What's wrong?" the instructor said.

  "The leaders are almost here, you go and receive them." The communicator replied hastily.

  The instructor poured a glass of water for Zhang Peng, patted him on the shoulder and said: "Young brother, you've worked hard, take care!" He adjusted his hat and left with the communicator.

  In the troops, no matter how big your official position is, your children, even if they are with a new recruit who has just joined the army, must call them "uncle". Today, the instructors all called Zhang Peng "little brother", which means that this company has already accepted him. Zhang Peng didn't quite understand and only felt that they were being strange.