CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER 71: LOOK AT MY MEMORY

"It’s been so many years since I last came back, and it’s still so cold here."

Second Uncle looked at the snow-covered scenery outside and couldn’t help but sigh.

Only upon hearing the voice did Wang Fan slowly awaken. He glanced at the time—it was already 7 a.m. Looking out the window, he couldn’t help but be entranced.

He had no impression of this hometown since he moved away with his parents when he was very young. Everything before him was something he’d never seen in Beijing.

Looking out, the street-side plants and trees were all covered with snow, even the tops of the streetlights wore white hats. Snowballs and little snow ducks hung from the dry branches, making everything look both dreamlike and lively.

Second Uncle warned Wang Fan, "Let me tell you, nephew, don’t go licking those lampposts out there."

Wang Fan was puzzled, "Second Uncle, why would I lick the lampposts for no reason?"

Second Uncle chuckled, "Those lampposts are sweet, you’ll know it if you lick one."

Wang Fan shook his head, "I won’t lick them, that’s something only kids would do."

Second Uncle snickered, "Not necessarily."

The RV continued driving through the icy landscape until a park built entirely of ice blocks came into view.

Second Uncle couldn’t help but exclaim, "Wow, they really spent a lot more on this now than in the early years."

Wang Fan also looked into the distance, feeling a surge of amazement welling up inside him.

It was a fantasy world built of ice and snow.

The first thing to catch the eye was a gigantic ice-sculpted castle, the whole castle was transparent, shimmering brilliantly under the sunlight, as if from a fairytale world.

Through the gate, Wang Fan saw an ice-engraved corridor, with various exquisite ice sculptures on either side, including animals, people, and buildings, each lifelike.

A giant ice-sculpted Buddha stood on the lake, towering several dozen meters high, appearing solemn and majestic.

Even if he couldn’t see anything else, just these sights would already leave him dazzled.

When the RV pulled to a slow stop by a street, Wang Fan looked around and knew this must be the spot allocated for his stall.

This street faced the Ice and Snow World directly, with planned stalls on either side. At this moment, it was early, and there wasn’t a soul by the stalls.

Second Uncle put on his clothes excitedly and said, "I haven’t been back in years, I’m going for a stroll, want to join me?"

Wang Fan shook his head, "You go ahead, Second Uncle, I need to think about what to make."

Second Uncle was puzzled, "You’re not making steamed buns?"

Wang Fan scoffed, "Making just one thing is boring. This week I’m preparing braised meat. Second Uncle, is there anything you want to eat? Whatever you want, I’ll braise it for you."

Second Uncle thought for a while, licking his lips, "If it’s braised meat, there’s indeed something I’ve been craving—braised pork knuckle over rice. Oh, how fragrant it was, that soft knuckle skin melts right in your mouth. Paired with our Wuchang Rice, a bite of rice, a bite of meat, add a braised egg too—it’s delicious..."

Wang Fan nodded, "Alright, I’ll make knuckles and braised eggs then."

Second Uncle uncertainly said, "Nephew, have you made braised meat before? I’d suggest sticking to what you’re best at. Braised meat can be quite difficult. Don’t go making braised pork knuckle just for me."

Wang Fan smiled mysteriously, "You just go off on your stroll. Walk around for a while longer, by the time you return, you’ll probably have a taste. But don’t eat your tongue along with it."

Second Uncle laughed heartily, wrapped himself in thick clothes, and climbed out of the car looking like a little brown bear.

Wang Fan closed his eyes and opened up his System Mall.

He initially thought the mall only sold meat, but upon entering, he realized he had underestimated it.

The System Mall displayed four options: "Vegetables," "Fruits," "Meat," and "Seafood."

The number 3923 showed in the bottom right corner, which was all of Wang Fan’s assets.

Since he was making braised meat, Wang Fan didn’t look at anything else and directly chose the meat category.

Within the meat category, there were three dropdown options: pork, beef and lamb, and chicken and duck plus others.

Wang Fan clicked into pork and saw many images, neatly categorized by different parts.

Each image also displayed the price, origin, slaughter time, and cost-effectiveness recommendation index.

Wang Fan clicked on the top-recommended pork knuckle.

"Northeast native pig: the oldest pig breed in the Northeast Region, small in size with short and thick limbs, but the meat is firm, marbled beautifully, delicious, juicy, and has a high amino acid content."

"Front pork knuckle, slaughtered 4 hours ago. Price: 10 yuan per catty (8 yuan per catty if buying over 100 catties). Recommendation index: 95."

"Hind pork knuckle, slaughtered 4 hours ago. Price: 8 yuan per catty (6 yuan per catty if buying over 100 catties). Recommendation index: 96."

Wang Fan started recalling information from his recipe collection.

Though front and hind pork knuckles are both knuckles, there are significant differences.

The front knuckle has more active meat, leaner with more tendons and gelatin, often cooked with skin, suitable for braising, saucing, stewing, and stewing methods such as braised knuckle and sauced knuckle.

The hind knuckle is fattier, with less lean meat, larger bones, older and tougher skin, higher connective tissue content, and of slightly lower quality than the front knuckle; it’s less suitable for braising but great for making soups and meatballs and excellent for BBQ.

Though the hind knuckle had a higher recommendation index, Wang Fan chose the front knuckle.

Even though the system task started tomorrow, selling 100 catties wasn’t guaranteed for him; starting business today might help draw some customers early.

Guided by the mindset of not leaving money on the table, Wang Fan ordered 100 catties of front pork knuckle directly.

Upon payment, a popup appeared: "Would you like it dehaired?"

Wang Fan decisively clicked yes.

Pig hair is one of the sources of pork’s gamey taste. Without properly torching the hair from the skin, it would taste unpleasant and smell gamey when eaten.

Besides, torched hair can also close the pores on the skin, further eliminating pork’s gaminess.

...

Old Ning’s Slaughterhouse.

Old Ning scratched his head, surprised at the pile of front pork knuckles on the cutting board.

"Since when did so many pork knuckles turn up?"

Muttering to himself, he suddenly slapped his forehead, "Ah, I remember now, a guy named Wang Fan ordered them. The scheduled time is almost up, and I haven’t even prepared them yet. Getting old really takes a toll on memory."

After mumbling, he shouted to a couple of his workers: "Xiao Zhang, Xiao Liu, you two come over and use the blowtorches on these knuckles. Be thorough, or you’ll both skip lunch today."

The two young men, upon hearing this, quickly dropped what they were doing and each grabbed a blowtorch to start working on the pork knuckles.