CHAPTER 72: CHAPTER 26 PURIFICATION, CHERRY MEAT_3

Ke Lian remained silent, but in his heart, he agreed with Du Xixi’s words. Chen Yin was indeed very kind to Du Xixi.

Although he always felt that Chen Yin’s hostility towards him was quite annoying, since Du Xixi respected him as an older brother and Chen Yin genuinely treated Du Xixi as a younger sister, Ke Lian had no choice but to endure this hostility.

Who could blame him for stealing Chen Yin’s precious "cabbage"? It was just that this "cabbage" was so adorable, so delicious.

Du Xixi carefully examined the box of cherries, seeing that there were quite a few, she thought for a moment and decided to make a dish called Cherry Meat with them!

Cherry Meat is cherry-colored, bright and pleasing to the eye, tender and delicious. Its color is red and bright, shape is small and round, skin is soft, taste is sweet and salty, and it is rich in fat, making it an excellent dish to accompany drinks and meals.

Authentic Cherry Meat requires pork and fresh cherries to be slowly stewed over a gentle flame.

However, the modern recreation of Cherry Meat on Blue Star, although the process strictly follows the traditional method of simmering for over three hours, infusing the meat with the sweet fragrance of cherries and removing the cherry residue afterward, it then uses cherry juice made from pitted cherries added just before serving to replace part of the red yeast rice marinade, enhancing the fresh fruit aroma.

Though similar in appearance, the taste differs, as what Du Xixi learned was not the modern recreated method but the authentic method passed down through the Du Family’s ancestors.

Without hesitation, Du Xixi got up and spoke with Ke Lian for a few moments, then, before Ke Lian could even react, she set aside a portion of the cherries and walked briskly towards the kitchen.

Before Du Xixi closed the kitchen door, 2569 hurriedly followed her, darting out from some corner of the wall.

With a "bang," the kitchen door closed, leaving Ke Lian and more than half a box of cherries staring at each other in bewilderment.

Ke Lian: ...

Cherries: ...

Du Xixi gently washed the cherries while 2569 curiously leaned over, its mechanical voice carrying unmasked curiosity: "Madam, what are you doing?"

"Cherry Meat." Du Xixi didn’t just brush off 2569 because it was a housekeeper robot; she carefully explained: "Cherry Meat, as the name suggests, resembles cherries in color, with a tender skin and succulent, delicious interior, taste being sweet, salty, and savory..."

A string of garbled characters appeared on 2569’s electronic screen, clearly not comprehending what Du Xixi meant. Smiling, Du Xixi patted its furry head and laughed: "It’s basically a meat dish that looks a lot like cherries, it’s sweet and tangy, very tasty."

"2569 understands!"

It was morning, and Du Xixi had plenty of time to carefully make Cherry Meat, so she wasn’t in any hurry. Instead, she took out a piece of pork with just the right amount of fat and lean, carefully treated it, and then added cherries before placing it into a stewing pot.

It needed to be simmered over a low flame for at least three hours, so Du Xixi picked up a small cherry, sat down on a small bench nearby, and began to carve it meticulously.

Knife skills on Blue Star were also known as "cutting and cooking" in ancient times, and comprised twelve methods: cutting, slicing, paring, chopping, splitting, scoring, picking, gouging, pounding, spiraling, scraping, and food carving.

As one of the basic skills of a chef, knife skills naturally required thorough practice. Du Xixi had spent a lot of effort practicing knife skills while on Blue Star, and though she might not have reached a master’s level in every method, she could confidently claim to be "proficient."

Food carving, one of the twelve basic knife skills, was also something Du Xixi had painstakingly practiced.

She recalled the most challenging period when she needed to carve the patterns demanded by her elders from a piece of tofu every day. If the tofu broke, Du Xixi had to sacrifice her rest time to keep practicing until her elders were satisfied.

Du Xixi’s ability to use a large kitchen knife to carve on a cherry today was thanks to the careful guidance of her elders.

Du Xixi didn’t feel the least bit wronged; as an heir, carrying on the family legacy was her mission. The stricter her elders were with her, the more reassured Du Xixi felt.

At least it showed that she was valued and trusted by her elders, which was why they were so diligent in teaching her.

The small cherry was no bigger than half of Du Xixi’s thumb, even a bit smaller, yet she carved it meticulously, as if she were holding a precious jade, leaving no room for any negligence.

This was also one of the basic skills Du Xixi had learned over the years—to maintain a respectful attitude towards ingredients and never waste them, as they were a chef’s gift from the heavens.

Though small, the cherries were carefully cultivated by Chen Yin, protected by Rob, and used by Du Xixi to make the Cherry Meat dish. They were anything but ordinary, instead playing a significant role in Du Xixi’s hands.

Gently, the cherry’s flesh fell away, and as it was carved, it began to reveal an extraordinary appearance—a Cherry Beauty in red, gracefully dancing with a long sword over the small cherry.

Though the sword dance was frozen in place, Du Xixi’s exceptional carving skills made it lifelike, with the red-clad beauty exuding both grace and agility, full of vitality.

Du Xixi admired her work for a moment, then, under 2569’s admiring gaze... she ate the "Cherry Beauty" in one bite.

2569: Σ(°△°|||)︴!

Du Xixi (serious face): We must always hold food in reverence and never waste it!