Luo Sheng nodded, "I will have people keep an eye on this matter."
"If you don't want Dai Wei to bother you again, shall I arrange for you to move somewhere else?"
Chen Fan shook his head, "No need to trouble yourself, I won't be staying here much longer anyway."
Luo Sheng paused, turning back with a hint of surprise, "Have you finished all your business?"
Chen Fan smiled, "I have a few friends I need to meet. It's about time. I'll be staying with them for a while."
It was only a little over ten days until the boxing arena updated its ladder rankings.
At that time, they would see he was in Europa and come looking for him.
...
Two days later.
The study.
Chen Xing'er sat on the sofa, sighing for the umpteenth time.
"Chen Tianjiao!"
She propped her chin on her hand and sat to the side, "You've been studying the map of Europa for two days!"
"Can you pay a little attention to me?"
Chen Fan responded perfunctorily without looking up, "Mm-hmm, go ahead."
Hmph!
Chen Xing'er looked at the book in her hands, a glint in her eyes, then cleared her throat and began to read aloud with a proud air, "First, we wash the ingredients. Slice the fatty pork and lean pork for later use."
"Next, marinate the lean pork slices with salt, chicken essence, cooking wine, dark soy sauce, and cornstarch for about 5 minutes."
Chen Xing'er looked up at Chen Fan, who remained completely unmoved, and raised her voice again, "Ahem! Then, put them in the pan. When the fatty pork is fried to a golden brown, add the sliced chili peppers and garlic slices and continue to stir-fry."
"Finally, add a little salt and stir-fry for a few more times. Add the marinated lean pork slices to the pan and stir-fry for a moment before serving."
After reciting the recipe, Chen Fan showed no reaction, not even a flicker of emotion.
Could it be because he didn't like chili fried pork?
Chen Xing'er casually flipped a couple more pages—
Try this one!
"Ahem, for the first step, we first boil the pork stomach, pork liver, and pork intestines separately until cooked. Take them out. Slice the pork stomach and intestines into pieces, and slice the pork liver into slightly thicker pieces. Add a little starch water and stir evenly to coat."
"Second, slice the chili peppers and carrots. Chop the scallions. Mince the ginger and garlic. Prepare the braising sauce by mixing soy sauce, salt, MSG, sugar, and Sichuan peppercorn powder in a small bowl. Stir well to season. Thicken the starch with water and add a little to the seasoning bowl."
"Third, oil stir-fry. When the oil is heated to 50% heat, add the main and auxiliary ingredients into the hot oil. Briefly fry and then remove, draining the oil."
"Finally, heat a separate pot with a little oil. Add minced scallions, ginger, garlic, and cooking wine to sauté. Then pour in the prepared braising sauce. When the sauce boils, add all the main and auxiliary ingredients. Stir the pot to ensure the braising sauce evenly coats the ingredients. It can be served shortly."
Chen Fan sighed, finally lifting his head from the map, "What do you want?"
Chen Xing'er's eyes curved into a smile as she stood up, "I want to go out!"
"I've been in Europa for so long and haven't properly explored it!"
Chen Xing'er pouted slightly, "You won't let me go out alone, and you don't take me out when you're home. If this continues, by the time our Europa trip is over, I still won't have experienced the European sun."
Chen Fan looked at Chen Xing'er's eager eyes and shook his head. He stood up from his seat, "Let's go, I'll take you out."
"Chen Tianjiao is awesome!"
Chen Fan shot her a look, "Girls should speak with more decorum."
"Don't learn from Luo Sheng and say crazy, nonsensical things."
Chen Xing'er stuck out her tongue, but ultimately didn't argue and followed Chen Fan out.
"Where do you want to go?"
After they got into the car, Chen Fan asked Chen Xing'er beside him.
"Hu Ji Fried Skewers!"
Chen Xing'er was clearly prepared, having already done her research.
Chen Fan had never even heard of this name.
"Where did you find out about it?"
Chen Xing'er proudly handed her phone to Chen Fan, "I specifically looked it up!"
"Don't let the fact that this place is tucked away in a corner fool you, it's incredibly famous in Europa!"
"They only open at 3 PM every day, and you have to queue for at least an hour to eat there."
"Hah! Truly, good wine needs no bush. The internet has hyped these fried skewers up so much!"
"Today, I finally get to taste them!"
Chen Xing'er's face was filled with anticipation.
As for Chen Fan...
Chen Fan's spirits deflated the moment he heard about an hour-long wait.
He never had the patience for such things.
Especially not for the sake of a meal.
In Chen Fan's opinion, where one ate was where one ate; why waste an hour for this!
However—
Chen Fan looked at Chen Xing'er's eager expression and swallowed back his refusal.
Never mind.
After all, this was their only chance to go out together, so he'd let her have her way.
Chen Fan drove through winding roads.
By the time they found parking, over an hour had passed.
Chen Fan sighed.
When had he ever been delayed for so long for food?
"Hurry up, we'll go back after eating."
Such a dense straight man!
Chen Xing'er made a funny face behind Chen Fan's back.
Then she trotted after him.
They passed through several alleys and finally arrived at a very long, narrow passage.
There was no need to ask for directions.
As soon as they entered, they could see the long queue stretching ahead.
Chen Fan took a deep breath, feeling a throbbing pain in his temples. He suppressed his wavering patience, "It only takes an hour to queue for this?"