Pickled Fish, Apple Pork Chops, and Stir-fried Squid Back at the West Building, Rong Cheng had returned and was busily sharing a tub of ice cream with Wu Jianing, spoon for spoon. The mango ice cream was topped with a thick layer of crushed pistachios; the nuts were crunchy, their unique aroma and healthy oils spreading through the mouth—though, interestingly, they gave off almost no scent to the surrounding air. The contrast between the soft, melting ice cream and the crisp nuts was a delightful sensation.
Under the kitchen gallery, Lin Changli and Du Yuan were prepping tonight’s dinner. A specialized sink had been built out there for washing ingredients with strong odors or briny scents.
Take the pickled greens in Lin Changli’s hands, for example. These were leftovers from the last batch of pickled beef noodle sauce; the longer they fermented, the saltier and tougher they became, and the smell became progressively more pungent. Lin Changli maintained a stony, indifferent face, but the little Phoenix beside him was already gagging audibly, making dramatic retching sounds. Sang Ye suspected Du Yuan had assigned him this task on purpose.
After squeezing the water out of the greens, Lin Changli hung them up to drip-dry for a moment before dicing them into small segments. On the other side, Du Yuan was scaling a grass carp that weighed nearly eight pounds. She kept a thin stream of water running, rinsing away the scales and mucus into the drain.
"Are we having Pickled Fish tonight?" Sang Ye leaned in, amused by Lin Changli, who was still holding his breath and blinking at her innocently.
"Yes," Du Yuan smiled. "We’ll prep a few more. Cut more fillets; we need a large batch. Someone from the hospital came by earlier looking for you. They said the demand has spiked lately—it seems the previous treatments are working, and some Sentinels are regaining consciousness."
That explained why Lin Changli was chopping such a mountain of pickled greens.
"That’s great news." Sang Ye rolled up her sleeves, fished a carp out of the bucket at the opposite sink, and joined the assembly line. The robots at the base only had basic learning modules; they couldn't handle delicate work like filleting fish just yet.
"Anything else for tonight?" Sang Ye asked.
"Apple Braised Pork Chops for the kid—she needs the vitamins," Du Yuan said, picking up modern terminology surprisingly fast. "And one more dish; you pick."
Sang Ye thought for a moment. "Stir-fried Squid. I haven't had enough seafood yet."
Sang Ye loved eating squid, but she detested the prep: snip the head, dig out the organs, pull the teeth, pop the eyes, scrub the suckers, remove the quill, peel the skin... it sounded like a list of medieval tortures.
She had a better idea. She shouted toward the house: "Chengcheng!"
Rong Cheng ran out, eyes bright. "You called, Senior Sister?"
"Clean the squid," Sang Ye pointed at the bucket.
"On it!" Rong Cheng rolled up her sleeves and dove in. As a Golden Crow, she was never intimidated by strange-looking aquatic creatures.
As for Wu Jianing, who had wandered out after her ice cream, Du Yuan handed her a basket of apples and a manual rotary peeler. "Let the kid do something under your nose, or she’ll go find trouble elsewhere," Du Yuan noted sagely. "When a child is quiet, they’re definitely up to no good."
In the kitchen, the work was divided. Du Yuan tossed the fish fillets with egg whites, starch, salt, and ginger-scallion juice until they were tacky to the touch. She heated oil, threw in a handful of dried chilies—which puffed up with a sharp, spicy fragrance—and quickly followed with the pickled greens. After sautéing them until fragrant, she added water, bean sprouts, and dried tofu skin as a base. Once it bubbled, she slid in the fish fillets, covered the pot for one minute, and it was done.
She topped it with scallions, cilantro, and more dried chilies before splashing a ladle of smoking-hot oil over the top. The sizzle released an aroma that filled the entire floor.
On the other stove, Sang Ye seared pork chops until golden brown. She sautéed apple chunks and onions, then returned the chops to the pan with ketchup, water, rosemary, and a large slab of butter. This dish used the fruit's acidity to cut through the richness of the meat.
Finally, she made the Stir-fried Squid. She blanched the squid briefly. After scoring the meat into a grid pattern so it would curl beautifully when heated, she stir-fried it with garlic, onions, and red and green peppers. A spoonful of bean paste and oyster sauce provided the savory depth.
…
By evening, the kitchen was a hive of warmth and delicious scents. Portions were packed and sent via robot to the hospital and various officers who had pre-ordered. The Sentinels on Black Tower were quite wealthy, and many were eager to pay for Sang Ye’s cooking.
The five of them sat down for a dinner that spanned sour, sweet, numbing, and spicy. No one ate with more gusto than Wu Jianing. Du Yuan watched her, constantly praising the girl for being a clean eater. She couldn't help but jab at Rong Cheng and Sang Ye: "One of you is like a wild animal who never comes home to eat, and the other is so picky she won't touch anything."
Sang Ye protested: "Jianing has never eaten anything good before, so everything tastes like heaven to her. I've eaten everything, so of course I have preferences!"
Du Yuan rolled her eyes. "If it were normal pickiness, I wouldn't say anything. But you won't eat a chicken older than five months, you won't eat fish not raised in spring water, and you won't eat seafood not caught by your Grandmaster."
Sang Ye buried her face in her rice bowl, silenced. Lin Changli looked at her and started laughing.
Sang Ye looked up and glared. "Stop laughing."
Lin Changli raised an eyebrow, wearing a punchable expression that said, Make me.
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