Chen Lan had heard people say in her past life that Quanjude, with over a hundred years of heritage, was not only famous for its roast duck but also for the exquisite duck-slicing skills of its chefs. The duck meat they sliced was not only exceptionally thin but also beautifully presented.
Some food connoisseurs even claimed that the precise knife skills of the duck-slicing masters determined the food's appearance and texture, and could even influence one's palate, allowing each slice of duck to fully embody the essence of its flavor.
This is why the culinary world has the saying, "Seven parts roast, three parts slice" when it comes to enjoying roast duck.
It was said that there were specific requirements for slicing roast duck, with each duck supposed to be sliced exactly one hundred and eight times. This ensured everyone got a portion, and the number was considered auspicious and festive.
In fact, the technique of slicing roast duck did not originate from the chefs in the capital, but was passed down from Shandong hundreds of years ago. The number one hundred and eight itself was inspired by the one hundred and eight heroes of Shuibo Liangshan in Shandong.
However, each slice the master cut had to have both meat and skin, be thin yet intact, and most importantly, the entire duck had to be sliced in no more than eight minutes, otherwise, it would affect the roast duck's flavor.
This, therefore, put great pressure on the slicing masters, requiring them to have an intimate understanding of the duck's muscle distribution and possess exceptionally high knife skills. As soon as the master finished slicing the first duck, a group of people eagerly dug in! Chen Lan quickly grabbed a piece of lotus leaf pancake and, holding her tenth sister's hand, taught her how to wrap the sliced duck, sweet bean paste, and green onions in the pancake.
Chen Lan expertly wrapped the sweet bean paste, green onions, and sliced duck meat in the lotus leaf pancake in just a few quick movements. She then took a bite, savoring the crispy and fragrant duck skin, the tender and succulent duck meat that was rich but not greasy, and the intense aroma that filled the air.
As she enjoyed the delicious food, Chen Lan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, thinking that this was the most authentic roast duck, far superior to any she had eaten in her previous life!
In a flash, the duck was gone! Looking at her tenth sister and Jia Hui, who still seemed to want more.
Chen Lan smiled and said, "Little Watermelon, Little Shuan, you're too much! Our mother and daughters only had one slice each! And the duck is all gone! Are you two hungry wolves?"
Xiang Xi took a sip of the duck bone soup and replied with a smile, "It's because you three ladies eat so delicately! When you eat with us men, you need to be quick, not chew slowly and savor every bite, understand?"
Chen Lan heard this and thought, well, so it was her fault for not getting enough.
Just then, the master finished slicing the second duck. Chen Lan stopped arguing with Xiang Xi and quickly and skillfully rolled two pancakes for her tenth sister and Jia Hui, lest they disappear in the blink of an eye!
These men were truly terrifying. Chen Lan only managed to eat three slices of the three roast ducks, and even then, she had to scramble for them!
After the roast duck was finished, everyone's eating pace noticeably slowed down.
At this point, Xiang Dong put down his chopsticks, looked around, and then quietly said, "Xiao Lan, after we finish eating, we plan to walk home to see our old house. It's been almost thirty years, and I wonder what the condition of our ancestral home is like now."
Chen Lan nodded, stopped her chopsticks, and looked around. Then she quietly replied, "Brother Xiang Dong, you're right. Since we're back, we should go home and take a look. But you can only look from outside the gate. Absolutely do not go inside, and no matter what happens, do not act rashly, understood?"
Hearing this, Xiang Xi stopped eating and asked in a low voice, "Why? Little Lanzi, that's our home, why can't we move back into our own house?"
Chen Lan glanced around again and said very seriously in a hushed tone, "Little Watermelon, have you forgotten what we came back to do? So, this is non-negotiable. You all have to listen to me now! Firstly, for safety reasons, and secondly, to avoid complications and unnecessary trouble in the future, we cannot move back for now."
At this, Xiang Dong lowered his voice and said, "Xiao Lan is right, safety is the most important thing, especially now that the situation is unclear. We must not act impulsively."
Er Hu put down his chopsticks, nodded, and agreed, "Xiang Dong is right. Now that the children have finally gotten into college, we need to be careful and cautious in our actions so as not to implicate our family and children."
Hearing their elder brother and Second Brother Er Hu say this, and seeing Chen Lan's rare seriousness, Xiang Xi quietly asked, "Little Lanzi, when will we be able to move back home?"
Chen Lan replied without hesitation, "At least after the end of this year. Father-in-law said that the country will hold the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee at the end of this year, and new reform policies will be introduced afterward. It won't be too late to move back home then."
Xiang Xi heard Chen Lan say this and then asked in a low voice, "Little Lanzi, then where will all of us live? Are we going to keep living in the guesthouse like this?"
Chen Lan thought for a moment and replied, "If we have to, we can rent a place now, or buy a larger house for everyone to stay in temporarily."
After speaking, Chen Lan smiled and said to Xiang Xi, Xiao Shuan, and the others, "You guys should be very familiar with Di Du's Sijiu Cheng, right? So, whether it's renting or buying, I'll leave this matter to you all!"
Unexpectedly, Xiang Xi asked, "Little Lanzi, you're entrusting such an important matter to us, what about you? What are you going to do?"
Chen Lan replied with a smile, "Of course, I have more important things to do! I'm going to accompany my Little Tenth Sister to her music academy, and while I'm there, I'll look for houses near the music academy. If I find a suitable one, I plan to buy it."
Xiang Xi asked in surprise, "What? Little Lanzi, you plan to buy a house near the music academy? Why?"
Chen Lan held Little Tenth Sister's hand and smiled, "Of course, it's because I'll be accompanying our youngest daughter to school! Besides, I also need to accompany Jia Hui to visit Di Du University!"
Hearing Chen Lan say this, Xiang Xi stopped talking. Instead, he reached out and patted Little Tenth Sister's head, saying, "Little Tenth Sister is still too young. She needs an adult to accompany her, so she won't be bullied by classmates at school."
After speaking, Xiang Xi extended his hand to Chen Lan and said, "Little Lanzi, you have to give me our activity funds now!"