Chapter 522: The Charm of Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes
Chapter 522: Chapter 522: The Charm of Hot and Sour Shredded Potatoes
Han Xiaoqing had learned many excellent qualities from her older sister, Han Xiaorui.
For example, she never had stage fright and always expressed her views with grace and confidence. During her undergraduate years, she also gained significant internship experience and was highly praised by her teachers.
Her demanding studies kept Han Xiaoqing’s life busy, yet fulfilling.
Ordinarily, she and the neighbors on either side just exchanged greetings when they saw one another.
After checking the local climate, Han Xiaoqing decided to use her free weekend to plant vegetables on the large, empty plot of land in the backyard.
Every time she saw an empty plot of land, Han Xiaoqing’s first instinct was to plant vegetables.
She felt it would be a huge waste to leave it empty.
Normally, she and Chen Wenxuan bought their vegetables from the store.
Although the supermarket had everything, the vegetables weren’t cheap.
"Wenxuan, we’re free this weekend. We’ve already seen the local sights, and there’s nothing much to do! Why don’t we clear out the empty plot in the back and plant some vegetables?"
Chen Wenxuan’s eyes lit up when he heard this. The farming gene hidden deep within the body of all Hua Country people instantly awakened.
Chen Wenxuan rubbed his chin and looked at the empty plot. "No wonder I always felt something was a little off about the backyard. With so much empty space, it’s too much of a waste not to plant vegetables!"
"The fruit on those trees is just for show—it tastes awful! Let’s chop them down and redesign the backyard! Not only will we plant vegetables, I think we should build a greenhouse, too!"
Seeing that Chen Wenxuan was also in full agreement, the two hit it off instantly and drove off to buy tools.
As a student of mechanics, he was quite handy. They didn’t go to a store to buy new tools, choosing instead to go to a second-hand market.
Since they would be staying here for three years at most, there was no need to buy everything new.
As long as the second-hand tools worked, they were perfectly acceptable.
It wouldn’t even matter if they broke. Chen Wenxuan was studying mechanics and was very skilled with his hands. Whenever something broke at home, he was the one who fixed it.
They bought a small tiller for only 200 Marks, which was very cheap.
They also bought shovels, spades, and rakes. Although their shapes were a little different from the ones back home, they were serviceable enough.
They specifically bought some seeds, but the quantity was a bit small.
They heard from some other local Chinese people about a large Asian supermarket.
It carried a wide variety of seeds for Asian vegetables, so they drove over early in the morning and bought a large supply.
It wasn’t easy to make the trip, so they bought extra—enough for this year and the next.
And just like that, Chen Wenxuan sawed down all the cumbersome fruit trees in the backyard.
None of the wood went to waste. He sawed the logs into smaller pieces and stored them in the shed, perfect for burning in the fireplace come winter.
They had bok choy, napa cabbage, lettuce, radishes, Chinese chives, and more.
They also bought plenty of wire frames and transparent plastic film.
If the weather turned cold, they could use these to build a cold frame.
Most of the neighbors’ backyards were separated by a one-meter-high wall topped with a fence.
This meant neighbors could see what was going on in the yard next door. Ever since Chen Wenxuan and Han Xiaoqing started tilling the land in their backyard,
the neighbors on both sides, adults and children alike, would often gather by the fence to look over.
Staring continuously into someone else’s backyard could be seen as an invasion of privacy, so they would only steal a few glances, look away for a moment, and then sneak another peek.
However, Han Xiaoqing and Chen Wenxuan didn’t mind at all; they happily continued to clear the land and plant their garden.
They bought some high-efficiency organic fertilizer from a store and mixed it into the soil.
Their neighbors watched as the lush green vegetables sprouted from the soil, growing bigger and more robust each day.
At first, they only snuck peeks, but seeing that Chen Wenxuan and Han Xiaoqing didn’t mind, they began to watch openly from their own yards whenever the couple was busy in the garden.
Just then, a new neighbor, an elderly man who had recently moved in, could no longer contain himself.
"Hello, my dear neighbors! I’m Hans. Are these vegetables you’re growing edible? There are so many I don’t recognize! What are those two rows on the very end that look like grass?"
Han Xiaoqing looked in the direction Dean Hans was pointing. "Those are Chinese chives! They’re a very delicious food!"
Chen Wenxuan was also slightly taken aback when he saw the man. "Are you Dean Hans?"
Dean Hans nodded. "Yes, I am. Do you know me?"
Chen Wenxuan nodded. "Of course! I’m a PhD student in the mechanical engineering department at Aachen University of Technology, and I’m currently working with Professor Troy. You can call me Chen!"
Hans was surprised. "So you’re the Chen that old Troy is always praising! It’s an honor to be neighbors! But compared to your academic achievements, I’m far more curious about the vegetables in your yard!"
Han Xiaoqing smiled. "Since you’re so interested, Mr. Hans, I’d like to invite you to come over and have a look! If you enjoy Chinese food, I can also treat you to lunch."
Dean Hans’s eyes lit up. "I’d love to! I remember Troy once bragging to me that his student often makes him Chinese food. He said he never knew potatoes could be made into such a delicious, sour and spicy dish! Would I have the honor of trying these potatoes?"
Han Xiaoqing looked at Chen Wenxuan. "You made sour and spicy shredded potatoes for your professor?"
Chen Wenxuan smiled and nodded. "You know I can cook a little Chinese food, and sour and spicy shredded potatoes happen to be one of my specialties! I was tired of the bland, dry food at the university, and I didn’t want to eat those big sausages, so I’d buy some vegetables and meat to cook for myself."
"One time, I brought some sour and spicy shredded potatoes for lunch and put them in a sandwich. It was surprisingly delicious! After Professor Troy tried some, he thought it was amazing too."
"So, every time he saw me bring the dish, he would stare at me with those pleading eyes. He’s my professor; of course, I couldn’t just let him watch me eat. So I started making extra to share with him! After that, he said he fell in love with the taste and even asked me for the recipe!"
"I gave him the instructions, but he accused me of being unwilling to share the secret recipe, just because I used words like ’a little’ and ’a pinch’ when describing the seasonings. I ended up having to specify the measurements down to the gram before he was able to make the dish himself."
Han Xiaoqing burst out laughing at the story. "Of course you can have some. And if you’re willing to help me with the work, Dean Hans, I can even make you food that tastes better than sour and spicy shredded potatoes."
Hans had already been eyeing the vegetable patch, eager to come over and give it a try.
Now, hearing the invitation from Han Xiaoqing and Chen Wenxuan, he came right over with a bottle of wine.
In the backyard garden, Chen Wenxuan and Dean Hans discussed the flavors of the vegetables and how to grow them.
Looking at the neat rows of vegetable beds, Dean Hans rubbed his chin and glanced up at his own backyard. It seemed such an empty space should have something planted in it, too.
Han Xiaoqing went back to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.
She was thinking about what dishes to prepare for Dean Hans.
There was fresh beef inside. She could grind it into mince with their small meat grinder, form it into small meatballs, and pair it with the bok choy just pulled from the garden to make a bok choy and beef meatball soup.