Zhou Ruoqing had just uploaded the pictures, and there were already people beginning to reply, even though it was two in the morning.
"These are the most lovely people, no argunts accepted."
"You can tell they just ca back from ergency rescue. They haven’t even taken off their gear yet."
"At tis like this, they just sleep in their gear. It’s uncomfortable, but allows the quickest response to action."
"Boss Wang is as dashing as ever, and now he looks even more handso, truly saying ’go’ and he goes!"
"Exactly, a location is posted one mont, and he’s engaged in flood relief the next."
"I’m officially a fan of Boss Wang now, no one’s changing my mind. Those naysayers need to take a good look at whether Boss Wang is genuine or not."
"Ah, seeing the photos shared by the group owner is deeply touching. Natural disasters are rciless but humans have kindness. I’m setting off to be a volunteer first thing tomorrow; if anyone asks, it’s because the volunteer als are good."
"I also have a ticket for tomorrow. Lu Dong Airlines never disappoints. I’ll definitely arrive in izhou on ti, get to taste Boss Wang’s food, and do sothing aningful. This is the most significant celebrity chase of my life."
Zhou Ruoqing was filled with happiness seeing the growing number of replies.
More replies ant people were still paying attention here, hadn’t forgotten about this place, and the engagent of these netizens was very high; more and more were posting their own volunteer photos.
Zhou Ruoqing felt that it was only at this mont that the internet had true significance.
It wasn’t just a platform for sharing gossip and idle chatter; it let people know there are places still needing help and people silently bearing burdens and offering their lives.
...
Chen Baoguo and his team barely slept for two hours before setting off again in a hurry.
They received news that a man had pushed his mother onto a rooftop before a flash flood arrived, but he himself was swept away. Hearing the news, the few of them felt a heavy weight in their hearts. Having personally experienced that flash flood, to be caught in a flood of that magnitude leaves a survival probability not just close to zero—it is zero.
They needed to find that person.
After Wang Fan woke up and didn’t see Chen Baoguo and his team, he habitually prayed for their safe return, then went back to preparing ingredients.
Zhuo Qianqian returned from the shelter office looking very pleased: "The floodwaters in the village have started receding. It’s expected that in another day, the water will be cleared out. But even after clearing, the villagers can’t return yet; they’ll need to de-silt and disinfect. I heard that flood-soaked areas have a lot of bacteria."
Wang Fan nodded. Although there’s still a lot of work ahead, isn’t a good beginning sothing to be happy about?
Approaching noon, he prepared to start cooking. There were still plenty of lamb ingredients, and Wang Fan planned to make a Henan dish with them today.
Braised lamb, appreciated by diners for its tender at, fresh taste, rich broth, and affordability, had beco highly popular in a short ti in Muye.
Between 1995 and 2007, it was so popular in places like Xinxiang and Zhengzhou that there were even strange phenona like "the braising smoke is abundant, no lamb left at the morning markets."
Cheng Dong was determined to learn the craft, staying by Wang Fan’s side to watch him work while lending a hand.
Wang Fan, who genuinely enjoyed sharing his skills, didn’t hold back seeing Cheng Dong’s enthusiasm and revealed everything he knew.
"Choosing lamb doesn’t require much fuss; a bit of leg, brisket, ribs or whatever at will do. Just one thing: the pieces should be large. It’s all about that bold enjoynt of large chunks of at."
The lamb ribs were split halves. As Wang Fan spoke, he chopped away with a cleaver, "duang duang duang," while Cheng Dong and the others followed suit, quickly building a small mountain of at.
Cheng Dong, chopping as he spoke, said, "Without experience, you wouldn’t know how strong the country is now. Ten years ago during flood relief, we couldn’t afford to use at like this. If you got a piece in a pot, you were lucky."
Wang Fan wasn’t familiar with the situation from a decade ago, but he did recall the difficulty of getting at as a child—constantly craving it. Now, often he even didn’t feel like eating at.
"Cooking wasn’t this fast before. Brother Wang, I must report this pot back; we have to buy a few for the squad."
"I heard in Henan there’s a type of stew pot several ters in diater, enough to stew for a whole village."
"Brother Wang, do you blanch the at?"
Wang Fan shook his head: "No need. Just carefully clean the blood from the lamb. The water cos from my RV, purified from last night’s rain, up to drinking standards."
Cheng Dong gave a thumbs-up: "Brother Wang, this vehicle is truly solid; this is a man’s romance."
With the lamb cleaned, Wang Fan began preparing the spice packet: bay leaves, Sichuan pepper, cumin, galangal, white pepper, fennel, angelica, chili, and clove. Wang Fan was transparent about the spices he used.
He sautéed Pixian Douban Sauce in oil, adding the spices once the sauce was well sautéed. As he wielded a large shovel with majestic vigor, the villagers watching couldn’t help but smile, easing so of their worries about their hos.
"Add green onions, ginger, garlic, and then the lamb directly for a raw sauté. This helps prevent the soluble proteins in the lamb from being lost. Proteins are the smallest molecules the body absorbs, and this thod preserves the lamb’s flavor and nutrition to the utmost."
Goodness, what a revelation, Cheng Dong thought. He never expected to learn such advanced terms from lamb cooking. Even if he didn’t fully understand, noting it all down would surely be beneficial.
As the lamb was sautéed, the aroma of the at mingling with the spices beca powerful. The rich, intense fragrance made one almost unable to resist fishing out a piece of at from the pot for a hearty feast.
The lamb turned slightly smaller as it released so water and oil, but its color was slowly turning an enticing golden hue.
The most important reason for making braised lamb was that Shen Teng, this little cutie, in a mont of whimsy, donated dozens of boxes of beer. Anyone with common sense would know this shouldn’t be in relief supplies, utterly useless for the disaster area.
In the spirit of waste not, want not, Wang Fan thought to use the braised lamb to consu so of it, saving a bit of water in the process.
Tin by tin of beer was opened and poured into the pot along its edge. The malt aroma bubbled up, diffusing wildly and rging with the rich at fragrance, adding yet another layer of complexity.
Adding just enough water to cover the lamb, Wang Fan picked up the sugar jar.
"The main role of sugar is to enhance flavor. Generally, it’s best to gradually test the amount. Achieving savory, not sweet—that’s the essence of braised lamb..."
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