"Boss, we're back."

The old Ning slaughterhouse was already decorated festively, the staff had dropped their work and were sitting around tables chatting and laughing.

It was time to give out the year-end bonus. Once Liu Hao and the others were back, the bonuses could be given out, and everyone could go home for New Year's Eve.

"Why are you so late? Hurry up, wash your hands, and get ready to hand out the bonuses."

Liu Hao chuckled, "Boss Wang insisted on treating us to a meal, it'd be impolite to refuse, so we delayed for a few minutes. He also asked us to bring you a portion."

He handed the bag to Boss Ning and said, "You have no idea, Boss Wang's braised meat is absolutely amazing. I've never tasted such delicious braised meat in my life. The meat from our place was truly elevated in his hands. You can't imagine how hard it was for us to resist eating this portion on the way back. The aroma simply attacked the nose, if we hadn't just eaten, we definitely couldn't have resisted."

Boss Ning curiously took the bag, "Is it really as good as you say?"

Liu Hao replied, "You'll know once you try it. It's still hot, so grab a few bites while it's warm. We'll go wash our hands first."

"Go ahead, hurry up, we're just waiting on you guys."

With that, Boss Ning took the boxed meal out of the plastic bag, and the workers curiously eyed the lunch box.

Through the transparent lid of the box, you could see the color of the meat was beautifully dyed, at least Old Ning thought it looked very appetizing.

Opening the lid, a burst of fragrant aroma wafted up, making Old Ning take a deep breath unwittingly.

The rich meat aroma left Old Ning very satisfied, truly worthy of the meat produced by his own slaughterhouse, only his own meat could be so fragrant!

Picking up a piece of pork skin and popping it in his mouth, Old Ning, a lifelong meat gourmet, was instantly captivated.

This soft and chewy texture, irresistible flavor, you couldn't feel the slippery texture of pig hair at all, all declaring that this piece of meat is the best around.

...

"Here, Uncle, try making it yourself, I'll watch from the side."

Wang Fan stepped aside after speaking, Uncle nervously approached the stove, closed his eyes, and began to imagine each step Wang Fan had shown him.

Washing, blanching, skimming off foam, rinsing, into the braised meat pot.

Uncle followed his memory and completed each step perfectly, and not until the beef tendons went into the pot did he come to his senses.

Hmm? It seems that braising meat isn't that hard after all?

Wang Fan praised, "Uncle, your memory is pretty good, every step was well done. Next, it's about timing the ingredients."

Uncle nodded, and when the marinade in the braising pot began to bubble, he carefully glanced at the clock.

Wang Fan hadn't shared his braising time with Uncle.

It's not that he was unwilling to share his technique, but even if he did, Uncle couldn't master it.

The time wasn't constant, sometimes early, sometimes late, mainly depending on the subtle differences of the ingredients themselves.

Uncle didn't have his own "Listening to the Wind and Discriminating the Flavor," he couldn't use this trick, so what he taught Uncle was the system-set time that's infinitely close to perfect.

A stable 99 points are better than repeatedly jumping between 90-100.

Uncle was very focused, the clock hand ticked steadily.

"Ding!"

Reaching the preset time, a virtual alarm clock rang sharply in Uncle's mind, and he decisively turned off the heat.

"How's it turning out?"

Uncle asked expectantly.

Wang Fan lightly sniffed the meat aroma in the air, and though it hadn't reached the perfect state he had envisioned, it was exactly in line with the system time.

"It's great, Uncle, after soaking for a while, we'll compare the flavor."

"Clatter... Boom!"

"Boom, boom!"

"Bang, rustle..."

Suddenly a rather noisy sound burst into their ears, first puzzling them but they quickly reacted.

Through the RV window, they could see the distant brilliant colors.

New Year's Eve, fireworks show.

Wang Fan and Uncle gathered by the window, fireworks blossomed in the night sky like colorful flowers, adorning the dark sky with vibrant hues. They danced freely like sprites in the universe, transforming into flickering meteors, then brightly blooming chrysanthemums. Each firework had its unique color and shape, red, green, yellow, violet, shimmering brilliantly like gemstones.

Wang Fan no longer remembered how many years it had been since he saw fireworks.

Every New Year, Beijing used to light many fireworks, but he didn't know when it started, those fireworks disappeared, allegedly some "expert" claimed fireworks pollute the environment.

Can they be lit again this year?

Uncle observed with delight, "New Year needs fireworks, without them there's no feeling of the holiday."

Wang Fan nodded in agreement, "Perhaps we should watch the Spring Festival Gala, Uncle?"

Having nothing to do, Wang Fan suggested.

Uncle cheerfully agreed, "Sure, I bought some peanuts, let's snack while we watch."

Wang Fan grinned mysteriously, "No need, I've got something better."

With that, he brought out a bowl from the cupboard, inside was a bowl full of braised meat.

"I saved this from earlier, just waiting for tonight."

It was already 9 o'clock, and when Wang Fan switched on the TV, the Spring Festival Gala had been airing for a while. Just at that moment, two figures in blue robes waddled onto the stage.

"Hey, isn't this the guy who thanked me at my stall that day?"

The ones who just stepped on stage were indeed Sun Yunpeng and his partner Yue Yue. This year marked their first appearance on the Spring Festival Gala stage.

Both had ample stage experience and showed no signs of stage fright, talking with eloquence from the stage.

A few jokes were delivered that won them cheers from the audience.

Sun Yunpeng said very seriously, "Mr. Yue told me he wants to make money, big money! He also said once he made big money he'd spend it lavishly!"

Yue Yue asked puzzled, "How do you spend lavishly?"

Sun Yunpeng made a mischievous face, "How to spend? My goodness, there are actually people who don't know how to spend money. I'll tell you how to spend, buy steamed buns, buy two, eat one and throw one away, that's how you do it!"

Yue Yue scoffed, "You're not very good at spending, even after I make big money, I just end it with buying a steamed bun? People buy bags, what's up with me buying a steamed bun?"

"Bag? What's inside those? Are they tasty?"

"It's not edible, what's inside!"

"If you can't eat it, what's the point of buying it?"

"Okay, okay, I'm not going to argue about this. So did I get rich and buy steamed buns?"

"Bought them."

"Did I eat one and throw one away? I'm the type that doesn't waste food."

"Yes, Mr. Yue's fame is widespread, they say when you left the Imperial Capital Zoo, all the elephants cried, and in one month they each gained twenty pounds on average."

Yue Yue hurriedly protested, "Don't believe his nonsense, I didn't snatch food from the elephants. Seriously, did I buy steamed buns or throw them away?"

"Bought and threw them away."

"Threw them away and instantly regretted it, quickly, like that, Mr. Yue dashed out. Before the bun hit the ground, with a beautiful leap, he grabbed that bun into his mouth."

Sun Yunpeng made a nostalgic face, his eyes squinting, amusing quite a few people.

"Delicious..."

"Get lost, am I a dog..."

Yue Yue pushed Sun Yunpeng, and then the two laughed as they thanked the audience.

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