Chapter 89: Jar-Braised Pork, Cabbage Rolls (Part 2)

Today was a rare day off; otherwise, Liu Heming was usually busy working at the restaurant. He stayed a while longer in the warehouse with his daughter, spending time with Charming Girl.

His wish was simple: as long as he was with his daughter, he was happy no matter what they did.

“Hey, where did the Bear Cubs go?” Alex asked, turning around to find that the two Bear Kids had slipped out unnoticed.

“Probably they smelled the aroma of the braised meat. I don’t know how their noses are so sharp; they’re even keener than a dog’s,” Liu Heming said with a laugh, unsure if that was normal or not.

When they went outside, sure enough, the two Bear Kids were sitting right next to the small jar, unbothered by the heat, guarding it. Wisps of the savory scent wafted from the jar.

“Dexter, come here quickly. Why does this meat smell different from what you’ve made before?” Nina asked as soon as she saw them.

Even though she held some reservations about Liu Heming, she would never turn down delicious food. She had been waiting by the jar for quite a while, tantalized by the aroma.

She asked the question, but Liu Heming forgot to reply.

The weather was quite hot, and it felt even warmer near the charcoal fire. Nina was dressed rather lightly, and Liu Heming’s eyes were completely drawn to her figure.

Not getting an answer, Nina glanced at Liu Heming with a puzzled look, then down at herself, and gave him a flirtatious wink. That one glance nearly made Liu Heming lose his composure.

Pretending to be calm, he picked up his daughter and took a couple of steps forward, but his eyes couldn’t help sneaking a few peeks at Nina’s chest.

She was a little enchantress, capable of stealing a man’s soul. Her presence seemed to raise the temperature by several degrees, making Liu Heming feel flushed and restless.

“Different cooking methods naturally bring out different flavors in the ingredients. Let’s add two more pieces of charcoal to the fire. It should be ready in about an hour,” Liu Heming said seriously after a brief pause.

He had to stay focused on the cooking; otherwise, he might end up embarrassed, as he was already struggling to control his reactions.

After saying that, he didn’t linger. There were still Cabbage Rolls to prepare.

He boiled water in a pot and briefly blanched the prepared Chinese cabbage leaves to soften them, making it easier to wrap the meat filling.

It was Alex’s turn to shine again. She picked up a softened cabbage leaf from the cool water, imitated Liu Heming by scooping some meat filling onto it, and gently rolled it up.

A Cabbage Roll was successfully made by her little hands, and she was absolutely thrilled. As for Liu Heming? He had no qualms about letting his daughter help—both to get the task done and to keep her happy.

But Alex had a creative streak. At first, her Cabbage Rolls were simple rolls, but as she continued, the shapes began to vary wildly. She rolled them however she pleased, resulting in a whole plate of oddly shaped Cabbage Rolls jostling and crowding together.

“Dad, aren’t they pretty?” Alex asked proudly.

“They’re beautiful, really beautiful, and I’m sure they’ll taste even better,” Liu Heming said with a smile.

“Can we eat them now?” the little one asked.

“Not yet. The filling inside isn’t fully cooked. We need to steam them first. In the meantime, we can also cook some rice. It’ll go perfectly with the braised pork and Cabbage Rolls,” Liu Heming explained as he placed the Cabbage Rolls into the steamer.

The little girl nodded, only half understanding. She had secretly given one to the Bear Kids earlier, and they seemed to enjoy it.

The next part was all about waiting—waiting for the aroma from the small jar to grow richer and for the Cabbage Rolls in the steamer to cook through. Even Robin came over, knowing that when it came to cooking for Alex, Liu Heming would give it his all.

“Should I make any other staple food for you? Are you used to eating rice?” Liu Heming asked, looking at them.

“Dexter, I’m fine with anything,” Robin said, shrugging.

“We’re okay too. We don’t eat much,” Nina interjected before Sasha could speak, giving Liu Heming another flirtatious glance.

Liu Heming nodded with a wry smile. He placed a small trivet on the table and brought over the small jar from the charcoal fire, which was still releasing its savory fragrance.

When he lifted the lid off the jar, the rich aroma of meat instantly filled the entire restaurant. It was quite different from the scent of Braised Marinated Meat, striking Robin and the others as purer and more authentic.

Liu Heming then took the plate of Cabbage Rolls out of the steamer. To everyone’s surprise, the faint aroma that had been wafting from the steamer earlier now seemed much milder.

Liu Heming didn’t pay much attention to their reactions. He picked out a steaming piece of Jar-Braised Pork with his chopsticks and placed it on his daughter’s small plate.

The little girl eagerly picked up her fork and stabbed it into the meat. With that one poke, the entire piece split in two, releasing an even richer aroma into the room.

“Wow, it smells so good. Phew… phew…” Alex praised, then began blowing on the meat to cool it down.

The meat was so tender it fell apart. Liu Heming handed his daughter a small spoon, thinking that he should start teaching her how to use chopsticks soon. Compared to forks, he felt chopsticks were more versatile.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the little girl happily put the meat into her mouth. Her big eyes immediately squinted with delight, and she gave everyone a bright smile.

A prompt from the System appeared just then: task completion 4/6. This was within Liu Heming’s expectations, but what he really looked forward to was whether the Cabbage Rolls would satisfy his daughter’s palate. He picked out another Cabbage Roll for her—the smallest one on the plate, which she had wrapped herself.

This time, when she stabbed it with her fork, the entire Cabbage Roll lifted up. She examined it carefully for a moment before popping it into her mouth.

If the Jar-Braised Pork had pleased her, the Cabbage Rolls brought her sheer delight. First, she tasted the subtle fragrance of the cabbage, followed by the savory meat filling blending perfectly in her mouth—flavorful without being greasy.

Liu Heming pumped his fist in triumph. Others might have thought he was just happy because his daughter enjoyed the food, but his greater joy came from the System’s task completion prompt. Only one dish remained now. Once this task was finished, he could make even tastier dishes for his daughter.

You could say that before, he did it for the task, but now, it was all for his daughter.