Belarusians regard salt and bread as the most important gifts to welcome guests. They have a different emotion for salt.
After removing its ceremonial value and starting mass production of salt, the long-term policy of "five grams of salt per person per day" was immediately terminated because everyone can eat enough salt.
Starting in the afternoon, refined salt began to be used for pickling fish meat. The salt was first supplied to the Catfish Village, followed by the Blacksmith Village. At this point, no one has to worry about the mountains of catches that will spoil because they cannot be salted quickly.
Many hemp ropes are tied between the tree trunks, and fish are often hung on them.
Some fish are smoked and dried and then collected and hung in warehouses, while others are simply air-dried.
According to the kneeling, part of the catch income of the collective farms is delivered to the troops, and the other part is freely distributed by the village Soviets. Fish is a supplementary food, and it is no longer included in the statistical scope of residents' food rations. For tens of thousands of ordinary people, they hold
The delicious fish meat is kneaded with exquisite salt in the factory, smoked, grilled and processed, and then placed at your doorstep. Dried fish meat is one of the winter foods for everyone.
In addition to fish, various working groups on the farm also dug up some wild vegetables and mushrooms. The wild vegetables were dried or pickled for storage, and the mushrooms were sliced and dried in the sun.
Every household has some physical reserves. A pure rationing system does not exist at the moment. If the subjective initiative of civilians can be mobilized so that they can find food reserves in distant forests, then in the coldest period, the guerrilla republic can
The logistical pressure has been alleviated because residents have more or less food surplus at home.
Besides, every family has a surplus of food and a sense of security. This sense of security objectively greatly stabilizes the people's hearts.
The fish harvest has been bumper and salt production has begun again. Shouldn't we celebrate?
In order to celebrate the extravagance and waste of the whole people, it is not advisable, but it is really reasonable for more than ten people in high positions to gather together to drink.
At night, Yang Mingzhi left a message to people like Yevlov and Salinchkin: "We should celebrate our victory. Tomorrow at noon, let's have a private chat in the No. 2 cafeteria. Be careful, don't drink too much."
Yang Mingzhi was happy and decided to cook a banquet to celebrate.
He is not a professional chef, but just a lot of people who can cook some home-cooked meals. Although there will be more and more affordable men in China in the future, in the Soviet Union, things like cooking are still the province of Soviet women.
Work, it's almost an obligation.
But when it comes to cooking, the home-cooked dishes Yang Mingzhi knows are also delicious here.
"Sir, I'm glad I can leave the hospital temporarily. But I'm actually working as a cook in the cafeteria..."
"What? Not happy? Listen, you have to eat with us at noon. You have to be serious in order for the food to be delicious."
"But why did you choose me? Besica is obviously pregnant, and you asked her to be the cook."
"I don't worry about you two at the moment. Natasha, you must be careful when cutting potatoes. Cut the potatoes into shreds and wash them with water. Be sure to wash away the turbid matter."
"As ordered! Comrade Commander."
In order to prepare this meal, Yang Mingzhi called two cooks, one was his wife and the other was Natasha.
After ten days of conditioning, Natasha's internal injuries have basically recovered, and her current physical condition is completely fine for participating in military training. Due to long-term combat, she returned exhausted and lost a lot of weight. She has eaten well in the past ten days.
, now this girl’s little face is a little chubby.
For a sumptuous meal, the preliminary preparation has to be complicated. Yang Mingzhi just wants to make a classic meal using existing common ingredients, so he must make more tricks.
Natasha had eaten a lot of her own and her wife's small dishes, and sometimes helped cook them herself. Compared to ordinary Slavic women, Natasha was a very good cook.
Natasha cuts potatoes because she is going to make spicy and sour potato shreds.
My wife, who is full of belly, is cutting newly harvested carrots to make a steamed dish.
In addition to boiling, baking and frying, supplemented by sauerkraut, the traditional diet of Belarusians is unparalleled. Stir-frying and steaming are really novel to them.
Yang Mingzhi vowed to make a "luxury Chinese meal" based on the eight dishes and one soup model.
Canned sauerkraut stewed catfish, this is soup.
Six hot dishes: hot and sour shredded potatoes, canned beef stir-fried with cabbage, canned beef stir-fried Agaricus bisporus, tomato scrambled egg, steamed carrot shreds, steamed sea bass
Two cold dishes: shredded onions mixed with dandelions and pickled cucumbers.
Because the locals are used to sharing meals, they have prepared many dishes.
The key staple food is full of Chinese characteristics - noodles.
This is no longer noodles cooked in soup, but hand-made noodles. The marinade used for the noodles is to mix a large reserve of canned beef and canned sauerkraut, and then mix in chopped pickles, onions, and Jerusalem artichokes.
"Maybe they won't like noodles so much and would rather stick to brown bread."
The meal was finally ready, because they borrowed the kitchen of the canteen. While preparing lunch for the soldiers, the chefs couldn't help but want to see what tricks the commander who cooked by himself was doing. They saw the commander using steam to cook a dish.
Fish, and saw the commander cooking vegetables on a coal stove. I saw a small iron pan in his left hand, a wooden spatula in his right hand, chopped cabbage being flipped wildly, and a strange fragrance wafted in the air.
Many people have never seen this kind of scene, and they are so amazed that they are so salivating that they delay their work.
Gorgeous cooking brings luxurious dining enjoyment, and the elegant dining hall is everyone's "drinking sanctuary" in the past. It is a perfect place to hold a banquet.
"They haven't come yet, we have to wait until they arrive before touching the tableware." Yang Mingzhi looked at the masterpiece and wiped his sweat proudly.
He suddenly saw Natasha's slender right hand, holding a pair of chopsticks, skillfully picking up some shredded potatoes and putting it into his mouth.
"Hey! Natasha, we can only eat after the guests have arrived and everyone has had their first glass of wine."
"Ah, I'm sorry, I just...I can't control it."
"What a greedy little cat." This scene is a bit heartwarming. Look at his wife's calm sitting posture. In comparison, Natasha looks like a seven or eight-year-old child. "Tell me, how do you feel?"
"It's delicious! I've never eaten anything like this. It's so crispy that it's not like potatoes."
"So I let you scrub as hard as you can. Well, like your sister Bessika, we sit quietly and wait for them to arrive."
Dining in groups is a good way to enhance friendship. Yang Mingzhi estimated that he would have to drink a few drinks this time. Maybe Natasha would be infected by the atmosphere and have to drink a few large glasses of vodka in front of many senior officers.
Show off your own unique heroic demeanor.
The people who are supposed to come are arriving one after another. There are not many people at this banquet, but everyone is the most important person in the guerrilla republic. They are the so-called "Big Three" of the military command, and Salinchkin, who is responsible for internal affairs operations.
and Liu Debalev. Plus the two female soldiers, there are seven people in total.
The woman who was cooking did not come to the table to eat. At this moment, Yang Mingzhi suddenly felt that this feudal behavior was not unreasonable. The visitors were all old men who were good at drinking, and they were all capable of wrestling with a brown bear.
Look at Yevlov who pushed open the door and walked in. The first thing he saw was not the dazzling array of delicacies on the table, but the ten bottles of vodka.
"Oh, my dear friend, I love drinking so much! You really understand my thoughts. This time we will get drunk before we stop."
"Forget it, if Comrade Deputy Commander is drunk, who will supervise the training of the new recruits?" Fuming, who followed closely, pushed him forward and was shocked by the table battle. "Ah! Comrade Commander, this is
Is it the result of your whole morning? Could it be... could it be too extravagant! Are we very rich?"
In his surprise, Yang Mingzhi felt a hint of displeasure.
When everyone is done, look at the surprised expressions on everyone's face, or they are attracted by strong drinks, or their minds are penetrated by the aroma of nothing. They are like a pack of hungry wolves, hoping to have a good meal.
Salinchkin was already a mouthful, and the most delicious thing he had eaten since entering the swamp was the noodle soup made several times by Yang Mingzhi.
"Comrade Commander, it's hard to imagine that you are actually an excellent cook. We must have used a lot of ingredients to prepare this meal. I suddenly feel that while we are eating and drinking here, the soldiers are still eating bread and potatoes. Now
But I added a lot of fish. I suddenly felt guilty."
"You mean luxury? Haha!" Yang Mingzhi pointed at a dish at random, "Look, what are these white and red strips?"
"Here...I can see there are some onions on the strips."
"That's a carrot, which Bessika cut into shreds herself. I sprinkled some flour on the shredded carrots and heated them with steam. I'm afraid this is the first time you've seen this cooking method, so please take a look at this plate of fish.
."
Salinchkin could tell that it was a large bass, and its back with the most bones had been cut twice.
"This is also heated by water vapor?"
"Yes! In distant China, we don't bake bread, we heat the dough with water steam to mature it. And what you see now is called steamed fish."
"Oh, it's so amazing! Westerners use water vapor to drive instruments, and Easterners actually use water vapor to process food."
In order to dispel his and other people's concerns, Yang Mingzhi simply introduced them one by one.
This meal does not contain any precious ingredients. It is commonly eaten by soldiers and civilians. It just uses some special cooking methods. Of course, Yang Mingzhi also had to consider the local people's meal-sharing habits, and put all the ingredients on each plate.
A shared spoon.
"It's amazing. Congratulations, Comrade Commander, you have successfully aroused my appetite. I have long been accustomed to a life of eating bread to satisfy my hunger. I have become accustomed to it as I endure it. I really didn't expect..."
"Haha, I can understand your praise. You should also praise Besica and Natasha, they have contributed a lot."
"That's right!" Salinch quickly poured vodka into his own glass and raised his glass: "Here's to you, brave girls. Especially you, Comrade Speroskina, congratulations on becoming the best female sniper in the league.
hand."
Natasha was familiar with how important Salinchkin was, and she stood up suddenly. Although the beloved commander had reminded her that there was no need to be cautious about this commissioner, her heart was beating wildly after all. "Then.
..That's what I should do! I...I will continue to make meritorious deeds."
"Haha, Comrade Commissioner, you scared her."
Seeing Natasha's performance, Yang Mingzhi thought of the first time he met Salinchkin. After all, this middle-aged man came from Moscow or was sent by Stalin himself. Who knows what kind of person this man is, and the result
After drinking a lot of wine, Yang Mingzhi realized that besides being loyal to Stalin, this guy was also an ambitious person like himself, and even just the same person.
After Yang Mingzhi pulled Natasha back to her seat, he simply picked up a bottle of vodka: "It's time to eat. Before eating, let's drink a toast!"
Everyone stood up and raised their glasses, except for the pregnant Yang Guo, whose glass was filled with cold water.
Yang Mingzhi said in a rich voice: "Salute to the people's heroes."
This time, Salinchkin's taste buds were greatly satisfied. The most common ingredients were now transformed into magic.
He also noticed that not everyone eats with a knife and fork. The commander and his wife came from the far east, and the Chinese eat with two sticks. Salinchkin still has this common sense. But Natasha, this child
She became more skillful in operating the wooden stick, and the wooden stick was clearly an extension of her fingers.
Salinchkin paid special attention to Natasha's handling of the chopsticks and saw her holding a small piece of mushroom from her dinner plate. This scene actually reminded him of the tweezers used by military doctors to remove shrapnel from the wounds of the wounded.
And when he served himself a bowl of braised noodles, which is said to be "one of the important staple foods in northern China", he found that using the iron fork of Western-style tableware, he could easily put the chewy noodles into his mouth.
inside.
This was Salinchkin's first time eating noodles. He ate the noodles with a fork, but he still ate it with gusto. The texture and taste were full of oriental charm.
He finished the bowl of noodles very quickly and couldn't help but let out an embarrassing burp.
"Haha! It seems that you are almost full? That's not possible. There are still many dishes and we still have to drink!" Yang Mingzhi said jokingly.
"Chinese food is really delicious, and vodka is better than ours." Picking up the wine glass, Salinchkin smiled and said: "Comrade Commander, you have changed some of the local people's lifestyles here. Look at our hero Speros
Comrade Jin Na, her ability to manipulate wooden sticks is getting better and better."
"I have also been changed! Civilization requires communication, especially when it comes to eating, it is the easiest to communicate. I think Chinese food has incorporated Belarusian elements here, and in the same way, Belarusian food has also absorbed
Elements of Chinese food. Just like the famous red cabbage soup, it is Slavic Chinese food."
"Red cabbage soup? If we can harvest a lot of tomatoes, we can now cook it widely. I'm afraid there is only red cabbage soup and bread, which is loved by the whole alliance. Berekov, now you are becoming more and more like us."
"
Is this a compliment?
Yang Mingzhi poured himself a glass of wine: "There are hundreds of ethnic groups in the Soviet Union, and we all strive for the same dream. We are all comrades, and there are many of our comrades in the world. What we strive for is not just to win the world."
The Great War, and when we capture Berlin, the fighting will continue."
"The battle will continue... Well, that's good. As Lenin's successors, we will continue to fight. Maybe I won't see the day of great victory. I believe that our children will continue to fight for the great cause of all mankind.
, Victory belongs to us!" Salinchkin stood up. He is an energetic warrior. Even though he is over fifty years old, he has never wavered in his ideals. "Cheers! Salute to Lenin, well, and young Lenin.
.."
Two girls, even if they don't want to drink, must at least drink a glass of water.
But what Natasha was holding was vodka, and she instantly understood that "young Lenin" was referring to herself.
At this moment, she felt that Salinchkin was no longer talking to her as a senior official, but like an elder, full of infinite hope for her.
"Cheers!" Natasha drank a glass of strong wine in one gulp. She resisted the burning sensation in her throat to show her strength.
They are women after all!
After three drinks and five dishes, Yang Mingzhi felt a strong sense of familiarity. It was really time to talk nonsense after dinner.
"Brother, don't drink too much. Look, Natasha is about to faint."
"Then...then help her back. I'm happy today, even though..." Before he could finish his words, Yang Mingzhi drank another drink for himself.
"They two should leave quickly! Natasha drank half a bottle of wine. She can't drink well. She must rest." Salinchkin hurriedly urged: "I think we need to find someone to help her away."
"Really? Natasha is strong, she can leave on her own."
"Forget it. Comrade Commander, you have drank a lot. Pay attention to your wife. Do you expect your pregnant wife to carry Natasha smoothly? You and your wife will go to Moscow soon. If Bessie
There was an accident in the card, and I...I can't be blamed for it."
"Okay... okay. Beautiful Moscow, it's such a big stage there. Guards... guards!"
The two soldiers standing guard at the door immediately entered the room. Yang Mingzhi said confusedly: "You... you help Natasha to the hospital and her ward. Remember, if something goes wrong, you... you all go down the well to dig salt."
Mine. Go quickly!"
Although Yevlov was drunk, he was still unconscious. After drinking, Salinchkin let it slip that his close comrade-in-arms was going to Moscow. He didn't ask any more questions. In principle,
My old friend should not have stayed in the swamp. He was the one who disobeyed orders and insisted on staying in the swamp to direct the guerrilla war. It was simply because he fought well in the war, and his superiors finally approved it and felt that it would be good to have him continue to fight guerrillas.
Now, if the superior transfers him, is there any reason for rejection?
In fact, everything is not even within his control, and he must obey all orders.
Yevlov had long been mentally prepared to lose his close comrades, and it seemed that the time had finally arrived.
He did not withdraw from the topic. When the words came out of Salinchkin's mouth, the matter must have been confirmed. In the name of happiness, he held a bottle of wine and blew on the bottle, and finally became the first person to drink the wine.
He was taken to the hospital directly by the guards to sober up...(To be continued)