Chapter 132: Their Blissful Time Together-Starlight Shines on the Peninsula(A traveler in a green robe wanders through misty mountains veiled in rain.)

"Alright, I've taught you step-by-step how to mince the ginger, garlic, garlic sprouts, and beef. Krystal, have you got it down now?"

Releasing Krystal Jung's hands, Chen Zhe shook his own with a rather exhausted expression. To prevent Krystal from accidentally cutting herself, Chen Zhe had not dared to let go of her hands throughout the entire lesson.

Having kept his nerves taut from start to finish without a single moment of relaxation, he had not only guided her in mincing the ginger, garlic, and garlic sprouts during the lesson, but had even cut off a piece of the thawed beef himself and chopped it into minced meat.

Of course, Chen Zhe hadn't forgotten the other essential ingredients for Mapo Tofu: Pixian broad bean paste and fermented black soybeans. These were already prepared beforehand by Bai Fan, saving Chen Zhe the extra step of chopping the fermented soybeans.

Picking up a napkin from the side, Chen Zhe wiped away the beads of sweat overflowing on his forehead, even though the air conditioning had been running ever since they stepped inside.

However, pressing close against Krystal's body and maintaining a state of intense, unwavering concentration the entire time out of fear that she might accidentally cut herself or her fingers left Chen Zhe physically and mentally exhausted.

"Mm, I've pretty much mastered how to mince all these ingredients."

Having seemingly grown accustomed to the intimate contact with Chen Zhe over the long period of mincing ingredients, the blush on Krystal's face had faded significantly, no longer looking as crimson as it did at the beginning.

Recalling the various culinary tips Chen Zhe had just explained to her along with the key points of knife skills, Krystal nodded gently to indicate that she pretty much understood how to cut vegetables now.

"Great! Since you've mastered it, Krystal, let's move on to the final step: making the Mapo Tofu. But before that, we need to prepare its soulmate."

Hearing Krystal say she had mastered it, Chen Zhe let out a deep breath, feeling immensely pleased that his hard work hadn't been in vain.

With a joyful smile, he clapped his hands lightly. Now that the introductory lesson for Krystal was complete, they could proceed with the official cooking of Mapo Tofu, though he still needed to prepare something to go with it first.

"The soulmate of Mapo Tofu? What on earth is that? Is it like coffee and coffee mate? Do you really have to add something like that to Mapo Tofu?"

Chen Zhe's mention of Mapo Tofu's soulmate instantly piqued Krystal's curiosity. She had only ever heard of coffee mate and had never imagined that Mapo Tofu would have a soulmate as well.

She hurried over to Chen Zhe's side, fixing her curious gaze intently on him as if urging him to explain immediately what this soulmate of Mapo Tofu could be.

"The soulmate of Mapo Tofu? Well, that has to be white rice, of course. Eating Mapo Tofu without white rice is like eating instant noodles without the seasoning packet—it loses its soul."

Although Mapo Tofu could be paired with many other staple foods, for Chen Zhe, Mapo Tofu and white rice were the ultimate match. Without white rice to accompany it, the dish lost its soul in his eyes.

"So it's just white rice! I thought the soulmate of Mapo Tofu was going to be something magical!"

Pouting slightly with her cheeks puffed out like a steamed bun, Krystal expressed her utter disappointment and dissatisfaction with Chen Zhe's answer.

And for causing a fair maiden's expectations to fall through, Krystal decided she must severely reprimand him.

"You shouldn't underestimate white rice paired with Mapo Tofu. The chemical reaction when these two collide is definitely beyond your imagination. You'll understand once you eat it later."

Wagging his finger gently at Krystal, Chen Zhe opened a cabinet, scooped a measuring cup of Northeast short-grain rice from the storage bucket inside, and got to work.

As he extolled the virtues of rice paired with Mapo Tofu to Krystal, he turned on the faucet and swiftly washed the rice with flying speed.

After rinsing it twice, Chen Zhe drained the washing water, added an appropriate amount of clean water, placed the rice cooker inner pot back into the appliance, closed the lid, and set the timer before letting out a relaxed sigh.

"Well then, why aren't you making the Mapo Tofu already? Otherwise, the rice will be done before you even finish cooking it, and besides, I'm waiting to learn how you make it."

Just as Chen Zhe reached for a tissue to wipe the sweat from his brow, a napkin gently made contact with his forehead, softly blotting away the sweat droplets.

Along with the tissue came a familiar, unique fragrance that belonged to Chen Zhe, making him twitch his nose and sniff softly to confirm the person standing before him.

The person standing right in front of him was none other than Krystal, who had just been pouting a moment before. At this moment, her earnest and serious expression was mixed with a few traces of hard-to-detect tenderness as she stood on tiptoe to wipe the sweat from Chen Zhe's forehead.

——————Serious Cooking Time——————

Placing the wok on the gas stove, Chen Zhe turned the knob to ignite the flame, heating up the wok to prepare for the next step.

Once the wok was hot, Chen Zhe first added the minced beef and a small amount of peanut oil, stirring until fragrant. During this process, he drizzled in some cooking wine, continuing to stir-fry until fragrant and slightly crisp.

When the minced beef was nearly done, Chen Zhe added the broad bean paste and fermented black soybeans, stir-frying until fragrant. Then, he tossed in the minced scallions, ginger, and garlic to continue releasing their aromas, followed by chili powder for color.

Finally, he poured in the broth, white pepper powder, sugar, chicken powder, tofu, and soy sauce. Turning the heat to high to bring it to a boil, he then lowered it to a simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.

Towards the end, he gradually added the previously prepared water starch in three batches. Just before scooping it out of the wok, Chen Zhe sprinkled in a handful of chopped garlic sprouts and a bit more pepper powder, then plated the dish.

While Chen Zhe was busy cooking the Mapo Tofu, the rice had finished steaming. Seeing that Chen Zhe had plated the Mapo Tofu, Krystal retrieved two pairs of chopsticks, a soup spoon, and two bowls from the spot where Chen Zhe had gotten the cutlery earlier.

Quickly dishing out the bowls of rice and inhaling the subtle, fragrant aroma emanating from the freshly cooked Northeast rice, Krystal involuntarily swallowed her saliva, suddenly feeling a strong wave of hunger.

"Here, try this. It is seriously amazing, though it's a little spicy."

Taking the bowl of rice from Krystal's hands, Chen Zhe first scooped a spoonful of Mapo Tofu laden with minced meat and tofu, poured it over the rice, and then lifted a spoonful up, holding it out to Krystal's lips as she was about to speak. He gestured for her to open her mouth and take a bite to properly savor the flavor.