Chapter 1685
The More They Talk, the More Heartbreaking It Becomes
After everyone finished laughing, Ma Guoqiang said to Wang Andao with a hint of jealousy:
"Xiao An, you're scared if your brother Wu and your older sister quit their jobs, but what if your brother Liang and I quit? Would you be scared too?"
Before Ma Guoqiang could finish speaking, Wang An interrupted him with a look of delight:
"Brother Qiang, you and Brother Liang are quitting your jobs? Really? Oh my god, that's great!! Let me tell you, Brother Qiang, the jobs you and Brother Liang have are a complete waste of your life, I'm telling you."
After a pause, Wang An said with an air of seriousness:
"You two, Liang and I, are so young and already thinking about retirement. Don't you feel like you're wasting your precious lives? I wholeheartedly applaud your decisive decision to resign."
This time, before Wang An could finish speaking, Ma Guoqiang interrupted him directly:
"Stop, stop, stop. What? You mean we quit? Who told you we were quitting?"
"Huh? No." Wang An looked completely bewildered, his eyes widening before he finally spoke:
"Didn't you tell me that you and Brother Liang are going to resign and then ask for my opinion?"
Ma Guoqiang said in an annoyed tone:
"Get the hell out of here! Who asked for your opinion? You didn't even let me finish speaking before you started babbling on. I'm asking you, are you scared if we both quit our jobs? Oh well, never mind. You don't seem scared at all."
As soon as Ma Guoqiang finished speaking, everyone burst into laughter.
The main issue is Wang An's recent remarks, which clearly show that he is not only not afraid of Ma Guoqiang and He Liang resigning, but actually hopes that they will resign.
Although Wang An was interrupted before he finished speaking, his last sentence clearly indicated that he wholeheartedly supported Ma Guoqiang and He Liang's resignations.
Everyone burst into laughter, except for Wang An, who gave an awkward laugh. Then, Wang An said with a forced smile:
"Actually, Brother Qiang, the jobs you and Brother Liang have are pretty good. You just sit there all day with nothing to do, a cup of tea and a newspaper, and that's how you get by. You're guaranteed a stable income and don't have to worry about anything. If only..."
Wang An was interrupted by Ma Guoqiang once again before he could finish speaking. Ma Guoqiang said impatiently:
"Alright, shut up already. You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth. The more you talk, the more annoyed I get."
He Liang also said through gritted teeth:
"Yeah, it's really frustrating. Xiao An, you can't say anything nice. Damn it! The more you say, the more hurtful it gets. Just shut up."
Although Ma Guoqiang and He Liang worked in the archives department and the earthquake department respectively, their jobs were similar in nature; frankly, they were just coasting along.
That's right, they're just coasting along, because there's really nothing to do at their workplace every day.
Therefore, these two people were also very conflicted.
The main problem is that they are not even 30 years old yet, but they are already living a life like that of retirees. This is really hard to accept for an ambitious and idealistic young person.
Therefore, if it weren't for their elders pressuring them not to quit, they probably would have already given up long ago.
However, this situation completely reversed after the pharmaceutical factory was established, because although the two of them still didn't go to work much, they were no longer idle all day long.
Contacting pharmaceutical companies, signing contracts, collecting payments, shipping goods, and establishing partnerships with the next pharmaceutical company—in short, their lives suddenly became much more fulfilling.
But precisely because of this, their desire to resign completely and then focus on starting their own business became even stronger.
After all, working within the system doesn't bring them happiness, but making money through business gives them great satisfaction and a strong sense of accomplishment.
Even though they had earned a considerable amount of money, their families still wouldn't let them quit their jobs.
This is terrible!
Unfortunately, in the eyes of many older generations, only working for the government is respectable, while going into business is considered a crooked path. Even if you make more money in business than they could in a lifetime, they still believe that only working for the government is something to be praised.
Of course, this is also a stubborn belief held by many people. Then, Ma Guoqiang and He Liang became even more upset. Now Wang An was rubbing salt into their wounds, so it would be strange if they weren't angry.
But after the two finished speaking, Wu Dong and Wang Shuai laughed even louder.
Wang An chuckled and said in a cheeky tone:
"You two are really boring. Nothing I say will work. Look at how petty you are. Besides, I'll be coming over to keep you company for two days every week from now on. Come on, have a good laugh and give me a smile."
Ma Guoqiang and He Liang burst out laughing at Wang An's words. Ma Guoqiang nudged Wang An with his shoulder and said, half-laughing and half-crying:
"Can you shut up? Can you please stop talking?"
He Liang chimed in from the side:
"Xiao An, your mouth is too damn sharp. Your older sister should teach you a lesson."
"Hahahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter again.
With everyone's help, a portion of the frogs was quickly cleaned up. The frog oil filled half a large bowl, and the frog meat was also cut up and placed on a plate.
Wang An stood up, walked to the pot, and began cooking the forest frog.
The first dish Wang An made was braised frog in soy sauce.
Braised frog in soy sauce is a dish that doesn't require much skill; as long as the order is right, anyone can make it look pretty much the same.
Heat oil in a pot, add scallions, ginger, garlic, dried chili peppers, and Sichuan peppercorn powder and stir-fry until fragrant. Then pour in a bowl of soybean paste and fry until fragrant. Add an appropriate amount of water, then add the frog to the pot, cover and heat for more than ten minutes. The dish is then ready to serve.
Of course, if you want it to be more flavorful, it's best to simmer it for a while longer.
Anyway, this stuff tastes good as long as it's cooked.
As for braised frogs and frog stir-fried with chili peppers, the methods are no different from those for braised pork ribs and stir-fried pork with chili peppers; just make them.
The method for steaming frog oil is exactly the same as the method for steaming egg custard.
Wang An worked with lightning speed, simultaneously tending to two pots, and from the start of cooking to the finished dish, it only took him 40 minutes.
As soon as the food was cooked, everyone busied themselves setting down the table, picking up bowls, and serving the food.
With everyone working together, it only took three or four minutes for the seven people to sit around the table.
Wu Dong took a sip from his cup, then greeted everyone with a smile:
"Quickly, everyone, start eating! Thanks to Xiao An, we can have a hearty meal of hashima today. Hahaha, this guy is so hungry, his saliva is practically dripping."
As they spoke, everyone reached out with their chopsticks and picked up pieces of braised frog.
Mainly in Northeast China, people still have a special fondness for braised frog in soy sauce.
It's often said that Northeasterners can't live without soybean paste, and there's definitely some truth to that. Soybean paste has its own flavor, and fried soybean paste has an even more unique aroma.
Immediately afterwards, cheers and applause erupted from the crowd:
"Delicious, so delicious, it's so good!"
"It smells so good, it's so flavorful, it's amazing!"
"Oh my god, this food is absolutely delicious!"
"Xiao An, your cooking skills are really good. The way you made this hashima is unbeatable!"
Although they were praising it, they were eating the frogs very quickly.
Put the whole frog in your mouth, curl your tongue, and the frog meat and bones will separate automatically without much chewing.
Instantly, the wonderful sensation on your taste buds travels straight to your brain, making you instinctively reach for your chopsticks to grab a second one. (End of Chapter)