HLM – Chapter 135 Appetizer

Lunch was prepared by Kobe, but Wang Bo also showed off his skills. He knew that Bartier Jr. had anorexia, so he made two appetizing dishes from his hometown: one was crispy pickled cucumbers, and the other was spicy cabbage steamed lamb.

It’s common for children to have poor appetites. Wang Bo himself had a weak appetite during his childhood and didn’t eat properly even through middle school. His mother often made him appetite-boosting side dishes. Pickled cucumbers were the most common, while spicy cabbage steamed lamb was a luxury—he was lucky to get some steamed pork at best.

Wang Bo started with the crispy cucumbers. Although this dish could be found everywhere in Huaxia, his method was different—much more complicated, even more so than the spicy cabbage steamed lamb.

First, he cut the cucumbers into strips about the length and thickness of a boy’s finger, chopped chili peppers into bits, and placed them on a plate with salt, covering the plate with plastic wrap.

On top of the wrap, he placed a heavy object to press the cucumbers and draw out the water without letting them soak in brine and turn overly salty.

Finding nothing suitable in the kitchen, Wang Bo went straight to the secret room and fetched a silver ingot. It was big and, besides, silver has antibacterial properties.

Kobe was busy making honey-glazed chicken wings nearby. He glanced back and noticed the silver ingot pressing the plate but didn’t overthink it—he just assumed it was a stainless steel block.

With the cucumbers being pressed, Wang Bo began preparing the spicy cabbage steamed lamb. He minced the lamb into a fine mash. Every five or six minutes, he poured out the salty water from the cucumber plate, repeating this three to four times until the cucumbers turned limp.

Next, the cucumbers were hung near a drafty window to air-dry. When the skin was fully dry, the cucumbers became completely limp.

During the drying period, Wang Bo started heating peanut oil on low heat, adding spices like star anise, peppercorns, and dried tangerine peel—all of which he had brought from home in quantities enough to last a year.

Once the spices were fragrant, he added dried chili and garlic cloves, then quickly poured in soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar. Timing was critical—too long and the chili or garlic would burn.

After a quick stir-fry, he added sweet bean sauce and turned up the heat. This was the sauce base, crucial to the flavor of the cucumbers.

The aroma was incredible. Kobe sniffed the air and turned around to praise him, “Smells fantastic.”

Zhuang Ding poked his furry head in through the door, drooling like a faucet. His glowing green eyes were full of longing.

While making the sauce, Wang Bo had to keep adjusting the soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar ratio. Once the sweet bean paste dissolved completely, he turned off the heat, chilled the mixture in the fridge, and added the wilted cucumbers to marinate.

Only then was this appetizer finally complete. Technically, it was a cold dish, but the complexity was extraordinary.

The spicy cabbage steamed lamb, on the other hand, was simpler. Wang Bo’s hometown used a kind of spicy cabbage different from Korean kimchi—it was just cabbage sprinkled with chili paste.

He mixed the minced lamb with the spicy cabbage, added some vinegar and sesame oil, and put it into a steamer.

With the cucumbers marinating and the lamb steaming, Wang Bo had some free time. He took Zhuang Ding out to sit under the shade of a large tree by the castle gate. Not to be outdone, the commander quickly flew over and perched on his shoulder.

Soon, Bartier Jr. came over. The boy stared curiously at Zhuang Ding and the bird, eyes wide with wonder.

Wang Bo gestured for him to sit and said, “Come on over, my dog is very gentle. He doesn’t bite.”

Bartier Jr. sat beside Zhuang Ding. The big dog placed his head on Wang Bo’s lap, asking for a neck scratch. When Wang Bo paused, the dog immediately nudged his hand with a paw, demanding more.

Wang Bo sighed and asked while scratching, “Do you like dogs?”

Bartier Jr. was silent for a moment before slowly replying, “I like friends. I want a friend who won’t look down on me.”

Wang Bo nudged Zhuang Ding toward him and said, “Go ahead and scratch his neck—gently. My Zhuang Ding is very obedient. To him, all things are equal… except for food.”

Zhuang Ding wasn’t too happy, but under Wang Bo’s glare, he reluctantly lay down and accepted the boy’s scratching.

Wang Bo slowly sipped a bottle of beer and squinted at the grassland down the mountain.

“The southern terrain is vast and deep, and the northern sky pillars are far and high”—as he sat halfway up the mountain and looked down, the feeling was strikingly similar.

Soon, Bartier came over. The boy excitedly showed him his new friend, Zhuang Ding. Wang Bo said, “Zhuang Ding, say hello. Don’t look so gloomy.”

Zhuang Ding weakly lifted a paw and waved. At that moment, he looked even more dispirited than the boy.

Bartier chuckled and patted his son’s head. “How about getting a dog like this when we go home?”

The boy shook his head sadly, “No, Dad. I can’t walk a dog… it would suffer.”

Bartier looked at Zhuang Ding, his eyes full of undisguised envy.

He had seen Zhuang Ding’s performance at the ranch. If there were such a thing as a genius dog, this sturdy fellow was definitely it.

After resting for over half an hour, Zhuang Ding’s ears perked up. He stood and looked expectantly at Wang Bo.

Bartier Jr. noticed and asked, puzzled, “What’s going on?”

Wang Bo replied, “Time to eat.”

Bartier Jr.’s eyes lit up in surprise. “Zhuang Ding can tell time?”

“Nope,” Wang Bo laughed. “Kobe’s calling us, but we can’t hear it. Zhuang Ding can. He’s especially sensitive to words like ‘eat.’”

Sure enough, when they returned to the main castle’s dining room, the table was already set. Little Hani was staring at the food, drooling.

The castle was full of carnivores. Wang Bo and the others loved meat, and the ranch provided all kinds of high-quality meat. With Kobe’s cooking skills, the group of foodies got especially excited come mealtime.

But Bartier Jr. looked impatient. He had anorexia, and Bartier always forced him to eat. So while mealtime was the best time of day for Hani and the others, it was torture for him.

Wang Bo ladled out a bowl of the spicy cabbage steamed lamb. The minced meat and cabbage were soft and tender, with green scallions and red chili paste sprinkled on top—very appetizing.

He told Bartier Jr. it was specially made to whet his appetite. The boy politely thanked him and, with some difficulty, brought a small bite to his mouth.

Watching the well-mannered and courteous Bartier Jr., Wang Bo turned to little Hani with a face full of exasperation. “Kid, can you stop snatching food? There’s plenty of lamb chops—slow down.”

Little Hani retorted confidently, “Boss, you don’t get it. If I eat slowly, I don’t feel anything. This is a ‘stomach climax’—filling my belly as fast as possible feels amazing… Sh*t! Bowen, don’t steal my chicken leg!”

Wang Bo awkwardly glanced at Bartier and said, “Sorry, buddy. We’re a bit too wild sometimes.”

But Bartier, napkin on his lap, looked at Little Hani with envy and smiled, “No need to apologize. Honestly, I wish my son could eat like that too.”