I Awakened to a Farming TALENT

## Chapter 31: Time for Teppanyaki Pork Belly!

Early the next morning, Jiang Tingyun went straight to the market to buy pork. Good pork went fast, so she had to hurry.

Even so, by the time she got to the market, several customers were already at the stall, selecting meat.

Jiang Tingyun didn’t hold back. She grabbed several long strips of pork belly and filled her basket to the brim.

Then she went to a grocery store and bought various spices, sesame seeds, and so on, to make a dipping sauce. Today’s menu was teppanyaki pork belly.

The kitchen equipment she had was all secondhand, bought from other restaurants when they closed down. One of the items was a teppanyaki grill, which she rarely used. It was perfect for this.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the flavor from last night’s BBQ stall. She spent the whole morning experimenting with the dipping sauce.

“No, still not right. Chili powder, cumin powder, sesame oil, salt, sugar, oyster sauce, thirteen-spice powder (a traditional Chinese spice blend)… I’ve got everything.”

Jiang Tingyun muttered to herself, “I even toasted and ground the sesame seeds before adding them. What’s still missing?”

The flavor was decent, but it still wasn’t as fragrant as the BBQ stall’s from yesterday.

She paced back and forth, unable to replicate that taste.

Finally, she grabbed two onions from the kitchen, chopped them finely, and threw two handfuls into the mix.

Then she rummaged through the cabinets, found a jar of yellow soybean paste, and scooped a spoonful in.

“That’s closer, but it’s still not savory enough.” Jiang Tingyun hesitated, then added several spoonfuls of MSG, feeling a bit guilty about using it.

*Good enough. It’s got that flavor now. I’ll go with this.*

---

Before the lunch rush, Jiang Tingyun started grilling the meat.

When the large teppan grill was hot, she didn’t add oil. Instead, she rendered some fat from a piece of pork belly, then laid two thick slices of pork belly on the grill.

Fresh pork belly didn’t need marinating—it was already fragrant enough. The dipping sauce could be brushed on during grilling or used as a dip afterward.

Soon, the grill began to sizzle. The fat slowly rendered out. The two slices of meat started to tighten, their texture firming up.

“Wow, the meat I bought today is so good!”

Jiang Tingyun patiently flipped the slices until both sides turned golden brown and slightly charred, and the skin became translucent and springy.

She took a small knife, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, then drizzled a ring of high-proof liquor around the edge of the grill. *WHOOSH!* Flames leaped up, and a rich, smoky meat aroma filled the air.

*So good! What was missing? Oh right—lettuce!*

She ran to the garden, picked some lettuce, and washed it. Lettuce was very easy to grow and didn’t attract pests. In her hands, it grew big and beautiful.

When she came back with the lettuce, she found that her sect members were already happily dipping the grilled meat into the sauce and eating it.

In just five minutes, they’d devoured most of it.

“Sect Master, this meat is amazing!”

“Quick, quick, grill some more!”

“Hey! Jin Feifan, no using your hands!”

“You guys didn’t save any for me.” Jiang Tingyun was speechless.

She didn’t fuss over it. She put several more thick slices of pork belly on the grill.

As soon as the new batch was cooked, Jiang Tingyun couldn’t wait. She grabbed a piece, dipped it into the savory sauce she’d struggled to perfect, wrapped it in a lettuce leaf, and stuffed the whole thing into her mouth.

“Delicious!”

She also cracked a few cloves of garlic. One bite of garlic, one bite of meat—this was the life.

“Oh, right. What was I about to do? Oh—Xiao Zhu, take a photo and post it to the WeChat group!” Jiang Tingyun slapped her forehead in frustration. *What’s wrong with me? I lose all focus when food is involved.*

“Save some, save some—let me get a picture.”

**【Qionghua Restaurant Xiao Zhu: [photo], [photo]]**

**【Qionghua Restaurant Xiao Zhu: Today’s menu – Teppanyaki Pork Belly + Vegetable Platter. Come get it while it’s hot.]**

**【Wanzi Loves Junjun: Boss, I’m impressed! On weekdays when there’s no crowd, you sell BBQ. On weekends when it’s busy, you go all vegetarian. I swear I’m about to do a flying spin kick and slide to my knees in front of you.]**

**【Fangfang Face Not Square: I want it, want it, want it. But I have exams and don’t dare skip class. I’m so upset.]**

**【Datou Loves Meat: Oh my god, you heard my prayers? After a day of being closed, the boss finally made something I love.]**

The Qionghua Sect members happily grilled meat, piece after piece, and another piece, and another…

“Maybe we should add some rice and make fried rice…” Zhu Lili said hesitantly. At this rate, the whole basket of meat would be gone.

Jiang Tingyun’s chopsticks paused mid-air. She nodded gravely. “Good point. Let’s eat fried rice. The rest of the meat still needs to be sold.”

*Terrifying. Were all the sect members bottomless pits? Even more terrifying—she faintly felt herself heading in that direction too…*

What the Qionghua Sect members didn’t know was that a rich, meaty aroma had drifted out of the kitchen, through the courtyard, and was slowly spreading outside.

---

Lin Dajiang worked at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Today, he happened to be at Fenghuang Botanical Garden to submit some documents.

The office was far from the Fenghuang Mountain Scenic Area. By the time he finished his business, it was nearly noon. He was starting to feel hungry, so he decided to find a place to eat.

He didn’t turn on the air conditioner in his car; instead, he rolled down the window to enjoy the breeze. A rich, meaty aroma drifted in.

“So fragrant. This smells amazing.”

Lin Dajiang was captivated by the scent. Without realizing it, he followed the aroma and drove all the way to a restaurant.

“Qionghua Restaurant?”

The smell was even stronger here. His feet seemed to move on their own as he walked inside.

“Welcome.”

“Come on in. Today’s menu is teppanyaki pork belly.”

Lin Dajiang’s eyes lit up. *That’s it—the smell of grilled pork belly.*

He hadn’t had any in nearly a month. *Today, I’m eating here!*