The illegal hunting or killing of precious and endangered wild animals under special state protection, or the illegal acquisition, transportation, or sale of such animals and their products, shall be punished with a fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention, in addition to a fine. If the circumstances are serious, the punishment shall be a fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years and not more than ten years, in addition to a fine. If the circumstances are especially serious, the punishment shall be a fixed-term imprisonment of not less than ten years, in addition to a fine or the confiscation of property.
The next morning, Shen Yibin's eyes snapped open before his alarm even went off. He couldn't help it. For some godforsaken reason, he'd gone online before bed to look up the consequences he'd face if Hah'Er was discovered. As a result, he'd spent the entire night dreaming of police officers breaking down his door to arrest him, followed by being thrown in prison to the scorn of the entire nation.
'Sigh, another day has passed. Of the three days the Future Pet Shop gave me, only a day and a half is left. If I can't raise its affinity to over 80 before tomorrow afternoon, everything in my dream might just become reality, won't it?'
'Can't sleep in anymore!' Shen Yibin shot up in bed. 'I have to hurry up and practice my cooking!' Just as he was about to jump out of bed, he heard Hah'Er stir on the small bed next to his, seemingly woken by the noise. Shen Yibin immediately softened his movements, got dressed, and tiptoed out of the bedroom.
To let Hah'Er sleep a little longer, Shen Yibin went straight to the downstairs bathroom to wash up before returning to the second floor to make breakfast. 'I'll make preserved egg and lean pork congee again today!' He closed his eyes, carefully recalling the key points Hah'Er had guided him on yesterday, and then began to cook.
When the congee pot started to GURGLE and a rich aroma filled the air, Hah'Er awoke from his slumber. He groggily followed the scent into the kitchen.
"Hmm! Hmm!" The moment Hah'Er caught the scent of food, he instantly perked up. He rubbed his eyes and dove into the bathroom to wash his face, paws, and brush his teeth. By the time Shen Yibin had set the food on the table, Hah'Er emerged, all cleaned up.
"How is it? Any better than yesterday?" For the sake of his freedom and to keep Hah'Er by his side in the future, Shen Yibin hadn't dared to be the slightest bit careless while cooking today.
"Mmm~hmm!" Hah'Er still seemed a little groggy from sleep, but judging by his expression, he quite liked the meal Shen Yibin had prepared. It meant that all the trouble of getting up at the crack of dawn, meticulously consulting a cookbook, and timing the heat with a stopwatch hadn't been for nothing.
Hah'Er lapped up the entire, massive bowl of congee. Seeing his satisfied expression after eating his fill, Shen Yibin felt his fighting spirit rekindle! 'There's still a day and a half left. I have to seize every minute and every second!'
According to his original plan, he would have opened the shop for business right after breakfast. But right now, dealing with Hah'Er's situation was the priority. Shen Yibin cleaned up the kitchen, took Hah'Er downstairs, and pulled some pet food from the storeroom, pouring it into a basket. He patted Hah'Er's head and said, "I have to go out to buy groceries now. You help me feed the others first, I'll be back soon!"
A good dish requires not only superb cooking skills but also the right choice of ingredients. The vegetables and meat from yesterday were bought at a supermarket. They might have been fresh, but they were far from the best quality. So today, he planned to travel a bit farther to a large wholesale market to pick out something better. He'd even spent a good part of the previous night on his phone, researching how to select ingredients.
"Mmm~ Mmm~" But Hah'Er couldn't bear to see him go. He hugged Shen Yibin's leg and refused to let go, no matter what. It seemed that being cooped up in the bedroom yesterday had scared him a little, and he really didn't want to be so lonely again today.
"Be good! I'm going out to buy food for you. Look, the fridge is out of meat and vegetables. You don't want to go without twice-cooked pork for lunch, do you?" 'Good thing this little guy isn't like his brethren and only eats bamboo, or else I would have no idea where to buy fresh, tasty bamboo. Twice-cooked pork may be hard to make, but it's a lot easier than finding bamboo.'
"Look, even if I'm gone, you'll still have them to play with, right? You can let them out to play with you later, okay?" After a great deal of coaxing, Hah'Er reluctantly released his paws. He shuffled after Shen Yibin and only retracted his gaze after watching him raise the rolling shutter and slip outside.
'Damn, that was heartbreaking to watch. It's almost as bad as our farewell dinner after college graduation!' Shen Yibin felt his own eyes getting a little misty. He wiped them, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the largest market in Yunzhong City.
Once at the market, Shen Yibin didn't start shopping right away. Instead, he stood by the entrance, watching the customers who looked like chefs. After waiting for a long time, he finally picked a suitable target and followed a chef with a Sichuan accent into the market. 'The information I found online is a bit unreliable. It's better to consult a professional.'
"Brother, have some water." In front of a meat stall, Shen Yibin enthusiastically offered a bottle of mineral water. He and the chef had just passed three stalls in a row, so they were somewhat familiar with each other's faces. The chef hesitated for a moment before accepting Shen Yibin's kind gesture. Seeing this, Shen Yibin relaxed. "Brother, what kind of pork do you think is best for twice-cooked pork?"
"You run a restaurant too, brother?" The chef was the type who warmed up to strangers quickly.
"No, my girlfriend is from Sichuan. She just came to Yunzhong recently and keeps complaining that the twice-cooked pork around here isn't authentic, so I figured I'd try making it myself!" 'Damn it, Hah'Er's a boy! I'm not gay!'
"Haha, so you're a 'pa'erduo'!" (a Sichuan dialect term for a henpecked husband) the chef exclaimed, a look of shared suffering on his face. He enthusiastically began to explain, "When it comes to the most suitable pork for twice-cooked pork, it has to be the native Chenghua pig from our Sichuan. Chenghua pigs are all black, with square heads, thick necks, short legs, broad backs, and big butts. Twice-cooked pork, as the name implies, has to be cooked twice. This requires the meat not to be too lean, otherwise, it might get tougher and tougher during the second stir-frying. But Chenghua pork is very fatty, with high intramuscular fat content, which is why it makes for soft and delicious twice-cooked pork."
"But this kind of pork isn't common in Yunzhong. You're lucky you ran into me. If you asked anyone else, they'd never be able to find it!" The chef was especially cheerful when talking about his area of expertise and even offered to take Shen Yibin to his regular supplier to buy some. "Don't be fooled by how big this market is. There's only one place that sells Chenghua pork..."
With the chef's help, Shen Yibin finally managed to buy the right pork, broad bean paste, and chili peppers. After exchanging contact information with the chef, Fan Bao, Shen Yibin headed back, laden with bags. 'Whether or not I succeed all comes down to this!'