Chapter 4 Today I'll Eat You, Wolf Tooth Potatoes

It was exactly 4 p.m.

An Fusheng and Grandma Ao arrived at the food street on time, pushing their food cart.

The food street has already set up many stalls, and the aroma of various foods mingles in the air.

The sizzling sound of hot oil frying, the clanging of spatulas against iron woks as they stir-fry food, and the enthusiastic greetings between vendors filled the air, making the small street brimming with the vibrant atmosphere of everyday life.

The two found a good spot, parked the food cart, and began preparations.

Grandma Ao carefully wiped the food cart clean.

An Fusheng installed the gas stove, iron pot, and other appliances, and then placed all the necessary ingredients in the pot.

With everything ready, An Fusheng turned on the old-fashioned mobile phone that Grandma Ao had placed on the stool. The small screen displayed a large "16:10".

Next to the snack street are Qingfeng Primary School and Beilei Kindergarten. Kindergarten dismisses at 4 pm, while primary school dismisses students in stages starting at 4 pm, with each grade dismissed every 15 minutes, starting from first grade. This is mainly to avoid too many parents picking up their children and causing congestion.

However, because there is a food street behind the school, many parents actually arrive early so they can sneak a bite at a roadside stall before picking up their children.

For many Chinese people, street food has a magical allure. People complain that it is unhygienic and unhealthy, but they cannot resist its delicious temptation. Zhang Wenwen is one of them.

Zhang Wenwen is 30 years old and a full-time mother. She usually revolves around her child and husband and has almost no life of her own. With a child at home, she has to cook bland food, which makes her, who is used to strong flavors, always feel that life is missing something.

However, she recently discovered this food street, and her life has become full of flavor again.

Zhang Wenwen looked at the food stalls along the street one by one. She had already eaten at most of them. What should she eat today?

Huh? How come the owner of that wolf-tooth potato stall has turned into a handsome young man?

"Then I'll eat you today!"

Zhang Wenwen walked up to the stall. "Handsome young man, are your wolf tooth potatoes delicious?"

Whether a dish is good or not is a matter of opinion, and An Fusheng couldn't give a definitive answer. He simply asked, "Why don't you give it a try?"

"Okay, one order then."

An Fusheng smiled and said, "Okay, please wait a moment."

Ao Daiya is in the first grade at Qingfeng Elementary School. Qingfeng Elementary School stipulates that students below the third grade must be picked up by their parents before the school will release them.

Grandma Ao went to pick up Ao Daiya, so An Fusheng was watching the stall alone.

The potato strips were already cut and washed at home, and the pot was set up just now.

An Fusheng turned on the heat directly, poured half a pot of rapeseed oil into the pot, and then turned the heat to the highest setting.

The potato strips were washed and soaked in a bucket. An Fusheng used a strainer to scoop out a small half spoonful of potato strips, tossed the strainer to drain the water, and then wiped the bottom of the strainer dry with a clean cloth to prevent the water from splattering in the oil.

Rapeseed oil needs to be cooked for a long time to remove the oily taste. When the oil in the pot starts to smoke, it means it's cooked. An Fusheng gently put the potato strips into the oil.

The oil in the pan bubbled and bubbled instantly. The potatoes and the strainer had drained all the water, so there was no need to fry them in oil. The potato strips rolled around in the golden oil.

An Fusheng gently turned the potato strips with a spoon to ensure they were fried evenly until they were cooked through, the skin gradually became wrinkled, and the edges began to turn translucent. Then he took them out.

The potato strips need to be fried twice to make them crispier.

After removing the potatoes from the oil, wait for the oil temperature to rise again, then put the potato strips back into the boiling oil for another 30 seconds. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting, and An Fusheng takes the fried potato strips out and puts them in a bowl to season.

The potato strips in the bowl are all golden brown with slightly charred edges, and they smell very fragrant and crispy.

Zhang Wenwen swallowed hard. To be honest, at first she was focused on the handsome guy's clean face and slender hands, but as she looked, her eyes got glued to the potato.

There's no way around it; when faced with delicious food, all that's left of our seven emotions and six desires is our appetite.

An Fusheng deftly added Sichuan peppercorn powder, chicken essence, oyster sauce, and other seasonings to the potatoes. He then asked Zhang Wenwen how spicy she wanted them and added dried chili powder to the bowl according to her taste. Although Grandma Ao had also brought chili oil, the wolf tooth potatoes would be more fragrant with dried chili powder.

"Do you have houttuynia cordata?" Zhang Wenwen asked.

"Let me look." An Fusheng remembered that Grandma Ao had bought some this morning, but he didn't see any on the table, so he wasn't sure if Grandma Ao had brought any.

An Fusheng searched for a while before pulling out a small bag of chopped houttuynia cordata from the box at the back: "Found it."

Zhang Wenwen nodded with satisfaction.

Among the people of Yungui, from the ninety-nine-year-old to the toddlers, there is no one who doesn't love to eat houttuynia cordata (a type of herb).

She had bought houttuynia cordata before and cooked it at home, but her husband and son didn't like the pungent smell. In the end, the whole family voted and with a two-thirds majority, they got rid of her favorite houttuynia cordata from the house.

So, she could only sneak out to eat something to satisfy her craving from time to time.

An Fusheng grabbed a handful and put them into the potatoes, then put the rest in a disposable paper bowl on the condiment station for future use.

Then he added chopped green onions and cilantro to the potatoes, mixed them well, put them into a disposable bowl, and handed it to Zhang Wenwen: "Your wolf tooth potatoes."

"Okay, the money has been scanned and sent to you."

The price tag for the wolf tooth potatoes was written by Ao Daiya and hung in a very conspicuous place on the vehicle frame.

3 yuan per serving.

The characters are written crookedly, but they are large and eye-catching enough.

An Fusheng glanced at the payment interface and nodded with a smile.

Zhang Wenwen couldn't help but bring her nose close to the potato and take a deep breath. It smelled so good!

I picked one up and put it in my mouth, mmm...it's really delicious! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, the chili powder is super fragrant, oh my...it tastes like home!

Zhang Wenwen was so moved she almost cried, "It's so delicious!"

Two parents, hesitantly discussing whether to order fried noodles at the stall next door, couldn't help but come over and ask, "Is this wolf tooth potato delicious?"

Zhang Wenwen nodded repeatedly: "Delicious! Yellow-fleshed potatoes, very soft and fluffy, fried just right, and the chili powder is fragrant too, so delicious!"

Since it was his first time doing business, An Fusheng didn't get the quantities right and only realized after frying that there were three servings' worth.

There was still a little more than half a bowl of seasoned wolf tooth potatoes left in the pot. The golden potato strips were coated with red chili powder and garnished with green cilantro and scallions, making them look incredibly appetizing.

One of the parents, already drooling, suggested, "How about we try wolf tooth potatoes too?"

Another parent said, "It does smell really good, so let's give it a try."

"Boss, give us each a portion of those wolf-tooth potatoes from the basin," said the parent who had just made the suggestion.

She can't really handle spicy food; the potatoes in the bowl were at least medium spicy, but she didn't want to wait any longer.

"OK."

An Fusheng filled two portions of the remaining potatoes and handed them to the two guests.

The two took the wolf-tooth potatoes and started eating.

"Mmm, delicious! It smells so good!"

"Mmm! Mmm!"

At An Fusheng's food stall, three diners were live-streaming their eating, attracting curious onlookers.

Is it really that delicious?

"It's delicious, you'll know once you try it."

"It's only three yuan a serving. You can't go wrong with three yuan."

"That's right, boss, one order, please."

"good."

"I'll have one too."

"OK."

"Boss, I'd like another one!"

...

When Grandma Ao brought Ao back, she found that her family's stall was surrounded by a huge crowd.

Some customers were both anxious and reluctant to leave, and kept asking, "How much longer? Can you hurry up? It's almost time for the third graders to get out of school."

"Go pick it up first, then buy it," someone said.

“No, how can I eat after picking up the kids? I tell the kids every day that we can’t eat at roadside stalls, so how can I eat at roadside stalls myself?”

"Then why are you still eating?"

"I'm eating this without my child's knowledge."

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Other customers echoed, "That's right."

Grandma Ao didn't have time to ask any more questions. She quickly washed her hands and helped. Ao Daiya put her schoolbag down, washed her hands, and came over to help get the lunchbox and chopsticks.

...

Unlike primary schools, kindergartens don't let students out until 4 p.m., but parents can still pick them up before the official dismissal time.

So often by the time school ends, most of the children have already been picked up.

Of course, there are also special reasons why the reception was delayed.

4:30 PM, Beilei Kindergarten.

Classroom of Grade 2.

A little boy is standing on a small stool, stretching out his arm and trying to close a window.

The young female teacher protected him from behind, constantly reminding him, "Slow down, be careful."

"Knock knock knock".

The sound of a gentle knock on the door.

The young teacher turned to look at the classroom door and smiled, "You're here."

Her hands remained protectively on either side of the little boy.

The person at the door also smiled and said, "Yes."

Then he pushed a little girl with white hair, white eyebrows, and flawless white skin into the classroom: "Starry Eyes, go sit down and wait for your brother."

Wen Xingmou nodded, picked up her schoolbag, and walked to the only seat with a schoolbag on it.

"Thank you for your help, Teacher Zhang," Shen Xinan said.

"It's alright, Xingmou is very well-behaved. You can go now," Zhang Man said.

"I'm leaving now. I'll take your place next time."

"OK."

The little boy closed the window, slowly climbed down from the stool, and ran to turn off the light.

"Great job!" Zhang Man clapped and praised, "Fourteen, today is your first day as the gatekeeper, and you've successfully closed all the windows. You even turned off the lights without the teacher reminding you! That's fantastic!"

An Shisi was a little embarrassed by the praise, and ran to pack his schoolbag with a blush on his face.

"Aunt Lou should be here to pick you up soon. Let's get ready and wait outside."

Zhang Man took the two children outside. Lou's mother hadn't arrived yet, so Zhang Man had to leave and asked the security guard to watch the children for a while.

The steps outside the classroom face the kindergarten gate, and two children are sitting in a row on the steps, looking in the direction of the gate.

Wen Xingmou felt a little thirsty.

She placed the kettle on her knee with one hand and pressed the lid open button on the side of the lid with the other, but the button was malfunctioning and she couldn't open it no matter what she did.

Wen Xingmou sighed, then simply picked up the water bottle and refused to drink any more water.

"Fourteenth Brother, why hasn't Mother Lou arrived yet?"

"have no idea."

"Lin Wuyang's grandma was the first to pick him up again today. It would be great if Lou's mother was the first to pick us up too."

“No, that won’t work,” An Shisi said.

"Why?" Wen Xingmou asked.

“Teacher Zhang said that starting today, I am the only gatekeeper in Class 2. I can only close the windows and turn off the lights after everyone else has left. I must be the last to leave, so Teacher Zhang told Aunt Lou to be the last to pick us up.” An Shisi said with some pride.

“But I’m not the head of the… gatekeeper,” Wen Xingmou said.

An Shisi thought for a moment: "But you are the gatekeeper's sister."

"Oh, right." Wen Xingmou suddenly realized, "That's why we all have to be the last to leave!"

"right."

"Fourteen, Starry Eyes, let's go home."

A woman in her forties smiled and waved to the two children inside from outside the door.

Behind her was a little boy of about eight years old, carrying a large schoolbag and with his head down.

The kindergarten security guard clearly recognized the woman and greeted her warmly: "Aunt Lou is here?"

Lou Lan said, "Yes, I was delayed for a while today. Thank you for your help."

The security guard walked over and opened the door, saying nonchalantly, "What's the trouble? Both children are very obedient. We just told them to sit there and wait, and they sat there quietly without running around."

Upon seeing Mrs. Lou arrive, the two children dragged their schoolbags and ran quickly towards the door.

Lou Lan took the children's schoolbags and said apologetically, "I'm so sorry, I'm late today. Next time, I'll come to pick you up first and I promise I won't let you be the last one, okay?"

Wen Xingmou said, "It's alright, Aunt Lou. My fourteenth brother and I must be the last to leave."

Lou Lan asked in confusion, "Really? Why?"

Wen Xingmou said proudly, "Because my brother became... the head of the classroom, he has to wait until everyone leaves before he can close the classroom windows and lights, right, Fourteenth Brother?"

An Shisi nodded reservedly, but her chin was held high.

Lou Lan laughed and said, "Really? Fourteen is that amazing!"

An Shisi nodded emphatically.

Wen Xingmou grabbed Lou Lan's clothes with both hands, looking at Lou Lan expectantly with her big blue eyes: "Where am I? Where am I? I'm the head of the household's sister."

Lou Lan: "Wow, that's amazing!"

The security guard chimed in, "They're all incredibly skilled!"

Wen Xingmou knew she was just taking advantage of the situation, and covered her face with her hands in embarrassment: "Hehe!"

Lou Lan took the two children's hands and said, "Okay, let's go home and say goodbye to the security guard."

The children politely said goodbye to the security guard.

Watching the children walk away, the security guard sighed, "Such obedient children...what a pity..."

A note from the author:

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