Chapter 111 Crispy Pot [First Update]

Once the New Year's Day holiday was over, Wen Fan shifted his focus entirely to studying.

With final exams just around the corner, everyone is cramming at the last minute.

Especially since this exam will determine the class assignments for next year, even students who used to go out and play with friends have become more focused.

To prepare for the exam, Wen Fan even canceled the special meal at the restaurant next door, determined to cram in the last two weeks.

The final week, with its early mornings and late nights, is tough for anyone.

At this time, good food becomes especially important.

The mashed potato craze hasn't subsided; in fact, it's continuing to gain momentum. This year's hottest winter food is mashed potatoes.

Whether homemade or bought from outside, from stalls or shops, everyone is going crazy for mashed potatoes.

Mashed potato noodles, mashed potato rice noodles, mashed potato rice, mashed potato pancakes...

Anyone can DIY.

Han Lulu said that her mother likes to put a lot of fried bacon in the mashed potatoes.

The bacon was chopped into small pieces and mixed into the mashed potatoes. The turkey noodles were cooked with milk and water. Finally, the sauce and mashed potatoes were added and stirred well. A few shrimp and crab roe wontons were then placed on top of the turkey noodles. Her mother was so engrossed in eating half of it that she started fighting with her father.

Han Lulu: "Two people who are almost forty years old called me in the middle of the night to judge their situation over a meager meal."

Wen Fan buried himself in his book: "So what did you say?"

"Of course I'll get a share!"

Finally, the family of three got up in the middle of the night to cook another pot.

Han Lulu, nicknamed "Potato Head," savored the delicious taste of the spicy chicken noodles for a while. Her mother could never understand why she loved potatoes, saying that she had been cooking potatoes for her for over ten years and had peeled them enough.

Today, she finally acknowledges the deliciousness of potatoes.

“Our house has been flooded with potatoes for a while now.”

Actually, it's not just Han Lulu's family; most families who have recently become obsessed with potatoes are like this.

They even gained experience while eating potatoes, knowing which potatoes were noodle-friendly, which were crispy, and which types of potatoes were easier to mash...

Someone on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform) wrote a long summary and even made a judgment on it.

This person posted that they cooked turkey noodles with mashed potatoes... not very avant-garde.

The sentence was to send him to the Northwest to grow potatoes, and he was not allowed to return until he grew golden potatoes.

That person posted a picture of themselves cooking snail rice noodles with potatoes, and adding all sorts of other ingredients... It was quite a lot, but the snail rice noodles weren't cooked very well and didn't look appealing.

The sentence was to eat potatoes for a week and then submit the assignment again.

Making pancakes with mashed potatoes is a great and creative idea, but after trying it, it turned out too dry.

The sentence was to eat his own mashed potato pancakes for a month, and he was not allowed to drink water while eating them.

Potato salad, with ketchup on top...

Daisy! [Note 1]

...

Wen Fan's only way to relieve stress these days is to watch this content while petting his dog at night.

The mashed potato craze has swept across the country, and Wen Ji, which initially sparked the discussion, has been appearing more and more frequently in popular local videos recently.

[I'm planning to visit xx city next week/next month/a few days later. What can I eat at Wen Ji Restaurant?]

This has become a widely asked question.

Local foodies highly recommend it.

[Fujiya: It has to be the beef offal hot pot! And tell the owner to add lots and lots of radish! Ideally, it's for three people, and towards the end, add a side of greens and a side of hot dry noodles... Trust me, it's absolutely delicious!]

[Shiyao: I really like eating egg yolk meatballs, especially the egg yolk. When you stick a chopstick in, the yolk oozes out buttery oil, wrapped in the meatball, making it even more fragrant!]

[Momo: Are you kidding me? That has to be my braised pork belly. Seriously, too many people are eating beef offal hot pot these days, but the braised pork belly in the restaurant is actually better, especially with some vinegar and chili, it's incredibly fragrant.]

[Manman: No way, everyone's saying it's all oily and meaty, but actually my favorite dishes are noodles and rice noodles! Especially the sesame chicken, sometimes I even order takeout when I can't get it...]

...

Of course, there are also people who miss the products from the past, such as persimmon cakes, fried shrimp balls, sesame seed cakes with vegetables, braised dishes, cold dishes...

Some people even said that Wenji had run a small catering service during the summer vacation.

I ordered this for my son, and he ate it with great relish. My only regret is that I only found out it was Wen Ji much later... What a rip-off!

Many college students silently gave it a thumbs up.

Wenji first became popular among college students who frequented the library. Later, with several college students doing live streams, Wenji achieved a status that almost everyone in the local universities knew about it during the National Day holiday.

So much so that later, everyone flocked to it when the shop owner's daughter was rescuing passersby who had fainted on the street.

[Waaaaah, I can already picture the crowds during winter break.]

I don't know if I'll still be able to eat it then.

****

Wen Fan could only observe the online excitement; the final exams finally arrived amidst everyone's anxiety.

When Wen Fan left the examination room, she saw Qin He waiting for her in the classroom.

Qin He didn't press Wen Fan about how her exam went, but instead asked her what she planned to do during the winter break.

Wen Fan was a little dazed after the exam, and subconsciously answered, "Cook."

Qin He: ……

"Where are you spending Chinese New Year? Are you going out to play?"

Wen Fan nodded vigorously: "Come out!"

Whatever happens, the exams are over, and she can't possibly spend the entire winter break studying.

Qin He: "Okay, I'll call you later."

Wen Fan was somewhat surprised: "Aren't you going to ask me how the exam went?"

Qin He rolled her eyes: "You've been doing practice problems all day long, and I've caught up with your progress. It would be a miracle if you didn't get over 120 this time."

Wen Fan smiled and said, "Thank you."

There are six subjects in total, and she has now caught up with all of them.

In the next semester, you just need to follow the teacher's instructions.

Qin He waved: "See you during winter break!"

See you during winter break!

Wen Fan said goodbye to Qin He and saw Han Lulu chatting with someone as soon as she left the classroom. Her expressions were vivid and rich. When she saw Wen Fan from afar, Han Lulu ran over to tell her some shocking news.

Jin Rui has been caught cheating!

Wen Fan was also taken aback: "Huh?"

Han Lulu: "It means he cheated on the math exam! He was caught red-handed and didn't get to take the next few exams. I heard he's going to be expelled!"

It was Jin Rui who first had the crooked idea. This exam was a school-wide unified exam, and the classes were randomly assigned.

Jin Rui probably knew he wouldn't do well on the test when he was cramming at the last minute, so on the day the seats were assigned, he stopped a boy from another class who was sitting in front of him and asked him to lend him his test paper to copy.

He went with a few boys to find them, and the other party didn't dare to resist and could only agree.

The next day, the Chinese exam was held first. The boy didn't pass the paper, and when he left the exam room, an angry Jin Rui blocked his way and asked him why.

The boy said that Chinese was hard to copy because it was all characters, and the teacher was always watching, so he didn't dare to make a move!

Jin Rui was furious, but in the end he still repeatedly reminded him that math must not let him down.

As a result, Jin Rui was caught red-handed before he even saw many of the multiple-choice questions in the math class.

There was nothing more to say; the exam paper was collected, and the person was taken to the office.

When Han Lulu heard what others were saying, she was initially gloating, but later she realized that Jin Rui was doomed.

This exam is crucial for class placement, so the school takes it very seriously. Cheating is outrageous; even a slightly lower score will result in being relegated to a higher-paying position.

Jin Rui was desperate and grasped at straws. He was not good at studying and his attitude was not correct. This time, he would most likely be used as an example.

As they spoke, the two walked out of the school gate and came face to face with Jin Rui, whose eyes were bloodshot and who looked utterly dejected. Beside him was Jin Rui's mother, who looked exactly the same.

When Jin Rui saw Wen Fan, he abruptly looked away.

A moment later, unwilling to give up, he called out to Wen Fan, who had walked two steps away.

You're probably laughing at me right now, aren't you?

Wen Fan: "...You're overthinking it."

Jin Rui gritted his teeth: "You're just laughing at me! What makes you so great? If it weren't for Qin He and the others helping you, do you think you would have done better than me on the exam..."

Wen Fan interrupted Jin Rui: "If I were you, I would look more at myself and less at others."

It used to be Fu Chuan, now it's her.

Jin Rui seems to be someone who doesn't know how to live without finding a coordinate system to compare with.

Wen Fan had no patience to teach people he didn't like, so he left with a "never see you again" and walked away.

Jin Rui looked at Wen Fan's figure, and a sense of bewilderment suddenly arose in his heart.

He cheated, and the school ultimately placed him on probation instead of expelling him. And of course, he became a high-priced student.

His former best friends all knew he had cheated, but from yesterday to today, he hasn't received a single message on his phone asking how it went.

Even Fu Chuan didn't ask him what happened.

It was as if he had been forgotten by everyone, had a beautiful dream, and woke up to find only his weeping mother by his side.

His illusions vanished suddenly, revealing the stark, naked class divide like a chasm.

He will never be Fu Chuan's friend again.

*****

Wen Fan returned to the restaurant and said that she already had a theme for the private dishes for tomorrow night.

Potatoes are all the rage, so how can we forget cabbage?

The sweet taste of cabbage that has been touched by frost is unmatched by any other vegetable.

Blanch the pork trotters and pork belly, fry the tofu, and prepare the meatballs and crispy pork. Use a large earthenware pot, line the bottom with a strainer, then layer lotus root slices, place the pork trotters and pork belly on top of the lotus root slices, surround the outer layer with a ring of Chinese cabbage, and then place the various ingredients one by one into the cabbage ring. Pour in the prepared sauce. Do not add a drop of water and start stewing. As the steam rises, the Chinese cabbage will gradually soften, and the lid covering the Chinese cabbage will gradually lower as the Chinese cabbage collapses.

When the time came, all the cabbages had collapsed into the pot, and the lid, which had been raised high, was now tightly closed, revealing a fragrant and delicious stew inside.

Wen Fan served a pot of crispy stew to each table. The steaming hot stew was very similar to a braised dish. The cabbage was stewed long enough that the leaves became almost translucent, tender, and sweet. The pig's trotters and pork belly were very fragrant, and the broth was savory. The greasiness of the meat was completely absorbed by the vegetables, and the piping hot vegetables, infused with the aroma of meat, brought an unexpected surprise with every bite.

"Wow, this cabbage is so delicious!"

-----------------------

Author's Note: Sorry, something came up today, I won't be able to post the second update. It will be posted tomorrow at noon.

Note 1: "Dai Si Rou" is a homophone for "deathrow". For details, please refer to the food judge videos on foreign websites.