Chapter 15-015 Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce [VIP Notice]

Wu Na ordered dinner delivery. After ordering, she couldn't even concentrate on playing games, and kept checking the page to see where the food had been delivered.

Upon seeing that the distance had been reduced to thirty meters, Wu Na hurriedly opened the door and left a message for the other party without waiting for anyone to press the intercom.

The access control has been activated!

After saying that, Wu Na stood at the elevator door and waited for the elevator to come up.

Ever since she started eating Wen's takeout, her biggest interest every day has been waiting for the takeout to arrive.

Yang Tao adjusted his helmet, handed the takeout to Wu Na, and greeted her cheerfully, "Wu Na, right? The boss said he sent you a plate of pickled peppers."

Ever since seeing Wen Fan calmly flipping a wok in the kitchen that afternoon, Yang Tao changed his address and started calling Wen Fan "Little Boss."

Wu Na was stunned for a moment, her mind filled with thoughts like, "Who is this person?", "Who is the boss?", "Did he give me something?", before she finally came to her senses after three seconds.

"...Oh, you mean the girl at the restaurant, you're her..."

Yang Tao chuckled: "Didn't you notice the delivery fee was reduced by one yuan? Now takeout isn't done through platforms anymore. I'm the store's deliveryman, my name is Yang Tao. The bag contains pickled peppers that Wen Fan sent you, saying it was to thank you for teaching her how to find courses online."

These past few days, Wen Fan has been either cooking and exercising or taking online courses. After a few lessons, she found them very helpful. She also remembered that the shop's pickled peppers had been in short supply for the past few days; several times Wu Na had ordered them, but Wen's mother had called apologetically to say they were out of stock.

So Wen Fan specially made some extra pickled peppers and sent some to Wu Na.

Wu Na felt a warmth in her heart: "You're too kind."

The Wen family of three runs a small shop. Wu Na didn't expect that Wen Fan would remember what she said and even specially send her something.

"How much……"

"Don't mention money, just give a good review." Yang Tao said enthusiastically, "Come on, add me on social media, a 30-word review with pictures, and you can redeem a drink."

Wen's mother bought a batch of small-packaged cola drinks, each bottle only 200 ml, and she planned to use them for promotions on food delivery platforms.

Although it's not eligible for the discount, you can get a free bottle of Coke if you spend over 20.

Yang Tao, however, thought it would be good to leave some comments, so he suggested to Wen's mother that she change the offer from "20 points or more" to "free drinks for positive reviews".

The effect was immediate; four or five more positive reviews appeared in just two or three days.

Wu Na readily agreed and promptly added him on the contact list.

Wu Na was in a great mood as she returned to her cozy little house with the takeout.

First, she took a picture of the pickled peppers and sent it to her mother to show off the special treatment she received from the small business owner. When she saw the message on her phone, "I haven't had dinner yet, so save some for me. I'll have it with porridge when I get home tonight," Wu Na smiled.

Since her appetite has improved recently, she has become less attached to pickled peppers. Only Ms. Li Mei, despite having eaten Wen's takeout, still has a special fondness for pickled peppers.

In Ms. Li Mei's words, "This looks ordinary, but it's perfect for porridge."

Especially for those who have no appetite on the early shift, a couple of bites of pickled chili peppers can instantly revive them.

Wu Na opened the takeout container; tonight she had ordered shredded pork with garlic sauce over rice.

When it comes to dishes with rice, Wu Na's number one choice is definitely scrambled eggs with tomatoes, but shredded pork with garlic sauce also ranks in her top three.

The combination of sweet, sour, salty, and spicy flavors, along with the thick and smooth broth, makes it perfect for mixing with rice!

The fish-fragrant sauce is poured over the rice, and after mixing throughout, the rich broth has become indistinguishable from the rice. At this point, chopsticks are no longer the right choice; instead, a large spoon is used to stir it all together, turning the rice and dishes into a mushy mess. Then, take a big bite…

Wu Na squinted her eyes in satisfaction.

While enjoying her delicious meal, Wu Na's phone beeped.

A new message appeared on the lock screen after Wu Na took a photo of a rice bowl with toppings; it was from Sister Miao Miao.

[Little Nana, do you have any plans for tomorrow? If not, let's go out and play.]

Wu Na replied to the message with one hand while holding the spoon tightly in the other.

[No plans. Aren't you taking the civil service exam?]

On the other end of the phone was Lin Miaomiao, Wu Na's senior from the same school. She was a year ahead of Wu Na and would be a senior in college this semester. The two were from the same hometown and had been classmates in junior high, high school, and university, so it was no surprise that they became best friends.

Lin Miaomiao replied quickly.

This is too painful. I'm going to take a day off tomorrow.

Wu Na felt very sorry for her; now that she was in her fourth year of university, it felt like all the pressure had piled up on her. In previous years, after Lin Miaomiao returned, she would ask her out every few days. Even if they didn't go out, the two of them would go to Wu Na's or Lin Miaomiao's house together to play games and chat about gossip.

But before summer vacation even started this year, Lin Miaomiao was already struggling with this decision.

He hesitated between staying at school to take the postgraduate entrance exam and going home to take the civil service exam. After struggling with this decision for half a month, he finally returned to his hometown.

Lin Miaomiao's words were filled with restlessness.

My mom wants me to prepare for the postgraduate entrance exam, the civil service exam, and the public institution exam all at once. She just asked if I'm going to take the teacher qualification exam... I'm like a thousand-armed Guanyin!

Lin Miaomiao was already under immense pressure, and being told this by her family made her feel terrible.

[Anyway, I can't concentrate on studying in the library, so I might as well give myself a half-day off tomorrow!]

Wu Na quickly reassured her, "Half a day off is fine, where do you want to go?"

【I don't know either. 】

[How about I go to the library with you tomorrow? I've heard it's quite big, and I haven't really been there much yet.]

Wu Na had already sensed that Lin Miaomiao's mood was off; it wasn't because of academic pressure, but because of her parents' lack of understanding. Under these circumstances, even if the two of them went out to play, she was afraid Lin Miaomiao would feel guilty for wasting time when she got home.

Rather than indulging in temporary pleasures only to suffer internal strife later, it's better to stay in the library and not go anywhere else.

【Perfect timing! I have a really good takeout place to recommend to you.】

****

Wen Fan frowned as he looked at a woman in the store.

It was past lunchtime, and the Wen couple were tidying up the tables and chairs, preparing to close up shop.

With several days of good business, coupled with Yang Tao and Qu Xiaoyu's diligence, Wen's mother smiled broadly every day as she looked at the store's revenue.

Although Wen's father still makes his claypot rice, he also tries to replicate Wen Fan's other dishes in his spare time.

During this process, Wen Fan regretfully discovered that her father truly lacked aptitude for cooking. He would practice repeatedly, and would follow her methods precisely down to the second.

But simply copying is never the way to success.

Wen Fan can confidently say that even if her father followed similar steps to make the simplest stir-fried dish, the taste would still be slightly different.

That three-point difference is the gap between a good chef and a top chef, and it's also the innate intuition that hard work can't compensate for.

So Wen Fan simply pointed out a clear path for his father: at his age, it would be too late for him to learn cooking techniques little by little.

"Dad, why don't you start with cold dishes and appetizers?"

With Mr. Wen's excellent knife skills, even the simplest dishes were the easiest to handle.

Wen Fan demonstrated it to him once: "Dad, if you can learn how to make cold dishes and side dishes, we'll serve a cold dish platter for lunch."

The most important aspects of making cold dishes are preparing the ingredients and seasoning them.

Wen Fan soaked the remaining piece of dried gluten in the shop, cooked it, drained it, and then put minced garlic, sesame seeds, chopped green onions, and chili powder in a large bowl. He poured hot oil over it, then added sesame paste, soy sauce, and vinegar, stirred it, and finally added salt and sugar.

Wen Fan took a bite, then generously added another spoonful of white sugar and sesame oil.

"This dish can be made a little sweeter. Also, the oil in the shop needs to be changed, as does the garlic. Hmm, I'll prepare some chili powder tomorrow. Dad, you can take it to a shop and have it ground into fine chili powder."

Wen's mother picked up a piece of sesame paste gluten. She was already used to her daughter making a super delicious dish, but in the end she kept nagging about how she could get used to it better.

Wen's father buried himself in writing, recording every step in great detail.

The family of three were in the kitchen when a sharp female voice called out from outside, asking if anyone was there.

Mrs. Wen quickly went out to say, "I'm sorry, our shop is closed."

After she finished speaking, Wen's mother could finally see the person's face clearly.

The other party was a couple who sold rice noodles a few shops away from their own; the woman's surname was Sun.

"Little Sun, why haven't you eaten yet?"

Sun Mengyun's eyes darted around, and she said with a smile, "I was so busy that I forgot, sis, is there anything left to eat?"

If it were anyone else, Mrs. Wen would naturally say there wasn't any left. But Sun Mengyun was a neighbor on the same street, and they saw each other all the time, so Mrs. Wen didn't stand on ceremony and said there was still some rice left in the shop.

"There's not enough for one serving. If you want some, I'll ask Lao Wen to stir-fry it for you. It'll be on you."

Sun Mengyun said that it was impossible, but she didn't move an inch and sat down without any politeness.

Wen's father went into the kitchen to make fried rice, while Wen Fan leaned behind the counter, his gaze sweeping coolly over Sun Mengyun.

Sun Mengyun was chatting with Wen's mother, going on and on about this and that neighbor, and then about how well business was going. Wen's father had already cooked the rice—a simple egg fried rice with some chopped green onions. Sun Mengyun took a couple of bites and praised it to the skies.

"No wonder your business has been so good lately, your brother-in-law's cooking is really good."

Mrs. Wen found it strange. Of the dozens of shops on this street, the few she frequented all knew that her family was Wen Fan's cooking business, so why was Sun Mengyun...?

Oh right, Sun Mengyun and her husband are very frugal and have almost never eaten out.

Wen's mother felt a little uncomfortable, recalling the complaints her neighbors had about Sun Mengyun.

"That little Sun is too frugal. If someone has something left over at night, she'll pretend to ask if they want it, and in the end, she can't even pay for it."

"Who says otherwise? I had some snacks that were about to expire, and I put them by the door intending to clear them out for a dollar or two. But she just walked by with her child and took them. When I asked her, she said she thought I didn't want them anymore. If I ask her for money, it's because they're about to expire. If I don't ask her for money, I feel wronged."

"That time was even funnier. She stopped me and said she had a slight fever, asking if I had any fever reducers, saying I could just break off a tablet for her. How could I dare to do that!"

Wen's mother came to her senses, held her breath, and said nothing.

Sun Mengyun seemed about to say something, but after the fried rice arrived and she took a bite, she fell silent. She happily finished her meal, wiped her mouth, and went home.

Wen's mother shook her head and put the bowl away.

Meanwhile, Sun Mengyun returned to her shop and excitedly told her husband, Wu Daneng, "I think the Wen family's cooking is still the same as before. The food they make is not much different from before. I told you, it's not that the Wen family's skills have improved, it's just that rice bowls have become easier to make lately."

Sun Mengyun nudged Wu Daneng with her elbow: "Have you thought it through? If you don't take advantage of this time to renovate our shop, school will start in a little over a month."

They were all shops on the same street, and Sun Mengyun had watched the Wen family's business grow better day by day. At first, it wasn't obvious, but in the last few days, when she saw Xia Yingzhi hiring a neighbor's child to work part-time as a food delivery driver, Sun Mengyun couldn't sit still anymore.

"I've done the math. Her business makes at least a thousand a day. Just think about it, this is summer vacation!"

Sun Mengyun was envious of the Wen family's business. She went to join the fun when the old Wen family's shop first opened and ate a bowl of rice with toppings made by Wen's father. The taste was just so-so.

Who would have thought that such a skill could make money now?

As soon as Sun Mengyun returned home, she began urging her husband to change the shop sign.

"It's just a rice bowl or a noodle bowl, how difficult can it be? Our two stores are about the same size, so we don't need to change much. We just need to change the store sign and buy two rice cookers."

"Buy ready-made noodles and steam the rice in advance. You can just stir-fry the vegetables however you like. This way, we can save time and effort, instead of having to cook rice noodles at mealtimes."

The more Sun Mengyun thought about it, the more she felt that this was a business opportunity.

Wu Daneng hesitated for a long time before saying, "I just feel that we're doing pretty well now. Making rice noodles is never as profitable as making rice flour."

A bowl of rice noodles is priced at twelve yuan, while a serving of rice with toppings is only twelve or thirteen yuan.

How much rice noodle should I put in a bowl after soaking it?

No matter how you look at it, making rice noodles is much easier than making rice bowls.

Furthermore, Wu Daneng lacked confidence in his own skills.

He spent over ten thousand yuan to learn how to make rice noodles, but his skills in other areas are not even as good as his wife's.

"Besides, we're on the same street, selling the same things. Wouldn't that be like competing with each other?"

Wu Daneng doesn't want to do it.

Sun Mengyun, however, had her own reasons.

"So what if it's just one street? Oh, just because she started this business, does that mean it's all hers? Nobody else can do it? There's no such logic in the world. She can do her thing, and we can do ours. It's all about who has the ability! Hey Wu, don't always cower. If others can do it, why can't we?"

Sun Mengyun looked at him with exasperation: "The Wen family's business used to be so bad, but recently it has suddenly become good. Aren't you worried?"

Wu Daneng had nothing to say. He thought to himself, what's the rush? It's their business that's doing well.

He wasn't in a hurry, but Sun Mengyun was.

Seeing others striving to get ahead, the urgency in my heart almost leaps out of my chest.

No matter what, things can't go on like this.

The store makes five or six hundred yuan a day from takeout and dine-in. Seeing how much others are selling, Sun Mengyun wished she could pounce on them and steal all the business.

Wu Daneng: "They don't seem to be doing just in-store and takeout business. Why don't you take another look?"

Sun Mengyun smiled mysteriously: "Do you need to tell me? I already knew!"

Sun Mengyun mysteriously pulled out a promotional fan.

"That's why their business is doing well."

To get the fan, Sun Mengyun first stopped Yang Tao and tricked him into revealing that he had to deliver the library's order form every noon. Then Sun Mengyun went to the library.

You won't know until you go, and you'll be shocked when you do.

Sun Mengyun was annoyed. Who would have thought that such a huge business opportunity was hidden in the library?

There's a huge crowd here; everyone's ordering takeout for lunch. There are about a dozen shelves set up outside, specifically for storing takeout orders.

Just then, Sun Mengyun noticed someone holding the fan and shamelessly asked for it.

She has finally cracked the secret of the Wen family's business!

Right here on this tiny fan!

Sun Mengyun said confidently, "We're not in a rush to change the signboard. Our main focus is to capitalize on the summer holiday rush. Tomorrow, I'll also make some fans and stock up on lunchboxes. We'll start offering small after-school care!"

A note from the author:

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

The next chapter will be available for viewing (V). After that, I'll be reading six chapters a day at least. I hope everyone enjoys reading!