Chapter 189 Door Nail Meat Pie, Top Scholar's Congee...

"654 points!"

This score exceeded everyone's expectations, and Mr. and Mrs. Wen were overjoyed.

"This...this high!"

Not only can you choose any local university, but there's also no risk involved in choosing a major.

Wen's mother hugged her daughter and couldn't help but laugh: "That's wonderful! My daughter is amazing!"

Father Wen rubbed his hands and spun around in place, finally saying only, "Wife, let's have a discount tomorrow."

He couldn't wait to share his happiness with everyone and wanted every customer who came to the restaurant to be happy for Wen Fan!

Mother Wen waved her hand: "Beat it! Make the banner tomorrow!"

Wen Fan smiled, thinking to herself that it was no wonder that scholars often talked about the four great joys in life. She was already feeling the joy of passing the imperial examination with flying colors.

Riding a swift horse in the spring breeze, one can see all the flowers of Chang'an in a single day.

Wen's mother kept calling, from Song Hui to Yao Qingqin; all her friends knew about Wen Fan's grades. Wen's father's phone was also ringing off the hook; his first call was to Master Jin.

Feng Huijuan: "I told you the results would be out tonight, and I was waiting for the call."

Song Hui: "Xiao Fan is amazing! With this score, can she choose any major?"

Yao Qingqin held Yao Huang's little hand, and Yao Huang loudly congratulated her into the microphone.

Master Jin put down the phone, his brows relaxed, and instructed his apprentice: "Call Old Deng's tomorrow. I have a three-year-old ham stored there. Ask him to send a car over."

Xiao Ge was astonished. That ham master treasured it so much, always saying it wasn't the right time to open it, but this time he was finally willing to bring it out.

...

Both her parents were busy, and Wen Fan's phone was constantly buzzing with messages in the group chat. She only managed to catch a few people reporting their scores. Han Lulu had sent a string of "ah ah ah ah" messages, clearly indicating she had done well.

Qin He also immediately sent a private message to Wen Fan to ask how the exam went.

Wen Fan replied with a score.

[Qin He: Congratulations, this time I've finally made up for the breakfasts you fed me in my second year of high school.]

Wen Fan: Thank you.

I had just replied to Qin He when the homeroom teacher called.

After finding out Wen Fan's grades, Teacher Wang couldn't hide his excitement: "Not bad, not bad, a whole level higher than usual."

Then he instructed Wen Fan to go to the school the next day, as the school would be going over the details of the application process again.

The phone kept ringing, and by the time Wen Fan finally found out about Ji Boyi, he discovered that Ji Boyi's name had been buried at the very bottom of countless new pop-up windows.

Ji Baiyi sent a cat emoji that was shaking its head and had the caption "The cat is confused." After waiting for a while and seeing that Wen Fan hadn't replied, he sent another emoji that said "The cat is worried."

Wen Fan couldn't help but laugh, and replied with a picture of his own egg yolk emoji in a good mood.

"The dog says everything is okay."

Immediately after, Ji Boyi called.

"Is X University safe now?"

Wen Fan cleared his throat: "Well, I can choose a major I like now."

"Congratulations, your uncle and aunt must be very happy."

Wen Fan glanced at his parents, who were still on the phone not far away, and smiled: "They are very happy."

"And you? Are you happy?"

"...You can't see me now. If you could, you would know that I look like a balloon right now."

I'm so happy I could fly.

Ji Baiyi laughed: "Then I'll give you a stone tomorrow, but be careful it doesn't fly away."

...

The two chatted casually for a few minutes when, during a break in the phone call, Mr. Wen's radar suddenly went off. After hanging up, he nudged his wife.

"Look who Xiao Fan is talking to on the phone? She's laughing like that."

Mrs. Wen was in a good mood and didn't have time to deal with her husband's suspicions: "I told you you're just overthinking it! Are you going to say it's Ji Baiyi again? That's not true at all!"

Wen's father felt somewhat aggrieved, thinking that while Ji Baiyi was suspicious, the others were not without suspicion either!

His daughter is so wonderful, it's no wonder that young men all over the world fall in love with her.

Wen Fan snuggled up behind her daughter, hung up the phone to get some water, and was almost startled.

"Dad, what are you doing!"

Mr. Wen asked sourly, "Who were you talking to on the phone just now?"

Just as Wen Fan was about to mention Ji Baiyi, his phone rang. The caller was Han Lulu.

"It's a classmate, I have to go now, I'm busy."

After answering Han Lulu's call, the two quickly got into a lively conversation.

Father Wen:...

Something just doesn't feel right.

*****

After two long years of study, Wen Fan finally achieved his best result in the college entrance examination, ranking eighth in the class.

Although she can't just go to any top university, she can choose any local school she wants.

Class teacher Ms. Wang spoke to Wen Fan with a beaming smile: "With your score, going to another city would be a bit of a disadvantage. X University is the most cost-effective option. You can choose one of X University's top programs, such as finance and civil engineering..."

Wen Fan replied without hesitation: "I want to study management."

Teacher Wang: "...Okay, after all, your family really does have businesses."

"If only all students were as goal-oriented as Wen Fan," Teacher Wang thought to herself, before spending a day guiding the remaining four or five students.

Han Lulu's college entrance examination results were also unexpectedly outstanding. She scored several tens of points lower than Wen Fan, but still barely passed 600 points.

Faced with the dilemma of whether to stick with her major or the school, Han Lulu escaped to Wen's restaurant to visit Wen Fan, and sweetly complained, "My parents have gone crazy. They're going to agencies and relatives, and everyone has a different story. I don't even have a chance to say a word!"

Han Lulu sat on a small stool in the kitchen, watching Wen Fan cook, and couldn't help but feel envious: "I wish I could be like you and Qin He."

With such a clear goal, looking back at myself, I've always been pushed to study. As a child, my parents pushed me along, and if it weren't for Wen Fan's tutoring in high school, I don't know what would have happened. Even my hobbies came and went in waves. Now I've gotten a good score by luck, but I have no reference point for my major.

She agrees with whatever the adults say.

In her frustration, Wen Fan interrupted her: "Open your mouth."

Han Lulu opened her mouth subconsciously, and then Wen Fan stuffed her mouth full of crispy, fragrant, and oily food.

"……What's this?"

After finally chewing and swallowing it, Han Lulu asked with shining eyes.

Wen Fan flipped the small sesame cakes in the frying pan; each one was plump and looked golden and appealing.

"Door nail meat pie"

As she spoke, she filled a small bowl with another one and placed it in front of Han Lulu.

"Be careful, it's hot."

Han Lulu picked up the meat patty with both hands, upside down. The scalding hot patty was incredibly delicious to eat. With each bite, the crispy edges burst with juicy meat. The firm beef patty was perfectly seasoned, and the scalding hot juices made it irresistible to reach into your mouth to catch them.

"Hiss...why did you choose this name?"

"Look at this cake, doesn't it look like the brass door studs inlaid on the gates of a grand mansion?"

Han Lulu laughed: "That's true."

No wonder it's called "Door Nail Meat Pie".

The pancakes didn't look big, but they were stuffed with a lot of meat. Han Lulu was half full after eating one. Then she saw Wen Fan lift the lid of a big pot, which contained steaming hot porridge.

"Hey, are you planning to sell breakfast now?"

This dish has both porridge and pancakes; it looks like a breakfast setup.

Once the rice grains had cooked until they were thick and burst open, Wen Fan opened the lid and quickly added the marinated pork liver, lean meat, offal, pork meatballs, fried peanuts, and chopped fried dough sticks. In just a few minutes, the porridge was boiling again, the sound of boiling water accompanied by the aroma of porridge surging forth.

Wen Fan served Han Lulu a bowl: "Try it, it's the 'Top Scholar's Congee'."

Pig liver cannot be cooked for too long, so everyone in the kitchen was given a bowl, and even the waiters came to drink it one after another.

"Wow, this porridge smells so good!"

"I used to dislike salty porridge, but I can drink three bowls of this!"

"It smells really good, is it a gift?"

Mother Wen, who was also drinking a bowl of porridge, said upon hearing this, "Give it to everyone! Give it to every table of guests!"

She and her father made banners, and people advised her to wait until after the college application period. Her mother thought it made sense, so they decided to put up two banners, one with the score and the other with the admission notice. Perfect!

But the banners could wait; the event had to be done now.

So Wen Fan suggested making "Top Scholar's Congee".

Within just a few hours, the evening customers were able to enjoy the congee.

The thick, smooth congee base, the thin layer of crisp, sandy pork liver, the small yet exceptionally bouncy pork meatballs bursting with juice the moment you bite into them, the lean meat tender and juicy… but the most enticing part is undoubtedly the layer of fried dough stick crumbs and fried peanuts. The fried dough sticks, puffed up and crispy, are cut into small pieces, soaked in the congee on the outside while remaining oily and crispy on the inside. The simultaneous presentation of these two distinct textures—smooth and crispy—offers a more fragrant and moist experience than fried dough sticks dipped in soy milk.

When the waiter brings out this bowl of flavorful congee, he always says with a smile, "This is a special gift from our boss to celebrate his good performance in the college entrance examination."

The guests were happy to share in this good news, offering their congratulations with envy before starting to savor the delicious congee.

After taking a bite, I was amazed by its divine quality.

Some people weren't satisfied and went for more, feeling embarrassed to ask how much it cost. After all, it was a favor that Wenji gave them a free bowl, and it wouldn't look good to ask for more.

But the waiter smiled and said no.

"The boss said, come and get as much as you want."

This is only because parking spaces in front of the house are scarce; otherwise, Mr. Wen would have liked to set up a shed at the entrance to deliver porridge!

The customer took the porridge back and exclaimed, "Wenji is truly honest and kind; they put a lot of ingredients in this porridge!"

If you take it out to sell, you can sell it for twenty yuan a bowl. Now you're giving it away for free, and there's no limit to how much you can get.

Mother Wen never expected that a simple bowl of porridge would make the guests feel so comforted and make Wen's restaurant even more famous online.

Some people come to patronize this warm and welcoming restaurant, while others bring their children, hoping for good luck.

Today, Wenji Restaurant is surrounded by neighbors on both sides: a large supermarket and a chain fruit store, with a residential complex behind it. At noon, Wen's mother saw a woman in a supermarket uniform with a child peeking in from the front desk, hesitant to go in.

Wen's mother walked over and asked the other person with a smile if they wanted to have some porridge.

The other party smiled awkwardly: "Is that... I didn't see any group-buying deals in our store?"

Wen's mother instantly understood. She had brought her child, but was afraid of feeling embarrassed to just drink porridge. However, she was also worried that ordering dishes would be too expensive, so she didn't dare to go in when she arrived at the door.

After considering for a moment, Mrs. Wen said, "I'm so sorry, the shop is very busy right now, and I'm afraid there won't be any seats... We have a corner seat here that's a bit out of the way, but it can seat two people. Why don't you come in and have some porridge? Ordering dishes is probably not an option, we're too busy to handle the crowds."

The other party was delighted and quickly said it was nothing. After entering the store, Wen's mother led them to a small table by the window. The table was for one person, with a stool opposite them, just like the other two-person tables.

Wen's mother asked the waiter to bring two large bowls of porridge. The child had been looking down, but couldn't help but look up when he smelled the aroma of the porridge. The waiter put down the porridge and brought a small dish of side dishes. She wasn't unhappy at all because they were only drinking porridge. She even said that if they weren't satisfied, they could call her and ask for more.

The mother breathed a sigh of relief and said thank you. Wenji's porridge was thick and smooth; after stirring it, you could still see the pork offal meatballs and lean meat inside.

The child took a few sips, then raised the spoon with bright eyes and said, "Mommy, you drink!"

The mother smiled and patted her child's head: "Mommy has some too, you can have some."

The mother and son enjoyed the bowl of porridge to themselves. After the child let out a satisfied burp, he quietly asked his mother, "Mom, will I become a top scholar if I drink this porridge?"

"Of course, but it's okay if we don't get the top score. There can only be one top scorer, so we can be second or third."

...

Another side effect of the popularity of the "Top Scholar's Congee" was that Wenji started receiving invitations to teacher appreciation banquets for the next two months.

People kept placing orders, and all the private rooms for the following days were booked in one go.

Wen's mother had finally managed to clear a day off for her family, planning to hold a thank-you banquet for her daughter's teachers.

Wen Fan spent the entire month of July filling out college applications, deciding on the menu for the teacher appreciation banquet, and waiting for the admission notice.

Just as the notification was about to arrive, Director Hao came again, this time bringing a new cooperation invitation.

"Would you be interested in setting up a pop-up store for the Qingtang Mountain Cultural Festival?"

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Author's note: Only one update today. I've been having terrible writer's block lately, so I'll be updating only once.