Chapter 60 060 Steamed Egg with Yam and Meat Patty (Major Revision)

Wu Na stepped off the train, first exhaling the stale air from her lungs, then taking a deep breath of the air from her hometown.

It had just rained lightly, and the platform was still slippery. Pedestrians carrying suitcases were all walking very carefully. Although the National Day holiday starts on the 1st, everyone knows that tickets for the 1st are extremely difficult to book, so those who can usually travel a few days in advance will depart.

—Although it wasn't until we got on the bus that we realized there weren't many fewer people than on bus number one.

As a junior this year, Wu Na found her school's schedule shockingly unbalanced, with classes fully booked from Wednesday to Friday, and only a few easy classes in the first half of the week.

Wu Na made a tough decision and left two days early, leaving her roommate to cover for her.

Wu Na squeezed through the crowd with difficulty. Compared to the city workers carrying large and small bags home, she was carrying a suitcase, but she walked briskly. Occasionally, when she ran fast, you could hear the thumping sound of shoes colliding in the half-empty suitcase.

While queuing to exit the station, Wu Na received a message from her good friend Lin Miaomiao.

Have you arrived yet?

Wu Na lowered her head, barely able to suppress her smile.

【We've arrived! We've arrived!】

Lin Miaomiao replied with an "OK" emoji, 【The library closes at six, shall we meet at seven tonight?】

Wu Na glanced at her watch; it was only a little past three.

【OK. 】

However, before meeting her best friend, Wu Na had one more very important thing to do.

Wu Na hailed a ride-hailing car and headed straight for Qunying Middle School.

When Wu Na finally saw the signboard she had been longing for for over a month, she almost burst into tears.

—Waaaaah, God knows what a miserable month she's been through at school!

After eating at Wenji's restaurant, she was in great pain when she returned to school.

Taste buds have memory, but they are also picky.

The cafeteria, which she had initially thought was alright, had become completely inedible. The snacks outside the school gate were also not very appealing. Wu Na clutched the last bottle of watermelon sauce beans that her roommate had stolen, and carefully added a little bit to it every day.

After enduring this long, Wu Na could no longer bear it. Taking advantage of the National Day holiday, she declined her friends' invitations to travel and went straight home.

Wu Na, carrying her suitcase, barged into Wenji Restaurant, planning to order a full set of braised dishes as soon as she entered. And rice too—two bowls wouldn't be too much, three would be just right. After finishing, she'd pack up a clay pot rice to take home for a late-night snack…

Wu Na had high hopes, but as soon as she sat down, she was told that the store was closed that afternoon.

Wen's mother still remembered this girl. She vaguely remembered that the girl often visited during the summer vacation and even talked with her daughter, and gave Xiao Fan some study tips.

Therefore, Mrs. Wen explained apologetically, "The kitchen is making mooncakes today, so we won't be able to open until tonight."

After inspecting the venue and tasting Wen Fan's cooking, the kindergarten principal readily placed an order for two hundred mooncakes.

Wen Fan said it was a Five Blessings Mooncake, with five mooncakes in one batch. She told the kindergarten principal to prepare the packaging herself, and she would only be responsible for delivering one thousand mooncakes.

Making mooncakes costing thousands of yuan is certainly quite complicated.

Not only is it trivial, but it's also complicated.

Wen's mother watched helplessly as her daughter wrote out a long list of prescriptions, causing her husband to lose several pounds in just a few days.

With all sorts of ingredients, Wen Fan had to be picky about their quality: the nuts weren't dry enough, the oil wasn't good enough, the candied fruit was too damp...

Mr. Wen drove his van around to various local markets every day, finally managing to get everything ready for his daughter on Saturday.

This time was different from the last. Wen Fan not only used his father, but also recruited Yao Qingqin. The three of them were busy in the kitchen until they were exhausted, while only Wen's mother was outside watching over the shop.

Wen's mother said to Wu Na, "If you can't do it now, I'll save you a seat tonight?"

Mother Wen felt that she should treat her regular customers well.

Wu Na was initially disappointed and was about to pack her suitcase and head home when she suddenly heard Wen Fan's voice coming from the kitchen.

"Sister Yao, you don't need to seal this mooncake so neatly. Look, just fill in the filling and seal it simply on top. This kind of golden thread five-nut mooncake has a crispy crust when it comes out of the oven, which is also a selling point..."

Yao Qingqin: "Xiao Fan, do you think this is okay?"

Wen Fan: "Okay... Dad, is the Sichuan pepper beef ready?"

With a click, Mr. Wen responded, "All done."

"Take it out and bake the next batch."

The curtain was opened, and Mr. Wen placed several trays of freshly baked mooncakes on the table in the shop.

Wu Na: ...

The freshly baked mooncakes were incredibly appealing. Although the crust was a little dry because it hadn't been allowed to rehydrate, the aroma made Wu Na shamelessly ask Wen's mother if she could buy one to try.

“This…” Wen’s mother went into the kitchen and asked Wen Fan.

Wen Fan was busy and instinctively wanted to say no. Not only was she limited to making a few dozen mooncakes—aside from those for the kindergarten and her own family—but more importantly, the freshly baked mooncakes hadn't had the oil seep back into them, so the filling was all crumbly!

But Wen's mother mentioned that he was a regular customer who had come before.

"That's the college student who told you how to study before."

Wen Fan had more than just an impression of Wu Na; in a sense, she was his first customer.

"Then sell her one piece, and let her wait at least a few hours before eating it."

Wu Na walked out of Wenji, holding a warm mooncake in her hand. Wen's mother had bought a batch of mooncake packaging bags. Since she didn't specialize in selling mooncakes, she didn't print anything on the packaging bags. They were just bare bags containing mooncakes. At first glance, they looked like some kind of counterfeit or substandard product.

Once the bag was put on, the aroma of roasted flour disappeared. Just as Wu Na was about to hail a taxi, she suddenly received a call from her mother.

Wu Na answered the phone cheerfully: "Mom, I've arrived at my stop, I'll be right back."

There was a lot of noise on Li Mei's end: "That's good. Go back and find something to eat. I probably won't be able to go back today... The hospital is a bit busy today."

Wu Na: "What about my dad?"

Li Mei: "He went on a business trip."

Li Mei and her husband are undoubtedly a working couple. Her husband is an engineer who travels all over the country all year round, while Li Mei often has to work overtime at the hospital.

Wu Na, carrying the mooncakes, obediently said, "Then Mom, you must remember to eat."

Li Mei said helplessly, "I understand."

There's really no time to eat.

A multi-vehicle collision occurred on the city's elevated highway today. An SUV was speeding and crashed into seven or eight vehicles, resulting in two deaths at the scene and injuries to several others.

The traffic police stopped the speeding SUV, and they could smell the strong odor of alcohol inside the car without even having to breathe on it.

The driver, who sustained only minor injuries, was dazed and has already been taken away, leaving behind the grieving family members of the deceased and seven or eight injured people of varying degrees of severity.

Li Mei is a pediatrician. What's most heartbreaking about this car accident is that one child was seriously injured and two children sustained minor injuries.

After hanging up the phone with her daughter, Li Mei went to attend a consultation.

Seriously injured young children involve too many departments, and after the meeting, we immediately began communicating with the family about the surgical plan.

Even after the person was taken to the operating room for emergency surgery, Li Mei still couldn't go home.

After changing her clothes in the quarantine area, Li Mei was exhausted.

Her colleagues were also completely drained of energy, and when asked what she wanted to eat...

"The cafeteria also offers porridge and fast food, or you can order takeout."

Li Mei had no appetite.

Although she was starving, she had been so tense for so long that she suddenly lost her appetite.

Looking at her watch, it was only a little past nine o'clock. Thinking about having to work the night shift, Li Mei wondered if she should just grab a quick bite to tide her over.

I won't be able to go home to rest until tomorrow morning. How can I get through the night without eating?

She searched for a long time on the food delivery page, but still showed little interest.

My colleague looked pale and sighed, "Everyone says being a doctor is good, but I've never felt that way."

Working year-round without a break and constantly on call, the pediatrics department is incredibly tough and exhausting, except for a few departments that pay a little more.

Her son is only in high school, but he says every day that he will never become a doctor.

Li Mei: "Who says it isn't?"

Even her daughter, Wu Na, resolutely refused to study medicine when choosing her major, and ended up studying pharmacy.

After expressing his feelings, my colleague casually ordered a bowl of congee with preserved egg and lean pork.

"I'm so busy every day, but I haven't lost weight. It's like I never get any good things!"

Li Mei laughed when she heard this, and just as she was about to say something, she saw her resident trainee running over.

"Director Li, your takeout is here!"

Li Mei was a little confused: "I didn't order any takeout."

"They said your daughter ordered it for you!"

A warm feeling welled up in Li Mei's heart, and she accepted the gift, saying thank you.

My colleague was incredibly envious: "It's so much better to have a daughter! I always said, what's the use of having a son? He hasn't even served me a single thing in all these years!"

Li Mei exchanged pleasantries, but upon opening the takeout box, she discovered it wasn't just a simple takeout container.

Inside the insulated bag was a serving of rice, a box of unidentifiable vegetables, and a box of sauces.

Li Mei opened the box. Perhaps because it was delivered in time and kept warm, the box was steaming hot. Upon closer inspection, she saw a meat patty and an egg floating in the clear soup, with some yam slices underneath.

The light soup is sprinkled with a few bright green scallions, which looks very appetizing.

Just then, her daughter Wu Na called. When Li Mei answered, she heard Wu Na yelling on the other end.

"Mom, did you receive the takeout I ordered for you?"

Li Mei couldn't suppress the smile on her lips: "I received it. Why go to all that trouble? I'll just eat something simple."

Wu Na seemed to still be outside; the noise came through the receiver: "Oh dear, how good can hospital food be? I had someone specially make this for you!"

Li Mei was a little surprised: "Is it the restaurant you usually eat at? Didn't they stop doing takeout?"

Wu Na said with a hint of pride, "That's because I have a good relationship with the boss's daughter!"

A few hours earlier, after learning that her mother was on duty, Wu Na returned to the store with mooncakes. After explaining her situation, she asked Wen Fan to make a simple dish so that the delivery rider could pick it up before the store closed.

“My mom is a pediatrician. I just looked it up, and I guess it’s because of the multi-vehicle collision today that she can’t go home.”

Wen Fan was initially reluctant to agree, as she was exhausted from making mooncakes. However, upon learning that Wu Na's mother was a doctor, she eventually agreed to cook a light dish.

"Have the rider come and pick it up at nine o'clock tonight."

After making the mooncakes, Wen Fan noticed that there were still some yams left in the shop, so he decided to make a steamed dish.

Place the yam at the bottom, season the minced meat, put it in a porcelain bowl, and then crack an egg on top.

After Wen Fan finished cooking, she put the dishes in a steamer and kept them warm. She told her parents to just pack them up when the delivery driver arrived.

Wu Na didn't know what dish it was, but when she called her mother, she heard that it was steamed egg with yam and meatloaf, and she thought it was perfect.

"Mom, you must be very tired. Go and eat something and rest for a while."

Li Mei expressed her concern for her daughter and told her not to stay out too long and to come home early.

After hanging up the phone, my colleague's thousand words were summed up in one sentence.

"I really want to put that brat back in and have another daughter."

Waaah, how come other people's daughters are so thoughtful?

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Author's Note: Sorry, this chapter and the next chapter were rewritten due to significant controversy. This will not affect your reading experience.