Chapter 62 062 Meat Sauce Fried Noodles [Third Update]

During the National Day holiday, Wen Fan also met with several old acquaintances.

Yang Tao rushed home on the night of the 30th and came to Wen's restaurant for dinner the next day. When Wen Fan saw Yang Tao for the first time, her question, "Why have you gained weight?" almost made Yang Tao shut up.

The school food was terrible, and he kept thinking about Wen Fan's cooking, but he still gained weight. How can you reason with that?

Yang Tao: "...It's all because I'm doing restaurant reviews now!"

He blamed everything on restaurant reviews, and that's exactly what happened. Ever since he started reviewing restaurants, he's spent all his time outside of class looking for good food. It's no wonder he gained weight!

As they were talking, Yang Tao took out his phone and showed Wen Fan his account.

Wen Fan looked at the number of followers and asked in confusion, "You have... 860 followers now?"

Wen Fan wasn't sure if this counted as excellent, but Yang Tao proudly declared that he had only worked for half a month and already had 800 followers, so it was definitely excellent.

"Little boss, you wait and see! I'll become an internet celebrity like Big Dumpling one day! Then I'll advertise for you every day!"

Wen Fan: "Then good luck."

"So, young boss, could you cook today?"

Having finally revealed his true intentions, Yang Tao shamelessly ordered food.

"I want to eat noodles!"

During his school days, the first thing he thought about when he closed his eyes at night was the noodles he had eaten: tomato and egg noodles, pickled green bean and chicken gizzard noodles, and double-pepper chicken noodles...

Wen Fan: "Our family stopped making noodles a long time ago."

The shop only serves rice.

Even if there's no fish or shrimp, Yang Tao immediately said that rice would be fine too, but he wanted the toppings made by Wen Fan.

Just then, Yang Fei entered the store.

"Great, I knew you'd arrive first."

Yang Fei was followed by Qu Xiaoyu, who was tanned dark from military training, except for his white teeth.

Yang Tao took out his phone and made Qu Xiaoyu laugh: "Dude, you're old enough to be on toothpaste packaging."

He looks exactly like that smiling Black man.

Qu Xiaoyu smiled, while Yang Tao grinned – they looked so alike!

Yang Fei greeted Wen Fan warmly first, then stared at the menu in the shop: "Has the young boss not made any new dishes recently?"

It makes sense when you think about it. Wen's parents obviously wanted their daughter to study. If she was studying, where would she find the time?

The three people who clearly came for Wen Fan's craftsmanship were inevitably disappointed.

Wen Fan: "...I'm making fried noodles for lunch, do you want some?"

"Eat, eat, eat!" Yang Fei, who was in the lead, pushed Yang Tao aside, his eyes full of eagerness.

Wen Fan: "Then come back at noon."

It's only mid-morning, and she's already asking her dad to buy noodles, but they won't be ready until noon.

Yang Tao said casually, "It's okay, we're free anyway, we'll watch the stall for you here."

Wen Fan: "No need, there aren't many people here right now."

With fewer students from Qunying Middle School visiting during the National Day holiday, Wen Fan thought business at the store wouldn't be very good today.

Yang Tao gave him a look that said, "Young man, you're still too naive." He said, "I'll bet you, if I don't get a huge number of orders today, I'll change my surname to yours!"

They're all college students, everyone knows each other. You know, during the summer vacation, the Wen family's business was mostly supported by these college students. Now that a month has passed, there's a huge bunch of hungry livestock waiting to be fed!

Wen Fan:......

Sure enough, just after 11 o'clock, the store gradually filled up with people.

Yao Qingqin had never experienced such a lively atmosphere before, and she was sweating profusely while hosting the guests.

Wen's mother saw many familiar faces and happily greeted them and ordered food.

Yang Tao and the others also helped serve the dishes and clear the table, and then listened to the college students groaning one by one.

"Waaaaah, I'm finally back! I've been craving braised duck legs all month!"

"The sky has fallen! My favorite pickled green beans and chicken gizzards are gone! My white moonlight!"

"Hey buddy, you're alone too? How about we share a table? I'll order some meatballs and you can order some crispy pork, we can eat together!"

"I haven't had this sauce during summer vacation, it's so delicious!"

...

Wenji no longer makes rice bowls and noodles with toppings; instead, they offer clay pot rice, braised dishes, and steamed dishes.

Those who arrived early enjoyed the delicious food: tender pork ribs, large meatballs filled with egg yolk, and slices of meat infused with the fragrance of preserved mustard greens...

Every single one of them is mouthwatering.

People who arrived late had nowhere to sit, and there were long queues for takeout.

Yao Qingqin then realized that Wenji's business was booming. It turned out that Wenji's business was not even at its peak during the first month of school!

The group of college students emptied the store in just over half an hour, and Mr. Wen hurriedly told his wife to turn off the takeout.

"We're overwhelmed with orders! We can't keep up with any more!"

The number of people ordering online far exceeds the number of orders placed in the store; in just a short time, dozens more orders have been placed.

Wen's mother quickly turned off the takeout order, and soon after, she received another phone call.

"Auntie, are you not open today?"

"Auntie, can I still get some if I go there now?"

"Auntie, why is the food delivery platform shut down?"

They were polite, but kept asking questions.

Wen's mother answered the phone until after midnight before finally stopping.

Yang Tao, Yang Fei, and Qu Xiaoyu helped tidy up the table, and the three of them sat there waiting for Wen Fan.

After a busy noon, Wen's father gave up the kitchen for his daughter and sat next to Yang Tao to chat with the young man.

In the kitchen, Wen Fan heated oil in a wok and first made a small bowl of meat sauce.

Fry minced pork with a 50/50 fat-to-lean ratio until the fat renders out. The lean meat is then fried until golden brown. Pour out most of the rendered pork fat, and add the previously prepared spicy mushroom sauce to the remaining sauce. Add a few drops of sesame oil, then add the diced pork slices and a small bowl of water to the pot. Simmer until the sauce thickens and becomes gelatinous.

This bowl of meat sauce was so enticing that it made the people outside restless even before it was started cooking.

Yang Fei was practically drooling, and he was speaking absentmindedly.

When Wen's mother asked her if Zhang Shan had returned for the National Day holiday, Yang Fei replied with a mix of thoughts, "No, she said she went to the lab with her teacher for the National Day holiday."

Since returning to school, Zhang Shan has contacted Yang Fei many times. Perhaps she has come to terms with it, Zhang Shan no longer fusses with her parents about her younger brother, and she focuses all her energy on her studies.

"I plan to pursue a master's degree."

Zhang Shan quickly decided on her future. Ever since her younger brother was born, her parents would often say things like, "Girls shouldn't work too hard," "Studying too much will make you unmarriageable," "Just find a job near home, it'll be much easier," and "If all else fails, take the civil service exam and stay close to us..."

Zhang Shan knew that they just wanted her to spend more of her time and energy on them, in other words, on her younger brother.

Zhang Shan thought to herself, "Why should I?"

Instead of sacrificing her future to feed others, she should focus on pursuing higher education.

After making the decision, Zhang Shan studied her major courses even more diligently and contacted her professors in advance to express her intention to pursue graduate studies.

She had a good GPA last semester, and a teacher who appreciated her let her go to the lab during the holidays to get used to it.

After Yang Fei finished speaking, Wen's mother nodded repeatedly.

"This child is really promising, he's good at studying."

As they were talking, Wen Fan started stir-frying noodles in the kitchen.

Heat oil in a wok, sauté minced garlic until fragrant, then stir-fry bean sprouts, bok choy, and small cabbages briefly. Add pre-steamed noodles and stir-fry. Halfway through, add two spoonfuls of meat sauce. The stir-fried noodles are covered with a glossy sheen of oil, with crispy pork slices mixed in. Tiny bits of minced meat are coated in the thick sauce, then disperse in the wok. The sauce isn't too heavy, and when it seeps onto the noodles, it's not overly salty. Instead, it makes the stir-fried noodles even more appealing.

Wen Fan finished dividing the dishes and said "It's done," which almost made it impossible for Yang Tao and the others to squeeze in through the kitchen door.

Each person had a plate of fried noodles, and Wen Fan also took out his homemade pickled cucumbers and sliced ​​them into a plate.

"If you're feeling greasy, have some."

Anyway, Wen Fan ate a bite of pickled cucumber and a bite of fried noodles.

But Yang Tao looked like he'd seen a ghost: "What's so 'tiring' about it? It's not tiring at all!"

You can clearly see the oil glistening inside, but it tastes delicious. The vegetable shreds in the fried noodles are cut extremely finely and soften after a little stir-frying. Wen Fan actually added quite a lot of vegetable shreds, but you can't really see it with your eyes.

The meat sauce inside is absolutely amazing, with caramelized slices and chunks of meat. The thick broth doesn't make the noodles soggy; instead, it maintains their chewy texture.

Yang Tao's mouth was covered in oil, and even after finishing the last bite of his bowl, he still lamented that he couldn't find stir-fried noodles that suited his taste outside.

"The last few bites were all oil and I couldn't eat them at all!"

Yang Fei also agreed.

"Some shops use bad oil; eating a couple of bites makes me nauseous."

A big pot of fried noodles, and several people ordered a second bowl.

After Yang Tao finished his second bowl, that familiar feeling of dizziness returned.

Until Yang Fei's words jolted him awake.

"Aren't you doing restaurant reviews? Why weren't you filming earlier?"

Yang Tao immediately burst into tears.

"I...I forgot!"