Chapter 79 Spicy Beef Noodles [Second Update]

The light rain drizzled all day long. At first, Wen's mother thought business wouldn't be good, but after the whole family finished eating beef noodles, the lunch rush was even more intense than usual.

Yes, fewer people come to the store when it rains.

But there's also takeout!

At noon, there were about a dozen deliverymen in the store wearing raincoats, all waiting for orders.

Wen's father was busy in the kitchen, sweating profusely. Wen Fan noticed something was wrong and went into the kitchen as well, bringing out a large clay pot to help Wen's father relieve some of the pressure.

Fortunately, not many people order rice on rainy days; most orders are for steamed rice bowls.

After seeing off several groups of delivery drivers, Wen's mother saw that pictures had already been posted in the food delivery review section.

[2**y: There's nothing better than a rainy weekend, sleeping in until noon, ordering some takeout I like, and then watching my favorite TV show while eating.]

The accompanying picture shows four or five different dishes in front of her: a bowl of braised pork, a bowl of rice, a bowl of tomato-flavored grilled cold noodles, a bowl of takoyaki, a complimentary winter melon soup, and a cup of milk tea.

This is a full meal, and next to it on the phone stand is a timeless ancient sitcom.

Someone immediately replied, posting their own meal details.

[8**i: Same show as the blogger, but I ordered the braised meatballs and a Korean bibimbap, which was amazing with Sprite.]

[5**w: It's different for me. My mom insisted I come over for dinner today, so I brought my takeout... and then she asked me to order a few more.]

【2**a: ...I'm going to draw a circle and curse you all. I'm still working overtime at the company, and it's raining so hard, but all I can eat is braised chicken from the restaurant downstairs.】

[3**s: Fellow overtime worker... Seriously, I think companies that don't have weekends off should be walled off.]

【4**r: Support!】

Remembering what her husband and daughter had encountered that morning, Wen's mother quietly gave a thumbs-up to the supportive comment.

"Madam, do you have noodles in the shop?"

Wen's mother closed her phone: "Sorry, the store only sells claypot rice and steamed dishes... Oh, didn't you just pick up your food?"

Ms. Wen still remembered the rider in the yellow raincoat. He had just left with a meal in his hand, so why was he still in the store now?

The delivery rider stood at the door, somewhat helplessly: "Don't even mention it, I fell as soon as I was delivering it. The customer was very nice though, he didn't make things difficult for me, saying that he marked it as delivered and wouldn't fine me."

Fortunately, there was only one meal in his box.

He wasn't seriously injured, but he was soaking wet after the fall. He didn't want to go back to his rented room, since it would be wet and cold there anyway.

I just want to eat something warm before going back.

"Boss lady, are you sure you don't have any noodles?"

He was soaking wet, and if he didn't eat something warm, the feeling of dejection in his heart would just keep creeping out.

Wen's mother: "Wait a moment..."

Mother Wen lifted a corner of the curtain: "Is there any rice noodles left?"

Wen Fan had heard the commotion outside and found the rice noodles in the refrigerator.

"have."

Wen's mother turned to the rider and asked, "We don't have noodles, but would you like some spicy beef noodles?"

"Eat, eat, eat!"

The rider took off his raincoat, wiped his shoes on the doormat, and walked into the store a little embarrassed: "Could you find me a plastic bag or something to cover the stool? I don't want you to get it wet again."

Wen's mother first ladled out a bowl of winter melon soup and placed it on the table: "It's alright, it's all plastic, it won't get wet. How are you feeling? There's some iodine in the shop, I'll get it for you to use first."

The rider waved his hand repeatedly: "No need, no need, thank you, ma'am. It's just a little scratch, it's nothing."

"Then wipe it clean first."

Wen's mother found a bottle of iodine and a pack of cotton swabs in the counter. These things didn't cost much, and Wen's mother habitually left a bottle in the counter.

The rider thanked him with a slightly nasal tone, then carefully wiped his arm with a cotton swab.

After treating the minor wound, other delivery riders came to pick up their orders. Seeing that Wen's mother was busy, he placed the iodine solution on the corner of the table.

The beef noodles that had already been served smelled delicious, but he didn't have time to eat them. Instead, he tried the winter melon soup first.

The winter melon soup had some dried shrimp floating in it. The soup had been kept on the stove the whole time, so it was warm to hold. There was little salt in the soup, and the winter melon was cooked until it was translucent, which made the slight umami flavor of the dried shrimp stand out quite a bit.

After finishing a bowl of soup, he picked up his chopsticks and started eating the rice noodles.

The moment the rice noodles touch your mouth, they're hit with a powerful, numbing spiciness. This spiciness instantly makes your forehead sweat, and it awakens the long-dormant warmth in your body. After just a few bites, your hands and feet start to warm up.

Then, take a bite of meatballs and beef. The tender beef and three beef meatballs are soaking in the chili oil. The meatballs are crisp and bouncy, and the beef is tender and juicy, with a fresh, fragrant, spicy, and numbing flavor. The greens are soaking in the broth, and when you eat them, they seem even spicier than the meat and noodles.

The spiciness made snot drip from the nose and the cheeks turn red.

Other riders saw him enjoying his food and asked him what he had ordered.

"Beef noodles!"

He ate the noodles and meat in big mouthfuls, tilted his head back and drank the soup. The hot, spicy soup went down his throat, and with a soft burp, his nasal passages, which had been a little stuffy from being caught in the rain on the way, instantly cleared up.

Some riders have already gone to the counter to ask if Wenmu still has any.

"If you have any, I'll have one too."

Despite the terrible weather, the platform gave him some leeway. He checked the delivery time on his phone and figured he could easily find ten minutes to grab a bowl of noodles.

Wen Fan calculated the quantity and told his mother that he could make a maximum of three more portions.

Three riders immediately placed orders for the top lane.

"In this awful weather, we need something hot to eat."

"It's spicy, and it warms you up after you eat it."

"I'm really fed up. It's raining all day long, not a single sunny day."

...

"Hey buddy, you work for XX platform, what's the pay like there?"

"There's a fierce competition in the food delivery market right now, so there are definitely more orders, but the average price per order is just average."

"...Let's not talk about this anymore. We've already eaten, why are we still talking about orders? Sigh, let's take this one."

One of the riders served three bowls of winter melon soup, while the other two drank one bowl and were too embarrassed to ask for more.

The younger one, however, was quite unceremonious and drank three bowls in a row.

"The proprietress is very generous; please drink as much as you like."

Wen's mother smiled at them, meaning she really didn't mind.

Seeing this, the two riders also got up to add more soup.

Having worked in the food delivery business for a long time, they've seen all sorts of small business owners. Some are very polite, while others are incredibly stingy. They'd yell and shout if you asked them to even sit on a stool, let alone drink a sip of water.

The young rider was clearly a regular customer, sipping his soup and telling the other two riders how delicious the braised dishes were.

"Those meatballs are really substantial, and they have a salted egg yolk inside. They're so delicious. I usually mash the yolk into my rice. Sometimes when I buy one serving, it lasts me two or three days."

One meatball a day is like adding a side dish.

"Then your expenses must be quite substantial."

They often come here and know that this store is popular, but its relatively high prices still make them turn to other stores every time.

Putting everything else aside, the price of just one bowl of braised pork here is enough for them to eat two meals at a self-service fast food restaurant.

The young rider said nonchalantly, "Even cows and horses need to be fed hay. Can't I eat some concentrated feed myself?"

As they were talking, Wen's mother brought out three bowls of spicy beef noodles.

"You can add rice if it's not enough."

The three of them ignored everything else and buried themselves in their food.

The first rider finished eating, put on his raincoat, and asked Ms. Wen how much it cost.

Mother Wen: "Fifteen."

Beef noodle soup can't be priced too low, because the beef tenderloin and meatballs inside are all expensive to make.

None of the people who ate the noodles thought it was expensive, since they knew it was good meat once they tasted it.

The rider swept fifteen kilometers but didn't leave immediately.

"I'll wait for an order in the store."

After finishing his noodles, he felt like he had a bit more energy. Since he was going home anyway, he figured he might as well see if he could get a ride along the way.

The other riders chatted while eating, and they were all covered in sweat when they finished.

After working up a good sweat, the rain stopped outside, and the first rider finally got an order.

The group of people, each carrying their own food, returned to their busy work in the shop.

...

The riders left, and Wen's mother slapped her forehead.

"Xiao Fan, have you forgotten about Wanzi?"

The family was quite happy to discuss putting beef noodles on the shelves, but the meatballs are handmade. If they really start making them, wouldn't it mean that the family members would have to make the meatballs themselves?

Wen Fan: "...Mom, what am I supposed to say if you set the price at fifteen? I might as well just go and buy the machine-made meatballs from that beef shop."

She originally planned to set the price at twenty, so that she could make a profit from making the meatballs by hand. As long as she could make a profit, she could buy a machine or hire a helper for a morning.

Who knew that Mother Wen would set the price at fifteen?

Wen's mother: "...Are you setting the price too high? Can students afford it?"

Fifteen is not a small number.

Oh well, machine-made meatballs are machine-made meatballs anyway. Most people can hardly tell the difference between machine-made and handmade ones.

After a busy midday, the afternoon was a rare moment of leisure.

Wen Fan now had more time to prepare the evening's menu.

Wen's mother was still worried, so she called each person to verify whether the plan had changed.

The cancellation was understandable due to the weather.

When we called, the only tables that cancelled were the ones occupied by university students because they couldn't travel, but the other two tables said they would come back.

Yang Hong didn't have much to do to begin with, and going out for dinner in the evening was practically her only activity of the day.

The kindergarten principal also said there were no arrangements and that they would arrive on time.

Wen Fan was busy preparing in the kitchen, and just after seven o'clock in the afternoon, people from both tables arrived.

Yang Hong was very unhappy when she arrived. She still felt that she had been eating there for so long, and the Wen family hadn't been the first to tell her about their private restaurant.

That's outrageous!

Although she had eaten mooncakes from Wen's mother a while ago, and Wen's mother would usually inform her when new products were launched, how could she wait a month to eat the private kitchen dishes?

Wen's mother sincerely expressed her apology, and her words were straightforward.

“I never intended to do this from the beginning. My child will be a senior in high school next year, and the academic workload is too heavy.”

Yang Hong's expression softened slightly.

Wen's mother: "Sister Hong, I'm really sorry, I'll give you a discount tonight."

At first, I didn't want my daughter to do it, but then I was too busy and forgot.

Yang Hong was a regular customer, and Wen's mother felt a little bad about it, so she decided to give her a 20% discount.

Yang Hong's friends chuckled and tried to smooth things over: "What discount? She's a landlord now, why would she ask you for a discount? Give her an 11% discount!"

Yang Hong: "...Hey, hey, hey, don't forget who's treating tonight!"

"Forget it, forget it, no need for a discount. As long as the food is delicious, everything else is minor."

Xie Qingxi, the kindergarten principal sitting at another table, listened to the commotion at the other table and observed everything around her without making a sound.

Xie Qingxi thought of the mooncakes she had eaten a few days ago. If she had only heard about the shredded beef in lantern sauce that Wang Zihao's mother had given to the children before, she had personally experienced the deliciousness of the mooncakes that the children praised.

Five kinds of mooncakes, five flavors, each one exceptionally superior. They were even comparable to the mooncakes she had eaten before, which often cost several hundred yuan each.

And such mooncakes only cost sixty yuan a serving.

On Xie Qingxi's first day back at work after the holiday, many parents who brought their children to school praised the mooncakes as delicious.

"Where did Director Xie order the mooncakes? They taste really good."

"Is that one of our pastry chefs? You deserve a raise."

Along with the effusive praise, parents also commended the kindergarten's support services.

Xie Qingxi also received a call from the group that evening. The chairman's secretary said it was business as usual, but the meaning was very clear.

Although the boss didn't get to eat that mooncake, some parents he was close to mentioned it during casual conversation.

The chairman had his secretary check and found that the pastry chef in the park hadn't made it, so he sent Xie Qingxi to poach the chef.

"I heard it's just a small shop. As long as we can poach the head chef, the money won't be a problem."

Xie Qingxi came with this mission.

only……

Xie Qingxi couldn't quite understand it. Could they really make good food in such a simple environment?

Yes, good wine needs no bush, but good wine can't stay in a hidden alley for long.

Once you've accumulated your first pot of gold, who wouldn't want to expand their business?

Just as I was lost in thought, the dishes started to be served.

Wen's mother was carrying a tray.

"Vegetarian roast goose, glutinous rice duck."