Chapter 103 Braised Pork with Cabbage and Vermicelli, Garlic-Scented Pork Belly...

Wu Wensheng first served a bowl of soup to his wife and Peiqi. He knew his wife and daughter's eating habits well. The bowl of soup he served to Zhang Danyan contained pork ribs, lotus seeds, yam, longan, etc., while the bowl of soup he served to Peiqi only contained three pieces of pork ribs.

The bowl of soup he made for himself was also filled with various ingredients. Just by looking at the soup, he knew it would taste very good, and he figured the ingredients must taste good too.

Zhang Danyan helped place her daughter's bowl of soup in a spot where Peiqi could easily reach it, without it being too close to the edge of the table and risking being knocked over. Then she put her daughter's special spoon into the bowl: "Okay, Peiqi, drink your soup now, be careful it's hot."

"I know, I'm not a child anymore," Peiqi muttered, but her expression showed no impatience. She eagerly moved her hands over.

She touched the bowl's rim with one hand, sometimes loosening her grip and sometimes touching it again, a typical case of being both afraid of the bowl's heat and wanting to hold on for fear of it slipping away. With her other hand, she slipped her fingers into the plastic bracelet on her favorite culo spoon handle, scooped up a spoonful of soup, and tentatively drank it.

The soup wasn't as hot as it had been when it touched the side of the bowl, and seeing that it wasn't too hot to drink, Peiqi found it much easier to drink.

The taste was quite good, light and sweet, with a meaty aroma. After taking a sip of soup, Peiqi smacked her lips and then scooped another spoonful of soup from the bowl.

She really likes this kind of soup, which is sweet and has a meaty aroma, with a light yet mellow flavor. Moreover, upon closer tasting, you can feel the delicate texture of the soup.

Because she lacks strength in her hands, she scoops soup with a spoon much slower than the average person, but she drinks it with great pleasure and enjoyment every time.

After drinking four or five mouthfuls of soup, Peiqi felt her right hand was a little tired and weak. She was afraid that if she scooped up more soup, she would spill it, so she put down the spoon and rested for a while. Peiqi said, "Mom and Dad, this soup is especially delicious. It's sweet and has a meaty aroma."

“I also think this soup is fragrant, delicious, and refreshing,” Zhang Danyan nodded in agreement.

She had just drunk a small half bowl of soup and found it to be sweet and refreshing, which made her feel invigorated.

Wu Wensheng also praised, "This soup is really good. The proportions of the various ingredients are just right. The sweetness from the longan and Solomon's seal balances the bitterness of the lotus seeds, creating a refreshing taste. The meat flavor is also strong. I just ate a piece of pork rib. The meat was cooked until it was very tender and fell off the bone with just one bite. It absorbed the soup and was very sweet. It's the kind of taste that Peiqi would like."

Peiqi likes to eat pork that turns a light color when cooked, as it's more tender. When Zhang Danyang goes to the market, he asks the pork stall owner for crystal pork tenderloin. That cut of pork is very fragrant whether it's sliced ​​or minced and stir-fried, and Peiqi loves it too.

Upon hearing her father's words, Peiqi immediately became excited: "Then I want to try a piece!"

She felt that she had recovered a lot of strength after resting. Now, she held the bowl with her left hand, put her right hand back into the wristband of the spoon handle, grabbed the spoon, scooped a piece of pork rib meat into the bowl, and slowly brought it to her mouth to bite.

Dad was right, the pork ribs were indeed very tender and flavorful. With a gentle bite, the meat easily tore off the bone, and because they had absorbed the broth, they were quite sweet.

This kind of pork rib meat was indeed her favorite texture, and she enjoyed eating it very much. Peiqi squinted her eyes happily as she chewed.

Seeing that she was holding the spoon quite steadily and wouldn't get tired anytime soon, and was enjoying her meal, Zhang Danyan smiled with relief and lowered her head to eat the pork ribs in her bowl.

She often buys groceries and knows that the ingredients in this soup are very good. The pork ribs used in this soup are the most expensive spare ribs sold at the pork stall. Which restaurant uses such good ingredients to make soup?

You can tell how good the food is just by sipping the soup. The soup is made with pork ribs, so 58 yuan isn't expensive. Zhang Danyan silently commented in her mind.

She finished all three pieces of pork ribs in the bowl, and then started tasting the other soup ingredients.

The lotus seeds are cooked until soft and tender, with a delicate and smooth texture. They have a subtle fragrance but no bitterness, perhaps because the bitterness has been neutralized by the soup.

Longan pulp has a sweet and refreshing taste, and a bite releases plenty of juicy flavor. Yam also has a unique, delicate aroma and is very soft and chewy. Job's tears are quite chewy and have a satisfyingly grainy texture.

Each of these soup bases is of high quality, allowing you to taste the natural flavors of the ingredients while also incorporating the sweetness and aroma of the broth.

Zhang Danyan looked up at her husband and saw that he was also enjoying the soup. Then she looked at Peiqi sitting next to her, who was eating the pork ribs with a smile on her face. She was now eating the last piece of pork rib in her bowl.

After Peiqi finished eating the pork ribs, she used a spoon to gently tilt the remaining bones onto the dining table. Zhang Danyan then asked, "The pork ribs are so delicious, do you want me to scoop some more for you?"

Peiqi shook her head: "No need, Mom. I'll rest for a while before drinking the soup in my bowl. I need to save room for even better food later."

"Haha, okay, then you can rest for a while before drinking the soup." Zhang Danyan laughed. "I'll follow your example and finish this bowl of soup before waiting for the meat and vegetables to come."

Since both mother and daughter said so, Wu Wensheng also stopped his original idea of ​​picking up the bowl to drink half a bowl of soup after finishing the soup and eating the soup ingredients. He smiled and sighed, "Our Peiqi is really good at planning. You are right. We can save the soup for later. We must leave room for more meat and vegetables."

This time, Zhang Danyan picked up the bowl and gulped down the remaining half bowl of soup, savoring the fresh, sweet taste in her mouth.

Peiqi was just talking to her dad about what to buy at the boutique later when she saw her mom pick up the bowl and drink it all in one gulp, which she found particularly refreshing. She immediately changed her mind and said in a spoiled tone, "Mom, can you pick up the bowl for me and drink it directly? I want to drink it all in one gulp too!"

She spoke the last few words with a face full of joy.

She remembered the phrase "drink it all in one go" from listening to the adults chatting and drinking at a family gathering.

She didn't have enough strength in her hands to lift the bowl that was half full of soup. She had originally planned to continue scooping soup with a spoon after resting, but now that her mother was helping her drink the soup, she could save some energy to eat meat later.

Zhang Danyan readily agreed: "Sure."

She picked up her daughter's bowl and brought it to Peiqi's lips, tilting the bowl slightly upwards to make it more comfortable for Peiqi to drink, while controlling the flow of the soup in the bowl to prevent it from dribbling down her lip.

Peiqi drank the soup sip by sip. When she finished it and her mother moved the bowl away, she swallowed the last mouthful and was still savoring it: "This soup is so delicious, sweet and fragrant!"

Wu Wensheng was pleased to see her savoring expression: "It's good that it tastes good. I'll have some more later."

Peiqi nodded: "I'll wait until I finish the rest of the food, and if there's still room in my stomach, I'll have a bowl of soup!"

Zhang Danyan and Wu Wensheng smiled and naturally agreed.

Soon, the waiter came over and served a dish of braised pork and cabbage with glass noodles. The deep white porcelain plate was filled with a dark brown broth, on which floated the fatty and lean pork, the cabbage which was tinged with a bit of brown color but still retained some of its own whiteness, and some thin glass noodles. Just looking at the tempting appearance and smelling the aroma of the meat was enough to make one's mouth water.

Peiqi has no resistance to anything dark brown or sauce-colored, and immediately said, "Mom, I want to eat pork belly and cabbage!"

"Okay, I'll scoop it for you now." Zhang Danyan replied. She took her daughter's bowl and used the spoon that came with it to scoop pork belly, cabbage, and vermicelli into the bowl. She didn't pick anything out with each spoonful, scooping up the meat and soup together, since Peiqi loved to eat them anyway.

After scooping out about half a bowl, she put the bowl back in front of Peiqi and said, "Eat first, and I'll scoop more for you after you finish eating."

“Okay, thank you, Mom.” As Peiqi said this, her eyes were almost glued to the bowl full of dark brown pork belly, cabbage, and glass noodles in front of her. She picked up her spoon again and scooped up a piece of pork belly to eat first.

The long strips of pork belly looked like they had both fat and lean meat, and they were cut into very small pieces, just the right size for her to eat in one bite.

It's soft, chewy, and savory with a rich meaty flavor. Before you can even separate the lean and fatty meat as usual, your mouth has already unconsciously and eagerly finished chewing and swallowing it.

Zhang Danyan and Wu Wensheng each scooped a small half-bowl of cabbage, pork, and vermicelli into their own bowls. Although they were very tempted to try the delicious food, they decided to observe their daughter's condition first.

Seeing that Peiqi was chewing constantly and had a smile on her face and eyes, you could tell that she liked to eat. However, even when she ate pork belly, she only ate the lean meat and not the fatty meat. Usually, she would spit out the fatty part after finishing the lean meat.

Zhang Danyan was still waiting, but after a while, she didn't see Peiqi spit out the fatty part of the pork belly in her mouth. Instead, she scooped up another piece of meat and put it in her mouth.

Zhang Danyan couldn't help but ask, "Peiki, aren't you going to spit out the fat?"

Upon hearing this, Peiqi paused, the spoon she was about to bring to her mouth, and blinked at her mother: "Ah, I've finished it all. This meat was quite delicious. I couldn't help but chew it as soon as I put it in my mouth, and then I swallowed it."

Zhang Danyan understood after hearing this, and then said happily, "That's great, then you continue eating, we'll try some too."

She usually makes braised pork belly with dried bean curd, braised pork belly with tofu, or braised pork belly with chestnuts at home, and she thinks they taste pretty good. But Peiqi only eats the lean meat and doesn't touch the fatty part at all. Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, since her dad will help her eat it, so it's not a waste.

Zhang Danyan was curious about just how delicious the pork belly was that Peiqi could chew and swallow it, with the fat and lean meat mixed together.

She picked up her chopsticks, grabbed a piece of pork belly from the bowl, and popped it into her mouth. The first bite told her how delicious it was.

The pork belly is simmered until tender and melts in your mouth with just one bite. It's soft, savory, and flavorful, rich but not greasy, tender but not dry. As you chew, the fat seeps out and moisturizes the lean meat, making it incredibly tender.

After chewing and swallowing a whole piece of pork belly in a few bites, my mouth was filled with the aroma of soy sauce and meat. I didn't feel greasy at all, and my mind was screaming that I wanted to eat more.

Zhang Danyan couldn't resist picking up another piece of pork belly and eating it. At this moment, she didn't care about Peiqi's eating situation or sharing the taste with her husband. She just wanted to enjoy the delicious food in her mouth.

The pork belly is fresh and delicious, melting in your mouth. The savory sauce enhances the flavor of the meat, making it even more delicious. You can't help but swallow it after just a few chews.

After quickly finishing the pork belly in her bowl, she picked up some cabbage and ate it.

The cabbage is cut into sections, making it easier to eat. You can immediately taste the same savory sauce flavor as the cabbage. The cabbage sections are particularly crisp, juicy, and sweet.

After finishing the cabbage pieces in her bowl in one go, Zhang Danyan continued eating the remaining glass noodles. The glass noodles were quite long, thin and round, and when you bit into them, they were full of the salty and savory sauce. They were soft and chewy, and you could easily slurp them all up. After chewing a few times, they were especially delicious when swallowed.

This braised cabbage and pork with glass noodles was exactly what Zhang Danyan wanted. Every ingredient was one of her favorites, and the dish was incredibly flavorful.

After finishing everything in her bowl, Zhang Danyan finally came to her senses and looked at her daughter beside her. She saw that although Peiqi ate slowly, her method of eating evenly allowed her to taste all three delicious dishes.

Seeing her mother looking over, Peiqi swallowed the glass noodles in her mouth and smiled, saying, "Mom, I found that cabbage also tastes very good. It's salty with a meaty aroma and is also sweet. The glass noodles are delicious too. I think they taste better than rice. They're slippery and tender when you bite into them."

She gently raised her chin to show her mother her bowl, "Look, I'm almost finished eating."

"Amazing!" Zhang Danyan gave Peiqi a thumbs up, showing her special respect. "I also think this dish is delicious. From the pork belly and cabbage to the glass noodles, everything is very savory and flavorful, and very fresh."

Wu Wensheng had just finished eating the cabbage, pork, and vermicelli stew in his bowl.

He has always loved meat, and he usually enjoys the various braised pork belly dishes his wife cooks at home. He finds them soft, savory, and very flavorful, and they go very well with rice.

Eating the braised pork belly from Gu's private kitchen, I finally understood what it truly meant to be fatty yet not greasy, melting in your mouth. Every bite was savory and fragrant, and even the cabbage was crisp, sweet, and savory. The glass noodles were smooth and flavorful.

This one dish already has meat, carbohydrates, and vegetables, and it tastes even better and more satisfying than pork belly with rice.

He said, "It really tastes great. No wonder Peiqi ate the whole piece of pork belly. I ate a whole bowl and didn't feel greasy at all. The meat is very tender, the cabbage is very sweet, and the glass noodles are chewy."

Peiqi nodded emphatically: "Yes, it's really delicious. I love meat and cabbage, and I also love glass noodles."

Wu Wensheng coaxed her, "If you like it, eat more. I'll fill your bowl again after you finish what's in it."

Peiqi agreed, and after resting enough, she felt a bit stronger and continued to scoop the cabbage and vermicelli from her bowl with a spoon.

Wu Wensheng had been enjoying his meal, but he was still craving more, so he scooped another half bowl of braised cabbage and pork with vermicelli into his bowl and continued eating.

Zhang Danyan, though still wanting to eat, managed to restrain herself. If the second dish, braised pork with cabbage and glass noodles, was so delicious, the rest of the dishes would surely be even more delicious; she needed to save room for more.

She watched as Peiqi ate the pork belly, cabbage, and glass noodles in her bowl with obvious enjoyment, spooning one spoonful after another. It seemed that both the speed at which she chewed and scooped the food with the spoon was faster than usual.

Children with SMA have poor muscle endurance, so Peggy has to eat a meal on her own, stopping and starting, resting when she runs out of energy before continuing to eat.

Sometimes, when the little girl is tired and impatient to eat by herself, she will whine and beg Zhang Danyan to help her feed her rice and meat. Sometimes Zhang Danyan will satisfy Peiqi, and sometimes she will coax her to finish eating, as if it were training.

Peiqi is also sensible. She knows that her mother is serious, so she will grit her teeth and finish eating by herself. Then she will happily receive the reward from her mother and be happy all day.

Today was quite unusual. It was the first time I'd seen Peiqi eat with a spoon for so long. She took several breaks and then continued eating with such enthusiasm, without complaining of being tired at all. Apart from asking her to help carry the bowl and feed her soup earlier, she didn't ask her to help feed her meat at all.

Zhang Danyan looked at Peiqi's cheeks, which were slightly chubby from chewing, and couldn't help but smile.

She had no other desires but hoped that Peiqi could eat happily every day and live each day to the fullest, and that she could gain a little more weight.

Peiqi diligently finished all the cabbage, pork, and vermicelli stew in her bowl. Before she could even ask her dad to scoop some more for her, the waitress came over and brought out a beautiful plate of large fish.

The fish was topped with shrimp that looked ready to take flight, and sprinkled with lots of minced garlic and chili peppers. There was also a lot of clear, dark brown broth around the fish on the white porcelain plate. It looked and smelled amazing.

She grinned and said, "Thank you, Auntie!"

From the first moment Sister Zhou saw this child, she thought she was very cute. Perhaps because of Fangfang, she felt very fond of this girl.

Hearing her sweet, childlike thanks, Sister Zhou smiled sincerely and said, "You're welcome. This is garlic-flavored sea bass. I hope you like it. Enjoy!"

After saying that, she nodded to Zhang Danyan and Wu Wensheng as a greeting, and then turned to greet the customers at other tables.

Peiqi couldn't wait any longer and gently tugged at her mother's sleeve with her left hand: "Mom, quickly pick up the fish and shrimp for me."

"Okay, coming right up." Zhang Danyan exclaimed in admiration, "I didn't expect that this garlic-flavored peacock sea bass would have fresh shrimp on top. And let me tell you, the sea bass is cut up like a peacock spreading its tail, and the orange-red shrimp on top of the fish make it look even more like a peacock in a fold, ready to take flight. It looks very artistic."

She had already picked up her daughter's bowl and chopsticks to pick up the fish and shrimp, but suddenly thought, "Hey Peiqi, let's wait a minute. Mommy, can I take a picture of this garlic-flavored sea bass first? It's so beautiful, it would be a shame not to take a picture."

Peiqi nodded understandingly: "Sure, Mom, take a picture! I'll send it to Jiajia and the others later, and they'll definitely exclaim how envious they are of me for eating such beautiful fish and shrimp."

Towards the end, he even became a little excited and elated.

Zhang Danyan was both amused and exasperated. She took out her phone, opened the camera, and pointed it at the garlic-flavored sea bass. She was thinking of finding the right angle, but she was surprised by the image displayed on her phone screen. She hadn't expected it to be so photogenic.

Sure enough, meat dishes that look, smell, and taste delicious are always photogenic and tempting no matter how you photograph them, so she simply pressed the shutter.

After reviewing the photos and being quite satisfied, she took a few more pictures of the half-eaten lotus seed and pork rib soup and the cabbage and pork stew with vermicelli. Then she showed the photos she had just taken to Peiqi, who was begging to see them.

The mother and daughter were enjoying themselves when they suddenly heard a click. Zhang Danyan and Peiqi both looked at Wu Wensheng.

Wu Wensheng held up his phone to the two of them, smiling as he explained, "Seeing you enjoying yourselves, I thought I'd take a picture to record it. Quick, give me a peace sign and take another nice one!"

The mother and daughter smiled, their similar eyes crinkling. Peiqi raised her right hand and Zhang Danyan raised her left, making a peace sign together, their bright smiles gazing at the camera across the table.

Wu Wensheng was fortunate to capture this happy moment and was very happy.

He was still holding up his phone, saying, "This garlic-flavored sea bass is truly a work of art. We don't usually get to eat such beautiful meat dishes. Let me take a picture of you with it."

Peiqi's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay!"

Zhang Danyan, amused and helpless, moved the lotus seed and pork rib soup and the cabbage and pork stew with vermicelli a little apart, and then moved the artistically beautiful garlic-flavored perch to the table in front of Peiqi. After turning the plate to adjust the fish's orientation, she said, "Okay, go ahead and take the picture."

Little Peiqi placed her hands on the table, moving them to either side of the plate, and then made a peace sign, as if adding a pair of ears to the beautiful garlic-flavored sea bass. She smiled, her eyes crinkling, her lips curving upwards to reveal her white teeth, and gazed intently at the camera in her father's hand.

Wu Wensheng captured the moment perfectly, taking a solo photo of his daughter with the dish, and then invited his wife and daughter to take another group photo with the dish.

Zhang Danyan leaned closer, put her arm around Peiqi's shoulder, and smiled at the camera. Peiqi maintained her original smile and peace sign pose.

Wu Wensheng quickly snapped another group photo and laughed, "That's enough, that's enough. Let's eat the fish quickly, or it will get cold and won't taste good."

After hearing what he said, Zhang Danyan and Peiqi lost interest in looking at the photos they had just taken. Anyway, the photos were on their phones and they could look at them anytime. The fish would taste much worse once it got cold.

Zhang Danyan picked up her daughter's bowl and chopsticks again, using her purple Kuromi chopsticks to pick up fish meat.

This fish is prepared in the shape of a peacock's tail, with the fish meat on both sides of the body sliced ​​in half, making it easy to pick up and eat.

Because Peiqi doesn't like fish slices, she used chopsticks to peel off the fish skin, then picked up a piece of fish meat and carefully dipped both sides in the clear, savory fish sauce before putting it in her bowl.

She picked up three rather large pieces of fish and put them in the bowl. Then she put the bowl back in front of Peiqi, set aside the chopsticks, and put the spoon back in the bowl: "Eat up. If it's shrimp, it has a shell. Mom will peel it and put it in your bowl, okay?"

“Okay, thank you, Mom,” Peiqi said sweetly.

She had gathered a lot of strength, and this time she picked up the spoon again and immediately scooped up a piece of fish that should have been tender white but was now stained with soy sauce and put it to her mouth to bite into.

The fish was tender and savory, and perhaps because of the sauce, it was especially smooth to bite into. Every bite was bursting with the freshness and aroma of the fish, a salty flavor that was distinct from the pork belly she had just eaten. There was also a hint of garlic in the fish, which she really enjoyed.

At first, Peiqi would bite into the fish meat one bite at a time, afraid that a fish bone might suddenly pop out and hurt her mouth or go down her throat.

After she finished eating a large piece of fish and found that there were no fish bones, she immediately relaxed. She then scooped up more fish with a spoon and ate it even more freely, taking big bites to savor the fresh, tender, salty, and sweet flavor of the fish.

Zhang Danyan wanted to peel shrimp for her daughter, but her husband stopped her, saying, "You should eat the fish while it's still fresh and hot. I'll peel the shrimp for you."

“That works too.” Zhang Danyan didn’t stand on ceremony and agreed with a smile, immediately picking up her chopsticks and eating a piece of fish.

The fish meat is fresh, fragrant, and tender, and the skin is incredibly tender. The side of the fish meat dipped in sauce is saltier, more fragrant, and smoother, while the other side looks white and tender and tastes more of the natural sweetness of the sea bass, which is also quite good.

The addition of the rich garlic aroma and a hint of spiciness elevates the flavor of this fish dish to several levels.