Chapter 66. Salted Egg Yolk and Pork Rice Dumplings, Lotus Leaf and Shaoxing Wine Pigeon. ...

Xu Feng and Chen Yusong also visited Gu's Private Kitchen for a meal on the Dragon Boat Festival.

They are already loyal fans of Gu's Private Kitchen. They usually come to the restaurant to eat together when they have time, and when they don't have time, they each ask a delivery person to buy the food and deliver it to them whenever they want to eat it.

Chen Yusong is still hospitalized for rehabilitation, and his recovery has been going very smoothly recently. The results of the follow-up X-rays are also quite good, and some callus can already be seen growing at the fracture site.

Even after surgery and postoperative rehabilitation exercises, doctors are amazed and delighted to see signs of callus growth on X-rays in such a short time for fractures of the middle and lower tibia. They say his growth rate is almost as fast as that of a child.

Chen Yusong was very happy about this. The worry that his bones might not heal and might eventually develop into nonunion was finally relieved.

His parents were delighted to learn that his bone callus had started to form. They were finally relieved, saying that the surgery had been somewhat effective and that hospitalization for rehabilitation was also helpful. They encouraged him to continue rehabilitation, maintain a good mood, eat whatever he wanted, and get enough nutrition to recover faster.

During this period, several patients I know in the rehabilitation ward have had good news one after another, such as good bone recovery or increased joint range of motion, which makes everyone very happy.

If you're craving Gu's Private Kitchen, just drop by a hospital room and let us know. We can easily get together with a few people to order meat and vegetables from Gu's Private Kitchen and have them delivered to your hospital room so you can enjoy a delicious meal.

Even the nurses at the nurses' station and the doctors in the office probably couldn't resist the aroma after smelling it for so long. Sometimes, patients would see them saying that the doctors and nurses had asked someone to run errands for them to order Gu's Private Kitchen dishes and were enjoying them happily in the conference room at noon.

Whenever Xu Feng gets a craving and can't resist ordering a delivery person to bring Gu's Private Kitchen to her company or home, she would send him a voice message and mutter, "You're lucky. At least you have someone to share the delivery fee with when you eat Gu's Private Kitchen. Unlike me, I have to pay the full delivery fee."

Chen Yusong would usually respond with a cheeky "hehe" emoji after hearing this.

However, he later saw some posts on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform) about Gu's Private Kitchen and realized that his callus growth was faster and that he and other patients in the ward who often ordered Gu's Private Kitchen together had improved, which was not just due to the effects of rehabilitation exercises.

According to the inspection report previously released by Gu's Private Kitchen, the ingredients in each dish are healthy and pollution-free, rich in nutrients, and beneficial to the health of ordinary people, and even more beneficial to those who are recovering from illness.

Furthermore, Gu's Private Kitchen has a bit of a mystical element to it. Haven't you seen on Xiaohongshu (a Chinese social media platform) that some people say it can fade acne scars, some say it can improve sleep quality, some say it can relieve constipation, and some even say it can help with weight loss and beauty...?

So it's not so strange that eating Gu's private kitchen dishes can promote fracture healing and help the body recover its health, right?

Chen Yusong quickly convinced himself to accept this fact, and then he was happy.

I was happy that my friend Xu Feng took me to Gu's Private Kitchen for dinner that day. I was happy that I fell in love with the dishes at Gu's Private Kitchen and often ordered them. I was happy that I unintentionally got my fellow patients to eat at Gu's Private Kitchen and recover their health together.

However, he didn't tell anyone about this. Apart from his good friend Xu Feng, who often went to eat at Gu's Private Kitchen with him, probably not many people would believe him. They would just think that he was just imagining things because he had been in the hospital for a long time.

Even his parents, who also love Gu's private kitchen cuisine, wouldn't believe it.

If it were Xu Feng before he broke his leg, encountering such a miraculous, even unbelievable and unscientific event, he would definitely be very curious and have a spirit of exploration, wanting to figure out what exactly happened and what the underlying principles were.

But now, he has learned to accept life's gifts, both good and bad. Since the culinary experience brought by Gu's Private Kitchen is superb and beneficial to his recovery, he can just enjoy it to his heart's content. Why does he have to know every single detail?

The idea of ​​having dinner at Gu's Private Kitchen on the Dragon Boat Festival was something that Chen Yusong and Xu Feng could easily decide with just a simple message.

In fact, Chen Yusong has adjusted his mindset during this period and dared to push his wheelchair out to eat and buy things. During the day, he is in the hospital for rehabilitation. Sometimes when the rehabilitation therapist takes a break for a certain project, he will also take a break. If he has enough time, he will go out for a walk near the hospital or make an appointment with a few fellow patients to go out and play together.

But I have to say, having been to so many restaurants, I've been to some of the better ones a second or third time. Most owners and staff are willing to help lift the wheelchair up the restaurant steps, but no other restaurant is as considerate and caring as Gu's Private Kitchen, which specially customized a ramp for him and some future disabled or injured customers.

When he entered Gu's Private Kitchen, the staff greeted him with a smile and asked him to wait a moment before turning around to bring over a ramp and set it up.

Chen Yusong has learned a lot about wheelchair pushing techniques during this time, and his arm strength has also increased. He no longer needs Xu Feng's help to push him from behind. He can slide his wheelchair up the ramp to the steps at the entrance of the restaurant and smoothly find a table on the side of the restaurant. After the staff moved the chair away, he moved his wheelchair close to the table, then braked the handbrake and prepared to eat.

Everything went very smoothly!

At Gu's Private Kitchen, he felt a sense of joy and ease as he regained the dignity and freedom he had temporarily lost.

This experience was great. After ordering his meal, Chen Yusong couldn't help but tell his friend about his barrier-free experience.

Xu Feng nodded in agreement: "In this respect, Gu's Private Kitchen is truly impeccable!"

Chen Yusong smiled and said, "The taste of the food is absolutely superb!"

And those subtle and miraculous healing effects are simply beyond words!

They were still the same as always, ordering one of everything on the menu to try, and taking away any leftovers.

I had been looking forward to the salted egg yolk and pork rice dumpling for a long time, but I told the staff not to bring it yet. I would wait until I wanted to eat it later, otherwise I would miss out on so much delicious meat and vegetables if I ate the rice dumpling too early.

The papaya and bamboo shoot fish soup was sweet and delicious. The fish slices were tender, and the papaya was sweet, soft, and easy to chew. The bamboo shoots used in the soup were smooth, delicate, and had a bean flavor. The two of them drank two bowls of soup before they were satisfied.

Steamed taro and pork ribs looked like a dish that would go well with rice. Chen Yusong and Xu Feng were young and strong and had big appetites. They didn't realize that they would be eating zongzi later and didn't need to eat rice now. So they simply waved to the waiter and asked him to bring two bowls of rice.

They each picked up a piece of pork rib to eat. The garlic flavor was rich and the ribs were tender and juicy. They were surprisingly not tough at all and the meat fell off the bone easily. As they chewed, they could taste the salty and savory flavor that gradually emerged. The garlic flavor made them even more delicious.

Of course, there's also a hint of taro flavor, which tastes quite nice mixed in.

After they finished eating a piece of pork rib rice, it was brought over. They used a spoon to scoop some pork rib sauce onto the white rice, then picked up another piece of pork rib and continued eating.

After savoring the savory garlic and meat flavors in your mouth, and having chewed most of the meat, it's incredibly satisfying to scoop up a mouthful of moist rice that's also soaked up the garlic and meat aroma and eat it together.

Chen Yusong had originally thought he could calmly savor the deliciousness of Gu's private kitchen, but he couldn't help but wolf it down, swallowing it down after only a few bites. He continued eating, finding the pork ribs with rice indeed very fragrant.

After eating two more pieces of pork ribs with rice, Xu Feng picked up a piece of taro and took a bite. His eyes lit up immediately.

The taro is soft and delicate, with a slightly moist and powdery texture. It absorbs the oil from the pork ribs and the aroma of garlic, along with its own taro fragrance, making it taste savory and delicious.

After finishing a piece of taro in a few bites, he couldn't help but remind his friend, "You should try this taro too, it's very fragrant and goes well with rice!"

After saying that, he picked up another piece of taro and continued eating.

Chen Yusong was also someone who listened to advice. He stopped reaching for the ribs with his chopsticks and instead picked up a piece of taro to eat. He fell in love with it after just one bite, and the two of them started eating taro like crazy.

It was only when the staff served another dish of steamed beef with loofah that their attention was finally diverted.

The beef slices taste tender and juicy, with a slight chewiness that adds to the texture. Overall, they are savory and flavorful, with a hint of sweetness from the loofah.

The loofah has a slippery texture, and you can taste a lot of sweet juice with a hint of beef flavor when you bite into it. Overall, it is sweet and refreshing.

Chen Yusong also has a good appetite. After tasting the aroma of the beef slices and loofah, he used a spoon to scoop up some of the broth from the steamed beef and loofah and drank it. That sip was so sweet and delicious.

This time it was his turn to say, "Quickly drink the broth from the steamed beef with loofah, it's absolutely delicious!"

Xu Feng smiled and agreed, then scooped up a spoonful of the soup and drank it, praising it highly.

So when there was only half a portion of the steamed beef with loofah left, the two of them had already scooped up and drunk all the broth on the plate.

I glanced around and saw several tables of people eating zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). I was partly tempted by the food, and partly worried that customers would keep leaving and new customers would come in to eat. Before I knew it, all one hundred zongzi would be gone.

Then you'll really be devastated.

Chen Yusong and Xu Feng waved to the shop assistant to bring them zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), and asked her to help cut the string. They thanked her with smiles.

Sister Zhou smiled and replied, "You're welcome, please enjoy your meal."

After she left, Chen Yusong quickly unfolded the wrapped bamboo leaves and placed the rice dumplings in a bowl. Seeing the bowl full of glistening, moist, dark brown rice dumplings, he couldn't help but swallow.

After taking a picture with his phone, he picked up his chopsticks with his right hand, poked at a piece of zongzi, and threw it into his mouth to eat.

This rice dumpling only contained glutinous rice and mung beans, with no other ingredients, and it tasted surprisingly good.

The glutinous rice was soft and slightly salty, and it had a different texture from the white rice I had just eaten; it seemed to taste better.

When you bite into mung beans mixed with glutinous rice, the occasional bite reveals a smooth and delicate texture, signaling that you've tasted mung beans. Moreover, the mung bean flavor is even saltier and more savory than the glutinous rice, creating an unexpected and delightful surprise.

The outermost layer of the zongzi alone tasted better than ordinary zongzi. Chen Yusong then picked up a piece of zongzi and ate it. Finally, he saw the orange-yellow salted egg yolk showing through the cross-section of the large piece of zongzi wrapped in the bamboo leaves.

The salted egg yolk looks delicious, and it's oozing a lot of oil, which has stained the surrounding glutinous rice sauce with a deep yellow hue, making it shiny.

He scooped out the entire salted egg yolk with his chopsticks and ate it along with the surrounding glutinous rice. The salted egg yolk was sandy and had a unique and very fragrant salty taste. It was oily and not so dry when eaten, but rather oily, salty and fragrant.

The salted egg yolk was quite large; he took several bites and chewed it before swallowing it all at once, which greatly satisfied his cravings as a salted egg yolk lover.

Chen Yusong's favorite type of zongzi is the salted egg yolk and pork zongzi, just like his favorite type of mooncake is the double yolk white lotus seed paste mooncake, the essence of which lies in the salted egg yolk.

Not only is the salted egg yolk delicious, but the glutinous rice it's picked up with is also very fragrant. After absorbing the aroma of the salted egg yolk and the oil that comes out, the taste is elevated to several levels.

After finishing his meal, he picked up another zongzi and ate it. Each bite was infused with the aroma and oil of the salted egg yolk, and it was as delicious as ever. Even after swallowing it, he couldn't help but savor the aftertaste.

The next piece of zongzi I picked up was even more oily and glistening. It looked quite thick, with soft and sticky pork belly mixed in with the glutinous rice. I put a big piece directly into my mouth, and every bite was filled with the aroma of meat.

The fatty part is so soft and tender that you can hardly feel it. When you bite into it, your mouth is filled with the aroma of oil, but it's not greasy at all. The lean part is tender and not dry, and it's also very salty and fragrant. Eating it with glutinous rice is simply a heavenly combination.

This was the first time Chen Yusong felt that the meat in a salted egg yolk rice dumpling could be even more fragrant than the salted egg yolk.

Eating such a large piece of pork belly is very satisfying. Even the remaining small pieces of rice dumpling still have that meaty aroma. After eating a rice dumpling, you feel like you're about to ascend to heaven. Your stomach and brain are extremely satisfied, and the carbohydrates work their magic to make you drowsy.

But the lingering aroma and the exciting desire to share overcame his sleepiness, and the joy of eating the delicious rice dumpling made Chen Yusong even more energetic.

He watched as his friend sitting opposite him almost finished his zongzi, his face full of enjoyment and reluctance. He couldn't help but say, "This salted egg yolk and pork zongzi really lived up to our expectations. It's so fragrant and amazing! I've never eaten such delicious zongzi in my life!"

Xu Feng swallowed the last bite of the zongzi, quite satisfied, and subconsciously said, "Can we chip in and buy another zongzi?"

Rationally, he knew the chances were slim, but emotionally, he desperately wanted to eat another zongzi. Chen Yusong's eyes lit up: "I feel like I could try asking."

Before I could even wave to call the staff over to ask, I overheard a conversation between the customers and the staff at the table diagonally behind me.

"Hello, your salted egg yolk and pork rice dumplings are absolutely delicious! We finished them before we even had a chance to taste them properly. We'd like to ask if we could buy a few more of your rice dumplings for a small price? If it's just one or two, that would be fine too, we can share them. We don't mind if the price is a bit higher."

Shop assistant: "I'm so sorry, customer. Thank you so much for liking our salted egg yolk rice dumplings. But we only make a limited number of rice dumplings, and they are all given away for free to customers during lunch and dinner hours. We can't sell them to you separately. I'm very sorry."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. We just really wanted to eat another zongzi, so we asked just to try our luck."

"We've already eaten lunch. If we come back for dinner tonight, can we still get this salted egg yolk and pork rice dumpling for free?"

"Yes, you can get a free zongzi as long as you dine in the restaurant, but you can only get one per meal, one for lunch and one for dinner. We have prepared 150 zongzi each time, so you can get one as long as you don't come too late."

"Okay, thank you. We'll come back for dinner tonight."

You're welcome. Enjoy your meal.

Chen Yusong and Xu Feng exchanged a glance, relieved that they already knew the answer before they even asked.

Chen Yusong sighed, "As expected, you can only eat something free once. Right now, I'd rather it be sold for a fee."

Xu Feng was somewhat tempted: "How about we come back here for another meal tonight? Anyway, we never get tired of the meat dishes here."

"Ahem..." Chen Yusong coughed lightly twice strategically, touched his nose and said a little embarrassedly, "I made an appointment with my parents to come over for dinner tonight."

Xu Feng was speechless after hearing this: "You..."

He muttered under his breath, "So, good brothers are just for betraying, huh? He was actually planning to have another meal at Gu's Private Kitchen behind my back."

Chen Yusong dared not laugh this time, and explained seriously: "It's like this, the other day I told you that we would come to Gu's Private Kitchen for dinner together, and then my mother also called and said that the whole family would come to Gu's Private Kitchen for dinner on the Dragon Boat Festival. So I told her that we should just eat in the evening, and have lunch with you first."

Xu Feng wasn't exactly angry, but he was a little annoyed at first, feeling like his friend had unknowingly abandoned him. After hearing his explanation, he understood that his aunt and uncle had invited him to come and eat together.

Xu Feng had heard Chen Yusong talk a lot about how his aunt was obsessed with Gu's Private Kitchen. Whenever she heard that he was planning to order Gu's Private Kitchen, she would come to the hospital to see him and have a meal with him. It was hard to tell whether she came to see her son or to eat Gu's Private Kitchen.

"Alright, have a good meal tonight. I'm sure the uncles and aunties will want more of these salted egg yolk and pork rice dumplings. It's a pity that tonight is the last time we'll be giving away rice dumplings for free when you dine in," Xu Feng said.

He still longed to eat another salted egg yolk and pork rice dumpling. Although he could have eaten with Xu Feng's family and was quite familiar with his uncle and aunt, he still missed his parents at home.

Xu Feng's parents live in a rural area outside Jiang City. He usually only goes back to see them and stay overnight when he has two days off.

During the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday, he spent the first two or three days at his home in the suburbs with his parents. He was supposed to come back after lunch today, but Xu Feng returned to the city after having breakfast with his parents in order to come and eat Gu's Private Kitchen with Chen Yusong.

Then he suddenly thought, surely it's impossible that he's eaten so many of the dishes from the Gu family's private kitchen while his parents have never even tried them?

Why not go back to my parents' house in the suburbs this afternoon, pick them up and bring them to the city, then come to Gu's Private Kitchen for dinner tonight so they can also try some delicious meat dishes? They can stay at his rented apartment tonight, and I'll send my parents back by bus tomorrow morning.

Xu Feng told his friend about his plan, and at the end asked, "What do you think of my idea?"

“I think it’s great. It’s a perfect surprise for your aunt and uncle. They all thought you were back to go back to work, but you made a surprise return and brought them here to eat in the city. They don’t even need to think twice; I guarantee they’ll love Gu’s Private Kitchen.”

Xu Feng thought it over and it seemed more and more feasible, and the corners of his mouth turned up wide: "Okay, it's settled then."

“Sure.” Chen Yusong nodded in support. Looking at the newly served meat dish, the two of them could only nod to express their gratitude while they were talking. He urged, “Try this lotus leaf-wrapped roasted pigeon with Shaoxing wine.”

Xu Feng smiled and agreed, as he was also looking forward to the meat dish.

Customers generally don't like to sit at tables near the entrance of restaurants. One reason is that it's noisy with people coming and going, another is that they're usually far from the air conditioning vents and can feel stuffy, and most of the time it's also quite hot with the sun shining down.

But at Gu's Private Kitchen, it's naturally good to be able to sit at a cool table inside. If not, being able to get a table near the door is enough to make you happy. Haven't you seen how many people are queuing up with slips of paper at the restaurant entrance waiting for their numbers to be called?

Lu Qingqing and her family were eating at a small table near the door, enjoying their meal.

They arrived not early, but they were lucky. They didn't have to wait in line for long before they got a small table near the door. Without hesitation, they ordered all the dishes on the menu and started eating as the food was served.

The previous papaya and bamboo shoot fish soup was sweet and delicious, the taro steamed pork ribs were savory and flavorful, the loofah steamed beef was tender and juicy, and the salted egg yolk meat rice dumpling was absolutely amazing. Even though the three of us ate one each, we still missed it.

Of course, there was no way to eat any more, but fortunately, the staff quickly brought over a dish of lotus leaf-wrapped roasted pigeon with Shaoxing wine.

At home, the most we've ever cooked is pigeon soup; we've never really eaten a proper dish made with pigeon. Tao Zhiwei gestured to her daughter with her chin, "Qingqing, quickly try this pigeon and see how it tastes."

Lü Qingqing nodded in agreement, picked up a piece of pigeon meat of moderate size with her chopsticks, and put it in her bowl.

If she were eating at another restaurant and encountered a particularly unusual or unfamiliar meat, like roast pigeon, she would absolutely not try it. By not trying, she avoids making a mistake!

However, she had a natural confidence in Gu's Private Kitchen, always feeling that the meat and vegetable buns made there were delicious and well worth the risk of being disappointed. And she was pretty sure she wouldn't be disappointed.

She glanced at the pigeon meat in the bowl; its color was rather pale, and the meat looked quite tender. Only then did she pick it up and put it to her mouth to take a bite.

The pigeon meat was indeed as tender as it looked, with a mild flavor and a hint of saltiness, but mainly fresh.

After taking a bite, you can vaguely smell a variety of aromas, including the fresh scent of lotus leaves and the sweet and mellow aroma of Shaoxing wine.

The aroma of wine permeates every inch of the pigeon meat, making it tender and juicy. You can swallow it with the aroma of wine after a few bites, and the taste is surprisingly good.

Lü Qingqing fell in love with Gu's Private Kitchen during the final sprint of her senior year of high school. On weekends when she didn't go home, her mother would always come to Gu's Private Kitchen to pack some meat dishes and soup to send to school so she could have a meal with her.

That meal was exceptionally delicious; no other restaurant could match its quality. Any meat dish she made was delicious and exactly what she loved. With her mother by her side, this meal became one of the few moments of relaxation and happiness in her tense and somewhat stressful final sprint of senior year.

It can be said to be a rare ray of light in the otherwise hazy and foggy life of exam preparation.

I was planning to come to Gu's Private Kitchen for a meal after the college entrance exam. I've been eating their meat dishes at school for so long, but I've never eaten at the restaurant before.

Who knew that after the college entrance examination, her grandmother in her hometown fell seriously ill. Lü Qingqing, the college entrance examination candidate with the most free time, went back to her hometown to take care of and accompany her grandmother. After returning to Jiang City from her hometown, she rushed to go on a graduation trip to the southwest with her friends.

It feels like less than ten days have passed since the college entrance exam, but it feels like an eternity has gone by.

Since she had just returned from her trip and was celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival with her parents, she suggested that they come to Gu's Private Kitchen for a meal.

This meal was definitely worth it. The soup and meat dishes were delicious, and the salted egg yolk and meat rice dumpling was absolutely the best she had ever eaten in her short eighteen years of life. The pigeon meat in her mouth was also very fragrant.

This dish truly lives up to its name. The delicate fragrance of lotus leaves and the sweet and mellow flavor of Shaoxing wine are all combined in the pigeon meat. It tastes light and fresh, with the aroma of wine enveloping the delicate fragrance and a hint of saltiness. It's not bland at all; everything feels just right.