Chapter 17 Braised Lotus Root Slices

At seven o'clock, Shi Yi finished her work and walked to the French windows. Seeing the vibrant green plants outside, her sore eyes finally felt relieved.

Then, almost instinctively, I took out my phone to order takeout.

By the way, what's the name of that restaurant near the elementary school? Oh, Tang Family Restaurant.

When I clicked in, all the restaurant had left was boiled sliced ​​pork.

The slices of meat, glistening with chili oil, looked incredibly tempting, making one's mouth water.

Shi Yi swallowed hard, thinking, "I'll eat this tonight!"

When the bill came to a close, the boiled pork slices only cost a little over twenty yuan. Considering the portion sizes at restaurants, Shi Yi felt it was quite a good deal.

Gu Dawei, who had just returned from the cafeteria, saw Shi Yi and asked, "Shi Yi, what are you having for dinner? The company cafeteria has shrimp tonight, boiled, and it tastes pretty good."

Upon hearing the word "shrimp," Shi Yi hesitated, wondering whether to request a refund.

He really likes to eat shrimp, but the shrimp in the company cafeteria is just so-so.

But the thought that he had never tried the boiled pork slices at a restaurant before, and the stir-fried pork with chili peppers over rice that he had eaten last time, made him crave it day and night and he could never get tired of it, so maybe the boiled pork slices would be even more amazing.

"I ordered boiled sliced ​​pork."

Upon hearing this, Gu Dawei chuckled and said, "You're in for a treat!"

The two chatted for a while, and then Shi Yi went to handle some work. Not long after, he received a call from the delivery rider.

Your takeout has arrived.

Shi Yi practically ran downstairs to get the takeout. The takeout bag couldn't hide the faint aroma of the food, which smelled quite pleasant and addictive.

Gu Dawei saw him carrying the takeout and asked, "Shiyi, which restaurant did you order from?"

"Tang Family Restaurant at the entrance of Xingguang Primary School".

The restaurant name sounded familiar at first, but after thinking about it for a while, Gu Dawei realized that this was the restaurant Shi Yi had ordered from several times, and also the restaurant where the big boss had treated them all to a meal.

But then I thought, no matter how delicious his boiled pork slices are, they probably can't compare to the shrimp in the company cafeteria.

Gu Dawei felt a little better.

Shi Yi lifted the lid of the lunchbox, and a strong, domineering aroma wafted into her nostrils. At the bottom was a layer of bright red oil, with slices of meat soaking in it. Bean sprouts, tofu skin, and other ingredients were placed on top of the meat slices, and scallions, garlic, and dried chili peppers were used as garnishes.

I couldn't wait to pick up my chopsticks and take a slice of meat soaked in chili oil. It was a thin slice, but it smelled incredibly delicious. The aroma of the chili oil filled my nostrils.

The sliced ​​meat is very tender, and it tastes both numbing and spicy, with a rich and fragrant aroma. When you scoop a spoonful of chili oil into the rice, it's not greasy at all. On the contrary, the rice soaked in chili oil is especially delicious.

Shi Yi ate with increasing relish, making Gu Dawei, who was standing to the side, extremely hungry. Even though he had just eaten dinner, seeing this kid eating made him look like he hadn't eaten for days.

The other colleagues at her workstations cast envious and jealous glances at Shi Yi. The aroma of the food was incredibly strong, and the air was filled with the smell of spicy food, making them all want to order takeout.

Mid-Autumn Festival was fast approaching, and Tang Yiyi received a call from her aunt Guo Xiaoyun, "Yiyi, will you and Xiaoyu come back for Mid-Autumn Festival?"

When the original owner's parents and grandfather were alive, the original owner would take Xiaoyu with them to their old home in the countryside to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

But now, Tang Yiyi is unsure, fearing that seeing these things might remind her and Xiaoyu of the past, and that the restaurant would be very busy during the holidays, attracting tourists from other places.

She remained silent for a long time, so Guo Xiaoyun repeated herself.

"Aunt, I haven't decided yet whether to bring Xiaoyu or not. I'll give you a definite answer when I've thought it through."

"Alright then."

The next day, after dropping Xiaoyu off at school, Tang Yiyi headed straight for the vegetable market.

The bustling atmosphere of the wet market, a microcosm of human life, always soothes her whenever she strolls through it, even without buying anything.

Lotus root is very tender at this time of year, and its flavor is absolutely amazing whether stewed in soup or stir-fried.

Tang Yiyi bought several kilograms of lotus root to make braised lotus root slices.

In addition, the restaurant was running low on spices, so I went to a dried goods store and bought star anise, cinnamon, angelica root and other spices. Spices are generally needed for braised dishes to make them flavorful and aromatic.

I also bought a small bag of loofahs from the stall, making sure to choose the tender ones. Carrying the ingredients back to the restaurant, I didn't even have time to catch my breath before washing the lotus root and slicing it.

Next, we prepared the tea eggs.

Wang Juan brought Xiao Bao to buy tea eggs again. Xiao Bao was incredibly tempted, and she was just as hungry. Whenever she was hungry, the image of Xiangzi with tea eggs would flash through her mind—a dark brown egg that could make her swoon with its aroma.

"Boss, give me six tea eggs." Six tea eggs were just enough for the two of them.

"good."

After packing the tea eggs and handing them over, Tang Yiyi heated the pot, poured in oil and water, and then added lotus root slices.

Wang Juan was eating tea eggs at a restaurant, but her eyes kept darting around.

Seeing the owner's skillful hands arranging crisp, white lotus root slices, I unconsciously stood up and walked over. "Boss, what delicious food are you making?"

Having tried the tea eggs, Wang Juan felt that everything the owner made was delicious.

After saying that, Wang Juan took a big bite of the tea egg. The tea egg was fragrant, and even the yolk was so smooth and creamy.

Tang Yiyi turned around and smiled, "Making braised lotus root slices."

Braised lotus root slices... Wang Juan thought to herself, they sounded delicious. Should she bring Xiao Bao to a restaurant for lunch?

Tang Yiyi put some spices into the pot, then added the washed scallion segments, ginger and garlic slices, and then turned on the heat to high and simmered for a while.

To make braised lotus root slices look beautiful and colorful, add some dark soy sauce and salt at the end.

Back in her seat, Wang Juan asked her son quietly, "Xiao Bao, shall I bring you here for lunch?"

"Great!" Chewing on a fragrant tea egg, Liu Xiaobao clapped his hands excitedly, his face beaming with a smile as bright as a flower.

Half an hour later, Tang Yiyi turned off the stove, picked up a slice of lotus root, blew on it a few times, and then tasted it.

Yes, the lotus root slices are very crisp after being braised, and they have a spicy flavor. It's good.

As soon as the bell rang at noon, Liu Xiaobao rushed out of the classroom and ran towards the school gate.

The students behind: When did Liu Xiaobao from their class start running so fast?

"Xiao Bao, over here!" Wang Juan called out when she saw Xiao Bao, and took out a thin fan, placing it on her forehead to block the scorching sun overhead.

Liu Xiaobao grinned so hard his teeth were almost invisible, and ran over. Time to go eat at a delicious restaurant! So happy!

"Are you hot?" Wang Juan asked, fanning her son as they walked.

Before even reaching the door, the aroma of braised food filled the air, making one's mouth water.

There weren't many customers in the shop yet, so Wang Juan quickly grabbed her son and ran over. She knew she had to be quick to eat, otherwise they'd have to wait in line for a long time.

Just as Tang Yiyi picked out a plate of braised lotus root slices, she heard several loud swallowing sounds, followed by, "Boss, I want a plate of braised lotus root slices, to go."

"I want one, no, two, three servings of braised lotus root!"

"..."

Customers were frantically grabbing the braised lotus root slices, while Wang Juan, small and frail, squeezed into the crowd at the back: "..."

After ordering braised lotus root slices, Wang Juan led Xiao Bao to a seat.

A few minutes later, a little boy brought over a bowl of braised lotus root slices and placed it on their table.

She was wearing the same school uniform as Xiao Bao, but looked a bit taller than him.

"Are you a student at Xingguang Elementary School?" Wang Juan asked Xiaoyu.

"Yes."

Wang Juan chuckled. Would the boss be considered to be making child laborers?

Then she mentioned, "My son also studies at Starlight University."

Wang Juan is on holiday today, enjoying a rare break. She only had time to pick up Xiao Bao at noon; otherwise, she would be eating in the company cafeteria like her colleagues.

Just then, my phone rang.

In the work group chat, colleagues were all groaning and complaining.

[Who hired this chef? Tomato stir-fried with mooncakes! Even though it's almost Mid-Autumn Festival, we can't waste mooncakes like this! [bitter smile][dead emoji]]

[With employees constantly switching between quitting and staying, can't the company just hire another chef?]

[Thank goodness I ordered takeout. Although it wasn't great, at least it was a tiny bit better than the company cafeteria food.]

...

As she scrolled through the page, Wang Juan felt incredibly happy.

The braised lotus root slices in front of me are perfectly seasoned, emitting a tempting aroma that tantalizes the taste buds.

"Come on, Xiaobao, let's eat."

Wang Juan picked up a slice of lotus root and put it in her mouth. With a "crunch," the lotus root slice was so crisp and fresh, and it was also numbing and spicy, making it very flavorful.

The more she ate, the more delicious it became, and Wang Juan ate several pieces in a row.

Seeing this, Liu Xiaobao also sped up his eating. His mother was eating so fast, while he hadn't even eaten a few pieces yet.

Faced with the tempting aroma of braised lotus root slices, the once-deep bond between mother and child began to falter.

Wang Juan exclaimed in admiration, "How can there be such delicious braised lotus root slices? I can eat them all the time. It would be even better if I could have a plate of braised lotus root slices while watching TV series, and nibble on them while shedding tears of emotion for the short-form anime."

Liu Xiaobao didn't know how to describe the braised lotus root slices in his mouth. They were crispy and fragrant, a hundred or a thousand times better than spicy strips.

The two of them weren't the only ones captivated by the aroma. The other customers widened their eyes in surprise. The braised lotus root slices were incredibly crisp, and the aroma of spices lingered on their lips and teeth after being braised. Each bite produced a crisp sound, which was simply the most beautiful and melodious music in the world.

Tang Yiyi was somewhat shocked; in just over an hour, the entire pot of braised lotus root slices had sold out.

A note from the author:

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