Chapter 68 Stir-fried Wood Ear Mushrooms with Pork

Tang Yiyi went back to the kitchen, turned on the fire to heat the iron pot, and sped up her work, worried that Grandma Li outside would be waiting too long.

Soon, Tang Yiyi brought the dishes over. "Grandma, your dishes are ready."

The freshly cooked dishes were steaming hot, and the greens and wood ear mushrooms looked very appetizing.

Grandma Li really wanted to pick up her chopsticks, but Lili hadn't come back from get out of class yet, so she decided to wait.

When Lili arrived at the restaurant, the food had gone cold. Song Man came over and asked, "Grandma, would you like your food heated up?"

"No need," Grandma Li said, touching the temperature with her hand. It was warm. She told her to hurry up and eat.

The wood ear mushrooms are black and glossy, while the sliced ​​meat shows its texture. When combined with some chili peppers and garlic leaves, they are incredibly fragrant.

Moreover, Grandma Li chewed on the wood ear mushrooms, which were quite crunchy and had a rich, oily aroma.

The sliced ​​meat is tender yet chewy, with a rich, savory sauce and a spicy flavor that lingers in your mouth.

Mix the rice with the broth; it's fresh but not salty, slightly oily but not greasy, and you won't want to leave a single drop of the broth.

Lili ate her food with gusto, barely able to speak. She buried her head in her rice, looking so focused that she attracted several glances from passersby.

After the meal, Grandma Li ladled out a bowl of yam soup, first giving it to Lili, and then ladling one for herself.

The soup tastes very fresh, and the yam is soft, tender, and slightly sweet, gliding smoothly over the tongue.

Grandma Li's eyes lit up with a smile. "The soup is delicious and very flavorful!"

Gu Dawei left the company, his steps unsteady.

I worked overtime for several hours straight, and I even slept at the company.

Gu Dawei felt very tired, and his stomach started growling uncontrollably.

He took a taxi specifically to Xingguang Elementary School. He could have just found any restaurant to eat at, but then he thought that he not only wanted to eat his fill, but he also wanted to eat well.

After driving through several streets and passing traffic lights, Gu Dawei saw the sign at the entrance of Xingguang Primary School.

Looking across the street, you'll see Tang Family Restaurant.

Gu Dawei walked in, intending to order a few dishes casually, but seeing how much the customers were enjoying their food, he glanced at the menu first.

"Boss, give me some stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with pork, and make it spicy."

"Okay, please wait a moment," Song Man told the kitchen owner.

Tang Yiyi: "Understood."

She heated the oil in a wok, and light blue flames leaped up from the bottom as she stir-fried the ingredients over high heat.

Gu Dawei sat down, surrounded by the aroma of food, and looked at the other customers in the restaurant with some envy.

The first thing that hits you is the intense aroma of oil, followed by the fragrance of meat, wood ear mushrooms, and other aromas, and then the chili peppers added later are quite spicy.

The kitchen was filled with the sounds of spatulas clattering and the aroma of cooking.

The restaurant's ingredients are all cooked to order, unlike some high-end restaurants that use packaged food, heat it up, and serve it to customers.

A serving of stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with pork costs only a little over ten yuan, enough for Gu Dawei to eat his fill.

The aroma wafted over, and Gu Dawei couldn't help but look towards the kitchen, urging, "Hurry up and serve the food!"

The stir-fried wood ear mushrooms with pork was ready quickly. As soon as it was served, Gu Dawei swallowed hard. The aroma made him feel much more alert. "Boss, I love eating at your place!"

"Thank you for supporting my business!"

Tang Yiyi was very happy to receive the diners' approval.

Before she could even turn around, Gu Dawei immediately picked up his chopsticks.

Picking up the steaming hot wood ear mushrooms, they were crisp and slightly chewy. The chili peppers were really spicy, and the meat slices were tender and flavorful.

Gu Dawei has always trusted the ingredients at restaurants, and this time he was pleasantly surprised.

With such a strong wok hei (wok aroma), the aroma of the food is irresistible when stir-fried over high heat!

When Xiaoyu came home from school, he went to the front desk to help out, asking the guests what they wanted to eat.

The guests rarely see such an adorable and well-behaved child, so they couldn't help but ask, "Little friend, what grade are you in? How come you're so well-behaved?"

Xiaoyu smiled shyly, but still worked very diligently.

After the guests left, Xiaoyu took a rag and wiped the dirty table, acting like a little adult.

Every time Song Man sees the adorable Xiao Yu, she thinks how wonderful it would be if she had a younger brother like him.

It's peak dining time right now, and nearby residents who are too lazy to cook at home will come out to eat.

Many people are familiar with Tang Yiyi's restaurant, but the dumpling shop next door sells the same rice bowl, but it's a few yuan cheaper. They hesitate about which one to eat at.

Tang Yiyi tossed the wok while stir-frying the vegetables, and the incredibly tempting aroma wafted out, attracting passersby to take a deep sniff.

It smells amazing, and I won't compromise on eating at a dumpling restaurant just because it's a few dollars more expensive.

Most passersby still decided to go to the dumpling shop, since it was a few yuan cheaper, and even if the taste was slightly worse, they could accept it.

He Dong's wife has been visibly happy these past few days. Business has improved dramatically, with daily earnings of over a thousand yuan. She walks with a swagger.

On the contrary, He Dong looked worried.

"Can't you be happy?" His wife rolled her eyes at He Dong. Good business is the most important thing. Why think so much?

"The fact that we can make a living selling rice bowls proves that we're cut out for this. What does it matter to us whether the restaurants next door are good or bad? Besides, we only feel secure when the money is in our own hands!" the wife said proudly.

He Dong sighed inwardly, hesitating to speak.

Their business is so good because they learned from restaurants. Besides, they price their products lower than restaurants, and they win by selling in large quantities.

Once the dishes were cooked, Tang Yiyi quickly served them to the guests and hurried back to the kitchen, keeping herself busy.

Xiaoyu looked around the shop and went to help wherever needed.

They would also grab bags and pack takeout orders.

Song Man smiled and said, "Thank you, Xiaoyu."

They didn't have time to eat dinner until around seven o'clock.

"Boss, we've had a lot fewer takeout orders these past two days," He An suddenly said.

There have been fewer takeout orders these past two days, even though customers seem very satisfied.

At this point, Song Man got angry. "It's all because of our neighbor's clever copycats. We sell rice bowls, and they sell rice bowls too. Now we've started a food delivery service, and they've started one too."

"Since our taste can't compete with yours, we have to resort to price wars to attract customers."

Tang Yiyi noticed that He Anbian was getting embarrassed, and after thinking for a moment, she asked, "Has the taste of our food changed these past few days?"

"No, Sister Yi Yi."

"No."

The two spoke almost in unison.

Tang Yiyi felt a little relieved; the taste was the key to attracting diners, and everything else was secondary.

After dinner, Tang Yiyi started making meatballs. She washed the high-quality pork belly, drained the water, and cut it into small pieces.

Going up to the second floor, she found the meat grinder. It hadn't been used for a long time and was covered in a layer of dust. After carefully cleaning it, she put small pieces of pork belly into the grinder.

After mincing the meat, add a spoonful of salt, beat in an egg, then add cornstarch and pepper and mix well.

Bring water to a boil in a pot, add a small spoonful of salt, knead the minced meat into meatballs, and drop them into the pot. Simmer over low heat. The originally pink pork belly will lighten in color, and when the meatballs are done, they will be bouncy and small.

On my way home, I'll drop some meatballs off Grandma Li.

Lili opened the door. "Sister Yiyi, you're here."

The little girl's voice was so sweet and adorable.

"Where's Grandma?" Tang Yiyi asked.

Lili called out into the house, and Grandma Li came over. "It's Yiyi. What brings you here?"

"Grandma, I made some meatballs for you to try."

Grandma Li was very happy. "Meatballs are hard to make by hand. Why don't you keep them for yourself and give them to an old lady like me?"

"I don't have anything to give you, Yi Yi."

Tang Yiyi handed over a bag of meatballs, saying, "Grandma, please accept this. It's a token of my appreciation."

"Thank you for your hard work, Yi Yi," Grandma Li said with a smile.

"Oh, Grandma, you should eat the meatballs as soon as possible, even though the weather isn't hot anymore," Tang Yiyi instructed.

"Okay, I understand."

Just as Tang Yiyi left, Grandpa Li came out of the bedroom.

"Did we have guests just now?"

Grandma Li glared at him, then chuckled and said, "These meatballs were brought by Yi Yi; I made them myself."

Upon opening the bag, I couldn't help but exclaim, "These meatballs look so chewy and bouncy; they must taste amazing!"

The next morning, Grandma Li used the meatballs she had given her to make a soup, and finally sprinkled chopped green onions on top before serving.

Lili woke up because of the fragrance; otherwise, she would have gone back to sleep.

Grandpa Li was planning to go out for a walk and then come back for dinner. But when he saw how delicate and small the meatballs on the table were, he turned back and said, "I'll eat breakfast first before I go out."

I picked up my chopsticks and a spoon, and wow, it's quite chewy and smooth, with an extremely delicate pork texture, and there's not a trace of fishy smell.

"The meatballs are so delicious!" Grandpa Li's face lit up with joy. He picked up another meatball and ate it with great relish.

The meatballs are very bouncy; when you bite into them, they are not only chewy but also tender, with rich juices bursting in your mouth, leaving a lingering aftertaste and an irresistible aroma.

Grandpa Li felt unusually happy, a happiness no less than the happiness he would feel from winning a game of chess.

Lily was still sleepy, but that didn't stop her from enjoying her meal. It was the first time she had gotten up so early, even though she had classes today.

The meatballs were just to her liking; they were bouncy and chewy, almost like eating jelly, and tasted amazing.

Grandpa Li wanted to pick up some meatballs again, but Grandma Li stopped him.

"Eating so many meatballs, don't you care about your health?"

Meat contains a lot of fat, and as people get older, they don't pay attention to their health.

Grandpa Li stubbornly insisted, "Will eating another meatball make my health worse?"

Grandma Li was too lazy to care about him anymore and let him be.

The sweet potato starch sheets that Grandma Li gave me were soaked last night and can be used to cook dishes this morning.

Fresh pork is minced into lard, and the oil is heated in a wok. Water is added, followed by the sweet potato noodles. The translucent sweet potato noodles look beautiful. The minced pork is then added to the wok, along with a little soy sauce and light soy sauce. The lard is then added back in, along with water, and cooked together. The soup turns into an enticing dark brown color, and a rich aroma wafts out.

To achieve a better taste, Tang Yiyi carefully controlled the heat and cooking time.

Taking this opportunity, Tang Yiyi went to wake Xiaoyu up.

"Sister, it smells good!" Xiaoyu muttered, rubbing his eyes on the bed.

"Get up and eat."

The translucent rice noodle skin, topped with finely minced dark brown meat and garnished with chopped scallions, is a combination that instantly awakens one's appetite.

"Sister, the minced meat is delicious!" Xiaoyu's eyes lit up.

"Eat more if you like it," Tang Yiyi said, thinking of the things Xiaoyu had gone through in the book, and how it was understandable that his personality would break down. She put some food on his plate.

"Sister, eat too!"

Knowing that his sister was going to the market later, Xiaoyu started eating heartily.

Her fair cheeks puffed up, like white steamed buns.

"Don't eat so fast, you might choke."

After finishing breakfast, Tang Yiyi and Xiaoyu went out, casually throwing the trash they were carrying into the trash can downstairs.

It's much cooler today, even though the sun is shining brightly.

After dropping Xiaoyu off at school, Tang Yiyi rushed to the vegetable market.

I never expected to run into someone like that on the street.