Chapter 111 New Year's Eve Dinner: Oyster Omelet

After taking a taxi back from the airport, Wyatt went straight to Lu Jingming's house. As soon as he entered, he asked, "Where are the cat ears?"

On the way back, he even looked up on his phone why cat ears are called cat ears. It's an interesting name, just like chicken biscuits. The food in Yuncheng is really delicious and interesting!

"It was a gift from Miaoyin. She also wished me a Happy New Year. Thank you, Miaoyin. I really hate to part with Miaoyin!" Wyatt said with deep regret. He was leaving Yuncheng tomorrow and would never be able to eat Miaoyin's delicious food again.

Lu Jingming handed the cat ears and fried dough twists to Wyatt, "Take these and get out of here."

Then, he added nonsensically, "Shouldn't you call her Boss Yu?"

Wyatt touched his head, feeling as if his head was fogged up and filled with water. He didn't quite understand why he couldn't call her Miaoyin. But that was her name. Did she have another name?

Without time to think it through, Wyatt picked up the cat ears and took a picture. "What interesting food! I'm going to share this with my mom; she'll love it!"

He made a video call to his mother, picked up the cat ears and showed them: "Mom, this is a gift from my friend Miaoyin, whom I met in Yuncheng. It's called cat ears, but it's not made from cat ears."

Lu Jingming: ...

Wyatt explained the origin of the name "cat ears" to his mother, who said it was interesting and then asked him if it wasn't today's flight.

Wyatt: "I changed my flight to pick up the gift my friend Miaoyin gave me!"

"It's delicious! It tastes so good!" He told his mother the Yuncheng dialect he had learned.

Now it was Mom's turn to be completely confused.

After hanging up the phone, Wyatt picked up the cat ears and looked at them. He exclaimed inwardly, "Wow, no wonder they're called cat ears! The edges are curled and the middle is slightly concave. They really look like a cat's ears standing up."

The cat ear pastries came in both sweet and savory flavors, and Yu Miaoyin made both. She even thoughtfully divided them into two portions and labeled them. Wyatt picked up a savory one and looked at it. The red and white colors were interspersed, and it had a pleasant salty aroma. "It smells so good. What is it made of?"

"It's made with fermented bean curd," Lu Jingming explained to him.

Wyatt nodded, seemingly understanding, then quickly picked up the cat-ear-shaped pastries to taste. The thin pastries were so crispy you could hear a crunch with every bite. The unique rich, savory aroma of fermented bean curd spread with each chew, carrying a hint of sweetness, creating a complex flavor. It was clearly just the most basic sweet and salty combination, but because the saltiness was achieved with fermented bean curd, the savory aroma carried the fermented soy sauce fragrance and a slight hint of alcohol. The texture was delicate and layered, a perfect blend of sweet and salty that was never cloying.

Wyatt really liked the cat-ear shape of the dumplings, and said he wanted to bring some home for his mother to try. He also thought the fried dough twists were delicious. The fried dough twists were generally sweet, with a filling of peanuts and sesame seeds mixed with the sweetness of white sugar, making a crunchy sound when you bit into them. The sesame seeds and peanuts inside were roasted, and the aroma of the roasted oil perfectly balanced the sweetness of the white sugar. After eating them, the lingering aroma of sesame, peanuts, and sugar blended together on your lips and teeth.

The next morning, Lu Jingming took Wyatt to the airport. Wyatt put the cat ears and fried dough twists that Yu Miaoyin had given him in his backpack and covered them the whole way. "I'm afraid that a thief will steal my cat ears!"

Lu Jingming, who had studied abroad for several years and had also been robbed, nodded: "Possibly."

Wyatt quickly turned his backpack to face him, clutched his head, and screamed, "Oh my God! I'll definitely protect my cat ears!"

"I'll miss you when I see my old friend again, and I'll also remember Miaoyin's delicious food. Please give Miaoyin my New Year's greetings." Wyatt didn't know when he'd have the chance to come to Yuncheng again. The thought of possibly never being able to eat Boss Yu's cooking again filled him with a pang of reluctance, and he even started considering working in Yuncheng…

A few days later, the date arrived, and New Year's Eve was here. Yu Miaoyin was in the kitchen preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. She made dishes with auspicious meanings, such as steamed fish, which symbolizes abundance year after year.

Yu Miaoyin poured boiling water over the chicken skin, causing it to tighten, and then soaked it in ice water to make it crispy. While she was doing this, she prepared steamed fish. She placed the cleaned fish on a plate lined with scallions, then put it in a steamer and steamed it over high heat. Steamed fish doesn't need to be steamed for very long. When she estimated the time was almost up, Yu Miaoyin turned off the heat, removed the accumulated fishy liquid and scallions from the plate, then topped the fish with freshly chopped scallions and red pepper strips, poured hot oil over it to release the aroma, and finally drizzled on a suitable amount of steamed fish soy sauce. The umami flavor was already undeniable as soon as the soy sauce was added.

After finishing these two dishes, Yu Miaoyin started making oyster omelet.

She first prepared the batter and then added oysters, eggs, chopped green onions, salt, pepper, fish sauce, etc., and mixed them evenly with the batter. After the lard in the pan melted, she poured in the oyster batter and started frying until both sides were golden brown.

Finally, she stir-fried some lettuce with oyster sauce to finish the meal, as oyster sauce lettuce symbolizes wealth.

Yu Miaoyin turned on the live stream of the Spring Festival Gala to liven up her home. Grandpa Xu and his family asked if she wanted to come over for New Year's Eve dinner, but Yu Miaoyin said she had already cooked, and Grandpa Xu didn't insist. Shortly after, her grandmother came over and asked her too. Yu Miaoyin helplessly pointed to the large table of dishes, "I was just about to ask you if you wanted to eat with me! Look how much food I made!"

Yi Ling's family also prepared a lot of dishes. Wen's parents came over and said, "Let's all come together. It'll be more lively with more people."

Yu Miaoyin also enjoys lively gatherings, so as they chatted, the two families sat down together. Yi Ling's family prepared an exceptionally rich variety of dishes, including Typhoon Shelter Crab and Garlic Abalone.

Little Tangbao was very excited to see so many people and such delicious food.

The New Year's Eve gala was in the middle of a skit, and the actors were laughing at some corny joke, while at the same time, laughter filled the dining table as well.

“Xiaoyin’s dishes look delicious,” said Mr. Wen, pointing to the oyster sauce lettuce. “Even such ordinary dishes can be made so tempting by Xiaoyin.”

Their Typhoon Shelter Crab and Garlic Abalone are not as visually appealing as this plate of vegetables, and they might not even taste as good as Xiaoyin's.

"It's delicious, everyone eat more." Yu Miaoyin urged everyone to start eating, saying that the food tastes best when it's hot.

"Oyster omelet, I haven't had it in ages," said Wen's mother. She picked up a piece of omelet covered in scallions and looked at it. The golden-brown omelet was studded with plump oysters. The aroma of scallions, the caramelized smell of the omelet, and the freshness of the oysters all wafted up and smelled wonderful.

It smells and looks amazing, and tastes even better. The fried egg has a golden-brown crust that's so thin it's almost translucent, and you can hear a crisp sound when you bite into it. The outer layer is incredibly crispy, while the oyster inside is exceptionally chewy. The batter, made with sweet potato starch, is bouncy and smooth, and the tenderness and aroma of the egg permeate the entire dish.

"It tastes better than anything I've ever had before," said Wen's mother with a happy expression.

Everyone tried it, and everyone praised Xiaoyin's oyster omelet.

The child especially loved this dish and had asked for it three times already. Yu Miaoyin picked up a piece of fish for her, saying, "The other dishes are delicious too."

There were no fish bones in the fish, and the child gulped down a big mouthful. The fish was so tender and fragrant, even the soy sauce smelled amazing. Her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "Delicious!"

Grandma especially loved the poached chicken. No wonder it was Xiaoyin's! She'd eaten thousands of poached chickens in her life, but only Xiaoyin could make it this delicious. Savoring the crispy, springy skin and tender, juicy meat, she sighed, "Those good chickens of the past really died in vain, their deaths were so unjust. Xiaoyin's poached chicken made their deaths worthwhile."

The Spring Festival Gala was still playing when Xiao Tangbao spotted a familiar figure and exclaimed, "It's Sister Wanwan! She's on TV!"

Yu Miaoyin looked over and saw Lin Xiangwan singing in a beautiful red dress. Although she was an actress, her singing voice was very pleasant, and the song she sang was very festive. The children babbled along.

"Does Xiaotangbao like this older sister?" Wen's mother asked.

"No, this lady has eaten at my sister's shop before, and she said she really likes my sister's cooking."

"Oh, I see. Xiaoyin is amazing. Even big stars like to eat it." Several people praised Yu Miaoyin one after another, and then talked about her mushroom sauce: "Everyone was fighting over the last bottle. It was impossible to buy."

"It's alright, there should be more after the New Year. Boss Lu said he added another production line," Yu Miaoyin said. With increased production, she would receive more money.

"That's good. I'll take a few more bottles down to give to my colleagues. They've also said they really want to go to Yuncheng to eat your cooking," said Wen's mother. Whenever she talks about this, she misses Xiaoyin's mooncakes even more.

Xiao Tangbao was still watching TV, and only after Lin Xiangwan left did she reluctantly turn her head away.

"Have some vegetables." Yu Miaoyin smiled and picked up a piece of lettuce for Xiao Tangbao.

Grandma told her, "Yes, this is oyster sauce lettuce. Eating it will bring you wealth."

Upon hearing that eating it could bring wealth, Xiao Tangbao quickly picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks and gave it to her older sister: "Then older sister, eat more, older sister wants to earn lots and lots of money!"

Grandma also thought the child's words made a lot of sense, so she also picked up a piece of food and gave it to Yu Miaoyin: "Yes, yes, yes, make more money in the new year, and you won't have to work so hard."

Yu Miaoyin accepted their kindness and began to eat the lettuce. The crisp and tender lettuce, along with the sweet juice and oyster sauce, tasted delicious.

The New Year's Eve gala was still playing live, but no one was watching. Everyone was eating and chatting, enjoying themselves immensely.

After the New Year's Eve dinner, Wen's father took the initiative to wash the dishes. Jiajia came to play with Yiling and also took Xiaotangbao away with her.

When Yu Miaoyin had a moment to herself, she opened her phone and saw that she had received many New Year's greetings from He Li, Xiao Ran, Lu Jingming, He Tianyou, Liang Hekang, and others. Yu Miaoyin replied to each of them, wishing them a Happy New Year.

After midnight, Yu Miaoyin set off firecrackers in front of her door. The new year had arrived. She stood at the door for a while, listening to the sounds of firecrackers from house to house. She felt a little dazed until her child came out, hugged her, and said, "Sister, it's so cold outside. Come in quickly."

"Okay." Yu Miaoyin looked down at her, feeling a mix of emotions.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, she dressed Xiaotangbao in new clothes and shoes, and her grandmother came over to give out red envelopes, saying, "Give Xiaotangbao a lucky money, and may she grow up healthy and happy in the new year."

"Thank you, Grandma. I wish you good health..." Little Tangbao rattled off a string of blessings, all of which her older sister had taught her yesterday.

"Here you go, Xiaoyin, you get one too." Grandma pulled out a big red envelope.

Yu Miaoyin quickly refused: "I'm so old, how could I accept red envelopes?"

"Whether you're older or younger than me, you can still receive a red envelope." In Yuncheng, no matter how old you are, as long as you're not married, you can receive a red envelope.

Unable to refuse, after Grandma gave her the red envelope, Grandpa Xu's family and Wen's parents all rushed over to give her red envelopes: "You can accept it, you can accept it, Happy New Year."

As a young woman in her twenties, Yu Miaoyin felt extremely guilty accepting these red envelopes.

On the other side, Lu Jingming was also receiving a red envelope from his cousin, who was three years older than him. "Come on, say something nice."

"Happy New Year. Wishing you prosperity!" Lu Jingming said, "Who decided that unmarried people can receive red envelopes?!"

—

During the Spring Festival, Yu Miaoyin took several days off and traveled around with her children. She had a great time, but her customers were craving food and asked her every day when she would finally open her shop!

On the seventh day after the Lunar New Year, Yu Miaoyin officially opened her shop for business, and diners flocked to her shop at the sound of her name.

Not long after the restaurant opened, Yu Miaoyin had no idea where everyone had received the news, but in less than twenty minutes, a long queue had formed in front of the small restaurant.

At Yu Guang's house, Xiaoming stayed in his room. Aside from eating, drinking, using the restroom, and taking a bath, he hadn't left the house, even refusing to visit relatives, focusing solely on studying. Xiaoming's father was deeply moved. He said that Xiaoming used to be glued to his phone playing games, never leaving the house, but now he was doing it all for studying. Wiping away tears, Xiaoming's father said, "Xiaoming has finally matured. It's truly been a long time coming."

Xiao Ming's dad knocked on the door: "Sweetie, do you want to go play with Mommy and Daddy?"

"No, Dad, I want to study!" Xiaoming said.

"How about you go to Yu's Little Restaurant? The owner is open today."

Xiao Ming grabbed his vocabulary book and stormed out the door, yelling, "Go away! Go away!"