Chapter Ninety-Six: Raw Pork Offal Congee

She went to her usual stall and searched around for a while before deciding to buy some pork to make pork congee.

When the butcher learned that she was buying pork to make porridge, he suggested, "How about buying some offal? Offal porridge is very delicious. And this pig was just slaughtered. Look at this liver, so pink and fresh!"

"Okay, I'll take some pork offal then," Yu Miaoyin said. She liked the pork offal porridge because it was very flavorful.

Mr. Lin hadn't lied to her; the offal looked very fresh. The pig heart and liver weren't black; they had a fresh, pale pinkish hue, and the intestines were good too. After buying the ingredients, Yu Miaoyin took them home.

Back at the shop, before eight o'clock, Yu Miaoyin began preparing other dishes.

Seeing the fresh pork liver, Aunt Zheng thought of her boss's cooking skills and began to look forward to the porridge. "I feel like those customers who can't get it. I'm eagerly waiting for you to make it soon."

"Aunt Zheng, you can rest assured that you'll be the first to drink with me," Yu Miaoyin said.

"Okay, thank you, boss. It's so great to work under you." This is a good job. I get along well with the boss, the work is smooth, the salary is reasonable, and most importantly, the employee meals are absolutely delicious.

The two worked together and quickly prepared the ingredients. Just as Yu Miaoyin took out the casserole, Grandpa Xu appeared in the small restaurant. "Xiaoyin, are you making pork offal porridge today? You haven't written it on the menu yet."

There's still a long time before mealtime, but Grandpa Xu arrives early every day without fail to secure a seat, determined to be the first to eat.

Yu Miaoyin smiled and said, "How did you know? Then please write it down for me, Grandpa. I'm about to make pork offal porridge."

Pearl rice is best for making porridge; she soaked it early and it's ready to use.

"I saw you going to the market when I went out for breakfast, so I guessed it." Grandpa Xu wrote down the words "pork offal porridge," and he was happy at the thought of drinking the porridge Xiaoyin would make. It was cold outside, but the porridge was warm and cozy, warming him from head to toe.

She first added shredded ginger to a porcelain bowl containing sliced ​​pork liver, pork heart, and chopped pork intestines, then marinated them with cornstarch, salt, and other seasonings, sealing them with a layer of cooking oil. She then added soaked rice to a clay pot, and once it boiled, the rice grains seemed to bloom, tumbling and rolling in the bubbling bubbles. While the porridge was still boiling, she gently slid in the marinated pork offal and continued simmering. When the originally tender pink offal turned light brown, she turned off the heat, added goji berry leaves, stirred them with a spoon, and blanched the goji berry leaves.

Grandpa Xu ordered another plate of stir-fried rice noodle rolls with soy sauce to go with it. Aunt Zheng first brought out the pork offal porridge for him. The rich aroma and excellent presentation made Grandpa Xu's mouth water. If it hadn't been too hot, the bowl would have been empty by now.

The plump rice grains, fully soaked with water, burst open, creating a thick and creamy porridge. The pork offal was tender, and the goji leaves were fresh. Grandpa Xu picked up his spoon, blew on it, and started eating—it was piping hot, so fragrant! He waited until the porridge cooled slightly in his mouth before swallowing. The rice grains blended perfectly with the freshness of the pork offal; the offal was incredibly tender, not tough at all. The goji leaves were cooked just right, not mushy at all.

Paired with this perfectly stir-fried rice noodle roll in soy sauce, it's simply the perfect combination. He takes a bite of the rich, flavorful, chewy, and smooth rice noodle roll, followed by a sip of the soft and creamy pork offal congee. The savory rice noodle roll paired with the warm, savory congee is pure bliss.

As he ate, Grandpa Xu shook his head, seemingly unable to believe that such a simple bowl of pork offal porridge could taste so good. He seemed to be marveling at how fragrant and delicious the porridge was.

Normally, they would just bicker and tease each other a bit, but when they actually came across such delicious porridge, Grandpa Xu quickly called over his good friend Grandpa Sun to come and drink together: "Old Sun, don't say I didn't take care of you, Xiao Yin made pork offal porridge today, it's so fragrant, much better than what you can buy at any teahouse or street stall, you'd better come over quickly."

Upon receiving the signal, Grandpa Sun immediately rushed over.

Qin Zaiyang and Qin Youyi walked in one after the other. The father and son looked at each other in silence for a long time. Qin Youyi said helplessly, "All you think about all day is food, right?"

Qin Zaiyang: Please, this was made by Boss Yu. Do you dare say you didn't want to?

Qin Youyi certainly wouldn't dare say he didn't want to; he wanted to more than anyone else. Moreover, he had other motives for coming to Boss Yu's restaurant, such as secretly learning how Boss Yu made such perfect food.

The two sat together, and Qin Zaiyang ordered two bowls of congee and two servings of fried kway teow. The congee arrived before the fried kway teow, and staring at the smooth, flavorful pork offal congee, Qin Youyi was so captivated by the aroma that he completely forgot the purpose of his trip. He picked it up, blew on the slightly hot surface of the congee, and began to eat with a spoon. The pork offal was tender, and the congee was delicate and smooth, sliding down his throat. He had only one thought: It's so delicious! He completely forgot why he had come here.

The food that Boss Yu cooked was so delicious that he was completely captivated.

After finishing a bowl of hot porridge, the stir-fried rice noodles were ready. Qin Youyi put down his spoon and began to eat the stir-fried rice noodles. The rice noodles were stir-fried, with a dry aroma and slightly charred edges, but the dish was also soaked in a thickened sauce. The stir-fried rice noodles were drizzled with the sauce, making them even more moist and fragrant. This stir-fried rice noodles was truly wonderful.

"Dad, I'd like to request to eat at this small restaurant every day. Knowing the strength of our competitors will help us better cope and contribute to the success of Xianmanlou," Qin Zaiyang said.

"Xianmanlou is my brainchild. I'll take over from now on. You'd better practice more." Qin Youyi thought to himself, "Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?"

When Grandpa Sun arrived, Grandpa Xu was letting out a satisfied burp. He waved and said, "What kind of hat are you wearing? It doesn't look good at all."

"You have to accept it when you get old," Grandpa Sun muttered to himself. He didn't have much hair, and it would sting when the cold wind blew on it.

Grandpa Xu glanced outside and realized it was a cloudy day. Ugh, cloudy days! His clothes wouldn't dry again...

Although it was a cloudy day, Xiaoming's father was in an unusually bright mood.

Xiaoming's results are out. In this monthly exam, he made greater progress than in the last one, especially in English, which was a qualitative leap. Quantitative change really does lead to qualitative change.

It's no wonder that Xiaoming recites English words aloud and listens to English texts every day; now even Xiaoming's father can recite a few words.

Looking at the report card, Xiaoming's mother exclaimed in admiration, "I always knew my son Xiaoming was just like me; he's been smart since he was little."

Xiao Ming's father was pleased with the grades. He nodded, "Of course! Our Xiao Ming is both smart and hardworking. There are only two weeks left until the final exams. I was thinking, how about we enroll him in a tutoring class during the winter break..."

After the final exams, it means there's only one semester left before the high school entrance exam. Although he doesn't agree that winter break is a good time to catch up, Xiaoming only has this one winter break left.

Yu Guang looked at the city-wide ranking on the back of his report card. The number of places at No. 1 Middle School and its affiliated high school was fixed and limited; those with the highest scores got in. Before the high school entrance exam, everyone could freely choose the school they wanted to attend, and then the places were allocated according to their scores.

But with this ranking, it's still a bit short of getting into the top high school.

“Let’s talk to Xiaoming about it. If he wants to go, we’ll fully support him. If he doesn’t want to, let him rest well,” Xiaoming’s mother said.

"Okay." Xiaoming's father checked the time. "Let's go, let's pick up Xiaoming and take him to a small restaurant for dinner."

"Okay." The whole family was craving the food that Boss Yu cooked.

When Xiaoming learned that they were going to eat at a small restaurant today, he sprinted to his car after class, shouting, "Hurry, hurry, drive! High school hasn't let out yet, or we won't be able to eat!"

Xiao Ming also brought Huang Mao along, and the two of them now study together. Xiao Ming's foundation is much better than Huang Mao's, so he often teaches Huang Mao, which can help his good friend and consolidate his knowledge at the same time, killing two birds with one stone.

The four of them arrived at the small restaurant just a second before high school ended and successfully grabbed a seat.

Xiao Ming's father said, "They have pork offal congee today, I have to have a bowl. I also want to eat soy sauce fried bamboo noodles."

The aroma of the congee was incredibly enticing, and everyone ordered a serving. Xiaoming's father ordered a serving of stir-fried bamboo noodles with soy sauce, Xiaoming's mother ordered stir-fried beef noodles, and the other two ordered fried rice noodles with egg.

Fried noodles or rice noodles taste best with porridge; it's so comforting.

Xiao Ming took a big gulp of porridge. Boss Yu used high-quality ingredients. With every sip, he could taste the freshness of the pig liver, the tenderness of the intestines, and the bouncy texture of the pig heart.

"It's so delicious! This fried rice noodle is also very fragrant." Xiaoming couldn't resist the aroma and began to devour the food.

Before long, the small restaurant was packed with high school students who had finished class. Several students wearing the affiliated high school uniform also came in. The students in front sighed quietly, "It's a good thing I chose No. 1 High School back then. It's so convenient to eat at this small restaurant now."

"Yeah, I think so too. Actually, after coming to No. 1 High School, I really wanted to go to the affiliated high school, but now I don't want to at all," my friend said, after all, there are some of the best restaurants in the world right across from No. 1 High School.

Hearing their conversation, Xiaoming paused in his eating, and he hesitated before speaking: "Mom and Dad, I want to go to a tutoring class this winter break. I asked the top students in my class, and they all go to xxx tutoring center."

Xiaoming's parents were almost moved to tears. "Go, go, go if you want to go. We can afford any price."

"Thank you, Mom and Dad. There's only one semester left, and I'll definitely work hard. I'll also study hard this winter break to get ahead." He usually ignored his homeroom teacher's advice to make good use of the holidays to get ahead, but now, he just wished time could slow down.

He really wanted to get into the top high school.

When Teacher Zhang, who was at the end of the line, heard Xiaoming say this, she was overjoyed, feeling as if her own child had finally grown up and become sensible.

Aunt Lin's daughter packed several servings of pork offal congee to take home, and remembering that everyone was sick, she also ordered a side of stir-fried rice noodle rolls with soy sauce. Boss Yu didn't use much oil, but she managed to stir-fry it without it becoming burnt, and it wasn't dry at all. Stir-frying it like this truly tests a chef's skill.

"Xia, right? Come and eat. The boss made pork offal porridge today. Mom, you should eat more too."

Xia, who had been frowning like a bitter gourd, immediately stood up. "Thank you, sister. This porridge smells so good, and the fried noodles smell great too."

Aunt Lin loved it so much that she couldn't wait to pick up the bowl and start drinking the porridge. Whether it was made with the right ingredients or not, Aunt Lin could tell with just one taste. The deliciousness of the pork offal was completely infused into the popped rice, and after finishing the whole bowl of porridge, her stomach felt warm and cozy.

"Is it delicious, Xia?" Aunt Lin asked.

The child clearly liked it; after drinking the whole bowl, he licked his lips and nodded vigorously, "I like it, it's so delicious, this porridge is especially good."

He couldn't taste any extra flavors; he could only feel the rich umami bursting in his mouth, and the subtle saltiness made the whole bowl of porridge taste delicious.

"Once you get better, you'll be able to eat even more delicious food," Aunt Lin said. She recently discovered a blogger named Yunhe, who has a series of videos about this small restaurant, which often makes Aunt Lin's mouth water, even late at night.

"Really?" After finishing his porridge, he picked up his chopsticks and ate large mouthfuls of soy sauce fried noodles, not dry at all.

Aunt Lin showed the video to Xia, who saw a woman eating lots of delicious food: roast goose, claypot rice, char siu... It all looked so appetizing. "Wow, I want to eat it too!"

"If you focus on your chemotherapy, you'll be able to eat all these delicious foods," Aunt Lin said, adding that children definitely recover faster than elderly people like her. Although she wouldn't have the chance to eat roast goose, the bamboo noodles stir-fried with soy sauce were quite good. Boss Yu's soy sauce was so fragrant, and the bamboo noodles were stir-fried with a slightly charred aroma but without any burnt taste.

"Yes, yes, I must defeat the monster inside me! Grandma, you have to do your best too, so we can eat lots of delicious food together. You even said you'd take me out to play!" Xia said enthusiastically.

As Xu Ming walked to the door of the ward, she heard her son's optimistic words, and the corners of her mouth curved into a smile, her heart filled with warmth.