Chapter Thirty-Six: Taro and Pork Rib Stew

After finishing the taro cake, Xu Jiajia was filled with energy. She cheered herself on, "Yiling, with the help of Sister Ayin's taro cake, I will definitely memorize the historical timeline today! And all kinds of English sentence structures, pick a few for me and see how it goes. It's all or nothing!"

Yi Ling leaned back in her chair. "Come on, recite a conditional adverbial clause introduced by 'if'."

This is one of the versatile sentence structures that Teacher Li asked everyone to memorize. It can be flexibly modified according to various essays and continuation texts. It is highly practical and can give the teacher the illusion that you have some level of knowledge.

Xu Jiajia stammered for a moment, then recited a line, "If it had..."

“Yes, that’s it.” Yi Ling smiled. “Finally, you’ve memorized this sentence. Remember to use it.”

These are sentences their English teacher wrote down for them, saying they could make a brief impression on the examiners when not many people were using them. Although this is a very basic writing style, truly good students can use grammar flexibly on their own without needing to use pre-defined sentence structures, but using pre-defined sentence structures can still be very useful when you don't know the answer.

Encouraged, Xu Jiajia became exceptionally confident and, in front of Yiling, recited several inverted sentences and emphatic sentences, and even a well-worn but universally applicable concluding sentence that served as a powerful elevation!

After memorizing the exercises, Xu Jiajia's confidence soared, and she even dared to take the workbook to her English teacher to ask questions.

"The answer is in this sentence, you've already found it, right? But you translated it wrong, that's why you chose the wrong answer. This is a long and difficult sentence. I'll teach you step by step how to delete components and keep the main clause..." Teacher Li carefully guided Xu Jiajia on how to translate long and difficult sentences.

After listening, Xu Jiajia suddenly realized that such a long sentence had so many non-finite verbs and attributive clauses, but only a small part was actually useful. This English is terrible!

"Do you understand, Jiajia?" Teacher Li asked gently.

Xu Jiajia nodded twice, "Thank you, teacher. I understand. I will study English hard!"

After she finished speaking, Xu Jiajia was about to leave when Teacher Li stopped her and asked somewhat embarrassedly, "Jiajia, where did you buy the taro cake that you and Yiling just ate?"

It seems that Teacher Li is also a loyal customer of Yu's Little Restaurant!

"This was made by Yiling's neighbor, the owner of Yu's Little Restaurant!"

"No wonder." Teacher Li smiled. "Thank you, Jiajia."

It seems that the white moonlight is just the white moonlight. Oh well, it's okay, she'll be able to eat Boss Yu's delicious food tomorrow.

Thinking of this, the corners of her lips curved into a smile, and her mood improved considerably.

-

That morning, the students took history and geography exams. Thanks to the teachers' care, they were allowed half an hour early to go eat.

When Xu Jiajia arrived at the small restaurant, Boss Zhao had just delivered the duck eggs.

Xu Jiajia was delighted at the sight of the salted duck eggs, because she knew that Sister Ayin would definitely be making mooncakes. With Sister Ayin's mooncakes, this Mid-Autumn Festival would be even more wonderful. She wanted to cut a mooncake out and sit on the balcony to admire the moon, how pleasant!

"You're putting them away so early today?" Yu Miaoyin asked after counting the number of salted duck eggs that Boss Zhao had brought over.

"Yes, I just finished my history exam and was locked up for a while before coming here to eat. I missed your cooking so much. I've been craving your food so much that my stomach is practically empty. Without your food, I have no motivation to study English," Xu Jiajia said, quickly sitting down to order. Considering she did quite well on her history exam today, and knowing she has a demanding English exam this afternoon, she ordered a mung bean soup, two tea eggs, and a taro and pork rib stew.

The taro and pork rib stew comes in small and large portions; the small portion costs thirteen yuan, and the large portion costs eighteen yuan. Yu Miaoyin set two prices because she was worried that high school students would find it too expensive, while those who could afford it could order the larger portion.

Xu Jiajia decisively ordered the largest portion for herself; she couldn't let her mouth suffer, no matter what.

"Okay, go get the rice first, the dishes will be ready soon," Yu Miaoyin said.

She returned to the kitchen and lifted the lid of the casserole. The ribs had been marinated beforehand and then pan-fried again. Pan-fried taro chunks were placed underneath, and the casserole had been simmering for a while. The aroma of the ribs and taro combined and wafted out, making it exceptionally tempting. Yu Miaoyin couldn't help but marvel at how good her cooking skills were.

Yu Miaoyin stirred it with a spatula, and an even richer aroma of pork ribs and taro mixed with the soy sauce wafted out. Xu Jiajia patted her uncooperative stomach, trying to stop it from growling!

She served it to Xu Jiajia.

When Xu Jiajia saw it, she mentally exclaimed three exclamation marks, thinking that the 18 yuan was well worth it.

"Wait, wait, don't eat yet, let's take a picture first." Xu Jiajia said, taking out her phone to take a picture, saying as she took the picture, "When we graduate and look back on high school, everyone else will get test papers, but we'll get delicious food. It'll be different and make everyone drool!"

That actually makes some sense.

The casserole was still bubbling with broth, the ribs were bright red and glistening with oil, and the taro chunks underneath were amber in color, with some melted, powdery bits sticking to the ribs.

"Sister Ayin, your taro and pork rib stew smells so good! After eating your food, I'm sure I'll have divine help on my English exam today!" Xu Jiajia said. Food gives people strength, God of strength, may she get all the answers right and know everything on the exam!

"So my cooking has such magic!" Yu Miaoyin said with a faint smile.

Jiajia is such a cheerful girl. Yu Miaoyin really likes her, Yiling, and Jiajia. They are two particularly adorable people.

Mr. Zhao had already gotten on his tricycle, but after smelling the aroma, he came in without hesitation for a second.

"Boss, give me one too, it smells so good!"

After the taro and pork rib stew was cooked, Boss Zhao flipped it over and found the taro chunks at the bottom. He tasted the taro first; it was soft and powdery, with the aroma of meat and sauce, mixed with the natural fragrance of the taro itself, and it melted in his mouth with just a gentle touch.

"It's so delicious!?" Boss Zhao's eyes lit up. No wonder Liang Hekang told him to save the best salted duck eggs for Boss Yu. With this skill, and his king of salted duck eggs, wouldn't the mooncakes be even better?

Fortunately, Mr. Zhao is true to his word, and every salted duck egg he makes is of excellent quality. Otherwise, he would have stopped Yu Miaoyin and said, "Boss, let me get you a different basket!"

The ribs were incredibly tender; they practically fell off the bone after just a few bites. They were coated with soft, powdery taro, and the rich, meaty flavor blended perfectly with the sweet, powdery taro – it was absolutely delicious.

Mr. Zhao then poured the sauce into the bowl and mixed it with the rice. The dark brown rice grains were distinct and looked incredibly tempting. There were some bits of taro crumbs on top of the sauce, which made the rice even more fragrant and sticky.

"Boss, you're making mooncakes now, can I order one too?" After tasting Yu Miaoyin's taro and pork rib stew, he finally understood what a master chef was, and what it meant for delicious food to capture someone's heart!

"Okay, I'll register, but there's a purchase limit." If there were no limit, Yu Miaoyin was worried that everyone would hoard several large boxes of mooncakes, which would exhaust her. With the purchase limit, everyone can try some.

"How many can one person buy?" Boss Zhao asked. Actually, he would be very happy if Yu Miaoyin could sell him one!

"Four." That's just enough for a small box of mooncakes; if you cut them up, it'll be enough for the whole family.

“Yes, yes, yes, I want four,” he said.

"good."

In the office of Yuncheng No.1 Middle School, the teachers were talking about the Mid-Autumn Festival. The homeroom teachers held a stack of dark green leaflets and lamented, "We still have to hold a drowning prevention awareness meeting for the students later."

Teacher Li comforted her, "It's alright, after all, it's a good thing to have a holiday."

"I hope nothing bad happens to my students during the holiday," the homeroom teacher said bitterly, because if something happens to a student, the first person they'll contact is the homeroom teacher.

Ms. Li had been a homeroom teacher for a year and truly understood how difficult it was. She went over to comfort her and said, "It's okay, let's go to Yu Ji for a meal and have a happy holiday. Yu Ji might still have mooncakes for sale, let's buy some to take home."

After Ms. Li said that, the homeroom teacher's mood improved a little, and the other students in the office all said they wanted to go eat at Yu Ji.

As soon as they stepped out the door, everyone was greeted by the enticing aroma wafting from Yu's Little Restaurant. The teachers peered inside, scrutinizing the restaurant like they were catching geese, and pointed out, "My students are inside."

“My students are here too.”

"There are so many people here, the small restaurant is so popular. I feel that the owner is wasting her talent by opening here. She could run a big teahouse and make it a great success. Maybe it could even become a major brand of teahouses in Yuncheng," Teacher Li exclaimed.

"Yes, the boss has such great skills," the homeroom teacher said, then added with a hint of selfishness, "But it's good that the boss has the place here; it's our motivation to go to work. What would we do if the boss left?"

Teacher Li agreed and quickly corrected herself: "Yes, yes, the boss can't leave, he absolutely can't leave! I'd still be willing to eat there even if she raises the price."

“Yes, yes,” the other teachers agreed.

"Let's pack up and take it home. I don't think there's much room left," one of the teachers suggested.

"Okay, and with so many of us here, the students might feel pressured after their exams," the teacher said casually.

A burst of laughter erupted.

After everyone packed up the taro and pork rib stew, they returned to the office. Teacher Li even walked a little faster than usual. This taro and pork rib stew could barely make up for her regret of not being able to enjoy taro cake last night.

Back in the office, the teachers quickly opened the boxes and started eating. Qi Yue took a picture and sent it to her mother.

Qi Yue: Mom, let me tell you, there's a little restaurant at our school that serves really delicious food. Today they're making taro and pork rib stew, doesn't it look amazing! Don't worry about me losing weight, this restaurant has actually fattened me up!

She recently stepped on the scale and found that she had indeed gained a few pounds, but it was from such delicious food, not from overwork, so how can it not be a kind of happiness?

Mom: Really? Don't just say that to appease Mom. If it's not good, we'll order takeout, honey.

At home, her mother forbade her to order takeout every day, but after Qi Yue came to No. 1 Middle School, her mother compromised, saying that between being unhealthy and being unpalatable, being unpalatable was more despicable.

Qi Yue silently added insult to injury in her mind: the food at No. 1 High School was clearly both unhealthy and unpalatable.

Mom: What do you want to eat? When we come home for Mid-Autumn Festival, Mom and Dad will cook for you. You can eat whatever you want.

Qi Yue's mother was very worried about her daughter. Her daughter had complained a long time ago that the food here was not good. As a mother, all she could do was cook more delicious food and send it to her daughter.

Qi Yue: It's really delicious! Look at the photos I took, aren't you hungry?!

How could Mom say she wasn't hungry when the food looked and smelled so delicious!

Mom: I was hungry, but I thought it was the pictures you saved online that were trying to coax me.

Qi Yue: ...

Once the food had cooled slightly, Qi Yue quickly put down her phone and started eating. The ribs, pan-fried and then slow-cooked, were fragrant with a caramelized aroma and the rich flavor of meat, the oil infusing into the broth. The soft, powdery taro also absorbed the meaty juices. Each bite of the ribs released succulent juices from the bones. Halfway through, Qi Yue poured the remaining rice into the pot; the savory, slightly sweet broth seeped into the rice, and after stirring, every grain of rice tasted exceptionally delicious!

The taro was soft and sticky, the pork ribs were tender and smooth, and the sauce was delicious with rice. Qi Yue exclaimed in her heart, "How can Boss Yu be such a good cook!"

Halfway through the meal, Teacher Li said, "I should have bought two tea eggs. I have to proctor the English exam for two hours later, and I can't be motivated without something good to eat!"

“That makes sense!” Qi Yue said. “Just take some homework with you to distract yourself. You can eat something delicious after two hours of studying.”

Two hours is just a short time; it will pass quickly. In just two more hours, she will be able to enjoy a delicious, hot meal.