Chapter 224 Tasting Beijing's Specialty Douzhi and Braised Dishes
Beijing, Chang'an Avenue
"...I sell braised pork offal, fried dough rings, and fermented mung bean juice!"
Around eight or nine in the morning, the sun hid behind the clouds, and the light shining on the earth was weak. People hurried along the streets, all wearing large scarves and earmuffs, wishing they could bury their heads in the scarves rather than face the dust swirling in the air.
The surroundings were shrouded in mist, making it impossible to distinguish between the soil and the fog.
'Squeak—!'
As the car braked, Ji Chenxing turned to look at the sleeping cub.
"Zhizhi, we've arrived in the capital. It's still quite a distance from where I live. Are you hungry?"
The uncle's words successfully awakened the little cub.
Zhizhi rubbed her eyes, sleepily opened them, and looked around.
"Wow, is this the capital city?"
She peered out curiously, and Ji Chenxing simply rolled down the rear window so she could see clearly.
The other passengers in the car were also awakened by the noise.
Bai Qi has always been a light sleeper. Hearing the noise, she lazily looked up and saw the braised pork stall. She lazily propped her chin up and said, "Are you only satisfied when you bring all the out-of-towners you know to try the special snacks of Beijing? Zhizhi is still so young. Are you willing to tease her?"
What are its special features?
Jiang Anchao instantly regained his senses; his stomach had been rumbling for ages, and he'd been driving for almost seventeen hours.
Although I ate some fruit and sausages that Zhizhi took from her space on the way.
But he still felt very hungry and wanted something hot to warm his stomach.
Upon hearing this, Zhizhi immediately perked up and excitedly asked, "What do you want to eat? What kind of snacks?"
"This place makes the most authentic local snacks in Beijing."
Ji Chenxing readily agreed, stopping the car and calling out to the owner, "Boss, three servings of braised pork offal, three servings of fermented bean juice, one of which should be sweetened, and four fried dough rings on top!"
"Okay, you can hold it!"
The boss spoke as if he had fallen into a den of thieves with retroflex endings, every word carrying a lazy, drawn-out tone.
Ji Chenxing turned around and waved to them, "You don't need to buy so much for the first time. Try it first, and you can add more if you like."
"OK."
Jiang Anchao rushed down the road, turned around to help Deng Qiu, and then casually tucked Zhizhi out of the car.
"Yan Jing didn't come along this time, so he missed out on the food."
Ji Chenxing's face was full of regret.
When Bai Qi heard him say that, she couldn't help but silently roll her eyes at him.
I don't know when he picked up this wicked habit, but he insisted on bringing every comrade from out of town to try the local specialties.
Jiang Anchao is out of the question; perhaps even grown men could stomach such strong flavors.
Deng Qiu and Zhi Zhi are in a terrible situation.
However, seeing Ji Chenxing's excited pursuit of his goal, Bai Qi didn't say much in the end, but just silently followed behind with a sigh.
A group of five people sat outside.
Looking at the steam rising from the steamer, Ji Chenxing sighed, "After staying in the capital for so long, it's a bit hard to get used to the light flavors in Suzhou. Even the noodles taste sweet."
"The eel noodles in Suzhou are delicious, sweet and very fresh. My mom said they're so fresh they make your eyebrows fall off."
Zhizhi introduced the local delicacies in her hometown with a clear and cheerful voice, her little mouth as sweet as honey, from which a string of delicious dishes came out.
Eel noodles, spare rib noodles, pork chop noodles... and crab roe noodles.
It takes dozens of crabs to shell them all to make just one bowl of crab roe. Then, the crab meat is used as a topping and poured over chewy and smooth noodles. One bite is enough to make you want to keep coming back for more. It's incredibly delicious.
"Suzhou noodles are very famous, but after living in the north for a while, the taste is more salty. Zhizhi, you should try this braised pork offal. It has intestines and liver in it. It tastes incredibly delicious."
The owner served two bowls of braised pork first, and the eldest uncle handed them directly to the little baby.
Zhizhi looked at the thick, brown liquid in the bowl, where she could even make out the shapes of some internal organs.
She pursed her lips and carefully picked up the spoon to stir it.
"Don't stir!" Ji Chenxing quickly stopped her and began to demonstrate, "You drink it slowly, that's the authentic way."
Zhizhi was in a dilemma, but she didn't want to spoil her uncle's enthusiasm.
She had no choice but to imitate her uncle, pressing her little mouth to the rim of the bowl and slurping.
"Hiss—! Ha—!"
"Hiss! Hiss!"
The little guy was startled by the heat, and the first thing he tasted was the rich flavor of the braising sauce. Because braising these offal organs requires a lot of strong spices to mask the smell.
Zhizhi is only three and a half years old, and her taste buds are already very sensitive.
When she put it in her mouth, she only felt a numbing sensation and a burning sensation. She couldn't taste any flavor at all; it was all a strong, salty taste.
"Uncle... this isn't very tasty."
Zhizhi eventually told the truth.
"Then you try this, and the braised pork is for your dad."
Ji Chenxing once again tried his best to coax her to drink the soy milk, saying, "This bowl of yours has sugar in it, it tastes so good. Dip it in the fried dough rings and drink it."
This time, Zhizhi was smarter; she looked at her uncle warily.
"Uncle, are you sure this tastes good and you're not just kidding me?"
"Of course!" Ji Chenxing nodded seriously. "Soybean juice is made from pure fermented mung beans, how could it not taste good? You've had soy milk before, right? It tastes much better than that stuff, and it's also good for your health."
Bai Qi listened from the side, silently covering her face with her hands.
Sometimes she really wanted to pretend she didn't know Ji Chenxing.
He seemed to have a taste that was different from the general public. Even though he had lived in Beijing for so long, he could not get used to the taste of douzhi (fermented mung bean juice). Yet, he was addicted to it and had to have a bowl every day to feel refreshed.
"Zhizhi..."
Bai Qi called her softly and quietly shook her head at her.
Don't drink it!
People in the old northern part of the city have mixed opinions about douzhi (fermented mung bean juice). If a child as young as Zhizhi drinks it, she might never believe that there is any good food in Beijing again.
Actually, the meat pie with door nails in Beijing is the best, as is the hot pot with mutton.
But Ji Chenxing just happens to love eating these unpalatable foods.
Anyone who didn't know better would think it was an attempt to smear the image of the people of Beijing.
After being reminded by her aunt, Zhizhi became more cautious and began to drink the soy milk more carefully.
Zhizhi kept reminding herself.
My uncle recommended it so strongly, it can't be too bad.
Yes, she only took a sip, just a tiny sip.
She'll taste it first to check the saltiness!
The cub stretched out its little hand, carefully picked up the bowl of soy milk, and tentatively took a small sip.
Her expression suddenly froze.
A brief blankness appeared on her small face.
"Is it good?!" Ji Chenxing smiled, his eyes full of anticipation. "Doesn't it taste great?"
Seeing her daughter's reaction, Deng Qiu couldn't help but ask curiously, "Zhizhi, is the fermented mung bean juice... good?"
Zhizhi turned her head and forced a smile that looked even uglier than crying.
"It's so good...it's especially good, Mom, you should try some too..."
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