Chapter 5 005 Beef Patties
The air conditioner's "not new, not old" label indicated its secondhand status, but Wen Fan felt its cool breeze blowing into her heart.
"Mom, you're so good to me."
Wen Fan is 1.65 meters tall, and when he hugs his mother, he is a head taller.
Wen's mother blushed slightly: "Alright, you're a grown woman now."
The two ate dinner with great interest, and Wen's mother also heated up the leftover fried rice from the morning.
The heat seemed to instantly activate the aroma that had been sealed inside the leftover rice.
Wen's mother muttered to herself, "It smells rather nice."
She didn't think too much about it, only that her husband's cooking skills had improved recently.
After a quick dinner, the two rushed to the store. After a brief period of busy business, they heard a beeping sound from the food delivery system.
"Another order has come in!"
Wen's mother cheered up.
But after just one glance at the notes on the form, Wen's mother was confused again.
"Old Wen, come take a look, what's wrong with this order?"
On the order slip for two rice bowls, the note boldly read: "Please give me one rice bowl, and lots and lots of pickled chili peppers!!!"
Father Wen:...
He resignedly said, "...Let me make a phone call to confirm."
Finally, after confirming that the other party had not placed the wrong order and really wanted to spend the price of a rice bowl to buy the corresponding value of pickled vegetables, Mr. Wen had nothing to say.
"Then let's pack it all up."
It's summer, and the green peppers used for pickling are especially cheap. When vendors buy them in the morning, they pick and choose based on appearance, leaving only the thin-fleshed and irregularly shaped ones. The vendors charge a fixed price of three cents per pound.
Mr. Wen generously filled the box for the other party.
It was almost nine o'clock, and Mrs. Wen wiped the sweat from her brow: "Business was pretty good today."
All the toppings I prepared for lunch sold out, and I also had two extra takeout orders. That adds up to about 300 yuan in revenue for the day.
Mr. Wen put the stool upside down on the table and sighed as he mopped the floor, "Takeout is still the way to go. Business in the store is too difficult these days."
Today, we made 70 or 80 yuan from takeout alone. That's better than sometimes the store's business for the whole day.
After calculating the accounts, Mrs. Wen slapped her forehead and exclaimed, "It's time to transfer the rent!"
If you calculate it this way, it's actually several days overdue.
"Hey, why didn't you remind me?"
Mr. Wen: "I forgot too... It's strange, why hasn't the landlord come to urge us?"
There are probably four or five shops on this street that all belong to the same landlord. The landlord doesn't usually show up, but he often comes to collect the rent on the seventh day of each month.
"If you didn't urge her, you didn't urge her. Did you expect her to urge you?"
Wen's mother promptly transferred four thousand five hundred yuan.
After transferring the money, Wen's mother sighed as she looked at the meager balance remaining.
If Wen Fan hadn't cancelled her tutoring classes this morning, she would have been in a real dilemma about how to pay this amount.
The store was barely able to stay afloat when the students were all there, but since the start of summer vacation two weeks ago, the daily turnover has been declining.
Wen's mother had considered quitting; in fact, she even discussed it with her husband this morning.
Now both of them are tied to one shop, earning only a few thousand yuan a month, which is not cost-effective in terms of labor costs.
Wen's mother thought that either her husband would work for someone else, while she would find a small restaurant to do odd jobs.
Although it's a bit tiring, it saves a lot of trouble.
Wen's father disagreed.
The main reason is still my daughter.
Wen Fan is not in good condition; a few days ago, he even ran away without a word.
Father Wen: "We should wait until Xiao Fan is in a better mood."
Neither of them had a high level of education, and they would get a chill down their spine whenever they came across news about high school students contemplating suicide due to academic pressure.
Wen's mother thought he made sense and brought up her own thoughts from that morning.
"I'll start delivering food tomorrow."
Father Wen threw down the rag: "Are you really going to do this?"
Wen's mother: "Business isn't good every day in the shop."
She had calculated that during the summer vacation, she would need to generate at least 350 yuan in revenue every day in order to barely cover her monthly expenses.
We've met the target today, but what about tomorrow?
Mr. Wen lowered his head and said softly, "Maybe?"
Wen's mother smiled: "If business is really good, I won't go."
It's obvious that it's impossible.
...
On the other side of the city, Wu Na successfully picked up her dinner from the deliveryman.
The chubby cat meowed and circled around her trouser leg.
Wu Na carefully nudged it away with her foot: "Go away, don't wake my mom!"
Wu Na is a college student who is staying at home during the summer vacation. Her daily routine consists of getting up when the sun is high in the sky, finding food on her own, and then secretly ordering takeout at night.
If she hadn't stumbled upon some amazing pickled vegetables at lunchtime today, she would have been planning to order a plate of Xinjiang fried rice noodles tonight after her parents went to bed.
Spicy chicken stir-fried noodles, topped with a side of sesame naan, and an extra serving of fried peas, paired with a sweet drink—this is the perfect meal for a quiet night.
Wu Na opened the packing bag, and a box full of pickled vegetables made her smile.
With these pickled chilies, you don't even need to eat fried rice noodles today!
Wu Na quietly slipped into the kitchen, found a large bowl, and poured the pickled peppers into it. This time, Wu Na was determined not to waste her time like she had at noon; she was going to savor the dish slowly and carefully.
I was groping around in the dark looking for a bowl when suddenly the light blazed on with a "snap".
Wu Na turned around with an awkward smile: "Mom, you're still awake?"
Li Mei said with a sneer, "How can I sleep if there's a big rat hiding in the house? Bring it over so I can take a look!"
Caught red-handed by her mother, Wu Na felt extremely guilty.
While confiscating the "stolen goods," Li Mei kept nagging: "Tsk tsk tsk! All you do is play on your phone and eat takeout every day. I told you this stuff is all gutter oil and lymph node meat, but you still insisted on eating it! Look at the acne on your face, it's all from eating takeout and staying up late!"
Li Mei is a dermatologist in the city. When she disciplines her daughter, she even pokes Wu Na's face with her finger.
Wu Na retorted softly, "I ate very healthily today."
"How healthy is it? Look at all this oil! Aren't you afraid of gaining weight if you eat this at night?"
Wu Na said aggrievedly, "It's just that I didn't have an appetite during the day."
She suffered from summer heat since she was a child; she couldn't eat anything in the summer. Every summer vacation, while other children went out to play, some even going to the countryside, she couldn't bear to leave the air-conditioned room.
There's nothing I can do, it's so hot.
It's so hot during the day that even turning on the air conditioner doesn't give me any energy; I can only eat a few bites at night.
Li Mei was well aware of her daughter's problem, so she softened her tone: "Then don't always eat takeout. If you can't, cook for yourself. Didn't I give you money for groceries? Buy some food you like and know how to cook."
Wu Na didn't dare say that she would live off the kickbacks from grocery shopping during the summer vacation.
I quickly changed the subject by pulling my mom aside: "Mom, don't scold me. I really didn't order any of those things you told me not to eat today."
Since she had already been arrested, Wu Na decided to lay her cards on the table.
"I went to this shop this morning, it was so clean. Their pickled vegetables are really good, you should try them!"
Li Mei scoffed: "How delicious can it be? The nitrite content is too high!"
Wu Na chuckled: "If you're not going to eat it, I'll eat it myself?"
Li Mei looked at the rice bowl she ordered and didn't think it looked appetizing at all.
"Let's eat in the living room. Your room is messy enough."
Not only was it a mess, but the door was also closed all day, which Li Mei found extremely annoying.
Wu Na kissed her mother on the cheek, then jumped up to find chopsticks.
Wu Na opened the lid, took a bite of pickled chili and a bite of rice, and ate with great relish, the happiness on her face seeming genuine.
Li Mei: ...
It's really strange. It's just a plate of pickled peppers, with a simple appearance that doesn't reveal anything. How come Wu Na is eating it with such relish?
Wu Na devoured the rice bowl in a flash, then carefully wrapped the pickled peppers in the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator.
Li Mei's eyelids twitched as she watched.
"Is it really that bad? I've never seen you like the pickled peppers I made for you this much before."
"...That's different!"
Li Mei: "What's the difference? It's just green chilies cut into small rings, with some oil, salt, and seasonings."
Wu Na shook her head vigorously: "It's just different!"
Li Mei rolled her eyes in annoyance.
She got up very early the next day, but there was still no movement in Wu Na's room.
Li Mei then remembered her daughter's words.
Remove the plastic wrap and Li Mei extends her chopsticks.
"What could be different... hmm?"
That morning, Li Mei finished two bowls of porridge. The thick rice porridge, paired with just the right amount of pickled vegetables, was eaten with a bite of pickled vegetables and a bite of porridge, which entered her stomach and cheered her up.
When Wu Na woke up at noon, she was met with an empty refrigerator, a note, and two hundred yuan underneath the note.
These pickled vegetables are quite delicious. I brought some to work; could you buy some more?
Wu Na screamed "Ahhh!"
"My pickled vegetables—"
*****
Early in the morning, Mr. Wen was awakened by a fragrant aroma.
He initially thought his wife had gotten up early to cook, but after closing his eyes for a short while, Mr. Wen felt something was amiss.
They opened their eyes and stared at each other.
Wen's mother seemed a little dazed: "You got up in the middle of the night to make the meal?"
Father Wen: "...I just woke up."
The two of them didn't have time to say anything else. They quickly got up, changed their clothes, and opened the door. In the living room was their daughter, dressed in sportswear.
Wen Fan greeted them, "Mom and Dad, I've made breakfast."
Wen's mother: "You child...where are you going?"
Wen Fan was wearing clothes that didn't look like they were worn at home.
Wen Fan smiled: "I've already had breakfast. I'm going to go out for some exercise and then go to the library to read."
Summer vacation is short, and Wen Fan doesn't want to be among the last to finish when school starts.
Throughout her life, she was one of the best among the palace maids, and she was also outstanding in the imperial kitchen. It can be said that she was never at the bottom of the class.
So even though she stopped going to tutoring classes, Wen Fan still wanted to catch up on her studies as soon as possible.
Besides, she still knows very little about this world. If she doesn't take this opportunity to go out and learn more, she's afraid she'll be exposed when school starts.
"Don't worry, I'll only go in the morning; I'll still go to the store in the afternoon."
After saying goodbye to his parents and receiving a hundred yuan in pocket money from his mother, Wen Fan set off full of confidence.
Meanwhile, Wen's father called out Wen's mother's name from the kitchen.
"Come and see what our daughter made."
In the steaming pan, there were perfectly fried egg pancakes, golden brown on both sides. Perhaps unsure if her parents would like them, Wen Fan also made two beef pancakes.
Mr. Wen took a bite of the beef patty and was shocked.
The crispy crust encases a meat filling, the juices of which drip down the crust, filling your mouth with rich, flavorful juices. As the golden-brown crust cracks open, the juices burst forth, yet the meat isn't greasy at all. The subtle hints of onion and black pepper perfectly complement this golden meat pie.
Mr. Wen stared blankly at his wife.
He felt that his cooking skills were a joke compared to his daughter's casual cooking.
"Yingzhi, our daughter might be a genius."
A note from the author:
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