Chapter 78 078 Beef Noodles [First Update]
On Saturday morning, Wen Fan woke up to find it was raining outside.
Perhaps due to the excessive drought this summer, all the pent-up rain has poured down this autumn. The sky is never clear, with rain stopping and starting every day, resulting in continuous overcast skies and rain.
Wen's mother hung the clean clothes in the room, pulled a long clothesline from the old-fashioned electric fan overhead, and tied the other end to the window. When Wen Fan opened the door, he was greeted by this scene of the room full of clothes.
Wen's mother: "Sigh, I wonder when it will clear up."
The house they are currently renting is an old-style walk-up house with a small balcony and burglar bars on the outside. It's okay when the weather is sunny, but when it rains, there's not even enough space on the balcony to hang clothes, so they have to find other ways to make do.
Wen's mother sighed, worried that the clothes at home were still not dry.
Wen's father got up early, looked at the rain curtain outside the window, and muttered to himself.
"If this continues, we won't be able to harvest the corn."
Although he has been away from home for more than ten years, it seems that people who have done farm work have a deep attachment to the land. With such continuous rain, he can't help but feel heartbroken when he thinks about the grain that can't be harvested from the fields.
Despite feeling sorry for him, after washing up, Mr. Wen rushed off to buy groceries.
Wen's mother told him to order less, as business was bound to be worse than usual in this kind of weather.
"...Wear something warm when you go out!"
She insisted that her husband put on a thick coat before she let him go.
Wen Fan was also dressed in thick clothes, and her mother had given her a thermos containing brown sugar ginger tea that she had brewed that morning.
"Go with your dad, don't get out of the car."
Wen Fan hummed in agreement and sat in the passenger seat of the van. At her mother's suggestion, the family van already had the shop's name printed on the side; her mother thought it would at least serve as an advertising space.
Mr. Wen fastened his seatbelt, stepped on the gas, and set off. Although it wasn't a workday, there were still many people in this city who worked on weekends.
Mr. Wen drove slowly and was very attentive the whole way.
After walking two blocks, the father and daughter had already witnessed a minor scrape and a rear-end collision.
When Mr. Wen is nervous while driving, he tends to ramble on and on, and he was doing so right now.
"In such heavy rain, they keep rushing around; they're really being irresponsible."
"Hey, hey, how did we squeeze in?"
"Alright, you can go first."
Wen Fan: "...Dad, you've already let three cars pass."
Mr. Wen smiled kindly: "It's alright, maybe they have some urgent business. We're not selling our stall today, so there's no rush."
Wen Fan looked at him with an expression of disbelief, his gaze drifting to the window.
Mr. Wen's car moved very slowly. He didn't know if there had been an accident ahead, but the traffic was very congested, and Mr. Wen's car was stuck next to the bus stop.
So Wen Fan looked out the window at the people waiting for the bus at the bus stop.
Most of them are working people who have to work even on weekends. Not only do they have to work on weekends, but they also encounter rainy days like this, which makes it hard to be in a good mood.
One of the girls was wearing a mask and was swaying precariously as she stood.
Wen Fan frowned, seeing that the other person had stood up straight again and hadn't looked away.
Then, a car sped past, cutting off the bus lane and creating a splash. People waiting for the bus swerved to avoid it, inevitably getting wet in the process.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?! Can't you see anyone?"
"I'm so angry! I'm going to take a picture of his license plate!"
"Yes! Report it to the traffic police and fine him!"
Amidst the angry shouts of the crowd, the girl suddenly fell forward, clutching the bag of the boy in front of her. She said something in pain before collapsing and passing out.
Everyone jumped back in fright. The girl was still holding onto the boy's bag strap when she fell, which made everyone around look at the two of them with suspicion.
"What's going on? Did the couple have a fight?"
"I didn't see it. Did this boy do it?"
"Hey, should we call the police?"
"I don't know, let me see."
The boy almost burst into tears: "No... I have nothing to do with her!"
"Then why did she grab your bag strap?"
The boy also felt extremely wronged: "She just asked me if I had any candy."
Before he could answer, he collapsed.
Once you put it that way, experienced people will understand.
"You probably have low blood sugar."
"Oh, the little girl looks so pitiful. Does anyone have any candy?"
"Chocolate is fine too."
"I have a rice ball, but it's cold."
Can someone eat while they're dizzy?
The group talked without reaching a conclusion when suddenly a girl in a yellow dress appeared out of nowhere.
Once you reach the center of the crowd, calmly help the person to their seat.
Wen Fan patted the girl's face first, and saw her let out a short breath and slowly open her eyes.
The girl was still in a daze, only knowing that she had suddenly blacked out and collapsed. Because she knew herself well, she also knew that she had low blood sugar.
While still not fully conscious, in a blurry vision, a cup of slightly hot water was suddenly brought to my lips.
"Drink slowly."
The scalding hot water had a sweet taste, and before the girl even realized what was going on, she had already started drinking it.
It wasn't until she tasted it that she realized it was brown sugar ginger tea.
As someone who has always been in poor health, she has drunk brown sugar ginger tea countless times.
The difference this time was that something else seemed to have been added to the brown sugar ginger tea, making it thicker. As it flowed down my tongue and into my stomach, it warmed me up instantly.
Wen Fan fed her two cups of tea, and as she gradually regained consciousness, the people around her breathed a sigh of relief. Just then, a bus arrived, and everyone boarded and left.
The girl apologized to the boy with tears in her eyes. The boy didn't care about anything else, just gave a perfunctory reply, and rushed to catch the bus.
The girl thanked Wen Fan again.
"Thank you, miss."
When she saw that the other person was also covered in dirty water from helping her, she felt extremely ashamed.
"I... I'll do your laundry."
She was so ashamed that she couldn't lift her head, feeling that she had caused trouble for others again.
"No need." Wen Fan looked at his clothes and thought the windbreaker his mother bought was really good. It was waterproof and it really was waterproof. He could just wipe it off when he got home.
The girl, on the other hand, although she woke up, was in very poor condition.
He was pale, thin, and his clothes were soaked, but his phone kept ringing.
"Your phone is ringing."
The girl frantically reached for her phone, tears streaming down her face, and even her voice was choked with sobs when she answered the call.
She kept apologizing, saying that she had an accident on the way, but the people on the other end clearly couldn't understand her, and their furious voices could be heard from a distance.
"Shi Xiaolei, if you don't want to come, then don't come! You're just making excuses! All the interns in the project team are here today, except for you. You've embarrassed the whole team!"
"Can low blood sugar kill you? If it can't, why would you need to take a day off? If you're so delicate, why are you even at work!"
"You have half an hour. If you can't come, go to the general manager's office and explain why!"
"This isn't a place to worship ancestors. If you want to enjoy the good life you had in school, then don't come out to work!"
...
The phone rang and the call ended abruptly, leaving the girl's expression blank for a moment.
Wen Fan didn't know what to say. In fact, since coming to this world, she had only been in contact with her parents and school. In the comments section of the store, there were often office workers joking that they usually relied on their food to survive. Wen Fan felt that this was an exaggeration, but today, suddenly being hit by this kind of pure workplace pressure, Wen Fan was also a little at a loss.
Seeing that her father's car had been waiting for a while, Wen Fan finally handed the thermos to Shi Xiaolei.
"Here, take this and drink it. Remember to keep warm."
Shi Xiaolei was still reeling from being scolded by her boss when suddenly someone handed her a warm thermos.
"No need, miss..."
Wen Fan waved his hand: "You're too thin, you need to eat."
As he spoke, Wen Fan lightly stepped over several puddles and ran back to his father's car.
The moment the door closed, Shi Xiaolei stared blankly at the van.
After realizing what had happened, she pursed her lips, ran a few steps, and took out her phone to take a picture of the side of the van.
Inside the car.
Mr. Wen asked helplessly, "Aren't you cold?"
Wen Fan: "It's alright."
Father Wen: "Sigh, daughter, how about we study a less tiring major in the future? After you finish your studies, come home, and Dad will help you to expand the shop."
Mr. Wen didn't get out of the car, but when he saw the girl answer the phone as soon as she woke up, he knew it wasn't a family member's greeting on the other end of the line. It was more likely a ruthless conversation from the workplace. Mr. Wen felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about it.
Kids these days are under so much pressure. Studying is so hard, and working doesn't seem easy either.
Father Wen loved his daughter dearly and couldn't bear to see her suffer like that.
Wen Fan: "...Dad, what major is not tiring?"
"Then learn to cook."
"...Should I learn it or should I teach it?"
Mr. Wen laughed: "Then let's learn Western cuisine!"
Wen Fan scoffed.
"dessert?"
"...Dad, just focus on driving!"
It's all uncertain.
...
After the father and daughter returned to the store with the groceries, they were naturally scolded by Wen's mother.
He said to Wen's father, "Didn't you know to get her an umbrella? The umbrella in the car is for you to see!"
Wen Fan said, "Are you stupid? Can't you have your dad bring it back so you can change your clothes before you go? Seriously, if it weren't for your constant nagging about having to go to the store to pick out the vegetables, I wouldn't even want you to come along. What's wrong with choosing vegetables via video? You're so fussy every day!"
After changing her clothes, Wen Fan hugged her mother's arm and said in a spoiled tone, "I've done a good deed, Mom, can I have a glass of lychee iced milk?"
"No iced drinks allowed!"
"Then how about soy milk rice mochi with Oreo crumbs?"
Having successfully enjoyed her milk tea, Wen Fan wanted something warm for lunch.
A portion of beef is hand-beaten, and meatballs are squeezed into the pot. Fresh brisket is sliced thinly; the thin slices of beef only need to be briefly blanched in hot water to become tender enough to eat. Fresh, wet rice noodles bought from the market are boiled in water, and the meatballs, beef, and vegetables are added. A spoonful of lard, chopped green onions, a little soy sauce, and vinegar are placed at the bottom of the bowl.
Simple beef noodles are undoubtedly a treat in this damp and chilly weather.
After Yao Qingqin finished one bowl of noodles, she wanted to add chili to her second bowl, so Wen Fan started cooking some chili sauce.
The bright red chili oil, when added to the bowl, transforms the previously bland and delicious beef noodles into a vibrant and flavorful dish, as if adorned in red.
Spicy and hot, Yao Qingqin burped after finishing her meal, feeling a little embarrassed.
"The young owner's skills are amazing, this noodle dish is so delicious."
She had only been working at the store for a month, and her daily work was tiring, but when she weighed herself a couple of days ago, she found that she had gained five pounds.
It's all because the staff meals at the store are so plentiful.
Wen Fan also added some chili peppers to his bowl; the spicy beef noodles were incredibly delicious.
"Hmm, this powder is really good... Mom, get some more next week, and sell it together at noon."
Speaking of which, the store hasn't introduced any new products in a long time.
Claypot rice takes a long time to make, and the dishes served in bowls are usually very meaty. When the weather gets cold, soupy dishes are definitely more popular.
Besides, it's not difficult. The rice noodle shop that Wen's father took her to had a fairly consistent output. They delivered some rice noodles every day, and the stove didn't even need to be changed; they just cooked the rice noodles in a clay pot.
Mrs. Wen agreed, and Mr. Wen slurped up a big mouthful of noodles: "Which kind do you sell? Just this beef noodle soup?"
Wen Fan: "Making other things would require stir-frying toppings, which is too troublesome. I'll just prepare a week's worth of spicy seasoning and sell only one kind, like spicy beef noodles."
It also gives the students a change of pace.
"Sure."
Father Wen thought to himself, "This is so much easier than claypot rice. Just blanch the beef and add the spicy base to the rice noodles while they're cooking. It's so simple!"
Wen Fan tilted his head back and finished the rice noodle soup: "Then it's settled. This afternoon, let's have ten catties of beef noodles delivered to try it out."
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