Chapter 86 086 Osmanthus Milk, Lotus Root Soup [First Update]...
On Monday morning, as firecrackers went off, Mr. and Mrs. Wen opened the door to the shop.
The kitchen staff turned on the water taps, and the fans at the entrance of the shop started up. Mrs. Wen, dressed in an orange-red outfit, greeted the customers with a smile.
Last night, Yao Qingqin posted a video on the store's account, filming everything from inside to outside the store, with the caption "[Open as usual tomorrow]".
As a result, there were an unusually large number of people queuing up this morning.
The Wen family set up three tables at the entrance, with a food cart outside and two large buckets on the tables behind.
While Mr. Wen was still moving the food cart, the electric griddle was plugged in, and Yao Qingqin was methodically wrapping pies.
The girl at the front of the line, with her sharp eyes, asked what was in the big bucket.
"Are you going to sell porridge at the shop?"
Yao Qingqin pressed down with her palm, and the wrapped pie fell into the pot stickily.
"It's not porridge, it's soup that the proprietress gave us as a gift because it's our opening day."
As soon as it was mentioned that it was being delivered, there was an immediate commotion around, and several delivery drivers instinctively picked up their phones to start communicating.
Would you like the complimentary soup?
Some said they wanted it, and some said they didn't.
After finishing her chores at the shop, Mrs. Wen stepped forward to serve soup to the customers. The lid of the bucket was lifted, and steaming white vapor billowed out. She stirred it with a spoon, and those nearby were the first to smell the sweet aroma of milk.
"Osmanthus Milk".
The girl at the front of the line swallowed hard: "I want a pork pie and a persimmon cake...no extra sugar in the milk."
Wen's mother served her a bowl.
"Be careful, it's hot."
The warm milk was specially delivered by the family that delivers milk to her daughter, arranged by Wen's mother yesterday. It was freshly squeezed in the early morning, and Wen's mother poured in the osmanthus honey that Wen Fan had prepared last night. It only needed to be boiled in the shop for half an hour.
The girl carefully walked into the shop and sat down, carrying a disposable paper bowl. The meat sesame flatbread was juicy, and after a couple of bites, her mouth was filled with the aroma of meat. Then, she carefully took a sip of milk along the edge of the bowl, and her eyes widened instantly.
In this bowl of milk, the rich milk flavor is enveloped in the aroma of osmanthus honey. Perhaps because the milk was hot enough in the morning, a layer of milk skin formed on top shortly after it was poured out. The thick milk skin has a sticky texture when you bite into it, and the aroma of milk and osmanthus instantly pulls you under an osmanthus tree, as if your nose is buried in the branches, and the sweet fragrance is refreshing.
On a chilly morning, a bowl of osmanthus milk can instantly lift your spirits.
The girl took photos while eating and sent them to her work lunch buddy.
"A new drink that tastes even better than bubble tea shops has appeared!"
The girl, whose work lunch buddy was still in bed, put her phone in her pocket after sending the message and then happily ate her sesame seed cake and drank her milk.
She sat by the door, listening to her mother serving soup to each person, until someone suddenly said they didn't drink milk.
I am lactose intolerant.
The boy was helpless. He could only watch as the seven or eight people in front of him raved about the bowl of milk, but what could he do when he was lactose intolerant?
There were people behind him who felt sorry for him.
Wen's mother deftly opened another large bucket.
"It's alright, even if we don't drink milk, we still have salty soup."
Wen's mother picked up a paper bowl and ladled out a bowl of soup: "Lotus root and bone soup, be careful, it's hot."
Yesterday, Wenfan made a big bone broth. The family ate wontons, but not much of it was used. The rest was used to stew lotus root. Last night, I simmered it on low heat. This morning, when I opened the lid, the lotus root was soft and tender, and the bone broth was a perfect thick white.
Wen's mother served soup to the boy, and those behind him sniffed, and when they got closer, they all had something to choose from.
Those who like sweets want milk, and those who like saltys want lotus root soup.
There was enough space in the shop, and many people, after finishing their drinks, held up their bowls, wanting to buy more from Wenmu.
Mother Wen wiped the sweat from her forehead: "Why don't you wait a while? I'll get you some soup when the pancakes are sold out."
It was originally meant to celebrate the opening, and it wouldn't look good to sell the free gifts. But now they're offering refills of soup. Will the people who come later still be able to get theirs?
Some people licked their lips, glancing at the long queue behind them...
What can we do? Just wait.
Fortunately, Mrs. Wen had anticipated the expected flow of people today. The sesame cakes were sold out, but there was still half left in the two buckets of soup.
Now we don't need to charge anymore; anyone who wants a drink can come and have one.
Soon, the lotus root soup and milk were all snapped up.
Some people even went to the store's account and happily posted photos.
[Nu: Congratulations on the store upgrade! The lotus root and pork bone soup is super delicious!]
As soon as I posted the picture, someone left a comment asking questions.
[Little Fish: Lotus root soup? What lotus root soup? The delivery guy I called told me he only had milk, so I didn't order any!]
[The secret was kept: Hahaha, the shop owner only mentioned it later, saying that if you didn't want milk, you could have lotus root soup. That soup was absolutely delicious, and the lotus root was yummy too!]
[Gorilla Lighting a Lamp: Yes, yes, my partner is from a city along the Yangtze River. They especially love making lotus root soup there. My partner just said this place is really good; their lotus root soup is incredibly delicious.]
[Moonlight: Is it really that delicious? I only had the osmanthus milk, which was sweet but not cloying. I don't know how the restaurant makes it.]
[Fat and Chubby Zuo Weimen: ...You guys stop talking, or that guy in front will be heartbroken, haha.]
[Little Fish: ...Ahhhhh! Why! Why did I have to ask what was being delivered? I should have just told the rider to pack whatever was available!]
[The secret was revealed: Hahaha, that's hilarious! Some people get up super early, but still miss the show. I just asked the shopkeeper, and they said it was a limited-time offer this morning, and there won't be any more.]
[Little Fish: ...Stop talking, I'm going to break.]
Hahahaha.
Amid the joyful atmosphere, some people occasionally posted photos of their meals, such as persimmon and osmanthus cakes and osmanthus milk. When the two were placed together and a filter was added, they looked like they were from a high-end restaurant.
Ahhh, I want to eat there too!
****
On the other side, Wen Fan also went out carrying two bags in the morning.
—The final exams were last week, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, the results should be released today.
Wen Fan quietly placed a bowl of soup and a sesame seed cake on the homeroom teacher's desk.
Teacher Wang: "...What do you mean?"
Wen Fan lowered his head and said, "I want to ask how many points I got on the test."
Give her a quick death!
If she had to wait for each teacher to reveal her grades little by little, she probably wouldn't be able to eat all day!
Teacher Wang: ...
My gaze fell on the steaming hot sesame flatbread and soup.
"It was posted this morning, you're in such a hurry... Here, take a look first."
Wen Fan genuinely didn't know that the exam results would be posted after the exam. What's the difference between this and taking the imperial examination in ancient times?
No wonder back then, scholars were often carried out of their homes!
But at this moment she couldn't care less about anything else, and quickly scanned the list.
She wasn't in the top ten.
She wasn't in the top twenty.
She wasn't in the top thirty.
...
Thirty-sixth place.
Wen Fan's tense nerves relaxed.
Although there wasn't a dramatic improvement, at least I improved by eight places compared to last semester's final grades.
Next, let's look at the subject divisions.
[Chinese 90, Math 65, English 75, Physics 61, Chemistry 50, Biology 60...]
Wen Fan:......
Oh no, I failed math.
Before the exam, Qin He had said countless times that her goal this time was simply to pass.
Teacher Wang took the report card and said a few more words than usual.
"Our class's overall performance was quite good this time, and your score is also quite good in the whole grade."
In fact, Ms. Wang was in an extremely good mood ever since she finished grading the papers.
Of the ten classes in the entire grade, the class she was in charge of this time was undoubtedly number one.
Several class representatives achieved first place in their respective subjects across the entire grade.
Qin He, in particular, achieved the only perfect score in math despite the difficulty of the subject.
Other homeroom teachers asked her what her secret was.
Ms. Wang didn't know before, and now she's too embarrassed to say.
...Should we say that everyone in our class is a foodie, and that they work hard just to get a chance to tutor their classmates?
She was afraid that if she spoke up, the homeroom teachers would look at her like she was an idiot.
"I don't want to talk about it, so I don't want to talk about it"—who would believe such an absurd reason?
Looking again at the instigator of it all, Teacher Wang was all smiles.
"You'll receive an improvement award after this midterm, so keep up the good work."
After seeing Wen Fan's grades, Teacher Wang knew that she had put in a lot of effort. It's easy for many people to fall behind, but it's extremely difficult to catch up.
Of all the students in the class, Wen Fan definitely made the most progress this time.
Teacher Wang patted Wen Fan on the shoulder: "Study hard. Let bygones be bygones. I hope you can stay in this class next semester."
Not to mention that Wen Fan motivates the other good students in the class, just based on her own diligence, Teacher Wang is willing to continue teaching her.
"Alright, let's go back."
If we don't leave soon, the soup will get cold.
When Wen Fan returned to class, he suddenly asked Qin He what she liked to eat as he passed by her seat.
Qin He was a little confused: "Why are you asking this... I'm fine with anything."
She's not picky about food; she'll eat anything as long as it tastes good.
Wen Fan awkwardly forced a smile, her voice soft.
"How about I make you a pumpkin with salted egg yolk for lunch?"
Qin He: ……
Han Lulu said with a hint of jealousy, "You didn't even ask me."
His deskmate, the physics class representative, was also eyeing him intently, displaying a "you made me lose to someone else again" attitude.
Wen Fan returned to his seat, and throughout the morning, the teachers of each subject took turns reading out the grades.
In Chinese class, the class representative excitedly gave Wen Fan a thumbs up.
In English class, the English class representative pushed up his glasses, keeping his accomplishments hidden.
In physics class, the physics class representative breathed a sigh of relief; at least she passed.
In chemistry class, the chemistry class representative had a stiff face. Everyone before her had passed, and she felt a little embarrassed. But when she thought about Wen Fan's poor foundation in chemistry, she comforted herself that she had achieved the goal she had set beforehand.
In biology class, Han Lulu excitedly hugged Wen Fan.
...
And then came math class.
The math teacher read out the scores one by one, and when their name was called, they went up to get their test paper.
Wen Fan steeled himself and stepped forward, only to feel a burning sensation on his back.
After the math teacher read out the score of 65, he praised her for her improvement this time.
"The math problems were difficult this time, and the best student in our class was Qin He, who got the only score of 150! Let's give Qin He a round of applause!"
Wen Fan quickly put down the test paper and applauded.
Qin He went up to the stage to receive her test paper, and the math teacher enthusiastically asked her to share her learning experience.
Qin He said expressionlessly, "I think I haven't been diligent enough in my studies. Mathematics is a subject that requires a lot of practice to master. I was too lax before, which is why I'm not very satisfied with my results this time. In the future, I will continue to work hard and do more problems."
Even the math teacher almost thought he misheard. Still not satisfied? It's 150 points! How could he be dissatisfied? There weren't any bonus questions on this exam.
Wen Fan: ...Everything went black.
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