Chapter 107 Pickled Radish and Old Duck Soup, Stewed Buns [First Update]...
The arrival of the second prescription brought a miracle to Old Master Duan. If the first prescription still carried a hint of a strange encounter that made people wonder if there was any element of chance involved, then the second one undoubtedly told him that the other party had not made a mistake and simply wanted to deliver two prescriptions to him!
Although the specific reason is unknown, Old Master Duan was clearly tempted by this weekly prescription. The other party must have more!
His senior brother's eyes were filled with complex emotions: "You're quite lucky."
How infuriating! He's been working at the university for so many years, how come no one has ever given him a prescription!
Grandpa Duan smiled with narrowed eyes: "This prescription is different from the last one, same as always."
Let's modify and test it first. Once it works, let the other store put it on the shelves.
The senior apprentice was resentful, feeling that he had wasted his efforts in preparing this prescription.
"Our school cafeteria..."
Old Master Duan: "Senior brother, I've heard everything from my student."
The school cafeteria food is really not good. Even ordinary home-style dishes are cooked like that, let alone what they call medicinal cuisine!
Senior: ...
So annoying!
But there's no way to refute it!
I'll go back and ask the logistics department. The students have already reported the problem, so why hasn't it been rectified yet?
Wen Fan had already guessed it when he came over from next door, so he wasn't surprised at all when he saw the second revised prescription.
"Is it duck soup this time?"
Grandpa Duan nodded: "The price is still two hundred and ninety-nine?"
Wen Fan nodded, indicating that he would go back and ask his father to buy a duck so that they could stew a pot and share it.
The most common type of duck soup is pickled radish and old duck soup. Wen Fan happened to have pickled a lot of radishes, so while he was stewing the medicinal food, he also stewed a pot of pickled radish and old duck soup.
The medicinal cuisine still tasted great. Grandpa Duan and his senior brother shared a pot of soup and urged Wen Fan to start selling it tomorrow.
Wen Fan: "Why don't you try it and see how it goes?"
Grandpa Duan: "Where can we find someone right now... I remember your dad seemed to be the right person for the disease."
Wen Fan said he didn't remember.
Grandpa Duan clapped his hands: "It's settled then. Let your dad eat this for a week first, and then we'll serve it next week!"
Wen Fan felt relieved, but seeing the two old people still talking about whether there would be a prescription next week, he felt a little uneasy.
Her primary goal was to improve her parents' health, so of course she had the third prescription; otherwise, it would seem too calculating. But after the third prescription…
She apologized because she had exams to take and didn't want to add to her workload.
Wen Fan simply tossed the third prescription into Yan Guo's umbrella. As for when it would be discovered, that was entirely up to fate, whenever it rained again.
Pickled radish and old duck soup was the family's dinner. The duck that Mr. Wen bought was good. The duck soup was clear and bright after cooking, with oil floating on top. The tea-yellow soup was not greasy at all.
The tangy aroma of the pickled radish is undoubtedly the primary flavor, but this sourness is not like vinegar; rather, it carries a mellow and smooth taste resulting from long fermentation, instantly whetting the appetite. The duck meat, after two hours of slow stewing, is tender and succulent, and the salty and savory flavors of the duck broth blend perfectly with the sour soup, creating a rich and tangy flavor.
Wen Fan only likes to drink soup, while Wen's mother loves to eat duck meat. When the duck meat is cooked to the right consistency, the meat and bones can be easily separated with chopsticks. The duck meat is tender and not dry, and the meat fibers are full of tangy and fragrant soup.
Wen's father ate a piece of duck meat, and then kept eating pickled radishes, urging the others to eat as well.
"These pickled radishes taste even better after being boiled!"
The pickled radishes were cooked until translucent, their original sourness and crispness long gone, replaced by a milder, more chewy texture and rich flavor. Father Wen ate the pickled radishes with rice, and soon finished a large bowl.
Wen Fan stewed a lot, and the whole family, including Yao Qingqin, ate it all together. In the end, there was still a little bit of soup left.
This soup was not to be wasted.
"I'll reheat it tonight and make some noodles!"
Now that the weather is cold, he always treats everyone to a late-night snack before leaving get off work. Otherwise, after cleaning up in the cold wind, everyone's hearts will be cold when they get home.
"I'll stir-fry some cabbage tonight, and that'll do!"
The thought of late-night snacks filled Mr. Wen with energy!
****
The first day that the medicinal cuisine was available.
Only one person came to the store.
A middle-aged woman, dressed very formally, had heavy makeup that could cover her sallow complexion, but a trace of it was still visible near her ear.
This person was obviously very busy, too busy to go home and make soup, so he took the order from next door and came to find Wen's mother.
Wen's mother told her that the medicinal cuisine was only available at 3 p.m., and asked her to come back at 3 p.m.
The woman nodded and arrived at the store around four o'clock in the afternoon.
The person arrived late and continued to answer phone calls even after sitting down. Since there was only one person present, Wen Fan only stewed one pigeon in a small earthenware pot, which was just enough for one person to finish.
Wen Fan felt that this was good enough, but Wen's mother felt it was still too simple.
They charged them 299!
Following Wen Fan's example, Wen's mother blanched lettuce with some garlic oil and served it with a bowl of steaming rice.
The woman was still on the phone, but as soon as the rice was served, the warm aroma made her realize that she hadn't eaten all day...
After exchanging a few brief words, the woman hung up and muted the phone.
The pigeon soup had a faint medicinal aroma, but it wasn't unpleasant to drink; in fact, the presence of some of the herbs enhanced its flavor. The woman scooped up a spoonful of rice and soaked it in the pigeon soup. The clear broth simmered the rice, creating a comforting, rice-soaking effect that instantly warmed her stomach.
The greens were cooked without any mixed ingredients, and the vegetables were fresh, plus the garlic oil was very fragrant.
By the time the woman realized what had happened, she had already finished a plate of vegetables, a pot of soup, and a bowl of rice.
The woman, who hadn't had a proper meal in a long time, stared blankly at the empty plates and bowls. Wen's mother came over and asked her how the meal was.
"very good……"
To be honest, it was better than any of the delicacies she had ever eaten.
The woman, who hadn't paid much attention to the shop since she initially thought it was just for medication, looked at the wall and asked, "Do you sell beef offal hot pot?"
Mother Wen: "It depends on the solar term. Right now, we mainly serve beef offal stew and noodles."
"I'll try it when I have the chance."
The beef offal stew is too spicy. This morning, Dr. Duan advised her not to eat spicy or stimulating foods.
The woman walked out of the shop, but the long-lost moment of ease vanished the moment she answered the phone.
"The other party has submitted new evidence? Okay, I'll be at the company right away."
...
When Wen Fan got out of school, he asked his mother how she had responded to his day. His mother said it was fine.
"Two hundred and ninety-nine, just scan the code as soon as you enter."
They didn't even ask a single question.
Wen's mother was starting to have doubts. Even though her family was making a lot of money now, she was reluctant to spend money to hire someone to cook medicinal meals, which cost 299 yuan each time!
She'd rather go home and cook it herself!
Wen Fan smiled.
In fact, most people think this way.
Otherwise, there wouldn't have been only one order today.
As they were talking, Old Master Duan arrived. He was worried that Wen Fan would find it too much trouble to have a guest, so he came over to reassure him.
Unexpectedly, Wen Fan was optimistic: "It's better to have fewer people. I actually find it too noisy when there are too many people."
It's not like we're some kind of club; it would be troublesome if too many people came!
It's good to increase it little by little like this.
What else could Old Master Duan say?
I can only ask about tonight's menu.
Wen Fan said it was too cold and studying was too tedious, so he would make something simple tonight.
—Stewed bread.
We bought ready-made sesame seed cakes. These cakes are made with unleavened dough, without oil, and are very chewy. These kinds of cakes are often used to make mutton soup. Wen's father bought a few yesterday and put them in the refrigerator, but hadn't used them. Wen Fan found them and cut them into small pieces.
The rest is what the store already has on hand: wood ear mushrooms, glass noodles, sliced meat, vegetables...
The beef broth in the restaurant is cooked in a clay pot, and various ingredients are added one by one. The difference between braised bread and mutton soup with bread is that the braised bread is cut into large pieces and needs to be braised continuously to allow the bread pieces to absorb the broth. By the time it is served, the bread pieces have stopped absorbing the broth, and you won't eat as much bread as you would with soup.
After cooking, add a spoonful of sesame oil. Some people also add some sesame paste. Some shops even change the flavor and make it spicy, with a layer of red oil on top. The steamed buns absorb the red oil and become even spicier, which is more popular with young people.
Wen Fan made the basic version for the old man, adding a spoonful of chili butter to his own pot. His parents were free to add chili if they liked it spicy, or sesame oil and sesame paste if they didn't. If all else failed, the restaurant also had toppings; they could add whatever they wanted. With the beef broth, it was hard to say this stew was bad.
Wen Fan finished eating and left, unaware that after he left, Mr. Qu from next door came over to ask if there was any pickled garlic.
Wen's mother found a jar of pickled garlic, which Wen Fan had pickled some time ago, and it was ready to use now.
The old man next door ate a bite of pickled garlic and a bite of stewed bread. This down-to-earth way of eating made his apprentice stare at him with envious eyes.
The bread pieces are completely softened on the outside, yet retain a certain chewiness on the inside, creating a soft exterior and a resilient interior that's incredibly addictive to chew. The beef broth is rich and flavorful, the glass noodles at the bottom of the bowl are cooked to perfection, the beef slices are tender, the wood ear mushrooms are refreshing, and the broth, after being simmered with the bread pieces, becomes even more delicious and fragrant.
"It doesn't look that complicated, but it smells so good..."
The old man muttered to himself.
As for stewed bread, although locals don't eat it often, they've heard of it. At least, the old man recalled that when he was treating patients in the countryside, someone would bring him a bowl at mealtimes. He was starving then, and after one bite, he thought it was the ultimate delicacy. Later, he often made it at home, but it never tasted as good as it did.
Under the envious gaze of his apprentice, the old man drank the soup in one gulp, let out a burp, and then said he was going home.
It's a sad story. He used to believe in not eating after noon, and even when he did eat, it was just a simple bowl of home-cooked soup or a light vegetarian dish.
But since arriving here, his increasing weight has gradually led him to develop the habit of taking evening walks.
I thought I was only staying with my apprentice for a short time, but now it seems like it's going to be a long-term commitment.
The old man wasn't disliked; he rented a house nearby and would walk home after dinner every day. Then, carrying his apprentice on his back, he would perform another set of boxing moves at home.
The stewed bread was so delicious today, I ate too much without even realizing it...
well.
It's no wonder my apprentice is so fat.
*****
With less than a month until the final exams, Wen Fan's time is becoming increasingly tight.
After having dinner at the restaurant, Wen Fan went home and took Danhuang for a walk. While Danhuang was still protesting that the walk was too short, he took the dog upstairs.
The textbook was turned page after page.
Wen Fan was a little panicked about the upcoming final exams.
In fact, it wasn't just her; almost the entire class was enveloped in this atmosphere.
Han Lulu has dark circles under her eyes every day. When asked what's wrong, Han Lulu painfully said that she doesn't feel like doing her homework until the middle of the night.
"...So what time did you stay up?"
Han Lulu made a three with her hands.
"I'm doomed. Every time I close my eyes, I see myself being kicked out of this class and never being able to eat your breakfast again."
Wen Fan: ...So you're just worried about not being able to eat breakfast?
Han Lulu complained, "Besides the beef offal hot pot, it's so hard to get a queue for anything else at your place now. I can only rely on breakfast."
It turns out that the sesame seed cakes in the morning, the vegetable-filled pancakes at noon, and the fried food in the evening, in any case, all helped to ease everyone's mood to some extent.
In the past, people were always in a rush in the morning, there were always long queues at noon, and they had to go home for dinner in the evening. At that time, they could buy a sesame seed cake or a flatbread with vegetables to satisfy their cravings. But now, what about them?
Wen Fan's business is getting better and better, and they've even stopped selling snacks. When she goes to the shop, she can't very well order a beef offal hot pot for herself, can she?
"Seriously, please have some compassion and ask your parents when you get home. At least get them some convenient snacks!"
I don't know what Wen Fan has been busy with lately, and I haven't been able to meet up with him on weekends.
For almost half a month, Han Lulu has not eaten Wenji's dishes except for the occasional breakfast!
It practically withered her!
Wen Fan seemed to be deep in thought.
Convenient snacks...
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Author's Note: Due to some issues from staying up late recently, I need to maintain a regular sleep schedule. If I can't finish writing the first chapter before midnight, I'll write it tomorrow morning and post it at noon. Sorry.
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