Chapter 114 Golden Broth with Blue Crab, Autumn Vegetable Dishes...
Jiang Chengyi and her two companions were enjoying the newly served Golden Broth Jade Soup with Blue Crab, which looked very high-end, exquisite, and tasted delicious. Meanwhile, the little boy's family, whom they had briefly observed earlier, was still eating lemon-fried chicken.
Like most customers, they ordered all the dishes on the menu for the day, but since they sat down to eat later, only two dishes and a soup were served so far.
The boy sitting in the dark blue children's wheelchair is nicknamed Lele, which comes from the character "Le" in his given name and also from his parents' hopes for him: that he will be happy and joyful.
He is a child with SMA type 2. Perhaps because of his young age and good rehabilitation, his condition is better than other children with the disease. Right now, he is enjoying eating a piece of chicken leg with chopsticks. He is eating slowly, but he is eating seriously and attentively with every bite.
She opened her mouth as wide as possible and took a bite of chicken leg meat, then used her chopsticks to quickly tear off a piece and chew it.
The chicken has a crispy skin and tender meat inside. It's savory and flavorful with a hint of lemon, making it refreshing and delicious.
Lele loves chicken drumsticks, and this lemon pan-fried chicken is even more to his liking. He praised it a lot when he ate it, saying that the chicken was crispy yet tender, salty and sour, and very delicious.
I've already eaten several pieces of chicken, and occasionally I even mix it with rice.
Li Chengan and Zheng Fanyan were pleased to see that although Lele had a better appetite than the other children, her body absorbed nutrients poorly, and even with careful feeding and care, she was still rather thin and weak.
He was eating happily, with a great appetite, and was increasingly satisfied with today's meal.
Grandma Li watched her grandson eat the chicken with relish, her eyes filled with smiles.
At first, she didn't understand why her son and Xiaoyan planned to travel to Jiang City for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year and take Lele to eat at a restaurant called Gu's Private Kitchen.
Grandma Li always thought that traveling was fine, but traditional festivals like the Mid-Autumn Festival should be celebrated at home to be considered a true family reunion. At most, she would eat out at restaurants. Who knew that she would end up in Jiang City, a place she didn't know at all.
Her son told her that Gu's Private Kitchen in Jiang City is very popular online. Everyone who has eaten there says the dishes taste great. The restaurant uses fresh, healthy, and nutritious ingredients, and the menu is based on the ingredients purchased each day, which truly lives up to its reputation as a private kitchen.
After saying that, he even showed her some photos of dishes from Gu's Private Kitchen. Grandma Li was tempted to eat there when her son suddenly told her that the restaurant was very popular and didn't accept reservations; she needed to take a number and wait in line to eat. The restaurant had limited supplies of ingredients for lunch and dinner, and it was very likely that if she arrived late, she wouldn't be able to get a number at the door.
Grandma Li frowned when she heard this, thinking that although the dishes looked very good, it was better not to eat at a restaurant that couldn't be booked in advance and was likely to be empty-handed. There were other restaurants in the world that tasted good and were not to be taken lightly.
Then the son continued, "We heard from a patient support group in Jiang Province that eating Gu's Private Kitchen regularly is good for children with SMA. Some parents shared that after eating it for a while, their children seemed to have more strength in their hands and feet, their lung capacity improved, and there were many subtle improvements. Their children, who used to get fevers and were prone to pneumonia, are now more stable. People in the patient support group in Jiang City didn't believe it at first, but after several parents took their children to try it, they did feel that it was effective. After they posted about it, the parents in that group were very excited, and they were all planning to take their children to Gu's Private Kitchen more often when they had time."
"The news is now spreading in patient groups across the country. The parents have been discussing it for days. Some believe it, some don't. They all think it's too amazing, but the news coming from Jiang City seems very plausible."
"Xiaoyan and I thought that since many parents in Jiang Province said it was effective and shared some pictures and facts about their children's changes, why not give it a try? We can take Lele there during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and have a few meals at Gu's Private Kitchen to see how it goes."
Grandma Lin's reluctance to queue vanished instantly, replaced by an overwhelming sense of anticipation, a hope she had often felt over the past five or six years.
Lele was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy a few months after birth, and she, her son, daughter-in-law, and their family were so worried that they cried.
The doctor said there is no cure for this disease for the time being. All the parents can do is take good care of the child and ensure their quality of life. They can wait until the child is a little older and then try rehabilitation to see if they can slow down the rate of degeneration.
Grandma Li was the first to cheer up and accept the situation. She even encouraged her son and daughter-in-law to adjust their mindset and work together to take good care of Lele.
The son and daughter-in-law are highly educated and joined a patient support group to learn various nursing skills. Grandma Li learned from them and then applied what she learned to caring for Lele. Because both of them had to work, Grandma Li mostly took care of her grandson at home. When the child turned three, she took him to a rehabilitation hospital for inpatient rehabilitation, spending half a month in the hospital and half a month at home. When they were at home, the three of them took turns helping Lele with rehabilitation exercises.
Grandma Li also researched some dietary therapy methods, such as stewing pig's feet tendons to nourish Lele, hoping it would help. Later, she joined a group and often discussed with other parents what to drink when their children have internal heat and how to deal with excessive phlegm from a cold.
When Lele was four years old, the medication was covered by medical insurance, and the cost dropped to rock bottom. The whole family took Lele to the hospital for medication with high hopes, and the rehabilitation continued.
Over the past two years, Grandma Li and her husband Li Chengan have experienced hope, disappointment, and then a return to normalcy. Just as the doctor said, "As long as there is no regression, that is the greatest progress, which means the medicine is working."
I thought the whole family had become indifferent and peaceful, but when we heard the news that it might be good for Lele's health, we couldn't help but get excited and want to try it.
After talking about this matter that day, Grandma Li, who is quite old, stayed up late that night to check the news about Gu's Private Kitchen online. In addition to those praising the delicious food, she also saw many people saying that they had experienced positive changes in their health after eating it. The more she read, the more excited she became.
From that day on, she looked forward to the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, when she could take her son, daughter-in-law, and Lele to Jiang City to eat Gu's Private Kitchen.
Now that her wish had come true, Grandma Li watched the child finish the chicken and couldn't help but ask, "Lele, how about Grandma puts a piece of spare rib on your plate?"
When the Osmanthus Chestnut Ribs were first served, Lele ate quite a bit and really liked the dish. But after the Lemon Pan-Fried Chicken arrived, she only focused on the chicken. It's no wonder she forgets about each dish; they were all getting better and better, and she really enjoyed both of them.
The pork ribs are tender and savory, while the chestnuts are soft, sweet, and fragrant, all with a subtle osmanthus aroma, truly capturing the essence of autumn. The lemon-roasted chicken is savory and slightly sour, refreshing and not greasy. The chicken has a crispy skin and tender meat, making it suitable for all ages.
Grandma Li has been buying groceries for many years, and in recent years she has put a lot of effort into learning in order to take care of her grandson.
For lunch, we ate a soup and two meat dishes, and we can tell that the beef brisket, ribs, chicken, chestnuts, white radish, and even lemon were all fresh and high-quality ingredients, just like what we had read online. It was healthy, reassuring, and delicious.
She thought to herself, "It seems that eating Gu's private dishes might actually be good for Lele's health."
Even if it doesn't lead to the kind of increased strength and improved immunity that parents in the Jiangsu Province patient support group claim, Grandma Li is satisfied as long as she can eat more meat and vegetables, absorb nutrients better, and gain some weight.
Seeing their son enjoying the meal, Li Chengan and Zheng Fanyan also picked up their chopsticks and ate some chicken or ribs. The meal was indeed delicious and lived up to its online reputation.
From a culinary perspective, the osmanthus-scented chestnut pork ribs are very fitting for the occasion. The delicate fragrance of osmanthus heralds the arrival of autumn and also reminds us that today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is still a memorable event to make a special trip to Jiang City to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Zheng Fanyan thought to herself that it was good that she had taken photos of each dish when it was served, intending to commemorate the occasion and post them on her WeChat Moments later for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Soon, a waiter brought over a dish of braised crab in golden broth, which was Zheng Fanyan's most anticipated dish. Mid-Autumn Festival is traditionally a time for eating hairy crabs, and eating mud crabs now would be nice too; the name itself sounded quite sophisticated.
A deep bowl extends outwards, filled halfway with tomato soup, along with potato chunks and carrots. On top of this, a small mountain of tender, white, hand-picked crab meat is piled up in the center, topped with what looks like a small mountain of round, black pearls, and garnished with a bright green leaf. It perfectly matches the sophisticated feel of the dish's name and looks incredibly delicious.
Zheng Fanyan asked the child, "Lele, your favorite crab meat is here. This time you don't have to bite it yourself. The restaurant has already taken the crab meat out for us. Shall I scoop a spoonful of crab meat for you to try?"
Lele couldn't help but swallow as she looked at the new dish, and nodded, "Okay, I'll give it a try."
"Would you like some tomato juice to drizzle over the crab meat?" Zheng Fanyan asked, taking the child's bowl.
Lele: "No need, Mom, can you scoop some tomato juice and the potatoes and carrots from below into a bowl, and then put some crab meat on top, and it will be just like this big plate?"
"That's a good idea." Zheng Fanyan agreed with him, and as he requested, scooped the tomato sauce and crab meat into the bowl and put it back on the table in front of him. "Alright, eat up."
Lele smiled and agreed. He slowly put down his chopsticks, switched to the spoon next to him, and began to taste the Golden Broth Stewed Crab.
First, Lele scooped the tender white crab meat into a spoon, and without thinking of dipping it in tomato sauce or anything, she put it directly to her mouth and ate it.
The crab meat is so tender it's like eating cake. Every bite is bursting with freshness and sweetness, with a rich sea flavor that isn't fishy at all.
I don't know if it's just my imagination, but the crab meat I'm eating seems to have a sour and tangy flavor from tomatoes, even though there's no tomato sauce on it. The crab meat is tender and white.
Lele couldn't understand it, but that didn't stop him from chewing and swallowing the crab meat in his mouth in a few bites, leaving a mouthful of fresh and sweet flavor.
He immediately scooped up some crab meat from the bowl with a spoon and brought it to his mouth. He could have swallowed it after a few chews, but he wanted to savor the sweetness of the crab meat, so he chewed it a couple more times.
After finishing the crab meat, he couldn't help but share: "Mom, Dad, Grandma, you should try this crab meat, it's so delicious! You don't have to bite into the shell, it's so much fun to eat crab meat directly in big bites."
He really likes eating crab meat, but when his family cooks crabs, they have to bite the crab body along with the shell to get the meat. Since he can't open his mouth wide enough to bite through the hard shell, he can only eat the crab leg meat that his parents or grandma helps him pick out.
This is the first time I've ever had crab meat served like this, ready to be eaten in large bites. It's very satisfying.
Zheng Fanyan laughed and said, "I've eaten, I've eaten. Of course, eating crab meat directly is the most enjoyable. This dish is perfect for you."
Admittedly, some people enjoy the satisfaction of cracking open a crab shell and the sense of accomplishment of biting out the crab meat. She used to think that way too, but it's really great to be able to eat crab meat without lifting a finger or using your mouth.
She had just tasted the fresh and sweet crab meat and then dipped it in tomato sauce before putting it in her mouth. This time, she tasted the sweet and sour tomato flavor, along with a hint of potato and carrot aroma, but it couldn't mask the fresh and sweet flavor of the crab meat. All the flavors intertwined and complemented each other perfectly, making it more and more delicious with each chew.
Li Chengan had just tasted the crab meat, and it was indeed delicious, continuing the freshness of the previous dishes in Gu's Private Kitchen, with the unique sweetness of crab meat.
He said to his son, who was eating another spoonful of crab meat, "Eat up. I'll give you crab roe after you finish eating; it should taste even better that way."
I initially thought the hand-picked blue crabs on the plate only contained crab meat, since all I could see at a glance were small, snow-white mounds.
As everyone scooped up some crab meat with a spoon or chopsticks, the orange-yellow, oily crab roe hidden in the snow-white pile of crab meat gradually came to the fore.
Grandma Li found the crab meat delicious. Not only did Lele love it, but even she, with her bad teeth, loved it. Eating out at a restaurant should be this enjoyable, otherwise what's the difference between eating at home and eating at home?
Seeing that her son and daughter-in-law were taking care of her son, she was able to enjoy the delicious lunch with peace of mind.
Seeing that there wasn't much crab roe, Grandma Li thought she would leave it for the children and young people. She then picked up some crab meat to eat, and then used the provided spoon to scoop up some tomato juice, along with potato and carrot chunks, into her bowl.
She picked up the bowl and took a sip of the tomato soup. It was sweet and sour, very appetizing, with a hint of potato and carrot flavor. She couldn't help but drink more until she finished the whole bowl of tomato soup.
Grandma Li then started eating the potato chunks. The potatoes were cut into small squares, and it was easy to eat two or three pieces in one bite. The potatoes were smooth and delicate with a slightly salty and savory flavor, and they had absorbed a lot of the tomato soup, giving them a slightly sweet and sour taste.
The carrot chunks were also very soft and tender, crisper and sweeter than the potato chunks, and also had the sweet and sour taste of tomato juice.
Grandma Li ate with increasing gusto, feeling that the chef at Gu's Private Kitchen was highly skilled. The crab meat was fresh, tender, and sweet, and the side dishes, such as potato chunks and carrots, were cooked to perfection. Even the tomato juice could be drunk as soup.
Lele was eating the crab roe paste that her father had just scooped out for her.
He used to love eating crab roe. The creamy, flowing crab roe is usually found on the crab itself, so you don't need to bite the shell; you can just pick it up and eat it directly from the top.
The crab roe paste is very fragrant when eaten directly. It has a dense, delicate, and slightly sandy texture. It is thick and moist, with a rich and fresh aroma. It is a different flavor from the sweetness of the crab meat.
Perhaps because there was relatively little crab roe, Lele felt that the crab roe was more fragrant than the crab meat.
After finishing all the crab roe in the bowl, my mouth was filled with that salty, savory, and slightly thick, sticky feeling that was hard to melt away. It tasted like salted egg yolk, but even more savory and fragrant.
He actually wanted to eat more; the crab roe was so fresh and delicious that he wouldn't get tired of eating it. But seeing that there wasn't much crab roe on the plate, he shook his head at his mother's question and said that he had enough. He wanted his parents and grandmother to taste the crab roe, while he would eat some potatoes, carrot chunks, and tomato juice.
After his mother put everything he wanted into a bowl, Lele used a spoon to scoop out the potato chunks and carrot chunks to eat.
The potatoes are smooth and creamy with a hint of saltiness, while the carrot chunks are crisp and sweet. Both have absorbed the sweet and sour tomato juice, making them delicious. Even before tasting the rich, orange-red tomato juice, you know the flavor must be amazing.
After finishing the potatoes and carrots in her bowl, Lele finally used a spoon to scoop up some tomato juice and drink it.
It was sweet and sour, with the aroma of potatoes and carrots. Perhaps some of the tomato juice had melted and mixed into the soup during the cooking process, making it a little thick. He scooped up the tomato juice from the bowl one spoonful at a time and drank it all.
Li Cheng'an, Zheng Fanyan, and Grandma Li all noticed Lele's modesty, or rather, his generosity in sharing, so they didn't insist that he eat more. Instead, they each tried a little and all said it was delicious.
The family of four savored the dish slowly, quickly finishing the crab meat and roe from the Golden Broth and Jade Stewed Crab.
Crabs are expensive, but this hand-picked crab meat actually contains quite a lot of meat. I don't know how many mud crabs it would take to make it enough. The three adults and one child all loved it and were so focused on eating this dish that it seemed to be finished very quickly.
We ate most of the potatoes, carrots, and tomato sauce from the dish, leaving very little of it.
Everyone skipped the meat and vegetables they had eaten earlier, took a short break to catch their breath and chat, letting their mouths and stomachs rest for a while.
Lele had been eating for so long, and his right hand, which was used to holding chopsticks and a spoon, was quite tired. He put down the spoon and rested his hand on the table. Although he was tired, he was in great spirits, with a smile on his face, clearly very satisfied with the meal.
Lele asked, "Dad, why don't we have such delicious restaurants where we live? If only we did, we could come and eat here often when you're off work on weekends."
He was very satisfied with the meal. In the heart of this little boy who loved Ultraman, Gu's Private Kitchen was comparable to, or even better than, his favorite McDonald's and KFC.
Li Chengan and Zheng Fanyan exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.
Li Cheng'an smiled and said, "We wish we had a restaurant with food this good back home. If we had one, I would take you there often without you having to ask. Unfortunately, we don't. The owner is from Jiang Province, so he opened the restaurant in Jiang City. We don't have such a good restaurant back home."
Zheng Fanyan thought helplessly, if Gu's private kitchen really is good for Lele's health, she doesn't know how she can bring him over to eat here often, even though they are thousands of miles apart.
She had read a lot of news about Gu's Private Kitchen and analyzed it. She felt that Gu's Private Kitchen was positioned to make high-quality, limited-edition dishes. It was unlikely to open any branches in the next few years, and even if it did, they wouldn't open branches in their area.
Even if the food at this restaurant doesn't have that magical effect, just the delicious taste alone is enough to make you want to eat it again and again.
Grandma Li listened to the father and son talking with a smile, her thoughts being similar to those of her daughter-in-law.
She even thought a little deeper: if Lele felt any improvement in her health after eating these three days, or if her energy and stamina were better than before, then it would mean that eating Gu's Private Kitchen dishes was effective.
Her son and daughter-in-law are both busy with their own jobs and can't bring Lele over often. It's also inconvenient for her to take Lele to Jiang City by herself. Why not spend more of her pension to rent a house here and let Lele eat at Gu's Private Kitchen for a while longer?
She seemed to have heard her son mention that there was a provincial rehabilitation hospital in Jiang City that did a good job of SMA rehabilitation for children. The therapists there were knowledgeable about the disease and had learned professional techniques. Children from all over Jiang Province came to this hospital for rehabilitation.
Local patients can be discharged after half a month of rehabilitation, while patients from other provinces can stay for up to three months. Alternatively, she could bring Lele here for rehabilitation for a period of time. With inpatient rehabilitation, regular meals at Gu's Private Kitchen, and regular medication, Lele's condition might improve significantly.
Even a small improvement is fine.
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and Grandma Li's mind gradually became excited, but she also knew that this was not the time to discuss these things.
We'll have to wait until after these three days of meals to see how Lele is doing before making any decisions. We'll discuss it further with our son and daughter-in-law then, since the parents are the key. We just need her, as a grandmother with little education, to cooperate.
Just then, a waiter came over and served a vegetarian hot pot dish, interrupting Grandma Li's thoughts and drawing her attention back to the dishes on the table.
If the previous Osmanthus Chestnut Ribs only carried a hint of autumn, making people feel the atmosphere of autumn's arrival, this Autumn Vegetarian Stew directly indicates that, and looking at it, the dishes served in clay pots and bowls are indeed all vegetarian, just as the name suggests.
The top of the casserole dish is garnished with long, bright green scallions, and below them are shiitake mushrooms, dried bean curd sticks, wood ear mushrooms, and a corner of orange-red cordyceps flowers peeking out from underneath. The thick, clear sauce coats these ingredients, making them look very tempting.
Lele was also tempted and looked at her father sitting next to her.
Li Cheng'an understood his son's meaning, took his bowl and asked, "Would you like a little bit of everything?"
Lele nodded: "I'll have some of everything."
He loves to eat dried bean curd sticks, and he can also tolerate shiitake mushrooms. He doesn't usually eat wood ear mushrooms, but the dishes at this restaurant are very fragrant, so he's willing to try the wood ear mushrooms here.
Li Cheng'an ladled out a small half-bowl for him to try first. It contained all sorts of ingredients, and the aroma that wafted out as he scooped it with the spoon made him a little hungry.
After putting the bowl back in front of his son and telling him to eat slowly, Li Cheng'an waited for his wife and mother to each get some food, and then he also got himself half a bowl of autumn vegetable stew.
He muttered the name of the dish to himself, thinking that it probably had nothing to do with autumn, but was just in line with the season. It was indeed a vegetarian stew, practically a vegetarian hodgepodge.
He picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of a shiitake mushroom. It was bouncy, tender, salty, and fragrant. With each chew, he could taste the overflowing mushroom flavor. He guessed that it was coated with starch, making the shiitake mushroom's exterior very smooth. When he bit into it, it was even more tender and fresh, and a little juice would also overflow.
The wood ear mushrooms are crisp and crunchy, while the dried bean curd sticks are soft and tender with a bean flavor. Both are coated in a thick sauce, making them savory, flavorful, and very smooth.
Even the cordyceps flowers are smooth and tender, cooked until very soft, and taste almost like eating green vegetables, except they are fresh, fragrant, and have a unique aroma. You can tell they are of very high quality just by tasting them.
Li Cheng'an took turns eating the shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, dried bean curd sticks, and cordyceps flowers in his bowl, savoring the rich and savory flavors. The mushroom and bean aromas were particularly strong, and together they made the flavors even more delicious, leaving a lingering impression.
At the end of the meal, he even drank the remaining dark brown broth dripping from the shiitake mushrooms and other ingredients in the bowl. This broth was full of essence, fresh, fragrant, and delicious, no less so than eating shiitake mushrooms, tofu skin, wood ear fungus, or cordyceps flowers directly.
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