Li Ming explained, "Well, she said that because she's alone, it would be too tiring for her to handle all the orders. Boxed meals are the easiest for her to accept and they're also quicker to prepare."
He hesitated and said, "But, great-grandfather, are you sure it takes more than ten years to make this taste?"
The old man took a sip of wine as he spoke, “Even with exceptional talent, controlling the heat is not easy. Look at the knife skills and the selection of ingredients. The meat is perfectly marbled with fat and lean meat. Too much fat would make it greasy, and too much lean meat would make it dry. But this braised pork has a rich but not greasy texture, and it melts in your mouth.”
Li Ming frowned and said, "That's not right. The boss is a young woman who looks to be no more than twenty years old."
"Cough cough cough..."
The old man choked on his food, his eyes widening in surprise as he exclaimed, "What did you say? This was made by a young girl in her early twenties?"
Seeing that the old man was stunned by his words, Li Ming innocently said, "Yes, that's why I asked you if it really takes that long to make this kind of braised pork."
For a moment, the old man fell silent.
After a long pause, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence, "I guess I really am exceptionally talented, born to be a chef."
Li Ming smiled and put a piece of braised pork in his mouth, saying, "So, I actually made a profit. I spent a hundred yuan to order this braised pork."
The old man ate two pieces of braised pork with a hint of regret, saying, "With this skill, she could open a decent restaurant in the underworld."
“Grandpa, do you think opening a restaurant is so easy? Renting a shop, decorating, hiring waiters, chefs, etc. all require a lot of expenses. Since that girl chose to sell boxed lunches, it's probably either because it's too tiring for her to do it alone, or because she doesn't have enough money.”
Thinking back to yesterday's events, Li Ming thought, "Based on my interactions with her yesterday, I doubt she would accept the investment."
The old man didn't say anything more. Everyone has their own ambitions, and the food will taste better when the person cooking is in a good mood.
The old man went to the kitchen, took a plate, poured the braised pork into it, arranged it simply, took a picture, and posted it to his group of old friends.
Happy: [Image]
Laughing: [Xiao Ming is really something. He said I hadn't had braised pork in ages, so he insisted on buying me some. Knowing my teeth aren't good, he even asked the owner to stew it longer. This wine isn't the best, but I'll make do with it.]
A glass of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor): [...]
Tomorrow's message: [Old Li! You're eating all by yourself!]
Hmph: [Exactly! You don't share the good food with us!]
After the old man posted the message, he didn't check the group messages again. The grandfather and grandson kept talking back and forth, completely ignoring how much influence his picture had had in the group.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on their door.
"Old Li, open the door! Don't hide inside and stay silent! I know you're in there!"
The old man's expression changed upon hearing the voice.
Li Ming looked towards the door and said, "Great-grandfather, it's Grandpa Xu."
The old man said irritably, "I know, but why did you come so fast!"
Then, glancing at the plate with a few pieces of braised pork left, he quickly stuffed them into his mouth.
Because he ate too much at once, he couldn't fit any more in his mouth and almost dropped a piece. With his mouth bulging, he struggled to chew the braised pork until it was almost gone, and then he finished the wine in one gulp.
Li Ming, who watched the whole thing: "..."
He glanced down at the little food left in front of him, and just as he was hesitating about what to do with it, his great-grandfather picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into his mouth.
They only stopped when his mouth was bulging, and after he had chewed almost all of it, they picked up other dishes and stuffed them into his mouth.
Finally, he poured the beer into his mouth before getting up to open the door for Old Man Xu.
Old Xu saw Old Li frowning. "Why are you so late opening the door? Where's the wine? Let me have a sip. I see there's still braised pork and peanuts."
Old Li said, "You're too late, we've already finished eating."
"Impossible. I came over as soon as I saw the picture you posted." Old Xu said as he walked inside.
Upon entering, they saw Li Ming's slightly swollen lips and a suspicious mark at the corner of his mouth, as well as the empty plate in front of him: "..."
He picked up the wine glass on the table and found it was empty.
Old Xu's eyes widened, and he shouted angrily, "Old Li! All I did was say you're a terrible player and love to take back your moves, and you just wouldn't admit it. Is it really necessary to be so petty?"
Old Li, as if his tail had been stepped on, immediately retorted, "Don't talk nonsense, I didn't! It's clearly because you guys are bad at the game and love to play, and you won't admit you lost!"
Old Li snorted twice, giving Old Xu a disdainful look, "I'd rather throw it away than give it to you, so what! My great-grandson bought it! If you're so capable, ask your son to buy it for you!"
Grandpa Xu's son was in a car accident and was unable to move his legs. He died even earlier than Grandpa Xu.
Li Ming quickly pulled the old man aside, but the old man waved him away, saying, "Don't worry about this."
Old Xu was furious but couldn't do anything about it, so he turned to Li Ming and asked, "Xiao Ming, where did you buy this?"
Li Ming answered honestly, "Grandpa Xu, there's a new stall across from the Tiandi Bank. It's a young girl selling boxed lunches there, but it's already this late, she should have sold out and gone home by now."
For a moment, the two old men who had been arguing were drawn in by his words.
Old Li: "A living person?"
Old Man Xu: "Set up a stall in the underworld?"
After they finished speaking, they looked at each other in disbelief. "Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"
Li Ming said, both amused and exasperated, "How could that be? Many ghosts in the underworld know about this now. If you want to eat it, you can go buy it tomorrow."
Old Xu swallowed hard, thinking of the delicious aroma he had smelled when he came in. He glanced at Old Li and said, "Xiao Ming, when you buy some tomorrow, could you bring me some too?"
Under his great-grandfather's watchful gaze, Li Ming said, "Grandpa Xu, the boss has a group chat. You can join the group and have the boss deliver it to you."
After he finished speaking, he took out his phone and invited Old Man Xu to join the group.
Seeing that his great-grandfather was also staring at him, he decisively and quickly invited his grandfather to the group as well.
Upon seeing the invitation, Old Xu immediately clicked to join, not forgetting to make a sarcastic remark about Old Li, "Hehe, thank you, Xiao Ming. Unlike your great-grandfather, who is stingy and petty."
Old Li said angrily, "I've already done more than enough by agreeing to his invitation!"
"Hmph~"
Old Xu turned his head and left.
Old Li watched his retreating figure, and angrily paced back and forth with his cane.
Li Ming tried his best to keep his presence to a minimum, for fear of being implicated by his great-grandfather.
However, Old Li suddenly said out of the blue, "Why don't you ask this boss if he can come to my house and cook a meal? The price is negotiable."
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