Chapter 27 Superb Sauce Pancake
Su Yingxue was staring blankly at the second batch of savory pancakes sizzling in the electric griddle when the old man's mutterings, mixed with the voices of the canteen, drifted into her ears: "Who eats pancakes late at night these days? This shop will be..." The second half of her sentence was cut off by a middle-aged woman who suddenly rushed in.
What food is available?
"Come on, come on! Let me cook something. What do you want to cook?" Grandpa Wang quickly stopped a middle-aged woman who was walking out of the cafeteria and greeted her warmly.
"Young lady! How much are your pancakes?" Wang Ailan, a middle-aged woman in a blue and white striped top, couldn't help but bring her nose close to the wafting aroma, her eyes sparkling. "My son has been saying he has no appetite since he fell and hurt himself, but this smell has cheered him up. I smelled it from the fourth floor just now!"
"Five yuan a serving. If you buy two, I'll give you an extra small piece." Before Su Yingxue could finish speaking, Grandpa Wang couldn't help but interrupt, "Why are you eating savory pancakes so late at night? My vegetables are still very fresh!" As he spoke, he pointed to the steaming stir-fried vegetables in the pot next to him, trying to salvage the situation.
Wang Ailan, however, seemed not to hear, her eyes fixed on Su Yingxue's skillful lifting of the griddle. The golden, crispy, savory pancakes were steaming hot, their rich, fresh aroma wafting into her nostrils. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and exclaimed in ecstasy, "This is it! Two servings, ten yuan, right?"
"Here! Eat it while it's hot, but be careful not to burn yourself." Su Yingxue moved swiftly, cutting the pancake in a few quick strokes and neatly packing it up. Judging from Wang Ailan's age, she guessed that her son was probably not very old, so she deliberately cut the pancake a few more times to make it easier to eat.
Wang Ailan carried two boxes of savory pancakes that she had packed, and walked briskly towards the inpatient department. Her son, Li Xiaofeng, was in the orthopedics ward on the ninth floor. He had recently broken his leg while playing soccer and had three steel pins inserted. He was currently receiving painkillers and lay listlessly in bed. He had barely drunk any of the bone broth that had been delivered that evening and was now fussing about wanting something else to eat.
Wang Ailan wanted to find something good to eat nearby, but she was tired of the cafeteria's dinner options: stir-fries and noodle soup. Just as she was hesitating about whether to check out the food stalls, a familiar aroma suddenly wafted into her nose from the elevator on the fourth floor.
"This is... the taste of savory savory pancakes!" Wang Ailan's eyes lit up, and she involuntarily stopped in her tracks. She took a deep breath, and the rich aroma of the savory sauce instantly awakened a deep-seated craving for this delicious treat. Although she hadn't had it in a long time, the taste made her make a decision immediately—to go to the cafeteria and buy a few.
Walking down the street, the aroma of savory pancakes from the takeout box she was carrying grew stronger and stronger, making her swallow hard. Her son hadn't eaten much that evening, and she herself hadn't eaten properly because she was worried about his illness. Now, she was hungry too.
"Just two pieces, there are two portions! I'll give them to Xiaofeng right away!" Wang Ailan muttered to herself as she opened the plastic bag. The pancakes Su Yingxue made weren't thick or oily, and even wrapped in a paper bag, they weren't greasy at all. Instead, a rich aroma of scallions and soy sauce wafted out.
"Looks good." Wang Ailan didn't have high expectations for this savory pancake. After all, what good food could she possibly have in a hospital? But when she saw the golden and crispy crust glistening temptingly under the light, garnished with scallions and sesame seeds, she couldn't resist and immediately picked up a bamboo skewer and forked off a piece.
"So crispy, so soft." Wang Ailan's eyes lit up immediately after the first bite. The first thing she felt was the delightful crispness, followed by the rich sauce that burst on her tongue, savory with a perfect touch of sweetness, while the inner layers were as soft as clouds, layer upon layer, creating an incredibly rich texture.
"Delicious! That girl is really good at making pancakes!" Wang Ailan couldn't help but exclaim, and immediately ate two more.
"The outside is so crispy, but the inside is so soft." She took a few more bites, and was pleasantly surprised with each bite. The unique texture of the pancake made her close her eyes, completely intoxicated by the aroma of the savory pancake.
"Ninth floor." The elevator's announcement of arriving at the orthopedics floor startled Wang Ailan, who was engrossed in her delicious meal. She wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth, checked the time—it was already past ten o'clock at night. The ward was very quiet; the nurses were all a little sleepy, still yawning and writing reports.
She tiptoed into room 903. Her son, Li Xiaofeng, was already asleep. On the bed next to her was Sun Zhaozhao, a chubby girl with a broken leg in a cast, scrolling through food videos on her phone.
"This child. The savory pancake is mine." Wang Ailan took out the savory pancake a little embarrassedly, preparing to enjoy a few more bites herself. After all, she had already finished one in the elevator, and now she was opening the second one.
As soon as the savory pancake was opened, its domineering aroma immediately filled the entire ward 903, like an invisible hand that instantly captured everyone's sense of smell.
Sun Zhaozhao was idly scrolling through food videos when she suddenly smelled that familiar aroma. Her eyes widened, and she craned her neck as if drawn to the savory pancake in Wang Ailan's hand: "Sister Wang, what's that smell? It smells amazing!"
"Mmm..." Wang Ailan was enjoying the crispy, savory sauce, and responded indistinctly. Without stopping, she forked another piece and prepared to put it in her mouth.
"How about you have a piece, Xiao Sun..." Wang Ailan suddenly came to her senses and felt embarrassed to enjoy it alone. Considering that Xiao Sun had given her an apple a few days ago, she decided to share.
"Hehe, I'm so sorry!" Sun Zhaozhao said, though she was already craving them. She quickly and generously took out a bag of wafer biscuits from the small table next to her. "Thank you, Sister Wang, give the biscuits to Xiaofeng."
Then, she took a clean bamboo skewer and carefully picked out a piece of savory pancake.
The moment the first bite of the savory pancake entered her mouth, Sun Zhaozhao's eyes widened, her expression one of discovery: "Explosively delicious!" she exclaimed, feeling her mouth completely conquered by the wonderful texture. "This crispy texture completely surpasses all the savory pancakes I've ever eaten before!"
"A divine delicacy! A divine delicacy!" she exclaimed repeatedly, completely disregarding her image as she ate heartily.
Seeing Sun Zhaozhao's delighted expression, Wang Ailan knew she also found it extremely delicious. However, there were only a few pieces left, just two. She felt a little embarrassed to eat any more, as she wanted to save them for her son.
Just then, Li Xiaofeng woke up. He rubbed his eyes, and groggily watched his mother and the girl in the next bed sharing something. The rich aroma wafted into his nose: "Mom, what delicious food did you buy? It smells so good!"
Wang Ailan then seemed to wake from a dream and remembered that the pancake was originally bought for her son. A little embarrassed, she took the savory pancake and said apologetically, "Son, you eat this. Mom just bought it."
Li Xiaofeng groggily opened his eyes. The rich aroma of soy sauce, like a warm breeze with a hook, wafted into his stomach through his nostrils. The little guy, who had been listlessly leaning against the headboard, suddenly sat up straight as if recharged, his eyes wide and bright as he stared at the soy sauce pancake in his mother's hand. His voice was filled with barely concealed eagerness and anticipation: "Mom, this soy sauce pancake? It smells so good!"
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