Chapter 77 A Culinary Adventure at the Funeral Home
Hou Defa slammed his fist on the table: "No! I have to find her!" He stood up and shouted, "Whoever can help me find Su Yingxue, I'll give them 1% of Houtu Group's shares!"
Shen Yu gritted her teeth: "Then I'll offer an autographed photo, plus a one-day date!"
Ye Feifei raised an eyebrow, then suddenly laughed, "If I can find her, I'll make sure they get a free week's worth of meals in the 'Golden Splendor' VIP room!"
Upon hearing this, everyone perked up and began discussing it animatedly.
"Should we post a missing person notice?"
"What are her favorite places to go?"
Did she mention where she wanted to go?
Ye Feifei thought for a moment and said, "Sister Xiao Su said she wants to go to Sichuan and Chongqing to eat the most authentic hot pot, to Yunnan to try mushrooms, and to XJ to eat roasted lamb skewers..."
"Then let's search in this direction!"
Ye Feifei was added to the WeChat group chat of the "Food Hunting Squad". The group announcement clearly stated:
[Target: Su Yingxue! Mission: Find her! Reward: Shares, autographed photo, free food and drinks!]
Ye Feifei looked at the messages flooding the group chat and a slight smile appeared on her lips.
"Sister Su, we will definitely find you."
The midnight wind, carrying the lingering chill of the funeral home, crept into Lin Xiao's collar.
She gripped the strap of her canvas bag tightly, her fingertips still smelling of lingering disinfectant. She stood by the empty roadside for almost half an hour, the "No vehicles responding" message on her phone screen stinging her eyes.
Finally, a taxi slowly came to a stop, and the driver glanced at the work badge she hadn't had time to remove from her chest.
The driver's Adam's apple bobbed, and he simply said "not on my way" before slamming on the gas, his exhaust fumes splashing all over her trouser leg.
Lin Xiao bit her lip and walked forward. The streetlights cast long, thin shadows on the ground, much like the silent bodies she had just dealt with.
She didn't know how long she had walked when a dim yellow light suddenly appeared in the darkness ahead, flickering on and off—her heart clenched, and the fear she had suppressed during the day surged up instantly. Her feet were rooted to the spot, and her mind was filled with the "ghost lights on the night road" that her old colleagues had mentioned in casual conversation.
Once she had recovered, she dared to slowly move over in the light. As she got closer, she could smell an enticing aroma of burning.
That wasn't some kind of will-o'-the-wisp; it was clearly a modified food cart, with warm yellow bulbs hanging under the eaves, illuminating the sizzling stinky tofu being fried.
The woman standing behind the fryer, stirring the seasonings, had her hair tied in a high ponytail, with stray hairs sticking to her fair cheeks. Her profile was visible as she raised her hand to wipe away sweat.
Lin Xiao was stunned – those eyebrows and eyes, weren't they the same as the third female lead who played the aloof doctor in that period drama that was popular a few years ago?
"One serving? Mild or extra spicy?" The woman looked up, her voice softer than in the drama, her fingertips still smeared with bright red chili oil.
Lin Xiao stared at her signboard, the four characters "Su's Snacks" clearly visible under the light. It really was hers.
Su Yingxue, who had disappeared from the screen for a long time, was now standing on the roadside late at night, handing her a box of steaming stinky tofu.
Before Lin Xiao could recover from the shock of "a celebrity selling stinky tofu", a warm paper bowl was shoved into her hand.
As soon as you open the lid, a strong and mellow aroma hits your nostrils—not the cheap artificial fragrance you often find on the street.
Instead, it's the aroma of perfectly fermented soybeans mixed with the smoky fragrance of charcoal grilling, along with the fresh spiciness of minced garlic and millet peppers, instantly dispelling the chill of the night road.
She picked up her chopsticks and carefully poked open a piece of stinky tofu. Underneath the golden, crispy shell was a snow-white, soft, and tender interior, still steaming.
The first bite crackles as the outer skin crunches, while the inside melts gently on the tongue. The savory flavor of the braising sauce, the crispness of the chili, the spiciness of the garlic, and a hint of sweetness unfold layer by layer in the mouth. There is no pungent taste as expected, only a lingering sweetness of bean flavor that grows stronger with each chew.
Seeing the sparkle in her eyes, Su Yingxue smiled and handed her a small box of pickled radishes: "These will help cut through the richness."
Lin Xiao picked up a piece of crisp radish with her chopsticks. The sourness perfectly balanced the savory flavor of the stinky tofu, and the refreshing sensation instantly washed over her, making her chew faster.
In just a few bites, the bowl of stinky tofu was empty.
She even dipped the radish in the soup at the bottom of the bowl and ate it all up. Her stomach felt warm and cozy, and the fatigue from the day's work and the fear of walking at night were all soothed away by this hot and delicious bowl of food.
When Lin Xiao handed the empty bowl back, the paper bowl was still warm on her fingertips. She finally couldn't help but ask, "Are you... really Su Yingxue?"
I watched your period drama a few years ago, over and over again.
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a little abrupt, her ears burning slightly, and she quickly added something.
"I didn't come to bother you, I just can't believe it."
Su Yingxue took the empty bowl and casually put it into the styrofoam box next to her, her movements as natural as if she had done it a thousand times.
Hearing this, she looked up and smiled, her eyes curving slightly: "It's me. I didn't expect anyone would still remember that show."
She tapped the metal plate lightly with the shovel in her hand, making a crisp sound. "Why would you come here to walk at night? There are very few pedestrians around at this time."
Lin Xiao pointed to her name tag and lowered her voice: "I work at the funeral home up ahead. Today is my first night shift, and I couldn't get a taxi after get off work."
After speaking, she subconsciously observed Su Yingxue's reaction—in the past, whenever work was mentioned, others would more or less show a strange expression.
Su Yingxue simply nodded, her tone remaining calm: "It's true that it's hard to get a taxi on this road. I've rarely seen taxis pass by while I've been setting up my stall here today."
This made Lin Xiao even more confused: "Why are you selling stinky tofu here? You clearly..."
She was too embarrassed to say "she could have continued filming," and swallowed the words back.
Su Yingxue seemed to see through her thoughts, wiped the oil stains off the iron plate, and said softly, "I like doing this. It's more comfortable than staying in front of the camera."
But as Lin Xiao watched her skillfully flipping the stinky tofu, she felt that behind this "ease" seemed to lie more unspoken stories.
The night grew deeper.
Lin Xiao's phone suddenly vibrated, and the word "Dad" popped up on the screen—it was a message she had just sent saying she couldn't get a taxi, and her dad said he would be there soon.
"Boss Su, could you please pack two more orders?" She turned around, clutching her phone, her tone a mix of embarrassed excitement and joy.
"Your stinky tofu smells so good, I want to take some back for my parents to try too."
"Okay." Su Yingxue nodded in response, her hands moving swiftly as she placed the freshly fried stinky tofu into a paper bowl and drizzled it with her secret-recipe braising sauce.
"Including the bowl you just ate, that's three servings in total, costing thirty yuan. The Alipay and WeChat QR codes are at the front; you can scan them yourself."
She spoke naturally, paying no attention to Lin Xiao's scrutiny, and focused solely on handing over the packaged stinky tofu.
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