Chapter 31 Meow meow meow
Soon, the first serving of spicy potato fried rice came out of the pot steaming hot.
The potato is golden and crispy on the outside, coated with chili powder and cumin, and is oily and spicy. Like potatoes, the distinct white rice grains are soaked in chili oil. The bright red chili oil gives the rice a rich luster, and the rich spicy flavor hits your nose!
In the rice, you can also see the distinctly colored Chinese sausage, green chives, and a generous layer of white sesame seeds, dotted between the crispy potatoes soaked in spicy oil and the rice...
From the moment the fried rice was put into the pot, there was a constant stream of exclamations from the front of the line. Jian Yunlan cooked very quickly. The big pot could cook three servings at a time. Soon, six or seven people were eating.
Those who were waiting at the back of the line, or those who arrived too late and didn't get in line at all, could only look at the lucky ones with envy and jealousy, and anxiously look around, hoping that they could also get in line and buy a portion of fried rice.
In this cool and rainy autumn day, there is nothing more healing than having a bowl of hot and spicy fried rice under the awning!
“Wow, so spicy and delicious!”
"This is my first time eating spicy fried rice. I didn't expect it to be so delicious. The chili sauce has a special taste, so fragrant and spicy. The more I eat, the more I enjoy it."
"This potato tastes amazing. I have never eaten such delicious potatoes in my life!"
"I can show off three times by myself, hehe..."
The front row of the line was mainly composed of students from Peking University. Like Ning Sheng, many of them dared to take the earliest subway and had been waiting three or four hours in advance.
However, everyone who ate the fried rice gave a thumbs up and said: Worth it!
To make such delicious fried rice, you have to wait for thirty or forty hours, let alone three or four hours.
Gu Xingzhou, who was standing in the middle of the line, heard bursts of exclamations and happy laughter coming from the front, and a hint of disdain flashed in his black eyes.
A group of petty citizens who have never seen the world.
He, Gu Xingzhou, is the person who has eaten the most delicious fried rice in the world.
——It was not the Michelin three-star fried rice, nor was it the Tangyan fried rice praised by everyone in the city, but the bowl of freshly-made egg fried rice that was handed to him when he was at his wit's end.
The reason for queuing here today was simply because the 'failure' a few days ago piqued his curiosity.
He needs to confirm it.
Confirmed...Ah Sheng's fried rice is the best in the world.
He didn't allow himself any doubts.
Gu Xingzhou looked down at the crowd in front of him, his eyes flashing with confidence and pride, and his every move exuded an unquestionable majesty.
At this time, the person in front of him just got the fried rice and exclaimed: "Oh, my drink is spilled, does anyone have a tissue?"
Gu Xingzhou took out a napkin very skillfully, with a sincere business smile on his face: "Please wait, I have a napkin here, I'll get it for you now~"
As soon as he finished speaking, the smile on Gu Xingzhou's face froze: "..."
Damn muscle memory!
The man had already taken the napkin and said gratefully, "Thank you, you are such a kind young man."
Gu Xingzhou felt warm in his heart.
...What on earth are you warming up?
Soon, the line reached Gu Xingzhou's turn.
"I want some fried rice," Gu Xingzhou put his hands in his pockets, with a haughty look on his face, and a barely perceptible sneer in his voice, "Man, I'll give you one chance, try to please me."
People around: “???”
This person seems to have something wrong with his brain.
Gu Xingzhou didn't feel embarrassed at all. He wanted to see what this fried rice, which was praised by countless people, was like and whether it was really as good as others said.
He was hard to please.
——Private chefs who have been woken up in the middle of the night to make fried rice for several days in a row have a lot to say about this. Mr. Gu has been acting like a madman recently, not only does he not follow the process, but he also orders more dishes in more ways than usual, sometimes asking for lemon, sometimes asking for the best quality Cantonese-style sausage. But every time the food is done, Mr. Gu would smash the bowl after taking a bite, cursing as he does so, "It's not as good as a roadside stall!"
The Gu family's private chefs are suffering.
Jian Yunlan always treats everyone equally when he sets up his stall. No matter what kind of customer they are or what their request is, he always tries his best to do his best. In response to Gu Xingzhou's outrageous request, he smiled and said, "Okay, sir, fifty-five yuan."
Gu Xingzhou frowned: "Others are 50 yuan, why is mine more expensive?"
Jian Yunlan: "Mental damage compensation."
“…”
Gu Xingzhou scanned the code and transferred the money in a rage.
Jian Yunlan poured the oil skillfully, and added chopped garlic, potatoes and rice. As soon as the oil and chili were poured in, white steam came out of the hot pot.
The rain gradually got heavier, and I could clearly hear the sound of raindrops hitting the tarpaulin. The cold wind was blowing. I have to say, in such weather, looking at the bustling snack stand in front of me with the sound of bubbling oil in the frying pan, and smelling the spicy and rich aroma of potato fried rice, it was quite comfortable.
A few minutes later, a bowl of steaming spicy potato fried rice was handed to Gu Xingzhou.
The rice soaked in chili oil has a loose and full luster, and the bright red color looks delicious with the embellishment of white sesame seeds. The diced potatoes were fried to perfection, golden brown, with a slightly burnt skin, covered with chili powder, emitting the aroma of cumin, and evenly mixed with rice and sausage...
Gu Xingzhou couldn't help swallowing.
Two days, two full days.
Starting from that night at the night market stall, every night when he closed his eyes, he would see the fried rice sparkling under the light.
And now, such a bowl of fried rice was finally placed in his hands, and it was quite filling.
Gu Xingzhou could hardly maintain his elegance and propriety. He couldn't wait to pick up the spoon and scoop a mouthful of fried rice...
“So spicy!”
Gu Xingzhou couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. It was so spicy, even spicier than he had imagined. Coupled with the fact that it was just out of the pot, it was scalding hot. He gasped twice because of the heat.
Very spicy, but...
So delicious!
The red rice was completely soaked with chili oil, and the fragrant meat oil from the sausage was also thoroughly soaked into the rice grains during the frying process, mixed with chopped green onions and white sesame seeds. When you take a bite, the rice is very chewy, soft but springy, and you can taste the crispy outside and tender inside sausage. The full of chili oil flows out as you chew, spreading between your lips and teeth, and suddenly your whole mouth is filled with the addictive spicy taste.
Gu Xingzhou hissed from the spiciness and felt extremely satisfied.
The finishing touch is the potatoes.
Each piece of potato was covered with the spicy flavor of the sauce, accompanied by the strong spiciness of cumin powder, which stood out very well in the hot rice. The potato skin is fried until it is bubbling, and has a crispy feel, but the inside is soft and delicate. Every bite is an ultimate taste enjoyment, melting in the mouth with a rustling sound, and together with the spicy rice, it brings a unique sense of satisfaction from carbohydrates.
After just one bite, Gu Xingzhou was shocked. Even though he was born into a noble family and had eaten all kinds of delicacies, he had never tasted potatoes with such a wonderful taste. He has always believed that the essence of cooking is to find the most luxurious ingredients, such as abalone, bird's nest, and lobster, and restore the taste of the ingredients themselves.
Gu Xingzhou never thought that he would be so amazed by a plate of spicy potato fried rice on the street.
I feel like... after eating a bowl of fried rice like this, there's no going back in this life.
Gu Xingzhou held the fried rice and wolfed it down, without any of his usual CEO airs. Because of the spiciness, his face was red and hot sweat was coming out of the tip of his nose.
He ate the fried rice in big mouthfuls, chewing it carefully, even a little reluctant to swallow it, because it was so delicious and so joyful, and he tried hard to prolong this joy a little bit more.
This fried rice is so delicious.
Human taste is closely related to memory. When I ate such delicious food after a long time, some old times hidden in the corners of my memory were also awakened.
In a trance, Gu Xingzhou saw his mother.
That happened when my mother had just fallen ill. It was an ordinary morning. It was raining heavily outside the window and the cartoon of Black Cat Sheriff was playing on TV. Dad was helping him boil milk, while mom was sitting in front of the stove, making a simple fried rice.
The three of them gathered around the table to eat. The food was so spicy that he was sweating and panting. His father hugged him and laughed, then helped him wipe the sweat off his forehead. Gu Xingzhou still remembers the spicy and rich taste of the fried rice, and his mother... His mother smiled and stretched out her hand, scratched his nose, and said:
"You little greedy cat, you keep asking for fried rice every day. Mommy made it for you, so don't waste it."
At that time, there was continuous heavy rain outside the window, but Gu Xingzhou did not feel cold at all, but warm instead.
It feels like being gently hugged by someone, with a shoulder to lean on. I don't need to think about anything. I just need to be a carefree child, stuffing mouthful of delicious fried rice into my mouth, swallowing all the sadness, uneasiness and confusion.
He felt this kind of warmth again decades after his mother's death.
Just once, and he will never forget it.
It was the time when I was kicked out of my home, had nowhere to go, my clothes were soaked by the heavy rain, and I was shivering in the rain. In such a small alley, a lamp was lit, and a little boy pulled him into the narrow but warm room, handed him a towel and a bowl of hot, golden fried rice.
The fried rice might not be that delicious, but it gave him a heat and warmth that he would never forget in his life, even a little hot, which made his heart palpitate.
——"You must use all means, regardless of the consequences, to trap that flame and make it burn only for you."
A gust of wind blew by, and Gu Xingzhou heard the voice again. A book appeared in his mind, its pages rustling in the wind, and the words "Paranoid Monopoly" on the cover were clearly visible.
"Let's do it in the small dark room!" "Be a little more paranoid, how can we be soft-hearted to the scumbag?" "Some people say it's too cruel, but they actually love to watch it..."
All kinds of noisy sounds rang out sharply.
Gu Xingzhou was like a puppet, driven by a supreme will that came from nowhere, pushing Ning Sheng into the abyss again and again, making the situation irreversible.
He felt so regretful and sorry.
When he and Ning Sheng fell into the abyss time and time again, Gu Xingzhou had fantasized countless times that if it weren't for the driving force of this supreme will, perhaps they would not have ended up like this, covered in blood and wounds.
But on this day, a thin spider thread grabbed him.
...It's so warm.
The hot temperature in the mouth and the aroma of fried rice make the frozen blood in the body flow again.
Gu Xingzhou once thought that he would never feel such warmth again.
Ning Sheng no longer looked at him, and when he was occasionally forced to look at her, his eyes were filled with disgust and hatred. But Gu Xingzhou just wanted to have another bowl of fried rice from that day. It was such a simple wish, but it took such a long and tortuous road to fulfill it.
Until today, until the torrential rain that had lasted for more than 20 years started again, and next to such a simple and even shabby roadside stall, surrounded by a lively crowd, such a stall owner who looked too young, with just a wave of his spatula, realized all his years of obsession and melted them into this bowl of oily and spicy potato fried rice.
Gu Xingzhou's eyes were sore and he lowered his head into the bowl of fried rice, and he tasted a slight bitterness in his mouth.
It’s obviously so delicious.
But why did he cry?
Suddenly, there was a loud rumble in the sky, thunder rumbled, and the rain became heavier.
Exclamations came one after another:
"Hey, everyone, come and get out of the rain!"
"There's a roof over there to hide behind, and this awning over here is also okay."
"Protect the fried rice! Don't let it get wet!"
The crowd was suddenly in chaos. Everyone was surprisingly tacit. They held the fried rice tightly in their arms and looked for cover everywhere.
The heavy rain made everyone look disheveled. Their hair was wet and water was dripping from their hooded sweatshirts. Some people rolled up their trouser legs, carefully holding the fried rice in their arms while trying to wring out the water stains on their cuffs; some people cursed and shoveled rice into their mouths quickly, looking ridiculous; some people looked into the distance with longing eyes, under the awning, at the snack stand surrounded by people hiding from the rain, Jian Yunlan was still frying the next serving of fried rice.
Everyone looked at each other. They didn't look like steady adults at all. Instead, they looked like a group of miserable little kids who had secretly run out to eat at a snack stand without telling their parents and were accidentally drenched by the heavy rain.
People looked at each other, couldn't help laughing, pointed at each other and laughed:
"Hahaha, there are still rice grains on your face~"
"You're still blaming me when your face is red from the spicy food and you're soaked by the rain."
“It’s worth it for Boss Jian’s fried rice!”
Everyone laughed so hard that they held their stomachs.
I have been tortured by society and work for so long, and I haven't laughed or played so happily for a long time.
The first thing Gu Xingzhou did when it started raining was: fried rice! The fried rice he had finally gotten must not be ruined by this damn rain!
Gu Xingzhou came back to his senses from his trance. He seemed to have caught a glimpse of the long-forgotten secret again, but he couldn't see it clearly.
But, protecting fried rice is the most important thing.
Gu Xingzhou acted decisively, buttoned up the takeaway box, stuffed it into his jacket and zipped it up. Then he bent over to protect the fried rice and jogged to the eaves of the house next to him where everyone was taking shelter from the rain.
A person wearing a raincoat next to him was in the same posture, carefully protecting the fried rice in his arms. Everyone gathered in groups of three or five, helping each other. On the way, Gu Xingzhou accidentally stepped into a puddle, and it was the people next to him who pulled him up.
After finally running under the eaves, the first thing everyone did was not to wring out their rain-soaked clothes, nor to wipe their faces and hands, but...
Check the fried rice!
Seeing that the fried rice was intact and well protected without even a drop of rain getting in, Gu Xingzhou breathed a sigh of relief.
The guy next to him was also relieved, apparently his fried rice was also intact.
Gu Xingzhou had no time to wring out his trouser legs. He simply opened the takeaway box, scooped a full spoonful of fried rice into his mouth, and sighed with satisfaction.
On such a rainy day, they were crowded under a narrow roof with strangers, and a dim light was on, as if isolating them from the noise of the whole world.
Under this roof, they don’t need to think about work or trivial matters. They just need to enjoy the hot fried rice happily. They sweat from the spiciness and hiss from time to time, but every bite is delicious and satisfying...
Comfortable!
Gu Xingzhou chewed the fried rice and handed a napkin to the side:
"Thanks, brother. If you hadn't pulled me just now, my fried rice would have been ruined. You are really my savior. What's your name?"
The man took the napkin, wiped the sweat from his forehead, chewed fried rice, and said vaguely: "It's just a small favor. We are all friends, there is no need to thank me. My name is Ning Sheng, what's your name?"
Gu Xingzhou buried his head in the bowl of fried rice and said without raising his head: "Excuse me, my last name is Gu, Gu Xingzhou."
Ning Sheng: “…”
Gu Xingzhou: “…”
The two of them looked up suddenly and looked at each other.
Ning Sheng had rice grains on the corners of his mouth, and red chili oil smeared all over his mouth. His eyes revealed the confusion of a clear college student.
Gu Xingzhou's cheeks were stuffed with fried rice. His chewing movements gradually became sluggish and he couldn't help but burp.
Ning Sheng: “…………”
Gu Xingzhou: “…………”
etc.
This is so embarrassing, what should I do? ! ! ! ! !
.
——Help, help, help, help.
Ning Sheng's brain started spinning rapidly, but the more it turned, the more it felt like it was stuck in a dead end and he couldn't think of any solution at all.
Why is Gu Xingzhou here? Why would we take shelter from the rain under the same roof? Most importantly, why… did he have fried rice in his mouth too?
The man in front of me, with his cheeks full of fried rice, eating without caring about his image and burping all the time...
Is it the gloomy, paranoid and resolute president of Yuanzhou Group, Gu Xingzhou?
Is he the madman Gu Xingzhou who does anything when he goes crazy, who can handcuff him in the room for four or five days without letting him go, and who does not play by the rules? ?
Is it the gloomy Gu Xingzhou who has tormented him for so long, who always appears in his nightmares and makes him vomit in fear and feel nauseous whenever he thinks of him? ? ?
Ning Sheng's expression was blank.
It feels like something is wrong with this world.
——What the hell! What the hell!
Gu Xingzhou's brain also froze at the same time, and he was still mechanically chewing the fried rice in his mouth. Because his mouth was so full, it took him a while to swallow it.
So, I couldn't help but burp again, with the taste of spicy potatoes: "Burp."
tasty.
...That's not the point!
The point is, why is Ning Sheng here? Why would I hide from the rain under the same roof with him? Most importantly, why... is Ning Sheng also eating fried rice? !
Gu Xingzhou once hired so many top chefs and collected so many delicacies from all over the world and brought them to Ning Sheng, but Ning Sheng just turned his eyes away coldly and didn't even look at them.
The man in front of me, with rice grains on the corners of his mouth and red chili oil smeared all over his mouth in a funny way...
Is it Ning Sheng, the cold, stubborn, and outstanding student at Peking University?
Is it Ning Sheng, the indifferent and beautiful one, who is like solid ice and cannot be melted, and who cannot be subdued by any money, power, coercion or inducement? ?
Is she the one that Gu Xingzhou has been obsessed with for years, the one he has been planning and waiting for, wanting to keep her by his side forever, wanting those cold eyes to only look at him passionately forever... Ning Sheng? ? ?
Gu Xingzhou's expression was also blank.
There must be something wrong!
Their reunion shouldn't be like this!
They should meet again in some expensive Western restaurant or in some damp, mossy alley. That unexpected reunion should be bittersweet, exciting, yet extremely heartbreaking, with full sexual tension.
Ning Sheng might be wearing a white shirt, outlining a thin but beautiful figure, with red eyes and looking away helplessly; while Gu Xingzhou would be wearing a high-end suit, with the obsidian cuffs on his wrists shining. Gu Xingzhou's eyes should be heavy, his thin lips pursed, with three parts of coldness, three parts of mockery, and four parts of indifference in his eyes...
Gu Xingzhou would hold Ning Sheng's wrist tightly, forcing him to look directly into his eyes; and Gu Xingzhou's eyes would be red, with the possessiveness in them overflowing, as if he wanted to devour Ning Sheng completely;
In a flurry of intense, indescribable interaction, they eventually move on to something that the site is not allowed to write about. The next day, they opened their eyes on the messy double bed. Gu Xingzhou would light a cigarette with a lazy look, while Ning Sheng would look away in humiliation.
But all of the above...
all! No! occur!
In any case, their reunion shouldn't be like this, shouldn't be at this busy street food stall, they shouldn't each be holding a portion of spicy potato fried rice in their hands, and shouldn't be chewing so happily and burping...
Why do the domineering president and the cold beauty burp?
It's broken. Everything is broken.
Gu Xingzhou looked into the distance with lifeless eyes. Under the awning and in the expectant gazes of everyone, Jian Yunlan was stirring the wok with great skill. The holy light of the God of Fried Rice emanated from his whole body.
This sinful man is the source of all evil that has led to this collapse.
Jian Yunlan’s fried rice is the culprit!
But how could they bear to blame him? He was Jian Yunlan, the man who made fried rice that was so delicious that it broke their hearts. How could he be wrong? If he was wrong, it must be the world's fault... No, it must be the fault of the person in front of him.
Gu Xingzhou and Ning Sheng's train of thought overlapped very consistently:
It’s not Boss Jian’s fault, it’s Ning Sheng/Gu Xingzhou’s fault!
Why does he dare to touch such delicious fried rice? Does he deserve it? Ning Sheng thought in disbelief.
Why did he also fall in love with Boss Jian’s fried rice? Fried rice is already hard to buy! Gu Xingzhou thought with great embarrassment.
The two looked at each other in silence.
Thousands of comments flashed through their minds, and they cordially greeted each other's ancestors, but in reality, no one spoke a word.
Half a minute later.
Gu Xingzhou took a deep breath, hesitated, pointed at the fried rice and said, "How about we finish the fried rice first..."
It will get cold if you don’t eat it.
They tried their best to protect such delicious fried rice in their arms, and were reluctant to let the rain get it wet at all. If it got cold, it would be such a waste!
Ning Sheng didn't answer. He turned around with the fried rice in his arms and started eating in silence.
Leaving behind Gu Xingzhou a cold but greedy back.
Gu Xingzhou sighed, lowered his head, and started eating the fried rice bite by bite.
He had thought that after such a dramatic change, he would be so worried that the fried rice would become bland and not fragrant at all.
But the reality is just the opposite.
…Although reality has dealt a heavy blow to us, the fried rice is still delicious!
The plump rice grains are distinct and covered with chili oil. It's not as hot as before, but the spicy and refreshing feeling is still there. The crispy and golden potatoes are even more delicious after cooling down slightly. They have a special flavor that melts in your mouth. Mixed with the chewy sausage, it gives a very novel taste.
Damn, why is it so delicious, woooo!
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