Chapter 2 Braised Pork Ribs
Thinking of the restaurant left by the original owner's parents, Tang Yiyi decided to go and take a look tomorrow. She decided whether to rent it out or open the restaurant herself. In any case, she needed to make money to pay for Xiaoyu's tuition.
The next day, Tang Yiyi woke up with dark circles under her eyes. When she saw the bright sunshine outside, she drew the curtains.
She found a packet of noodles in the corner of the cupboard. Hmm, the noodles were white and free of bugs. She checked the production date and expiration date and confirmed they were still edible.
There's not much food at home, just a handful of noodles and a handful of scallions, and not much seasoning, so it looks like I can only make clear soup noodles.
The scallions grown at home have an exceptionally fresh aroma. After chopping the scallions into rings, add a spoonful of salt and light soy sauce, along with a little vinegar, stir, and the soup base is ready.
Pour a spoonful of oil into a clear broth pot, then add the noodles, cover the pot and cook until done. Remove the noodles and place them in a bowl with the broth. Finally, add two spoonfuls of piping hot clear broth to fully release the aroma.
At seven o'clock sharp, Xiaoyu got up on his own.
Tang Yiyi brought out a bowl of noodles and saw Xiaoyu sitting at the table. "We're having noodles for breakfast today!"
The noodles are incredibly fragrant, garnished with chopped scallions – the simplest noodles ever made.
Xiaoyu picked up his chopsticks and suddenly felt hungry.
Even though it was just clear broth noodles, Xiaoyu ate it in big mouthfuls, the noodles smelled so good!
Tang Yiyi looked Xiao Yu up and down. He was tanned and thinner, and had more wounds on his arms. The original owner's aunt was really irresponsible.
After dressing Xiaoyu in a soft, comfortable, and clean T-shirt, he looked more like a child for his age.
The two finished all the noodles, not even leaving a drop of soup.
"Xiaoyu, I'm going to a restaurant today. Can I take you with me?" Tang Yiyi said to him.
"good!"
Tang Yiyi took Xiaoyu out, and only went downstairs after making sure the door was closed.
They live on the top floor, where the rent is cheaper. But it gets really hot on the top floor in the summer.
Older residential buildings don't have elevators, so residents have to walk down the stairs.
Tang Yiyi was already out of breath when she reached the third floor, while Xiao Yu was lively and energetic, seemingly unaffected.
After the successive deaths of his relatives, the original owner became depressed and taciturn, stayed in bed and did not exercise for a long time.
She gritted her teeth; her physical fitness needed improvement.
Tang Yiyi opened the parasol and waved to Xiaoyu, "Come here!"
Xiao Yu ran under the umbrella, her fair face beaming with smiles.
The restaurant owned by the original owner's parents was quite far from the neighborhood. Tang Yiyi and her companion first took a bus there, then asked the neighbors for directions, and finally found the restaurant by crossing several streets based on the original owner's remaining memories.
The restaurant was small, and its signboard was rickety and barely hanging.
Tang Yiyi found the key and opened the door. The moment the door opened, dust rushed in.
Xiaoyu quickly covered his nose, "So much dust!"
A thick layer of dust covered the tables in the room, and cobwebs hung on the walls.
She went into the kitchen and saw that it was filthy and messy, with grease stains on the walls and floor.
Tang Yiyi dared to breathe only after she came out. The restaurant was located right next to the elementary school Xiaoyu attended. Business was usually so-so, barely enough to feed the whole family.
Seeing the restaurant had been idle for a long time and looked dusty, the most urgent task now is to clean it up.
Without further ado, Tang Yiyi grabbed a bucket, mop, broom, and other tools, and swept the floor before mopping it.
Xiaoyu, holding a rather awkward broom, joined in sweeping.
After the floor dried, Tang Yiyi wiped down the tables and chairs briefly, then went to clean the kitchen.
Then Tang Yiyi found a ladder, and Xiaoyu held it from below. She secured the rickety sign, tidied everything up, and locked the door.
I checked the time; it was already noon. Time for lunch.
She took Xiaoyu's hand and said, "Come on, Xiaoyu, let's go eat."
As soon as I stepped outside, a variety of restaurants came into view.
In the end, Tang Yiyi chose a fast food restaurant, since Xiaoyu was about to start a new semester and needed to pay for his living expenses, so she wanted to save money.
The self-service boxed meals cost 15 yuan each and had a wide variety of dishes. Tang Yiyi served the two of them their meals and then sat down at the table in front of the door.
Xiaoyu is looking down, playing with his hands.
"Dinner's ready, Xiaoyu."
Tang Yiyi picked out dishes that children like for Xiaoyu, such as sweet and sour pork ribs.
She has a discerning palate and immediately noticed that the green beans at this fast food restaurant were old and the bean sprouts weren't fresh enough.
Xiao Yu said "salty," and Tang Yiyi handed him the water.
They were probably tired and hungry after cleaning all morning, so they ate all the food they had brought before they were full.
Tang Yiyi went to the print shop next door to print a house rental advertisement, then took Xiaoyu back to the restaurant and posted it on the door.
"Sister, shall we go home now?" Xiaoyu suddenly asked.
Tang Yiyi shook her head, "My sister needs to find a job, why don't we take Xiaoyu home first?"
Xiaoyu will be starting school in about a week, and tuition and living expenses should be settled before the start of the semester.
She doesn't know how long it will take for the house to be rented out, so she needs to find a job quickly to support the two of them.
Xiaoyu: "Xiaoyu, don't go home alone, stay with your sister!"
Fear showed in his eyes; children this age are very insecure.
"Sister will take you to find a job!" She took his soft little hand.
She was also worried about leaving Xiaoyu home alone.
Upon arriving in the city center, one is greeted by towering skyscrapers. Regardless of whether they are large or small companies, they all either have educational requirements or require several years of work experience.
Tang Yiyi: "..."
Given this working environment, she might as well inherit the restaurant left by the original owner's parents and make money from it. Otherwise, she'd be stuck with a salary of around three or four thousand yuan and have to put up with the boss's attitude.
Thinking of this, Tang Yiyi immediately stopped hesitating and took Xiaoyu's hand and left.
We're running low on vegetables at home, so I'll go to the market to buy some.
It's a sweltering afternoon, and there aren't many vendors setting up their stalls.
She bought some water spinach, two cucumbers, and half a pound of edamame from an old lady. The old lady smiled and said, "These are all homegrown vegetables, without pesticides, so you can eat them without worry."
Tang Yiyi went to the butcher's stall again and bought a pound of pork ribs. Xiao Yu was too dark-skinned, and the original owner of this body wasn't in good health either; they both needed to nourish themselves.
Xiaoyu looked around with great curiosity about everything in the market, glancing left and right.
Passing by a small shop, Tang Yiyi took Xiaoyu inside to buy ice cream. Xiaoyu bought a cheap-looking ice cream that looked delicious.
"Sister, I want some ice cream too!"
Tang Yiyi smiled and shook her head, "Xiaoyu will eat, but I won't." She was short on money right now; she needed to pay Xiaoyu's tuition and living expenses soon, so she couldn't afford to spend it carelessly.
The siblings depended on each other for survival, and she always hoped that Xiaoyu could be happy and carefree.
The pure white ice cream had a rich milky aroma and was coated with a soft, chewy outer layer. The moment Xiaoyu took a bite, his little face scrunched up, and he gasped, "So refreshing!"
As they walked, Xiaoyu licked the soft, sweet ice cream, which was both sweet and cool, with a rich milky flavor.
The two took a bus home. When they arrived at their apartment complex, Tang Yiyi checked the time and realized it would take about twenty minutes to get there by bus from the restaurant.
When I got home, I put the ingredients out and blanched the pork ribs.
The wall clock showed 4:30; dinner was coming up soon.
Blood foam rose to the surface of the ribs in the boiling pot. She skimmed off the foam with a spatula and glanced towards the living room.
Xiaoyu is diligently doing his summer homework assigned by his teacher. He will be a third-grade student soon, and he doesn't want to cause his older sister any worry.
Tang Yiyi washed the scallions, ginger, and garlic, and quickly sliced them. She then removed the blanched pork ribs and placed them in a bowl for later use.
Tang Yiyi returned to the living room and helped Xiaoyu with his homework.
When faced with a difficult problem, Xiaoyu likes to look down and bite his nails.
She quickly stopped him, saying, "It's not good for your hands to bite, Xiaoyu. You might feel unwell later."
Feeling unwell meant going to the hospital, and the thought of getting a shot and the pain in his buttocks filled Xiaoyu's eyes with fear. He immediately stopped biting his fingers.
Second-grade students don't have much homework, and Xiaoyu finished it quickly.
Upon thinking of the pork ribs, Tang Yiyi immediately went to the kitchen.
She's making braised pork ribs, a dish kids love because it's easy to chew. She puts white sugar in a wok and caramelizes it to a deep reddish-brown color. Then she adds the blanched pork ribs and stir-fries them with a spatula, coating each piece with the enticing caramel. Before preparing the seasonings, she prepares a bowl of hot water. She then adds star anise and other spices to the wok and sautés over high heat until fragrant. Next, she reduces the heat to low and adds oyster sauce and other seasonings.
Cover the pot and simmer for a while, then reduce the sauce over high heat.
As Tang Yiyi finished cooking the braised pork ribs, she turned around and saw a little glutton lurking at the kitchen doorway. "Dinner's ready! Hurry up and wash your hands before eating."
"Xiaoyu, go wash your hands~" Xiaoyu said, inhaling the fragrance in the air.
Children often use reduplicated words when they speak, which makes them seem very cute.
We bought too many pork ribs, and the two of us couldn't finish them. In this weather, they might spoil by the next day.
Tang Yiyi ladled out a small bowl of braised pork ribs when she suddenly heard Xiaoyu ask, "Sister, are we saving this small bowl of ribs for tomorrow?"
"No, my sister is taking ribs to Grandma Li."
Grandma Li lived downstairs from them and treated the original owner's family very well. Sometimes she would even help pick up Xiaoyu from school.
Holding a small bowl of spare ribs, Tang Yiyi knocked on the door.
Grandma Li opened the door and, seeing her, unconsciously said, "Yi Yi is here."
"Grandma, I've brought you some spare ribs."
Grandma Li then noticed the small half-bowl of ribs in her hand, which looked and smelled delicious. "I can't accept this," she said.
The pork ribs at the market aren't cheap, so how could I let them spend money on me?
"It's okay. Xiaoyu and I couldn't finish the ribs we bought. Your family has helped us a lot too."
After Tang Yiyi said that, Grandma Li didn't know what to say, and only said, "Yiyi, wait a moment."
Grandma Li took the bowl of ribs and walked into the house.
Before long, Grandma Li came over with a bowl and a bag of things. "Yiyi, Grandma can't accept your ribs for nothing. These are lychees I bought. They're very sweet. You and Xiaoyu can take them and eat them."
A relationship needs give and take to last.
Tang Yiyi understood this principle and accepted the lychees.
When she got home, she found Xiaoyu sitting obediently at the dining table, not having touched his chopsticks yet, and a wave of tenderness washed over her.
"Xiaoyu, let's eat the lychees Grandma Li gave us after we finish our meal."
Okay~.
The ribs in the bowl were constantly tempting Xiaoyu, but since his sister hadn't come back, he couldn't start eating yet; he had to wait for her to return so they could eat together.
Now that we can finally eat, the ribs have a lot of lean meat and are not greasy. She picked up a piece of rib and gave it to Xiaoyu.
Xiao Yu lowered his head and bit into the rib. The lean meat was tender and chewy, sweet and spicy, and the juice that seeped out was just right, leaving a sweet and spicy aroma in his mouth.
Tang Yiyi watched as Xiaoyu gnawed on a piece of pork rib, looking like a little hamster eating, and couldn't help but laugh.
Xiaoyu: The ribs my sister made are delicious, we can't waste them.
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