Chapter 50 Claypot Rice
Business has been good at the store lately; after paying the rent, I've even managed to save some money.
The next day, after dropping Xiaoyu off, Tang Yiyi rode her bicycle to the market.
As she walked leisurely through the fresh morning air, seeing parents dropping their children off at school and passersby rushing to work, Tang Yiyi arrived at the market.
Loud shouts filled the air, creating a lively atmosphere.
"Local oranges, three yuan a pound, you won't regret it!"
"The fresh, tender green vegetables are 1.5 yuan per pound."
"The pork was freshly slaughtered this morning..."
Tang Yiyi strolled around, carrying a canvas bag. Whenever she came across fresh, vibrant vegetables, she would buy whatever she wanted.
Soon after, she returned with a full load, and she struggled a bit to move the food to her bicycle.
Back at the restaurant, I saw Song Man at the entrance. She had arrived quite early today. After greeting her, we carried the ingredients to the kitchen together.
"Boss, your package is here." Soon, a deliveryman came over, put down the package, and left.
Song Man looked over curiously, and Tang Yiyi stepped forward and took scissors to open the package.
What immediately catches the eye is a stack of clay pots, perfect for steaming clay pot rice.
I placed an order online a couple of days ago, and it arrived so quickly.
"Boss, what are these clay pots for?" Song Man suddenly asked.
Claypot rice.
She had just bought sausages, corn, and bok choy that morning.
Just thinking about the taste of claypot rice made Song Man's mouth water.
Around 10 a.m., someone placed a takeout order.
Song Man glanced at it; the delivery location was quite far, almost to the outskirts of the city.
"Sister Yi, one claypot rice to go."
When the order came in, Tang Yiyi quickly got to work and started cooking.
There was a clay pot on the stove containing rice, sausage, and corn kernels. The bok choy could be added later. She poured a ring of soy sauce around the rice. As it steamed, the soy sauce would seep into the rice and ingredients, making it incredibly fragrant.
Tang Yiyi stood by the stove, not straying too far, constantly keeping an eye on the ingredients and the state of the rice in the casserole.
Song Man was packing tea eggs for customers at the front desk when she smelled the aroma wafting from the kitchen and thought to herself that it was a sweet burden.
As the number of guests gradually increased, fortunately there was more than one stove in the kitchen, and Tang Yiyi placed a clay pot on each stove.
Smelling the aroma, a steady stream of passersby came in, eager to peek into the kitchen and see what was making that smelled so good, as they could smell it from a great distance.
"Our boss is making claypot rice," Song Man explained to the guests.
"Give me a claypot rice, quick!"
"I'd like five servings of claypot rice; my friend will be here shortly."
"..."
The claypot rice is not expensive, only two yuan more expensive than a regular rice bowl, which many customers find acceptable.
The owner stood in the small kitchen, preparing several clay pot rice dishes by himself. There was only a fan in the kitchen, providing some coolness.
Seeing that the boss's back was soaked with sweat, the few customers who had objections ultimately remained silent and did not turn around and leave.
Most of the people ordering claypot rice are young people, while others order rice bowls with toppings more often.
As soon as the bell rang, everyone rushed off to eat, like birds leaving their nest.
Gu Jia stood up. "Come on, Xiaoyue, let's go out to eat."
The two discussed it during break and decided to eat at the small restaurant across the street from the school gate at noon.
Under the scorching sun, the two arrived at the restaurant.
I was almost dumbfounded. How could there be so many people in the store?
Almost all the tables were full of customers, not to mention those in line.
If we keep queuing like this, when will we ever get to the monkey and horse months?
"Jiajia, why don't we come back for dinner tonight?" Su Yue suggested, indicating she was considering leaving.
Gu Jia insisted, "Since we're already at this small restaurant, I'm going to eat here."
Seeing her best friend's reaction, Su Yue didn't say anything more.
The rice bowl I got to go a couple of days ago was quite delicious, but the school cafeteria doesn't taste the same.
Gu Jia and the others were so hungry they were almost sick of it, and they couldn't even muster the energy to study.
I've realized that I'll only be motivated to study if I'm comfortable eating.
The two stopped hesitating and rushed over!
Seeing the two adorable little girls, who were regulars, Song Man felt a sense of goodwill. "Little girls, what would you like to eat?"
Seeing the words "claypot rice" on the blackboard, sixteen yuan a serving, Gu Jia said without thinking, "Sister, give me a claypot rice."
I haven't had claypot rice in a long time, and I'm really craving it.
The last time I ate claypot rice was during winter vacation when my whole family went on a trip. We ate the local specialty claypot rice, and it was indeed delicious and very authentic.
Su Yue said, "Give me a claypot rice too." She had never had claypot rice before.
After saying that, he turned around and saw an empty seat, so he quickly ran to claim it and sat down first.
Waiting becomes less boring. The key to delicious claypot rice is controlling the heat. Keep an eye on the heat and cook the rice until it's slightly charred at the bottom. It's fragrant and delicious, and many diners love it.
The slices of Chinese sausage in the casserole are neatly cut and arranged together with corn kernels, topped with fresh green vegetables, and the soy sauce has soaked into the rice.
The little girls may burn their hands if they come over to take it.
Tang Yiyi used a towel to support both sides of the casserole and served it to the guest.
A strong aroma wafted out, and after a few seconds, Tang Yiyi lifted the lid. To the astonishment of the two girls, steam wafted out, revealing slices of sausage, corn kernels, and bok choy neatly arranged in the casserole. The various colors of the ingredients were all equally tempting, creating a visually appealing dish.
Gu Jia sniffed it and said sincerely, "It smells so good!"
It looked delicious, and Su Yue stared at it intently.
It wasn't until Tang Yiyi reminded the two, "You can eat it when it's cold," that things changed.
The claypot rice, fresh off the stove, was still piping hot and incredibly fragrant.
The two little girls nodded earnestly.
Soon, my stomach started growling, as if saying I was hungry.
Gu Jia asked uncertainly, "It should be edible now, right?"
"It should be possible."
Su Yue couldn't wait to pick up the silver spoon, scoop up a large spoonful of claypot rice, and put it in her mouth. The rice was infused with the flavor of soy sauce, making it savory and delicious. The sausage was also savory and fragrant, while the corn kernels were sweet and fresh, creating a rich and complex flavor. The small green vegetables looked vibrant and fresh, and tasted refreshing.
Gu Jia lowered her head, as if burying it in the casserole.
The best part is the crispy rice crust at the bottom of the casserole, which is fragrant and delicious.
Gu Jia's eyes lit up; she had never imagined that crispy rice crusts could smell so good.
Su Yue also ate heartily and thoroughly enjoyed herself.
Feeling it wasn't flavorful enough and too bland, she poured soy sauce into the rice, then stirred it a few times, and the vegetables and sausage also absorbed the sausage flavor.
Then, take a big spoonful and your mouth is filled with the rich, savory flavor of the claypot rice, paired with various ingredients—it's truly satisfying.
Su Yue felt as if she were lying on soft clouds, with a gentle breeze blowing and the sun warm but not scorching.
The customers in the shop were all engrossed in eating claypot rice.
Watching this scene, Song Man felt both envious and proud. She also wanted to try the claypot rice. If only she could have it for lunch, the owner's skills were top-notch. If she were to eat claypot rice, her expressions and actions would be even more exaggerated than those of the other customers.
After finishing her meal, Gu Jia took something out of her bag and ran to the front desk.
Turning to Song Man, he said, "Sister, we wanted to give these candies to the lady in the kitchen; her claypot rice is so delicious!"
On the table were several candies wrapped in colorful paper.
Seeing the little girl's bright eyes, Song Man smiled, "Thank you on behalf of the kitchen staff, you are all lovely children!"
A few candies aren't worth much money; what's valuable is the sentiment of the two little girls.
"It's nothing~"
In the kitchen, Tang Yiyi was preparing lunch for the three of them. She placed a clay pot on the stove and cooked it for a while. She then used chopsticks to turn the clay pot rice over, revealing the crispy, golden-brown rice crust at the bottom.
Seeing that it was almost time, I used a towel to take the casserole off the stove; the casserole was still very hot to the touch.
When Song Man learned that their lunch was claypot rice, her mind went blank, overwhelmed by immense surprise and happiness.
Xiao Yu held a small spoon. This was his first time eating claypot rice. The originally white rice was now stained with the color of soy sauce, which looked very tempting.
The sausage was savory and delicious, with a light sheen of oil on the surface. The corn kernels were very sweet, and the bok choy was refreshing.
Xiao Yu was quite delighted; the smell was wonderful!
A strong, overpowering aroma wafted over, instantly filling the air with its scent. Xiaoyu hurriedly scooped up a spoonful of rice and stuffed it into his mouth.
The rice was moist and flavorful without being bland or greasy, and it was served with a variety of side dishes, making it very delicious.
The number of takeout orders suddenly increased, and I didn't even have time to clean up the dirty dishes after finishing my meal.
A notification sound came from the front desk: "You have a new takeout order. Please check it."
After finishing the last bite of rice, Song Man got up and ran over, "I'll go check on Sister Yi Yi."
"Sister Yi, this customer wants five servings of claypot rice."
There aren't enough stoves, so five servings of claypot rice have to be cooked in two separate batches.
Later, Tang Yiyi realized she hadn't bought enough sausages, so she had to ask Song Man to watch the shop while she rushed to the dried goods store to buy more. Fortunately, everything turned out alright, and the food was delivered to the customer on time.
When Tang Yiyi was settling the accounts that evening, she was shocked to find that she had sold eighty-five claypot rice dishes, including both takeout and dine-in orders.
There were no customers requesting refunds, and the positive review rate was over 95%.
Song Man felt sore and tired, she had never been so tired before. "The store is doing really well today, Sister Yi."
"Will you continue selling claypot rice tomorrow?" Song Man asked.
Tang Yiyi thought for a moment, "Let's sell it for another two or three days, since our store's main focus is on selling rice bowls."
Even if claypot rice is delicious, customers will get tired of eating it for two or three days in a row.
They change the dishes every now and then, which keeps customers interested.
Besides, making claypot rice is much more tiring than making rice bowls, and it takes longer to serve. Today, we had a lot of customers urging us to hurry up.
At 8 p.m., Tang Yiyi prepared to pack up the shop and then closed it.
Then Teacher Wang came over, carrying a bag, and said, "Sister Xiaoyu, are you still busy? Can you make one claypot rice dish to go?"
The small restaurant usually closes around 8 o'clock, but today Teacher Wang went back to his dormitory to rest after class and ended up sleeping until almost 8 o'clock.
"Sure, but you might have to wait a while, Teacher Wang," Tang Yiyi said gently, even though she was a little tired.
"It's okay, I can wait," Ms. Wang said, scanning the QR code to pay and then sitting down. She wasn't hungry yet and was patient enough to wait.
Soon, as the claypot rice was served, the aroma filled the air.
Beautifully colored sausages, golden corn kernels, and crisp bok choy, with rice underneath infused with the aroma of soy sauce—a subtle fragrance of rice mixed with the subtle scent of soy sauce.
Teacher Wang was starving; she needed a spoon to eat the authentic claypot rice.
She rushed over after her colleague told her that the restaurant sold claypot rice.
The claypot rice was so fragrant and delicious that Teacher Wang fell in love with the taste after just one bite, finding it more and more delicious with each bite.
After returning home, Tang Yiyi lay on the sofa, feeling completely exhausted.
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