Chapter 65 Steamed Pork Ribs with Taro
Tang Yiyi went out wearing an apron, and the dumpling shop next door was full of customers.
The proprietress greeted customers at the door and didn't flinch when she saw Tang Yiyi.
"Yiyi, how's business at your shop tonight?"
There was a hint of schadenfreude in his tone; their dumpling shop business was doing well now.
Tang Yiyi was initially quite unhappy, but seeing the other person's impatient demeanor, she calmed down instead.
Back at the restaurant, Song Man was restless and looked worried.
"Don't worry about what's next door, just focus on your own business."
Tang Yiyi had thought it through. Since the other party was selling rice bowls like they were, she would sell them for a few yuan less.
They cannot follow the other side's example and lower prices to engage in a price war, as that would only result in both sides suffering losses.
It was almost seven o'clock, and there weren't many customers in the store yet.
Song Man grew anxious and went to the kitchen. "Sister Yi Yi, how about we lower the price of every dish? Like the restaurant next door."
Tang Yiyi said solemnly, "Our neighbor has lowered their prices to follow our lead, so we can't just lower our prices arbitrarily. As long as we maintain the quality of our food and service, we'll attract more customers!"
Seeing this, Song Man's lips moved, and she swallowed the words that were just about to come out.
Tang Yiyi closed her shop and locked the roller shutter door. The dumpling shop next door was still open, bustling with customers.
Suddenly, she felt a warm touch on her hand. Tang Yiyi looked down and met Xiaoyu's clear eyes, which were full of concern. "Sister, let's go home."
Xiaoyu knew his sister was unhappy and wanted her to go home quickly so she could get some sleep and maybe feel better tomorrow.
"Okay," Tang Yiyi said, gripping Xiaoyu's hand tightly.
There's no use worrying about it now; we can deal with the restaurant issue tomorrow.
The menu for tomorrow was ready, but instead of taking a shower, Tang Yiyi tidied up the house.
My phone chimed, and when I opened it, I saw it was a red envelope from Jianhao's grandfather.
"Boss, I'd like a serving of braised pork with preserved mustard greens and steamed taro with pork ribs for lunch tomorrow."
Braised pork with preserved mustard greens: 26; Steamed pork ribs with taro: 25; Total: 49.
Jianhao's grandfather sent him a red envelope containing 55.6 yuan.
Tang Yiyi didn't accept the offer, so she sent a voice message to the other party.
"Grandpa Jianhao, these two dishes cost 49 in total, but you sent me 55.6. Did you send the wrong amount of money?"
The elderly person's eyesight isn't very good; they might have misread the number and sent it incorrectly.
"That's right, boss, the extra 6.6 yuan is my tip. Your restaurant is really clean and hygienic, and the food is top-notch. It's the best restaurant I've ever been to!"
"I hope your restaurant will stay open forever!"
The unexpected, heartwarming words from the diner brought tears to Tang Yiyi's eyes.
"Yes, thank you for your support!"
That's how it is when you open a shop; you'll always encounter small setbacks, but once you get over them, everything will be fine. That's a phrase her mother used to say a lot in her past life.
Tang Yiyi still remembers it vividly.
The next day, Tang Yiyi woke up to find that the gloom of the previous day had been replaced by a clear sky.
Quickly prepare breakfast and wake Xiaoyu up to eat.
Tang Yiyi's fried corn pancakes, with a little rock sugar added, tasted sweet and soft.
Xiaoyu had absolutely no resistance to it!
Paired with freshly made soy milk, the delicate texture of the soybeans glides across the tongue, thick and delicious.
Xiao Yu ate quite a lot for breakfast, and patted his bulging belly at the end, saying, "It looks like a little watermelon."
Tang Yiyi quickly took him to school, and then went to the vegetable market.
On the way, you'll inevitably run into a few parents of your classmates. "Xiaoyu, is this your..."
A classmate asked Xiaoyu a question.
Xiao Yu straightened his back and proudly introduced, "This is my sister."
Hello, sister~
"Sister, you're so beautiful!"
Looking at the little ones, Tang Yiyi smiled with affection, "Xiaoyu, hurry up and go to school."
"Bye-bye, sister!"
When Tang Yiyi arrived at the market, she wanted to buy some taro to steam with pork ribs, but after walking past several stalls, she couldn't find any taro for sale.
After many twists and turns, Tang Yiyi finally found the taro she wanted. In the old man's basket, the taro was plump and round, and looked very beautiful.
She went up and picked out several taro roots of moderate size. When it was time to pay, the old woman said, "Welcome to come again."
Tang Yiyi turned around and went back to the butcher stall to buy some pork ribs.
When we were about to leave, we picked out some chili peppers, scallions, ginger, and garlic, and paid the bill for them all at once.
These seasonings are very important and affect the taste of the ingredients. For example, some guests like to eat the chili peppers in their dishes.
Back at the restaurant, Tang Yiyi felt a rush of time and quickened her pace.
After cooking the tea eggs in the rice cooker, Tang Yiyi quickly peeled the taro, revealing the light pinkish-white taro.
The leftover braised pork belly from yesterday is also a good choice for making taro braised pork belly. Compared to preserved mustard greens, it can better neutralize the greasiness of the braised pork belly.
Pork ribs are prone to accumulating blood foam. After washing them, blanch them in a soup pot. After a while, use a spatula to skim off the floating blood foam.
Steamed pork ribs with taro takes quite a while to steam, and seeing that it was still early, Tang Yiyi decided to go and do other things first.
I went up to the second-floor balcony and brought in the dried grapefruit peels. I used them to make honey with water, and it tasted pretty good.
You can also eat it dry. The dried grapefruit peel has a layer of white frost on its surface, and it tastes sweet with a slight sourness. At the same time, the grapefruit peel is chewy and suitable as a snack.
Tang Yiyi took a few pieces and gave them to Song Man to try.
Song Man carefully bit off a corner of the grapefruit peel. Not bad, the taste...
At 10:30, Tang Yiyi steamed the pork ribs and taro in a pressure cooker and turned on the range hood.
Zhao Nan came to eat with some friends. One of his friends asked, "Zhao Nan, you've been leading us for so long, which restaurant are we going to?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Zhao Nan said mysteriously, "I guarantee it will taste great."
The others exchanged glances. Since they were already here, it would seem like a waste not to go and take a look.
As the restaurant sign came into view, Zhao Nan unconsciously took a deep breath, as if he could smell the aroma in the air.
"This is the store."
"Wait, this place?" The friends stopped and hesitated, looking around the small restaurant.
Good wine needs no bush; could it be that a small restaurant is hiding delicious food that big restaurants don't?
Zhao Nan insisted, "That's right, this restaurant has one of the best flavors!"
It was almost lunchtime, and the restaurant was a little quieter than usual, but Tang Yiyi seemed calm, and Song Man and Tang Yiyi weren't in a hurry either. Maybe the owner had come up with a solution.
The steamed pork ribs with taro were ready. Tang Yiyi turned off the heat first, and after a few minutes, she lifted the lid. The billowing steam mixed with the aroma of food wafted out, and she could vaguely see the tender white taro slices and the fresh pork rib pieces.
Zhao Nan and the others came in at this moment, took a deep sniff, and exclaimed, "It smells so good!"
Only Zhao Nan noticed something was wrong. It was 11:30 a.m., and the restaurant used to be full of customers, but now there were only one or two tables of customers.
"What was your boss eating just now?" Zhao Nan asked Song Man at the front desk impatiently.
"Today's special is steamed pork ribs with taro."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Nan recalled how to make the dish and what it would look like.
"Two servings of steamed pork ribs with taro, one serving of minced pork and tofu, and..." Zhao Nan ordered the food. He was treating his friends today, and judging from their expressions, they shouldn't have any objections.
"Please wait a moment, there are seats over there."
After readily scanning the QR code to pay, Zhao Nan clutched the receipt and found a seat.
"Brother Nan, this restaurant doesn't seem to have many customers!" a friend suddenly said, his words revealing his distrust of the restaurant.
"It wasn't like this before, there weren't any seats available at this time!" Zhao Nan recalled the past with some emotion.
Upon hearing this, the others were skeptical. Could it be that the store is a popular online store with such a large change in customer traffic?
Tang Yiyi and a guest brought the dishes together. Zhao Nan and his group sat at a table. Several grown men ordered seven or eight dishes, not worried at all about not being able to finish them.
"It looks incredibly tempting!" a few friends couldn't help but exclaim.
Zhao Nan quickly picked up his chopsticks, his movements decisive and efficient. "Try it quickly."
The taro slices looked soft and fluffy, the lean pork ribs were mostly lean with little fat, and the chili peppers and scallions added flavor. It was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.
Zhao Nan heard several swallowing sounds, a sly glint in his eyes. When the dishes were served, everyone's casual expressions changed, becoming solemn and serious, their eyes shining.
The taro chips are incredibly soft and fragrant, unlike any taro I've ever had before, and they leave a satisfying feeling in your mouth.
The taro is smooth, soft, and incredibly delicious.
The pork ribs are tender and juicy, and when coated with the soft, powdery taro, they are incredibly delicious.
The only downside is that it's not spicy enough; otherwise, it would be even more appetizing.
After lunch, Zhao Nan went to the kitchen door and asked, "Boss, do you still need any renovations?"
"Yes, we'll do," Tang Yiyi turned around and recognized Zhao Nanlai. "Tomorrow is National Day, so we can start the renovations. Can you arrive at eight o'clock tomorrow morning? There are a few other things I need to tell you on my phone."
Seeing the boss cooking non-stop, with fumes rising, Zhao Nan nodded, "Contact me by phone."
After dinner, Tang Yiyi started thinking about the renovation. She wanted to have the renovation done by National Day, and she wanted to use environmentally friendly paint that was formaldehyde-free, even if it was more expensive.
This way, once the renovation is completed, the store can open for business as soon as possible without affecting subsequent business.
Before leaving for school, Xiaoyu was still saying, "Taro is so delicious~"
He seemed to be reminiscing, with a childlike air about him.
The steamed pork ribs with taro at lunchtime still sells well, sometimes as many as thirty or forty servings.
Even Xiaoyu loved to eat it; he never stopped eating.
She added Zhao Nan and the others to a home renovation group. Zhao Nan immediately replied to her instructions, saying that they would take care of buying the tools, and Tang Yiyi would pay for them in the end.
The first day of National Day was filled with festive joy.
Tang Yiyi doesn't need to go to the market; she can go directly to a restaurant after breakfast.
At eight o'clock, Zhao Nan and his group bought the formaldehyde-free paint and took it over with them, along with their decorating tools.
Tang Yiyi gave everyone a mask and stood by to supervise the work.
Zhao Nan and his team had a clear division of labor: first, they cleaned the old walls, then applied a layer of primer, and finally, they used a paint roller to paint the entire wall. Where it was inconvenient, they used a ladder.
Tang Yiyi prepared tea for them, and the walls were half-painted.
Zhao Nan and his friends went to eat, while Tang Yiyi went home to cook.
As soon as I got home, I heard rustling sounds coming from the kitchen.
Tang Yiyi looked over and saw Xiaoyu washing rice by the sink.
"Xiaoyu can even wash rice, that's amazing!"
Xiaoyu: "Sister! Auntie said that if children don't do chores, adults won't like them."
Is it reasonable for her to give Xiaoyu living expenses and then expect him to help with chores?
A fire ignited within Tang Yiyi as she grasped Xiaoyu's hand. "No one would dislike Xiaoyu. If Xiaoyu does too much work, the adults who love you will feel sorry for him!"
Xiaoyu seemed to understand something. "Xiaoyu doesn't want his sister to be too tired, that's why he's doing chores. Xiaoyu is all grown up now and can do chores."
Upon hearing this, Tang Yiyi felt even more sorry for Xiaoyu.
The child is so sensible it breaks your heart.
In a child's eyes, growing taller means growing up.
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