Chapter 9 Green Beans and Eggplant Stew
After finishing a tea egg, Teacher Yu's eyes lit up.
Legend has it that her eyes now shone with a light, a stark contrast to her demeanor when preparing lessons or dealing with troublesome students.
She seemed to enter a state where she lay on soft, comfortable clouds, and even the breeze blowing past her ears felt just right.
Simple words cannot describe the excitement she felt.
Until several shadows fell in front of her, Teacher Yu looked up and saw that they were all teachers from the same office.
"Teacher Yu, where did you buy these tea eggs?" I don't think the school cafeteria sells them, and even if they did, they wouldn't smell this good.
The person who asked this question was Ms. Tang, who works at the next workstation. She has a decent appetite, but unfortunately, the school cafeteria food is terrible, and she often goes hungry after eating one meal.
Not to mention the takeout I ordered; it was expensive, and the food tasted very much like pre-cooked food.
"I bought it at a restaurant near the school gate," Teacher Yu said briefly before continuing to enjoy her delicious tea egg.
She miscalculated; two tea eggs weren't enough to fill her up! She started looking forward to seaweed and mung bean soup.
"There's good food right outside the school gate?" Upon hearing this, the teachers were skeptical and couldn't believe it.
But as they returned to their seats, the lingering aroma of food reminded them that they should go and check it out when they had time.
Some teachers were so engrossed in the aroma of the food that they almost forgot they had class to teach.
Just as Teacher Yu expected, the kelp and mung bean soup was light and sweet. The combination of kelp and mung beans tasted great, and the soup underneath was even sweeter, better than any milk tea or beverage.
Teacher Yu felt that she shouldn't have bought milk tea before. It cost more than ten yuan a cup, and there wasn't much toppings in it. It was no different from drinking sweet water.
It's better to drink seaweed and mung bean soup that costs a few dollars a bowl!
After finishing breakfast, Teacher Yu's eyes curved slightly, looking very gentle.
She thoroughly enjoyed the breakfast.
Tang Yiyi moved a small stool and sat down. There was a basin in front of her. She started picking green beans, removing the ends. She didn't know why the green beans she picked tasted better than the ones she cut.
After washing the eggplant, cut it into strips and then sprinkle it with salt to marinate for a while.
Tang Yiyi wrote on the blackboard, "Today's dish: braised eggplant with green beans," priced at 12 yuan.
Make a simple sauce: add a spoonful of oyster sauce, light soy sauce, and sugar, then pour in water and stir well.
Tang Yiyi prepared the ingredients, and Grandma Li, holding a palm-leaf fan, asked cheerfully, "Yiyi, how's business today?"
Business should be good these first two days of school.
"Well enough."
"What dishes are served at the restaurant for lunch?" Grandma Li asked again. She had presbyopia and wasn't wearing her reading glasses, so she couldn't see the words on the blackboard very clearly, even though Tang Yiyi's writing was quite large.
"There's braised eggplant with green beans and seaweed and mung bean soup."
"Then give me one serving of both," Grandma Li paused, "but if I cook the dishes half an hour later, my Lili will finish school at noon, so cooking now will be too early."
Lili is a day student; she usually goes home for lunch and rest.
"good."
There weren't many customers at the moment, so Grandma Li sat down, and Tang Yiyi poured her a glass of water and brought it to her.
Grandma Li took the bowl and said, "Thank you, Yi Yi."
Then I drank some water; it was cool and soothed my parched throat considerably.
About half an hour later, Tang Yiyi heated oil in a wok, added green beans (she had specifically chosen tender ones for their easy handling and good texture), and cooked them until some moisture was released before removing them from the wok. Then she added eggplant and stir-fried it until it softened before removing it from the wok.
Next, stir-fry the millet peppers and minced garlic in the oil until fragrant, then add the green beans and eggplant, pour in the prepared sauce, and toss the pan again to stir-fry quickly for a few seconds.
Grandma Li outside could smell the aroma; they were in for a treat at lunchtime!
Grandma Li went to the school gate to pick up Lili ten minutes early.
As soon as the bell rang, a group of students rushed out like horses released from their reins.
There were many parents like Grandma Li waiting to pick up their children at the school gate.
A thin, dark-skinned girl appeared in front of Grandma Li; it was her granddaughter, Lili.
"Grandma, what brings you here to pick me up today?" Lili chattered on.
"How about Grandma takes you to your sister Yiyi's restaurant for dinner?"
"That's great!" Lili's face was full of joy.
Filled with anticipation, she and her grandmother entered the restaurant.
At this moment, Tang Yiyi brought over a plate of stir-fried green beans and eggplant, placed it on the table, and said to Grandma Li, "The stir-fried green beans and eggplant are ready, and I'll also have a seaweed and mung bean soup soon."
"Okay, thank you for your hard work!"
Grandma Li and her companion sat down and started eating.
This stir-fried green beans and eggplant looks delicious; the vibrant green of the green beans and the deep purple of the eggplant create a visually appealing dish.
Grandma Li picked up some green beans for Lili, and then for herself.
The green beans were incredibly tender and soft when cooked, making them easy to eat without breaking a sweat. They were also coated in broth, which Grandma Li used to mix with rice – it was delicious!
Another piece of eggplant, slightly soft and mushy, soaked in the broth, was very flavorful and delicious.
Lili ate with great relish, nodding her head and giving a thumbs-up, unable to fully express her joy.
Just then, Xiaoyu came back from get out of class and saw his classmates enjoying their meal. He felt proud and honored; no one could resist his sister's cooking!
Just as Tang Yiyi was about to greet the guests, Xiao Yu ran over and started packing food for them in plastic bags, going from being clumsy at first to becoming quite skilled now.
Xiaoyu is getting better and better at what he does.
Seeing this, Tang Yiyi felt a pang of tenderness in her heart.
In her past life, she had no relatives growing up and fantasized about having an older brother. She also thought it would be nice to have a sensible and obedient younger brother.
"Xiaoyu is back!" she smiled.
"Uh-huh."
The grandfather and grandson had never had such good appetites. They ate two bowls of rice, finished all the dishes, and even shared the seaweed and mung bean soup that was served later.
I can't help but sigh that this is what life should be like—full of flavor and full of hope.
"Yiyi, every time I eat your cooking, I feel like I can't get enough to eat, and I always want more!" Grandma Li praised.
"If you like Grandma Li, please come more often! My restaurant serves three meals a day, I guarantee you'll eat well and be satisfied!"
Hearing this, Grandma Li nodded, thinking that she could have breakfast at the restaurant while dropping her granddaughter off at school in the morning.
From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. is lunch break time.
After eating takeout, Teacher Yu lost her appetite and started grading students' homework.
There are indeed students who know what 1+1 equals, but don't know what 2+2 equals.
After writing down a bunch of random thoughts, Teacher Yu was so angry that the veins on his forehead bulged.
I'm so angry, but then I remember that the average lifespan of their teachers is much lower than the national average, and that a female teacher at the school used to get breast cancer because of work stress and depression.
Teacher Yu was instantly less angry. "Don't be angry, don't hurt yourself."
Suddenly, a feeling of nausea surged up, and Teacher Yu felt like vomiting and her stomach started to hurt.
Oh no, she's going to avoid this takeout restaurant forever.
Thinking about the tea eggs and seaweed and mung bean soup she ate this morning, Teacher Yu almost wanted to cry. Why wasn't this restaurant on the food delivery platform? If it weren't for her homework holding her back, she would have rushed over to eat there!
Tang Yiyi was fairly satisfied with the revenue over the past few days; she could manage it all on her own. However, to earn more money, the restaurant should also be listed on food delivery platforms so that more customers would know there was such a restaurant near Xingguang Elementary School, thus boosting offline business.
These past few days, Tang Yiyi has been working on getting listed on food delivery platforms. She took photos of the store and prepared relevant documents, such as a business license and health certificate. Everything is ready except for the final step.
Now that she's listed on a food delivery platform, Tang Yiyi is considering adding some dishes, such as stir-fried pork with chili over rice.
In their area, stir-fried pork with chili peppers is especially popular. People of all ages and genders love to eat it, and it's not uncommon for them to eat it three times a day for two days.
Tang Yiyi rode her new bicycle to the market. Stir-fried pork with chili peppers requires specific ingredients; the quality of the pork and chili peppers determines how delicious and appetizing the dish will be.
At the pork stall, the male owner sharpened his knife, shouting, "The pigs were slaughtered this morning, very fresh!"
Tang Yiyi started selecting pork belly, especially the kind with a good balance of fat and lean meat, with more lean meat than fat. After finally picking out a few pieces, she said to the vendor, "I'll take all of these pork belly pieces!"
Because she's a regular customer, the owner always gives her a piece of pig liver when she buys this much, saying, "Welcome to come again."
She wanted to buy screw peppers, as they are especially fragrant and spicy when stir-fried.
This vegetable stall has good chili peppers, so she bought several pounds of bell peppers, as well as corn, scallions, ginger, and so on.
Returning home with a full load, they went back to the restaurant, opened the roller shutter door, and carried the ingredients into the kitchen.
A note from the author:
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