Chapter 502
This is a large shopping mall. The west gate faces the department store, and the north gate faces Goldfish Hutong. There are many snack shops and food stores on both sides of the market gate, which is very lively and fancy.
The market is bustling with activity, with stalls of all kinds standing next to each other. The sounds of hawking and bargaining intertwine together, forming a unique melody of the market.
There are a wide variety of goods, ranging from daily pots and pans, clothes, shoes and socks to various novel gadgets, and the prices are relatively more affordable.
The father and daughter took out a list, on which was written the things they wanted to buy that they had sorted out last night.
They squeezed in the huge crowd, selected goods and bargained, and by the time they had bought everything, they were exhausted and the pastries they had eaten two hours ago had been finished.
After carrying all the things back and putting them in the car, Tang Ziyi said, "The ethnic restaurant over there is pretty good. Why don't we just eat here? It's only three o'clock now."
Jiayin said, "It's okay, you can eat earlier. Then we'll take Uncle Yuan and Miaomiao to see the night view and have a midnight snack."
Great! The itinerary is packed, so father and daughter don't have to worry about anything.
The next morning, the father and daughter went out to find food again.
Aunt Li next door introduced them to a soy milk restaurant, which was a 20-minute walk away.
Although there is also one in the alley, Aunt Li said that one tastes better.
Adhering to the principle of eating the best, the father and daughter treated the 20-minute journey as morning exercise.
Along the way, Su Miao looked at his father's heroic and high-spirited appearance, and he seemed to be unaware of the seriousness of the matter.
And when she thought about eating later, she couldn't help laughing.
I guess my father’s belief that “everything in Beijing is delicious”, which he just established in the past two days, is about to collapse.
Twenty minutes later, Su Yuan was looking at the shop with the sign that read "Wang San Douzhi" and walked in with his daughter very confidently.
There were many people in the store, but there were still seats available. Su Yuanzheng felt that he had inherited Sister Li's true skills, so he ordered some soy milk fried dough sticks and sesame cakes.
While waiting, he said to Su Miao:
"Miao Miao, I've remembered everything your Aunt Li said just now: douzhi, fried dough rings, and pickled mustard greens. When drinking douzhi, you have to have pickled mustard greens on the side, and then you have to have those golden brown fried dough rings on the side. None of these three can be missing!"
Su Miao nodded to his father with a profound look on his face: "Yes! You are right!"
After a while, the breakfast they ordered was served. Looking at the two bowls of turbid, slightly gray liquid, the smile on Su Yuanzheng's face froze.
He lowered his voice and said, "Miaomiao, is that right? Shouldn't bean juice be similar to soy milk?"
Su Miao also replied in a low voice: "Dad, I think it should be right. Look, everyone around us eats it this way, so you can drink it without worry."
Then he silently added in his heart, "Just drink it," and drank it without saying a word.
Su Yuanzheng turned around and saw that the diners around him were indeed eating comfortably, so he felt relieved.
But just as he picked up the porcelain bowl and was about to taste it, a strange sour and smell spread out and went straight into his nostrils.
Su Yuanzheng subconsciously wrinkled his nose and knitted his brows tightly together. He moved closer to the bowl and sniffed it carefully again. The smell became stronger, making him shrink his neck.
He looked embarrassed and his eyes were full of confusion. He looked at the bowl of soy milk in front of him with a strange smell and felt unbelievable.
"Miao Miao! The bowl of soy milk the boss gave us seems to be spoiled. It must have been left overnight! I guess we need to get a new bowl!"
Because he was so surprised, he forgot to lower his voice and his words were heard by the diners next to him.
A gray-haired, kind-faced old man at the next table noticed their embarrassment.
The old man was wearing a white vest that was a little loose from washing, and was holding a doughnut in his hand. He smiled and said in an authentic Beijing accent:
"You two are from other places, right? I'm not used to drinking douzhi for the first time. This stuff has to be paired with fried dough sticks and pickles to taste authentic."
Su Miao nodded and said, "Yes, uncle, we are from Guangxi District. This is our first time drinking douzhi."
"This bean juice smells strange, but it has a wonderful aroma when you drink it. It's the 'soul drink' of our old capital. If you can get used to it, then you've truly integrated into the capital!"
The old man picked up a doughnut, dipped it in soy milk skillfully, put it in his mouth, and chewed it with a satisfied expression, eating it with relish.
The people around him also cast kind glances at him. Some smiled and nodded in agreement with the old man. An old lady said:
"That's right, this douzhi is just like the alleys in our capital city. It looks unremarkable, but it's full of exquisiteness inside. Try it a few times, and you might just fall in love with it."
Su Yuanzheng used his own thinking to understand what everyone said and said:
"Ah! Is it like eating stinky tofu? It smells bad but tastes good. If that's the case, I should be able to accept it because I love stinky tofu."
Su Miao had no intention of drinking the soy milk, but instead gave his father moral and verbal support:
"Dad, I think you can do it. Why don't you try it first?"
Amidst everyone's gazes and kind laughter, Su Yuanzheng mustered up the courage to take a sip.
In an instant, his expression became extremely strange. His originally relaxed brows instantly twisted into knots, and his eyes widened.
His mouth opened slightly, as if he wanted to spit out the sour taste, but he felt it was impolite so he held it back.
The sour taste rushed through his mouth, stimulating every taste bud and making his throat instinctively resist.
In the end, he forced himself to swallow it, then picked up the pancake and took a big bite, trying to suppress the unbearable taste in his mouth.
"Miao Miao, we really can't get used to it... It's a bit... a bit like pickled bamboo shoots juice, too pungent!"
Hearing Su Yuanzheng's words, the diners around him burst into laughter, and the laughter echoed in the breakfast shop.
The old man asked curiously, "Sour bamboo shoots? What are sour bamboo shoots?"
"Uncle, sour bamboo shoots are a specialty of our Guangxi region. They are made by pickling spring bamboo shoots. They have a unique sour flavor when used in stir-fries and are particularly appetizing."
"Oh~ It's a pickled product. Then it makes sense that this bean juice tastes like that pickled soup. After all, our bean juice also needs to be fermented!"
"Since you guys can also eat sour food, try the soy milk a few more times! I'm sure you'll be able to accept it!"
The diners around them started chatting and laughing, and Su Miao and Su Yuanzheng also relaxed.
At this moment, although they still cannot accept the taste of douzhi, they truly feel the profound cultural heritage behind this unique delicacy, as well as the persistent and passionate feelings of people from different regions for the taste of their hometown.
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