Chapter 102 Food Festival: Chicken Biscuits + Red Bean Paste...
The next day, Yu Miaoyin woke up a little earlier than usual, but because she had gone to bed early, she was still full of energy. After eating a bowl of hot bamboo-pressed noodles, Yu Miaoyin began her workday.
Aunt Liu and several college student volunteers came over to help move things. "Hello, Mr. Yu, we are volunteers."
Yu Miaoyin loaded the finished chicken biscuits into the car, and looking at that youthful and radiant face, said, "Just call me Sister Ayin."
She asked again, "Have you had breakfast?"
"I've eaten, I've eaten."
Yu Miaoyin took out a few chicken biscuits and handed them to them, saying, "Eat these as snacks."
"Thank you, Sister Ayin."
Yu Miaoyin checked the soaked red beans and the prepared chicken biscuits twice to make sure everything was in order before the group headed to the event venue.
The girls sitting next to Yu Miaoyin were all a little excited. One of them couldn't hold back and said, "Boss Yu, you are our idol. We really like you."
Caught off guard by the unexpected confession, Yu Miaoyin was flattered and said, "Thank you. You're all college students, right?"
“Yes, our university is very far from your shop, and we’re all thinking about retaking the college entrance exam,” someone sighed.
They started talking non-stop. The lively girls chattered away like goldfish blowing bubbles, one after another, and Yu Miaoyin patiently replied.
"We had to hire someone to snag this hot commodity," Yu Sheng said.
Yu Miaoyin asked curiously, "What kind of hot commodity?"
"I came to this booth to volunteer, mainly because Sister Ayin is here, and she even gives me double the volunteer hours," Yu Sheng said.
They drove smoothly to the venue, where Yu Miaoyin and several volunteers unloaded the items from the car. The first day of the new year was sunny.
At each stall, the vendors were tidying up their wares. The venue was large and well-planned, with rows upon rows offering a wide variety of food and drinks, resembling a food street.
After observing for a while, Yu Miaoyin noticed that although there were volunteers in the venue, they were responsible for a large area. Unlike the volunteers at her booth, who were all hers.
Yu Miaoyin, puzzled, placed the plump, soaked red bean paste into the pot, then added soaked dried tangerine peel and flattened ginger. She particularly liked adding these two ingredients when cooking red bean paste; the ginger and dried tangerine peel removed the beany smell and neutralized the slightly cooling properties of the red beans. Their complementary properties made the red bean paste even more fragrant, both healthy and delicious. Especially with this aged dried tangerine peel…
Yang Fang walked out of the venue. She was wearing light makeup and a black coat, looking particularly capable. Yu Miaoyin asked her, "Don't I have too many volunteers here?"
Yang Fang smiled slightly and said, "I'm afraid there won't be enough, and I won't be able to handle it all."
Yu Miaoyin still felt it was too much, but Yang Fang didn't think so. After chatting with her for a bit, she left.
However, in a few hours, Yu Miaoyin will realize that there really aren't many.
The water in the pot was boiling, making a bubbling sound. Yu Miaoyin added an appropriate amount of sugar to let the sweetness slowly seep into the red bean paste, then she covered the pot and continued to simmer.
People gradually entered the venue, and many headed straight for Yu Miaoyin's booth.
"Boss Yu, give me a bowl of red bean paste and some chicken biscuits." After reading the words, the man said, "Then I'll have four."
There is a purchase limit; each person receives four chicken biscuits and one bowl of red bean paste.
Lucky Kang Yuan got to drink the first bowl of red bean soup. Yu Miaoyin lifted the pot lid, and hot steam carrying the sweet aroma of red beans rose up, giving Kang Yuan, who had taken the earliest high-speed train, a jolt and filling him with energy.
He was livestreaming with a special livestreaming device, and the comments came one after another like a tidal wave.
[I really want to eat this! A bowl of red bean soup on a winter morning would be so comforting. And since it's made by Boss Yu, it must be especially delicious.]
I especially love drinking hot porridge and eating freshly baked buns, dumplings, and mantou in winter. This bowl of red bean paste looks delicious.
This is real red bean paste! This is real red bean paste! Those other kinds of red bean paste are just beans and water; they're just red bean water!! I've been fooled by those dessert shops so many times.
This bowl of red bean paste was silky smooth and thick, completely cooked until it was sandy. Kang Yuan found a seat, took a big gulp, and after finishing half a bowl of red bean paste, he sighed, "Delicious! Eating at Yu Ji's Little Restaurant in Yuncheng is definitely worth it."
A flurry of "hahahahaha" comments flooded the screen. Kang Yuan is a food review blogger, known by his fans as the "lightning rod" of the food world. He was an apprentice for several years, so he can discern the underlying logic of a dish, its strengths and weaknesses, and thus can find fault with anything he eats. But this place is different; he simply can't find a single flaw in it.
If I had to pick one, it would be that it's too little, not nearly enough to drink!
Kang Yuan took out chicken biscuits again, glanced at some interesting comments on the screen, and read them aloud: "A nightmare during the Lunar New Year, there are always a bunch of chicken biscuits at home, but I really think chicken biscuits are so oily and taste terrible."
After reading it aloud, Kang Yuan nodded in agreement: "I don't like chicken biscuits either, but I like the ones Boss Yu made."
But Boss Yu's creation was definitely an exception. Irregularly shaped with chipped edges, the filling inside was visible through these chips, its delicate aroma wafting out. Kang Yuan took a big bite, savoring the sweet and savory flavors that filled his mouth.
Wait, isn't there fatty pork inside? Why does it smell so good, and it's not greasy at all? In no time, Kang Yuan finished four chicken biscuits. The rich pork flavor of the chilled meat biscuits was mixed with the taste of sesame and fermented bean curd. It was sweet and savory, with a hint of saltiness, and it was never greasy.
"Boss Yu's chicken biscuits smell so good, I want to buy another one." Kang Yuan patted his thigh, holding a hundred yuan, wanting to trade with the security guard for a chicken biscuit. The security guard waved his hand seriously: "No, no, these biscuits are too fragrant, I'll keep them for myself."
The security guard secretly took a bite of the biscuit when no one was looking. The crispy biscuit was very chewy, and the more he chewed, the more fragrant it became, filling his mouth with a wonderful aroma. If it were paired with a pot of tea, the taste would be even more amazing.
On the first day of the new year, Liu Yi and Chen Xi changed into thick down jackets as they left the hospital.
Liu Yi is recovering well, and Yang Fang was quite surprised when she saw him. She had also seen the news report; at that time, Liu Yi was tormented by illness, and because he ate so little, he was extremely thin.
But now, he looks no different from a normal person. Yang Fang pointed to the road and said, "Over there, Boss Yu made red bean paste and chicken biscuits today."
The two hurried over, but the line was very long. Fortunately, there were volunteers to help, so Yu Miaoyin wasn't caught off guard.
After a while, it was finally the turn of the two of them. Upon seeing Liu Yi and Chen Xi, Yu Miaoyin greeted them and then picked up a large iron ladle to scoop out two bowls of red bean paste and handed them over, saying, "Here's the red bean paste you wanted."
The smooth, creamy red bean paste was transferred from the pot to the bowl, its color resembling the red bricks used for building walls. Chen Xi didn't use a spoon; she simply tilted her head back and drank it. The paste rubbed against her tongue with a soft, gritty texture, sliding down her throat without any beany taste. She could even taste a faint hint of dried tangerine peel and ginger within the paste.
As her body warmed up, Chen Xi felt that this bowl of red bean soup was just like the quilt her grandmother used to sleep in when she was a child, and also like burying her neck in a scarf when the wind blew in winter.
It's so warm and comforting, it makes you feel at ease.
The two then tried the chicken biscuits. The chicken biscuits were delicious and fragrant. Chen Xi ate two, and she planned to save the remaining two for her father. She called out to Liu Yi, "I'll take you to my father's stall and show you how bamboo-pressed noodles are made."
“Okay.” The two of them went to Chen Xi’s father’s stall together.
A thick bamboo pole was placed in the middle of the dough, and Chen Xi's father used his body strength to repeatedly press the dough while holding one end of the pole. When making bamboo-pressed noodles, no water is added to the dough; it is made by mixing it with egg liquid. Therefore, when pressing the dough, a rich aroma of eggs wafts out.
The food festival had all sorts of delicious food, and the two of them went to a stall selling roasted chestnuts.
Xiao Tangbao finally got in touch with Xiao Ran. As soon as she saw Xiao Ran, she broke free from Jiajia's hand and ran over to hug her, "Little Bear!"
Little Tangbao, wearing the clothes her grandma bought her, twirled around for Xiaoran to see, looking like a flower. The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, and as soon as they met, they chatted excitedly in the venue.
He Ran gave the roasted chestnuts to Xiao Tangbao and Xiao Ran. The two ate the chestnuts as they walked around, getting excited when they saw the sugar figurine.
The children had plenty of energy, but Grandma couldn't keep up. She asked Yiling and Jiajia to look after the children while she went to queue up with Xiaoyin.
"What's so good about this place? I'm not eating here," Shen Yu's voice carried through the crowd.
For a moment, everyone in line turned to look at her. Shen Yu awkwardly added, "There are too many people here. You guys wait in line. I want to eat roasted chestnuts."
After saying that, Shen Yu left her parents behind. She didn't know what was so interesting about this food festival; her parents rushed straight to Yu's Little Restaurant's stall as soon as they got out of the car. Was it really that delicious?
Shen Yu walked up from behind, getting closer and closer, and the aroma grew stronger—the sweet scent of red bean paste and the savory aroma of chicken biscuits wafted over. She touched her nose and thought, "It does smell pretty good."
Shen Yu bought some roasted chestnuts and squatted down to eat them in the venue. She observed the people coming and going and came to the conclusion that there were many people from other places and many foreign friends at the food festival.
Shen Yu's phone vibrated in her pocket. She opened it and saw it was from a fellow enthusiast.
[Are you in Yuncheng? Someone saw Qingyu at the food expo! Ahhhhh!]
[Groundhog screams—]
Shen Yu liked Xu Qingyu very much, and the thought of Xu Qingyu being in this venue made her heart pound.
【I'm at the venue now! But this is Qingyu's private schedule, I'll just take a look.】 Shen Yu replied.
A fellow enthusiast told her that Xu Qingyu seemed to be queuing at the stall near Yu Ji's Little Restaurant. Shen Yu replied with an "OK," and quickly walked over there, scanning the crowd.
Before long, she had her eye on her. There's a reason why celebrities become celebrities. Xu Qingyu was wearing an ordinary black down jacket, a hat, and a mask, but she still stood out in the crowd, and Shen Yu recognized her at a glance.
Shen Yu excitedly shared this with everyone in the enthusiast group.
Xu Qingyu looked at the line and spoke to Lin Xiangwan with her head down: "There are so many people."
Lin Xiangwan helplessly shrugged: "There's nothing I can do, this restaurant is just too delicious."
Chen Yufei leaned against Lin Xiangwan, weak and listless, "I haven't eaten anything all day."
Shen Yu looked at Lin Xiangwan and Chen Yufei next to Xu Qingyu, a bunch of questions popping into her mind. Didn't the marketing accounts say they were enemies? Would enemies act like this?
After waiting in line for a long time, it was finally Lin Xiangwan and her friends' turn. After finishing that bowl of sweet red bean soup, they all felt the wait was worthwhile. It was much better than the red bean soup they bought at dessert shops; sweet but not cloying, with a slightly grainy texture.
Several people snapped photos of the chicken biscuits, initially thinking that this old-fashioned pastry might not suit their taste, but to their surprise, they were delicious. The outside was crispy, with sesame seeds embedded inside. After being baked at high temperature, the aroma of sesame seeds blended with the sweet and juicy candied pork and the flavors of various fillings, creating a wonderfully infused flavor.
"I'll still eat it every night, this cookie smells so good," Xu Qingyu said.
Xu Qingyu and Lin Xiangwan had worked together before and had each other's contact information, but that was all. Lin Xiangwan often shared pictures of delicious food on her social media, and Xu Qingyu, feeling envious, asked Lin Xiangwan where she could buy them.
Lin Xiangwan warmly invited her to go to the Yuncheng Food Festival together.
"If Boss Yu is still here tomorrow, we'll come again." Lin Xiangwan finished the four chicken biscuits, but she wasn't full. She clapped her hands and said, "I think they have bamboo-pressed noodles and roasted chestnuts over there. Those two are also very delicious."
The three little girls happily walked over there.
After watching the whole thing, Shen Yu felt she had been fooled by the marketing accounts. Lin Xiangwan and Xu Qingyu clearly had a good relationship, so who was spreading rumors?
"Sweetie, would you like some chicken biscuits?" Shen Yu's mother asked, holding a bowl of red bean paste.
Shen Yu's father finished most of the red bean paste like a water buffalo, and exclaimed, "Tsk tsk tsk, delicious!"
Shen Yu kicked his shoe with the tip of her shoe, speechless. "Mind your image."
Shen Yu's father turned around and couldn't explain it to his daughter, since she wasn't getting any to drink.
Shen Yu saw the chicken biscuits peeking out from the packaging bag. They were golden brown all over, with the edges being a little darker and slightly charred. The varying shades of color looked very tempting.
Mom and Dad each gave her one, then quickly stuffed the remaining three into their pockets, saying, "Go buy them yourself if you want to eat them."
Family bonds are in grave danger when faced with chicken biscuits.
Shen Yu opened one and started eating. As soon as she took a bite, she looked at the chicken biscuit in disbelief. How come it didn't taste like the chicken biscuit she had imagined? Weren't chicken biscuits supposed to be sweet, salty, and oily, so greasy that you couldn't eat a meal after just one bite?
Why are these chicken biscuits so delicious? They're crispy, crunchy, and fragrant, filled with pork belly—fatty pork marinated in high-proof liquor and sugar that's not greasy at all. The filling also has a savory, sweet aftertaste from fermented bean curd. The filling is incredibly fragrant, and the outer crust is very chewy.
In no time, Shen Yu finished the chicken biscuits and left her parents to join the queue. No wonder Lin Xiangwan liked them; they were so delicious! And Qingyu liked them too; she looked so happy eating them just now.
Shen Yu squeezed into the queue.
Yang Fang smiled with satisfaction as she looked at the crowd in line. The food festival was a great success. She had met many tourists from other places who asked her where Boss Yu's stall was.
She opened her phone again, and saw that the online new media video talent program launched by the Yuncheng Culture and Tourism Bureau had already attracted a lot of participants and generated a lot of buzz.
Some people took pictures of delicious food, while others took pictures of scenery, and they all got a lot of likes.
Yang Fang clicked on the tag and continued scrolling. A photo spot had become quite popular, and Yang Fang saw several posts about it. The photo spot was indeed beautiful, and Yang Fang even wanted to take a picture there herself.
Pretty girls were making wishes at a wishing tree that looked like it was suspended in mid-air, the tree covered with wishing cards. This is one of the attractions in Yuncheng, a temple built on a mountain, with a wishing tree next to it. Lingyu Mountain in Yuncheng is indeed a great tourist destination.
"Director Yang, it's good to see you here too. Long time no see." Hearing the familiar voice, Yang Fang put away her phone and greeted him. "Boss Lu, it's been a long time."
Lu Jingming nodded. "I brought my friends here to have some fun, and also to see if we can find any business opportunities."
Lu Jingming's friend was a foreigner. Wyatt greeted Yang Fang warmly and then said in broken Yuncheng dialect, "Lord Lei..."
After chatting for a few minutes, Yang Fang received a message saying that she had an urgent matter to attend to. "I won't disturb Boss Lu and his friends any longer. I have something to do, so I'll leave first. Have fun."
“Okay,” Lu Jingming said.
Wyatt pointed to the crowded stall and asked Lu Jingming in English why there were so many people there.
Lu Jingming explained, "Because the owner of this restaurant makes very delicious food."
Yang Fang told him about it, and he had also seen it online.
As a food lover, Wyatt would rush to queue up whenever he heard there was something delicious to eat.
Lu Jingming went over too. The stall sold ordinary chicken biscuits and red bean paste. Wyatt pointed to the three characters for "chicken biscuits" in broken Chinese and read them aloud, then asked, "Are they made with chicken?"
The elderly people behind them smiled, wanting to explain but not knowing English, which made them very anxious.
Some parents nudged their children, saying, "Didn't you go to college? Go up and explain to that guy."
One parent even nudged their child who was learning the ABCs and said, "Go say hello to them, it'll be a good opportunity to practice your spoken English."
Yu Miaoyin's English was good. She told Wyatt that there were no chickens in the chicken biscuits, and then explained to him why they were called chicken biscuits.
Wyatt said "interesting" in English. Yu Sheng, who was standing to the side helping Yu Miaoyin, was also good at English. She told Wyatt that there were many similar interesting dish names here, such as wife cake, husband and wife lung slices, and crossing-the-bridge rice noodles.
Wyatt left the stall with the red bean paste in his hand, continuing to exclaim, "How interesting!"
Wyatt was very interested in the chicken biscuits; he even opened one and picked it up to look at it before drinking the red bean soup.
Lu Jingming wanted to stop him. Wyatt was, after all, a foreigner and might not be used to Chinese food. Besides, these were chicken biscuits, which many Chinese people found too sweet. He was afraid Wyatt would find them unpalatable and vomit in front of the shop owner.
The boss will definitely be upset if he sees this.
Before Lu Jingming could speak, Wyatt put a whole chicken biscuit into his mouth and chewed it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
