Chapter 107 Yam and Chinese Yam Porridge
Peel and cut the yam into chunks, slice the lean pork, and cook the rice in the pot until it bursts open and tumbles in the porridge. Yu Miaoyin first adds the yam; yam is rich in starch, so adding it first and cooking it longer will make the porridge thicker and smoother. After the porridge and yam are mixed together, she slides in the lean pork and cooks it until done.
Sprinkle with chopped celery, add some salt and a little sesame oil for seasoning and aroma.
There was quite a lot of porridge in the pot, so Yu Miaoyin made it at the shop for convenience. She took out a thermos and ladled out a large pot for Xiaotangbao to take to school. Kindergarten has breakfast time, but she usually eats at home, where she sits alone reading storybooks and playing with building blocks.
The teacher thought Xiaotangbao had been bullied and even explained the situation to Yu Miaoyin. So this time, Yu Miaoyin let her bring breakfast so she could sleep in a little longer and share the food with Xiaoran.
The teacher said that the kindergarten has all kinds of steamed buns, mantou, and pastries. Although they can't compare to what she makes, the children aren't picky and should be able to eat their fill.
Yu Miaoyin worried like an old mother that her daughter wasn't eating enough.
At this hour, the bell rang to signal the end of morning reading at the high school. The kids should be awake. Yu Miao turned off the stove and went home, thinking to herself, "This morning reading bell is simply the best alarm clock!"
"Sister, I'm up! I'm dressed! I've brushed my teeth!" Little Tangbao came downstairs, looking refreshed and radiant. She spoke with a bright and cheerful expression, though her mouth was slightly crooked to one side.
Yu Miaoyin touched her face. "I'll put some face cream on you so your face won't be dry."
After applying the face cream, Xiao Tangbao became a fragrant little girl. Yu Miaoyin put the face cream in her schoolbag and gave her a thermos, instructing her: "If you feel dry, apply some face cream. Eat the porridge for breakfast, and you can share it with Xiao Ran."
"good!"
Xiao Tangbao boarded the school bus and went to school.
In the kindergarten, the children stand in a colorful little circle and begin their morning exercises, putting their hands together and swimming like goldfish.
After the swim, the teachers from each class took the children to the cafeteria for breakfast.
"I'd like just one red cake, thank you, teacher," said Xiaotangbao.
"Are you full? Can I have another one?" The kindergarten teacher said, "There's only one steamed sponge cake, barely enough to fill a tooth gap!"
“I’m full. My sister even gave me some porridge, so I’ll eat the porridge.”
"Okay," the kindergarten teacher said, walking over to help the children divide the porridge into bowls. Many children in the kindergarten bring their own breakfast. Once, a little boy brought soy milk, and when he took it out, he accidentally spilled it on his hands. The teachers were quite frightened, but fortunately, the parents were understanding and did not make things difficult for the teachers.
But for the children's safety, it would be better to help them sort it.
As soon as the teacher opened the thermos, the aroma of piping hot rice, along with the fragrance of stewed yam and a hint of saltiness, wafted over, making the teacher's face feel warm and captivating. The aroma made the teacher momentarily lost in thought.
After ladling out two bowls, the teacher looked at the porridge lying in the bowls—the fragrant porridge contained no large chunks of yam; it seemed to have blended into the porridge. Tender pink lean meat nestled on top, and chopped green celery added a touch of brightness to the milky white porridge.
The food looked and smelled delicious, and the teachers could barely contain their drool. They had to quickly walk away; they all wished they could be the owner's sister! No wonder Boss Yu always lets the kids eat at home; if they brought it to school, the whole kindergarten would be drooling!
Xiao Tangbao pushed the porridge towards Xiao Ran, saying, "Porridge, eat it while it's hot."
The thermos kept the porridge warm very well; it was still steaming. Xiao Ran said to Xiao Tang Bao, "Let's blow on it together so we won't burn our tongues."
The two of them took a deep breath and then exhaled, blowing the rising wisps of white smoke this way and that, and the fragrance spread throughout the classroom.
The children were so hungry they cried, "Teacher, teacher, I want to eat porridge too!"
"I want to drink porridge too, fragrant porridge. I don't want to eat this bun, it tastes awful." Accompanying this was a low sob, and the child took a deep sniff and swallowed a mouthful of snot.
Some children even burst into tears, and the teachers had to comfort them with a headache.
Parents squatting outside the kindergarten heard the crying and were quite frightened. They messaged the teacher to ask what was wrong. Hearing this absurd yet plausible explanation, the parents expressed their understanding, saying the teacher had worked hard—after all, who wouldn't be tempted by Boss Yu's delicious food!
On the other side, Xiao Chi took off his coat and ran over to get his schoolbag. His schoolbag contained various pencils and erasers, as well as snacks given by his mother. He wanted to exchange them with Xiao Tangbao because he wanted to eat the fragrant porridge.
"Little Tangbao, can I trade you some delicious porridge? I'll give you all my clothes and schoolbag, okay?" Afraid that Little Tangbao would worry that they were still his mother's, he quickly added, "These are mine, not my mother's. Don't worry, no one can take them away."
"I don't want your clothes," Xiao Tangbao said. How strange, why would she want his clothes?
"Then whatever you want, I can give it to you," Xiao Chi said, like a domineering CEO.
Seeing that Xiaotangbao didn't react, he continued, "Then how about I be your dog? I'll be your dog, and you'll give me porridge."
He learned it from TV dramas, from the TV dramas his father watched.
The kindergarten teacher rushed over and pulled Xiao Chi aside, gently educating him: "You can't just say that word, it's wrong. Even if you really want to eat it, you can't, understand?"
"Here, I'll give it to you. I don't want you to be my dog. That's not right." Little Tangbao said like a little adult. How could she just be someone else's dog? That's not good at all.
Xiao Chi successfully got a small half bowl of porridge. The porridge was still hot, and you could taste the mashed yam in the thick porridge base. It was smooth and rolled on the tip of the tongue. The popped rice grains were very thick and contained all kinds of flavors, such as yam, lean meat, and chopped celery. It was so delicious. Xiao Tang Bao's older sister is so amazing.
The teacher suddenly had a strong urge to be Xiao Tangbao's dog; maybe that way she could get a bowl of hot porridge! Strange thoughts, she quickly shook her head to banish them; she still had her pride.
After finishing their meal, there were still fifteen minutes to digest. Most of the children were sitting quietly building with blocks, while Xiao Tangbao was applying face cream to Xiao Ran, muttering, "I'm going to put some perfume on you so you'll smell nice like me."
The teacher surveyed the canteen with satisfaction. When she caught sight of a certain spot, her pupils dilated. She saw Xiao Chi sticking out his tongue and licking the inside of a bowl. He deftly turned the bowl around and licked the remaining porridge clean.
It seems that Mr. Yu was right to not let the child bring his own food.
In the small restaurant, Yu Miaoyin invited Aunt Zheng over for a bowl of porridge to warm herself up.
Aunt Zheng sat down, blew on the bowl twice, and began to drink the porridge. The porridge was as smooth as milk or silk, without a single grain. The yam had long since melted into it, and the lean meat was very fragrant. Because it was scalded rather than boiled, it was exceptionally tender and juicy.
"This porridge smells so good." It slid right down their throats, so comforting. And in winter, with the wind blowing outside, they were drinking porridge in this warm house, warming themselves from head to toe. Three meals a day, the seasons are all so simple, yet it makes you feel that this is what happiness is all about.
“There’s still some in the pot, go and scoop some more,” Yu Miaoyin said to Aunt Zheng.
Aunt Zheng didn't stand on ceremony; she knew the boss was genuinely generous and exceptionally kind. "Thank you, boss."
"Boss Yu—" a voice came from outside, "Take a look at the mushroom sauce our R&D department made, see if there's anything that can be improved."
Although it was made using the recipe provided by Boss Yu, putting a recipe into practice isn't so simple. Just like with so many tutorials online, not everyone can make food as delicious as the blogger's.
Yu Miaoyin walked over and said, "I'll try it."
Standing in the small restaurant surrounded by the aroma of porridge, Lu Jingming was a little distracted and forgot to hand the mushroom sauce to Boss Yu.
Yu Miaoyin smiled and asked him if he wanted to have a bowl of porridge and sit down to chat, since she didn't have much to offer him.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Yu. I'd be more than happy to accept this." The thoughtful Aunt Zheng poured him a bowl of porridge and brought it over. "Thank you, Auntie."
Yu Miaoyin took out a new pair of chopsticks. "Your factory is quite efficient. The samples are ready in just a few days."
"After all, it's Boss Yu's recipe, and everyone in our factory is really looking forward to this mushroom sauce. Everyone says they want to eat it," Lu Jingming said, before starting to drink his porridge.
I had just taken a sip when Wyatt called.
He seemed to have gone to Lingyu Mountain again, and even excitedly invited Lu Jingming to enjoy the scenery together. Lu Jingming replied, "I'm eating at Boss Yu's place, I'm not in the mood to enjoy the scenery."
After all, nothing beats the aroma of delicious food for beautiful scenery.
Upon hearing that it was made by Boss Yu, Wyatt also started to feel hungry and quickly asked Lu Jingming what he was eating.
"I'm having porridge, yam and lean pork porridge."
Wyatt asked Boss Yu if there was any left, and he said he was going back to his country in a few days and would regret not being able to eat there.
Before Yu Miaoyin could speak, Lu Jingming teased her, "Regret is the right thing to do. There's an old saying in our country that goes, 'The moon wanes when it's full, and water overflows when it's full.' Regret is a good thing."
Wyatt looked on incredulously, holding his head in his hands, his mouth agape and his eyes wide as he stared at Lu Jingming. He didn't understand the local sayings, but he knew that he was going to miss out on the porridge.
Yu Miaoyin replied to him through the screen: "Come over now, I'll save you a bowl."
"Okay, thank you, thank you so much." Wyatt put his newfound knowledge to good use, repeating all the expressions of gratitude he had learned in the past few days.
Seeing that Lu Jingming had hung up the phone, Yu Miaoyin said to him, "It's pretty much right, but it would be better if we could make some adjustments, like..."
Lu Jingming was naturally willing to make adjustments, and he would listen to whatever Boss Yu said.
"Okay, I'll pass the feedback on."
"Um."
Lu Jingming left with the mushroom sauce and Yu Miaoyin's suggestion. Shortly after, Yang Fang came over, "Boss Yu."
"Hmm, can you smell the porridge I made?" Yu Miaoyin teased.
"I couldn't hide it from you. I could smell the aroma of your porridge at home, and I followed the smell all the way here. I was so hungry for it," Yang Fang said.
"Then have a bowl, it's so cold outside." Yu Miaoyin said, returning to the kitchen. Yang Fang ladled out a bowl of yam and lean pork porridge. "Drink first, is there something you need?"
Yang Fang took a big gulp of porridge from her bowl. Boss Yu was such a master at making porridge; the delicate texture of the blooming rice grains, the smoothness of the yam, and the tenderness of the lean meat were all perfectly contained in that mouthful of creamy porridge. Even after finishing her drink, Yang Fang was still thinking about the taste.
"Let's ask Boss Yu if he'd like to be Yuncheng's tourism ambassador," Yang Fang said after finishing her porridge.
Me? A tourism ambassador? Isn't that something only celebrities or internet personalities can do? "Yuncheng should have someone more suitable than me."
Yang Fang should be able to tell that this is a rejection. Yu Miaoyin can't think of any qualifications she has to be a cultural and tourism promotion ambassador.
“I don’t think anyone else is suitable except you.” Yang Fang gently patted her shoulder. “Last time you participated in ‘Yuncheng Fireworks,’ everyone from grandparents to toddlers knew you and knew how delicious your cooking was. And at the food festival last time, many people came to Yuncheng to eat your food, and you really revitalized Yuncheng’s tourism economy. I think you are fully qualified to be Yuncheng’s tourism ambassador, and it’s Yuncheng that’s benefiting.”
Thanks to Boss Yu's delicious food, many friends from other places come to Yuncheng to eat and do some sightseeing. Although sightseeing is just a side activity, everyone discovers the beauty of Yuncheng during their trips. In addition, the popular photo spots on Lingyu Mountain have attracted even more people to visit Yuncheng. Yuncheng's tourism industry has gradually developed in this way. Yang Fang also heard that some people sensed the business opportunity and returned to Yuncheng to start small businesses selling souvenirs, and are now making a fortune.
If tourism in Yuncheng can truly develop, so many people won't have to leave their homes.
Yu Miaoyin ultimately did not refuse, after all, it was an extremely honorable thing to do, and it was a good deed.
Yang Fang was especially happy to know that Boss Yu was willing, and thanked her for contributing to the tourism industry in Yuncheng.
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