Chapter 42 Pan-fried Tofu
He was fat because he ate a lot, so he finished a bowl of rice in less than ten minutes. He mixed the tomato and egg stir-fry and its juice into the rice and ate it all up.
After finishing the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, the honey-glazed chicken wings arrived. He grabbed one and took a bite, gently biting the tail end and swirling it in his mouth until the bone was easily separated. The sweet aroma of the honey glaze was perfectly infused into the tender chicken, the savory yet not cloying flavor lingering in his mouth. The fat man didn't even want to throw away the bone; he bit it open, sucking out the fragrant marrow – a delicious, chewy treat. He thought to himself, "The owner's cooking is so good, no wonder there are so many people. I'm happy to wait in line. I hope the owner won't let what I just said ruin his mood."
"Boss, is mine ready yet?" someone else asked.
"It should be about right," Yu Miaoyin replied, pouring the blanched and diced tomatoes into the pan and stir-frying them with the eggs. Each time she stirred the pan, the sweet and sour flavor of the tomato and egg stir-fry intensified.
Seeing how busy the boss was, no one dared to urge him any further. In addition, the aroma of the delicious tomato and egg stir-fry gradually calmed everyone's irritable mood.
The moment they received the scrambled eggs with tomatoes and honey-glazed chicken wings, the gloom on everyone's faces vanished, replaced by surprise. The moment they tasted them, they were filled with astonishment and happiness.
"There's another group coming later, let me help you." Grandma Chen felt a little sorry for Yu Miaoyin seeing how busy she was.
Remembering that Xu Jiajia had said their exam would last until after 6 PM, and considering that some working people also finish work around 6 PM, the number of people would definitely be even greater. She knew her grandmother meant well, but she was still embarrassed to trouble the elderly woman.
Unexpectedly, Grandma Chen was a woman of her word. She had already gone into the kitchen and tied on her apron. "I certainly can't cook as well as you. Can I help you by chopping tomatoes or something?"
Yu Miaoyin was touched: "Okay, thank you, Grandma."
The first group of customers had already finished eating. Knowing that the small restaurant was crowded, they didn't linger. Knowing that the owner was alone, they kindly helped stack the dirty bowls together and tried their best to tidy up the table. Xiao Tangbao also helped to clear away the bowls and chopsticks.
With Xiao Tangbao helping to finish up and Grandma Chen helping to cut tomato chunks, Yu Miaoyin was indeed not so busy.
She looked ahead and saw Xiao Tangbao carrying several bowls in her arms, walking steadily toward the kitchen with a serious expression.
Yu Miaoyin looked at it for a few seconds, then took out her phone and snapped a few photos. Little Tangbao was so cute! She really liked Little Tangbao; she loved her so much. Little Tangbao had brought a lot of happiness to her life.
"Big sister, let me help you wash the dishes, I'll wash them spotless!" Little Tangbao wasn't even as tall as the sink, so the clever girl moved a stool over and placed a piece of old cardboard on it. She added dish soap, and soon the dishcloth was covered in rich foam.
Little Tangbao seemed quite excited. Yu Miaoyin walked over and said, "It's not that your older sister doesn't want you to do it, nor does she think you didn't do it well enough. It's just that you're still too young, and your older sister is afraid you'll hurt yourself."
Little Tangbao said very seriously, "The kindergarten teacher said that we should help our parents with housework more. I will do it. Do you think I'm useless, sister?"
"no."
"Then am I considered useful and able to help you?" Xiao Tangbao asked her in return.
The logic seemed sound. Yu Miaoyin was incredibly soft-hearted and knew that Xiao Tangbao was worried about her, so she didn't refuse anymore and let her have her way: "Okay, be careful of yourself, don't fall."
After instructing Xiaotangbao, Yu Miaoyin made honey-glazed chicken wings again.
A lot of customers came in at once, and with everyone's help, Yu Miaoyin finished quickly. Just as she was about to make the next batch, she realized that she was out of ingredients. "It seems we're out of ingredients. We don't need to make honey-glazed chicken wings anymore."
Grandma Chen chimed in, "Business is booming today. Many customers are even taking honey-glazed chicken wings home to order as an add-on dish."
Yu Miaoyin hummed in agreement and was about to go out to cross out the words "honey-glazed chicken wings" written on the blackboard when Xu Jiajia ran in.
Even though she had run over, she was still a little unhappy. She complained to Yiling in a low voice, "It's so annoying. Why do we have to talk so loudly about the answers? I might as well just hold the test paper up."
After Xu Jiajia finished speaking with a tearful expression, Xiao Du immediately agreed, saying, "I can't even enjoy the holiday properly anymore. I suggest dragging out and beheading anyone who wants to check their answers right after the exam!"
Xu Jiajia was extremely excited after finishing her biology exam and ran downstairs to wait for Yiling to go to a small restaurant together. Unexpectedly, she ran into two people who started arguing about the answer to the eighth math question. As they argued, they took out their test papers and planned to calculate the answer on the spot. Xu Jiajia sensed something was wrong, but then the two of them compared their answers to the first seven multiple-choice questions. One of them read out the answer and said, "Yes, our answers to the first seven questions are the same. We've got this one."
"It's all settled, it's all settled." Judging from his tone, he sounds like a top student.
Xu Jiajia had been trying to banish these thoughts, but unexpectedly, the answer automatically popped into her head... You're all set, she's going to die...
And that's how the scene above came about.
Xu Jiajia waved her hand to shake off her bad mood. "The little restaurant has honey-glazed chicken wings today. I love honey-glazed chicken wings the most. I hate exams, and I hate it even more when people compare answers with me after the exam. Can't we just have a proper holiday?"
Yu Miaoyin paused, then smiled sheepishly, "We're out of chicken wings, all we have left is scrambled eggs with tomatoes."
Xu Jiajia's heart tightened. "What about the taro and pork rib stew?"
"That's all. We had a lot of guests today, and you guys were setting the table late. Also, I'm taking the day off tomorrow, so I didn't prepare much else. All we have left is scrambled eggs with tomatoes."
Chen Churuo, who rushed over: ? ? ?
Zhong Siqi, who got scolded by her boss right before her holiday: ? ? ?
Jiang Yu, who was assigned to work during the Mid-Autumn Festival: ? ? ?
They have such a hard life.
People enjoying their honey-glazed chicken wings in the shop looked at them with extra care, thinking to themselves, "Honey-glazed chicken wings, we two must cherish each other."
Xu Jiajia was on the verge of bursting into tears. She couldn't solve the last big biology question, and they forced her to check the answers. She even missed her meal. She was so unlucky. "Okay then, how about two servings of scrambled eggs with tomatoes today..."
Sitting in the chair, Xiao Du said dejectedly, "Then I'll have two servings of scrambled eggs with tomatoes too."
Xu Jiajia quickly composed herself, "Even without honey-glazed chicken wings, I believe Sister Ayin's tomato and egg stir-fry will still be delicious."
"Tofu, tofu, selling tofu!" An electronic voice in Mandarin with the Yuncheng dialect blared into the small restaurant from outside through a megaphone.
An old man was selling tofu. You can usually hear his loudspeaker at four o'clock, but he set up his stall so late today. He probably overslept during his afternoon nap.
Yu Miaoyin thought for a moment, then went out and waved, calling out, "I want to buy tofu, Grandpa."
Grandpa turned his tricycle around and came to Yu Miaoyin.
There were only a few slabs of tofu, covered with a white cloth. "How much do you want, miss?"
"Two trays, please, thank you, grandpa."
So many?
“Yes, I own a shop, so I need it,” Yu Miaoyin said.
"Okay, okay, okay." Grandpa immediately helped carry the tofu inside.
Upon seeing this, Xu Jiajia asked excitedly, "Sister Ayin, are you making Mapo Tofu?"
"No, there's no minced meat. I'll make pan-fried tofu." With that, Yu Miaoyin erased the honey-glazed chicken wings from the blackboard and replaced them with pan-fried tofu.
Xu Jiajia's bad mood vanished instantly, replaced by a craving for pan-fried tofu.
Yang Churuo, Jiang Yu, and Zhong Siqi, who had been wearing sour faces, smiled upon hearing this and sat down together. They were all engrossed in their phones when Zhong Siqi spoke up, "Great! We get to eat pan-fried tofu. Forgive me for scolding my boss."
“Then I forgive myself for being scheduled,” Jiang Yu said.
“Then I forgive myself for missing the honey-glazed chicken wings today,” Yang Chu Ruo replied.
The three of them started chatting quickly, one after another. The adult world is very simple, nothing more than bosses, work, and so on. When they complain, they all have their own difficulties and their own exhaustion.
However, Zhong Siqi and Yang Churuo both felt that Jiang Yu was more pitiful. They didn't realize that being a nurse was so busy, and that she also had to deal with so many strange patients...
Yu Miaoyin took a small knife and cut the tofu into small pieces. After preparing the sauce, she started another pan. When the oil was hot, she put the tofu into the pan and began to fry it. After one side was fried, Yu Miaoyin flipped the pan over and continued to fry the tofu pieces.
Grandma Chen watched in stunned silence, amazed by the fluid and graceful movements...
Making pan-fried tofu isn't difficult. Yu Miaoyin expertly added millet peppers and other ingredients, then poured the sauce around the edge of the pan. Since the tofu was already cooked, the aroma immediately filled the air, coating each piece of tofu that had been pan-fried until golden brown on both sides. It was ready to eat once the sauce had reduced slightly.
Grandma Chen watched Yu Miaoyin plate the dish and knew that although it was just a simple pan-fried tofu, Xiaoyin's version was definitely exceptionally delicious.
Grandma Chen brought out the pan-fried tofu. Each piece of tofu still had a slightly charred edge, and its brown color, after absorbing the sauce, made it exceptionally fragrant, making it look very appetizing.
Jiang Yu said to them, "Let's eat first. It must taste especially good when it's fresh out of the pot."
"Uh-huh."
The tofu itself was very tender and smooth, and it didn't fall apart after being stir-fried. It was crispy on the outside, and had absorbed the rich sauce, while the inside still retained the natural bean flavor of the tofu. One bite, and you get a perfect combination of crispness, tenderness, aroma, and freshness. Even the tofu is better than the meat dishes in other restaurants; the owner of Yu Ji Restaurant is truly exceptional.
"It's delicious. I wish the owner could stay open during the Mid-Autumn Festival. I need the owner's food to keep me going during the Mid-Autumn Festival," Jiang Yu said.
"Sister, you're so unlucky! You still have to work during the Mid-Autumn Festival." Zhong Siqi sighed sincerely. Working is already tough enough, but there's no holiday at all!
"I feel so pathetic too. If I could be reborn, I would never be a nurse again! I want to be a cleaner or a security guard at No. 1 Middle School. I don't want to be a nurse anymore." Jiang Yu said, taking another bite of pan-fried tofu to soothe her bad mood. After taking a bite, she felt much better.
"Did you manage to buy mooncakes from that small restaurant?" Yang Churuo asked.
"No, I usually only come here occasionally, how could I possibly catch such a good thing!" Jiang Yu said.
"I'll give you one, I bought one." Yang Churuo took out a mooncake and gave it to her.
Jiang Yu was stunned for a moment, then incredulous, "Really? You're so kind!"
"It's nothing, don't mention it," Yang Churuo said. "Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
