Chapter 47: Stir-fried potato slices with pork belly + hot and sour potatoes...
Liang Hekang was lying on a recliner at home, browsing food delivery apps, when Feng Yuan came out and asked him, "What do you want to eat today? I'll go out to buy groceries, and Dad will cook."
Liang Hekang shook his head. "I don't want to eat. I have no appetite."
He went back to his living room and got a bottle of Coke.
I just asked Feng Yuan and Grandma Liang, and Grandma Liang also said she had no appetite. However, her lack of appetite is actually just her picky eating disorder acting up again. She ate mooncakes from a small restaurant last night, so she misses the food there even more now.
When she was first hospitalized, she felt really unlucky; as people get older, they tend to resist going to the hospital. But after tasting that layered water chestnut cake, her perspective changed. The ancient saying that fortune and misfortune are intertwined seems to make a lot of sense—she injured her leg, but was able to eat such delicious food; it was truly a great blessing.
Without this experience, she doesn't know when she would have discovered this little restaurant.
Feng Yuan felt somewhat helpless when she heard the two of them say that, but she also understood, since the food at the small restaurant was so delicious that it was unforgettable.
They don't eat, but they still need to eat. Feng Yuan brought out her family's electric scooter; she still prefers riding it—it's easy to operate and maneuverable.
As Feng Yuan wandered around to the market, she was hesitating about what to buy when she overheard an old woman selling rice noodles arguing with an old man selling dried goods next door.
"I don't care about your mooncakes, I'm going to eat at Yu Ji's later!"
"Weren't they resting?" the old man asked, puzzled.
"It's open today. The owner said it will be open in the afternoons for the next two days." The old lady met Yu Miaoyin at the market today, and they chatted for a bit. This is what Yu Miaoyin told her.
The old lady packed up her stall. Her kueh teow had been selling particularly fast these past few days, probably because everyone was craving it after trying Boss Yu's kueh teow, so they came to her to buy some to make themselves and satisfy their cravings.
The old lady used to be extremely frugal, but now she's willing to spend money on herself. After all, the point of living is to eat.
Upon hearing this, the old man also started packing his things, afraid of missing out on the good food.
Hearing the two bickering, Feng Yuan didn't even bother buying groceries. She quickly called Grandma Liang, "Mom, the restaurant you want to eat at is open. I'll go and save you a seat. Hurry up and come over."
Grandma Liang, who had been leisurely reclining in her chair fanning herself, sat up abruptly upon hearing the words. "Okay, okay, I'll be right there."
Liang Hekang had just opened a bag of potato chips when he saw his grandmother hurriedly getting ready to leave. Fearing something might be wrong, he quickly asked, "Grandma, what's wrong? Do you need me to see you off?"
"I'm going to eat at Boss Yu's place," Grandma Liang said.
Liang Hekang quickly put down his potato chips and exclaimed, "Me too! Me too! When will you open?"
Liang Hekang was wearing shorts and slippers. Grandma Liang glanced at her a few times and said, "You don't look handsome at all. Can't you dress more formally?"
Liang Hekang thought it was perfectly normal to go out in baggy shorts and slippers. He touched his hair and said, "With this face of mine, I'm pretty cool!"
Grandma Liang rolled her eyes at him and asked, "Didn't you just say you had no appetite?"
Liang Hekang said, "This was made by Boss Yu. It's a cure for picky eaters with no appetite. Perfect, I need to go to her for some treatment. I wish I could dig out all the snacks I just ate to save room for Boss Yu's meal!"
The three of them met up at the small restaurant. Feng Yuan was one of the first to receive the news, so she got to sit at one of the three seats.
The two girls who arrived earliest looked at the nearly full store and exclaimed, "It seems our worries were unnecessary. The owner's influence is too strong. No one must have notified us!"
Indeed, no one notified them; it was all spread by word of mouth. Of course, some people also came because they smelled it.
Because the store had only just opened, Yu Miaoyin was surprised that so many people had come so quickly.
"Everyone might have to wait a bit, I just opened the door. You all came too early, I'm a little surprised," Yu Miaoyin said with a smile, reassuring everyone.
Grandpa Xu arrived the fastest, practically rushing home to bring his family. He touched his nose, realizing that Xiaoyin was talking about him.
Everyone smiled and said understandingly, "It's okay, it's just a little while. As long as we have something to eat, that's all that matters!"
Although no one urged her, she couldn't really take her time. Yu Miaoyin washed the large bag of potatoes she had bought, peeled them, then sliced them and soaked them in water. Next, she quickly sliced the pork belly.
Since Grandma Chen had nothing better to do, she thought she might go in and help Xiaoyin. After all, there were so many people in the shop right now, and helping Xiaoyin would also allow her to eat sooner, which would be a win-win situation.
"Xiaoyin, do you want me to help you?" Grandma Chen asked.
"No need, I can manage on my own. Just wait a little longer." As she spoke, Yu Miaoyin had already sliced a potato into evenly sized thin slices. Her knife skills were quick and exquisite, without any hesitation. The knife fell rhythmically on the board, and the slicing sound reached everyone's ears.
Grandma Chen didn't have such good knife skills, so she obediently sat in the chair and waited for the meal to be served.
The diners weren't in a hurry either. After all, it was already a great joy that Boss Yu was able to open his shop, and they dared not complain!
Since pork belly itself has fat, Yu Miaoyin didn't add any oil. She directly fried the pork belly to render the fat and aroma, then added scallions, ginger, garlic, and chili peppers to sauté until fragrant. When the aroma sizzled out, she added sliced potatoes that had been soaked in water and stir-fried them together.
After stir-frying for a few seconds, Yu Miaoyin poured in cornstarch water and various seasonings and continued stir-frying. The stir-fried potato slices with pork belly were now ready.
Wen's mother sat in the chair. She knew Xiao Yin was good at making mooncakes after she was amazed by them last time. She thought that making mooncakes was already the best she could do, but she didn't expect that Xiao Yin was also a master of cooking.
"It smells so good, it tastes delicious," said Wen's mother.
Yi Ling agreed, "It's especially delicious, and Sister A Yin makes different dishes every day, so I get to eat a lot of different delicious food each time!"
Just then, Yu Miaoyin brought the food over to them. Grandma Chen said, "There are so many people here, you don't need to bother. Everyone can carry it themselves."
Yu Miaoyin hummed in agreement. She ran the shop alone, and it wasn't a restaurant with standardized management. There weren't many formalities. Sometimes she would serve the food herself, and sometimes she would have the customers serve it.
"I'm making stir-fried potatoes and pork belly today, it smells so good!" said Mother Wen.
"Yes, it was a bit rushed, so there weren't many dishes, but we'll have hot and sour shredded potatoes later," Yu Miaoyin said.
Yi-ling and Grandma Chen also said, "We usually have fried rice noodles and fried kueh teow, tea eggs, and last summer when it was very hot, we also had mung bean soup, which was iced and tasted especially good!"
The two little girls were sitting opposite Yiling. Hearing what she said, they were really envious. There were so many delicious things, but they didn't get to eat them!
The girl was still wearing her school trousers, so she must be a student from the high school across the street. The students at that high school are so lucky, they get so much good food every day!
But if her high school had such a delicious restaurant, she would probably gain 30 pounds!
"No wonder, I see Yiling has finally gained weight. I thought no matter how I tried to fatten her up, she would never gain any weight," said Wen's mother. She said that she would feel particularly distressed if she saw Yiling was thin when she came home, but now, she has finally gained weight.
"It's all because Sister Yin's cooking is so delicious! Jiajia and I come here to eat every day!" Yiling said, then invited them, "You guys should come and try it, it's really delicious!"
Since the family was there, they ordered a large portion of stir-fried potato slices with pork belly.
Wenmu picked up a piece of pork belly and put it in her mouth. The aroma of the rendered fat combined with the aroma of soy sauce. The pork belly was fatty but not greasy, the lean meat was firm but not dry, and the fatty meat was so tender that it melted in her mouth. The ratio of seven parts lean to three parts fat was just right.
She picked up another potato slice, which she thought tasted just as delicious as the pork belly. The potato had absorbed a little bit of oil and meat juices, its edges slightly crispy from frying, while the inside was soft and fluffy. Every bite was coated with the rich aroma of meat and the savory flavor of soy sauce. The natural sweetness of the potato and the rich fat of the pork belly blended perfectly, creating a balanced flavor that was fragrant but not greasy. With each bite, the aroma of meat, potato, and soy sauce unfolded in her mouth, making it especially delicious with rice.
Although it was just a very ordinary home-cooked dish, in her heart, it tasted much better than any so-called high-end dish.
Liang Hekang picked up a piece of potato, then another. The soft, powdery potato had some charred edges, which made it especially fragrant. With one bite, the aroma of the potato and the meat mixed in made him unable to stop eating.
Feng Yuan glanced at her son and asked in confusion, "Don't you dislike potatoes?"
He usually doesn't eat the stir-fried potatoes with meat or the cold potato salad that his family makes.
"I'm not a picky eater, it's just that other people's potatoes don't taste good!" Liang Hekang said. Strictly speaking, he doesn't dislike potatoes. How could anyone dislike potatoes, a family of loyal martyrs?
He likes all kinds of potato dishes, such as potato chips, French fries, mashed potatoes, and potato pancakes, but he doesn't really like simply stir-fried potato slices or shredded potatoes.
But today he realized that the reason he didn't like potatoes in their original form was because other people didn't cook them well. Look, he especially likes them when Boss Yu cooks them well.
Boss Yu has the ability to make everything taste exceptionally delicious!
The pork belly was cut so perfectly, evenly thick with alternating layers of fat and lean meat. After rendering the fat, the surface became a little dry, but when you bit into the fat, there was still a faint aroma of oil and meat. The outside was slightly crispy, and the flavor of the pork belly melted in your mouth, even mixed with a hint of potato flavor. It was absolutely delicious.
However, he prefers to eat the pork belly and potato slices together. When eating it, he can taste the aroma of the meat itself, which, combined with the softness of the potatoes, creates a flavorful combination of oil and meat in every bite. Paired with soft and chewy rice, it's so delicious that he could eat three bowls and still not have enough.
Everyone ordered a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes. Because the food was so delicious, some people ate it exceptionally quickly, because they felt that such fragrant food should be eaten while it was hot, as this was the highest praise for a delicious meal.
However, some people eat slowly because they believe that delicious food should be enjoyed slowly to better savor its flavor. For example, some high school students save their fried chicken cutlets and chicken legs for last.
Those who had finished eating peered inside, eagerly watching as Boss Yu skillfully sliced potatoes into shreds. In just a few strokes, a whole potato was transformed into evenly sized shreds.
Next, I turned up the heat and started stir-frying the shredded potatoes. Blue flames leaped up and licked the bottom of the pot, forcing out the flavors of the shredded potatoes, chili peppers, and minced garlic. Then I poured in aged vinegar, and the flavor of the vinegar quickly took over, combining with the aroma of the chili peppers to create an extremely addictive sour and spicy taste.
Diners who were already seven-tenths full suddenly had their appetites whetted by the aroma, and their fullness instantly turned into three-tenths fullness.
After everyone cleared away the leftover plates, they filled their bowls with rice again. When they saw Yu Miaoyin, they said somewhat apologetically, "Boss, I ate a bit too much. I don't mind if you charge me for the food."
It's normal for many restaurants to charge for their food. But the rice here is so springy and delicious, with an incredibly rich aroma – you can tell it's made from high-quality rice. And the owner is so kind, it's like charity!
"It's alright, I told you there's plenty of rice at my place, eat as much as you want," Yu Miaoyin said.
Many people had already finished their stir-fried potato slices with pork belly, leaving only a plate of shredded potatoes on the table. Everyone looked at the hot and sour shredded potatoes as if they were looking at some exceptionally delicious food.
But that's exactly what it looks like: pale yellow potato shreds coated in a glistening sheen of oil, mixed with red chili threads and green scallion threads, giving it a refreshing appearance. Some of the potato shreds have slightly browned edges, piled on the plate, still steaming with a fragrant aroma, and the sauce clinging to each shred in a sparse but clear slurry.
The interwoven sour and spicy aroma was exceptionally rich, whetting the appetite. Liang Hekang, who was already somewhat full, became hungry again. He picked up a large chopstick and put it into his mouth. The crisp potato shreds had a distinct vinegar and spiciness. The first taste was sour, followed by the spiciness slowly spreading in his mouth. The sour, spicy, and oily flavors permeated every strand of potato shreds, making it more and more appetizing with each bite.
Xu Changxing picked up a piece of shredded potato, looked at it from left to right, and exclaimed, "It's simply a work of art, it's cut so beautifully."
Although it was just a simple vegetarian dish, everyone loved it, and some even ordered two plates. The two girls remarked that it was no wonder the small restaurant had such a strong appeal; they could make such fragrant shredded potatoes, and they would come all the way from afar.
These shredded potatoes are so delicious with rice! The potatoes are crisp and refreshing, and the flavor is both sour and spicy. They taste absolutely amazing when eaten with rice!
Wen's mother said, "What else will there be tomorrow? It's so delicious! We don't usually get to eat such delicious food."
The two little girls nodded; they didn't usually get to eat such delicious food!
They hadn't tried the fried rice noodles, fried rice vermicelli with tea eggs, or the dishes that friends mentioned: stir-fried pork belly with pickled cabbage, taro and pork rib soup, or shredded pork with five kinds of fish.
"The dishes should be more varied tomorrow. We were too rushed today, so we only had two dishes," Yu Miaoyin replied after hearing what Wen's mother said. At least, there would definitely be tea eggs tomorrow.
Although there weren't many other delicious dishes, this hot and sour shredded potatoes was enough for everyone to enjoy.
The boys were originally going out for a barbecue, but they were drawn in by the delicious aroma coming from inside, so they turned a corner and went into the store.
He went inside and saw that everyone had a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes in front of them, and that was all there was.
However, the aroma of the hot and sour shredded potatoes in the shop was just too tempting. The hot and sour potato aroma made his mouth water. He swallowed and said, "Boss, give me a serving of shredded potatoes, to go."
"OK."
After packing everything up, the boy quickly went to the market to buy enoki mushrooms, various potatoes, chives, and bean curd sheets. He was a college student who had previously attended Yuncheng No. 1 High School. He was surprised to find a new restaurant had opened across from his alma mater, and judging from its appearance and aroma, he figured it couldn't be too bad!
After selling his portion at the market, the boy hurried to the barbecue spot, saying, "Come on, I've bought it all."
He has many friends, all of whom he met in high school. After getting the ingredients, they work together to clean, slice, and skewer them.
A tall boy walked over and asked, "What else did you buy?"
He didn't want to ask, but the aroma wafting from the box was so enticing that it was hard not to notice it!
Several other friends chimed in, "Yes, it smells delicious too."
The boy quickly put down the shredded potatoes and opened the box. A tangy and spicy aroma immediately filled everyone's nostrils. "I bought tangy and spicy shredded potatoes. Come and try them!"
They pulled out a few pairs of disposable chopsticks, and each person took a paper cup and picked up a small piece of shredded potato to taste.
The boy quickly popped some into his mouth too. The crispness and natural aroma of the potato blended with the sourness of the vinegar and the spiciness of the chili, creating layers of flavor. The oil was fragrant but not greasy, coating each potato shred without drying out, and the tangy, spicy, and crunchy texture was incredibly appetizing.
Because there were so many friends, each person only got a small bite, but everyone was amazed by the taste. "Where did you buy it? It smells so good!"
The tall guy ate so fast he almost burned himself but couldn't bear to spit it out. After a moment of gasping for breath, he asked, "Yeah, which restaurant is it? It smells so good!"
"I bought it from a small restaurant that just opened across from our high school."
Everyone: "Authentic?"
After trying the hot and sour shredded potatoes, the boy was amazed by the taste. He said, "I really bought it there. It's so delicious. I wish I had bought more."
The tall guy said, "How come such a delicious little restaurant opened right across from the school right after I graduated? What about all the food we used to eat in the cafeteria? Was it just bad luck for us?"
High school was truly a time of finding joy amidst hardship. It wasn't until they went to college that they realized how tough their lives had been. And right after graduation, the school started to improve. For example, they saw a video on the school's social media account saying that the school playground was going to be renovated, and they wouldn't accidentally step into puddles while running anymore.
Even restaurants outside are betraying them now. Why weren't there such delicious little restaurants when they were in high school?!
—
After finishing her workday, Jiang Yu handed over her shift to her colleague and said to the young woman, "Keep it up."
The girl was an intern, and Jiang Yu had been through an internship herself, so she could empathize with her.
"Thank you, sister." Li Xinyi forced a wry smile. She was wearing a work uniform that was too loose because it didn't fit her well, and she had to roll up the sleeves so that it wouldn't affect her work.
"It's alright," Jiang Yu said.
Li Xinyi, utterly despondent, prepared to leave. She had no idea that being an intern nurse could be this miserable. She had applied for nursing, and in her very first class, her teacher had told them that the path of nursing was not easy. She truly hadn't imagined it could be this difficult—a path simultaneously filled with mud and thorns, and the mud even contained excrement!
The elderly people who receive no internship salary, have no meals or accommodation provided, are bossed around, and are difficult to communicate with are even worse off than the ones who are forced to pay for their internships...
"Have you eaten? Come and try this mooncake, I almost don't want to eat it." Jiang Yu quickly called out to her.
The cut mooncake released a sweet and oily aroma. Li Xinyi paused, and Jiang Yu waved the mooncake in her hand again. At that moment, the aroma of wheat from the baked crust and the fragrance of egg yolk mixed with lotus seed paste became even stronger.
For some reason, it was just a small mooncake, and her parents had sent her many boxes of mooncakes, none of which she had touched. But this one small piece of mooncake gave Li Xinyi a strong urge to eat it.
"Thank you, sister." The little girl forked the mooncake and put it in her mouth. The sandy egg yolk melted in her mouth, with a slightly grainy texture. The oily aroma of the egg yolk melted into the lotus seed paste inside. It was so delicious.
"This mooncake is so delicious!" Her face, which had just looked utterly hopeless, came alive, and even her eyes lit up. Her gaze had been so dull, as if she had lost her soul.
"This was a gift from someone else, isn't it delicious!" Jiang Yu herself was reluctant to eat it, but now that she was sharing it with Li Xinyi and seeing that Li Xinyi was in a slightly better mood, Jiang Yu felt that sharing this mooncake was worthwhile!
"It's really delicious. I would be happy if I could eat this every day during my internship!" Li Xinyi said. In fact, she felt that a large part of the reason why her internship was so hard was because the food she ate was particularly bad.
After all, she came from a province with a highly competitive college entrance examination system. The intensity of her high school studies was comparable to that of her internship. However, during high school, her loving parents would always send her lots of delicious food. And at that age, even eating instant noodles was a kind of happiness.
But after starting her internship, she couldn't even afford decent meals anymore. After all, she was already paying out of her own pocket for the internship, and the expensive meals cost forty or fifty yuan, which she simply couldn't bear to spend.
How can one not suffer when they can't even eat good food?
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu immediately recommended a small restaurant to her, "Let me tell you, there's a small restaurant across from Yuncheng No.1 Middle School that has really good food, and I like to eat there too! This mooncake of mine was made by the owner of this small restaurant."
"Won't it be very expensive?" Li Xinyi asked. This mooncake tastes even better than those big brands that cost thousands of yuan. The taste is wonderful, but the price may not be so wonderful.
"It's not expensive, the food is good and the price is reasonable, and the owner is also very nice. You should eat there next time."
Li Xinyi kept it in mind and planned to try it when she had time. "Okay, thank you, sister."
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