Chapter 51 Braised Pork Belly with Preserved Mustard Greens (2)
"Grandma, let's go." Yiling and her grandma walked out of the classroom and headed towards the small restaurant.
Grandma Chen looked at the group of parents and students and was worried that she wouldn't be able to get a meal. "Looks like there will be a long queue over there for Xiaoyin."
"Jiajia is running so fast, don't fall!" Grandma Chen glanced at Xu Jiajia's receding figure and her heart clenched. She muttered softly, "Be careful, don't fall."
Yi Ling wanted to say that Xu Jiajia was already used to running. She was late for school in the morning, rushed to eat lunch, and always rushed home after school.
On the other side, Jiajia's mother packed her bag, sighed, and saw that her daughter was running so fast, she guessed that she really wanted to see him. "Let's go, we don't know where Jiajia went, and we can't follow her, let's observe her a little longer."
Noticing her low spirits, Mr. Xu said, "Maybe there's something good going on. Maybe that boy is in the top ten of the grade in this school, and Jiajia was influenced and started working hard, improving her grades rapidly. In the end, the two of them got into the same university."
Mrs. Xu rolled her eyes at him, "You only had a sip of water this morning. If you're hungry, go eat out."
“Okay.” Mr. Xu took out his phone to search for good places to eat and then looked at group-buying deals on the app.
The two walked out of the school gate together and caught a glimpse of a long queue at a small restaurant. Of course, what was even more attractive was the aroma wafting from inside.
The aroma was so enticing that Mrs. Xu couldn't resist moving. She nudged Mr. Xu and said, "Let's eat here, it smells so good."
Mr. Xu was also drawn in by the delicious aroma wafting from inside, and his stomach rumbled. He had been thinking the same thing, so he agreed.
The line was long and full of people. Occasionally someone would leave, but someone would quickly take their place. Xu's mother lowered her head and scrolled through her phone.
"I finally made it! You have no idea how fast I ran just now, otherwise you guys would be eating outside right now," Xu Jiajia said proudly, patting her chest.
Xiao Du nodded, looking at her with admiration, "Sister Jia is awesome! Sister Jia is amazing!"
"Of course." Yi Ling went to the restroom. She and Xiao Du were starving, so they ate first.
On top is a glossy, dark brown pork belly with tiger-skin-like markings, while underneath the plate is a bed of dried plum vegetables, emitting a savory aroma.
Xiao Du's appetite was whetted by the smell; this kind of salty food should be paired with rice and cola!
She went to the convenience store outside and bought three cans of Coke. "This is for you."
"Thanks."
Xu's mother glanced at the two out of the corner of her eye. The small restaurant was a bit noisy, and many of their conversations were difficult to hear clearly. But it seemed that the two had a good relationship.
Suddenly, a string in my mind snapped: Was Jiajia dating him?
Fearing that she might alert the enemy, Xu's mother dared not look too closely and could only continue to observe out of the corner of her eye.
Xu Jiajia was focused on eating her meal and didn't notice the loving gaze coming from her mother.
The skin-on part of the braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens becomes crispy after frying, revealing distinct layers of pork belly with a perfect fat-to-lean ratio. The fat is rendered out, yet the meat retains its soft, chewy texture, melting in your mouth. A small amount of fat also seeps into the lean meat, making it not dry at all.
"It was worth running so fast, it was really worth it, I really love it." Xu Jiajia said while eating the pork belly, "This pork belly is my favorite."
What do you like? Xu's mother couldn't hear clearly, but the strange idea in her mind grew stronger and stronger.
Yiling walked in from outside and sat down opposite the two of them. "Xiao Du, you're here too?"
"Yeah, thank goodness Jiajia ran faster than anyone else, otherwise I wouldn't have had anywhere to sit." After saying that, Xiao Du glanced at his phone, exclaimed "Ah!", and quickly picked up his chopsticks to eat, wolfing down his food.
Seeing him like this, Xu Jiajia asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"My mom said she made me a slow-cooked soup and told me to drink it when I got home. I don't want to disappoint her, so I have to get home quickly." After all, his mom said she got up at five in the morning to make it, so how could he dare to say no!
Xiao Du quickly ate the rice mixed with braised pork and pickled cabbage. He ate fast and finished his meal in just a few minutes. Then, he took his schoolbag, rode his electric scooter home.
Xu Jiajia said goodbye to him, and two seats became available. Xu Jiajia moved next to Yi Ling and they ate and chatted together.
While they were eating, Xu Jiajia noticed that her parents were also there, and quickly called out to them, "Mom and Dad, here, here, there are seats here!"
"Hey, you guys are eating here too?" Xu Jiajia said. "Come on, sit down! Let me tell you, the food at this restaurant is really delicious!"
As Xu's mother watched Xiao Du's departing figure, her mind automatically replayed the conversation between the two of them, adding fuel to the fire. Perhaps because she had something to hide, coupled with her vivid imagination, Xu's mother pondered the matter, and the more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.
"Mom, let me tell you, I really love the food at this restaurant! The owner makes absolutely amazing food!" Xu Jiajia had already eaten most of her meal, and she talked to her parents between bites, "Did you order anything?"
"We're waiting for the food," said Mr. Xu. After waiting for a while, Aunt Zheng brought up two servings of braised pork with preserved mustard greens.
Originally, Xu's mother was wondering how to subtly bring up the possibility that her daughter was in a relationship, but after seeing the freshly cooked, steaming, and fragrant braised pork with preserved mustard greens, she was speechless. It smelled so good.
Since things have come to this, let's eat first.
Mrs. Xu picked out a little dried mustard greens to try, and to her surprise, she was amazed by the taste. The dried mustard greens inside were so delicious, salty and fragrant. When the owner cooked it, he placed the dried mustard greens on top of the pork belly. During steaming, the fat from the pork belly seeped downwards, soaking into the dried mustard greens. The dried mustard greens absorbed the meat juices, transforming their dry fragrance into a moist fragrance, giving them a unique flavor.
"This is so delicious with rice! The owner is such a good cook, it's such a waste of his talent to open a shop near a high school!" said Mrs. Xu. The subtle aroma of meat and the salty fragrance of preserved mustard greens spread in her mouth, and she liked the preserved mustard greens more and more as she ate it.
"Does the shop sell anything else? Let's order one of everything." Mr. Xu also tried the dried preserved vegetables first, and was amazed by the taste afterward. "Yes, if the shop owner goes to a big restaurant, he can become a living advertisement. I'd be willing to eat outside with my bowl."
After saying that, Mr. Xu glanced at the simple menu on the wall and went to order, "Hello, give me one serving of this hot and sour shredded potatoes, and four tea eggs as well."
Aunt Zheng nodded, "Okay, please wait a moment, the dishes will be served soon."
"I think so too. Sister Ayin's cooking is really delicious, and it's very cheap. She's practically a living saint." Xu Jiajia praised Sister Ayin. She really is like a little angel. At least, in the eyes of this group of high school students, Yu Miaoyin is a shining little angel.
Oh, and this little angel who shines is also an amazing cook!
While waiting for the food to be served, he picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the pork belly. He was so shocked by the delicious taste that he was speechless. The pork belly was not greasy at all. The rich fat on the fatty part melted on his tongue with the aroma of caramelization and the salty fragrance of dried mustard greens. The lean part was very tender and smooth, not dry at all.
The dishes he ordered arrived quickly. The hot and sour shredded potatoes were inexpensive here, but the portions were generous. Mr. Xu swallowed hard as he looked at the hot and sour shredded potatoes.
"It's much better than those so-called big restaurants outside." Mr. Xu picked up a piece of shredded potato with his chopsticks. Stimulated by the sour and spicy flavor, he quickly ate several mouthfuls of rice. One mouthful of sour and spicy shredded potato, then a mouthful of braised pork with preserved vegetables. With this combination, he could eat many bowls of rice in a row.
Inside the hospital, Jiang Yu had just finished her shift. She saw Li Xinyi there and called out to her, "Hey, Xinyi, want to come eat at a small restaurant with me?"
Jiang Yu twirled her keys. "I have a little electric scooter that can take you there."
Recalling the taste of mooncakes she had eaten before, Li Xinyi said excitedly, "Yes, I want to go, thank you, sister."
"Okay, hurry up and pack your things," Jiang Yu told her.
Li Xinyi nodded and changed out of her nurse's uniform. She had been running errands all morning, taking temperatures, making beds, changing IV drips, removing needles, and so on. She was so busy that she was dizzy and her legs never stopped moving. Actually, it would have been better if she hadn't stopped; once she did, she felt like her legs weren't even part of her body.
The two of them came out of the hospital, and Jiang Yu rode his bike and took her away.
"By the way, sis, what does that store sell?" Li Xinyi asked her, so she could decide what she wanted in advance.
"The owner cooks different meals every day, so we only find out what's good to eat when we get there," Jiang Yu said.
Li Xinyi nodded, thinking to herself that this restaurant was really different; it was like opening a blind box every day. The two of them flew to the small restaurant. They were quite lucky; just as they arrived, two high school students left, freeing up a seat.
"It smells so good! What are you all eating?" Li Xinyi asked before she even sat down properly. No wonder Sister Jiang Yu said that eating here could replenish energy. After smelling the aroma, she immediately felt as if all her fatigue had disappeared, replaced by hunger.
"Let's all have one! This hot and sour shredded potato is very appetizing, this tea egg is very flavorful and not dry at all, and this fried rice noodles are amazing, the owner is a master at cooking them, they smell so good. The new braised pork with preserved mustard greens that they just came out today smells so good, we have to have one!" Jiang Yu said excitedly.
Aunt Zheng wrote it down, and a few minutes later, she brought over several dishes.
"It smells so good, and the presentation is absolutely amazing." Both the shredded potatoes and the braised pork with preserved vegetables are so tempting.
"Let me tell you, it tastes even better! And the rice at this restaurant is also very fragrant. Anyway, when you eat here, you'll find everything the owner makes delicious, uniquely delicious, and incomparably delicious," Jiang Yu praised as she ate. The dried plum vegetables were very fragrant and moist; she could eat a whole bowl of rice with just these dried plum vegetables.
In her hometown, they also make dried preserved mustard greens as a side dish for porridge or noodles, but compared to what the boss makes, it's nowhere near as good.
"Thank you, Sister Jiang Yu, for bringing me such a delicious meal! It smells amazing!" Li Xinyi said, feeling full of energy.
Grandma Chen packed the food to take home, choosing to leave her seat for the children and their parents.
"Xiaoyin's cooking is really delicious," Grandma Chen murmured to herself, taking out a bowl and a pair of clean chopsticks. She first picked up a piece of pork belly to eat. The pork belly was perfectly marbled with fat and lean meat; even when she bit into the fatty part, she couldn't taste any greasiness at all. It had completely transformed the oil into fragrance. The fatty meat wasn't greasy, and the lean meat wasn't dry. The preserved mustard greens were also delicious. The skin was crispy, the meat was tender, and the preserved mustard greens were fragrant. It tasted especially good with rice.
"It smells good," Grandma Chen thought to herself.
Xu Jiajia exclaimed, "It smells so good! It's really delicious. Mom and Dad, you have no idea how fast I run every day just to eat such delicious food!"
Xu Jiajia picked up a can of cola and took a big gulp, then gently nuzzled Yiling. "If it weren't for having friends at school and Yu Ji Restaurant off-campus, I really wouldn't have been able to finish this high school."
With good friends and delicious food around, high school doesn't seem so painful anymore.
Seeing her daughter drinking cola and hearing her mention "friend," her thoughts drifted. This "friend" could be a close friend, or it could be her boyfriend. Xu's mother's heart tightened again. Wasn't this cola given to her by that young man just now?
People who look forward to going to school are unusual; they're either someone they want to see at school or a high achiever who enjoys the sense of accomplishment from studying. But clearly, Jiajia doesn't belong to the second category, so there's only one possibility—
"Yes, yes, high school is great," said Xu's mother. "Jiajia, you've been so happy every day lately. Your parents are happy to see you happy. You ran so fast today! And a few days ago, on the day you returned to school after the Mid-Autumn Festival, you were feeling down, but I don't know what you saw, you were all smiles as you went out the door."
Xu Jiajia touched her face and said with a smile, "Isn't it because the food at this restaurant is so delicious that it healed my wounded heart? Don't you guys think so? I'm so happy every day just thinking about being able to eat at this restaurant after class."
Xu's mother and father exchanged a glance, and Xu's mother quickly asked, "So you were so happy when you went back to school last Mid-Autumn Festival, was it also because of this store?"
"Yeah, what else?" Xu Jiajia was completely confused. What else could the school possibly offer that would make people look forward to it?
"Your mom thinks you're dating someone..." Mr. Xu blurted out, but before he could finish his sentence, Mrs. Xu slapped his thigh and said, "It's okay, eat quickly."
It turned out to be a misunderstanding; Jiajia was just craving something.
Xu Jiajia was a little surprised when her father said he suspected she was in a relationship. "Is that what you all think of me? No wonder you're so enthusiastic about the parent-teacher meeting. I've always felt you've been acting strangely lately. So you suspect I'm in a relationship."
Xu Jiajia shouted in her heart, "I was just craving it!"
Xu Jiajia then teased, "I'm a good student, unlike some two people who started dating early."
Mr. Xu scratched his head, pretending that he wasn't the one who had a high school romance.
“You usually have to go to school with a long face like you’re going to your execution, but you’ve been so happy lately. Well, Mom is just worried about you, afraid you’re too young to understand.” Xu’s mother said with an awkward smile. It was all a misunderstanding. She could only blame herself for having too much imagination.
"How could I be so happy just because I'm in a relationship? My mind is only on studying and good food. The only thing that can make me happy in this life is the food from a small restaurant." Xu Jiajia picked up her cola and took a sip. Suddenly, she remembered something and asked, "You guys don't still suspect that the guy from earlier was my boyfriend, do you?"
Mr. and Mrs. Xu looked at her with innocent expressions, "Yes."
Xu Jiajia: ...
Xu Jiajia almost choked to death on his cola, and Yi Ling laughed about it all afternoon.
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