Chapter 54 Chestnut and Sausage Rice (2)...
He Tianyou scooped up a large mouthful of rice and put it in his mouth. Boss Yu was a great cook, and this braised rice completely amazed him. This mouthful of rice had the aroma of rice and the oily fragrance of sausage, as well as the sweetness of chestnuts and the salty aroma of sauce. If you bit into the crispy rice at the bottom, the flavor would be even richer.
Moreover, the chestnuts were soft and chewy, melting in your mouth and blending perfectly with the crispy rice, sausage, and mushrooms. He Tianyou mentally praised his chestnuts, saying they were truly excellent and incredibly delicious. However, it could also be due to the owner's skillful cooking.
He Tianyou took another bite and concluded that his chestnuts were indeed good, but the boss's skills were even better, bringing out the best flavor of the chestnuts.
He Li was busy in her own shop, but after smelling the delicious aroma, she rewarded herself by going to Xiao Yin's place for a meal.
The siblings sat together, and He Tianyou couldn't help but give Yu Miaoyin a thumbs up to praise her cooking, "Sis, the food the owner of this restaurant makes is really delicious."
He Li already knew, and she took a bite of rice. Even though she knew Xiao Yin was a good cook, and even though she could tell from the smell and the appearance that this rice was definitely good, she was still amazed when she actually tasted it. These three ingredients are all easy to cook and wouldn't taste bad, but Xiao Yin's chestnut and sausage rice combined the flavors of the three ingredients exceptionally well, and the layers of flavor were simply irresistible.
"The boss even gave me some shredded potatoes, which were delicious too," He Tianyou said, stuffing a mouthful of rice into his mouth.
"Let me put it this way, Xiaoyin never cooks anything bad," He Li said. She had to go back to the shop later, so she ate much faster.
With Xiaoyin's shop around, her business is somewhat affected. Many students choose to eat at Xiaoyin's, but some students who can't make it there opt for her instead. Many students praise her for the generous portions, low prices, and cleanliness. Although the taste isn't as good as Xiaoyin's, it's still quite good.
Moreover, Xiaoyin mostly cooks, while she focuses on selling noodles. She earns a decent amount of money, enough to provide Xiaoran with a good life, which makes her feel very happy.
He Li bit into a chestnut; it was sweet and had a soft, powdery texture. She was confident that the chestnut was of excellent quality, but unfortunately, no one was buying it. She was also very grateful to Xiao Yin, who had been a great help.
Liu Jiang took the food back to his office. There was still some time before get out of class ended, so he found the tea he had brought and was thinking of brewing some tea to eat slowly.
The tea leaves released a faint aroma under the hot water, but before they had fully unfurled, there was a knock on the door.
The student's parent arrived, followed by his son.
Liu Jiang moved the food aside and pulled out two teachers' chairs. "Su Lesheng's parents, come in quickly."
He then fetched two more glasses of warm water and handed them to them.
Su Lesheng stood to one side, her fingers gripping the cup tightly. "Hello, teacher."
“We won’t sit here, we’re afraid of getting the chairs dirty,” said Mr. Su, a construction worker whose skin was tanned.
Liu Jiang admired these people from the bottom of his heart. He shook his head and said, "How could that be? We are all working people, and working people are the most glorious. Please sit down. If you don't sit down, I'll feel embarrassed to sit down."
“Okay, thank you, teacher,” said Mr. Su. He smiled and said, “I’m sorry, the foreman wouldn’t let me leave earlier, so I had to come now.”
"It's nothing, it's alright. Now that you're here, let's have a proper chat," Liu Jiang said, glancing at Su Lesheng.
Su Lesheng is a high school sophomore who used to have excellent grades, but his grades have dropped drastically in the past few months. His homeroom teacher learned that his mother had been ill, and Su Lesheng had been taking care of her until her death. Since his mother's passing, he has been very depressed and listless, with nothing able to cheer him up.
He came here to drop out of school. His mother's death had been a huge blow to him. He told his homeroom teacher that he felt life was meaningless and he couldn't study anymore, so he wanted to start working as soon as possible to help support his family.
Liu Jiang had come to persuade students to continue their studies. Before he could even speak, the homeroom teacher arrived.
"Lesheng is here! Hello, Lesheng's father, I'm Lesheng's homeroom teacher." The homeroom teacher rushed over. She had just been planning to sneak off to a small restaurant to buy food, but she came over as fast as she could after receiving Liu Jiang's message.
"Teacher, I don't want to study anymore. I feel like I can't continue. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble these past few days," Su Lesheng said softly.
The homeroom teacher gently patted his shoulder, "How could you not be able to study? If you want to study, you can. I can let you go home and rest for a while."
Su Lesheng pursed her lips and remained silent.
Liu Jiang then said some educational things. After all, he had been a teacher for so long and had seen a lot of students. He also had a lot of theories on persuasion. In the end, Su Lesheng seemed to waver a little.
The homeroom teacher followed up, saying, "We teachers are all sad to see you go. I know this has had a big impact on you, but do you know that there are still many beautiful things in this world?"
Liu Jiang began to reason with her and appeal to her emotions, bringing up his own experience, a painful memory for him as well. During the time his mother passed away, he, like Su Lesheng now, had lost interest in everything. Perhaps because of this shared experience, and because Liu Jiang was practically in tears, Su Lesheng seemed to soften more.
The homeroom teacher knew there was hope, but the students were currently in a state of great grief, so they stopped there and planned to wait for him to recover gradually.
Seeing that it was getting late and that the two of them hadn't eaten, Mr. Su thanked them and left with his son.
The relationship between the two was not exactly loving. Although Su's father loved his son very much, he was not good at expressing it, and this love was hidden under a great silence.
“The last time I came to your school, this restaurant wasn’t called Yu’s Little Restaurant. It’s been a few months, and it’s changed owners. Let’s go there for a meal together,” Mr. Su said with a smile.
Su Lesheng hadn't eaten much all day, and although she didn't have much of an appetite, she nodded and said, "Mm."
The two walked into the shop together. The aroma of braised rice wafted out from the kitchen. Suddenly, a heavy rumble of thunder sounded in the sky, and a downpour, which seemed to have been foreshadowed, poured down. Then, a strong wind suddenly blew up, carrying leaves and rainwater forward.
Yu Miaoyin looked outside for a while, then suddenly remembered something terrible: she hadn't put her clothes away!
Seeing the wind howling, Yu Miaoyin sighed, realizing her clothes were probably already on the ground and being repeatedly battered. Then she received a message from Grandma Chen—
Grandma Chen: I've brought in the laundry for you. This weather is really unreasonable.
Yu Miaoyin was overjoyed and immediately typed a reply: Thank you, Grandma.
The weather is really unreasonable; after that heavy rain, it turned into a drizzle.
She turned off her phone and continued working. Mr. Su looked at the signs for the small restaurants, a little conflicted, and asked his son for his opinion, "Quietly, Dad's never been here before. Which one do you recommend?"
Su Lesheng was a boarding student. He had never eaten here before and didn't know what was good to eat, but his roommate told him that the fried rice noodles at this restaurant were very fragrant and inexpensive, so he said, "Let's have the fried rice noodles."
"Okay." Fried rice noodles can only be considered vegetarian. Since his son is in high school and it's tiring, Mr. Su looked at the menu and ordered a braised rice with chestnuts and sausage.
"Keep your voice down. Dad just wants you to grow up healthy and happy, study hard, and go to university. It's okay if I have to work hard," Mr. Su said softly, afraid of upsetting his son.
Su Lesheng is currently in a very nihilistic state. Sometimes he even feels that his mother is still by his side, but every time he returns home and calls for his mother but does not receive a response, he will break down and cry. Now, he has become calm and indifferent, as if nothing in the outside world can hurt him, yet it is also as if everything can hurt him.
Aunt Zheng brought up the fried rice noodles and braised rice.
"This fried rice noodles smell delicious, you should eat it." He usually eats boxed lunches at the construction site, which don't taste very good. This is the first time he's ever had such fragrant fried rice noodles.
"Okay," Su Lesheng said. He picked up a small strand of fried rice noodles to taste. The dry and fragrant fried rice seemed to have some kind of magic, instantly stimulating his taste buds. The eggs inside were also very tender and smooth. The rice noodles tasted oily but not greasy at all.
He hadn't been able to taste anything in his food for the past few days, and he almost thought there was something wrong with his sense of taste.
Mr. Su was even happier to see that his son liked it. He also liked the taste of the fried rice noodles. The rice noodles were very chewy, and the various ingredients were layered perfectly. It was so fragrant, and it was also cheap.
“This owner cooks really well. When you go back to school, don’t skimp on food. Eat here all the time. Dad will give you money,” said Mr. Su.
Su Lesheng couldn't bring himself to say, "I want to drop out of school." On one hand, his father had been worried about it for a long time; on the other hand, he thought the food at this small restaurant was delicious and wanted to eat there a few more times.
Su Lesheng gave a soft "Mmm." Her father took out a bowl, filled it about halfway, and gave the rest to his son. "Come and eat some," he said.
Su Lesheng took a bite of rice and couldn't hold back his tears, which fell in a steady stream. He vaguely covered his face with his hand to wipe them away. The rice smelled wonderful, the sausage was perfectly marbled with fat and lean meat, the fatty parts even becoming somewhat translucent, while the lean parts were firm. The rice carried the salty and oily aroma of the sausage, the chestnuts were powdery and had a subtle sweetness when bitten into, all blending together with the soft fragrance of the rice. The edges of the rice crust were crispy and hard, with a caramelized aroma.
Life seemed to have a little meaning again; he wanted to be able to eat delicious meals every day.
Su Lesheng's emotions came and went quickly; his tears had dried, and there was nothing unusual about him.
He gave a soft "hmm," as if in response.
"Su Lesheng, you're eating here too?" Su Lesheng's roommate said, looking at Su Lesheng, then at Su Lesheng's father. They had been to Su Lesheng's house before and knew his father. The group greeted him loudly, "Hello, Uncle."
Her roommates A, B, and C were all there. They huddled together and spoke to Su Lesheng, "It's raining outside. We brought umbrellas. Why don't you come with us later?"
Su Lesheng hummed in agreement.
Su Lesheng's roommates all take out takeout. The school does not allow students to eat in the dormitory, but students will sneak in, eat, and then take a nap in the dormitory. Isn't that wonderful?
After the meal was ready, they took Su Lesheng back to school together.
Despite the annoying drizzle outside, it couldn't dampen everyone's enthusiasm for eating at the small restaurant.
Lin Jiaying put her arm around Ji Xiaotong's and they went to a small restaurant for a meal. The two are now good friends, all because of a meal. Friendship is so simple and pure, yet so beautiful.
Seeing her daughter make a good friend, Aunt Zheng was especially happy. Ji Xiaotong introduced her to Lin Jiaying generously, saying, "This is my mother."
"Hello, Auntie," Lin Jiaying said. "I'm Xiaotong's good friend."
After exchanging a few words, Aunt Zheng went back to her work. She served the chestnut and sausage rice to the two of them, and Lin Jiaying couldn't wait to pick up her spoon and start eating. She had been extremely envious watching others eat it; the rice, with each grain distinct and even some crispy bits at the bottom, was topped with sausage, shiitake mushrooms, and chestnuts. She couldn't even imagine how delicious it must be.
The taste is even more amazing than its appearance and aroma. Scoop a spoonful and put it in your mouth. The texture of the sausage and lean meat is as soft and glutinous as jelly, while the lean meat is very chewy. After pouring a circle of soup over it and mixing it together, it is simply the soul of the dish. There are also fragrant and crispy rice crusts at the bottom, and the chestnuts are also particularly soft and delicious.
"This chestnut rice smells so good!" Lin Jiaying didn't know how to praise the rice. She thought it was incredibly fragrant, and the combination of chestnuts and sausage didn't taste strange at all. On the contrary, it felt like a new flavor.
It's so delicious that the more you chew it, the more delicious it becomes.
"My mom also said that the owner cooks very well and is a really nice person," Ji Xiaotong said. After her mother found a job, she received more living expenses, so she was able to treat herself to a meal here occasionally.
"I want to recommend this to everyone. I really wish the whole school could come here for a meal. It's so delicious!" Lin Jiaying said with a satisfied look on her face.
Upon hearing this, the other diners were frantically begging in their hearts, "No!" They accepted the owner raising prices, but if the whole school came, how could they possibly compete? These kids, under the harsh conditions of high school, must have already developed lightning-fast speed in grabbing food, and even unlocked the skill of dodging while running. They were already old and even tormented by work, how could they possibly compete?
The chestnut rice sold better than Yu Miaoyin had expected. Thinking about their conversation, Yu Miaoyin contacted He Tianyou again and ordered another batch of chestnuts.
He Tianyou was practically kneeling down before her. In his heart, he felt that Boss Yu was a god—a god of cooking, a god of helping people.
Yu Miaoyin thought for a moment and asked him, "Do you have a lot of chestnuts?"
"Quite a lot, about half a warehouse..." He Tianyou scratched his head. He had contracted someone else's land and originally thought he would make a name for himself, but he never expected this. It was also because he was too young and impulsive.
"I know you wanted to help me, boss. I'm really grateful. It's already a great help for me to order so much." He Tianyou was touched, and he thought of the bustling scene at the small restaurant at noon earlier that day.
He was overjoyed that the owner was making a lot of money. He had initially thought that a shop like Boss Yu's, with its high-quality ingredients and clean kitchen, wouldn't attract as many customers as those that sold pre-made meals. But thankfully, people were still quite good to their food, because he had seen too many conscientious shops that couldn't compete with those that used pre-made meals. However, the biggest reason was simply that the owner's food was so delicious, so delicious that it felt like a lifelong regret if you didn't try it.
"Yes, I'll try my best to help you," Yu Miaoyin said.
"Thank you, boss," He Tianyou said, his eyes brimming with tears.
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