Chapter Fourteen: Stir-fried Pork with Green Peppers
Yu Miaoyin didn't open the shop for two days over the weekend. She spent the two days playing with Xiaotangbao, but she did take some time to go to the shop to watch the workers installing the signboard. This little restaurant, which people often mentioned, finally had a name: Yu's Little Restaurant.
On Monday, when Xiaotangbao returned to the store after school, she looked up at the square sign for a long time and thought it was really pretty.
Yu Miaoyin had put a lot of snacks in the shop, including homemade sweet potato chips and candies and cookies bought from the supermarket. When Xiaotangbao came back, Yu Miaoyin made her sit down and stuffed a lot of things into her arms.
"I'll just eat the dried sweet potatoes my sister makes for me." Xiao Tangbao thinks her sister's cooking is the best, much better than those snacks.
Xiao Tangbao ran next door with the dried sweet potato in her arms. Xiao Ran was there too. The two children shared the dried sweet potato, their heads close together, whispering secrets between them.
Yu Miaoyin took out the pickled green beans she had made as a side dish and offered them to everyone. She had tasted the pickled green beans herself; they were sour, refreshing, and crunchy, with a strong spicy flavor, and they went very well with rice. She thought they were delicious whether she ate them with white porridge or put them in steamed buns.
"Boss!" Just as Yu Miaoyin tied on her apron, a girl rushed in, panting, "Waaah, you've finally shown up! You have no idea how long I've been waiting for you!"
Yu Miaoyin: ?
The way she's talking makes it sound like she's a heartless man who abandoned his wife and children.
Zhong Siqi said tearfully, "I came to your house for dinner these past two days, but you wouldn't open the door. I thought I'd wait a little longer and maybe you'd open it, but you still didn't!"
These past few days, she happened to pass by this little shop, went in and ate a bowl of braised pork belly and green beans noodles. She was so captivated by the aroma that she couldn't leave, so she started coming here to eat every day.
She was surprised that the shop was closed on the weekend, which made her think about it for two days. Fortunately, the shop finally opened today!
Yu Miaoyin suppressed a laugh, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I'll be more careful about the time next time."
Zhong Siqi immediately shook her head and said, "No need to apologize. The food you made smells so good, it's all my fault for being so greedy!"
Normally, if a store made her wait this long, she would swear she'd never come back. But this store is different. It's her first love, a store of pure, unattainable beauty; she'd wait as long as she wanted.
This restaurant is worth it!
"Then you're in luck! You'll be the first to eat it," Yu Miaoyin teased.
Zhong Siqi quickly ran into the store and found a seat.
"You can scoop out a little rice first," Yu Miaoyin said.
There was a large rice cooker in the shop, with rice steaming inside. The steam was rising and giving off a very fragrant rice aroma.
Upon opening the pot lid, the rice was fluffy and sticky, as delicate and translucent as pearls and jade. This rice looked quite good.
She scooped out a small half bowl of rice, intending to wait for the side dishes, but then she saw the pickled cowpeas. The sour and spicy aroma in the air made her mouth water, so she scooped a small spoonful into her rice.
The rice mixed with green beans was put into the mouth. The pickled green beans were sour and refreshing. When you chewed them, you could taste the original bean flavor. They were crisp, a little salty and spicy, and had a rich flavor. When mixed with hot rice, the spiciness was immediately overwhelming.
It was so spicy and fragrant that Zhong Siqi didn't notice until she realized she had already eaten more than half a bowl of rice. It was all because the owner's pickled green beans were so delicious with rice.
In the kitchen, Yu Miaoyin finely sliced green peppers and cut lean pork into strips, placing them in a bowl to marinate. She heated oil in a wok, the garlic releasing its aroma, then added the green pepper strips and stir-fried until just cooked. Next, she added the marinated pork strips and stir-fried briefly until the edges of both the pork and green pepper strips were slightly browned. She poured in the sauce, and with a sizzle, the aroma rose even higher.
Stir-fry over high heat for a few seconds and it's ready to serve. Yu Miaoyin used a shallow small bowl to serve the stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork, because she considered that most of the diners were high school students, and it was just the right size for one person.
But she gave so much that Zhong Siqi was so moved she almost cried. The shop was so cheap and delicious, it was practically charity!
Zhong Siqi picked up a piece of stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork. The green peppers were bright green and spicy, while the shredded pork was tender and flavorful with a rich sauce. The green peppers had a tiger-skin pattern after being stir-fried, with a slightly crisp and charred appearance. The shredded pork was smooth and tender, and tasted delicious.
She was the only one eating in the shop, and she was so engrossed in her meal that she didn't notice the people passing by staring at her.
This girl looks so hungry while eating, it's a shame she's not a food vlogger. And... the aroma wafting from this Yu Ji restaurant smells so good!
Many people were attracted by the aroma and came in to queue up. Soon, the small shop was full of people.
"Xiaoyin, give me one too." Grandpa Xu finally got to join the queue, and he was happy to see that the small restaurant was doing good business.
As Yu Miaoyin started the fire, she jokingly asked, "Grandpa Xu, are you still going to have dinner tonight?"
As far as he knew, Grandpa Xu's family usually ate dinner at 7:30 sharp.
Grandpa Xu chuckled and said, "I didn't eat enough at noon, so I came here for a meal. I definitely won't eat too much, just a taste, and I'll have dinner when I get back."
He couldn't help it; he was just too craving Xiaoyin's cooking. The beef pies she made yesterday smelled so good that he even dreamed about those fragrant, thin-crusted, and generously filled beef pies again, reliving the taste. The meat juices would burst in his mouth when he bit into them, and the beef filling inside was a perfect blend of lean and fatty meat, with the lean beef finely ground yet still chewy...
Then, I was successfully woken up by the craving.
Grandpa Xu originally said he would only eat a little bit to taste it, but after finishing all the stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork, he ate another half bowl of rice mixed with pickled cowpeas.
When Yiling and Xu Jiajia came over after class, they saw many familiar faces, including Teacher Li. Jiajia pulled Yiling to face the wall in self-reflection. Xu Jiajia's English wasn't very good, but Teacher Li was very fond of helping those in need, so she felt guilty towards Teacher Li.
Fortunately, Teacher Li left after packing the food, and Xu Jiajia breathed a sigh of relief. She then pulled Yiling to join the queue. Today, Yiling told her how delicious Yu Miaoyin's beef patties were, and just listening to her made her mouth water.
When it was their turn, the two of them looked like little animals seeing a feast, their eyes lighting up, and they eagerly carried their bowls to find seats.
The shredded green peppers are crisp and crunchy, and the meat is very fragrant, with a smoky aroma from being stir-fried. The rice is even more delicious; when you put the rice and shredded green peppers and meat together in your mouth, the spiciness bursts on your tongue in layers due to the heat, mixed with the aroma of rice and meat.
"Delicious, delicious, delicious!" Xu Jiajia exclaimed repeatedly as she ate.
Grandpa Xu, who was too full to walk, nodded in complete agreement.
Zhong Si, who was also sitting in a chair digesting her food because the pickled green beans were so delicious, silently thought to herself, "So delicious!"
Meanwhile, Teacher Li returned to the office with two meals, one for Qi Yue. The two had agreed to take turns bringing meals from now on.
"Here you go, Xiaoyue." Teacher Li put down her food, gave her a portion of Qiyue's food, and then lifted the lid. The steam, mixed with the spicy aroma of green peppers and the meaty fragrance of shredded meat, rushed out and immediately filled the office.
"Teacher Li, did you buy this from that unknown little restaurant again?" a teacher asked.
"Yes, but she has a signboard now, called Yu's Little Restaurant. Today's stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork was delicious!" Teacher Li exclaimed.
Teacher Li glanced at the white steamed bun in her lovely colleague's hand and asked with concern, "We're not just having steamed buns today, are we?"
My colleague glanced at his steamed bun and shook his head: "No, I'll go home as soon as I finish grading the homework. I absolutely won't bring it home."
"I'll share some stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork with you. Try putting it in your steamed bun; it'll be absolutely delicious," Teacher Li said.
"Okay, okay, thank you so much!" My colleague wasn't greedy; she only took a tiny bit, just enough for one bite.
After adding the stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork, the meat juices and sauce seeped into the fluffy white steamed buns. One bite, and the salty and savory flavor filled my mouth, making even the steamed buns taste better. After finishing the meal, my colleague looked satisfied and hurriedly asked, "Is it right across from the school? No way, it smells too good. I have to go eat first before grading papers. I need to be full to have the motivation to work!"
After saying that, he ran outside to Yu's Restaurant.
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