Chapter Nine: Fried Rice Noodles with Egg (1)
The next morning, when Yu Miaoyin took Xiaotangbao to school, she took her to a breakfast shop outside the market for breakfast.
There were many parents dropping off their children sitting outside the market. The breakfast shops all sold pretty much the same things, so Yu Miaoyin chose the one with the most people.
This shop sells wonton soup; a small bowl costs eight yuan, and a large bowl costs ten yuan.
Yu Miaoyin ordered two large bowls.
The wontons had very ordinary meat filling, but they tasted a bit strange, and the wonton wrappers were also soft and mushy.
"Sister, I don't think this tastes good at all." Little Tangbao slowly chewed and tasted it, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.
"If you don't like it, I'll buy you something else." Yu Miaoyin pulled Xiao Tangbao to leave, but Xiao Tangbao shook her head. "It's okay, sister, I can eat it, it's just not tasty."
Xiao Tangbao is right, it just doesn't taste good, not so bad as to be outrageously bad.
"If it's my older sister who makes these wontons, they'll definitely be delicious, and everyone will love them," Xiao Tangbao said as she left.
After dropping her off at the kindergarten gate, Yu Miaoyin slipped some candy into her hand; children this age really like sweet things.
"You want to eat wontons, right? How about I make them for you?" Yu Miaoyin said, she wanted to let Xiaotangbao eat lots of delicious food and grow up happily.
Sure enough, Xiao Tangbao's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this, sparkling brightly. She said sweetly, "I want to eat it, thank you, sister."
Xiao Tangbao tugged at Yu Miaoyin's hand, "Sister, turn your face a little bit to the side."
Yu Miaoyin did as she was told, and then a warm face pressed against hers. Little Tangbao wasn't fat, but her face was chubby, and when they pressed together, it looked like two sticky rice balls squeezed together, very soft. Yu Miaoyin was completely charmed by this gesture.
"Listen to your teacher, okay? Your older sister is waiting for you at home and will make you some wontons." Yu Miaoyin patted her head. "Tomorrow is a holiday, how about your older sister takes you out to play?"
"Okay, thank you, sister, mua~" Before leaving, Xiao Tangbao quickly touched Yu Miaoyin's face and kissed her.
Watching her little Tangbao, who looked just like a tiny bean, run into the school gate with a backpack half the size of her, and greet the teachers with "Good morning," she was in a daze for a long, long time.
She even developed the illusion that Xiaotangbao was her biological younger sister, and that they depended on each other for survival.
Yu Miaoyin smiled, gently touched the cheek that Xiao Tangbao had kissed, and walked towards the market with a smile.
The shop also has rice noodles and eggs, which can be used to make fried rice noodles with eggs. The tea eggs are also prepared a day in advance.
Having promised to make delicious wontons for Xiaotangbao, Yu Miaoyin bought some pork tenderloin to take home. She bought quite a lot because she thought she could make stir-fried rice noodles with meat and eggs for everyone, since most of her customers were high school students.
Yu Miaoyin wants every child who comes here to eat to be full and healthy.
"Good morning." He Li pushed open the roller shutter door and smiled at Yu Miaoyin.
"Good morning." Yu Miaoyin noticed that He Li had brought a child with her, a little girl who looked about the same age as Xiao Tangbao.
She tugged at He Li's sleeve, watching Yu Miaoyin cautiously. When she saw that Yu Miaoyin was also looking at her, she tightened her grip on the sleeve even more.
"Baby, say hello to your older sister." He Li patted her hand reassuringly. "This is an older sister who is very good at cooking. Her cooking is delicious."
Soon, the child timidly called out to her, "Sister...Sister."
Whether it was shyness or something else, after shouting, she let go and ran into the store.
He Li looked at Yu Miaoyin apologetically and explained softly, "This is my daughter, He Ran. She's in kindergarten. Today she said she didn't want to go to school, so I brought her here. She suffered a little trauma when she was little, so she's a bit afraid of people."
"Is Xiao Ran the same age as Xiao Tang Bao?" Yu Miaoyin asked, watching her run into a corner.
“Hmm.” He Li also looked in that direction. “It seems like she goes to the same school as Xiao Tangbao. Xiao Tangbao is lively and energetic, the opposite of Xiao Ran.”
He Li told Yu Miaoyin about He Ran's school, and it turned out to be a kindergarten.
Yu Miaoyin said, "Then Xiaotangbao can play with Xiaoran together, so they can keep each other company."
He Li smiled gently and hummed in agreement. Perhaps seeing Yu Miaoyin's kindness, she unconsciously said a few more words: "When she was little, her father often drank and smashed things, which frightened her, so her personality became like this. All I can do is love her well."
Upon hearing He Li's words, Yu Miaoyin blurted out, "Are you divorced?"
“We’re divorced, and the child takes my surname,” He Li said. “It’s okay. I’m doing fine raising her now. My mother is with me too. I feel very happy and I’m just trying to make a good living with this little shop.”
Upon closer reflection, both children seem quite pitiful. But it's alright, Xiao Ran has He Li's love, and Xiao Tang Bao has Yu Miaoyin's love.
"I'm making fried rice noodles with meat and eggs for lunch today, so Xiaoran can try it and see if I can become the older sister she admires who is good at cooking and can cook delicious food."
"Okay, thank you, Xiaoyin." He Li thanked her, and the two went back to their respective shops.
Yu Miaoyin checked the tea eggs in the pot, then grabbed several and took them to He Li's shop.
"Come here, Xiao Ran, let me let you try my tea eggs and see if they're delicious," Yu Miaoyin said gently, placing the tea eggs in front of her.
Xiao Ran hummed in agreement, gently touched the eggshell with her finger, and said softly, "It's cracked, it looks like Spider-Man."
“Yes, it looks like Spider-Man,” Yu Miaoyin said. “It’s still hot, so be careful when you eat it.”
She picked up the tea egg, slowly peeled off the shell, revealing the perfect Spider-Man egg, perhaps because she was attracted by the aroma.
Xiao Ran was initially a little hesitant, and seeing a stranger standing in front of her made her feel flustered.
But the egg smelled so good that she turned her head slightly and took a bite.
Yu Miaoyin knew that the child was probably afraid of her, so she didn't force her and planned to slowly win her over with delicious food. Today it was tea eggs, and tomorrow it would be sweet and sour pork ribs.
As soon as she turned around, she heard a very soft yet clear voice, "Thank you, Sister Yin, I really like this... Spider-Man egg."
Hmm? Could this be considered winning a child's heart with delicious food?
...
Yu Miaoyin soaked the rice noodles in advance, cut the pork tenderloin into thin strips, and marinated them for a while with soy sauce, cooking wine, and cornstarch. She washed and drained the mung bean sprouts and set them aside, and cut the carrots into thin strips. These tasks seem simple, but it still takes quite a bit of time for one person to do them.
Yu Miaoyin glanced at the wall clock; it was almost time.
She wanted to try it out first, so that Xiao Ran could have a taste, otherwise she might be too busy and forget about Xiao Ran.
The hot wok sizzles as it hits the oil. Once the oil is hot, pour in the beaten eggs, which immediately puff up at the edges and are quickly removed from the wok. Next, add the shredded pork tenderloin and stir-fry until it changes color, glistening with oil and releasing its aroma.
Pour the soaked rice noodles into the pot and stir quickly with chopsticks to ensure even heating. Pour in the sauce; the sauce instantly coats the noodles, giving them a glossy and enticing color. Add bean sprouts, shredded pork, carrots, and rice noodles, and stir-fry together. The fresh aroma of the vegetables mingles with the fragrance of the sauce and meat, filling the whole house with an irresistible aroma. Finally, add the scrambled eggs back in, allowing their flavor to infuse the dish as well.
What smells so good? This was the question on the minds of the teachers from Yuncheng No.1 Middle School across the street.
The office is very close to the school gate. Looking out the window, you can see the bustling scene along the entire road. Sometimes you can even hear the residents disciplining their children. Today, you can even smell the delicious aroma of fried rice noodles with meat and eggs.
Teacher Li put down her lesson plan and looked out the window. She saw Yu Miaoyin carrying out a plate of something. Could it be from that unknown little shop again?
How do I manage to capture her heart every time?
The teachers were also curious. They had been teaching all morning and had been eating only water. The aroma made them even hungrier. "Which shop smells so good?"
A young intern teacher chimed in, "I wonder which restaurant's food smells so good?"
Teacher Li turned her gaze away and sat down in her seat, thinking to herself that she should go here for another meal today.
But she's a teacher. As a teacher, being seen eating there by students is no different from being a monkey in a zoo.
Although teaching is just a job, students don't see it that way; they are curious about everything about their teachers.
Therefore, she can't compete with the students for the noodles, otherwise it would be too embarrassing if the students saw her doing it.
What can we do then?
Smelling the faint aroma of fried rice noodles in the air, Teacher Li came up with a good idea.
A note from the author:
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