Chapter Seventy-Eight Stir-fried Lotus Root Strips
Cut the lotus root into thick strips along the grain, blanch them briefly, then coat them with egg wash, followed by cornstarch. The oil was preheated; she added the cornstarch-coated lotus root strips, waiting for the hot oil to turn the coating golden brown and crispy. Yu Miaoyin then stir-fried the prepared seasonings—minced garlic, dried chili peppers, and peppercorns—until fragrant and well-seasoned. Once the aroma was released, she added sugar and salt to taste; the sugar and salt dissolved in the oil, making it thicken.
Even before it was finished, a rich aroma wafted out. Xu Jiajia was already drooling; her mind was filled with thoughts of lotus root strips, and she was already singing a joyful song in her heart. A little while later, Sister Ayin brought out the finished stir-fried lotus root strips.
"Aunt Zheng, come and have a taste," Yu Miaoyin called to her. She had made quite a lot; after all, making a little was the same as making a lot.
The fried lotus root strips turned golden and crispy, like French fries, with a crunchy outer crust. Xiao Tangbao picked one up and exclaimed, "Wow, French fries!"
"But it's different from French fries, this smells so good." The spicy aroma of dried chili peppers and the numbing aroma of Sichuan peppercorns are released by the hot oil and coat the lotus root strips, making them smell very fragrant.
"Sister Ayin, you're an angel, an angel who can cook! This stir-fried lotus root smells so good!" Xu Jiajia took a bite of a stir-fried lotus root strip. The outside was crispy, coated with a layer of spicy and fragrant seasonings, crisp and refreshing. But inside, there was still the natural sweetness of the lotus root. The aroma of sesame oil on the surface of the lotus root strip collided with the sweetness inside, making the flavor exceptionally rich.
Xu Jiajia and Yi Ling gave Yu Miaoyin a thumbs up and praised her wildly with admiration. Xu Jiajia said, "Sister Ayin, you are an angel. You are so delicious. Can I marry you in the future? I am willing to be your concubine, as long as you can give me a bite to eat."
"No, my sister is mine!" Xiao Tangbao said, hugging Yu Miaoyin tightly.
Xu Jiajia whispered to her, "I can tell you stories too, and I have lots of delicious food and fun things for you, okay?"
"Well... okay then." Xiao Tangbao wavered a little, because she also liked Sister Jiajia very much!
Yu Miaoyin was amused by her, "Eat up, it seems the lotus root strips I made are too delicious."
Aunt Zheng ate it, saying, "It's delicious, especially delicious."
The boss makes everything delicious, earning him the title of "God of Cooking." Xiao Tangbao's nickname, "Little Angel Who Can Create Many Delicious Foods," is no exaggeration.
These lotus root strips are increasingly delicious with each bite, featuring layers of complex aromas and textures that gradually unfold. The flavor starts with a salty, savory, and spicy kick, followed by the juicy sweetness of the lotus root inside. The texture is crispy on the outside and crunchy on the inside. You can't stop eating them, one after another.
She hasn't opened for business yet, and there are two children in the shop. She vaguely remembers them. At first, a boy named Xiaoming came to eat at the shop every day. These past few days, he's been coming especially early and has been learning at her shop. Once she opens, Xiaoming orders a meal, eats it quickly, and leaves without lingering.
Another blond-haired young man is also studying now. She had judged him by his appearance; the first time she saw him, he was wearing a black short-sleeved shirt with a skull design and had dyed blond hair, leading Yu Miaoyin to think he probably didn't like studying much. But she was wrong; the blond-haired guy was quite studious.
Thinking it over, Yu Miaoyin took some more and gave it to the two children, saying, "Please have some stir-fried lotus root strips. There won't be any rice for you to eat for a while."
She said gently.
Xiao Ming looked up at the stir-fried lotus root strips, his heart pounding. He had never seen such fragrant lotus root strips before, and he was certain that he had fallen in love with them at first sight!
"Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss! Wishing you prosperity and a thriving business!" Xiaoming quickly said.
Huang Mao chimed in, "Thank you, boss. Wishing you prosperity, thriving business, all the best, and abundant wealth..." and so on. One by one, the universal New Year's blessings he had memorized came out, and he almost said "may you live to be a hundred years old."
The two carefully held the stir-fried lotus root strips and began to taste them. They smelled wonderful; the charred aroma from frying combined with the spicy fragrance from stir-frying, making them incredibly crispy and fragrant.
After eating the plate of stir-fried lotus root strips, Xiaoming felt like he had been injected with chicken blood. He thought, "Bring on the English words and long, complicated sentences, I'm not afraid!"
Xiao Ming had a big appetite, and by the time Yu Miaoyin started cooking, his stomach was already flat from hunger. Just when he thought he was about to faint from hunger, Aunt Zheng brought the food up in time and saved his life!
Teacher Zhang never expected to run into Xiao Ming at the small restaurant, just as Liu Jiang never expected to bump into his colleague, and Xu Jiajia never expected to run into Teacher Li.
"Hello, teachers." Xu Jiajia, who had just been complaining about how much homework there was at No. 1 Middle School, immediately shut up.
Teacher Li smiled and said, "Jiajia eats here too?"
"Yes, yes, the food at this restaurant is so delicious."
Liu Jiang recognized the girl; the first time he ate at the small restaurant was because he caught her passing notes in class. Noticing Liu Jiang's gaze, Xu Jiajia and Yi Ling greeted him together, "Hello, Director."
On the other side, Xiaoming saw that Teacher Zhang was in the same situation. After an awkward greeting, the two remained silent for a long time. Since they were still waiting for the food, Teacher Zhang decided to speak up to warm things up.
He glanced at the notebook next to Xiaoming and asked, "Are you studying at the small restaurant? Recently, many teachers have praised you for your progress and attentiveness in class. Keep it up."
Xiao Ming smiled sheepishly. Actually, he was quite reluctant to have the teacher ask him about his studies. "Um, thank you, teacher. I will work hard."
Then, glancing at the blond-haired child across the way who also seemed to be studying, Teacher Zhang was surprised again. "Huang, you've been very diligent lately. I have high hopes for you."
The student surnamed Huang, who didn't actually have the surname Huang, nodded and said, "Thank you, teacher. I will work hard too."
An awkward, unspoken awkwardness spread among the three of them.
Ms. Zhang didn't want to ask about her studies, but she really didn't know what to ask. It was like going home for the New Year and seeing her relatives' children; she didn't want to start by asking about their grades or where they studied, but she really couldn't find any other topics to talk about.
Teacher Zhang simply shut up.
A student bumped into a teacher, and both the student and the teacher felt awkward. But thankfully, Teacher Zhang's meal was ready quickly, and she took the packed meal home.
She had barely left the small restaurant when she started typing furiously to her good colleague—
You absolutely won't believe it, but Huang, that student in your class, is actually studying! He's studying! It's so incredibly moving and inspiring—he's actually studying!
-
After the afternoon's filming wrapped up, Lin Xiangwan checked the restaurant's page and was relieved to find that no one was criticizing it. She would have been upset if someone had been criticized because of her, especially since the owner's food was so delicious; Lin Xiangwan couldn't bear to see her get hurt.
There was no filming scheduled for the evening. Lin Xiangwan removed her makeup and changed into her everyday clothes. Ju Zi had something to do today, and she was worried that if she were spotted in the shop with too many people, it would cause trouble for the small restaurant, so she didn't go to the restaurant and went straight back to the hotel.
After washing up, she picked up her phone to watch Yunhe's videos. The more she watched, the hungrier she got, and the more she regretted not going to the small restaurant for a meal. How could she have been so stupid? If it wasn't convenient for her to go herself, she could have found a delivery person, or even asked Xiaobai to buy her a meal.
Regretful, and hungry, Lin Xiangwan stopped watching Yunhe's video and instead opened her WeChat Moments. The first post was from Xiang Huai, showing him a picture of the delicious food he had packed from a small restaurant. This was undoubtedly hurtful to Lin Xiangwan.
Lin Xiangwan commented with two crying emojis.
After seeing Lin Xiangwan's comment, Xiang Huai immediately sent her a private message.
Xiang Huai: What's wrong?
Lin Xiangwan: How much delicious food did you pack up?
Xiang Huai: I asked Xiao Bai to pack a portion of everything I bought from the small restaurant for me. It smelled so good. After filming ends the day after tomorrow, I won't be able to eat it anymore.
Lin Xiangwan: Ju Zi took the day off today, so I didn't go to the small restaurant.
Xiang Huai: You haven't had dinner?
In this profession, not having dinner is a very common and normal thing, but Xiang Huai thought of Lin Xiangwan's low blood sugar, plus this girl must be craving the food at the small restaurant, the tears she shed in the comment she just posted were probably just drool!
Xiang Huai: How about I share a serving of stir-fried kueh teow with you? Do you want some?
Lin Xiangwan: I should thank Brother Xiang Huai. I'll come to you to get it.
The actors in the film crew were all staying at the same hotel. The two of them were on the same floor. Lin Xiangwan skipped and hopped, a smile on her face, and ran to Xiang Huai's door. Then she knocked on the door.
The smile on her face was impossible to hide, even her eyes were bright. Fried kway teow, wet fried kway teow, it must smell delicious, she had never eaten it before.
"I'll give you the money," Lin Xiangwan said. Although it was a small amount, she still couldn't owe anyone money.
"No need, I'm going back to eat roast goose first, it won't taste good if it gets cold," Xiang Huai said hurriedly.
"Okay." Lin Xiangwan happily took the rice noodles and left.
A paparazzi nearby captured this scene, but upon encountering crew members and Xiao Bai, he was startled and immediately moved to a corner, thus missing the rest of the footage. However, the fact that he captured Lin Xiangwan going to Xiang Huai's room, smiling so happily, is explosive enough on its own.
The paparazzi thought he was about to strike it rich and quickly went back to his room.
Back at the hotel, Lin Xiangwan opened the box. The rice noodles were still as chewy as ever, and the thick soup clung to the rice noodles, beef, and kale, making it savory and delicious.
The stir-fried rice noodles had a slightly wok-fried aroma and a dry fragrance, while the thick broth gave them a fresh and moist texture. The smoky aroma from the wok and the meaty fragrance of the beef blended together perfectly, making it delicious. Lin Xiangwan quickly took several photos of the stir-fried rice noodles and sent them to her best friend who was thousands of miles away in Yuncheng.
Lin Xiangwan: Fried kueh teow smells so good, it's a pity you can't have any.
Chen Yufei: Hungry, hungry, hungry
Lin Xiangwan: No jokes allowed! I just love to eat, and a person who loves to eat can't be all that bad.
Chen Yufei: Okay, okay, is this restaurant really that good? I saw it's really popular online!
Lin Xiangwan: It's incredibly delicious. You'll understand why I was so hungry after you've tried it.
Lin Xiangwan finished her fried rice noodles and then, satisfied, bothered her friend. Chen Yufei was also craving them; she especially loved watching Yunhe's videos, particularly the "Small Restaurant" series, which she would watch repeatedly.
Fans say she grew up drinking dew and is untouched by worldly concerns. In reality, Chen Yufei goes hungry every day watching mukbang videos. Everyone has emotions and desires, and everyone has an appetite. If watching mukbang videos doesn't make you hungry, then you're a god!
After bothering her for a while, Lin Xiangwan invited Chen Yufei to a small restaurant for dinner. Chen Yufei had a busy schedule recently and didn't have time to come, but Lin Xiangwan promised to bring her some wontons to take home so she could try them.
Lin Xiangwan went to bed after washing up because she had to get up early to film tomorrow.
While she was still asleep, a trending topic on Weibo quietly went viral—
[Lin Xiangwan and Xiang Huai's relationship confirmed]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
