Chapter Seventy-Five: Pickled Noodles + Three-Ingredient Soup
Back at the hotel, the two little girls ran quickly to their room.
Lin Xiangwan hadn't eaten all day, and as soon as she opened the packaging, a rich, savory aroma wafted out, its fragrance exceptionally pure. As a celebrity, she ate all sorts of weight-loss and nutritional meals, which were basically just a bunch of unseasoned food pieces, so she was very sensitive to the taste of seasonings.
She could tell just by smelling it whether it tasted like the original flavor of the ingredients. The aroma of such delicious broth made Lin Xiangwan swallow hard.
The delicious aroma filled the hotel room. Lin Xiangwan's stomach rumbled, and she couldn't wait to take a big gulp of soup with a spoon. The delicious flavor exploded on her tongue. She then tasted a wonton; the skin was thin and the filling was fragrant, with large, fresh shrimp inside that tasted delicious.
There wasn't a strong flavor of seasoning, just the freshness of pork bones and dried flounder. It was the simplest and most unpretentious flavor of the food, yet it was exceptionally fragrant. Lin Xiangwan drank the soup clean.
"Sis, come and try this roast goose, it's so delicious! I'll share a goose leg with you," Orange said. The roast goose smelled so good that she had to let her sister have some, otherwise her sister would definitely regret it.
Looking at the glistening, oily roast goose leg, Lin Xiangwan couldn't bring herself to say, "I'll only eat a small piece." She comforted herself, "Just one bite won't make me fat." Lin Xiangwan nodded, "Thank you, Orange~"
After taking a "funeral photo" of the goose leg, Lin Xiangwan immediately put it in her mouth. The lower part of the goose leg was slightly charred, and you could still see a thin layer of fat under the crispy skin.
The moment you bite into it, the fat melts in your mouth—it's oily yet not greasy, with crispy skin and tender meat—it's truly amazing. The roast goose meat underneath is also exceptionally tender, with a rich and delicious aroma. The parts near the bone are especially fragrant, and the marrow has absorbed all the flavors of the fat and meat. Dipping it in plum sauce and roast goose juice makes the flavor even more complex.
Orange also brought back a boxed meal, and Lin Xiangwan started eating char siu again. The skin was dripping with the juices and honey from the high-temperature grilling, which slowly flowed and dripped onto the rice, turning it amber in color. The sauce seeped into the texture of the meat, and some parts even had a slightly charred aroma.
This char siu is made with pork shoulder, with a perfect balance of fat and lean meat; it's incredibly delicious.
After finishing her meal, she felt a little regretful. She seemed to have eaten a lot of food that would make her gain weight, but the food smelled so good! After a moment of hesitation—
Lin Xiangwan clenched her fist, admitting defeat. "Ju Zi, you should also go to this store tomorrow at noon. It's so delicious."
Orange nodded and asked, "Sis, aren't you going to lose weight anymore?"
Lin Xiangwan clenched her fist again, "Let's lose weight after we leave Yuncheng."
It's all because the food at this restaurant is so delicious that she can't resist eating it.
—
At home, Yu Miaoyin looked at the order list she had written, calculated how many kilograms of pork she needed, and then made a phone call to the pork stall owner to have it delivered.
The pork stall owner said it was no problem, and thinking that tomorrow would definitely be busier, she deliberately went to bed early.
"Goodnight, Xiaotangbao." Yu Miaoyin said to Xiaotangbao, who was lying straight on the bed. Yu Miaoyin covered her little belly, saying, "You'll catch a cold if you expose your belly button."
Little Tangbao obediently placed her hand on her belly button and slept peacefully.
The next morning, Yu Miaoyin left home early.
She remembered how many people had ordered wontons yesterday, and how everyone said the bamboo-pressed noodles were delicious—a perfect match! She decided to buy some to keep on hand so people could buy them directly, and she could also help Chen Fugui's family. Plus, many of her friends were from out of town and might not be able to find their way.
In this way, we can achieve many benefits at once.
Today, Yu Miaoyin met Chen Fugui's son's daughter, a young girl who had undergone craniotomy for a brain tumor, and her left eye looked somewhat strange.
But the little girl was quite optimistic. When she saw Yu Miaoyin arrive, she immediately ran inside and called for her father to come out.
"Do you still have bamboo-pressed noodles?" Yu Miaoyin asked.
"Not much left, boss." He scratched his head. Chen Fugui came out from inside and said to Yu Miaoyin with great gratitude, "Thank you, Xiaoyin. Yesterday, many people came here to buy bamboo-pressed noodles. When I asked, everyone said you recommended it."
"It's okay." Hearing that it was over, Yu Miaoyin was also a little happy. "Your noodles are delicious, that's why people ask me about them. I'll buy something else, give me a few pounds of wonton wrappers."
Chen Fugui quickly weighed the wonton wrappers and nodded, saying, "No need to pay, thank you Boss Yu for helping our family."
Yu Miaoyin wanted to insist but couldn't, and in the end, she could only accept the wonton wrappers Chen Fugui gave her. Yu Miaoyin wandered around and eventually bought a bag of alkaline noodles to take home; she planned to make pickled noodles.
The pickled noodles were especially delicious, and she loved them. To make good pickled noodles, lard was essential, so Yu Miaoyin went to her familiar pork stall owner to buy some pork fat. Seeing that she was a big customer, the pork stall owner didn't charge her.
When Yu Miaoyin returned, she was carrying a large pile of things, and she felt like a hunter returning victorious from a hunt.
When she got back, the butcher delivered the pork she had ordered. She and Aunt Zheng started by making wontons. The filling was ready, and the wonton wrappers were also good; the wontons would definitely be very fragrant. After making several trays, Yu Miaoyin put the wrapped wontons in the freezer. She asked Aunt Zheng to continue making them while she went to make marinated noodles.
There was no honey-glazed char siu today, so Yu Miaoyin crossed the char siu off the menu and wrote down "marinated noodles".
Pork fat is particularly rich, so the pork rendered from it will definitely be exceptionally fragrant. Amidst the sizzling and popping sounds of the oil, the fatty pork gradually shrinks, as if the fat inside has been "squeezed out".
The aroma of this lard is exceptionally strong; even passing dogs turn around to sniff it. The marinated noodles made with this lard have a rich, oily fragrance and a savory, meaty aroma that can be overwhelming.
A slight breeze picked up outside, and the aroma of lard wafted from the small shop, reaching Grandma Chen's house and Grandpa Xu's house.
Yi Ling immediately sent a message to Xu Jiajia—
[Jiajia, Sister Ayin is making something delicious, it smells amazing! Are you awake yet? Come to the little restaurant for a meal!]
At this moment, Xu Jiajia was fast asleep. Both her parents thought their daughter must have been "Sleeping Beauty" in her past life, given how much she could sleep.
During winter and summer vacations, Jiajia can sleep until four or five o'clock in the afternoon.
Today is no exception.
Mr. and Mrs. Xu were looking at their phones in the living room when they suddenly heard several deafening noises coming from their daughter's room—the sounds of three alarm clocks blaring simultaneously.
Mr. Xu looked at his daughter's closed bedroom door with a troubled expression and said to Mrs. Xu, "Why don't you go in and turn off her alarm clock? Has this child forgotten that today is a holiday?"
After a moment's hesitation, Mrs. Xu thought to herself, "Even when I'm awake, I find the alarm clock really annoying. How much more so must it be for someone who's asleep? Jiajia usually loves to sleep, so she'll definitely be unhappy to be woken up."
She got up, and before she even opened the door, she saw her daughter come out looking energetic, with a schoolbag on her shoulder. "Good morning, Mom and Dad."
Mr. and Mrs. Xu looked at each other in bewilderment. "Why did you wake up so early today?"
"Yi Ling called me to go to a small restaurant for dinner. She said Sister A Yin made something delicious. I immediately woke up and said, 'Hehe, I'm off!'" Xu Jiajia quickly left after changing her shoes.
Luckily, she was the clever and resourceful Xu Jiajia, who set three alarms, otherwise she definitely wouldn't have been able to wake up!
The aroma of lard wafted into the school, where Lin Xiangwan and Xiang Huai, who were acting, smelled it. Ju Zi also twitched her nose, overjoyed at the thought of delicious food today, so happy she wanted to jump for joy.
Fortunately, they were professional actors and were not disturbed. During the intermission, Lin Xiangwan said excitedly, "Ju Zi, go to the small restaurant now and buy some delicious food. I'll reimburse you."
The orange made the fly rub its hands together excitedly, "I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"
It wasn't even the restaurant's opening time yet, but Ju Zi ran incredibly fast. She wanted to be the first to get a bite, otherwise, when it was mealtime, a bunch of people would come and fight her for the food, and she'd have to wait in line for ages.
When she came in, Yu Miaoyin had already started making the sauce for the marinated noodles. Ju Zi was especially excited, and when she saw Old Yu Miaoyin chatting with her, she said, "Boss, what are you making today? It smells so good!"
The boss is so young and beautiful, and the little girl she's with is so cute!
"Let's wait a little longer for the pickled noodles," Yu Miaoyin said, as she went back to the kitchen to prepare the garlic, scallions, cilantro, and other ingredients needed for the marinade.
Orange watched Aunt Zheng's actions and asked, "Auntie, are you selling these wontons?"
"They're for sale, but it seems like they're all pre-ordered," Aunt Zheng said. She wraps wontons very quickly, finishing several in the time it took to chat with Ju Zi for just a couple of minutes.
"It smells so good! The boss seems to have finished making it. I'm going to join the queue now. Goodbye, Auntie." Just as she caught a glimpse of a few people coming over, afraid of missing out on the first spot, Orange quickly disappeared.
After preparing the sauce for the marinated noodles, Yu Miaoyin also made a "Three Delicacies Soup," the authentic accompaniment to the marinated noodles. This soup is not difficult to make at all; fresh lean meat and pork liver are sliced, pork intestines are cut into small pieces, and finally, goji leaves are added.
If the ingredients are fresh enough, the soup won't be bad, and a rich, savory flavor will waft out.
Orange packed two servings of pickled noodles and a soup with three kinds of herbs to take home. Although she wanted to eat everything, her stomach wouldn't allow it. They hadn't tried the pickled noodles before, so they decided to have this set meal.
As diligent as Xu Jiajia was, she came straight to the small restaurant with her schoolbag on her back. At first glance, it looked like she had just returned from tutoring class. Xiao Tangbao asked her, "Sister Jiajia, did you come back from tutoring class?"
"No, that's not it." She sat down with Xiao Tangbao and quickly called Yiling over to eat something delicious.
"Here it comes, Jiajia, your noodles are here." Aunt Zheng already knows this little girl; she comes to the small restaurant to eat every day.
"Thank you, Auntie." Xu Jiajia couldn't wait for Yiling any longer. They were friends, not blind dates, so there was no need for formalities. She picked up her chopsticks and started mixing the noodles.
The pickled noodles weren't the dark, savory type. In the bowl, pale yellow alkaline noodles were sprinkled with golden, crispy fried garlic, and a faint aroma of pork fat wafted out. Each noodle glistened with oil.
As it was being stirred, a rich and unique aroma of meat and salt wafted out, and Xiao Tangbao thought it smelled wonderful.
The soup smells wonderful; she can't quite describe it, but it has a refreshing and appetizing aroma.
"Here, little Tangbao, have a bowl too." Aunt Zheng brought over a bowl of pickled noodles and Sanjidi soup.
Little Tangbao's eyes lit up. Following Jiajia's example, she mixed the noodles and then took a big bite...
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