Chapter Seventy-Four: Wonton and Bamboo Noodles
Grandpa Xu had never seen a celebrity before. Although he was reluctant to leave his seat, he had already tilted his head back to look outside.
Since she was a big star, everyone was naturally curious. Grandma Chen thought she was a Hong Kong star often seen on radio and television, so she went out to see her.
Little Tangbao also craned her neck to look, and whispered to Yiling, "Sister Yiling, are all big stars very beautiful?"
“Of course,” Yi Ling said.
Xu Jiajia, biting into her char siu, suddenly remembered something and quickly said, "Didn't they say there was a film crew shooting at our school? It's actually true?"
Xiao Du quickly said, "Wow, what film crew is this? Do we even know these big stars?"
The group quickly went online to search.
On the other side of the line, the person who had just shouted out about the big star was feeling disheartened looking at the unmoved crowd. Didn't everyone want to see a big star? If everyone went to watch, he could have gotten his delicious roast goose and honey-glazed char siu sooner!
Who knew that others thought the same way? Few of the group members were fans of celebrities. Although big stars were very attractive, no matter how attractive they were, they couldn't compare to delicious roast goose and char siu. So, no one wanted to leave the group.
He Li and He Tianyou came in from outside and exclaimed, "Wow, there are so many people!"
He Tianyou brought a gift to thank Yu Miaoyin, but seeing how busy she was, he didn't bother her.
The small restaurant was a bit chaotic, with some diners carrying their food but unable to find a table, giving them a sense of bewilderment, like someone who had just drawn their sword and looked around in confusion.
There was no way around it, there were just too many people.
Looking at the long queue, He Li walked over to Yu Miaoyin and said, "Xiaoyin, I'll open my shop. You can let them sit here and eat."
Yu Miaoyin looked up at the diners in line and those who looked around blankly, and nodded gratefully, "Okay, thank you, Sister He Li."
He Li used to open the door, but since the students were on holiday, she didn't need to open for business. In addition, the orders for chestnuts had increased recently, so she had to help handle them.
He Li invited everyone to sit at her table, and after some people left, the small shop was no longer so crowded.
—
When Lin Xiangwan heard someone shouting, she almost thought there were stalkers. Her assistant, Ju Zi, pulled her away quickly, and thankfully no one chased after them.
"It's okay, sis, you go do your makeup first," Orange said.
Lin Xiangwan nodded and said okay.
The crew is currently filming an urban romance drama, and they happened to be shooting the part where the male and female leads reminisce about their school days. So the crew came to Yuncheng No.1 Middle School for four days of location shooting.
Xu Jiajia happened to find this information, and she quickly announced: "Found it, found it! No. 1 High School is really doing big things quietly, no wonder they don't allow everyone to stay on campus to study."
Yi-ling asked, "Who will play the role?"
“Lin Xiangwan and Xiang Huai,” Xu Jiajia said. She had seen Lin Xiangwan’s dramas and liked her appearance and personality. She also wanted to see Lin Xiangwan up close.
However, she was filming, which was somewhat inconvenient, so let's put that idea aside for now.
—
In the afternoon, it was time for the male and female leads to have another scene together. Lin Xiangwan put on her school uniform and styled her hair in a slicked-back style. Fortunately, she was pretty, and the hairstyle made her look particularly energetic.
The filming went smoothly. There was an emotional moment in the scene that required an emotional outburst, and both leads performed well, which pleased the director.
After finishing, Lin Xiangwan walked towards the rest area and called to Ju Zi, "Bring me my water cup."
"Okay." Orange jogged over, then jogged back. She looked at Lin Xiangwan and exclaimed, "Sis, are you having low blood sugar?"
The director and Xiang Huai noticed and came over to check on Lin Xiangwan, asking, "Are you alright?"
Lin Xiangwan shook her head. "It's nothing, just an old problem."
In order to maintain her figure, she often skipped meals, which caused her to frequently suffer from hypoglycemia, and it had become a recurring problem.
"Okay, let's eat something later." The director had a round belly and couldn't bear the hardship of dieting. So when he saw these actors not eating anything to lose weight, or even drinking an iced Americano every day to reduce swelling, he felt that he was not qualified to be a big star.
People need food to survive; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal!
Remembering a good restaurant nearby, the director recommended it to Lin Xiangwan, "I saw online that the food at Yu Ji Restaurant across from No. 1 Middle School is very delicious. You can try it."
He had seen Yunhe's videos online, and the pork rib claypot rice and roast goose almost made him drool. After finishing work, he would go to a small restaurant for a big meal.
After resting for a while, Lin Xiangwan felt much better. She nodded and said, "I understand. Thank you, Director."
The filming went smoothly and we wrapped up early. After packing up their things, each group left.
Lin Xiangwan changed out of her school uniform, left the school gate, and planned to return to her hotel.
"It smells so good!" Ju Zi exclaimed, tilting her head back to look outside. She saw a small restaurant surrounded by a line of diners. "Yu's Restaurant, isn't this the one the director recommended?"
Lin Xiangwan looked over and agreed, "The smell makes me feel like I'm about to faint from hunger again."
She also loves to eat delicious food. Although eating one meal won't make her gain ten pounds immediately, she still feels guilty.
But the food at this restaurant smells so good! That darn Orange even showed her Yunhe's video, saying, "This blogger also recommended this small restaurant. I'm so envious watching her eat roast goose."
Lin Xiangwan clenched her fist, but ultimately succumbed to the temptation of food. She said to Ju Zi, "Ju Zi, go to a small restaurant and buy some good food. We'll eat back at the hotel."
Orange was also very happy and quickly replied, "Okay, I'll send you the menu later, and you can see what you want to eat."
The craving oranges immediately rushed to the small restaurant to queue up. The air was filled with the rich aroma of roast goose sauce and the sweetness of honey, as well as a strong, mellow, and extremely fragrant flavor.
Orange looked around and spotted a simple menu on the wall. She sent it to Lin Xiangwan and asked her what she wanted to eat.
She was also watching Yunhe's videos and wanted to eat everything. After some deliberation, she ordered a bowl of wonton bamboo noodles and a serving of honey-glazed char siu.
Orange didn't have any worries about dieting. Since she had finally come all the way to Yuncheng and had finally found such a delicious little restaurant, she naturally ordered one of everything!
After queuing for a long time, Ju Zi skipped back and said to Lin Xiangwan, "Sister, let's go back to the hotel quickly, otherwise my roast goose won't taste good."
Lin Xiangwan nodded, hesitated for a few minutes, and then said, "Ju Zi, could you share a bite of your roast goose with me? Just one bite, that's all."
"Of course!" Orange said. Afraid that the roast goose wouldn't be crispy after being braised, she even made a small opening. The aroma wafting out made the driver curious and ask where the roast goose was bought.
In the small restaurant, they've launched a new dish today: wonton bamboo-pressed noodles. The broth is made by simmering pork bones and dried flounder over low heat. The wonton filling is her own recipe—pork filling stuffed with a shrimp—making it even more delicious.
"Xiaoyin, give me a bowl of wonton noodles and half a pound of roast goose. I want the one from Shangzhuang." Grandpa Xu said that he really craved roast goose and would feel restless if he didn't have it for a meal.
"Okay." After the bamboo noodles have been tossed around a few times, they are scooped out and placed on top of the wontons, then drizzled with a clear and flavorful broth.
Grandpa Xu carried his bowl of wonton noodles away, and it was Huang Mao's turn in line. Since he had brought his parents with him, Huang Mao ordered three bowls of wonton noodles.
He lost motivation after studying for ten minutes last night. After watching Yunhe's videos on his phone for a while, the delicious food at the small restaurant gave him a boost of energy, prompting him to study for another five minutes.
If he could eat at a small restaurant, he could study for a little longer.
Since there were no seats available, the family took their food to He Li's table.
Huang Mao's father, Huang's father, couldn't help but exclaim as he looked at the roast goose, "Wonderful! I never expected such a small shop to make such authentic roast goose."
The whole family quickly started eating. Huang Mao remembered the taste of the roast goose he had eaten the night before, and after tasting the roast goose made at the small restaurant, he immediately realized what it meant to be defeated by a lower dimension.
The roast goose at the small restaurant smelled amazing—crispy skin, tender meat, fragrant but not greasy. Yellow Hair thought to himself, "This is what roast goose should taste like! This is what authentic roast goose should be like! This is what it deserves to be called roast goose!"
After eating the roast goose, Huang Mao's desire to study hard seemed to grow even stronger; he also wanted to eat such delicious food every day.
"This bamboo-pressed noodle soup is also very fragrant. Ah-zai, you should try it." Mrs. Huang said that after eating the roast goose, a sip of the delicious noodle soup is just perfect.
Huang Mao picked up the bowl and took a sip of the noodle soup. The broth, made with pork bones and bighead carp, tasted completely different from the bone broth in the mala tang he used to eat. The bone broth in mala tang was milky white and tasted alright, but after drinking it, you could feel the strong seasoning flavor lingering in your throat, and your tongue would feel astringent and your mouth would be dry.
But this soup tastes completely different. The rich, meaty aroma of pork bones, combined with the seafood flavor of dried flounder, fills the mouth and slides smoothly down the throat, leaving only a savory aftertaste. The soup is clear, flavorful, and refreshingly sweet.
The wontons inside are also quite large, with smooth wonton wrappers encasing chewy, large chunks of meat filling, which in turn is stuffed with bouncy shrimp. One bite is incredibly satisfying. Finally, a bite of bamboo-pressed noodles completes the perfect comfort.
Bamboo-pressed noodles are chewy and springy, fragrant and flavorful. They become even more delicious after absorbing the savory broth, offering a rich and complex taste.
"These bamboo-pressed noodles are really authentic. I wonder where the owner bought them from or if they made them himself," said Mr. Huang. He added that when you eat them, you can taste the unique elasticity and chewiness of the bamboo-pressed noodles. They are tender and delicious, but not hard. Paired with the soup, it's simply irresistible.
Huang Mao drank the soup clean, and suddenly felt a surge of motivation. He wanted to get into the top high school, and he wanted to eat such delicious food every day!
Xiao Ming on the other side had the same idea. Every time he came to the small restaurant, he was full of energy. While waiting for his food, he would pick up his phone and memorize two or three words.
Because of its delicious broth, fragrant bamboo-pressed noodles, and tasty wontons, wonton bamboo-pressed noodles have become very popular. Many tourists from other provinces, hearing about bamboo-pressed noodles for the first time, were amazed by its flavor after ordering a bowl.
"Boss, could you order some frozen wontons and bamboo-pressed noodles? We're from out of town, and we want to be able to eat such delicious wontons and bamboo-pressed noodles when we go back home!" someone said.
There were quite a few tourists from other places in the queue, and they all agreed, "Yes, yes, it doesn't matter if the price is a little higher, we can afford it. We usually don't have time because we are at work and taking care of our children. We finally made it here, and we really want to pack up everything we can and take it with us."
Not only wontons and bamboo-pressed noodles, but they also wanted to vacuum-pack roast goose to take back with them.
After thinking for a moment, Yu Miaoyin said, "I bought the bamboo-pressed noodles from Chen Ji Authentic Bamboo-Pressed Noodles in the market. Everyone can go and buy them if they want. Wontons can also be ordered. Please come and register."
Tourists and non-tourists alike flocked to the area, vying to order wontons.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
