Chapter Seventy-Seven: A Bowl of Fragrance from a Farmhouse
Just like liking someone in real life, you start to be curious about everything about them, such as the meaning of their online name, their WeChat Moments background picture, their zodiac sign, what songs they like, and so on.
Fans love Lin Xiangwan in the same way; they pay attention to her every move, and most of them see her as a "mother." This behavior is especially endearing to these lovely fans. Discussion threads are constantly popping up in the online forum—
[I'm in Yuncheng, and I'm going to check out this little restaurant that made Wanwan so hungry; it must be incredibly delicious!]
I watched the blogger's video again, and I'm starving just like Wanwan! Wanwan, are you eating properly? Don't go on a diet!
[Wanwan is filming at Yuncheng No.1 Middle School, but the school definitely doesn't allow entry. If you want to see Wanwan, please don't disturb others. There are many residential buildings there, where parents and high school students live. Please be sure to maintain order and have a happy time seeing Wanwan!]
When Lin Xiangwan woke up in the morning, she realized that she had forgotten to switch to her alternate account last night. Fortunately, she had only liked and saved Yun He's video, and had not accidentally liked any negative posts about her rival.
...
Because so many people had asked Yu Miaoyin if she could order some wontons, and seeing their expectant eyes and hearing their pitiful expressions—saying they were tourists in Yuncheng and especially loved Boss Yu's cooking, and that it was a rare opportunity to come all this way—Yu Miaoyin agreed. So, she's been making wontons for the past few days.
It can make everyone happy and also make money, killing two birds with one stone.
Yu Miaoyin prepared the minced meat, while Aunt Zheng went to buy groceries. October brought in many seasonal fruits and vegetables. Following Yu Miaoyin's suggestion, she bought some lotus root, yam, and pork ribs. The shopkeeper said she planned to make a soup for herself.
There were also green peppers, pork belly, and other ingredients for making a simple, rustic dish. By the time Aunt Zheng returned from shopping, Yu Miaoyin had already started wrapping them.
Aunt Zheng took over Yu Miaoyin's work, and Yu Miaoyin went to make soup first. There was a small clay pot in the shop, which was just right for making soup. She peeled the lotus root and cut it into thick slices, peeled the yam and cut it into sections, and then put the blanched pork ribs and the lotus seeds and fox nuts that had been soaked in advance into the clay pot to simmer.
She went off to do other things. Aunt Zheng often admired Yu Miaoyin, thinking that she was in a particularly good mental state and had a lot of energy. She didn't seem tired at all, doing so many things in one morning.
She also had a child with her, but fortunately the child was easy to take care of, didn't make a fuss at all, and was very obedient and lovable.
Around eleven o'clock, the sound of stir-frying came from the kitchen. Grandpa Xu listened intently to the sounds coming from inside—
In the kitchen, Yu Miaoyin had just put the pork belly in the pan when the fat sizzled and popped in the hot pan. The aroma of the melted fat and the soy sauce wafted up. After stir-frying the scallions and garlic until fragrant, she added the eggs and green and red peppers, giving the aroma an extra layer of egg and pepper fragrance.
"A bowl of farm-style cooking is so fragrant." Looking at the menu, and then at the bowl in front of him—a bowl of fluffy fried eggs, perfectly marbled pork belly, and slightly wrinkled, charred pieces of green and red chili peppers—the whole dish glistened with oil and smelled wonderful. Grandpa Xu slapped his thigh. It was indeed fragrant!
Xu Changxing and Zhou Gui took Xu Ruian to the Ocean Park. Grandpa Xu originally wanted to go too, but he couldn't bear to part with the food Xiaoyin made, so he chose to eat at a small restaurant instead.
He was alone, so he ordered a bowl, while those with their families ordered large portions.
A steaming bowl of rice, cooked in the hearty broth of a farmhouse restaurant, is incredibly satisfying. Each ingredient—pork belly, chili peppers, and eggs—offers a unique flavor on its own. The pork belly has a slightly charred aroma, the melted fat absorbed by the lean meat, making it exceptionally flavorful. The eggs are incredibly tender, infused with the rich, oily aroma of the pork belly, creating a deep and satisfying taste. The green and red chili peppers are fresh and spicy, balancing the greasiness of the pork. Mixed with rice, the hot rice intensifies the spiciness of the chili peppers with each layer of flavor.
Eating them together is even better; the pork belly is fragrant, the eggs are tender, and the green peppers are crisp—it's incredibly satisfying to eat.
Yu Miaoyin cooked another dish and brought it out for Xiaotangbao. She was probably hungry too, as she kept swallowing her saliva. "Time to eat."
Little Tangbao sat up straight with delight, her spirits lifting. "Okay!"
In front of her was a bowl of millet rice and a bowl of farmhouse-style fragrant rice. After a while, her older sister brought over a bowl of soup. The soup was clear with a thin layer of oil floating on top. Large chunks of yam, lotus root, and pork ribs occupied half of the bowl.
Little Tangbao took a bite of the lotus root first. It was very soft and tender, and you could even see the lotus root fibers inside, like spider silk. The yam was soft and the pork ribs were also very tender. The umami flavor of all the ingredients slowly dissolved into the soup while it was stewing, and you could taste a faint sweet aftertaste when you took a sip of the soup.
"It's so delicious!" This tastes much better than those drinks. Xiao Tangbao drank more than half of the soup before going to eat.
This bowl of farmhouse-style fragrant soup is spicy, but this time, the older sister used less chili when cooking it, making it more suitable for children. She gasped for breath from the slight spiciness, but she couldn't bear to stop eating. She even picked out the chilies to eat; they were crunchy and very fragrant, with the aroma of melted oil, soy sauce, eggs, and the slightly charred scent of stir-frying.
"This dish smells so good, no wonder Wanwan likes it. We've also started eating at the same little restaurant as Wanwan. Let's post about it, haha."
"Okay, let's take a picture and promote it to the owner. This dish smells so good!" another girl said. She especially liked roast goose, and of course, she also liked this pork rib and sausage claypot rice...
"Boss, you still have wontons. Let's buy some to take home," a girl suggested.
Both of them liked the food at this restaurant, so they nodded and went to ask the owner if they had any wontons left.
"No, they're all sold out. Come earlier next time," Aunt Zheng announced regretfully.
Like a bolt from the blue, the two little girls were a little disappointed. "Okay, thank you, Auntie. Will there be any tomorrow?"
"Yes," Aunt Zheng said. "You can place an order in advance. The owner determines how much to make based on the pre-orders."
"Okay, can we have ten catties?" Although they had never eaten the owner's wontons before, they knew that the owner's wontons were definitely not bad.
"I want ten pounds too." That way, I won't have to worry about breakfast.
Yu Miaoyin almost fainted when she heard this. If everyone wanted ten jin (5 kg) of wontons, wouldn't she have to keep wrapping wontons all day long without sleeping?
"There are purchase restrictions, there are purchase restrictions." Yu Miaoyin came out and said, "Does everyone really want to turn her into a heartless wonton-making machine?"
Diners: No, no! They wish Boss Yu would become a heartless machine that cooks all sorts of delicious food in the kitchen every day!
The two were overjoyed to have received their order of wontons and posted about it on social media.
Title: Checking in at the same small restaurant that Wanwan liked
She also posted several pictures, telling everyone that the food at this restaurant was really delicious.
Many people posted drooling emojis in the comments section. Of course, a post can't be completely calm, and there were also some negative comments.
[Wanwan only liked the video, she may not have even eaten here, can we please stop trying to piggyback on this restaurant's popularity?]
[I also want to say, why does this little restaurant keep pushing ads to my phone? I don't believe they haven't done some kind of marketing. Didn't some shops stage their own marketing campaigns last time, and they reaped the consequences? I only liked the video last night, little restaurant, stop trying to piggyback on my fame.]
[Replying to the comment above, I've been to that small restaurant. The owner is very kind, and the food is especially delicious. How could it be marketing? It's all because we customers think it's good and spontaneously spread the word.]
The little girl was a bit angry when she saw this, and immediately spoke up for the small restaurant.
I don't know if Wanwan has ever been to this restaurant, but I did come here because of the videos she liked, and the food is genuinely delicious. I'm also a fan of Wanwan, not a paid promoter for the restaurant. The owner's food is exceptionally good, it's really not a marketing ploy.
Many who have eaten at the small restaurant speak up for it, but many others are disgusted by this behavior. These fans understand that many trending topics are manipulated; what you see, good or bad, is what others want you to see. Therefore, they believe that the restaurant's online popularity must be due to marketing. And marketing, fine, but to associate itself with Lin Xiangwan? They won't allow that.
-
After finishing the morning's filming, Orange had already bought her a boxed lunch from a small restaurant. Upon smelling the aroma, she immediately felt all her fatigue disappear.
The pork belly is perfectly marbled with fat and lean meat, sliced very thinly, and has a dry yet oily aroma. The stir-fried green peppers are slightly charred and dripping with a little bit of oily sauce. The eggs are tender and smooth. With each bite, the flavors explode in your mouth, layer upon layer, fragrant but not greasy. It's especially delicious with rice, filling your mouth with flavor.
The two of them had never tried braised pork ribs and sausage in a claypot rice before, so they ordered one to share today. When they flipped to the golden-brown crispy rice at the bottom, their eyes lit up. The crispy rice wasn't burnt or hard, and it had a wonderfully caramelized aroma. The pork ribs were also incredibly flavorful and meaty. It was amazing!
"Orange, this is the best claypot rice I've ever had." After saying that, she worried that she had gained weight, so she pinched her cheek. "Orange, have I gotten fat?"
Orange shook her head seriously, "I haven't gained weight. I'll just eat these few meals, it'll definitely be fine. Look at me, I eat and drink well every day and I haven't gained any weight. Don't worry too much."
Ju Zi's words reassured Lin Xiangwan, and she continued to enjoy her claypot rice happily.
Xiang Huai asked Xiao Bai, "Xiao Bai, have I gained weight?" Xiao Bai shook her head seriously, "No, you haven't."
While eating claypot rice, Xiang Huai said, "Yesterday I saw some haters online criticizing me for getting fat, and I thought I really had gained weight."
He's usually very careful, but he's been indulging in more food these past few days because he couldn't bear to deprive himself.
Xiao Bai said, "Anti-fans are people who think even your breathing is wrong, bro, don't take it to heart."
Lin Xiangwan silently agreed in her heart. She was scrolling through posts. As a seasoned internet user, she was used to it—sometimes while scrolling, the inhuman system would push negative posts about her to her. Lin Xiangwan would be startled when she saw them, and then, as if torturing herself, she would click on them to read them.
She was sad, but when she saw her fans speaking up for her, she felt incredibly lucky.
The hardcore surfer continued scrolling, when suddenly a post about a small restaurant popped up on the homepage, and judging from the title, she knew it was posted by one of her fans. Lin Xiangwan was quite happy; if everyone had checked out the same restaurant, they must have enjoyed such delicious food too!
Fans often buy her clothes, shoes, and magazine merchandise, but Lin Xiangwan hopes they buy these items because they need them, not just to support her. Now, everyone is following her to a small restaurant, and this time she's quite satisfied because the food is delicious. She's sure everyone will have a happy smile on their face after eating there, just like her.
Thinking of this, Lin Xiangwan unconsciously curled the corners of her mouth. She clicked on the post to read the comments, and the more she read, the more she felt something was wrong. Why were people arguing?
After reading a few comments, Lin Xiangwan immediately switched to her main account, feeling it was necessary to say a few words in support of the small restaurant.
The food at this small restaurant is so delicious; the owner would be very upset if he saw these comments.
Lin Xiangwan: Everyone, please stop arguing! I did eat at that little restaurant, and I'm eating their boxed lunches right now. They're really delicious and fragrant. The owner isn't a marketer; her online supporters are probably us customers who are really craving her food. Everyone is welcome to come to the little restaurant for some delicious food—it's so good, I ate it all!
Soon, Lin Xiangwan's comment, along with yesterday's favorites, became a trending topic.
[Wow, it's right next to my high school! Why didn't my high school have such a delicious little restaurant? School, how are you going to repay me for what you owe me?]
[Everyone recommended it, I'm going to check it out too, it must be really delicious. Actually, I was really craving it when I watched Yunhe's video, I wish I could fly to Yuncheng right away to eat it.]
...
Few people took the boxed lunches from the film crew. Everyone knew that the food at the small restaurant across from No. 1 Middle School was delicious, so as soon as filming ended, they all rushed out. They earned money in the morning and spent it at noon, not depriving themselves of their food at all.
After filming all morning, classmate A entered the small restaurant and was attracted by the aroma wafting from the kitchen. He immediately had a big appetite and ordered roast goose, pork rib and sausage claypot rice, and a bowl of country-style fragrant rice.
The food wasn't expensive, but it still cost him most of a day's wages. Student A was initially a little hesitant about the money, but after seeing the dishes, he felt it was well worth the expense.
Student A looked at the food, his stomach rumbling. He couldn't wait to grab his chopsticks and start eating. The thinly sliced pork belly was fried until the fat was rendered out, making it dry, fragrant, and not greasy. The lean parts were chewy and became more and more fragrant with each bite. The aroma of the sauce and oil was fully absorbed, and the taste lingered in his mouth after he finished eating, making it impossible to stop.
Student A took several photos to commemorate the best meal he had ever eaten!
As he scrolled through the posts, he came across the trending topic about Lin Xiangwan. The comments section was full of people talking about the small restaurant. Some people were guessing how delicious the food was, and those who had eaten there were praising it effusively. His classmate A also joined in the chorus of praise for the small restaurant.
Yu Miaoyin only learned about this in the afternoon; Jiajia showed it to her.
"Sister Ayin, you're famous! So many people know that your cooking is delicious, and you're even trending on social media!" Xu Jiajia said excitedly.
"How many people are there?" Xiao Tangbao asked curiously.
Xu Jiajia spread her arms and gestured, "So many."
Little Tangbao imitated Jiajia by spreading her arms out and gesturing, "Wow, there are so many!"
Yu Miaoyin knew that this was probably thanks to the girl named Lin Xiangwan, and she was pleasantly surprised herself.
As Xu Jiajia scrolled through the comments, she started daydreaming again, "It would be great if Sister Ayin could open a food delivery service."
"I'm too busy to open the line. Aren't you at No. 1 Middle School? It's so close," Yu Miaoyin said.
Xu Jiajia nodded in understanding, "That's true, I'm already very lucky. I can eat Sister Ayin's cooking every day after class."
Upon hearing this, Xiaoming, who was secretly memorizing vocabulary, encouraged himself and silently vowed, "I will definitely get into the top high school."
He wants to eat such delicious food every day!
"Jiajia, Yiling, would you like some stir-fried lotus root strips? I'll make a lot."
Xu Jiajia almost jumped up, "Of course I'll eat it! Even if you gave me a poison pill and told me it was a sugar pill you made, I would still eat it obediently."
Yi Ling was also very happy, "Eat, thank you, Sister A Yin."
"Jiajia, this little kid," Yu Miaoyin said with a smile, taking out the two pieces of lotus root left over from making soup at noon and cutting them into strips as thick as chopsticks.
"I really don't want to graduate. After leaving No. 1 High School, will I still be able to eat such delicious food?" Xu Jiajia said tearfully.
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