Chapter Sixty-Five: Salt-Baked Chestnuts and Steamed Pork Ribs
It's been a long time since I've studied. For the 300th time, Xiaoming wanted to pick up his phone, but for the 301st time, he told himself, "Just five more words, just five more words and I'll be fine."
Xiaoming memorized the answers until after 10 p.m., looking at each checkmark with a great sense of accomplishment. He covered the English words and wrote them down from memory, getting them all right. Then he did it the other way around, looking at the English words and saying the parts of speech and meanings, and still got them all right.
Xiao Ming put down his book, and once again felt how joyful learning could be. He enjoyed the feeling of being rewarded for his efforts, just like leveling up in a game, progressing step by step and receiving a reward.
He used to not understand why anyone would enjoy learning, but now he does. The pain isn't in learning itself, but in not understanding or being able to learn.
In the hotel, Yunhe posted the edited video, and Li Youran also carefully selected background music and posted her beautiful photos.
The next morning, the day before National Day, Yu Miaoyin noticed that Xiao Tangbao was much more enthusiastic about going to school. After all, she was still a child, and it was normal for her to look forward to holidays.
Kids who like holidays are good kids.
High school students are even more affected, since it's a seven-day holiday, the longest holiday besides winter and summer vacations, if you ignore the make-up days.
But it's okay. Immersed in the joy of the holiday, they'll forget the pain of the work schedule and assignments. The market is already decorated with red flags and lanterns, the festive atmosphere is strong.
"I feel there will be even more people coming during the National Day holiday," Aunt Zheng said in the kitchen.
"Everyone's gone home, how many people can there be?" Yu Miaoyin laughed. Last Mid-Autumn Festival, a few tourists from other places came, and she didn't know if anyone would come during the National Day holiday.
"I feel like your place is so popular, people will definitely come. It's a holiday, after all, it's about eating, drinking, and having a good time," Aunt Zheng said.
Yu Miaoyin placed the chopped chicken on a plate for later use; she had bought a yellow-feathered chicken. The fat under the skin of a yellow-feathered chicken is evenly distributed and not too greasy.
The dried shiitake mushrooms were also soaking in water and had already "expanded". She was going to make steamed chicken with shiitake mushrooms. Dried shiitake mushrooms are better than fresh ones because they have a richer aroma.
Add ginger slices and scallion segments to the diced chicken, along with some cooking wine, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, and salt, and marinate for a while.
She glanced at the time and then busied herself with other things. Looking at the chestnuts she had bought from He Tianyou and the pork ribs she had originally planned to make braised pork ribs, Yu Miaoyin had a sudden inspiration and decided to make salt-baked chestnut steamed pork ribs.
The worst thing you can do when cooking is to act on a whim, but Yu Miaoyin is confident in her skills.
Peel the chestnuts and ribs, add salt-baked chicken powder, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and cornstarch, mix well, and place in a dish.
She bought a large steamer with many layers, which could steam many portions at once. In addition, since her customers were mostly high school students, she divided the dishes into medium and large portions according to the different needs and spending power of her customers. The medium portion is more like a small bowl of food, suitable for individual consumption, while the large portion is suitable for a group of people to share.
However, in the eyes of these high school students who were so hungry they would eat anything, the medium portion that Boss Yu gave them felt like a large portion, enough to fill them up.
The first dish to be served was steamed pork ribs with salt-baked chestnuts. Just as it was brought out, people arrived.
Some diners who don't have to work arrive early, like Grandpa Xu, Grandpa Sun, Liang Hekang and Grandma Liang, and even He Tianyou came.
"Boss, did you make something delicious with chestnuts again? It smells so good!" Before anyone could be seen, He Tianyou arrived with his mother.
Yu Miaoyin recognized her; she was the old woman who sold chestnuts.
"I made salt-baked chestnut steamed pork ribs today, do you want to try it?" Yu Miaoyin went out and wrote down the two new dishes that were served today. Since she didn't have time to make stuffed tofu, she erased both stuffed tofu and stuffed tofu puffs.
"Wow, what a pity, there's no stuffed tofu puffs today, but the salt-baked chestnut steamed ribs and the mushroom and chicken stir-fry are sure to be delicious too," He Tianyou said, already looking forward to it.
"Go and call your sister over too." The old woman patted her thigh, looking at Yu Miaoyin with great gratitude.
He Tianyou said that this boss sold a lot of chestnuts, which helped him a lot.
Upon hearing this, Liang Hekang also started rubbing his hands together, eagerly anticipating the delicious food. Grandma Liang scolded him, "You don't even get up for breakfast this morning! Are you relying on these two meals a day?"
Liang Hekang touched his nose guiltily. His grandmother got up to eat breakfast while he was falling asleep. Every night, he would be so hungry he felt like he could chew on the bed. He could only look at the delicious pictures of the small restaurant to quench his thirst. But it was good to endure it. Just thinking about going to the small restaurant to eat after waking up made him happy.
Getting up so early, only to find there's nothing to eat and having to wait so long, is just too unpleasant.
Just as the mushroom and chicken dish was being steamed, Aunt Zheng brought out the salt-baked chestnut and steamed pork ribs. Yu Miaoyin then started making other dishes, such as hot and sour shredded potatoes, which was very popular and everyone who came ordered one.
High school classes hadn't ended yet, so He Li had time to come over for lunch before leaving.
"Mom," He Li called out to her.
The old woman smiled and said, "Tianyou insisted that I eat here, otherwise I would definitely come to patronize your shop."
Hearing this, He Li smiled and said, "If you come to eat here, I'll drag you here to eat too."
After all, Xiaoyin's cooking is so delicious, whoever gets to eat it is truly lucky, and she naturally hopes that her mother can enjoy it to her heart's content.
He Tianyou also said, "Yes, yes, the food at this restaurant is really delicious."
The old woman smelled the aroma and couldn't deny it. In addition, the girl was a very kind person and had helped a lot, so she was naturally very grateful.
"I haven't been to this little restaurant for a few days, and there are so many more delicious things to eat here!" Grandpa Sun said, becoming more and more envious of Grandpa Xu, who was so lucky to live right next door to this little restaurant.
He knew there were parents accompanying their children to school near No. 1 Middle School, and he also thought about renting a house in the Yu Ji area near No. 1 Middle School so that he could eat good food.
Aunt Zheng brought out the steamed pork ribs for them. The second dish was hot and sour shredded potatoes. Like Grandpa Xu and Grandpa Sun, Grandpa Xu's eyes lit up when he saw the salt-baked chestnut steamed pork ribs.
On the plate, evenly sized pieces of pork ribs are interspersed with plump, round chestnuts. The ribs, after being marinated, have an enticing amber color and a subtle sheen. The chestnuts are golden in color, and after absorbing the meat from the ribs, they have become even more glossy.
Grandpa Sun had known him for a long time, so there weren't many complicated rules. He understood that eating slowly meant missing out on a bite. He quickly picked up a piece of pork rib with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth without caring whether it was hot or not. As soon as he brought it close, the rising steam filled his nose, carrying the salty aroma of salt-baked powder and the sweetness of chestnuts.
Because it was so hot, the ribs rolled around in my mouth several times before I could bite them open. After the meat separated from the bone, the tender ribs filled my mouth, and as I chewed, the juices seeped out slightly along the meat's texture. My mouth was filled with the meaty aroma of the ribs and the sweetness of the chestnuts; the two textures overlapped, making it exceptionally delicious.
"When will the next dish be served? This salt-baked chestnut steamed pork ribs smells so good!" said Grandpa Sun, quickly picking up another piece of pork rib and putting it in his mouth. He likes the meat closest to the bone the most. The meat here is tender and flavorful, and it can easily fall off the bone with a gentle touch. Even the tendons attached to the bone are soft, smooth, and chewy.
The old lady also started eating. Her teeth weren't good, so she could only chew slowly. Fortunately, the food that Boss Yu made became more and more fragrant the more you chewed it, and the aroma of the meat lingered in her mouth.
The chestnuts are also very soft and powdery. After absorbing the meat juices from the ribs and the aroma of salt-baked meat, the natural sweetness of the chestnuts is fully brought out, resulting in a sweet and salty flavor with a rich, oily texture.
These chestnuts are really good. Of course, it's also because the owner makes them so delicious, so incredibly delicious that she wants to make them at home.
Liang and Kang wanted to recreate the braised rice with chestnuts and sausage made by Boss Yu because it was so delicious. However, the taste was quite different. But the chestnuts did have a good texture, and they were also good to eat steamed.
He also tried to replicate the hot and sour shredded potatoes, but the taste couldn't compare to Boss Yu's. He didn't know how Boss Yu managed to achieve such a perfect balance of vinegar, spiciness, and flavor. His version was too vinegary and not dry enough.
Grandma Liang, gnawing on a spare rib, asked, "When will the mushroom and chicken stir-fry be ready?"
After saying that, she continued to gnaw on the ribs. They were so fragrant; the meat inside was very tender after steaming, and even the bones were fragrant. She took a bite with her best teeth, and the meat juice from the marrow, along with the sweetness of chestnuts and the salty aroma of salt-baked powder, came out together.
Yu Miaoyin happened to hear Grandma Liang's question and replied, "It'll be ready soon."
After she finished speaking, she opened the pot lid.
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