Chapter Ninety-Three: Steamed Pork Ribs with Rice Noodle Rolls
Yuan Jianjun continued talking, "Let me tell you, this rice noodle roll is incredibly fragrant, even more fragrant than the one from Xianmanlou."
Yuan Jianjun inhaled the aroma of the rice noodle rolls with relish, then quickly picked up several pieces and began to eat. The chewy yet smooth texture, the complex aroma of caramelized meat, wok hei (the smoky flavor of cooking) and the innermost rice fragrance blended together, were all savored. After swallowing, he exclaimed, "It's so fragrant, it's absolutely delicious!"
Liang Yusheng: "Is it really necessary?"
Yuan Jianjun: "It's impossible to explain to someone like you who has never eaten it."
His first visit to this small restaurant was also like this; after all, in terms of ambiance, it certainly couldn't compare to the private rooms at Xianmanlou, and besides, there were no waiters here. But after eating there once, Yuan Jianjun was hooked. From then on, he never went to Xianmanlou again, and came to this small restaurant every day to eat delicious food.
This skill is leagues ahead of Xianmanlou's.
Standing there listening to Yuan Jianjun speak, Qin Youyi was caught in a dilemma: to stay or to leave. If he didn't leave, where would he put their years of friendship? Where would he put his pride? If he did leave…
Yu Miaoyin's spatula moved swiftly, releasing a fragrant aroma. The scent of soy sauce was incredibly rich and enticing, making it impossible to resist. If he left, where else could one find such delicious stir-fried rice noodle rolls with soy sauce?
Just as he was thinking about where to sit so he wouldn't be discovered, Qin Zaiyang, that troublemaker, exclaimed in surprise, "Dad, you're eating here too?"
He rushed in, leaving Qin Youyi standing there awkwardly, and then greeted Grandpa Yuan, who was sitting and eating: "Grandpa, you're eating here too?"
Yuan Jianjun turned around with difficulty to look at Qin Youyi: "Yes, yes, what a coincidence..."
Finally, Yuan Jianjun gulped down the rice noodle rolls, then packed up another serving of rice noodle rolls and two servings of steamed pork rib rice noodle rolls before hurriedly leaving.
Qin Youyi was heartbroken, but he accepted it. He was completely convinced of his defeat to Boss Yu; it was that brat. Qin Youyi coughed twice and said leisurely, "After all these years, your cooking still isn't as good as Boss Yu's. Do you even have the nerve to eat here?"
Qin Zaiyang, holding the rice noodle rolls, nodded silently, unable to utter a word of rebuttal.
Qin Youyi "snatched" Qin Zaiyang's portion of rice noodle rolls and said, "Let me eat first."
The rice noodle rolls we snatched were indeed more delicious. The outer layer was a rich, dark sauce with glossy, light yellow edges from being slowly pan-fried over low heat. The aroma of the sauce on the outer skin was extremely strong, while the inside was intensely flavorful with rice, creating a rich and layered taste.
Qin Youyi was completely captivated by the aroma and ate very quickly, finishing a large plate of rice noodle rolls in no time. Although his rice noodle rolls weren't as delicious as Boss Yu's, their shop hours were different; Boss Yu mainly served lunch and dinner, while he also made breakfast.
If you can't compete in terms of skill, then cut back on shop opening hours.
At the hospital.
Yuan Jianjun brought some delicious food into the ward, while Liang Yusheng, dressed in a hospital gown, lay on the bed watching TV.
Upon seeing people arrive, Liang Yusheng sat up straight and asked Yuan Jianjun, "Where's the good food?"
Like presenting a treasure, Yuan Jianjun took out the stir-fried rice noodle rolls with soy sauce and the steamed rice noodle rolls with spare ribs for Liang Yusheng to see.
One dish featured glossy, dark brown rice noodle rolls, diagonally cut into small sections and piled high in the lunchbox. The other dish was steamed pork rib rice noodle rolls; the translucent, off-white rice noodle rolls lacked a rich sauce, topped with tender, juicy pork ribs and garnished with vibrant green scallions, with a thin layer of broth at the bottom of the lunchbox. Both dishes were exceptionally appealing and delicious.
Before even taking a bite, Liang Yusheng couldn't help but exclaim, "It smells so good! Old Yuan, you've finally become a decent human being!"
"Of course, when have I ever mistreated my own mouth?" Qin Youyi's stir-fried beef noodles and soy sauce fried bamboo noodles were both excellent; he almost never ate anything made by anyone else. But now, with the arrival of the genius Boss Yu, everything has changed.
The room, which had been filled with the smell of disinfectant, was now filled with the aroma of food. Liang Yusheng, who was already craving it, quickly started eating.
"It smells so good, so delicious!" Liang Yusheng couldn't help but praise it as soon as he picked up the rice noodle roll and put it in his mouth, without even chewing it.
Before even putting it in your mouth, an incredibly enticing aroma fills your nostrils, and once inside, the taste is simply divine. The rice noodle rolls are stir-fried to perfection, with a subtle, non-greasy oily fragrance. There are no other side dishes inside, yet it tastes far better than any other dish made with meat and fish.
He'd been eating soy sauce and plain porridge every day, and his mouth was so bland it was practically numb. But now, tasting such delicious rice noodle rolls, his tongue felt like it had been revitalized.
Liang Yusheng devoured the rice noodle rolls in a whirlwind, his mouth glistening with oil, as if he were buried inside the lunchbox.
Yuan Jianjun was eating steamed pork ribs with rice noodle rolls. The rice noodle rolls didn't have the wok hei (wok aroma) characteristic of stir-fried rice noodle rolls; the pure rice flavor was much stronger than that of stir-fried ones. The pork ribs were tender, and the juices from the steamed ribs seeped into the rice noodle rolls, giving the ribs a hint of the rice noodle rolls' rice flavor, which neutralized the greasiness of the meat. The chopped scallions on top added both color and aroma, and also helped to cut through the richness.
Yuan Jianjun gnawed on a spare rib. He had good teeth, and the ribs came out of his mouth as smooth bone fragments. The meat inside was exceptionally tender and fell off the bone with a gentle bite.
"Don't you look like you haven't eaten in centuries?!" Yuan Jianjun mocked his friend.
Liang Yusheng, who was enjoying her rice noodle rolls, clicked her tongue twice and said, "What do you know?"
This is how you should eat such delicious rice noodle rolls.
The two bickered while eating, but eventually realized that the bickering was affecting their meal, so they simply admitted defeat and focused on enjoying their food.
In the same hospital, Liang Yusheng was happily eating rice noodle rolls. And hospitals, after all, are places that witness the full spectrum of human nature. In a hospital, one second a new life is born, the next someone dies. Some people have just a common cold and fever, others are diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses…
"I don't want to eat." The little boy's face was scrunched up very deeply, and he looked somewhat pale. Several IV drips were connected to his hands, but he wasn't having a common cold or fever; he was undergoing chemotherapy.
Xu Ming looked at her son with a pained expression. Before her son fell ill, she didn't know what chemotherapy was. It wasn't until he got sick that she realized chemotherapy wasn't about inserting tubes all over a person's body or sending them into various machines; it was similar to an IV drip. But those few seemingly ordinary IV drips could bring immense pain.
"How about we eat later?" People undergoing chemotherapy are prone to weight loss, and cancer cells in the body will also compete for nutrients. How can they not eat more to replenish their nutrition?
Xu Ming patted his fluffy hat. "Xia, be good. The food you buy outside isn't very tasty. Mommy will make you something delicious."
Her son used to love her cooking, but she was too busy with work to cook often. Now that her son is sick, he can't eat the delicious food she makes. She's learning how to make nutritious meals online, hoping to get her son to eat more.
"Yes, thank you, Mom. I'm not being naughty, but my mouth tastes bitter," Xia said.
"Okay, I know," Xu Ming said with heartache.
The aunt in the next bed was also undergoing chemotherapy. She was much more seriously ill than Xia, but she was still cheerful. She felt that she had lived for decades, had seen, played, and eaten almost everything she wanted to, so she didn't care about these last few years.
But her son and daughter insisted on treatment, and she also wanted to see her children more, so she was actively undergoing treatment as well.
"Xia, when you're discharged from the hospital, I'll take you to the ocean park, okay?" Aunt Lin told him, because she couldn't bear to see children suffer.
"Okay, thank you, Auntie." Xia forced a smile.
"You don't want to eat? That won't do!" Aunt Lin said, rambling on for a while before adding, "When my daughter brings your food, I'll give you mine; I guarantee it'll be delicious."
Just as she was talking about her daughter, Aunt Lin's daughter came over and opened the steamed pork ribs and rice noodle rolls that she had packed from Yu's Restaurant.
Steamed pork ribs with rice noodle rolls is made with very generous portions of ingredients. Large, tender pieces of pork ribs are laid on top of the off-white rice noodle rolls, giving off an extremely mellow and natural aroma. It looks very light and is suitable for chemotherapy patients.
"Mom, dinner's ready," the daughter said. She was happy that her mother had been enjoying the food at this restaurant lately. She also noticed that her mother's complexion had improved considerably; if she hadn't been told, no one would have guessed she had such a serious illness.
Aunt Lin looked at the steamed pork ribs and rice noodle rolls today. She thought Xia would definitely like it, so she said to Xu Ming, "Xiaoming, give Xia this steamed pork ribs and rice noodle rolls to him. I think he'll like it."
Xu Ming knew Aunt Lin meant well, but all the delicious food she had prepared these past few days hadn't helped; Xia probably wouldn't eat much anyway. Just as she was about to refuse, Xia spoke up, "Mommy, I want to eat, is that okay?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Ming was overjoyed. "Auntie, how much is this meal? I'll give you double."
"No need, no need, I'll eat your cooking, okay?" Aunt Lin said.
"Thank you, Auntie, I really don't know how to thank you enough," she said, her voice trembling with emotion.
In the corner of his eye, Xia picked up his chopsticks and started eating. The steamed pork ribs with rice noodle rolls weren't greasy and wouldn't make him feel nauseous. Xia picked up a piece of rice noodle roll and put it in his mouth, then the pork ribs, eating each bite with relish.
Xu Ming wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Aunt Lin ate what Xu Ming had made. She thought it wasn't as good as Boss Yu's, but it was still quite tasty. The aroma of steamed pork ribs and rice noodle rolls whetted Aunt Lin's appetite, and she finished every last bite of Xu Ming's food, as did Xia.
Aunt Lin's daughter was also relieved to see the child suffering from illness at such a young age. She felt sorry for the child and suggested, "Aunt Xu, I usually go to this little restaurant to buy food for my mother. I'll buy an extra portion for Xia Xia. If I'm not available that day, could you please buy it for me?"
“Sure, sure, of course,” Xu Ming said.
Upon learning that Boss Yu had also participated in "Yuncheng Fireworks", Aunt Lin asked her daughter to show it to her, and Xia watched it together as well.
At a brain hospital in Yuncheng, Chen Fugui's son's daughter, Chen Xi, was also eating steamed pork ribs and rice noodle rolls made by Boss Yu. The brain hospital was a bit far from the small restaurant, but her loving father was willing to drive back to buy it for her.
The delicious food made her feel that her chemotherapy was less painful. Chen Xi said to her father, "Dad, let's have bamboo-pressed noodles tonight. I like the bamboo-pressed noodles you make."
With the food cooked by Boss Yu and the bamboo-pressed noodles made by her father, she felt she could defeat cancer, this "bad guy."
She needs to be happy and eat lots of good food to nourish her body. This will make the treatment more effective and allow her to be discharged from the hospital sooner.
Just like her name, Chen Xi is like the morning sun, radiating warmth. Chen Xi shares her daily life fighting cancer online, which brings her a lot of heartwarming encouragement and gives confidence and strength to others like her.
On Weibo, a user named Chenxi shared her daily life: "The weather was so nice today. I was planning to go out, but I had to stay in my hospital room because of chemotherapy. Luckily, I had some delicious steamed pork ribs with rice noodle rolls. It was so fragrant, I ate it all!"
The accompanying picture shows steamed pork ribs with rice noodle rolls and a lunchbox that was completely empty, making it impossible to tell what she ate. In the comments section, many people encouraged Chen Xi, told her to keep going, praised her for being great, and some even shared their own painful experiences to comfort her.
[Keep going, blogger! You're so young, your health is definitely better than mine, who's in their thirties. Let me tell you about my experience. I was diagnosed with lymphoma at 20, had surgery and chemotherapy, and recovered, but it recurred. Before, I had my parents by my side, so I felt that no matter how hard things got, it wouldn't be a problem. But then my parents divorced, and neither of them cared about me. I don't blame anyone; after all, I was born a burden, I failed at everything I did, and now the cancer has recurred. Chemotherapy is really painful. Luckily, you have a good father and good food to keep you company, but I have nothing left. I believe you will get better, keep fighting!]
This comment brought tears to Chen Xi's eyes; those who are sick understand best the dual torment of physical and mental suffering. She quickly sent a private message to the commenter, asking how he was doing.
She replied quickly, offering many words of encouragement. Perhaps because they were both patients, he spoke a bit more. He said he thought the food Chen Xi posted must be delicious, and that he had nothing left to hold him in this world, no longer intending to suffer through chemotherapy, and planning to donate his meager savings before passing away.
Chen Xixin's heart tightened, and she quickly sent a message—
Listen to me, don't you always see the delicious food I post and want to try it? Give me an address, and I'll send you some good food, including bamboo-pressed noodles made by my dad.
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