Chapter Twenty-One: Beef Brisket Noodle Soup
"Sweet." Yu Miaoyin mimicked a child's way of speaking and added a sentence.
She gently pinched Xiaotangbao's cheek and noticed that she seemed to have gained a little weight; her face was round and chubby, making her even cuter. Her cheeks were also smooth and flawless, like jelly.
Wu Zixuan sat in the chair, tasting the sweet and refreshing osmanthus mashed potatoes. The aroma of steamed potatoes and osmanthus flowers intertwined, making Wu Zixuan feel as if he were standing under an osmanthus tree.
Wu Zixuan has been coming to the small restaurant every day lately, sometimes with his classmates, sometimes alone. Yu Miaoyin is also curious, wondering if his mother will worry about such a young child coming alone every day.
Wu Zixuan wiped his mouth and said, "My mom told me to sit here and wait for her, and also asked me to bring her something delicious. She said she gets off work late and is afraid she won't be able to eat the food you cook. My mom said your cooking is so delicious that she doesn't want to cook for herself anymore."
Wu Zixuan looked around and said softly, "I don't like my mom's cooking either. It's not tasty at all! But I think it's so hard for my mom to cook for me, so sister, I want to learn to cook with you so that when I grow up, I can cook delicious meals for my mom!"
Yu Miaoyin suppressed a laugh and said, "You're still too young. I can't teach you even if I wanted to."
Wu Zixuan was a little disappointed and said "okay".
Just as he was feeling down, a phone rang. Wu Zixuan was wearing a smartwatch; it was his mother calling.
"Honey, have we arrived at the little restaurant yet?" Li Xiuyue asked.
Wu Zixuan chuckled, "Here I am! My sister even gave me some delicious mashed potatoes, osmanthus flavored, so good!"
Li Xiuyue, on the other end of the phone, imagined the osmanthus-flavored mashed potatoes and her mouth watered.
"Okay, stay here and behave. Don't bother your sister. Be good. I'll pick you up later. Oh, and remember to bring back something delicious for Mom!" Li Xiuyue emphasized the last sentence.
"Okay." After saying that, Wu Zixuan hung up the phone, looked up at Yu Miaoyin, and asked, "Sister, what delicious food are you going to make today?"
"Today, we're having tomato and beef brisket noodles."
The beef brisket she made for lunch was a big hit, and she liked it herself, so she bought another batch.
The beef brisket was stewing in a clay pot, and she also bought a few pork bones, which she also simmered in the pot for the entire afternoon.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ran exclaimed, "Tomatoes, bright red!"
Yu Miaoyin guessed that these were new adjectives she had learned. Her kindergarten teacher had taught her similar words when she was little, such as bright red, lush green, and golden yellow.
"It's her, all red and sweet. She'll taste even better in noodle soup."
She scored the tomatoes with an X, scalded them with boiling water to remove the skin, then sautéed them with minced garlic until fragrant, and finally cooked them together to create a rich tomato juice. All afternoon, beef brisket and pork bones simmered in a pot. She lifted the lid; the beef brisket had already been braised and browned. She added the tomato chunks, and after simmering for a while longer, a rich aroma of tomato and beef brisket wafted out.
—
The Liu family.
Zhang Yuling washed some fruit and knocked on Xiaoyu's door: "Baby, do you want some fruit? Mom has cut it all up for you, and there's even mango."
"I won't eat," Xiaoyu said from inside the room.
"Honey, what do you want to eat? Did you like the mung bean soup and mashed potato and beef brisket noodles we had for lunch today? Shall I ask Daddy to buy some more?" Zhang Yuling said.
Liu Jiang even went out of his way to get a few bowls of mung bean soup to go, which Xiaoyu loved. It was the first time the two of them had seen Xiaoyu ask to eat on her own initiative, and they were both a little surprised and very happy.
"I want to eat it," Xiaoyu said.
She didn't know why, even though she clearly didn't like eating, she found chewing food tiring, and since she was also a bit of a picky eater, she disliked eating even more.
But the food at this restaurant is an exception; it's delicious, and the mung bean soup is also very tasty.
So, she started to want to eat.
She even felt that this bowl of mung bean soup tasted just like the ones her grandmother used to make for her when she was little. She used to live with her grandmother when she was young, and every summer her grandmother would cook her a bowl of mung bean soup, along with other delicious treats; she remembered it very clearly. But since her grandmother passed away, she felt that no other mung bean soup could compare to the one her grandmother made, not even slightly.
But this store is an exception.
Hearing her daughter say that, Zhang Yuling was a little surprised. She didn't expect that her daughter really liked this store!
“Okay, baby, I’ll have Daddy bring it back now.” With that, Zhang Yuling took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to Liu Jiang.
At this very moment, Liu Jiang is holding a meeting with the teachers.
It's been an hour already, and he's annoyed. There are meetings every day lately, and he has to carry out the orders from above. The teachers don't want to attend meetings either, but they have no choice!
Moreover, he also wants to eat at Yu's Little Restaurant!
Liu Jiang glanced at the time and prepared to end get out of class.
Teacher Li and Qi Yue were both a little anxious. They also needed to go eat, and there were so many other teachers who needed to go eat too!
People need food to survive; you'll get hungry if you skip a meal.
Liu Jiang also felt that he had taken up a lot of time. In the last five minutes, he spoke very quickly. He didn't know if anyone had listened to him, but he finished speaking!
After the meeting, the teachers all breathed a sigh of relief.
Unlike other teachers who headed towards the office, Teacher Li and Qi Yue headed towards the school gate. Now, if they went to Yu Ji's, they could be the first to eat there and wouldn't run into any students!
Liu Jiang unscrewed his thermos and took a sip of chrysanthemum tea. He had spoken too quickly and his mouth was a little dry.
After finishing her drink, she opened her WeChat account—
Wife: Xiaoyu said she wants to eat at that restaurant, can you pack some food for her to eat?
Wife: Xiaoyu finally has something she wants to eat, don't let her down.
Upon seeing the message, Liu Jiang was initially incredulous, but was quickly overwhelmed with joy. He replied "okay," packed his briefcase, and hurried downstairs.
The high school bell rang, signaling the end of classes.
The once quiet and empty campus was suddenly filled with the sounds of students. Several groups of people came down from the first floor, and some even rushed towards the dormitories, probably because the boarding students were in a hurry to get back to their dormitories to take a shower.
Many people were walking towards the school gate, wave after wave, like a zombie apocalypse, making a lot of noise.
Liu Jiang quickened his pace unconsciously when he thought of his precious daughter; he wanted to make sure she had a meal.
This was the first time he had ever felt like he was fighting for food. He never imagined that even though he was already in his fifties and several decades after graduating from high school, he could still experience the feeling of fighting for food when he was in high school!
He quickened his pace unconsciously, but he couldn't run. If the students saw him, the rumor would spread like wildfire that the dean of students was being chased by a dog!
After all, high school life is too boring, and students don't have many entertainment activities. Everything outside of studying is fun, so the dean of students naturally becomes their "object of amusement".
Fortunately, he had short legs but walked fast. Liu Jiang quickly reached the entrance of Yu's Restaurant and called out to Yu Miaoyin, "Boss, I want three portions, to go."
"Okay." Yu Miaoyin stirred the tomato beef brisket in the pot, and immediately, a rich aroma of tomato beef brisket filled the air.
Yu Miaoyin put the bamboo-pressed noodles she bought into the soup made from pork bones to cook. Bamboo-pressed noodles should not be cooked for too long, otherwise the flavor will be greatly diminished.
After the bamboo-pressed noodles were cooked, Yu Miaoyin took out a packaging box to separate the noodles from the soup. Otherwise, if the bamboo-pressed noodles soaked in the soup for too long, they would become mushy and lose their chewy texture.
"Thank you, boss." Liu Jiang arrived the earliest, followed by a long line of students. The first student seemed worlds apart from him. Mainly, no one expected to run into the dean of students here!
"Hello, teacher," the student said hesitantly.
Liu Jiang hummed in agreement and casually remarked, "You're here for dinner too? Enjoy your meal."
"Mmm-hmm-hmm-hmm-hmm," the student replied hastily.
As soon as Liu Jiang left, the students' tense shoulders relaxed.
"Boss, I'd like a bowl of beef brisket noodles too!" Xu Jiajia shouted, being the third person to rush over.
Bamboo-pressed noodles cook quickly. Yu Miaoyin took a large bowl, put the beef brisket noodles into the bowl, and added a spoonful of the rich tomato beef brisket broth. The originally clear broth immediately turned a vibrant dark brown color.
Xu Jiajia carefully carried the noodles to her seat. The noodles were still steaming. Yi Ling placed them aside. Although the beef brisket noodles smelled delicious, she still resisted the urge to eat them.
On the contrary, someone couldn't wait at all. Xu Jiajia blew on the noodles and quickly put them into her mouth as soon as they cooled down a little. The noodles were chewy and had a particularly springy and chewy texture.
Take another sip of the broth, and you'll find it rich and flavorful, with the aroma of meat and tomatoes. The broth is sweet and refreshing without being cloying. It's delicious.
Seeing Xu Jiajia enjoying her meal so much, Yi Ling couldn't wait any longer. She always felt that some people were perfect for mukbang (eating broadcasts), like Xu Jiajia, who always looked like she was eating with great relish.
As Xu Jiajia ate, she kept thinking to herself, "How can this bowl of noodles smell so good? How can it be? Why?"
The Liu family.
Liu Jiang knew that noodles wouldn't taste good if left out for too long, so he rode his electric scooter faster than anyone else.
He was still angry when he shouted at the door, "Xiaoyu, Daddy's back! Daddy brought you beef brisket noodles, come out and eat!"
The door opened, and Xiaoyu came out.
As soon as Liu Jiang opened the box, a rich aroma of tomato and beef brisket wafted out. Zhang Yuling glanced at the deep brown beef brisket and broth and exclaimed, "No wonder Xiaoyu likes this restaurant; the owner makes it so delicious!"
"Thank you, Dad," Xiaoyu said.
Judging from the appearance of these noodles, you can tell this bowl of noodles is absolutely delicious. Xiaoyu sat down on the chair and patted the little orange cat in her arms.
A strand of noodles goes down your throat, the aroma of wheat mingling with the savory broth, so delicious. The large chunks of beef brisket are braised beforehand, very flavorful, allowing you to taste the sweet and sour flavor of tomatoes and the rich aroma of the braising sauce. Biting into the beef brisket is a delightful experience, a blend of braised flavor and refreshing tomato taste.
The family of three were engrossed in eating noodles when Xiaoyu took a sip of the broth and said, "This broth is so delicious."
Liu Jiang also took a bite, and it was incredibly delicious. He could tell that the owner must have used pork bones to make the broth, which was very fragrant and rich.
"If you like it, Dad will buy it for you every day," Liu Jiang promised Xiaoyu.
Zhang Yuling chimed in, "I like to eat it too, bring some for me too."
She never expected that such a small place like Yuncheng No. 1 Middle School could produce such a delicious restaurant. If she had money, she would definitely poach the owner to work in her own home and have him cook delicious food for her every day!
"Take them all! I want to eat them too," Liu Jiang said.
He always felt that today's students are happier than they were back then, and he feels that way even more now!
They never had the luxury of eating so much delicious food every day before!
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