483 Still the same after all these years
Su Taotao cooks hot pot on a charcoal stove, not the copper pot commonly seen in the capital.
In the clay pot of just the right size is boiling a milky white soup made from sheep's trotters, yam, red dates, wolfberries, etc.
Su Taotao first served each person a bowl of soup as a base.
The lamb slices, as thin as cicada wings, are scooped out with a colander after being boiled in boiling soup for a few seconds, and then served with the freshly drained Erba sauce mixed with mashed garlic and chopped green onions.
A bowl of soup and a bite of meat in winter is such a treat that even gods wouldn’t trade it for.
The half-grown children feed their poor parents, so there are actually quite a lot of mutton slices prepared at home, but it is not enough for everyone to skip the staple food and eat as much meat as they want.
By the time the meat was finished, the lamb's trotters had been stewed into a mushy mess. Su Taotao then put the noodles in, and added a handful of cabbage. It became another bowl of delicious lamb's trotter noodle soup.
Su Taotao first put the noodles and vegetables into bowls, then put a lamb's trotter on top, and finally poured enough soup on them.
"We made this chili oil ourselves. It's fragrant but not spicy. Zigui should try a little first. If you like it, pour it on the sheep's feet and eat it together. It tastes even better."
Su Taotao's family is used to eating like this, from light flavors to strong flavors. This way, they won't get sick of it, and the flavors are richer and more appetizing.
Chen Zigui tasted a little and found it very fragrant. He liked the taste very much and couldn't help but add another spoonful.
The snow-white sheep's trotter soup noodles turned red in an instant, making people salivate at the sight of it.
Needless to say, Fu Yuanhang and Chen Chen love everything Su Taotao makes.
"Adding a little vinegar will make it more refreshing." said Chenchen.
Chen Zigui followed Chen Chen's example and added a little vinegar. Sure enough, it had a different flavor and was delicious.
Chenchen did not lie to him, the food his mother cooked was indeed delicious!
There was plenty of noodles and vegetarian dishes, and the children all enjoyed their meals very much.
Chen Zigui, in particular, did not have much appetite, mainly because the food from abroad was not to his taste, so he ate little. In addition, his family was not particular about food and ate light meals. His grandfather was old and only ate until he was 70% full. He rarely ate so happily.
So actually he looked thinner than people of his age, otherwise he, who was already eleven years old, would not be just a little taller than Chen Chen, who was eight years old.
Or maybe it was the first time in his life that he tasted the profoundness of his motherland's cuisine. It was just a simple lamb hotpot, but he could taste so many layers of flavor.
He is really jealous of Chenchen.
Probably because Fu Yuanhang and Chen Chen both enjoyed the meal.
Chenchen said that another reason why he grew tall and strong might be because he had a big appetite. He loved eating home-cooked meals since he was a child, and he always ate very well and happily.
Chen Zigui began to look forward to Chen Chen's store opening soon, so that he could have such delicious meals every day at noon in the future.
After dinner, Su Taotao asked the children to take a nap.
She reserved one of the rooms as a nap room, also for the convenience of Chenchen and Fu Yuanhang taking a nap.
After having a full meal, Chen Zigui lay on the warm kang and couldn't help asking:
"Chenchen, when will your restaurant open? Will you sell this mutton hotpot in the future?"
Chen Chen thought for a while and said, "I don't know. Maybe we need to attract enough customers before we can open a store. It's useless to open a store without customers.
As for mutton hotpot, it should be sold in winter, and something else must be sold in summer. Who would be crazy about eating hotpot in such a hot summer?
But my mother has so many recipes that this pot doesn’t even have a place in the menu. It’s just a casual lunch in our house.”
Chen Zigui sighed, any random lunch was so delicious, if they opened a restaurant and served other top-notch dishes, they would be even more delicious.
Chenchen also "casually" mentioned ten or eight of Su Taotao's specialties.
Chen Chen has a very strong ability to express himself, and he can use color, fragrance and taste to describe something.
Chen Zigui swallowed his saliva again and again, and finally couldn't help but climbed up, rummaging in his schoolbag, and finally took out a big Tuanjie and put it in Chenchen's hand:
"Can I reserve a meal for the afternoon? I want to be the first one to eat when your restaurant opens!"
Fu Yuanhang, who was drawing a recipe on the side, said: "..."
Why bother drawing a menu? Why worry about not having customers? Let Chenchen stand at the door to solicit customers. With his eloquent tongue, customers will flock to him.
Chen Chen shook his head and pushed Chen Zigui's hand away: "You are the first good friend I made in the capital. I will be the first to inform you when the store opens. You don't have to give me money in advance."
Chen Zigui was so satisfied: "Then it's settled!"
After they had their lunch break, Su Taotao also prepared return gifts, including a pack of new and old coconut candies, and a small can of chili oil.
As the saying goes, reciprocity is the best way to pay off good deeds. Good relationships between people are slowly formed through the give and take of each other.
Chen Zigui didn't care much about sugar or anything like that, but he couldn't resist chili oil. He was already thinking about what gift to bring for Chenchen when he returned home.
"Zigui is a good kid, but his family might not be simple." After all, Zhou Linglan grew up in the old city, so she does have some insight.
Su Taotao: "For us, Chen Zigui is just a new good friend of Chen Chen. It's OK as long as he has good character."
If Chen Chen's friends are in financial difficulty, she will try to help them, but if their families are too wealthy, she will not take advantage of them.
Zhou Linglan nodded: "That's right."
…
The Baihua train arrived at 4pm.
Su Taotao took Fu Yuanhang to the train station to pick someone up, and Zhou Linglan took Chenchen home to cook after school.
"Sister Su, here, here, I'm here!"
Although they had only not seen each other for half a month, the moment Su Taotao saw Bai Hua, she actually felt as happy as meeting an old friend in a foreign land.
In fact, there were quite a few people from the factory who were admitted to universities in the capital, but their start times were different, some came early, some came late. The person who took the same train with Bai Hua was another male high school classmate of hers.
However, Su Taotao didn't know the person, so she greeted him and then went her separate ways.
Fu Yuanhang took the things from Bai Hua's hand.
She mailed everything she didn't need for the time being, but she still had a lot of bags and packages with her.
Bai Hua hugged Su Taotao tightly and jumped a few times, so excited that tears were about to come out.
For Bai Hua, Su Taotao is her adopted parent. If she had not met Su Taotao, she might still be running around in the black market. How could she have the opportunity to finish high school, work in a factory office, and then go to university in the capital?
When her stepmother found out that she was admitted to a foreign language university, the expression on her face was so wonderful.
And her filthy father told her that he would return home with wealth and wealth and take her back to his hometown to worship his ancestors during the New Year.
Bah, except for her grandmother and mother, she doesn’t worship any ancestors!
She wouldn't even bow down to her father when he died!
After Bai Hua hugged Su Taotao, she stood on tiptoe to rub Fu Yuanhang's head: "Has Ah Hang grown taller again?"
Fu Yuanhang turned his head away and said, "No, don't move."
Bai Hua smiled brightly: "You haven't changed after all these years. You're still so strict."
Bai Hua is no longer the tomboy she used to be. At the age of 18, she has bright eyes and white teeth. She is almost as tall as Su Taotao and has grown into a stunning beauty.
She and Su Taotao are equally attractive when standing together.
However, Su Taotao is the kind of beauty that can capture the soul and is indisputable. She can be salty or sweet, and has a natural charm.
Bai Hua's beauty is aggressive, she is the type of sister who looks like someone who is not easy to mess with.
Su Taotao smiled: "You haven't changed at all over these years, have you? Let's go, we'll talk about it when we get back."
…