Food Stall: Customers Chase Me across the Country-Chapter 266 - 267: Leaving Even a Little Would Be Disrespectful to My Craft
"Wow! x4."
Jiang Chenchen and Zhuo Qianqian sprinted towards the private room, and upon entering, they saw a big pot full of braised noodles with ribs and green beans.
Above the braised noodles, white steam was rising, emanating an irresistible aroma.
The noodles shone with an enticing color, absorbing the tasty broth of ribs and green beans, they looked practically radiant.
The ribs were tender and juicy, covered with a thin layer of sauce, showing a shiny red color.
The green beans maintained their emerald green color, and each had that kind of tiger-strip pattern.
The golden potatoes looked unbelievably soft and sweet.
Who could resist such a feast?
The four of them pounced on the pot on the table like hungry tigers spotting a fat sheep, instantly grabbing plates and chopsticks to scoop noodles from the pot.
Quickly, they each filled a plate to overflowing, and then sat down to feast heartily.
Li Jing bit the end of a noodle and sucked hard, the noodle accompanied by a "swoosh" sound was inhaled instantly.
Her lips wrapped tightly around the noodle, gently chewing, savoring its surprising elasticity and firmness.
Enriched with the essence of ribs and green beans, this noodle was delicious enough to surpass even the ribs and beans.
Her big eyes slightly squinted, her mouth inadvertently curved into a contented smile, and that blissful expression bubbled over once more.
But Jiang Chenchen and the others couldn’t enjoy it in leisure, as they were all immersed in the realm of gourmet food, unable to extricate themselves.
Jiang Chenchen was a devoted carnivore; the ribs weren’t boiled too soft, retaining a slight chewiness, but with a clamp from her chopsticks, they easily fell off the bone, and the pure meat filled her mouth. The rich flavor threatened to assimilate her tongue.
The ribs were remarkably clean as well, lacking even the slightest hint of bone shard, which is typically present.
It was truly a feast of large mouthfuls of meat and noodles, satisfying not only in taste but also uplifting their spirits.
Zhuo Qianqian had longed for noodles, and wouldn’t care about her image at the moment. To be honest, she often hadn’t cared and lived very freely.
With chopsticks continually shoveling food into her mouth, bones sucked clean and thrown onto the table, noodles, potatoes, and green beans were all accepted without question.
Firm noodles paired with soft potatoes and fried green beans created an unparalleled texture.
Especially the green beans, tempting in their golden hue, slightly curled, emitting a unique aroma. After being stewed, they absorbed the savory broth, becoming even more plump and juicy.
Taking a gentle bite, the crispy outer layer combined with the soft interior, bean flavor with rich meat scent mingling in her mouth, finally chewed together with the noodles, that feeling could only be described with one word—perfect!
Jiang Chenchen had already flopped onto the chair.
While rubbing her belly, she called out with happiness yet grievance.
"Oh no, oh no, my stomach’s been completely won over. After eating here, I feel like it will be hard to swallow anything else."
Li Jing struggled to swallow the final mouthful, which was a bit too much, nearly choking her into rolling eyes.
"Just braised noodles with ribs and beans, yet how can it be so delicious? I’ve had them before, but compared to now, it feels like a completely different dish, utterly incomparable!"
"Uh..."
Zhang Ya burped and sighed: "I’m so full I don’t even want to move a finger. I must find a partner who can cook well; no wonder they say to capture one’s heart through their stomach. Eating this every day, who wouldn’t be won over?"
All three looked more slumped than each other, though originally slim, now each with a protruding belly.
Zhuo Qianqian was slightly better than the three, having eaten often she had built some resistance, and was the only one able to sit steadily.
In front of the four, the large pot of braised noodles with 10 pounds of ribs, 5 pounds of green beans, 2 pounds of potatoes, plus 5 pounds of noodles was gone, without a noodle or bean left, only the remaining broth at the bottom telling there was once much food.
Upon hearing the others’ words, Zhuo Qianqian boasted triumphantly: "Even if you found a partner who can cook, what they make wouldn’t be as tasty as what the boss makes, hehe."
Jiang Chenchen replied immediately: "Then I won’t find a partner. When the time comes, I’ll follow you, wherever you stay, I’ll buy a house next door and crash at your place for meals every day."
Li Jing’s eyes lit up: "Great idea, count me in, that way we can be Qianqian’s informers to prevent her man from bringing shady women home."
Zhang Ya laughed heartily: "Just afraid you two might become the ones stealing her guy’s attention."
"Pah! Are we such people?"
"Exactly! Such vulgar thoughts, next time you’ll be punished to eat only half-full!"
"By the way, Qianqian."
Zhang Ya suddenly called Zhuo Qianqian, who looked at her in confusion.
"Always crashing meals feels a bit bad, why don’t we pay for food? Your man works hard for the money."
Li Jing and Zhang Ya agreed: "Yeah, we should pay as well."
Zhuo Qianqian nodded: "I’ll ask him when he’s free, but chances are he won’t take it; he just sees it as having friends over for a meal."
...
Wang Fan was unaware of the conversation about him in the private room; he was quite interested in watching the line.
There a male student with a Tianjin accent was performing a comedy routine.
Oddly enough, despite having been open for three days, Wang Fan saw local students for the first time.
Supposedly, the proportion of local students at Kainan University should be rather high?
Zhu Yuxiao truly grew up in Tianjin, a local through and through, living at leisure most days.
He heard there was a new fried bun place in the second cafeteria that was very tasty, and decided to try it.
But every time he sauntered to the cafeteria, the queue was already formed, and finding it too bothersome, he’d go eat something else.
Thinking to avoid the peak time, when he arrived later he’d find the idiosyncratic owner already shut for the day.
This morning he had no classes, arrived earlier, and seeing a relatively short line, he queued up.
The line was packed tightly, resulting in the unfortunate scenario of having his foot stepped on by the fellow in front.
Zhu Yuxiao patted the student in front, who looked puzzled, and said: "Brother, on top of my foot, are you stepping or not? If not, I’m taking it back."
People from Tianjin often carry a bit of forthright, cheerful, humorous flair, especially with the Tianjin dialect, it sounds particularly comical, like a comedic routine or folk art performance.
Realizing he stepped on someone’s foot, the guy held back a laugh and apologized: "Sorry, it’s really a bit crowded."
Zhu Yuxiao laughed: "No problem, this shows we’re destined buddies, why not step on others? Fate it is!"
