"Twice-Cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts, a new dish, eh?" Wang Hongliang’s interest was indeed piqued. He nodded and said, "Alright, fry up a portion for us to try. It’s not often we get a chance to sample a new dish."

"Twice-Cooked Pork is a great dish. The one we had last time at Rongyuan Garden... I still can’t help but drool just thinking about it," Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile.

"Okay, just a moment. I’ll go make it right now." Zhou Yan turned and went into the kitchen.

Over the past two days, Zhou Yan had confirmed that the celebrity effect still worked in this era. Wang Hongliang and Lin Zhiqiang coming to his place for a meal and finding the menu limited was the perfect opportunity to have them help test a new dish.

’Given how big of a deal things got today, it must have been thanks to Lin,’ Zhou Yan thought. After all, the only person he had approached was Lin Zhiqiang.

’The old factory director must have pulled some strings too. Otherwise, how could a rent of one hundred yuan possibly have been enough to unseat Sun Meili and Wang Defa?’

’The factory canteen’s monthly revenue is over thirty thousand. Those two lovebirds were messing around in there for two years, who knows how much they skimmed off the top. What’s a hundred yuan to them?’

Just to repay this favor, it was only right for Zhou Yan to treat them to a dish.

The only problem was the remaining pork belly—there was a bit too little to make a standard portion.

The braised pork ribs were served first. Braised dishes could be served just by reheating them in a wok, their greatest advantage being speed.

Next came the Huo Xiang Carp. Only then did he wash the wok and start to fry the Twice-Cooked Pork.

A little over 200 grams of pork belly actually made for a pretty substantial plate of Twice-Cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts.

Zhou Yan took a ceramic bowl and filled it halfway with rice. He first ladled on a spoonful of the leftover broth from the beef and bamboo shoots, then picked out four slices of Twice-Cooked Pork and a few garlic sprouts from the plate to place on top. He finished by adding a scoop of the freshly reheated pork ribs and a few slices of pickled radish.

This was Zhou Momo’s dinner: a two-item combo rice bowl with Twice-Cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts and braised pork ribs.

Zhou Yan had promised her at lunch that he would make her Twice-Cooked Pork again for dinner, so he had to set her portion aside.

After he took her share, there was only a little over 150 grams left.

When Zhou Yan came out with the Twice-Cooked Pork, Zhou Momo’s eyes were glued to it. Seeing it being carried to Lin Zhiqiang’s table, her mouth trembled, and she looked terribly wronged. Her eyes grew red, and tears welled up, but she managed to hold them back without crying.

The Twice-Cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts was placed on the table, its savory, meaty aroma drifting through the air and causing other customers to turn and look.

"A full portion of the Twice-Cooked Pork uses 250 grams of pork belly. This one has just over 150 grams, so it’s not a full order. Please have a taste and give me some feedback on this new dish," Zhou Yan said with a smile, making sure to emphasize the portion size.

"Mm! These ’lantern cups’ look authentic!" Wang Hongliang’s eyes lit up as he looked at the plate of Twice-Cooked Pork. "Only the best pork belly, precise Knife Skills, and perfect Fire Control can produce such authentic ’lantern cups.’"

"The glossy red of the pork, the white of the garlic sprout stems, and the green of the leaves—the bright red, white, and green look fantastic!"

"Let’s have a taste." Wang Hongliang picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of the Twice-Cooked Pork. The meat was curled into a ’lantern cup,’ trembling and glistening with oil as he lifted it. "Look at this. When you pick it up, it shimmers with oil—that’s called ’pick-and-shimmer.’ It means the Fire Control was just right."

He placed the meat in his bowl, then picked up a piece of the garlic sprout stem and ate it together with the pork.

The moment it entered his mouth, Wang Hongliang’s eyes widened. He chewed slowly, savoring every nuance. After swallowing, he shoveled in a mouthful of rice, then tried another piece. When he was done, he nodded repeatedly.

"The skin is fragrant and tender, the fatty part melts in your mouth, and the soft, lean meat has a slight spring to it. These textures compete with each other between your teeth, intertwined with the unique, fresh aroma of the garlic sprouts."

"One bite, and you can tell it’s rich but not greasy, fragrant but not cloying."

"The quality of the meat is exceptional. Being stir-fried in a large wok over an earthen stove gives it an especially fragrant flavor."

"Delicious!"

"To make Twice-Cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts that tastes like this... I’d say there’s no difference between this and what the master chefs at Rongyuan Garden make. If I had to rate it, I’d say it’s absolutely fantastic. Perfect with rice."

"You’re too kind," Zhou Yan said, listening with a grin. ’The old factory director really knows his stuff. He knows what to eat, how to eat, and how to praise.’

"Not at all. I used to think my Twice-Cooked Pork was one of the best in Suji Town. I never even conceded to Chef Fan from the state-run restaurant," Wang Hongliang said with some emotion. "But after tasting your Twice-Cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts today, I think mine can only be considered second-best in Suji from now on."

The nearby customers were all craning their necks to see. This Twice-Cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts, so highly praised by the old factory director, smelled fragrant, looked even more tempting, and after hearing his review, made them unable to stop themselves from swallowing their own drool.

’We have to try this Twice-Cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts!’

Lin Zhiqiang also tried a piece and was full of praise, finally concluding, "The director is right. Even if a master chef from Rongyuan Garden made it, it would only be this good."

The Lin Family Brothers, who had been focused on gnawing on their pork ribs, fixed their eyes on the Twice-Cooked Pork upon hearing this.

Lin Jingxing was the first to pick up a piece and try it. His eyes instantly lit up.

’So fragrant! Soft and tender, and so delicious.’

Lin Bingwen hesitated. He didn’t like fatty meat, and this looked way too fatty. He looked eagerly at Lin Jingxing and asked, "Brother, is it good?"

"Not good at all. It’s super fatty. You definitely wouldn’t be able to stomach it," Lin Jingxing said with a straight face, already lifting a second piece of Twice-Cooked Pork to his mouth. He chewed with great delight and, after swallowing, didn’t forget to shovel down two mouthfuls of rice.

"If it’s not good, why are you eating piece after piece?" Lin Bingwen said, gulping as he stared at the glistening Twice-Cooked Pork.

"I’m not afraid of fatty meat. See that last pork rib on the plate? I saved it for you. Go on and eat it. I’ll just have some of this fatty stuff," Lin Jingxing said.

Lin Bingwen’s attention was indeed drawn away by the braised pork rib. He picked it up and started gnawing on it, not forgetting to say, "Thanks, Brother."

"You’re welcome, my dear little brother," Lin Jingxing mumbled in response, his head down as he shoveled rice into his mouth.

’Oh, my foolish little brother.’

’Let me bear the burden of this rich, delicious Twice-Cooked Pork!’

After hearing the review, Zhou Yan returned to the kitchen, completely satisfied. ’With the factory director’s praise, the Twice-Cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts is a sure hit!’

This drove the other customers wild with craving. It was torture, and they wished they could go over and grab a bite themselves.

But that was the factory director and vice director!

Who would dare?

Probably only Director Zhao Dong from the silk reeling workshop would dare; he was known for being thick-skinned and a glutton.

Zhou Yan came out of the kitchen and placed the bowl of combo rice in front of Zhou Momo, who was on the verge of crying from craving.

"Ooh!" Zhou Momo’s big eyes went wide. She stared in disbelief at the rice covered with Twice-Cooked Pork and pork ribs, then looked up at Zhou Yan. "Brother, is this mine?"

"Of course it’s yours. I put the meat on top for you, and the ribs too. Eat slowly." Zhou Yan smiled and placed a spoon in her hand. There was no way he could have fried a separate portion just for her four slices of pork, so she had to have her dinner at the same time as the customers today.

"Okay!" Zhou Momo replied in her high-pitched, childlike voice. She took the spoon and began to dig in.

The bowl was so big she nearly buried half her face in it, eating with great relish.

The Twice-Cooked Pork was fragrant and tender, the pork ribs were fall-off-the-bone soft, and the rice was doused with a spoonful of braised beef broth. The grains of rice soaked up the liquid, and every mouthful was bursting with the flavor of the beef broth. It was just so delicious!

Zhou Momo felt that this was the bestest, most delicious meal she had ever eaten!

"Small bites and chew slowly, okay? No swallowing it whole," Zhou Yan reminded her from the side.

Rice mixed with broth was delicious, but it made it easy to forget to chew. Swallowing unchewed rice was hard on the digestive system, especially for a little one like Zhou Momo.

Zhou Momo paused her scooping, obediently started chewing the rice in her mouth, and then continued, bite after bite, still eating with exceptional gusto.

"Boss, what’s the little girl eating? How come she’s enjoying it so much?" a customer at a nearby table, who had been watching for a while, couldn’t help but ask.

"It’s rice mixed with braised beef broth, topped with a bit of Twice-Cooked Pork and braised pork ribs. They’re all items on the menu," Zhou Yan replied with a smile. "If you really had to give it a name, you could call it a Two-Item Combo Rice Bowl with Twice-Cooked Pork with Garlic Sprouts and Braised Pork Ribs."

"A combo rice bowl?" The customer had never heard the term before, but they thought the name was quite fitting.

"So, how much is one of these combo rice bowls? Can we combine any dish from the menu? How many dishes can we combine?" a young woman immediately asked.

Many interested customers also looked toward Zhou Yan.

’A way for one person to eat several different dishes at once... it’s finally possible!’

’He’s a genius!’

...