Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Sure thing!" Ye Zhan cheerfully greeted him, promptly serving the customer a bowl of fish soup. "This fish soup is on the house. Have a seat for a moment, and I'll finish the stir-fry in no time."

She then heated the wok and poured oil inside. She scooped a spoonful of minced meat sauce into the wok, and from the bucket of cold water, she retrieved a portion of cold noodles to add to the stir-fry.

"So it really is stir-fried noodles!" The customer slurped the fish soup and marveled, "It's really dry and tidy."

The fish soup was rich and creamy, with a milky white hue. The soup contained pepper, which cleared the nasal passages as he drank it.

It was evident that the food stall put in effort and didn't just throw together the free soup.

As the noodles stir-fried in the wok, the once snow-white noodles turned golden brown, and the toasted aroma slowly filled the air, making the customer swallow repeatedly: These stir-fried noodles smell amazing!

When the stir-fried noodles with minced meat sauce were nine parts done, Ye Zhan added a pre-fried fish fillet to the noodles, warming it slightly before taking it out. "It's done!"

She brought the dish to the customer's table, smiling as she invited him to taste it. "Enjoy at your own pace. By the way, be careful of the fish bones."

"By the way, we have some side dishes too. What would you like?" Ye Zhan pointed to the side dishes with a smile.

The customer glanced at the side dishes, which were arranged in different small wooden boxes: The purple perilla still had water droplets and emitted a faint fragrance; the perilla was neatly stacked, fresh green cilantro, snow-white scallions, and perilla that was slightly darker green after being stir-fried, along with whole pieces of round purple perilla and fresh garlic shoots.

The perilla and purple perilla had even been briefly scalded.

The whole side dish platter was a mix of greens, whites, and purples, looking like a picturesque scene that was pleasing to the eye.

The customer picked and chose, saying, "I'll have everything except the cilantro, and more of the perilla and scallions." He wasn't a fan of cilantro.

"Sure thing!" Ye Zhan took the bamboo tongs and swiftly served all the side dishes.

The customer mixed the side dishes into the stir-fried noodles and then examined the noodles in front of him: The slightly flat and round noodles were distinct, coated with various seasonings, and the golden-brown noodles, light green vegetables, and snow-white bean sprouts made for a good appearance.

But would these stir-fried noodles actually be tasty?

This was his first time trying stir-fried noodles. Could it be some strange dish?

He cautiously picked up a chopstickful of noodles and put them in his mouth.

The noodles slurped into his mouth, and after chewing for a moment, he immediately found them chewy and smooth.

The customer cooked at home too, so he knew the difference: These noodles might look plain, but it was quite troublesome to make them well. Many chefs in restaurants cut corners, not kneading the dough thoroughly enough, which made hand-pulled noodles lack the necessary chewiness.

The noodles in front of him were clearly made with care, with the dough kneaded for a long time to ensure it was just right.

This was his first time eating stir-fried noodles! The stir-fried noodles were dry and neat, without the usual soupiness of sliced noodles.

He immediately thought that people who were impatient and disliked the soupiness of traditional sliced noodles would quickly take a liking to these stir-fried noodles.

And despite being dry, these stir-fried noodles were coated with sauce, making them incredibly fragrant.

The sauce had a perfect balance of meatiness and the aroma of various spices, layering in the mouth.

The minced pork sauce was typically ordinary, but this stall's version was stir-fried in a way that eliminated any gaminess, leaving only a rich, fatty flavor in the mouth.

If it ever got too rich, there were various seasonings to complement it.

The customer took several more bites in quick succession.

The rendered fat from the stir-fried pork had a slight brownish-yellow hue, and the fat itself was semi-transparent, sizzling and oozing oil, with tiny specks of lean meat.

The lean meat cubes had slightly tightened, giving the perfect texture when eaten.

Once chewed, the fat and lean meat cubes, along with the chewy noodles, instantly melded in the mouth. The fat became non-greasy, the lean meat cubes turned succulent, and the noodles were delightfully chewy, creating a perfect fusion of flavors.

"This is awesome!" He devoured it in just a few bites and still felt unsatisfied after putting down the bowl. "Boss, another bowl, please!"

As Ye Zhan was frying the noodles, a few passersby, attracted by this novel way of preparing ingredients, also placed orders.

Ye Zhan kept frying noodles one after another until it was almost noon.

But by noon, there were hardly any customers left.

Most citizens of Bianjing were accustomed to eating two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. For the midday meal, people usually opted for snacks.

Therefore, the stalls selling spicy chicken feet, icy desserts, and golden silk dried plums did much better business.

Ye Zhan's food stall became empty again.

While she was zoning out, she heard someone ask, "Boss, how much are these noodles?"

Ye Zhan looked up and was surprised to see Ye Jin. Before she could call out to him, Ye Jin winked at her and waved his hand grandly, "Guys, come check out this dish!"

Seven or eight well-dressed hangers-on emerged behind him, all fanning themselves. They instantly surrounded the small food stall.

Ye Zhan was confused: Why did her brother bring so many people over?

Ye Jin kept making eye signals at her.

Still confused, Ye Zhan stammered, "Customer..."

"I have three types of noodles. The fish meat sauce is eight wen, the braised pork sauce is seven wen, and the vegetarian sauce is five wen. Which one would you like?"

Ye Jin snapped his fan shut with a sharp "snap!" "Give me one of everything!"

"I'm afraid you won't be able to finish it," Ye Zhan replied hesitantly. "How about trying the braised pork noodles and the veggie mix noodles?"

"Alright," Ye Jin agreed and instructed his brothers, "Order whatever you like, and don’t be shy!"

The hangers-on each ordered a bowl of noodles.

Ye Zhan counted the number of each type of fried noodles, divided them into three pans, and handed them over after frying.

After the noodles were fried, she added winter vegetables and scallions, then sprinkled green coriander, white scallion segments, green perilla, purple perilla, radish cubes, and garlic sprouts, making it look like a beautiful picture.

"It smells amazing!" Ye Jin glanced at the onlookers and deliberately said loudly, "The aroma of your noodles tells me they must taste great."

He then dramatically lifted the noodles with his chopsticks, ensuring everyone could see the golden-brown noodles, and the fragrant scent spread.

Taking a bite, the noodles were chewy and smooth.

Honestly, he could eat the whole bowl even with just plain broth.

"Wow! Delicious! Really delicious!" Jin Ge'er wasn't faking it this time—he really thought it was delicious.

The braised pork used as the noodle sauce was especially tasty:

Pork was cheap and a staple for regular folks.

However, Ye Jin felt that the braised pork his sister made tasted completely different.

First of all, it looked beautiful: the pork skin had been cooked to translucence, and the small pieces of layered pork belly were amber in color. The fat had become clear, and the lean meat had turned a light brown, full of flavor with just one bite.

The sauce on top was thick, and he couldn’t tell if it was caramel sauce or not.

When he picked it up with his chopsticks, the meat quivered slightly on the chopsticks, making his heart race.

Ye Jin couldn’t wait to put the pork belly into his mouth.

Only then did he realize that the sauce wasn't caramel, but it still tasted sweet.

The meat almost melted in his mouth.

The rich fat and tender lean meat burst together in his mouth, creating a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors.

It was so delicious!

Ye Jin took another bite of the stir-fried noodles, which had absorbed the juices from the pork belly during the stir-frying process. The noodles managed to dispel the greasiness of the red-braised pork while highlighting their own chewy texture.

In between bites of noodles, he could also taste the spicy and sour diced radish mixed in. Ye Jin knew that his sister had pickled this sour radish two days ago, and it was the perfect palate cleanser, making the red-braised pork noodles even more enticing.

Truly impressive, it deserved to be praised extravagantly.

Not only did Ye Jin think this, but he also acted on it. He loudly described each flavor to the people around him: “This red-braised pork is fatty but not greasy, with a mouthful of rich fragrance!”

“The minced sour radish is the finishing touch.”

Passersby on the street stopped and thought it sounded pretty good.

Seeing the prices were quite reasonable, with dishes ranging from five to eight wen, whereas in Bianjing, street food stalls usually charged fifteen wen for a meat bun or offal. A bowl of noodles here was half the price but came with meat and fish.

You could get full for half the price, and those expensive ones were just snacks, while this was a proper meal!

Although the citizens of Bianjing could be extravagant, who didn’t prioritize value when living an everyday life?

However… this was a new shop, so how could they know if the food was good?

They watched the current diners to gauge the food’s quality.

Ye Jin’s exaggerated actions didn’t seem over-the-top to his group of ruffian friends because they also thought it was delicious!

Even a simple dish like stir-fried noodles with mixed vegetables was special.

The dish included sliced yulan, bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms, tofu cubes, wood ear fungus, and other mixed vegetables. After stir-frying with soybean paste and soy sauce, a thickening sauce was added.

It was then garnished with tender green coriander, snow-white scallion segments, and slightly darker green perilla and purple perilla, making it look appealing.

The taste was equally impressive:

The yulan slices were crispy, the bamboo shoots were fresh, the tofu cubes were chewy, and the wood ear fungus was slippery.

The varied textures of the vegetables were captivating.

The flavor was rich and aromatic, with someone exclaiming, “This is even more fragrant than eating meat.”

The intricate process of making the thickened sauce enhanced the best qualities of the various vegetables.

After finishing, the lingering fragrance left him feeling completely satisfied.

They chimed in, praising:

"Bianjing isn't short on noodle joints, but this place has something special."

"Plus, there's free fish soup to enjoy, and the milky-white broth is packed with fishy goodness."

They came just to support their buddy, but everyone left no food behind. Some couldn’t get enough and asked Ye Zhan, "Can we get this to-go?"

Lots of places in Bianjing let you order takeout. Some fancy spots even serve on silver platters with silver chopsticks.

Ye Zhan shook her head apologetically, "We’re a small shop; we don’t have enough pots and pans."

As they spoke, people walking by the bridge started gathering around Ye Zhan. Seeing that the small food stall was full and the customers were eating with great relish, and then catching the enticing aroma of braised pork, they couldn’t resist:

"I want a vegetarian noodle!"

"I want braised pork fried noodles!"

"I'll take all three!"

Ye Zhan acknowledged each request, her hands moving swiftly as she began frying the noodles.