“The vermicellis appeared sparkling and translucent, every single one of them is smooth yet springy. The layer of minced meat on them is sufficiently springy as well. Even though the minced meat was so tiny, it still had broth wrapped within and feels very nice to chew on,” Xing Min analyzed in satisfaction looking at the completely empty plate and bowl before him.
“I don’t think you need to wash this bowl,” by the side, Lee Yanyi made a snide remark.
“You aren’t any better off than me,” unwilling to be outdone, Xing Min said while looking at Lee Yanyi’s bowl.
“I’m being thrifty. We have rules here,” Lee Yanyi said righteously. One had to wonder what his face was made of to be so shameless.
He seemed to have forgotten the incident where he was nearly blacklisted the first time since he didn’t finish his food here.
“The signature dish is really something. I found that the minced meat wasn’t something marinated in advance and relied completely on the natural starch vermicellis have to stay stuck. What marvelous cooking skill,” Xing Min recalled.
“The shredded leeks included in the dish were spicy and hot too. Not only had they acted as a decoration to the dish, they had also enriched its flavor. This dish can both serve as the side dish or the main course by itself,” Xing Min praised repeatedly.
“You’re convinced already? There’s more to come.” It was clear that Lee Yanyi was feeling very smug.
It was as if he knew everything yet Xing Min knew nothing. Whenever Lee Yanyi was in Yuan Zhou’s restaurant, he would have such a sense of superiority.
After all, Lee Yanyi was a long time customer of Yuan Zhou’s restaurant while this was Xing Min’s first time here.
“You will understand after eating this,” Lee Yanyi pointed at the spoon filled with Egg Fried Rice and said.
“Eat this?” Xing Min looked at Lee Yanyi like he was looking at a madman.
Lee Yanyi had ordered an Egg Fried Rice with Jinling Prawns as the side dish. Naturally, none of the prawns were left. But he still had a final spoonful of the Egg Fried Rice left.
This final spoonful of had been set aside by Lee Yanyi using Xing Min’s spoon before he dug into his food.
However, Xing Min felt that Lee Yanyi was being ridiculous. What could this tiny bit of Egg Fried Rice do? Moreover, it was already cold by now.
After all, food cooked with chicken eggs would taste fishy when they became cold.
As far as Xing Min was concerned, after being placed aside for so long, this spoonful of Egg Fried Rice must have gone cold.
“Just eat it if I tell you to eat. Don’t you know the concept of giving it a taste?” Lee Yanyi grumbled.
After all, this spoonful of rice was left from Lee Yanyi’s own portion.
“Fine, I heard that this kid’s Egg Fried Rice is quite good anyway,” Xing Min muttered and placed the rice into his mouth.
“Wu?” Xing Min involuntarily cried out the moment the rice entered his mouth.
The instant the Egg Fried Rice entered his mouth, it was indeed cold as Xing Min had expected. However, after chewing on the rice, he found that there was still a tiny bit of warmth left in the rice.
The moment he chewed on it, the soft part of the rice came into contact with his teeth before erupting with the aroma contained within.
This was the taste of the freshness of the rice wrapped in the delicious flavor of the chicken egg. With the warmth of his mouth, the rice grains once again became soft and springy as well.
The golden chicken egg layered on the rice did not turn fishy just because it went cold. Rather, it had a distinctive cold aroma attached to it.
With the combination of the cold aroma of the egg along with the warmth of the rice wrapped underneath, two different flavors and feelings erupted in his mouth.
This was why Xing Min was so shocked.
This was but a tiny spoonful of rice. After chewing two times, it was finished.
“Very fragrant. This Egg Fried Rice is very fragrant,” Xing Min immediately praised.
“So which dish do you feel is the actual signature now?” Lee Yanyi never forgot about this.
“That’s not important. What’s important is, can I have one of this Egg Fried Rice?” Xing Min waved his hand, not planning to think of this for now. Eating more was his sole priority now.
“Sure you can. That does not go against the rules here. But you have to make the order yourself.” Lee Yanyi nodded.
Ultimately, Xing Min ordered a set of Egg Fried Rice. Finally, he was satisfied.
But from Xing Min’s reaction, his theory of the signature dish being tastier than other dishes lost all credibility.
And thus, Yuan Zhou claiming the Sautéed Vermicelli with Spicy Minced Pork as his signature dish now had a layer of mystery added to it.
Since Yuan Zhou did not mention the reason for this dish to be his signature, it became one of the 12 unsolved mysteries of his restaurant.
Naturally, the 12 unsolved mysteries were put together by others, not by Yuan Zhou.
Yuan Zhou was in a good mood and form today. This was the conclusion of all the regular customers.
Of course, this conclusion was backed by Mu Xiaoyun and Zhou Jia with reliable proof.
Since Yuan Zhou had recovered, nobody asked for the reason for his bad mood yesterday.
Apart from concern, the customers here also respected Yuan Zhou as a person. Their respect was similar to the respect Master Cheng had even though he wasn’t accepted by Yuan Zhou as a disciple.
Sun Ming was a person who would act on what he said. Therefore, right after the restaurant closed, he called Yuan Zhou and told him that he would arrive tomorrow to buy his goddess a meal.
On the next day, Sun Ming arrived long before noon. He had reached even earlier than the always energetic Wu Hai.
“Why are you here?” Wu Hai frowned while looking at Sun Ming.
There were a few times in the past where Yuan Zhou was called away by Sun Ming. Therefore, Wu Hai did not like Sun Ming.
Moreover, this person always claimed to be Yuan Zhou’s brother. He might very well be privileged enough to have the first taste of Yuan Zhou’s new dishes.
Holding onto such belief, it wasn’t odd for Wu Hai to dislike Sun Ming.
“Naturally, it’s because I have some business with Yuan Zhou,” Sun Ming answered while carrying two insulation barrels.
“Does he need to leave for this business?” Wu Hai’s heart sank and immediately asked.
“No. Don’t worry, it won’t interfere with your meal. In any case, I’m ahead of you in the line today,” Sun Ming smugly said.
“Hoho, there are still two hours before lunch. The line hasn’t even started,” Wu Hai said with contempt while rubbing his tiny mustaches.
“That doesn’t change the fact that I was earlier than you.” Sun Ming then directly entered the restaurant.
“He’s definitely up to no good.” Wu Hai rubbed his mustaches with a stern look on his face. However, he did not follow Sun Ming into the restaurant. He stood outside, looking at the two in the restaurant.
Wu Hai was obviously prepared to charge inside the moment something happened. Still, he had the decency to maintain his distance so as to not overhear their conversation.
“This is Mushroom Fig Black Chicken Soup. This portion is for you to taste. You are not allowed to touch the other portion. That is prepared for my goddess.” Sun Ming passed the two insulation barrels to Yuan Zhou.
One of the insulation barrels was white with peony markings on it, looking very ordinary. On the other hand, the other insulation barrel meant for the goddess had exquisite orchid markings on it. Even its grip was much more finely made.
“Ok.” With no expression on his face, Yuan Zhou took the two insulation barrels. Then, he looked at Sun Ming before opening the barrel containing his portion.
“How is it? It tastes mild and nourishing, right?” Sun Ming asked expectantly.
“Passable, I guess.” It was clear Yuan Zhou did not like it from his expression.
“It’s not like I prepared it for you. Then again, this is how this soup has always tasted like. My goddess will only like it if it has a mild taste. Moreover, it’s very healthy for the body and is suitable for nourishing one’s body during the winter,” Sun Ming glared at Yuan Zhou and said.
“Anyway, you promised me on the phone to tell her this soup is a product of your restaurant. You have to personally present the soup to her later,” Sun Ming changed the topic and reminded Yuan Zhou anxiously.
“I know.” Yuan Zhou nodded.
That’s right. Sun Ming had spent an entire night boiling this soup but because he was too embarrassed to admit that and was too shy to personally present it to his goddess, he had to make use of Yuan Zhou.
Yuan Zhou did not mind doing him a small favor like this. In any case, Sun Ming was his best friend. Therefore, he agreed without hesitation. Of course, the actual form of help he would give was up to Yuan Zhou himself.