CH 5

The pickled vegetables were bought by Bai Xianzhi from an old lady at the market today. The old lady had pickled the vegetables herself. Bai Xianzhi inspected them and saw that they hadn’t been pickled for too long. They had a sour taste, but not to the point of making one’s teeth ache. They were suitable for topping rice.

Bai Xianzhi quickly chopped the pickled vegetables into small pieces, squeezed out the pickling liquid, and soaked them in cold water for a while. Pickled vegetables are actually not suitable for stir-frying. They are best used for making soup, allowing the sour flavor to infuse the broth and giving other ingredients a unique salty and sour taste.

However, these pickled vegetables weren’t that sour, so they weren’t suitable for making soup. Stir-frying them still had a slight sourness. Therefore, Bai Xianzhi needed to use water to wash away the sourness to achieve the best stir-frying effect.

After a few minutes, the other ingredients were ready. Bai Xianzhi took the pickled vegetables out of the water, squeezed them dry, and placed them in a clean bowl before starting to stir-fry.

…

In the outer room, Zhang Xiaoli became more and more regretful. Just a moment ago, she caught her boyfriend of five years cheating on her in bed. She felt terrible, and now she had lost her appetite. She only ordered because she thought the owner of this restaurant was nice and wanted to return the favor.

But the owner unexpectedly wanted to make pickled vegetables and shredded pork rice for her. Zhang Xiaoli recalled the pickled vegetable and shredded pork she had eaten before. The pickled vegetables were extremely sour, making the meat overly salty. Even if she ate it with rice, it was a very unpleasant experience.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Xiaoli lost her appetite even more. She planned to make an excuse later and ask the owner to pack the food. She didn’t want to hurt the owner’s feelings because he was a good person.

With her plan in mind, Zhang Xiaoli felt less agitated and sat quietly on the chair, the only customer in the entire restaurant. The owner, who was quite good-looking, was making something specifically for her inside, while it was pouring rain outside.

Surprisingly, for Zhang Xiaoli who had just broken up, this feeling was quite nice. She thought that even if the pickled vegetable and shredded pork wasn’t delicious, she would come to this place more often in the future. After all, this restaurant had witnessed a moment of embarrassment in her life.

At that moment, a sound of “sizzle” came from the kitchen. A few seconds later, a sour aroma filled the air. Zhang Xiaoli involuntarily leaned toward the direction of the kitchen.

The air carried a sour smell, indeed the aroma of pickled vegetables, but it seemed different from what she had smelled before. It wasn’t as sour, and there was no hint of the pickled vegetable’s stale odor from being soaked for too long.

Instead, it was incredibly enticing. Just by smelling it, Zhang Xiaoli started to feel a bit hungry. The sour aroma stimulated her salivation, and she suddenly remembered that pickled vegetables are actually a very appetizing food.

She put down her phone and eagerly watched the kitchen, immersed in the aroma wafting through the air. Just by smelling it, Zhang Xiaoli forgot about her thoughts of packing the food she had earlier.

Jokingly, it smelled so good! How could it not taste delicious!

A few minutes later, Bai Xianzhi scooped the pickled vegetable and shredded pork onto a plate of plump, translucent, and well separated rice grains. The golden oil instantly seeped into the rice, giving it an alluring color. The dark pickled vegetables mixed with the white shredded pork, creating a stark contrast in color but mysteriously making one’s mouth water.

When a plate of rice topped with the dish was placed in front of her, Zhang Xiaoli couldn’t even spare a glance at the owner. She eagerly picked up her spoon and scooped a large spoonful of rice, with strips of pickled vegetables and a few pieces of shredded pork on top. She swallowed her saliva and immediately put the rice into her mouth.

“Be careful, it’s hot!”

Bai Xianzhi hadn’t expected the girl to act so quickly. Before he could warn her, she had already put the rice into her mouth.

“Mmm, it’s hot! Hot!”

Bai Xianzhi poured her a glass of cold water. Zhang Xiaoli hastily swallowed the rice, but she had already tasted the flavor. She picked up the glass of cold water and took a sip, giving a thumbs up to Bai Xianzhi.

“Oh my goodness, this is the most delicious pickled vegetable and shredded pork I’ve ever tasted!”

A smile appeared on Bai Xianzhi’s face. “Thank you, but please be careful not to burn yourself again.”

Zhang Xiaoli smiled apologetically. “Your cooking is just too delicious. I couldn’t control myself!”

After saying that, she lowered her head and quickly scooped up another spoonful of food. This time, she blew on it before putting it in her mouth. Bai Xianzhi felt relieved and walked into the kitchen. Before entering, he turned around and glanced back. The girl in the dining area had narrowed her eyes while eating, and it was evident from her expression that she genuinely thought the dish was delicious.

A large plate of pickled vegetable and shredded pork rice was devoured within five minutes. Zhang Xiaoli looked at the empty plate and couldn’t help but feel guilty. She was supposed to be that pretty little fairy! She always controlled herself and only took a bite of any food, even with her long-term dieting.

But now she had unexpectedly wolfed down a whole plate of pickled vegetables and shredded pork rice. It was truly sinful!

Despite the guilt, Zhang Xiaoli was already considering when she could come to this restaurant again. “Being slim is valuable, but good food is even more precious!” She thought. She could simply go to the gym a few extra times after eating here!

When Zhang Xiaoli left the restaurant, the rain had already stopped. She turned around and looked up at the signboard of the establishment: “Three Thousand Food House.” The name had a certain elegance, fitting for the owner’s culinary skills.

After some thought, she took out her phone, snapped a photo, and posted it on Weibo.

#【Picture】【Picture】

Discovering a hidden gem of a small shop, the owner is handsome and his culinary skills are unparalleled. I must come back multiple times to eat more! #

As an HR manager in a listed company, Zhang Xiaoli knew quite a few people, and soon she received many likes on her post, as well as inquiries about the location of the shop. She shared the location on the map in her Weibo post. As she absentmindedly refreshed the page, she immediately saw a comment from her ex-boyfriend:

【Aili’sLife】: Lili, I’m sorry! Are you still there? I’ll come find you immediately. Please listen to my explanation!

Zhang Xiaoli sneered. Men are such blockheads. How can good food compare to anything else? Without hesitation, she deleted her ex-boyfriend’s comment, removed any contact information she had for him, and blocked him. From that moment on, she wasn’t Zhang Xiaoli anymore; she was Niohulu Zhang Xiaoli!

Wutong Lane was bustling in the early morning. Most of the residents here were retirees. It was barely light outside, and they were already up, exercising their old arms and legs while chatting with their neighbors, sharing tidbits of gossip in Wutong lane.

“I heard that the owner of the restaurant in the lane changed.”

“Oh, yes! Old Wang, the one who sells pork, had contact with the new owner. It turns out that Old Bai had a sudden stroke, and even though he was rushed to the hospital, he couldn’t be saved. So, this new owner is Old Bai’s nephew.”

Someone sighed, “That’s really…”

“…we, the old folks, don’t know when our time will come.”

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy for a moment, but an old lady broke the silence. “We’ve known each other for so many years. Let’s continue supporting Old Bai’s nephew. Old Bai’s restaurant never had many customers. It was just an old man managing it, which was fine. But now, with this young person in charge, it doesn’t look good at all. If we occasionally go there, we can help bring more customers to the restaurant.”

The others nodded in agreement, but as they parted ways, they had a somewhat pale expression. Well, Old Bai was Old Bai, and his food was truly terrible. They hoped his nephew wouldn’t inherit his uncle’s cooking skills.

At 10 o’clock in the morning, Liu Qingshan woke up. He licked his lips, unable to forget the taste of the stir-fried meat with noodles he had yesterday. His stomach growled, and despite his difficulty getting up in the morning, Liu Qingshan promptly got up, washed up, and went to the kitchen to grab the two bowls from yesterday.

“Where are you going?” Liu’s mother walked out onto the balcony and looked at Liu Qingshan in confusion. This kid was up early today.

Liu Qingshan chuckled and raised the two bowls. “Hehe, Mom, I’m just returning the bowls.”

Liu’s mother gave him a sidelong glance. “Do you think I don’t know that you want to have breakfast at Three Thousand Food House?”

Liu Qingshan chuckled. “Hehehe.”

Liu’s mother cleared her throat. “…Bring back two more bowls.”

Liu Qingshan looked at his mother, blinking his eyes in confusion, not fully understanding.

Liu’s mother glared at him. “Buy one for me and your father too!”

…

At half past ten, Bai Xianzhi came down from upstairs. Yesterday was the first day of business, and he only had two customers, one of whom was the landlord. He realized that the location wasn’t ideal. It was too remote. Changing the storefront wouldn’t help either. He decided to do a live broadcast tonight to attract more customers.

With that in mind, he opened the door and was startled by someone squatting beside it.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

The person by the door looked up with a mournful expression. “Xianzhi, I came to return the bowls.”

Bringing Liu Qingshan inside, Bai Xianzhi said gently, “It’s just two bowls, Qingshan. You don’t have to be in such a hurry.”

Liu Qingshan eagerly walked to the table, placed the bowls down, and turned around, looking expectantly at Bai Xianzhi. “Xianzhi, will there be stir-fried meat with noodles today?”

There was still pork in the kitchen, but the two-strand noodles seemed to be running low. Bai Xianzhi shook his head. “We don’t have enough ingredients today, so we can’t make stir-fried meat with noodles.”

“Ah~” Liu Qingshan exclaimed in disappointment. “Then, what else is there to eat today?”

Bai Xianzhi thought for a moment. “If you don’t mind waiting a bit longer, I should be able to make braised pork before twelve o’clock.”

Braised pork!!!

Liu Qingshan’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly nodded. “Yes, yes, yes, I’ll wait!”

Braised pork is a dish in Shandong cuisine. It uses pork belly as the main ingredient and can be cooked with additional ingredients like potatoes. It soaks up the rich gravy and has a strong flavor, making it an excellent accompaniment to rice. What’s more, it doesn’t have a spicy taste, making it a dish loved throughout the country.

Bai Xianzhi took out a piece of pork belly and a few potatoes from a small room, peeled and washed the potatoes, and cut them into chunks before soaking them in water.

After washing the pork belly, which was in excellent condition with distinct layers and a good balance of fat and lean meat, it was perfect for making braised pork.

With the pork belly cleaned and placed on the cutting board, Bai Xianzhi was about to start slicing the meat when he suddenly paused. He called out to the dining area, “Qingshan, can you do me a favor?”

Liu Qingshan swiftly entered the kitchen, asking, “What do you need?”

Bai Xianzhi handed his phone to Liu Qingshan. “Can you help me with the live streaming? Take a video for me.”

1TL: YSIAD “You can support me if you like my translations by leaving a comment below, or by sending me a Ko-fi. Thank you ”