Song Tan's Notes

The rice noodles are freshly made this year.

White and soft, after being boiled in water for more than ten minutes, it becomes especially chewy and bouncy when eaten.

But rice noodles don't absorb flavors easily, so Uncle Qi stewed chicken soup last night, made freshly fried chili oil, specially bought aged vinegar, and stir-fried a bunch of crispy soybeans.

For a stronger flavor, you can add fresh mint leaves and perilla leaves to the broth, and squeeze in half a green lemon...

Suck!

The three of them couldn't help but drool as soon as they entered Old Song's courtyard.

In the courtyard, Ulan quickly took down the phone stand she had set up.

She wasn't live-streaming; instead, she was filming a dance video with tremolo effects. But just as she was getting ready, the guests arrived!

Oh dear, I already told Secretary Zhu that if the leaders have nowhere to go tomorrow morning, we should take them up the mountain to pick peaches first.
They've never had any important figures visit this place, so why would she entertain such a high-ranking leader?
After thinking for a moment, I could only repeatedly invite them in to sit down. The rice noodles hadn't been served yet, so I put rice noodles, crispy soybeans, and tender water chestnuts on the table first.

After thinking about it, I also brought over a few tender chestnut branches that Qiaoqiao had picked yesterday.

The large, prickly green chestnut-shaped buns were simply placed in a basket and brought up.

When Song Tan came downstairs and saw this, she almost burst out laughing.

Seeing her elderly mother's helplessness, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to socialize.

"The leader is here? Director Wang, and this gentleman, do you eat spicy food?"

As he spoke, he handed the basket to Ulan.

She was stunned for a moment before she realized that having something to do made her less nervous.

So, with nimble hands, she grabbed a large pair of scissors, scooped out a large chestnut bun, stomped it under her foot, and then, following the natural seam of the bun, gently pried it aside with the scissors.

The plump, round, milky-white tender chestnuts are then revealed.

She deftly plucked the chestnuts one by one, and while listening, she didn't forget to talk about the delicious food at home:
"My family's freshly fried chili oil is especially fragrant. If you don't eat spicy food, try eating half a bowl of clear soup first, and then add some chili oil at the end to taste. The taste is completely different with and without chili..."

She may not be good at talking about other things, but how could she not be good at talking about food?

They even generously gave each of them a freshly picked chestnut:
"The chestnuts are so tender right now, the skin is so soft, you can peel them off with just one go. Try them all! They're so tender, sweet, and easy to chew... even better than water chestnuts!"

Leaders: ...

Just as I was looking forward to the aroma of spicy and sour rice noodles filling the courtyard, something was shoved into my hand.

Looking at the plump chestnuts, the leader remained silent, seemingly unable to refuse the warm invitation, and silently peeled the chestnuts open.

Chestnuts are easiest to peel at this time of year; the soft inner skin can be peeled off completely.

At this moment, the tender yellow chestnuts lie in my palm. I put them in my mouth and take a gentle bite. They are crisp and tender, and then a sweet juice bursts out.

Although the moisture content isn't very high, it's still incredibly refreshing to chew!

Just as we were eating, Party Secretary Xiao Zhu rushed over. He smelled the aroma even before entering the yard and spoke first:

"I'll have two bowls! I'll add the chili oil myself!"

Then he stopped and saw the leaders who had arrived before him.

The leader should take a look at her.

He didn't know that Secretary Zhu had been working tirelessly until the early hours of the morning to finish that report; he only knew that the man was full of energy, his youthful body brimming with vitality, his face glowing, and even his appetite was enormous… Secretary Zhu: …

She subconsciously touched her face, then quickly and enthusiastically stepped forward:
"I'll serve it, I'll serve it..."

With her around, Ulan only needed to focus on peeling chestnuts, and Song Tan only needed to eat properly, making things much easier for them.

Qiaoqiao hurriedly went downstairs: "Mom, my brothers invited me to play ping pong. I'll eat after I finish playing!"

Seventh Uncle looked up at him: "Drink more water!"

There was no insistence on eating anything, otherwise, if they got carried away and started running around after eating, it would be bad for their health.

Grandma Qi smiled and said, "Tan Tan is so thoughtful. Inviting these students was just a matter of letting them eat and drink; it didn't cost much. But look how happy the children are..."

Not really.

Song Tan also sensed that something was different.

Of the three children, Qiaoqiao, who takes care of Yunfeng and his brother, has a big brother-like demeanor, but he is more concerned with responsibility than with happiness.

The innocent and naive college students she had invited seemed to have little intellectual depth, and Qiaoqiao actually got along with them quite well…

This is money well spent!
If I'm not busy next week, please come again!
But then I thought, it's impossible not to be busy; the fruit is ripening one after another, and there's a lot to do on the mountain!
Never mind, let's talk about it the week after next...

Hearing this, the leader had obviously pieced together something, but the rice noodles in front of him smelled so good that Secretary Wang had already poured in all the mint leaves and perilla leaves, along with the chili oil, and stirred them together.

Let's look at the idiot driver again...

He had already started slurping his food, breaking out in a sweat the instant he was burned, but he wouldn't stop eating, mumbling as he spoke:
"These beans are so crispy and fragrant!"

……

Meanwhile, the college students came down from the mountain cafeteria, and the small, palm-sized steamed buns that the girls were holding were quickly stuffed into their mouths and disappeared without a trace.

It's fluffy and soft, with a wonderful milky flavor, and the ingredients are high-quality. The problem is—

Everyone patted their bellies and sighed in disappointment: No wonder they said it was just a small amount to tide them over; such a small amount was really just enough to fill them up.

But then I thought, in two or three hours there will be food again, and that feeling of anticipation is also very happy!

Especially since the villagers do a lot of physical labor, which consumes a lot of energy, apart from the late-night snack and this quick breakfast, the other meals are very formal and substantial, which makes everyone even more excited!

Before she could even see Qiaoqiao, a car with a Ningcheng license plate pulled up. Inside, Huo Xueying was filled with annoyance:
"It's all my fault for being so careless..."

I was supposed to come last night, but after buying the gold pendant, I somehow left it at the mall. I found it in the car and had to go back and make a mess of it...

If they want to drive over at night, Song Tan and the others will have to entertain them in the early hours of the morning.

So, despite their frustration, the two had no choice but to grit their teeth and wait until after 3 a.m. to get up and drive over.

"and many more!"

Zheng Qu suddenly stopped the car and saw another car with the same Ningcheng license plate in the parking lot:

"I feel like I've seen this license plate number somewhere before..."

Huo Xueying was sleepy, but glanced over and said, "There are still several cars from Ningcheng over there, nothing special... Let's hurry up, Song Tan said she's having boiled rice noodles for breakfast today! It's sour, spicy, and appetizing, super delicious!"

Zheng Qu thought about it and agreed. He glanced back at the trunk, a little annoyed: "I should have brought those plastic crates. These big baskets I bought on the street are too conspicuous..." (End of Chapter)