Miao Chu

Chapter 27 Anti-Sand
The most delicious food in the world is undoubtedly fried food.

While peeling the taro, Song Miao asked, "Uncle Sun, do you not like sweet things?"

Sun Lizheng initially refused, but seeing that Song Miao was determined to do it, he pointed to the fried dough sticks on the table next to him and said, "I eat these because your aunt likes sweet things. You should make them according to her taste. Otherwise, if you make them savory, she will definitely nag you when you take them back."

Song Miao couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips and said with a smile, "Then I'll make some sweet treats for you to take back."

While she was talking, she had already peeled and chopped the taro and put it into the oil pan in separate pieces.

Before long, the whole house was filled with the aroma of fried taro.

Sun Li was still eating fried dough sticks, but he couldn't help but look at the pot.

Noticing his gaze, Song Miao first scooped out a thin, pancake-like thing from the pot, drained the oil, put it in a small bowl, and then took clean chopsticks and put it on the small, broken table in front of Sun Lizheng. She smiled and said, "It's fresh out of the pot and still a little hot. Uncle Sun, have some for fun first—this is a savory fried taro pancake."

The moment the fried food is taken out of the oil and put down, the aroma of oil and fried taro fills the air. Who could resist that?
Sun Lizheng simply couldn't refuse.

He grunted in agreement, picked up his chopsticks, and glanced at the pancake—the taro shreds were finely cut and lay clearly on the already fried batter, crispy and fragrant.

One bite, piping hot, savory and fragrant. First, you taste the crunchy taro, then the crispy batter, with an extremely rich oily aroma. Occasionally, you can also taste a bit of ground Sichuan peppercorns, which doesn't numb your tongue but adds a lot of flavor. Paired with the aroma of scallions, the taste is even more complex.

Sun Lizheng ate with gusto, hissing and blowing air, not even waiting for it to cool down—fried food is meant to be eaten hot right after it leaves the fire; if it gets cold, the deliciousness will be reduced by at least 30-50%.

Deep-fried foods are naturally less oily after being fried twice. Besides, this fried cake was only the size of a palm, and Sun Lizheng finished it in just a few bites. He didn't even have time to feel greasy. He just felt that he had just gotten addicted and then it was gone.

He really wanted another one, but he didn't dare to ask. So he stood up and pretended to go to the stove to help Song Miao, intending to see if there were any leftover ingredients so he could ask for more later.

But as soon as I walked over, Song Miao handed me a bowl and said with a smile, "I added some radish to the leftover bone broth from this morning and simmered it. The radish flavor is stronger than the meat flavor, so it's perfect for Uncle to cool down."

"No, no, I only ate one fried pancake!"

Sun Lizheng took the opportunity to shake his head, but the words "Eat two more to cool down your internal heat" were already on the tip of his tongue. However, he felt that it was too deliberate and shameless, and he also smelled the sweet aroma of the radish soup. In the end, he swallowed them back, took the bowl, and started drinking the soup again.

Meanwhile, Song Miao had already fried the taro and started making the syrup.

Sun Lizheng was still drinking soup when he smelled the special aroma and couldn't help but look into the pot to find out what was going on. As soon as he looked closely, he saw Song Miao pouring taro strips into the pot with one hand and quickly stirring them with a spatula in the other. It seemed like in an instant, or perhaps she stirred them for a dozen or twenty times. The syrup in the pot seemed to magically solidify into white sugar frosting in an instant, mixed with some orange-yellow bits of unknown powder and bright green scallion pieces, coating the taro strips very evenly.

Sun Lizheng's eyes widened as he asked, "What kind of way is this?"

“It’s called ‘Fansha Taro’,” Song Miao explained. “It’s a local specialty from Guangnan. It’s very tender and can be eaten by both the elderly and children. However, it doesn’t taste as good when it’s cold as it does when it’s hot. Uncle Sun doesn’t like sweet things, but this isn’t too sweet. Want to try some?”

As she spoke, she indeed used a spatula to scoop out a few pieces and presented them to Sun Li.

Sun Lizheng quickly finished the remaining soup, used the empty bowl to catch the taro with the sandy texture, picked it up and ate it.

Before even putting it in his mouth, he smelled a very unique aroma. First came the scent of wild onions and the crisp fragrance of citrus peel—upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the finely diced, orange-yellow peel of citron, along with an undeniable aroma of fried taro and a hint of sweet sugar. Upon taking a bite, the taro's natural sweetness was very mild; the sugar coating had formed a thin, even shell that crumbled easily with his teeth, leaving only a soft, fragrant texture inside.

The taro inside was fried perfectly, fluffy but not hard, and melts in your mouth. It was soft, powdery, and fragrant, perfectly showcasing the texture that Lipu taro should have.

This stuff smells delicious; once you start eating it, you can't stop.

As Sun Lizheng ate, he realized something was wrong when the bowl was empty.

Compared to the taro shreds fried cakes from before, this sweet, candied taro seems even tastier.
It's the same taro, but we've been steaming and boiling it at home these past few days, and it tastes pretty good.

However, compared to what I ate at Miss Song's place today, while it can't be called a waste, it was certainly...

Those taro plants in my own garden seem... a tiny bit... to have died without a proper place!

***
As soon as the rain and snow subsided a little, Sun Lizheng hurriedly took his leave.

He was carrying a food box—it had been delivered by his family the day before yesterday. Now, not only had it been returned to its rightful owner, but it was also filled with more than half a box of freshly cooked candied taro. The box felt heavy in his hands, which made him quite happy.

Even the heaviest delicious food doesn't feel heavy when you're carrying it.

Moreover, there's so much food, he could secretly take one out to eat after walking a hundred or so steps—his home wasn't too far away, so even if he ate to his heart's content, he wouldn't leave too little or look too bad when he got home.

As he walked and ate, Sun Li was looking down, not paying attention to where he was going, until he suddenly felt a chill on his neck. When he looked up, he saw that the rain and snow had intensified again.

There happened to be a noodle shop not far away, so he quickly walked a few steps and went inside to hide.

The surrounding streets are full of neighbors, especially those who do business. Everyone knows Sun the village head and will greet him and invite him to sit down.

Seeing that the rain and snow were even heavier than before and didn't seem to be going to stop anytime soon, Sun, the village head, simply ordered a pot of hot tea and slowly ate it with the candied taro.

The light tea cuts through the richness, and the taro is sweet and delicious—it couldn't be more pleasant.

However, after only half a cup of tea, a commotion arose outside, the curtain was lifted, and several people entered.

The men were all dressed in the same style: short jackets tucked into their waistbands and trousers tied at the ankles—they were patrolmen from the patrol station.

Sun, the village head, naturally recognized them all. He quickly stood up to greet them and then asked the one in the lead, "With rain and snow, what are you all doing out in this awful weather?"

Everyone greeted each other and sat down at a table next to Sun, the village head.

Many thanks to Yellow Scorpio Palace for sending Xiaoqi a sachet with a shumai pattern and a good luck charm. Thank you also to Miya Loves Ancient Words for the sachet! ^_^
Thank you so much, Sky-like Freedom, for the lucky charm! Mwah! =3=
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(End of this chapter)