Miao Chu

Chapter 5 Miscalculation
Cheng Zijian was walking down the road carrying a food box.

The food box was heavy, containing about a dozen mutton buns, two lotus leaf-wrapped sticky rice dishes, and two bamboo tubes of tangerine peel and mung bean soup.

As he walked, he kept recalling the fragrance he had just smelled and the young woman's introduction.

Seeing a few stone benches in the corner ahead, he couldn't help but walk a few steps quickly, grab one, sit down, open the food box, and take out a packet of sticky rice.

Dried lotus leaves naturally have a faint fragrance, and when opened, the fresh aroma and the scent of cooked glutinous rice wafted straight into his nose.

The young lady had also brought two pairs of bamboo skewers, but Cheng Zijian didn't bother to use them. With his back to the road and his head facing the wall, he held the lotus leaf package in his hands and took a big bite from top to bottom.

As soon as the glutinous rice entered his mouth, Cheng Zijian couldn't help but squint his eyes.

He took a really big bite, biting into every layer. As he chewed, he tasted not only the unique fragrance, stickiness, and softness of glutinous rice, but also diced shiitake mushrooms, dried radish, diced white radish, diced pickled cowpeas, salted egg yolk, and the stuff that the young lady called "crispy fried noodles."

The shiitake mushroom flavor goes without saying, the dried radish is crisp and chewy, the pickled cowpeas are salty and sour, and there seem to be tiny pieces of Chinese sausage inside. It's not the pure salty flavor I usually eat; in addition to the smoky aroma, there is also a distinct sweetness. The crispy fried dough is like the finishing touch. One bite, and it's crispy and crunchy, with the unique richness of lard. If you eat it alone, it will definitely be greasy, but it's also mixed with the mung bean paste that the young lady mentioned.

The mung beans were peeled and must have been carefully steamed and sieved to become the light yellow paste they are now, delicate, smooth, and fragrant, with only a faint mung bean aroma and no bean smell. Coated in crispy fried dough and mixed in with glutinous rice, they complement the other ingredients perfectly.

The most delightful surprise was the diced white radish, pickled to a sweet and sour flavor, with the sourness outweighing the sweetness, making it crisp and refreshing, and incredibly good at cutting through the richness.

These are already quite outstanding, but there's one more thing that's truly special: the sauce that coats the food so evenly.

I really don't know how that young lady prepared the sauce. It had a hint of spiciness, but it wasn't overpowering. It was salty, savory, fragrant, and slightly sweet. It was hard to describe, but with just one spoonful of sauce, it was as if the glutinous rice had been elevated to a whole new level.

With no one around and having been starving all night, Cheng Zijian didn't care about his appearance and wolfed down his food.

He was eager to eat, yet he also wanted to savor the taste. Although it was just a bowl of glutinous rice, as he ate, even though he kept telling himself to be mindful of his eating manners and not to eat too quickly or look like a starving ghost, he finished the whole bag of glutinous rice in the blink of an eye. His right hand couldn't help but reach for the food box again, reaching towards another lotus leaf bag.

But as soon as Cheng Zijian touched the warm lotus leaf package, he sensed something was wrong.

No!

If we finish eating all at once, what will we eat for lunch?
Looking at the steaming mutton buns in the food box, which smelled delicious—he had been looking forward to them when he woke up this morning—the aroma seemed to fade and dim compared to the glutinous rice he had just eaten.

It's really hard to compare.

I've had mutton buns many times, they're not fresh at all.

But the ingredients for glutinous rice are so rich, and each one is perfectly matched. It is fragrant, sticky, and delicious. Besides, I am from the South—Southerners love rice more than noodles, isn't that a matter of course?
It's getting late, and there's no time to go back and buy two more portions. Besides, we've already bought the mutton buns, and it would be a waste not to eat them.

With a sense of unease in his heart, Cheng Zijian couldn't bear to eat the glutinous rice anymore.

The glutinous rice was filling; after finishing a bowl, my stomach was about 60-70% full. I could eat more, but I was already satisfied. So I took the bamboo tube, opened the lid, and took a sip to soothe my throat.

The young woman said this was called "Chenpi Mung Bean Drink," but the tangerine peel flavor wasn't too strong. Instead, you first tasted the subtle sweetness of the mung bean soup, and then the aroma of tangerine peel slowly rose from the back of your tongue.

Cheng Zijian didn't really like the taste of dried tangerine peel, but after trying this drink, he thought it was quite good. The overall taste was refreshing, but not bland. Only at the end did he discover that there was a layer of mung bean paste at the bottom of the bamboo tube.

He quickly shook the bamboo tube and ate the bottom part.

After a satisfying meal, Cheng Zijian couldn't help but let out a burp, feeling genuinely relaxed. The thought of the books he had to memorize next didn't seem so painful anymore.

He was already in a bit of a rush, and having eaten halfway through, he didn't have time to put the food box back in the dorm. He carried the food box directly to the dorm, and as soon as he entered, before he even sat down, two familiar classmates surrounded him.

"Zijian, I heard you went to the food alley to buy some food!"

"Brother Zijian, my good brother! It's so cold today, I didn't get up this morning, so please give me some food!"

Although Cheng Zijian was not wealthy, he was never stingy with his friends, so he immediately agreed. Just as he was about to make a few jokes, he heard someone calling him from behind. When he turned around, he saw that it was his teacher.

He quickly turned around and bowed.

The teacher nodded, but didn't come in. He just stood at the door and said, "Come out for a moment."

Cheng Zijian didn't dare to delay, so he quickly handed the food box to his classmate and hurriedly followed.

The two entered a side room.

Upon entering the private room, the teacher retrieved Cheng Zijian's essay from the previous day, offered some careful guidance, and instructed him to revise it thoroughly before submitting it back.

Cheng Zijian agreed, and as soon as he left the cubicle, he felt that something was wrong.

When he hurried back to the study, before he could even enter, he heard a commotion inside. Stepping inside, he found several people gathered around his desk.

Then he saw his neighbor at the next table peek over his desk and reach for the food box he had just brought back, calling out, "What is this? It smells amazing! Let me have a bite!"

Several people gathered together, making a lot of noise.

"I've never seen this sold in Food Alley before. Where did Zijian get it? It's really delicious!"

"Is there any more? Give me some more!"

"That's all! There's only one serving, not even enough to fill the two of us. There are also mutton buns in the food box, if you're hungry, take some!"

"I eat mutton buns every day, so what's one more meal? Give me another bite of this, is it sticky rice? It doesn't taste like the usual way it's made."

"Exactly! It's such a huge portion, how much can you two eat? Quick, I want some too!"

Cheng Zijian's heart sank. He knew he had no chance to save his beloved rice. He was filled with regret—it was only two servings, it wasn't like he couldn't finish it! He should have just finished the sticky rice in one go!
Just then, someone with sharp eyes saw him come in and shouted loudly, "Zijian is back!"

So a group of people started asking him questions again.

"Zijian, where did you get this?"

"how much is it?"

"It tastes really good. Is it still available for sale right now?"

Xiao Miao wanted tickets but was too embarrassed to ask anyone. I said I'd ask for her; here's the bowl, friends, if you have any extra tickets, please give her one to settle the score.

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(End of this chapter)