1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 328 This is the taste! (Bonus chapter for 2785 monthly votes)

"Grandpa, isn't this too early? It's barely dawn!"

On the highway, Song Wanqing yawned as she rode alongside Song Changhe, her hair casually tied in a ponytail, her expression still a little dazed.

She was woken up by her grandfather at six o'clock.

孽 孽!
She hadn't attended morning self-study sessions in a long time. In the dead of winter, she was woken up from her warm bed just to eat a hot steamed bun.

She was starting to regret her hasty decision yesterday.

She wasn't that picky. She thought the pickled mustard greens and pork buns that Zhou Ming brought her were quite delicious. They were warm, soft, and fragrant.

"What's the rush? If we ride slowly like this, we won't get to Zhou Yan's shop until 7:30. If we don't hurry, we won't be able to eat hot steamed buns," Song Changhe said leisurely.

“Okay~~” Song Wanqing smiled helplessly.

What can we do? At his age, the old man wakes up before dawn.

We set off at 6:30 to wait for her granddaughter to change clothes, comb her hair, wash her face, and brush her teeth; otherwise, she would probably already be sitting in Zhou Yan's shop by now.

"Grandpa, do you really like eating pickled mustard greens and pork buns?" Song Wanqing asked curiously. When her grandmother was alive, she always made pickled mustard greens and pork buns every time she made buns, and her grandfather only ate pickled mustard greens and pork buns.

“It’s delicious. Your grandma learned how to make bean sprout and pork buns from your great-grandmother. She mastered the skill by six or seven steps and made them especially fragrant.” A hint of nostalgia appeared in Song Changhe’s eyes. “After your grandma passed away, I haven’t had a good bean sprout and pork bun.”

"Isn't the bean sprout and pork bun from that shop on Dongda Street pretty good? We even ate there once last month."

“It’s far from authentic. The pickled mustard greens aren’t genuine, and the salted vegetables are fake. I don’t know what the owner was thinking.” Song Changhe shook his head and glanced at Song Wanqing: “Your grandma said she would teach you how to make it, but you didn’t learn a thing.”

“What’s there to say? You’ve been with Grandma for fifty years, and you still haven’t learned how to cook.” Song Wanqing said calmly, “We Songs are just not suited to cooking. My mom doesn’t even dare to let me into the kitchen, afraid I’ll set it on fire again.”

“What you said makes sense.” Song Changhe nodded.

The grandfather and grandson chatted along the way, and when they arrived at the textile factory gate, it was exactly 7:30. They happened to be there during the morning rush hour for textile factory workers. The wide road was full of textile factory workers riding bicycles to work.

"There are so many workers at Jiaozhou Textile Factory!" Song Wanqing exclaimed, looking at the stream of bicycles in front and behind her, and even seeing traffic coordinators directing traffic.

Song Changhe said, "Jiazhou Textile Factory is the leading enterprise in Jiazhou's silk industry. It has more than 3,000 workers and is a major foreign exchange earner. The factory is profitable and the workers' wages are high. Zhou Yan's choice to open a restaurant here is indeed insightful. The flow of people is higher than in most parts of Jiazhou."

The two followed the flow of bicycles, riding forward at a leisurely pace. Soon they arrived at the entrance of the textile factory and immediately spotted two stacks of steamers standing in front of Zhou Erwa's restaurant.

Beside the steaming hot steamer stood hungry workers, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

Li Lihua stood behind the steamer, packing buns and collecting money.

The area in front of the gate is full of bicycles, at least dozens of them.

"This breakfast business is booming! I thought lunch and dinner were the peak times!" Song Wanqing exclaimed in surprise.

"If we're queuing up to buy steamed buns, they must taste pretty good," Song Changhe said with a smile. The two parked their bicycles on the side of the road, tied them together with chains to a tree, and then walked into the shop.

The dozen or so tables in the shop were almost full, with customers coming in and coming out.

The two stood at the doorway, unsure whether to go in or go back.

"Old Song, Wanqing, you've arrived." Zhao Tieying had just collected money from two customers when she saw the two standing at the door. She greeted them with a smile, "Come in, there are two empty seats here. We can share tables for breakfast, so come and sit down. We're not too formal."

“Okay, Auntie.” Song Wanqing replied and entered the room with Song Changhe, sitting down at an octagonal table next to the menu.

There were three other guests at the table. Two were eating steamed buns, and one was eating beef and minced meat noodles. They were engrossed in their food and didn't notice that two more guests had joined them at the table.

Song Wanqing originally wanted to eat steamed buns, but when she saw the mixed noodles in the bowl of the female worker opposite her, she couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

These evenly thick noodles are coated in chili oil and evenly covered with minced beef and chopped peppers, making them look fragrant, spicy, and delicious.

Song Wanqing hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help asking in a low voice, "Sister, this is my first time here, is the noodle soup good?"

The female worker chewed and swallowed a mouthful of noodles before looking up at Song Wanqing and smiling, "Boss Zhou's minced beef noodles are absolutely delicious! You must try them. These noodles are freshly made by him every day. They are chewy and smooth, and the seasoning is just right. He gives a generous amount of double-pepper beef topping, and the taste is absolutely amazing."

Even Song Changhe couldn't help but take a second look; it did look quite good.

"Thank you," Song Wanqing said politely, then looked at Song Changhe and said, "Grandpa, I've changed my mind. I want noodles for breakfast this morning!"

Zhao Tieying handed some steamed buns to the people on the next table and casually asked, "What would you like to eat?"

"I'd like three bean sprout and pork buns," Song Changhe said.

"Auntie, I'd like a bowl of stir-fried beef with minced meat and double peppers. Could you please bring me an extra small bowl?" Song Wanqing said.

“Okay!” Zhao Tieying replied, then turned to the next guest.

7:30 is the restaurant's peak dining time; everyone's so busy they barely have time to breathe, there's really no time for casual conversation. "Would you like another bowl of chicken feet?" Song Changhe asked with a smile.

Song Wanqing said with a smile, "I see that the bowls of noodles at his restaurant are very big. I don't think I can finish them. Why don't you try a bite of Zhou Yan's noodles later, so as not to waste food?"

"Okay." Song Changhe nodded; his granddaughter's appetite was indeed not large.

"Old Song, here are three steamed buns with pickled mustard greens and pork. Take your time and eat them slowly. If you need more, just ask." Zhao Tieying served Song Changhe's buns first.

The freshly steamed buns are quite large, plump and fluffy, with thin and translucent skins, and a fragrant aroma of wheat mixed with the flavor of the bean sprout and meat filling.

As Song Changhe smelled the aroma, memories began to flood his mind. He picked up his chopsticks, grabbed a steamed bun, and took a bite.

The dough is soft and fluffy, breaking apart with a light bite. The savory bean sprout and pork filling is tender and oily, with the crispness of the bean sprouts and the aroma of the meat blending on the tongue, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

The unique flavor of the bean sprout and pork filling explodes in your mouth!

This is the taste!

Song Changhe chewed slowly, his memories surging: the kitchen of the Emei Mountain martial arts school, where a group of fellow disciples would always gather around the steaming steamer after their martial arts practice.

The master's wife sat behind the stove tending the fire, always smiling and saying, "Wait! It's not time yet, go wash your hands!"

"It's washed!"

All the fellow disciples would shout in unison, but in reality only the junior brother and sister washed their hands. The other disciples were always worried that the bean sprout and meat buns would be eaten up in the time it took to wash their hands, so they dared not leave for even a moment.

As Song Changhe ate the meat bun, his memories gradually came back to life. Those faces he had almost forgotten were still so young.

Once the steamed buns are cooked, each person carries a basket of twelve to the table, enough to eat them all.

The steaming hot buns had just come out of the pot, and people didn't care that they were burning themselves. They grabbed them with their hands and took a bite of half of one at a time, grimacing from the heat, but they all ate with smiles on their faces.

"Slow down! Slow down! Don't burn yourself. Nobody's going to take it from you." The teacher's wife had a big smile on her face, with a hint of pride.

After finishing a basket of steamed buns, I still wanted more.

As he came out of the kitchen, Su Su followed him, stuffed a steamed bun into his hand, and ran away laughing.

“Grandpa? You…” Song Wanqing looked at Song Changhe, who was in tears, and handed him a handkerchief. It was the first time she had ever seen her grandfather so distraught.

"It's nothing. The bean sprout and pork bun that Zhou Yan made looks so much like the ones your great-grandmother made. They both taste so delicious. It reminded me of something." Song Changhe didn't take the handkerchief. Instead, he wiped the tears from his face, put down his chopsticks, picked up the second bean sprout and pork bun, and said with a smile, "It's the taste I'll never forget in my life."

Song Wanqing smiled when she heard this. It was good. It was rare for the old man to say that other people's pickled mustard greens and pork buns were delicious.

After the old man finished three steamed buns with pickled mustard greens and pork, Song Wanqing's double-pepper minced beef noodles were served, along with a small bowl and a dish of pickled radishes.

Song Wanqing looked closely and saw a spoonful of brightly colored stir-fried beef with green and red peppers poured over the dry noodles. The aroma of the stir-fried beef with green and red peppers wafted up from the steam.

She got up early and rode her bicycle for an hour. Smelling the aroma of steamed buns from the shop, she was already starving.

I took out a pair of chopsticks and mixed the noodles from the bottom up.

The white noodles were stirred and immediately coated with red oil, covered with sauce and meat sauce, glistening with oil and looking extremely tempting. The portion was quite generous, with at least three ounces of noodles.

Song Wanqing first picked out a small bowl and pushed it in front of Song Changhe: "Grandpa, you should try some too. If it's not enough, you can order more steamed buns."

After saying that, she picked up a mouthful of noodles with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, and slurped it down.

The spicy and savory flavors explode on the tip of your tongue, instantly activating your taste buds in the morning.

The chewy noodles are wrapped around crispy on the outside and tender on the inside ground beef, and then mixed with spicy millet peppers. One bite is addictive!
The unique flavors of pickled peppers and pickled ginger add layers of complexity, elevating the overall taste to another level.

This smells amazing!

Song Wanqing's mind was buzzing, and she decided to take back what she had said earlier.

No matter how warm the bed is in the morning, a bite of this double-pepper minced beef noodle soup is worth it!

She loves mixed noodles and has been eating pork mince noodles at the noodle shop outside their alley for many years, always finding them delicious.

But compared to the double-pepper minced beef noodles that Zhou Yan made, it's far inferior.

The noodles weren't as chewy and smooth as Zhou Yan's handmade ramen, the chili oil and seasoning weren't as fragrant as Zhou Yan's, and the pork topping was completely outclassed by Zhou Yan's double-pepper minced beef topping.

One bite after another, it's so delicious you can't stop eating it!
Song Wanqing looked up at the small bowl in front of Song Changhe and said, "Grandpa, if you don't like noodles, why don't you order two more bean sprout and pork buns? Don't force yourself."

"If that's how you put it, then I'll have to try it." Song Changhe picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of noodles from the small bowl, and his eyes lit up. He nodded and said, "These noodles are delicious! They're chewy and smooth. Zhou Yan's cooking skills are truly excellent."

"Master, why did you arrive so early? I've been waiting for you at the intersection for a while." A voice sounded from behind.
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(End of this chapter)