dognovel Chapter 3 Not Steaming Buns, But Fighting for Pride
Chapter 3 Not Steaming Buns, But Fighting for Pride
The moment the restaurant door opened, Lu Yuan was just coming out of the kitchen carrying a plate of stir-fried lamb.
Their eyes met in an instant, and tears welled up in Lu Yuan's eyes immediately.
"Dad, Mom!" Lu Yuan's voice was choked with emotion.
He hasn't seen his parents for 10 years, and after they passed away, he felt like an orphan.
When it gets cold, no one reminds him to wear more clothes anymore.
When he was busy working overtime, no one reminded him to eat on time anymore.
On many nights while wandering in a foreign land, he would be tormented by this helpless loneliness, unable to sleep.
So he worked frantically, just to dilute that feeling.
Upon seeing his parents again, he could no longer hold back the emotions that had been building up inside him.
At that moment, he recalled many forgotten memories, including how he used to chase after his mother for sweet bean curd when he was a child.
I remembered him pestering his dad for a big sword...
I remembered him crying and complaining to his mother.
Seeing this, Wei Yinghong's anger subsided instantly, but then surged up again in the next instant:
"What's wrong, Xiao Yuan? Did Wang Facai bully you? That son of a bitch, I'll break his legs right now! How dare he bully my son!"
Even if Lu Yuan fails in opening his restaurant, it's none of anyone else's business to interfere.
At this moment, Wei Yinghong's protective instincts reached their peak. She turned around, raised her shovel, and was about to rush towards the neighbor's house.
Lu Changming immediately pulled his wife back. He was a reasonable man; Lu Yuan didn't look aggrieved, but rather excited.
"Let's hear what Xiaoyuan has to say first, don't get agitated."
Lu Yuan hadn't seen his parents in a long time, and he hadn't expected Wei Yinghong to react so strongly. He quickly composed himself and said awkwardly:
"Mom, I forgot to cook the rice."
"You child! Can't you even get one thing done?"
Wei Yinghong breathed a sigh of relief, set the shovel aside, took a metal lunchbox from the bamboo basket on her back, and said irritably:
"There's still a box of rice here. Your dad and I didn't eat lunch. Could you take it and put it on the stove?"
"Mom, you haven't eaten yet, have you? I'll go get some more food." Lu Yuan took the lunchbox with one hand and placed the stir-fried lamb on the square table next to him with the other.
"Don't make too much, so as not to waste it," Wei Yinghong instructed.
Lu Yuan has been a filial son since childhood. After opening the restaurant, regardless of whether business was good or bad, he would arrange a variety of meals for his parents every day.
So much so that Wei Yinghong always had to tell him not to cook too much, since eating meat every meal was too extravagant for a farmer.
She simply couldn't resist Lu Yuan's enthusiasm and couldn't refuse.
When Lu Yuan went in to heat up the rice, Wei Yinghong and Lu Changming were drawn to the plate of stir-fried lamb on the table.
This dish is bright in color, with a reddish-brown broth and a rich aroma, quite different from the dishes Lu Yuan had made before.
They had been working all morning and were already hungry. The sudden stimulation made their stomachs growl.
"Honey, did Xiao Yuan cook this? It doesn't look like it." Wei Yinghong took off her headscarf and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Lu Changming covered his throat and swallowed: "Maybe he only learned it these past two days."
The restaurant was closed for three days, and Lu Yuan was mostly not at home. They assumed it was reasonable for him to go out and learn to cook.
After returning to the kitchen, Lu Yuan took out a few eggs and prepared to make fried rice.
That box of rice wasn't enough for three people, so we simply added more vegetables and eggs to make fried rice.
Lu Yuan first poured the rice from the tin box into a bowl and broke it up with chopsticks.
Then separate the egg yolks and egg whites. Pour the egg yolks into the rice and mix well so that each grain of rice is evenly coated with egg yolk.
There weren't many ingredients in the kitchen; there was no ham, shrimp, or green peas. Lu Yuan could only chop some cucumber and carrot into small pieces to go with it.
After preparing the side dishes, heat the oil in a wok.
First, pour the egg whites into the pan and stir-fry until they are the size of rice grains. Then remove them from the pan and set them aside.
Add a little more oil to the pan, sauté the chopped green onions until fragrant, then add the rice coated with egg yolk.
This step is crucial: use a ladle to gently press the rice to the bottom of the pot so that it cooks quickly.
After repeating this process several times, start tossing the wok to quickly stir-fry the rice.
Add diced carrots and cucumbers, and season with a little salt.
Once the side dishes are slightly cooked, sprinkle in the chopped green onions. Golden fried rice is ready to serve!
After frying the egg fried rice, Lu Yuan took out a sauerkraut and chopped it into small pieces.
Drizzle with chili oil and sesame oil, and season with a little salt, and you have a classic cold dish from northern China: cold pickled cabbage salad.
This cold dish is very appetizing in the summer, but Lu Yuan's hands were not yet finished.
He took out two more potatoes and quickly cut them into evenly sized shreds.
I added some chili pepper pieces and garlic slices, and a hot and sour shredded potato dish was ready in just a few minutes.
Lu Yuan quickly arranged the dishes and carried three bowls of fried rice with eggs, a plate of hot and sour shredded potatoes, and a plate of cold pickled cabbage to the front hall. At this time, the stir-fried lamb was still steaming hot.
Wei Yinghong was somewhat surprised by Lu Yuan's speed and couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, did you just make all of this?"
Lu Yuan nodded noncommittally and placed the dishes one by one on the square table.
Wei Yinghong looked at the fried rice in front of her; each grain of rice was distinct and golden yellow.
Mixed together with the rice are distinct grains of egg white, and garnished with brightly colored diced carrots and cucumbers, making this bowl of fried rice a perfect work of art.
Cold pickled cabbage salad is something that people in northern China all know how to make, but Lu Yuan's version gives people the feeling that it's unaffordable. The pickled cabbage shreds are stacked layer upon layer on a round plate, like a pyramid, and the top is covered with a piece of cilantro.
Needless to say, the hot and sour shredded potatoes are a masterpiece, showcasing the beauty of perfect cooking time from every angle.
You should know that Lu Yuan's skills were not very good before. Not only were his dishes mediocre, but he was also very slow at serving food. Sometimes customers couldn't wait and wanted to cancel their orders.
This is one of the reasons why the restaurant business is not good.
However, today, Lu Yuan made such perfect 3 dishes in just 10 minutes, which is simply astonishing.
"Mom and Dad, you've been busy all morning, come and eat."
Seeing his parents standing there motionless, Lu Yuan picked up a piece of lamb for each of them.
Wei Yinghong and Lu Changming blushed a little at Lu Yuan's unusual enthusiasm, said "oh" and buried their heads in their food.
When they put the food in their mouths, their mouths were instantly filled with the aroma of mutton.
They had eaten spicy stir-fried mutton before, but the taste of this dish was quite a shock to them.
It's fresh, fragrant, spicy, and numbing, oily but not greasy, with the meat flavor fully released, and even the glass noodles soaked in the soup are not to be outdone.
After swallowing the mutton, he quickly shoveled down two mouthfuls of fried rice.
Another wonderful flavor unfolds on the tip of the tongue, with the aroma of eggs, oil, rice, and a hint of scallions blending into a perfect dry carbohydrate flavor.
The rice grains are chewed on the tip of the teeth, and the aroma bursts forth every second.
The same goes for the cold pickled cabbage salad and the hot and sour shredded potatoes; each dish was a level above what they had eaten before.
Before long, the two of them devoured a table full of food.
Wei Yinghong put down her empty bowl with satisfaction and couldn't help but exclaim, "Xiao Yuan, the food you cooked today was so delicious!"
Lu Changming put down his bowl and wiped the grease from his mouth with his palm: "Yeah, if all the vegetables you sold before were this good, how could Wang Facai have made any money?"
Lu Yuan didn't know how to explain, so he chuckled a few times and said, "We're just learning by doing, you know. I've figured out why people aren't coming to our restaurant these past few days, so I've adjusted the menu accordingly!"
Lu Changming: "So, will this restaurant still be open?"
Wei Yinghong slammed her hand on the table and glared at Lu Changming: "Open it! Just for the dishes we've prepared today, this restaurant has to stay open. Even if we're not making money, we still have to keep our reputation alive!"
Lu Yuan's first entrepreneurial venture represented the face of his family.
Besides, in a village, there are only 5 or 6 shops that can open by the roadside. If one of them goes out of business, people will laugh at it for a long time.
Although Lu Changming is the quietest person at home, he is often the one who makes the final decision.
He pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, Xiao Yuan, if you've thought it through, then continue driving. Tomorrow I'll sell the grain, pay off part of the debt, and then I should be able to scrape together another 200 yuan."