bookmarkrole Chapter 13 This is the real steamed bun
Chapter 13 This is the real steamed bun
Looking at the "rabbit" in front of her, Lin Xiaoyu felt that her understanding of "baozi" over the past 20 years had completely collapsed.
Three snow-white little rabbits lay quietly on the bamboo leaves.
As the steam dissipated, their outlines became clearer.
The dough was so white it didn't look like it was made of flour; it looked more like a piece of cloud that had been forcibly torn off the sky and kneaded into a ball by a pair of skillful hands.
The red beans adorning the eyes shimmered with a crystalline red light under the lamp, and the eyes surprisingly conveyed a lively innocence.
Lin Xiaoyu's initial resentment towards the "shady shop" was largely extinguished by the pure beauty of the scene.
As an illustrator, she has absolutely no resistance to this kind of thing.
Her trembling hand reached out to one of the little rabbits as if possessed, making her look exactly like an impatient "big bad wolf".
"hiss--"
The moment my fingertips touched the dough, a scalding hot sensation washed over me.
Lin Xiaoyu recoiled as if she had been electrocuted, her fingertips turning red from the heat.
She instinctively pinched her earlobe to cool it down, but her eyes remained fixed on the plate, her gaze revealing a stubbornness tinged with grievance.
"Girl, don't rush."
"Raw rabbit, you can't rush it." Zhang Qiang chuckled behind the bar, his words a jest, but his eyes were full of smug satisfaction, like "I knew you'd fall for it."
Lin Xiaoyu ignored Zhang Qiang; her breathing had become erratic.
A wheat aroma mixed with the ultimate umami flavor of the minced meat, like rows of tiny hooks, frantically scratching inside her stomach.
She leaned forward again, not even caring about her image, and brought her face close to the plate.
"Whoosh—whoosh—"
She didn't want to wait any longer, so she pouted slightly and blew hard at the little rabbit.
She felt that this minute passed even longer than the late nights she spent rushing to finish her manuscript.
Every second, the aroma of meat filled the air, causing her mouth to constantly produce a torrent of saliva.
She tapped the dough with her finger every now and then, and finding it was still hot, she stomped her foot in annoyance.
It blew on the fire a couple more times, as impatient as a kitten circling a campfire.
Finally, she felt the temperature had dropped to a point where it was barely palatable.
Lin Xiaoyu carefully pinched the rabbit's waist with her index finger and thumb. The dough was so soft that it startled her, as if the slightest pressure would leave a fingerprint.
She gently nudged the bun and discovered that the bottom of the bun had a springy elasticity, as if there really was some incredible treasure inside.
She gently took a small bite out of the rabbit's back.
"Click."
That was the soft sound of tearing dough.
Then, the fluffy, cotton-candy-like skin, with a hint of wheat flour fragrance, melted on the tip of the tongue.
Before Lin Xiaoyu could even savor the taste of the noodles, a burst of scalding hot and extremely potent meat juice exploded in her mouth like a small firework.
That was fresh meat that Chen Feng had chopped himself that morning. The meat juice was infused with the freshness of dried shrimp, the refreshing taste of scallion and ginger water, and the warm, comforting sensation brought by the touch of pork cracklings that sent shivers down one's spine.
Lin Xiaoyu's eyes widened suddenly.
She had intended to bite the bullet and find fault, but at that moment, her brain had already shut down.
The savory meat filling danced in my mouth, completely lacking the greasy, fatty taste of other buns I'd eaten before. Instead, it had a sweetness like a clear spring.
Ignoring the still-hot filling, she rolled it up with her tongue and swallowed the decorative red bean along with it.
The skins of the red beans have been steamed until soft and glutinous, and the subtle sweetness of the flesh balances the richness of the savory meat.
"Ding-dong—Ding-dong—"
The phone on the table was vibrating incessantly; it was messages from my best friends' group chat.
[SuSu: Xiaoyu? Lin Xiaoyu? Are you still at that shady shop?]
[Yuanyuan: Could it be that the boss silenced her? Three steamed buns for 12 yuan, this boss is definitely not a nice guy!]
[SuSu: If you get kidnapped, just send an emoji, and I'll come rushing over right away!]
Lin Xiaoyu caught a glimpse of the message on the screen out of the corner of her eye. Normally, she would have sent a long string of exclamation marks to complain.
But now, she simply doesn't have time to open her phone and type.
She had only one thought in her mind: How could there be such delicious steamed buns?
With that one bite, she felt all her fatigue melt away in the warm, savory aroma.
She chewed heartily, each bite bursting with the aroma of wheat and the sweetness of meat juice.
Because she ate so fast, her cheeks puffed out roundly, just like the greedy little rabbit in the painting.
"Cough...cough cough!"
She choked because she ate too quickly, and Lin Xiaoyu's face turned red from holding it in.
"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you," Chen Feng's gentle voice rang out at the right time.
Immediately afterwards, a bowl of milky white soy milk was gently placed on the table.
Lin Xiaoyu grabbed the porcelain bowl and, without caring whether it was hot or not, took a big gulp of the white soy milk.
Rich, mellow, and with an extremely strong bean aroma, without any beany smell, leaving only a sweet aftertaste that instantly soothes the heat from before.
Lin Xiaoyu breathed a long sigh of relief. She looked at the little rabbit that was only half left in her hand, and then turned to look at the cute rabbit paintings on the wall.
To hell with the 12 yuan! To hell with this rip-off shop!
If it tastes like this, she'd accept it even if it were 30 yuan a serving, let alone 12 yuan!
This isn't just opening a shop; it's practically redeeming the souls of these unfortunate painters in the old street! This is the real deal when it comes to steamed buns!
Lin Xiaoyu glanced down at the two remaining rabbits on the plate and suddenly felt a strong sense of crisis.
No, a hundred portions. If anyone on this street discovers this secret, she'll never get a chance to eat these buns again.
She abruptly raised her head, still with the last mouthful of soy milk in her mouth, and mumbled towards the bar:
"Boss...boss! Give me another one! No, two more!"
I'll eat one serving here and take one away! And I'll have soy milk too! And another bowl!
Chen Feng was wiping the stove with a handkerchief when he heard this. He raised his head slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Sorry, to ensure the best taste, each person is limited to one purchase, and the buns you take away won't taste good if they get cold." Chen Feng pointed to the blackboard.
"However, since you're the first customer, you can have this portion, but you can't take it away."
"One is fine too! Hurry up! Before anyone else comes!" Lin Xiaoyu hurriedly pulled out her phone from her pocket, and with a "ding," she paid another 12 yuan without hesitation.
The smooth and effortless payment process was completely different from the girl who had just complained about the "shady shop" in the group chat.
Meanwhile, Zhang Qiang and Mengmeng, who were watching from the other side of the bar, were already going crazy.
Zhang Qiang, in particular, had already suffered enough from the smell of the meat filling while he was helping to wrap the buns.
Looking at Lin Xiaoyu's eating habits, where she seemed to want to lick the plate clean, he felt that he had reached his limit.
"Gulp."
The sound of Zhang Qiang swallowing was particularly loud in the quiet shop.
"Fengzi...you just said there were a hundred portions in total, right?" Zhang Qiang wiped his mouth, his eyes gleaming as he stared at the steamer.
"I think our brotherly bond is worth two servings of steamed buns, right? No, three!"
Mengmeng slid down from the high stool, ran to Chen Feng's side with her short legs, grabbed her father's apron with both hands, tilted her little head up, and her big eyes sparkled.
"Daddy... Mengmeng is hungry too. Mengmeng wants to eat the little red-eyed rabbit that I ordered; it called to me from the pot just now."
Chen Feng looked at the two pairs of eager eyes, one big and one small, and then at Lin Xiaoyu, who was engrossed in her second steamed bun and completely oblivious to the outside world. He shook his head helplessly.
He deftly took two steamers from the steamer and placed them steadily in front of Zhang Qiang and Mengmeng.
"Eat up, I saved some for you."
Zhang Qiang let out a howl and pounced on his prey like a hungry wolf, grabbing one with his bare hands.
"Hot, hot, hot! Oh dear, I can't control myself!" Zhang Qiang said, turning his hands over and opening his mouth wide to give the crystal-clear rabbit a big bite on its back.
"Mmm—! Fengzi! This minced meat is incredibly fresh, four pieces is still a bargain!"
Mengmeng first gently blew on it with her little mouth.
After realizing it wasn't so hot anymore, she carefully bit off one of the rabbit's ears.
"Daddy, it's so soft and fluffy, like eating meat in a cloud."
The little girl closed her eyes contentedly, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
At this moment, Lin Xiaoyu's phone started bouncing wildly on the table again.
[SuSu: Lin Xiaoyu! Answer me! You've really disappeared?]
[Yuanyuan: I've reached the old street entrance! What's the name of that shady inn? I'm coming to rescue you too!]
Lin Xiaoyu glanced at her phone briefly, and seeing the two messages filled with worry, she suddenly felt a little guilty.
She thought for a moment, then freed one hand, picked up her phone, and snapped a picture of the little rabbit-shaped bun that was only half full, revealing its pink and moist filling.
Then, I sent it directly to the group.
[Big Fish: Don't save me, I feel like I could stay in this shady inn forever.]
[Big Fish: By the way... this restaurant is called Human Fireworks!]
After sending the message, Lin Xiaoyu quickly locked her screen and threw herself back into the battle.