MMB Chapter 64 Ah, so comfortable!
Chapter 64 Ah, so comfortable!
Chapter 64 Ah, so comfortable!
"Pig's trotter soup?! When did pig's trotter soup open on the second floor of the school? Did Old Zhang's Chongqing noodle shop change its business?"
Zhang Dashan's eyes were wide open like copper bells as he stared intently at the two bowls of snow-white, glistening pork hocks trembling in front of Wang Sheng and Su Weiwei. His nostrils flared wildly, and his Adam's apple bobbed noticeably.
Wang Sheng had just swallowed a mouthful of soft, chewy tendon when he looked up at the tall, sweaty boy in a basketball jersey standing by the door. Su Weiwei also put down her chopsticks, her cheeks still puffed out, and blinked her big, curious eyes.
"It's not that the noodle shop changed its business," Wang Sheng put down his bowl, pointed to himself, "I made it."
"Did you do this?"
Zhang Dashan walked in with an incredulous look on his face, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Wang Sheng's face, Su Weiwei's face, and the still-warm clay pot. "Boss Wang from window number 07? Aren't you the one who makes xiaolongbao and rice noodle rolls? You can make this too?"
He leaned closer, the rich aroma of the pig's trotter soup, a complex blend of meaty fragrance, fresh green bean scent, and the overpowering spiciness of the dipping sauce, tugging fiercely at his stomach like a hook. "My God, this flavor—it's too authentic! It smells even better than that old Liao's Pig's Trotter soup place downstairs from my house that's been there for twenty years!"
He couldn't help but sniff again, his face filled with longing and doubt: "Boss Wang, where did you buy this pig's trotter—the ingredients? The Xiaguan Market? This trotter looks extraordinary!"
"I found it at the Xiaguan Market; I was lucky to stumble upon a good item."
Wang Sheng naturally couldn't go into detail about the [Eye of Ingredients] and [Rarity] ratings, saying that "they used some old methods in handling them."
"The old way?" Zhang Dashan, a native of Chengdu who grew up eating pig's trotters, perked up at the mention of this. "What old way? Scorching the skin with pine needles? Or using old brine from pickled vegetables for the dipping sauce?"
His eyes lit up, as if he had discovered a kindred spirit.
This time, Wang Sheng was a little surprised: "Oh, you're an expert! You singe the pine needles, and added some old salt water and roasted soybean powder to the dipping sauce."
"I knew it!"
Zhang Dashan slapped his thigh, almost jumping for joy. "This level of flavor is something no ordinary restaurant could achieve! The pine needles singeing removes any fishy smell and enhances the aroma, the aged brine adds the finishing touch, and the soybean powder adds fragrance and texture! Absolutely fantastic! Boss Wang, you've been hiding your true talent!"
His gaze toward Wang Sheng instantly filled with the admiration of "a kindred spirit finding a worthy friend," and his previous doubts turned into the excitement of finding a "master among the common people."
His gaze fell once again on the bowl of pig's trotters that had made Su Weiwei's cheeks flush red, and his stomach rumbled loudly in the quiet backyard.
Zhang Dashan blushed slightly, but with such delicious food before him, he couldn't care less about saving face. He rubbed his hands together, his expression a mixture of straightforwardness and craving.
"Hey—Boss Wang! Is there any left? Can I have a bowl to try? Smelling this, I think Old Zhang's noodles are practically watery and bland! Price is negotiable! The price of a good off-campus pig's trotter restaurant is fine!"
Before Wang Sheng could speak, Su Weiwei quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and glanced at the still-warm clay pot on the stove with her beautiful almond-shaped eyes.
Although this is about my own specialty food, making money is more important!
Just as Wang Sheng was thinking of refusing because he was afraid Su Weiwei would be jealous, Su Weiwei quickly said, "Yes, yes, yes! There's more in the pot! The chef just made it, it's definitely hot!"
With a mischievous smile on her face, she acted like a "boss lady in charge," giving Wang Sheng no chance to "refuse business." "Senior, quickly serve this student a bowl, and get some rice too! Pig's trotters with rice, double the happiness!"
She even winked playfully at Wang Sheng.
Wang Sheng glanced at Su Weiwei helplessly; this little money-grubber's nature was becoming more and more obvious.
But when business comes knocking, there's no reason not to do it. He got up and took out a large soup bowl and a rice bowl from the sterilizer.
"Okay, just a moment."
He walked to the casserole, lifted the lid, and the intoxicating aroma wafted out once more. He carefully scooped up a whole, tenderly stewed pork hock with a large ladle and placed it steadily into a soup bowl. The thick, snow-white broth, mixed with melted red bean paste, was slowly poured in until it covered the hock. Then, he ladled a full bowl of glistening, perfectly cooked white rice from the large rice cooker beside him.
Finally, I took a small plate and scooped out a large spoonful of the bright red, secret-recipe dipping sauce, which was garnished with emerald green scallions, chopped cilantro, and golden bean powder.
"Here you go, be careful, it's hot." Wang Sheng placed the pig's trotter soup bowl, rice, and dipping sauce on the empty space on the work surface.
Zhang Dashan couldn't wait any longer. He thanked them, plopped down, and before he could even hold his chopsticks properly, he brought his mouth close to the bowl and took a deep breath of the rich, intoxicating aroma. A look of near-intoxication appeared on his face: "Absolutely amazing!"
He imitated Su Weiwei, first scooping up a spoonful of milky white soup, blowing on it, and then slurping it into his mouth. Instantly, the ultimate richness, freshness, and smoothness of the red bean paste exploded in his mouth, and a warm current rushed to his limbs, dispelling the fatigue from just finishing the game.
"Hiss—this soup!" His eyes widened in disbelief. "It's even richer and smoother than Old Liao's! Not a trace of fishiness, just the aroma of meat and beans! Amazing!"
Then, he eagerly reached for the trembling pig's trotter with his chopsticks.
No force is needed at all; a gentle touch with the tip of a chopstick is enough to easily separate the soft, tender flesh.
He picked up a large piece of meat with tendons and collagen attached, rolled it vigorously in the bright red dipping sauce, coating every inch with the spicy and tempting sauce, then opened his mouth wide and stuffed it in!
"!!!"
There were no gasps of surprise, no exclamations of admiration.
Zhang Dashan seemed to have been put on pause, his movements completely frozen.
Only the cheeks were chewing quickly and forcefully.
The first impact comes from the dipping sauce:
The aroma and spiciness of the chili oil ignite the taste buds, the pungent garlic hits the roof of your head, the salty and umami of the soy sauce, the slight sourness of the vinegar, and the unique fermented sourness of the old brine build up layer by layer, and finally the caramelized and granular texture of the roasted soybean powder dances on the tongue, creating a complex and exciting symphony of flavors!
Then, as your teeth land, the incredibly soft and tender hoof skin, the chewy tendons, the melt-in-your-mouth gelatin, and the tender lean meat gently melt in your mouth, releasing a rich and mellow meaty aroma and a satisfying gelatinous sensation.
The exquisitely soft and succulent texture, combined with the vibrant and spicy dipping sauce, creates a perfect balance and harmony in the mouth! Any more would be cloying, any less would be bland; the proportions at this moment are simply divine!
"Ugh—Holy crap—" Zhang Dashan finally let out a muffled groan filled with extreme satisfaction, as if his soul had been soothed by this bite of pig's trotters.
He shoveled a large mouthful of rice into his mouth, mixing it with the remaining pig's trotters and broth, and let out another satisfied sigh: "Holy crap—Boss Wang—your cooking—is amazing! Absolutely amazing! I've never had such delicious pig's trotters in Chengdu! Old Liao is completely convinced of your superior skill! The choice of this trotter is superb! The stewing is perfect! And the dipping sauce—the dipping sauce is simply divine!"
He stopped talking and buried himself in his work. He ate a bite of pig's trotters, dipped them in chili oil, and then shoveled a big mouthful of rice into his mouth, eating with gusto. He was completely oblivious to the sweat on his forehead and the chili oil on the corners of his mouth.
That look of satisfaction and enjoyment is more convincing than any GG word.
Watching Zhang Dashan wolf down his food, Su Weiwei smugly gestured with her chin towards Wang Sheng, as if to say:
See? I've found you a discerning customer! Wang Sheng couldn't help but laugh. This kind of genuine, almost devout, enjoyment from the diner is the highest praise for a chef.
Like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds, Zhang Dashan ate the entire bowl of pig's trotters, soup and meat, along with a large bowl of rice, until it was completely clean. He even smeared the dipping sauce dish with rice until it shone.
He let out a satisfied burp, leaned back in his chair, patted his round belly, and his face showed pure happiness and exhaustion from eating the most delicious food in the world.
"Boss Wang—" Zhang Dashan looked at Wang Sheng with eyes full of admiration, "Your pig's trotters—are works of art! I'm impressed! Utterly impressed!"
He wiped his mouth, then suddenly remembered something, his eyes lighting up: "That's right! Boss Wang, do you usually sell your pig's trotters? Do you do takeout? Or—pre-orders?"
Wang Sheng thought for a moment. His breakfast and lunch were already fully booked, and a time-consuming and labor-intensive dish like pig's trotters was not yet on the regular menu: "Well—we'll see. It's mainly because it takes too much time, and the ingredients are hard to come by."
He pointed to the casserole dish.
"I understand, I understand!"
Zhang Dashan nodded repeatedly, "Good things are always like this! Okay, Boss Wang, in a few days, probably—around next Wednesday, right? The school should have lifted the curfew by then."
He pulled out his phone and checked the calendar. "My older sister, my dear sister, transferred from Chengdu to Nanjing for work, at the Xinghui Science and Technology Park right next to our school," he said, "as a project director! She's a foodie, especially loves pig's trotters! I'll bring her over! Let her try your divine cooking! We'll treat her to this to welcome her home! I guarantee she'll be blown away! What do you say? Save us two portions—no, three! I reckon one won't be enough for her!"
Zhang Dashan patted his chest, his face showing an expression that said, "Leave it to me."
"Sure, no problem," Wang Sheng readily agreed. Having a discerning customer book it saved him the trouble of figuring out what to do with this "luxury item" he only made occasionally.
"It's settled then! Wednesday noon! I'll bring her!" Zhang Dashan stood up contentedly, paid the bill (Su Weiwei had quoted a fairly fair "good value" price), praised her profusely, and then reluctantly left the backyard, muttering to himself, "So comfortable—come quickly on Wednesday—"