TL: Moonlit
The weekend passed in a flash, and a new week began on Monday.
With the end of the final exams at Qingqiao Elementary and Middle School and the arrival of the winter vacation, the bustle in Sanjiaokou had subsided. Several snack stall owners who were not locals of J City had already packed up their stalls and headed home on the train. They were waiting for the schools in Sanjiaokou to reopen after the New Year before returning to set up their snack stalls again.
The number of operating snack stalls in Sanjiaokou decreased, and their competitiveness weakened significantly. It was expected that the remaining snack stalls in Sanjiaokou would see an increase in foot traffic. However, the foot traffic at these stalls did not improve much—this was due to the “Qiaozi Snack Store” introducing new products and promotions.
In recent days, “Qiaozi Snack Store” had gained exceptional attention online, and topics related to it often appeared in the top 50 hot searches. The once well-known internet-famous upscale snack shop in J City had gradually become known as the “unfortunate snack shop.”
Just when everyone thought that “Qiaozi Snack Store” would be heavily impacted by the negative publicity and eventually leave the market, the situation took a surprising turn.
“Qiaozi Snack Store” announced that they would launch new snack products next week, with different stores introducing different new items.
Furthermore, “Qiaozi Snack Store” mentioned that in the following week, they would offer promotional joint sets. Customers who purchased these sets would receive a blind box of plush toys co-produced by “Qiaozi Snack Store” and a well-known game. This game boasted numerous lavishly designed characters, a rich storyline, and fun gameplay modes.
People of all ages, from teenagers to middle-aged adults, loved playing this game, making it one of the hottest games in China recently. Players spent money like water on the game, willing to spend hundreds or even thousands to acquire beautiful character skins.
To these gamers, spending a few dozen yuan to get a blind box and a bunch of snacks was truly a great deal!
In Sanjiaokou, the stall owners who initially thought “Qiaozi Snack Store” would continue to decline were now witnessing the shop’s business improve day by day.
“Hiss. Why are there still so many people queuing up at this shop? Weren’t they all considered unfortunate to buy snacks here?”
“They introduced a gaming combo… My neighbor’s son keeps pestering to buy ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’s’ gaming combo.” A snack stall owner said, “I heard the combo is quite a deal, it’s discounted from the original price, and they even give away a toy!”
“Discounted? Even at half the price, it’s still more expensive than the snacks here! The fried chicken strip stall over there sells a bag of fried chicken strips for just over ten yuan…” Another snack stall owner pointed toward Wang Mei’s fried chicken strips stall, “Huh?!”
He exclaimed in surprise, “You guys… Look at that fried chicken strip stall, why are there suddenly so many people lining up?!”
Last week, Wang Mei’s fried chicken business was declining day by day, to the point that she even considered not selling fried chicken strips anymore.
But unexpectedly, after a weekend, her fried chicken strips stall’s business turned around.
As soon as Wang Mei set up her stall, several customers arrived early.
“Boss, I want an order of salt and pepper chicken strips and sweet and sour plum chicken strips.”
“Boss, I want an order of salt and pepper chicken strips, the large portion!”
“I heard your chicken strips are delicious; I want to buy some to share with my colleagues for afternoon tea… I want to buy ten portions at once. Can you make them quickly?”
These customers queuing up in front of Wang Mei’s stall were not regulars.
If it weren’t for the biting cold wind cutting her face like a knife, Wang Mei would have thought she was dreaming. How could there be so many strangers coming to buy her fried chicken strips?!
What on earth happened?
While frying the chicken strips, Wang Mei asked the customers around her.
The young and pretty girl who ordered ten portions to share with her colleagues turned out to be a white-collar worker working in an office building near Sanjiaokou Commercial Center.
The girl smiled, “I found out about your snack stall through a food livestream.”
Furrowing her brow, Wang Mei asked, “What food livestream?”
After a detailed explanation by the girl, Wang Mei finally understood what was happening.
Last week, a food blogger with millions of followers went live and bought a portion of Wang Mei’s fried chicken strips. Throughout the live stream, the food blogger praised how delicious Wang Mei’s fried chicken strips were.
As a result, many of the J City fans who followed the food influencer came to Wang Mei’s stall after the weekend to try the fried chicken strips that had been highly praised.
They wanted to taste for themselves just how amazing the fried chicken strips were that the food blogger had raved about.
As the girl explained, Wang Mei immediately remembered.
That day, when Yu Bai came with Xing Xing to buy fried chicken from her stall, there was a young man following them with a phone, seemingly recording a video.
At that time, Wang Mei didn’t pay much attention to him.
Now, it dawned on her that the young man was most likely the food blogger that the girl had mentioned!
Wang Mei quickly finished making ten portions of fried chicken.
Looking up, Wang Mei handed the fried chicken strips to the girl, but she suddenly noticed that at some point, the queue in front of her fried chicken stall had snaked all the way to the other side of the street!
Why are there so many people here? Could they all be fans of that food influencer named “Kangzi”?
“Boss, I ordered two portions of fried chicken, when will they be ready?” The customer at the front of the line saw Wang Mei hesitating and urged her.
Wang Mei replied in a hoarse voice, “Wait… wait a moment, let me make a two-minute phone call.”
She immediately took out her phone from her pocket and called her son.
“Hello? Are you at home now? Hurry up and take the bucket of chicken I left in the cabinet and bring it to Sanjiaokou…”
Wang Mei’s son thought she had forgotten to bring the ingredients to the stall, so he hurriedly carried the bucket of chicken to her. However, when he arrived at the food stall, he noticed that there was already a bucket of chicken underneath.
“Mom, didn’t you bring a bucket of chicken already? Why do you want me to bring it again?”
Without looking up, Wang Mei explained, “Look at how many people are waiting in front of my stall…”
Wang Mei’s son stretched his neck to take a look…
Wow! He couldn’t even see the end of the queue!
Having run her food stall for many years, the best Wang Mei could sell in a day was a whole bucket of chicken. But now…
Wang Mei felt that today she could sell two buckets of chicken!
Business was booming, and Wang Mei was busy; she didn’t even have time to take a sip of water. In the cold winter, sweat gradually soaked through her clothes, and droplets of sweat slid down her forehead onto her cheeks.
Before Wang Mei could wipe the sweat with her hand, a handkerchief was pressed onto her cheek.
It was her son who wiped away the sweat from her face. He rolled up his sleeves and smiled at her.
“Mom, your business is thriving today. Let me help you.”
—
Monday.
Ji Rongyu didn’t come to Yu Bai’s home.
And he still hadn’t replied to Yu Bai’s messages.
“Daddy, are we still not going to set up the stall today?” Xing Xing’s small hands rested on Yu Bai’s chest, and his small chin rested on his hands.
In Xing Xing’s eyes, there was an expectant expression.
Daddy had told him early on that they would set up the stall the week after next because it would be the Chinese New Year. But this week wasn’t the New Year yet, so could he still set up the stall with Daddy?
Yu Bai hesitated and said, “It’s cold outside. How about we…”
The light in Xing Xing’s eyes, like glazed ink, dimmed instantly, and he pouted, looking unhappy.
Xing Xing whispered, “Is it because Uncle Rongyu isn’t coming home to look after me, so Daddy doesn’t trust me and won’t set up the stall?”
Xing Xing’s words touched on some of Yu Bai’s thoughts.
Indeed, Yu Bai didn’t want to go out and set up the stall partly because there was no one at home to look after Xing Xing.
If Yu Bai took Xing Xing with him to set up the stall, he was afraid that Xing Xing would catch a cold again, just like last time.
It’s different when Ji Rongyu is around.
Yu Bai can set up the stall early. Ji Rongyu would stay at home to watch Xing Xing while he takes his nap. After Xing Xing wakes up from his nap, Ji Rongyu would bring him to Yu Bai’s food stall.
By that time, most of the snacks at Yu Bai’s stall would have been sold. Xing Xing could roam around for a little over an hour, and then Yu Bai would take him back home.
Children can easily catch a cold if they stay outside for too long, but a proper stroll can actually improve their health.
It’s unclear whether it’s Xing Xing’s resilient body or Ji Rongyu’s good care, but ever since Xing Xing recovered from his illness, he no longer appears as frail as before.
Xing Xing can now run and jump every day, and even the flesh on his body and face has become plumper and softer than before.
Xing Xing now looks like a big sticky rice ball, poking, kneading, and pinching… It feels particularly comfortable to touch.
“Dad?” Xing Xing called out.
Since his Dad didn’t reply, it meant that he wasn’t willing to go out and set up the stall, just as he suspected, it had something to do with the bad uncle!
In theory, after knowing that Ji Rongyu left them on his own, Xing Xing should be over the moon, dancing with joy.
But… deep inside, Xing Xing actually felt a bit uneasy.
He wasn’t as happy as he had imagined, but rather, there was a hint of anger.
For the past few days, Daddy had been worried about the bad uncle, to the point that he ate less than before.
The bad uncle was really bad. He left without saying a word, and Daddy’s calls and messages were left unanswered. Now, nobody knew where he had gone…
If only… Xing Xing’s white teeth gently bit on his jelly-like lip.
If the bad uncle could come back, then Daddy wouldn’t worry about him like this, right?
Their lives would return to what they used to be – after Xing Xing woke up from his nap every day, he would follow the bad uncle to find Daddy, and then they would go home together, spending a happy day…
Xing Xing’s little face was pressed against his hands, and the cherry-like pink lips slightly pouted.
When will the bad uncle reply to Daddy’s message?
“When you wake up from your nap, we’ll go set up the stall together.”
At this moment, Yu Bai said to Xing Xing.
“Okay.”
Xing Xing lay on the bed, snuggled in Yu Bai’s arms.
But he still didn’t feel very happy.
Was it because Daddy’s chest wasn’t warm enough? No.
Was it because the mattress wasn’t soft enough? No.
Was it because he was hungry? No.
With a sense of emptiness in his heart, Xing Xing closed his eyes.
Perhaps… it was because there was one less person at home.
And his life was no longer as lively as before.
—
Today, Yu Bai arrived a little over an hour late.
Yu Dong, who sells candied hawthorns next door, saved a stall spot for Yu Bai in advance.
Yu Bai pushed the food cart to his usual spot, and Yu Dong, who had nothing to do, came over to give him a hand.
“Xing Xing, would you like to have some grape candied hawthorn?”
“Thank you, Uncle Yu.” Xing Xing took the grape candied hawthorn handed over by Yu Dong and politely thanked him.
“Such a good boy.”
Yu Dong pinched Xing Xing’s chubby cheeks as Xing Xing sat on the chair eating the candied hawthorn.
Yu Dong stood up and looked around twice.
“Why hasn’t that person come today?”
The person Yu Dong was referring to, of course, was Ji Rongyu.
Yu Dong had met Ji Rongyu a few times before.
Ji Rongyu was always dressed in a plain hoodie and jeans, with his hair naturally falling in front of his forehead.
The first time Yu Dong saw Ji Rongyu, he felt like he had seen him somewhere before.
Perhaps it was because Ji Rongyu, like Yu Bai, had a youthful appearance that made them look like 18-19-year-old students, even though they were in their twenties. On the other hand, Yu Dong, who was in his forties, looked like a grandfather in his fifties or sixties.
“He’s not feeling well, so he didn’t come.” Yu Bai smiled faintly. “I was at home taking care of Xing Xing’s nap. After he woke up, I came to set up the stall.”
“No wonder you came so late today!” Yu Dong said, “Can you handle Xing Xing all by yourself? If you need help, let me know. My wife can take care of Xing Xing… She doesn’t have much to do at home anyway.”
“Thanks, I’ll let you know if I need help.” Yu Bai replied.
After this week, the Chinese New Year would arrive. After celebrating the New Year, Yu Bai planned to take a week off and reopen his stall once the students of Qingqiao Elementary and Middle School returned to school.
During the Chinese New Year period, Yu Bai wouldn’t go out to set up the stall. He could handle taking care of Xing Xing by himself. If he still couldn’t get in touch with Ji Rongyu after the New Year, then he would find someone else to help take care of Xing Xing.
“Qiaozi Snack Store” still had a significant impact on Yu Dong’s candied hawthorn food stall, so Yu Bai entrusted Yu Dong, who had more free time, to look after Xing Xing.
After setting up the hotplate, Yu Bai uploaded a photo of his stall on his social media circle. Two or three regular customers of Yu Bai voluntarily formed a line in front of his teppanyaki stall.
“Boss, why did you open the stall so late today? I thought you wouldn’t come, and I was about to leave!” one of the customers said.
“I was taking care of my child at home, so I came a little late. What would you like to eat?” Yu Bai smiled.
“Teppanyaki rice cakes… and a few skewers, please.”
—
Ever since Qian Kangkang found out that Yu Bai was the owner of the “astonishingly delicious” food stall that Song Qing ate at in Sanjiaokou, he spent two whole days squatting in Sanjiaokou.
However, since it was the weekend during those two days, all the food stalls in Sanjiaokou were closed, and Qian Kangkang ended up empty-handed.
But how could Qian Kangkang be one to give up easily?
During those two days, Qian Kangkang asked the nearby residents and learned about the opening hours of the food stalls in Sanjiaokou.
On Monday afternoon, Qian Kangkang once again waited in Sanjiaokou, hoping to catch Yu Bai off guard.
However, as the afternoon went by, more and more food stalls set up in Sanjiaokou, but there was still no sign of Yu Bai.
A hint of anxiety appeared on Qian Kangkang’s face. He had been waiting for three days already. Could it be that the teppanyaki vendor would not come to set up his stall?
In order to taste more teppanyaki in the afternoon, Qian Kangkang deliberately ate less for lunch.
Now, Qian Kangkang was both tired and hungry.
“Kangzi, I heard that ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ has launched new snacks. How about I go over there and queue up to try them?” his assistant suggested.
After the weekend incident, “Qiaozi Snack Store” significantly improved its order and serving efficiency.
Now, although there were still long queues at “Qiaozi Snack Store,” the waiting time for customers had been greatly reduced to a maximum of forty minutes.
Upon hearing the name “Qiaozi Snack Store,” Qian Kangkang couldn’t help but pursed his lips.
Last time, he fell for the marketing of “Qiaozi Snack Store.”
Their “Signature Crispy Chicken Strips” were greasy and unpleasant to eat. If you ate them, you would feel uncomfortable for a while; if you didn’t eat them, you would regret it all day. The taste couldn’t compare to the fried chicken strips sold in Sanjiaokou.
This time, the Sanjiaokou branch of “Qiaozi Snack Store” changed its signature dish.
Both the shop assistants of “Qiaozi Snack Store” and the promotional posters hanging outside advertised the new products they were launching – teppanyaki Tofu and Roasted Cold Noodles would replace the “Signature Crispy Chicken Strips” as the new signature dishes of the store.
Furthermore, these Teppanyaki Tofu and Roasted Cold Noodles would only be available at the Sanjiaokou branch of “Qiaozi Snack Store” and not in other stores.
“Kangzi, according to the real customer reviews online, they say these two new dishes from ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ are especially delicious. I checked the reviews, and they seem genuine. How about we give it a try? Otherwise, coming all the way here would be a waste of time!” the assistant said to Qian Kangkang. “Why don’t you go queue there, and I’ll wait here?”
The assistant agreed and went to the end of the queue at “Qiaozi Snack Store.”
Qian Kangkang stood around for a while, feeling bored. He took out his phone and started watching videos.
As he scrolled through the videos, a peculiar aroma drifted into his nostrils with the breeze.
The mix of roasted and spicy fragrances was like an enticing fairy, directly making Qian Kangkang’s mouth water.
During the three days he spent in Sanjiaokou, he had never smelled such a delicious fragrance before.
What was this smell? Why was it so enticing? Where was it coming from?
“Gurgle.”
Qian Kangkang swallowed his saliva and immediately put away his phone. He stretched his neck and looked around.
Qian Kangkang looked around, and his heart pounded rapidly.
Before seeing the stall, he smelled the aroma.
Qian Kangkang remembered that Song Qing had once said, “As long as you stand in Sanjiaokou, you will immediately recognize which snack stall I’m talking about…”
This captivating aroma of roasting was a combination of all the other snack stalls in Sanjiaokou and couldn’t be compared to any other.
The aroma of the fried chicken strips from the other stalls paled in comparison to the tantalizing scent Qian Kangkang was experiencing in the air.
There was simply no comparison between the two!
This aroma… Could it be…?
A gradual answer surfaced in Qian Kangkang’s mind.
The aroma was like a rope, guiding Qian Kangkang to a specific snack stall.
As the fragrance spread, within just two to three minutes of standing in front of the stall, several more customers had gathered around – they were all lured in by the aroma.
A symphony of sizzling ingredients on the hot iron skillet played the most wonderful and lively melody.
As the line moved forward, Qian Kangkang got closer and closer to the iron skillet, and the aroma became even more intense.
Just when Qian Kangkang thought he couldn’t wait any longer without drooling, a familiar voice sounded.
“Hello, sir, what would you like to eat?”
Qian Kangkang turned his head.
In front of the teppanyaki stall, a young and beautiful youth with a gentle demeanor, like a flawless jade, smiled at him.
When he saw Qian Kangkang, a hint of surprise appeared in the young man’s eyes.
He had thought that Qian Kangkang would not return to Sanjiaokou after visiting the shop, but he never expected to see him in the queue.
He thought that Qian Kangkang came back to Sanjiaokou today because he was quite satisfied with the snacks here.
However, what he didn’t know was that Qian Kangkang came back to Sanjiaokou just to taste the teppanyaki he made.
Seeing Qian Kangkang hesitating, the young man introduced the menu.
“Here, we have teppanyaki with vegetables, and over there, we have teppanyaki with meat. You can freely choose the skewers you want to eat. Besides that, my stall also serves teppanyaki tofu, teppanyaki rice cakes, roasted cold noodles… All of them taste really good.”
Qian Kangkang replied, “Then… give me one of each?”
The young man smiled, “If you order one of each, you might not be able to finish them all.”
Qian Kangkang immediately gave him a “Don’t underestimate me” expression.
“Before I came here, I only had an egg for breakfast and a bun for lunch… So even if I order one of each, I can finish them all!”
For this eagerly awaited meal, how could he settle for just a little?
The young man said, “Alright, then I’ll give you one of each.”
As the young man prepared the teppanyaki, Qian Kangkang didn’t just stand there idle.
He took out his phone and started live streaming.
As an internet celebrity, Qian Kangkang randomly started a live stream without prior notice to his fans, and the number of viewers in his live stream room quickly increased visibly.
[“Kangzi, why did you suddenly start a live stream? What are you eating today?”]
[“At this time… it should be afternoon tea, right?”]
[“I still have an hour before I finish work, and I’m so hungry. Is watching Kangzi’s live stream considered self-torture?”]
Soon, the viewers in the live stream room were all attracted by a pair of hands appearing on Qian Kangkang’s screen.
In the afternoon sunlight, the warm rays cast a beautiful golden halo on the slender and porcelain-white hands of Yu Bai.
[“Wow, such beautiful hands! As someone who loves hands, I really want to preserve them!”]
[“Are these Qian Kangkang’s hands? Whose hands are these? Licking the screen!”]
[“These hands look fair and delicate. They may be good-looking, but they don’t seem to have much strength.”]
As soon as this barrage appeared in Qian Kangkang’s live stream, the camera shook slightly.
Qian Kangkang once again focused on those hands.
Yu Bai’s index finger lightly rested on the handle of the spatula, and his thumb and the remaining three fingers firmly gripped the handle.
With a soft “snap,” those hands deftly flipped the roasted cold noodles on the iron skillet.
The spatula was made of iron, and the handle was made of wood.
If these hands lacked strength, it would be impossible to flip the roasted cold noodles so skillfully with two spatulas.
“Snap,” “click.”
Yu Bai’s right hand held a round, rolling egg. With a slight force, he crushed the eggshell, and the egg yolk flowed out and fell onto the roasted cold noodles.
Yu Bai casually threw the eggshell into the garbage bag designated for wet trash. When Qian Kangkang aimed the camera at the surface of the roasted cold noodles, the viewers couldn’t see a single piece of eggshell on the iron skillet.
[“Damn, he crushed an egg with his bare hands!”]
[“And when the egg yolk fell on the roasted cold noodles, not a single piece of eggshell was left behind!”]
[“I always end up dropping eggshells into the bowl when I crack eggs with both hands at home. I’m a failure.”]
“Hiss,” Yu Bai once again flipped the roasted cold noodles.
At this moment, on the empty space of the iron skillet, Yu Bai placed various ingredients, including pork belly.
“Crackling—.”
With only a thin layer of oil brushed on the iron skillet, when the thinly sliced pork belly came into contact with it, the smooth pork belly slightly curled up.
Gradually, the viewers saw visible pork fat oozing out of the pork belly.
As the pork belly turned golden and crispy, Yu Bai picked up a can of special teppanyaki sauce and poured it over the pork belly.
The golden pork belly instantly turned brown, and a faint mist kept rising.
The mist mixed with the aroma of roasting, and Qian Kangkang took a deep breath.
Pork belly is a type of meat with alternating lean and fat layers. During the frying process, the aroma of pork fat continuously blends with the lean meat, filling each slice of pork belly with the fragrance of pork fat.
The rich savory aroma, combined with the special teppanyaki sauce, created a unique and wonderful combination.
In the teppanyaki sauce, Yu Bai added lemon, which perfectly eliminated even the slightest hint of greasiness from the meat aroma, leaving only a pure fragrance.
As a result, the mixture of the two brought a fresher, more captivating, and more appetite-inducing aroma.
While smelling the fragrance, Qian Kangkang couldn’t help but swallow saliva despite his image.
The Bluetooth earphones Qian Kangkang was wearing during the live stream recorded the sound of him swallowing saliva without any mercy.
With his eyes fixed on the iron skillet, Qian Kangkang completely ignored the social-death moment happening in his live stream chat.
[“Oh, um… I think I heard Kangzi swallowing saliva.”]
[“Is it because Kangzi’s equipment has a high resolution? I feel like the pork belly on the screen looks so tempting!”]
[“I can’t resist it. The roasted cold noodles with pork belly look so delicious, and now with Kangzi’s saliva-swallowing sound… I can’t stop swallowing saliva too!”]
[“Kangzi, can you describe the taste of the teppanyaki in words? Is it delicious?”]
In the blink of an eye, Yu Bai finished cooking the meat dishes and the roasted cold noodles together.
Qian Kangkang ordered a large amount of teppanyaki, so Yu Bai needed to do it in two batches.
Qian Kangkang eagerly took the roasted cold noodles and meat dishes handed to him by Yu Bai.
“I’ve transferred the money to you,” Qian Kangkang said, “I’ll go over there to eat first. If you’re done, just put them aside, and I’ll come over to pick them up after I finish eating.”
Yu Bai nodded in agreement.
According to Qian Kangkang’s previous recording habits, he liked to place all the snacks he bought on the table at once, take a photo or video first, and then start eating.
However, who would have thought that Yu Bai’s teppanyaki would make Qian Kangkang so infatuated?
With the teppanyaki aroma in his nose, Qian Kangkang’s saliva flowed like a waterfall.
If it weren’t for the fact that Qian Kangkang occasionally cared about his image, his saliva would have already fallen to the ground!
Human patience has its limits, and Qian Kangkang couldn’t wait any longer. He must taste Yu Bai’s teppanyaki right now!!
Qian Kangkang’s assistant hurriedly arrived near Sanjiaokou, holding the new items “teppanyaki tofu” and “roasted cold noodles” he bought from the neighboring “Qiaozi Snack Store,” and found Qian Kangkang sitting on the ground, holding a paper box in both hands.
Before the assistant could speak, he saw Qian Kangkang picking up a slice of pork belly with a fork and putting it into his mouth.
The next second, Qian Kangkang closed his eyes and smiled.
An expression of utmost enjoyment appeared on his face, as if he had tasted an extremely delicious delicacy.
The assistant was stunned, almost dropping his jaw.
Having been Qian Kangkang’s assistant for many years, he knew that Qian Kangkang was a skilled cook and had high standards for food. Even if he encountered something delicious, he would at most praise it a bit and never show such a terrifying expression!
What happened to Qian Kangkang while he was queuing at the neighboring “Qiaozi Snack Store”?
—
Because the pork belly was cut slightly thick by Yu Bai, it required considerable skill to fry it to a crispy state.
After Yu Bai managed to fry both sides of the pork belly to a golden and crispy appearance, he poured a layer of teppanyaki sauce on top.
The teppanyaki sauce smelled delicious, but in Qian Kangkang’s eyes, this might be a flaw.
Because the moist secret sauce could potentially affect the crispy texture of the pork belly.
Normally, dry sauce is more suitable for crispy grilled meat.
But Qian Kangkang was mistaken.
Yu Bai’s pork belly was still crispy.
As Qian Kangkang bit into the pork belly, the crispy shell exploded with a clear sound in his mouth.
Yu Bai had perfectly adjusted the moisture level of the secret sauce, so it didn’t interfere with the outer crispiness of the pork belly.
The secret sauce carried a lemon aroma and a hint of lemon’s sourness, which perfectly removed any greasiness from the pork belly.
The fatty part of the pork belly was rich, but the lean part was not dry at all.
During Yu Bai’s frying process, the oil from the fatty part continuously moisturized the lean part, giving it a slightly oily fragrance and a moist sensation.
The lean part was tender and got more flavorful as he chewed.
Yu Bai’s teppanyaki might be priced a bit higher compared to other street food stalls, but he used relatively better-quality ingredients.
Unlike other unscrupulous vendors who use cheap ingredients to cut costs, Yu Bai didn’t go for overly expensive ingredients like some high-end restaurants either.
Because Yu Bai could fully bring out the 100% flavor of the ingredients.
Ordinary ingredients in his hands could produce dishes that were not much different from those made with expensive ingredients in high-end restaurants.
This was a perfect piece of pork belly, showcasing the skill of the chef.
It was simply… so delicious!
When Qian Kangkang opened his eyes, they were filled with not just love or astonishment but also deep admiration for Yu Bai.
Without Yu Bai’s cooking skills, he would never be able to achieve this kind of taste.
[Kangzi, is the teppanyaki delicious?]
[Kangzi, why aren’t you saying anything? I’m so scared!]
[Could it be that Kangzi isn’t speaking because the teppanyaki is too bad?]
[But looking at Kangzi’s expression, it doesn’t seem like the teppanyaki is bad at all!]
Qian Kangkang looked at the barrage in the live chat, and his lips curled up slightly.
“If I were to describe the taste of this teppanyaki…”
Qian Kangkang paused for a moment.
“I can’t use words to describe how delicious the teppanyaki is, nor can I precisely describe its taste.” Qian Kangkang said earnestly, “But I can say that this is the most delicious teppanyaki I have ever had in my life, without a doubt.”
As a food blogger for many years, this was the first time he gave such high praise to an ordinary street food stall.
The entire live chat erupted.
[What? Am I hearing it right? Has Kangzi been bribed? Is this small food stall really that good?!]
[The owner of a small food stall wouldn’t have enough money to bribe Kangzi, right?]
[Ah, ah, ah! Kangzi! Where is this shop? I’m going tomorrow!]
[I believe what Kangzi said is true. Looking at his expression, this teppanyaki really seems delicious!]
As the netizens in Qian Kangkang’s live chat were discussing, his assistant appeared on the screen.
He stood behind Qian Kangkang, holding two bags in his hands.
“Kangzi, I bought the teppanyaki tofu and grilled cold noodles from ‘Qiaozi Snacks Store’.”
“I know,” Qian Kangkang waved his hand.
With Yu Bai’s exceptional teppanyaki right before them, Qian Kangkang had no interest in trying the teppanyaki tofu and grilled cold noodles from “Qiaozi Snacks Store.”
Originally, he didn’t plan to try these new snacks from “Qiaozi Snacks Store” and just wanted to take them home to have a taste. But he saw a few messages in his live chat.
[I heard that the teppanyaki tofu from ‘Qiaozi Snacks Store’ is especially delicious! Kangzi, can you help us with a taste test?]
[My best friend went to line up for ‘Qiaozi Snacks Store’ teppanyaki tofu today, and she told me that it’s worth every penny… One serving of teppanyaki tofu is only seven yuan, even cheaper than the grilled cold noodles you bought, Kangzi!]
[Seven yuan? ‘Qiaozi Snacks Store’ is selling teppanyaki tofu for seven yuan?! I want to rush there!]
Although “Qiaozi Snacks Store” had already been labeled as an “unlucky snack stall,” whenever they released some high-quality and affordable snacks, it would surely garner great attention and desire to purchase from the netizens, thus attracting more potential customers.
This was also one of the ways that Qiao Chao, the owner of “Qiaozi Snacks Store,” came up with to solve the crisis.
“Okay,” Qian Kangkang said, “Then let me try and see how good the teppanyaki tofu and grilled cold noodles from ‘Qiaozi Snacks Store’ are.”
After Qian Kangkang finished speaking, he turned to his assistant behind him and said, “I still have some snacks left at the teppanyaki stall over there. While I taste these, you can go over and get them for me.”
“Sure.”
After the assistant left, Qian Kangkang opened the packaging bag from “Qiaozi Snacks Store.”
Unlike Yu Bai’s slightly simple paper boxes and paper bags, the packaging of “Qiaozi Snacks Store” was exceptionally exquisite.
Of course, no matter how exquisite the packaging of snacks is, if they don’t taste good, they will still be ignored.
Qian Kangkang picked up a fork and took the first bite of the grilled cold noodles from “Qiaozi Snacks Store.” As the grilled cold noodles entered his mouth, his eyebrows immediately furrowed for a moment.
Yu Bai’s grilled cold noodles were brushed with his homemade secret sauce, so the taste of the noodles had a sweet and sour flavor with a hint of spiciness. But… Qian Kangkang couldn’t tell if it was just his imagination or if he was overthinking it, but he felt that “Qiaozi Snacks Store’s” grilled cold noodles had a subtle resemblance to Yu Bai’s grilled cold noodles.
The grilled cold noodles from “Qiaozi Snacks Store” were also sweet and sour with a bit of spiciness, but the transition between the layers of flavors was far from matching Yu Bai’s.
However, the similar taste, similar ingredients, and similar texture of the two grilled cold noodles gave Qian Kangkang an indescribable feeling.
It was as if “Qiaozi Snacks Store” was intentionally imitating Yu Bai’s grilled cold noodles.
Author’s note:
PS: I have more time on weekends, so there will be more updates.
Normally, I can only guarantee 3-6k words per day.
Too busy, otherwise 2k words.
