VFGRC Chapter 31

TL: Moonlit

---

“Sizzle——”, the sauce brush dipped into the secret recipe teppanyaki sauce, brushed onto the teppanyaki griddle. Yu Bai, with two spatulas in hand, skillfully flipped the teppanyaki dishes on the griddle.

The iron plate sauce came into contact with the scorching hot iron plate, and the aroma of the iron plate dishes quickly spread with the gentle breeze.

Lan Jie squinted her eyes and exclaimed, “Mmm, this smells amazing!”

If it weren’t for the fact that the teppanyaki sauce was the vendor’s secret recipe, and she couldn’t learn it easily, Lan Jie really wanted to ask how this delicious sauce was made!

As the aroma filled the air, both Lan Jie and the customers queuing behind her felt their stomachs grumble with hunger.

After lunch, at three o’clock in the afternoon, it was the perfect time for afternoon tea.

Lan Jie eagerly received the teppanyaki dish handed over by Yu Bai, standing in front of the teppanyaki griddle without blocking the queue of other customers, and began to eat.

Yu Bai stretched his neck from behind and reminded, “The teppanyaki is freshly made. Lan Jie, eat slowly, be careful not to burn yourself.”

Yu Bai’s reminder came a bit late.

Lured by the irresistible aroma, the hungry Lan Jie ate too hastily and burned her tongue on the teppanyaki dish.

“Hoo, hoo, hoo, it’s hot!” Lan Jie sucked in some cool air while chewing the teppanyaki dish in her mouth.

“If it’s too hot, spit it out quickly, be careful not to burn your tongue,” said another customer in line.

“No, it’s fine.”

After chewing for a while, Lan Jie swallowed the food and poured two mouthfuls of mineral water into her mouth to ease the discomfort.

Such a delicious teppanyaki dish, even if it was a bit hot, she couldn’t bear to spit it out!

Seeing the worried glances from others, Lan Jie waved her hand repeatedly and said, “It’s okay, it’s just a little burn on my tongue, not too serious.”

However, when she picked up the next piece of teppanyaki tofu, she blew it carefully before placing it in her mouth.

The slightly warm teppanyaki tofu perfectly masked the slight bean smell of the tofu itself, while the delicious and slightly spicy secret recipe teppanyaki sauce painted beautiful colors on the “white paper” of the tofu.

The combination of fragrance, heat, freshness, and spiciness was truly captivating.

Lan Jie enjoyed the delicious taste, squinting her eyes in delight. She paid no attention to the children tugging at her pant legs, pitifully looking at the iron plate dishes in her hands, their mouths watering.

“Teppanyaki Dishes, truly live up to their reputation!”

“Hello, may I ask you a few questions? How do you find the taste of the iron plate dishes you’re holding?” A sudden voice interrupted Lan Jie’s enjoyment of the dishes.

Lan Jie opened her eyes and saw a young and pretty girl standing in front of her. The girl held a square-shaped recording device, and behind her was a tall, strong boy holding photography equipment.

Lan Jie frowned slightly, “Who are you?”

The girl, named Song Qing, introduced herself with a light smile, “I’m a food exploration blogger from J City, and I often upload food exploration videos on Douyin and Yali Video. I noticed that this teppanyaki stall across the street is doing very well, and the aroma is enticing, so I wanted to explore it. I’d like to ask you about the taste of the teppanyaki dishes, and this might be featured in my food exploration video…”

Lan Jie understood, “You’re a food exploration blogger here to explore this teppanyaki stall?”

Song Qing nodded.

Lan Jie clapped her hands and said with a smile, “Ah, you’ve struck gold then!”

Song Qing was taken aback, “What do you mean?”

Lan Jie explained, “My son and daughter both attend the nearby Qingqiao Kindergarten and Qingqiao Elementary School. As a full-time housewife, I pick them up and drop them off every day. I still remember the day when this teppanyaki stall first opened…”

At the triangular intersection where the snack stalls were numerous and the competition fierce, Lan Jie and the other parents of students were still relatively young, having tried many delicious snacks during their school days. As a result, they had high demands and standards for snack stalls. If they came across ordinary-tasting snacks, they wouldn’t even spare a glance.

Even the previously bustling fried chicken strips at the triangular intersection were eaten by Lan Jie and her friends at most once or twice a month.

But the appearance of the teppanyaki dishes rekindled their enthusiasm for snack stalls from their student days.

Lan Jie could never forget the enticing aroma of the secret recipe teppanyaki sauce she smelled when she was queuing to pick up her child at Qingqiao Elementary School. It led her straight to the teppanyaki stall.

The taste of the teppanyaki dishes surpassed even their aroma.

Lan Jie couldn’t help but think back to her school days, wondering why she didn’t encounter such delicious teppanyaki dishes when she was in elementary and middle school.

Fortunately, the teppanyaki dishes had appeared not too late. Now, every day after picking up her children from school, she often bought a portion of teppanyaki dishes to eat while waiting for them to finish their classes.

Listening to Lan Jie’s heartfelt description, the boy in charge of post-production and the girl responsible for the operation exchanged a helpless look.

They could see the mutual resignation in each other’s eyes.

In their view, Lan Jie was praising this seemingly ordinary teppanyaki stall too excessively.

They had encountered similar situations before while interviewing passersby. Some people, when interviewed for the first time, tended to get excited and exaggerate their responses.

However, Song Qing, who was responsible for the interview, listened carefully.

After interviewing Lan Jie, Song Qing looked in the direction of the teppanyaki stall.

Earlier, there were only seven or eight people around the stall, and Song Qing could still see the stall owner holding two iron spatulas through the crowd.

Now, there were even more people surrounding the stall.

Not to mention the stall owner’s hands, they couldn’t even see the dishes on the iron plate anymore.

Song Qing suggested, “This teppanyaki stall sounds intriguing; let’s try it together. Anyway, there’s a long queue at ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’…”

The girl in charge of the operation agreed, “Sure, we have nothing better to do. Who knows, this seemingly ordinary snack stall might be a hidden gem in this ordinary snack street.”

The boy in charge of post-production said, “I’m not interested in this street stall. You two can line up, and I’ll wait for our turn at ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’.”

He had rarely eaten street snacks since childhood, so he had a certain bias against them.

“Okay then. You stay in line here, and we’ll go over there.”

Song Qing and the girl in charge of the operation joined the back of the line for the teppanyaki stall. The girl lifted the photography equipment and took a shot of the long queue in front of the stall.

“A snack stall without much reputation online can attract so many nearby residents… I think this teppanyaki stall might be quite good,” the girl in charge of the operation said. “Look, the line is moving pretty fast. Much faster than the ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ across the street! They both serve made-to-order dishes, but some shops like to put on a show…”

She wasn’t satisfied with the dining experience at “Qiaozi Snack Store.”

Song Qing nodded in agreement.

The girl continued, “If ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ takes a long time to serve and the taste is not as good, while this teppanyaki stall has fast service and good taste… I’ll make a strong comparison between the two in the new video!”

Song Qing playfully tapped the girl’s head, “For ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ to become so popular in a short period, there must be more to it. The owner of the teppanyaki stall is probably just an ordinary businessperson. If you make such a comparison in the video, aren’t you afraid of ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ sending fake online reviews? What if they retaliate, it might even affect the business of the teppanyaki stall owner…”

The girl pouted, still a bit reluctant.

“Let’s wait and see,” Song Qing said, “We haven’t tasted the dishes from both places yet.”

The queue for the teppanyaki dishes moved very quickly. In no time, Song Qing and the girl in charge of the operation reached the middle front of the line and were about to see the stall owner.

The girl in charge of the operation stretched her neck as the line moved forward, “When I was taking shots of the queue earlier, I didn’t pay attention. I wonder what this teppanyaki stall sells and if they have any popular items…”

Before she could finish speaking, she kicked something soft and fleshy with her foot.

What is this thing?

Before the girl in charge of the operation could bend down, she heard a tender and childish “Ah.”

A toddler dressed in a white down jacket with a matching hat and a white scarf around his neck had been gently kicked to the ground by her foot.

The girl in charge of the operation: !!!

She immediately crouched down, wanting to help the toddler up, “Are you okay?”

Before the girl in charge of the operation could reach out to the toddler, he used his short and chubby little hands to push himself up from the ground and stood up.

Like a round and chubby little dumpling, the toddler waved his small hands to shake off any dirt that had stuck to his down jacket. After confirming that he was clean, he raised his head.

“I’m okay!” Xing Xing, furrowed his round, grape-like big eyes, showing a serious expression. “Miss, you should remember to look down when walking! Otherwise, it won’t be good if you kick someone else next time!”

The girl in charge of the operation chuckled, “Okay, okay, I will. I’ll be sure to watch the ground from now on!”

This was the first time in her life that she had been taught by a toddler.

Although the toddler in front of her was earnestly furrowing his brows and pouting to convey a serious message, his chubby cheeks looked so adorable! She really wanted to pinch them!

Xing Xing furrowed his eyebrows even tighter, “Really?”

Even though he was pointing out her mistake, why did this girl keep smiling at him?

The girl in charge of the operation said repeatedly, “Really, really, really!”

If only she could pinch the toddler’s chubby cheeks, she would remember even more firmly!

However… the girl in charge of the operation knew that if she expressed her thoughts out loud, the toddler in front of her might think she was weird and call the police to arrest her!

“Okay then!” Xing Xing said, “Don’t do it again!”

As Xing Xing was about to continue speaking, Song Qing, who was behind the girl in charge of the operation, leaned forward.

Standing in the back row, Song Qing heard some commotion near the girl in charge of the operation.

When Song Qing saw Xing Xing, her face revealed surprise.

Why was this toddler here?!

Song Qing immediately recognized Xing Xing. During the New Year’s holiday, she had encountered this toddler at the picnic lawn in the park while playing with her friends.

The toddlers all looked quite similar, with their round eyes, chubby cheeks, and three-head-tall stature.

However, Song Qing could instantly recognize Xing Xing, mainly because he always wore a white down jacket, and he was the cutest toddler she had ever seen.

Xing Xing had rosy lips, chubby cheeks like a little balloon, long eyelashes, and big eyes… among the toddlers, Xing Xing was the most eye-catching one!

Song Qing could easily imagine that when Xing Xing grew up, he would become a handsome and charming young man who could captivate countless girls.

Song Qing looked around, but she didn’t see Yu Bai in the queue behind her.

Song Qing frowned, “Little friend, where is your dad?”

Yu Bai, who had a handsome appearance similar to his son Xing Xing, was also an outstanding presence among ordinary people.

She hadn’t noticed the few people in front of the queue at the teppanyaki stall; they didn’t look like Xing Xing’s dad.

Could it be that this toddler and his dad got separated?!

“Daddy?”

Xing Xing tilted his little head and looked at Song Qing.

Oh! He remembered! This person was the beautiful sister he met at the picnic lawn in the park the day before yesterday!

Xing Xing had a superb memory!

Although the beautiful sister hadn’t spoken to him at the time, Xing Xing noticed that she had been staring at him while he was eating meat.

A little shy, he had even become more gentle while eating meat!

Remembering this, Xing Xing’s face turned slightly red.

He tilted his little head back and extended his small hand, pointing in the direction of the teppanyaki stall, “Daddy is over there at the stall!”

Earlier, when Yu Bai was running the stall in front, he was worried that Xing Xing would be bored alone by the snack cart. So, he gave Xing Xing some money and asked him to go to the neighboring sugar-coated fruit stall while he picked two skewers of small sugar-coated fruits to eat.

The sugar-coated fruit stall was close to Yu Bai’s teppanyaki stall, and Xing Xing would be safe running back and forth.

Today, business at the sugar-coated fruit stall was quite slow for Yu Dong, so he looked after Xing Xing for Yu Bai to pass the time.

Xing Xing ate two skewers of sugar-coated fruits at Yu Dong’s stall, and Yu Dong even secretly gave him an extra one.

Finishing three small sugar-coated fruits in one breath, while Yu Bai was not paying attention, Xing Xing’s tummy was happily filled.

As he walked back to the teppanyaki stall with his little belly, he accidentally got kicked in the butt by the girl in charge of the operation, causing him to fall flat on the ground.

Fortunately, the girl’s kick was not too strong, and Xing Xing was not hurt. Plus, he had the chance to meet the beautiful sister!

“Stall?” Hearing Xing Xing’s words, Song Qing raised her eyebrows in surprise and followed the direction he pointed.

There it was, the teppanyaki stall!

teppanyaki… barbecue… no wonder, no wonder!

Song Qing suddenly realized.

No wonder, when she was queuing at the entrance of “Qiaozi Snack Store,” she felt a familiar aroma from the teppanyaki stall.

The aroma of the barbecue she smelled at the picnic lawn in the park that day was quite similar to the aroma coming from this teppanyaki stall.

Barbecue and teppanyaki cooking were different ways of making snacks, but both types of food had the aroma of grilling.

The sauce that Yu Bai used for the barbecue was a modified version of the secret teppanyaki sauce he used for his teppanyaki stall. That’s why Song Qing could detect the differences and similarities in the aroma.

Song Qing still remembered the crispy skin, juicy meat, and astonishingly delicious taste of the grilled chicken wings she had tried from Yu Bai two days ago…

At that moment, Song Qing was still thinking that with Yu Bai’s exceptional barbecue cooking skills, he could definitely make a fortune and become famous all over China if he were to open a barbecue shop.

The queue for the teppanyaki stall kept moving forward, and as the crowd of people waiting to buy teppanyaki gradually dispersed, Yu Bai’s figure came into view for Song Qing.

Yu Bai was dressed in a slightly casual black coat with a hoodie, wearing a transparent face mask, and he was seriously focused on the ingredients on the iron plate.

With his long and beautiful hands firmly holding the spatula, he skillfully flipped the ingredients from time to time, making it look like he had been doing teppanyaki for more than ten years.

Song Qing’s eyes sparkled even more.

It really was him!!!

The girl in charge of the operation turned her head to look at Song Qing and saw her widening her eyes, gazing at the light brown eyes of the teppanyaki stall owner, reflecting a dazzling radiance.

Ah, it was so bright.

The girl in charge of the operation: “…”

Could it be that Song Qing was really attracted to this teppanyaki stall owner?!

Song Qing, who had gained some fame online, had already achieved financial independence and financial freedom. The money she earned now was enough to live comfortably for the rest of her life if she didn’t splurge on luxury items.

Therefore, being single for many years and having the financial means, the beautiful and young Song Qing had very strict criteria when selecting her future partner.

He had to be handsome, have a good character, be able to cook, and have the personality of a cute little puppy…

The girl in charge of the operation was taken aback.

Song Qing’s requirements seemed to match almost all aspects of the teppanyaki stall owner.

“Song Qing, you can’t seriously be attracted to this teppanyaki stall owner, right?” the girl in charge of the operation urgently whispered.

Although the teppanyaki stall owner was young and handsome and had a gentle demeanor when dealing with customers, he had such a big son and earned only a modest income from running a snack stall… To be honest, he didn’t seem to match Song Qing, who excelled in every aspect!

Encountering such a person, it would be better for Song Qing to be cautious!

Song Qing glanced at the girl in charge of the operation and snorted, “I’m not interested in him.”

The girl in charge of the operation breathed a sigh of relief.

Then Song Qing added, “I’m admiring him!”

This teppanyaki stall owner had made the most delicious barbecue she had ever had in J City after so many years. So she thought his teppanyaki must be pretty good as well!

Song Qing’s gaze shifted to the iron plate.

She had already started thinking in advance.

When it was her turn to buy teppanyaki, what should she choose to eat?

The girl in charge of the operation felt her anxiety rise again.

Did Song Qing really admire a snack stall owner? Did she hear it wrong? What kind of magic potion did this snack stall owner give to Song Qing?!

In a state of confusion, the girl in charge of the operation followed Song Qing and finished ordering the teppanyaki.

She couldn’t understand why a snack stall owner, who was only slightly good-looking, knew how to cook, and had a seemingly decent personality, could become the person Song Qing admired.

With a confused mind, the girl in charge of the operation mechanically stuffed a freshly cooked teppanyaki rice cake into her mouth.

“It’s so hot!”

Furrowing her eyebrows tightly, the next second, the savory and chewy teppanyaki rice cake with a hint of spiciness filled her mouth.

Before the girl in charge of the operation could make a judgment about the rice cake, Song Qing urged her, “Hurry up and try the teppanyaki tofu!”

“The grilled cold noodles are also really good!”

“The pork tenderloin is incredibly flavorful!”

“The mushrooms taste like meat…”

One after another, the girl in charge of the operation continued to taste the dishes.

Even though she tasted the mushrooms that she usually disliked the most, the girl in charge of the operation still enjoyed it very much.

Flattened by the spatula, the mushroom had a meat-like, thick, and smooth texture when eaten.

The high heat evaporated most of the moisture inside the mushroom, taking away the unique mushroom flavor that the girl in charge of the operation disliked the most.

The sauce permeated the plump mushroom flesh, suppressing the last trace of mushroom taste.

A thin layer of dry seasoning highlighted the grilled mushroom aroma.

This was the most delicious mushroom she had ever eaten in her life!

Song Qing asked, “How do you find the taste of this teppanyaki?”

The girl in charge of the operation, with her cheeks puffed from eating, raised her thumbs up and swallowed the teppanyaki in her mouth, her eyes sparkling.

“From now on, the owner of this teppanyaki stall is the person I admire the most!”

The stall owner who could make mushrooms taste like barbecue was the most amazing person she had ever encountered!

“After waiting for so long, I finally got my meal!” When Song Qing and the girl in charge of the operation finished eating the teppanyaki, the guy in charge of the post-production arrived with a large bag of snacks from “Qiaozi Snack Store” and hurriedly ran up to them. “How did your purchases go?”

Song Qing and the girl in charge of the operation looked at the empty teppanyaki boxes in their hands.

“Burp.” The girl in charge of the operation burped. “We bought… and ate everything!”

The guy asked, “How about the footage?”

The girl in charge of the operation and Song Qing looked at each other, sensing the fear in each other’s eyes.

Their pupils trembled!

Oh no! They were so busy eating the teppanyaki that they forgot to film the footage!

“What should we do now?” the girl in charge of the operation said anxiously, “Should we buy again and film again?”

Song Qing replied, “That’s a good idea, let’s get back in line…”

“Wait, you’re going to buy teppanyaki again?” the guy in charge of post-production said, “I still have a big bag of snacks from ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’ here! They’re still hot…”

The girl in charge of the operation said, “Take them back and eat them.”

The guy said, “The snacks won’t taste good if they get cold. And if you two eat two portions of teppanyaki, how can you possibly eat so much from ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’? It would be a waste!”

Song Qing smiled faintly and patted the guy on the shoulder.

“We still have you, don’t we?”

The guy:?

Song Qing pointed to herself and the girl in charge of the operation. “We’ll finish the second portion of teppanyaki. As for the snacks from ‘Qiaozi Snack Store’… I’ll try one too.”

Song Qing raised her chin toward the guy and said, “You can have the rest!”

Then, the guy looked on in bewilderment as he saw Song Qing and the girl in charge of the operation happily joining the back of the queue at the teppanyaki stall.

He couldn’t help but wonder.

Their food exploration team had tried countless delicacies, and very few restaurants made them willing to become repeat customers, especially considering their increasingly picky taste buds.

Could it be… that this little-known teppanyaki stall was something special?

Smelling the tantalizing aroma of the teppanyaki mingling in the air, even the guy, who rarely ate at street stalls, felt tempted.

He wanted to taste it too.

 

Author’s Note:

Xing Xing【】: Everyone should watch their step when walking ●ｖ●