Chương 8: Chapter 8
Chi Jiajia was scanning the QR code to pay the bill when suddenly a large jar of red chilli sauce next to her attracted her attention.
"What's this hot chilli sauce? Do you make it yourself, boss? The aroma is so unique and stimulating!"
The chilli sauce was very clear, without any black scum that could be spotted inside it, and the colour was so enticing. The spicy smell was neither too strong nor too weak, but Chi Jiajia could feel her forehead sweating and her cheeks getting hotter after just one breath.
Good stuff!
Before Liu Yan could answer, Baobao came over and spoke in solemn expression, "Auntie made it. Baobao saw it with her own eyes, and it also made Baobao sneeze again and again!"
Her little nose twitched as if recalling the irritating scent of boiling chilli sauce
Spicy smells were more likely to irritate the nasal cavity when they were hot, and children's nasal mucosa was far more sensitive than that of adults. Liu Yan had already warned the little girl to stay away, but she didn't listen. She learned to behave only after sneezing a few times without stopping.
"I mixed four kinds of chillies to make them taste richer."
A chilli sauce made from four kinds of chilli peppers sounded very powerful.
All the diners had a stern expression on their faces as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
The noodles didn't need to be cooked for too long. Liu Yan poured a spoonful of red-brown oily broth into the bowl and added a large slice of roasted pork to it.
"If you feel that the portion is too small, feel free to ask for more."
The roasted pork was completely soaked in the broth, and the dark reddish-brown colour permeated every fibre of it.
Slowly simmering for a long time softened the meat to a frightening degree, so soft that it shook when it was spread, like a crystal agar.
Baobao was addicted to her aunt's cooking, and her small mouth couldn't wait to taste everything.
Today, she was using chopsticks for children that she had just bought from Aunt Zhao's supermarket.
Because the chopsticks fitted her hand perfectly, her movements weren't so clumsy anymore. But, the noodles were slightly slippery, so she still ended up in a mess with the soup smearing the edge of her mouth.
After a while, half of her face was stained with sauce, reminding Liu Yan of a kitten's face after drinking a bowl of milk.
After preparing a bowl of noodles for herself, Liu Yan sat down beside Baobao and wiped the little cub's face with a wet tissue.
Baobao obediently raised her head for her auntie to wipe it for her. Then she took a new tissue, stretched out her little hand to Liu Yan's face, and eagerly offered, "I'll wipe for auntie too."
But her hand was a bit short, so she waved wildly and ended up slapping her auntie's face.
Liu Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
She took the tissue from Baobao's hand, causing the other party to pout her lips in discontent.
"Go eat. Auntie can do it herself."
It was almost poking her in the nostril.
With a hmph, Baobao bit a piece of pig's ear viciously, as if venting her displeasure, but her expression quickly changed into one full of contentment.
After a while, her expression suddenly became sad again.
"What's wrong?" Liu Yan asked curiously.
"Is this the pig who is not a picky eater?" Baobao blinked and asked worriedly. "But Baobao is not a picky eater either. Would she be caught and eaten?"
Liu Yan: "..."
It seemed that she needed to be more careful when she told another story to Baobao in the future.
Aunt Zhao recently kept talking about being in shape, so Liu Yan served half portions of every dish so that she could still relish it without worrying too much about gaining weight.
[Satisfaction value +2]
The sudden notification surprised Liu Yan, and she couldn't help but ask in her mind.
"What happened this time?"
[The satisfaction value comes from a middle-aged female customer's affirmation of the host's sensibility]
Liu Yan: "…."
This works too?
Chi Jiajia gawked at Aunt Zhao enviously, thinking that next time she would definitely bring someone to split the meal with her so she could taste more dishes.
She focused her attention back on the mouthwatering dishes in front of her.
One of the biggest advantages of hand-pulled noodles compared with the finished dry noodles sold on the market was that their surface was more porous, so they could absorb the flavour in the soup better and they were less brittle.
Chi Jiajia took a sip of the soup first.
The broth's rich flavour instantly spread in her mouth, giving her an indescribable feeling of satisfaction.
The slightly hot soup then slid from the mouth all the way through the throat, immediately warming up her body and soothing her fatigue from dealing with the project all day long.
She never knew that sipping noodle soup could be so blissful.
Once the satisfying feeling gradually receded, she picked up the roasted pork meat with the chopsticks and took a small bite.
Chew—
A burst of flavour exploded in her mouth almost immediately.
The lean meat was soft and tender, and the fat melted with little to no effort.
There was no greasy feeling at all.
Perfect!
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and carefully poured a little balsamic vinegar and a spoonful of red chilli sauce into it.
In fact, she couldn't eat spicy food very well, but she couldn't do without it.
The true way of eating was sour and spicy!
The surface of the noodles was covered with soup. Its reddish-brown colour shone in the sunset as if whispering words of irresistible temptation.
Eat me… Eat me…
Of course, Jiajia wasn't a person that shied away from her desire. So, she quickly put the noodle in her mouth and slurped it in one go!
Slurp—
Ah…
That's carb satisfaction!
At another table, the group of high school students were also drowning in pleasure.
"Boss, is there an iced drink tonight?" Ji Peng asked while sweating profusely after eating.
The unknown companion raised his head and asked, "Don't you like to drink some soft drinks?"
Ji Peng said sternly, "You don't understand."
He had been thinking about the cup of lemon ice tea he drank last night all day and even made an exception to buy a cup at the supermarket near the school, but it didn't have the same taste!
Liu Yan went to help them adjust the direction of the air conditioner and, while at it, harvested a lot of light blue emotional fruits.
Sure enough, the younger crowd was more emotionally open.
Well, it seemed to have a taste of sea salt, a little sweet and a little salty, very refreshing, like the breeze in the early morning of autumn, just like a youth full of vitality.
There were more people today, so Liu Yan cut two light blue fruits.
When she took a bite, it really tasted like sea salt soda.
It was very pure as if you could feel the sea breeze gently brushing your face when you closed your eyes.
But the taste was a little bit thin.
So, after pondering for a while, she grabbed another lemon from the freezer and cut it into slices, then combined it with the blue fruit into a sea-salt lemonade.
Perfect.
The light that seeped through the transparent glass diffused into a light blue colour, and the cool air on the outer wall added a layer of hazy light, giving the thin lemon slices inside a poetic feeling.
Chi Jiajia fell in love at first sight. "Boss, I want this too! how much?"
Liu Yan poured her a cup. "For the first three days of the trial operation, the drinks are on me."
Chi Jiajia gave her a thumbs up. "The boss is the best!"
Just imagine gulping down a glassful of sea salt soda with a rich taste after a whole tiring workday. What was more satisfying than this?
With this level of craftsmanship, you can make a lot of money by opening a drink shop alone!
"Ah… almost forgot to take a picture!" Chi Jiajia said regretfully.
Fortunately, it was not too late.
She tried her best to reconstruct the roast pork noodles she had just eaten, then adjusted the angle of the sea salt soda she had just gotten, quickly pressed the shutter, slightly edited the photo, and uploaded it to her foodie circle with a caption: "Discover a treasure trove!"
As Liu Yan subconsciously observed the reactions of the diners, she unexpectedly discovered that after Chi Jiajia drank a glass of "sea salt lemonade", a golden stream of light entered her body inexplicably!
Golden light? Was it a fluctuating emotion?
But, wasn't it usually just a layer of flavour? Why was there suddenly a colour?!
She recounted her experience over the past twenty years and confirmed that this situation had never occurred before. But when she looked over again, the golden light was already gone.
Was it an illusion?
[Congratulations to the host for triggering the rare BUFF.]
"What?" Liu Yan was silent for a moment.
The system went silent as well, and after a long time, it asked again.
[Has the host ever played the game?]
Liu Yan answered decisively, "No."
The sound just disappeared without giving Liu Yan an explanation.
Liu Yan could only smile wryly in exasperation.
.
.
.
On the way back, Chi Jiajia inadvertently swept across the magazines displayed in the window of the store on the street, and a light bulb suddenly lit up in her mind.
Damn, she finally realized why the boss looked so familiar!
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