Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Is Chapter 82 painful?

Xiao Hong nodded and said, "Okay, that one's filling and still warm. Let's go, is it far?"

Chen Xiao led a few people eastward, saying, "This way, it'll be a while. It's at the intersection at the other end of Zhongjie Street, outside the Dadong Market."

The group walked along the road, turned right at the east entrance of Zhongjie Street, and saw domed canopies on both sides of the road, one huge canopy after another, leading to the Dadong Market, which was completely open inside.

After turning the corner and walking a few dozen meters, Chen Xiao pointed ahead and said, "That's the place, they cook everything in one pot over an earthen stove."

As everyone watched the passing vehicles cross the road and enter the restaurant, they found that there were indeed no tables inside, only rows of earthen stoves. Two groups of people were already eating there, and the room was filled with the aroma of stew and liquor.

We ordered a green bean and pork bone hot pot. The owner brought us hot water, and we sat down to drink the hot water and rest our legs while waiting for the food to be served. Xiao Wei said to the owner, "Boss, could you put an eggplant in here, and two green peppers too, something fresh?"

The boss laughed and said, "It's alright, but it's nothing valuable. How can it taste good? It'll just be a hodgepodge."

Xiao Wei said, "Just make a stew, as long as it tastes good. Just put it down."

The owner nodded and said, "Okay, I'll put it on for you. If it doesn't taste good, that's not my problem."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, it's none of your business, you can put it away." The boss then went to the back kitchen to get busy. The boss was the only one in the shop, and he did all the work in the front and back without hiring anyone.

Soon the boss had prepared the ingredients and came out carrying a large iron pot. He walked over to Xiaowei and the others and said, "Can you do me a favor and take that pot down from the earthen stove?" Xiaowei stood up and reached out to take the iron pot off the stove. The boss sat the pot, which was full of things, on it, clapped his hands, took the pot from Xiaowei, and said, "Light the fire and let it simmer. Don't lift the lid, or it won't taste good if the steam escapes. I'll lift it after I make the steamed buns."

Xia Maosheng bent down and lit the fire with a lighter. Although it was called an earthen stove, it didn't actually burn firewood; it used gas instead.

The boss glanced down at the fire, adjusted the heat, and said, "Just let it simmer like this, it'll be ready in a bit, hurry. I'm going to get the noodles. Don't lift the lid, and if you run out of hot water, go get some yourself; there's some in the thermos over there."

The people at the next table called for their bill, and the owner walked over carrying an iron pot: "85, do you have any change? I don't have any change, I haven't made a single sale today." The people at that table chipped in, and it came to 83. The owner took the money without saying anything, put it in his pocket, and said, "Are you done eating? Come again." The people at that table agreed and left. The owner put the empty pot on the ground, took the pot from the table that had finished eating, put the empty pot back on, and carried the leftover pot into the kitchen.

Xiao Hong whispered, "85? Why is that so expensive?"

Xia Maosheng pointed to a row of beer bottles next to the earthen stove and said, "They drink those beers, two yuan a bottle."

Chen Xiao said, "It's three yuan here. Beer is three yuan a bottle all around Zhongjie Street, and it's also three yuan over Taiyuan Street. I guess you guys haven't been to any restaurants over there."

Xiao Wei said, "I've been there, it costs two yuan."

Chen Xiao shook his head and said, "I don't know, anyway, the few places I've been to all charge three yuan."

Chen Hui said, "Who cares how much it costs? We're not drinking. Old Xia, are you drinking? Xiao Wei, are you drinking? What about Old Yang? Nobody's drinking? Fine, I won't drink either."

Chen Xiao glared at him and asked, "Didn't you say you didn't care how much it cost, you weren't going to drink it?"

Chen Hui paused for a moment, then said, "Did I say that? Oh, okay, I won't drink, I won't drink. I was just too tired to explain clearly. Why are you being so serious?"

As they were talking, the pot on the stove boiled, steaming hot. Xiao Hong leaned over, took a sniff, and said, "It smells so good! Why can't we make this at home?"

Xia Maosheng said, "Yes, it's possible. Once Xiaowei learns, he'll be able to do it. The seasoning and ingredients are different when a chef cooks than when they cook at home. At home, they usually use less seasoning and less oil."

After simmering for about ten minutes, the owner came out carrying a pot and said, "Make way, I'm making you some steamed buns." Xiao Wei and Xia Maosheng stood up. The owner placed the pot on the stove, lifted the lid, and a plume of white smoke carrying a rich aroma rose into the air, causing everyone to involuntarily sniff. The owner put the lid aside, kneading dough with his hands as he smiled and said, "Smells good, doesn't it? You'll want to come back for more of our stuff. It's great value, all the ingredients are genuine, and the pigs are all raised by us."

Yang Tiebin said, "Keep bragging. How many bones do you sell in a day? How many pigs do you slaughter? Do you own a pig farm?"

The boss pressed the dough of cornmeal and wheat flour he had just kneaded onto the edge of the iron pot, saying, "You know what, my family really does run a pig farm, right behind Laolongkou. My pigs, raised on fermented grains, can drink more than you, believe it or not?"

Everyone laughed; the boss was quite funny.

The boss, used to doing things this way, quickly finished sticking the buns together, put the lid back on, adjusted the heat, and said, "Keep an eye on the clock, they'll be ready in five minutes. Would you like some wine? I'll go get it."

Yang Tiebin touched his nose and said, "Forget it, I don't dare drink at your house. Even your pig can drink more than us. What's the point of losing face?" Hahaha, everyone laughed again.

The owner said, "You'll know once you try a few bites. The meat from pigs fed with fermented grains tastes really different from pigs fed with regular feed. About half of the restaurants in this market use my pigs, so we have more repeat customers than other places."

Xia Maosheng said, "Boss, you make so much money raising pigs, why are you doing this kind of hard work?"

The boss rubbed his hands and said, "At the beginning, there were few pigs and few pigs were raised, so I set up this shop. Later, I got used to it. Anyway, I'm the only one in charge. My son manages the pig farm. The young couple does that, and my wife helps out by cooking takeout."

Xiao Wei asked, "Where do you get all that distiller's grains to feed your plants? You even own a distillery?"

Chen Hui pointed to the east and said, "That's the old Longkou distillery. They had a lot of lees that year. I guess they had some connections to get it leased out."

The boss nodded and said, "Yes, I work at the distillery. I've been supplying them with the lees for ten years. I don't have to pay them. I just supply them with pig feed. They'll deliver it to the canteen. We're all old acquaintances, so there's no need for formalities."

Xiao Hong looked at her watch and said, "It's been seven minutes, can we eat it now?"

The boss nodded and said, "Yes, yes, eat up." He reached out and lifted the pot lid, and another plume of white smoke rose to the ceiling. This time, the smell was different from before; there was indeed a hint of wine in it, mixed with the aroma of steamed buns, making one's mouth water.

Xiao Wei reached in, lifted a bun, blew on it, and handed it to Xiao Hong. He then took one for himself, nudged Chen Hui with his elbow, and said, "Come on, grab one and eat!"

Chen Hui immediately realized what was happening. Ignoring the heat, he reached out and peeled one off, blew on it a few times between his hands, and handed it to Chen Xiao, saying, "Here, eat." Chen Xiao pouted, but still reached out and took it, taking a bite.

Everyone started eating in a daze, while the boss went to sit to the side, lit a cigarette, and just sat there in a daze.

The boss wasn't lying; the meat really did taste good, with a noticeable difference in texture compared to regular pork. While eating, Xiao Wei said, "It's really delicious. Why don't we buy some of this pork to take home?"

Amidst her busy schedule, Xiao Hong looked up and asked, "Where should I put it? It's not even cold yet, it'll spoil in a few days."

Xiao Wei took a bite of the steamed bun, thought for a moment, and said, "How about we buy a refrigerator?"

Xiao Hong kicked Xiao Wei's leg hard and said, "Aren't you feeling uncomfortable if you don't spend money for two days? Aren't you?"