Chapter 69: Young Man, We’re Here to Help Push the Mill
The girls were pleasantly surprised.
Amid their excitement, Xia Xiaoyue suddenly thought of something and asked Li You, "Boss, what are you making tofu for?"
Li You said, "I’m planning to introduce a new dish: mapo tofu."
"Mapo tofu?" All the girls’ eyes lit up again.
Xia Xiaoyue said, "I’ve heard that really good mapo tofu is delicious and super satisfying. But the mapo tofu I’ve had before was just average. It probably wasn’t made well."
Yu Wei added, "The mapo tofu I’ve had was average, too. It probably wasn’t made well, either. To be honest, I’ve always wanted to try that well-made kind of mapo tofu to see if it’s really as good as they say."
Besides the two of them, several other girls said the same thing.
Li You smiled. "Mapo tofu is indeed delicious. And it’s very satisfying to eat."
Xia Xiaoyue asked again, "So, Boss, after you make the tofu today, are you going to serve mapo tofu right away? Can we get it today?"
Li You said, "That depends on the quality of the tofu. If the quality is good, you’ll be able to have it today."
"That’s great!" The girls were overjoyed once more.
They believed that Li You’s mapo tofu would definitely be the incredibly delicious kind.
This meant that today, they would finally get to eat truly delicious mapo tofu.
’This is awesome!’
Of course, that was all on the condition that the tofu Li You made was good quality.
’We really, really hope the boss’s tofu turns out well!’
Xia Xiaoyue asked again, "So, Boss, when do you start grinding the beans? Can you start now?"
Li You chuckled. "It’s still too early. I’m still waiting for the soybeans to soak. I won’t start until around three in the afternoon."
"Oh, I see! That’s fine. Three in the afternoon isn’t too late," the girls all said.
Worst case, they’d just head back to school a little later today.
It was no big deal.
"Huh? Boss, do you have twice-cooked pork now?" another girl asked.
Hearing this, the other girls looked at the "Today’s Menu" board.
Sure enough, the dish "twice-cooked pork with green peppers" had been added.
It was just a shame they weren’t huge fans of twice-cooked pork.
For one, they found it fatty, and for another, they were worried about gaining weight.
Still, the boss’s twice-cooked pork was worth a try.
That was what all the girls were thinking.
Li You nodded. "I just added it yesterday."
’Right, I should add the twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts, too.’
’As for the price, I’ll make it the same as the one with green peppers, 28 yuan.’
After he added it, he heard Lin Guodong call from inside the shop, "Young man, time to collect the money."
"Coming."
Li You answered and walked into the shop.
Several people were paying with cash.
Li You said, "Uncle Guodong, eight yuan each will be enough."
"Eight yuan?" The men were all surprised.
Lin Guodong said, "Young man, a large bowl of beef noodles is 14 yuan."
Li You smiled. "I’m giving you all a discount."
"A discount?" Lin Guodong said. "Is it because we helped you wash the stone mill? That was nothing. It was no trouble at all. Young man, no need for a discount. We’ll pay the proper price."
Li You said, "It’s not just because of the mill. Anyway, please, don’t be so formal. Eight yuan is enough. Really."
At Li You’s insistence, Lin Guodong and the others ended up paying only eight yuan each.
"Well, thank you then, young man," they all said.
Li You said, "Sirs, if you’re any more polite, you’ll be treating me like a stranger."
Lin Guodong laughed heartily and said, "Alright, alright, we won’t be."
Then he looked at the group of girls outside and added, "I never realized you had so many pretty young ladies as customers. Where are all these girls from?"
Li You smiled. "They’re all students from the Xingshui Academy of Fine Arts."
"Students from Xingshui City come all the way out here to eat? Young man, your restaurant’s business is going to be incredible!" Lin Guodong said.
Li You replied, "I hope you’re right, Uncle Guodong."
"It’s a sure thing. Well, young man, we’ll be heading off now."
"Take care, sirs."
Lin Guodong and his friends walked out the door, exchanged greetings with Zhao Yanglin, He Xianfei, and Qu Feng, then took their leave.
「It was now 11:00 AM.」
Xia Xiaoyue, Yu Wei, and the other girls started ordering their lunch.
Some ordered Yangchun Noodles, some ordered beef noodles, and others ordered shredded potato stir-fry.
Then, they also ordered two servings of twice-cooked pork with green peppers to share.
They just wanted to have a taste and see what Li You’s twice-cooked pork was like.
After noting down all the girls’ orders, Li You went into the kitchen and started cooking.
After a flurry of activity, the dishes came out of the kitchen one by one.
He served them to the girls.
He also brought out a large bowl of rice for them to serve themselves.
The girls’ eyes were all immediately drawn to the two servings of twice-cooked pork.
It looked absolutely delicious and smelled incredibly fragrant.
Everyone eagerly picked up a piece of pork and put it in their mouth.
Instantly, their mouths were filled with an explosion of savory flavor.
’This is so fragrant and delicious!’
Originally, the girls had only wanted to have a taste to see what it was like.
But now, after finishing one piece, they were desperate for a second.
So, they kept eating.
Just like that, the two servings of twice-cooked pork were devoured in an instant.
After a brief discussion, the girls decided to order three more servings.
This time, they’d get the twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts.
Even if it meant gaining weight, they couldn’t be bothered to care anymore.
They would eat first and worry later.
They, who hadn’t been particularly fond of twice-cooked pork before, now felt it was one of the most delicious dishes in existence.
Li You smiled and said it was no problem.
He went back into the kitchen, stir-fried three more servings of twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts, and brought them to the girls.
The moment the girls took a bite, they discovered that the version with garlic sprouts was even more fragrant and delicious.
Now they were even happier.
After finishing it all, they finally felt completely satisfied.
They scanned the code to pay.
Afterward, Ye Shengge, Zhao Yanglin, He Xianfei, and Qu Feng also ordered their lunch.
They all ordered the twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts.
While cooking for them, Li You also made a serving for himself.
He was having twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts for lunch today, too.
The twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts really was more fragrant and tastier than the version with green peppers.
He ended up eating a full four bowls of rice.
「...」
With lunch over, the next thing to do was wait for the soybeans to finish soaking so he could start grinding them.
Xia Xiaoyue, Yu Wei, and the other girls gathered around the large aluminum basin where the soybeans were soaking.
By now, the soybeans had swelled up a lot compared to when they started.
"Boss, is it better to soak the soybeans for a longer time?" a girl asked.
Li You shook his head. "No. A moderate amount of time is best. Generally, six to eight hours is ideal. It depends on factors like the quality of the soybeans, the temperature, and the water quality. For these beans, I estimate they’ll reach the optimal state for soaking around three this afternoon."
The girls all nodded and began wishing for time to pass more quickly.
「Slowly, the time crawled to 2:30 PM.」
Just then, Lin Guodong and the five other Taoshan Village residents who had eaten noodles there that morning returned.
Lin Guodong laughed and said, "Young man, you must be getting ready to grind the beans, right? We’ve come to help you push the mill."
Li You quickly replied, "Uncle Guodong, and all of you sirs, how could I possibly let you help with that!"
Lin Guodong said, "What’s the big deal? We’ve got nothing to do sitting around the village. It’s better to come here where there’s some life."
Li You repeatedly expressed his welcome and gratitude.
...