Chapter 8: The Competition of Stir-Fried Noodles

  PS: Thanks for the reward from 'Golden Piggy' brother, Little Golden Pig, you dare to break my seal, I remember you:)

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  "I'm sorry, Mr. Cao, I'm too lazy, how can I be diligent?"

  Zhou Yi refused the opportunity that many people had been eager to get, but still politely gave his phone number to Cao Lang: "Mr. Cao, next time you come to Chu Du, please contact me and let me show my hospitality as a host."

  Before Cao Lang could speak, Zhou Yi said: "We've also finished eating and need to catch a movie, so we won't keep you company any longer..." He called the waiter over to pay the bill, then pulled Zhu Xiaohua, who was still reluctant to leave, out of the restaurant, leaving Cao Lao alone, sitting there in a daze.

  A majestic top-notch chef, a culinary world's Mount Tai and North Dipper-like Cao Yidao, easily opens his mouth to take on an apprentice, but unexpectedly gets directly rejected? Cao Lang's face suddenly turns red and white, and after a long while, he regains his composure: "You little brat, you don't give this old man any face? Fine, I'll get back at you, you just wait..."

  ***

  As soon as they left their usual place, Zhu Xiaohua stared at Zhou Yi up and down without stopping, with a look that seemed to be plotting something.

  "What are you looking at? There's no flower on my face, go look at the 'flower' in your own home..."

  Zhou Yi glared at him with a bad temper, knowing that after today's incident, Fatso would have something to talk about again. In the future, when he saw his brothers, who knows how he would be talking about today's events with a big mouth?

  "I find it strange, Old Three, what medicine have you taken? After eating two pieces of meat, you can say so many reasonable things? Even Cao Yidao, a big shot in the food industry, wants to take you as his apprentice?"

  "Besides, you even refused? Younger brother, if Second Sister were to find out..."

  The second sister in his mouth is naturally Zhou Yi's second sister, Zhou Jingjing, who ran to France to cheat foreigners, the only pseudo-master chef in Lao Zhou's family who inherited the ancestral business.

  Zhou Jingjing was indeed infatuated with culinary arts, but her talent was limited. After struggling for two years in cooking school, she barely managed to get a second-class chef's certificate. Several times, she tried to apprentice under famous chefs, but they took one look at the dishes she cooked and directly rejected her, not even bothering to give any feedback. Her skills were not enough to make it in the domestic market, so in the end, she could only go abroad to fool around with foreigners who didn't know any better.

  If she knew that Zhou Yi had refused Cao Yidao, it would be strange if she didn't go crazy on the spot. She would definitely buy a ticket and fly back immediately, forcing Zhou Yi to kowtow and become his apprentice, and also take the opportunity to bask in some of the glory for herself.

  "Don't spout nonsense, if you dare to tell my second sister about this... hmm, if I remember correctly, someone said they went on a business trip last month, but actually went to a resort hotel on the southern island..."

  Zhu Xiaohua shivered: "Old Three, what I said just now was all nonsense. Yeah, I'm really drunk, I need to go back and rest, you can watch the movie by yourself, I won't accompany you."

  "Drunk? Are you okay to walk alone, or do you want me to send you back?" Zhou Yi chuckled.

  "No need, no need, we're all warriors who have been tested by alcohol, what's the big deal?" Zhu Xiaohua straightened his waist, indicating that his brother was fine and there was no problem, then hailed a taxi and left with a screech.

  After Zhu Xiaohua left, Zhou Yi didn't rush to intercept the rent. After dinner, he took a hundred steps and could live to be ninety-nine years old. Tonight wasn't too hot, with a cool breeze and moonlight like water, he had the idea of taking a stroll.

  Movies are naturally not going to be watched, for a lazy guy like Zhou Yi, making some snacks at home, brewing good tea and connecting the projector to watch movies is more comfortable. What's uncomfortable about movie theaters? These days there are all sorts of people, inside they're smoking, spitting watermelon seeds, kicking their feet, and performing live 18+ shows everywhere, it's infuriating just looking at them.

  The old restaurant was not far from Zhou Yi's residential area, going north across the street and turning around a corner, it was the famous flea market. Zhou Yi strolled casually and unknowingly walked to this nighttime shopping paradise, suddenly feeling a surge in his heart, he walked in.

  "Isn't Liu Xue and Xiao Yezi setting up a stall here? Since we're already here, let's go take a look at what business she's doing..."

  Curiosity killed the cat, and Zhou Yi is apparently a curious person too.

  No one knows when it started, but flea markets suddenly appeared in various cities across the land of China, just like fleas themselves, and overnight, a thousand trees burst into bloom with pear flowers.

  For the government, this is a fig leaf; for laid-off workers and college students who have set up stalls, this is the big stage of life; for low-end consumers, this is Jinying International, Jiajiale...

  They're all just ideas.

  People who come here to shop are not all poor, many white-collar workers and gold-collar workers occasionally also come to experience the fun of haggling, feeling like an emperor in disguise, this kind of pretentious taste is also very good.

  Zhou Yi is a big spender when it comes to food, but he doesn't have much desire for anything else. So, he often hangs out here, enjoying the leisurely shopping experience while buying things. However, this time his mindset has changed slightly - one reason is his curiosity about Liu Xue, and another is some inexplicable psychology of cherishing and pitying her, even if he himself doesn't admit it.

  The frail figure on the electric tricycle, the slender shoulders, and the few strands of hair scattered behind her jade-like neck touched the softest spot in Zhou Yi's heart, causing him to unknowingly care for this girl who was struggling.

  Flea markets all over the country are basically the same, just selling small commodities, low-end clothing, pirated books and discs, etc. If there's any difference, it's in the local flavors of snacks.

  Most of the people who go to the market are young, and most of them are girls. These snacks are just what they like, so in every city's flea market, a snack street is indispensable. The business is booming, even surpassing that of ordinary merchants. On these snack streets, imported goods from abroad will not be absent, and local specialty snacks will be even more essential, often with the most authentic artisans.

  As a foodie, Zhou Yi naturally entered the snack street adjacent to the business district first. Suddenly, all kinds of fragrances came to his nose: lamb skewers, sugar gourd, roasted quail, ice sugar lotus seed, stinky tofu, which can be said to be complete with five flavors, stimulating people's appetite.

  Some well-dressed young ladies and successful young men have all transformed into foodies here, with crowds of people buying snacks in front of every stall, business is booming.

  There is only one stall with a Central Plains stir-fry noodles sign, and the business is very bleak, with almost no customers, forming a stark contrast to the booming business of other stalls.

  "Willow catkins, little leaves?"

  Zhou Yi's gaze swept over, seeing Liu Xue standing behind the stall with a worried expression on her face. Xiao Yezi sat beside her, clenching a small fist and staring at the opposite side with a resentful look.

  Across from them was another small stall with a sign that read "Stir-Fried Noodles", the sign was still brand new, but it was crowded with customers, many people were queuing up to buy, business was extremely hot. Waves of stir-fry noodle aroma wafted out from this stall, attracting even more people to walk over.

  It seems that willow catkins have encountered strong competitors.

  Ji didn't rush to greet Liu Xue, but instead walked over to the opposite stall and took a sniff.

  Stir-fried noodles are stir-fried liangpi, a relatively famous snack in the Central Plains region. In Bianliang and surrounding areas, men, women, old and young all love to eat it. Paired with a sesame seed cake and a bowl of tofu brain, it makes for an excellent breakfast or midnight snack.

  Whether the stir-fried noodles are delicious or not depends on the cooking skills of the cook, as well as the quality of the noodles and the sauce. Among these factors, the sauce is the most important. It's said that Zhang, a famous stir-fry noodle maker in Bianliang, has a secret recipe passed down from his ancestors, which he keeps hidden away and won't even reveal to his wife.

  The best sauce paired with green bean starch noodles, and it's also particular about 'crispy but not burnt'. A skilled stir-fry master can stir-fry each piece of noodle to be crispy on one or even two sides, just like a steamed bun, bringing out the golden crust without being charred. When eaten, it's both chewy and crispy, with a mouthful of fragrance, this is the top grade.

  But this flour is soft and can be stir-fried to perfection, it's already not easy, let alone one side crispy and the other side crispy? So if the master's craftsmanship is slightly worse, the noodles will definitely stick to the pot. Even if they can be scooped up quickly, the noodles will still break apart. Although they can still be eaten, the flavor and appearance will both be ruined.

  This master of stir-fried noodles, with a sign that read 'Three Generations of Stir-Fried Noodles', was clearly a mid-to-high level expert. The sauce he used was at least at the sixth level of culinary skills, especially his stir-frying technique, which was so fast and agile that it made one's eyes dizzy just watching him. It was worth the five yuan just to watch, even without eating.

  The noodles he stir-fried also reached the level of single-sided crispiness, and about 80% of the liangpi could maintain its integrity, with one side crispy and golden, and the sauce evenly coated. When it was taken out of the pot, the heat forced out small bubbles, making it look almost perfect.

  It seems that this three-generation stir-fry powder brand is not bragging, just this skill alone, let alone in Chu Du, even in the birthplace of stir-fry powder, Zhongyuan Bianjing, it's also first-rate. Zhou Yi nodded and turned his head to look at Liu Xiu's stall opposite him, sighed silently, and walked over.

  "Boss, bring me some noodles."

  Zhou Yi took out five yuan and handed it over with a smile.

  "Alright... Ah, Big Brother Zhou?"

  Willow catkins were about to receive money, looked up and saw that it was Zhou Yi, and suddenly became stunned.

  "Uncle Zhou, are you here looking for Little Aunt?"

  The little leaf also saw Zhou Yi, but this little loli was too direct, and with one mouthful, she made the two adults blush.