Chapter 135

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Protagonist:

Lu Feng

"Hello, I'm a staff member here. Are you here to eat?"

Hu Xiaoyun noticed the three people standing at the door, ran over enthusiastically to greet them, then pointed to the back of the line: "If you're here to eat, please queue up first. If you queue now, you can eat today!"

"Oh, Lu Boss is hiring?"

As soon as Xiao Feilong heard Hu Xiaoyun say she was an employee at Lu Feng's shop, he immediately looked her over with interest.

It seemed that during the time he hadn't been here, business had become even more booming; the boss alone could no longer keep up.

Xiao Yue cleared her throat, stepped forward, and said to Hu Xiaoyun, "Little sister, please tell your boss that we are..."

Before she finished speaking, she heard An Liang suddenly cough behind her, and she swallowed the rest of her words.

"Xiao Yue, forget it. Let's just queue according to the shop's rules."

An Liang patted Xiao Yue's shoulder, then looked at Hu Xiaoyun and smiled slightly: "Sorry for the trouble. We'll go queue now."

An Liang knew very well that if Lu Feng had personally invited him to taste the dishes, he naturally wouldn't need to queue right now.

But today he came here simply as a diner to taste the food, and if he used his identity as a foodie to demand privileges, it seemed a bit inappropriate.

"Thank you for your cooperation. I'll go get busy now. If you need anything, just call me anytime."

Hu Xiaoyun said with a smile, turned around, and quickly left, continuing to maintain order in the line.

"This shop doesn't look very big, but there are quite a lot of people eating here."

An Liang, standing at the end of the line, said to the diners ahead, his tone giving nothing away about his current mood.

In his impression, none of those hundred-year-old brands had such a lively scene.

"Hehe, Brother An Liang, let me tell you, a small part of this is thanks to me."

Xiao Feilong squeezed up from behind, his tone carrying a bit of pride, and pointed to a few diners ahead: "See that guy in blue clothes, and that fat girl with glasses behind him—they're my fans, and there are several more ahead."

An Liang didn't seem very interested; he just nodded slightly.

He felt a bit impatient inside; actually, he wasn't a very patient person.

Earlier, he had gone to a restaurant to taste dishes, and that shop's signature dish had a complicated process, making him wait half an hour.

After returning, when An Liang was writing his food column, besides commenting on the taste of that restaurant's dishes, he also specifically pointed out the problem of slow service at that fan dian.

To him, a good chef not only needs superb culinary skill, but also satisfying the diners' appetites as quickly as possible is very important.

At six o'clock sharp, as Hu Xiaoyun loudly announced that business had started today, the queuing crowd let out a cheer they had been waiting for.

After a long wait, An Liang and the others finally reached the front of the line.

"Hello, what would you like to eat?"

Hu Xiaoyun smiled and asked An Liang, who was looking at the price list on the wall.

"One portion of Fresh Meat Xiaolongbao, one portion of Crab Roe Fried Noodles, and one portion of Braised Beef Noodles."

An Liang had originally wanted to, as usual, order everything in the shop.

But then he thought of how many diners were in the shop; if he tried everything, just waiting for the food would take another long while, so he only ordered what he was interested in.

"Sorry, sir, this week we only have soup noodles; the others aren't prepared yet." Hu Xiaoyun kept her smile and patiently said to An Liang.

Hearing this, An Liang couldn't help but frown: "Since there aren't any, why write them down?"

"It's marked on the price list." Hu Xiaoyun pointed to the price list on the wall and patiently explained.

Following Hu Xiaoyun's finger, An Liang's gaze swept over, and sure enough, he saw a line of small print below the price list.

Warm Reminder: Fresh Meat Xiaolongbao and Fried Noodles are not available this week.

That line of small print wasn't very noticeable to begin with, and the handwriting was a bit messy, so An Liang really hadn't noticed it just now.

Is this warm reminder daring to be any less obvious?

An Liang couldn't help but complain in his heart.

"Forget it, then one portion of Shiitake Chicken Soup Noodles."

Although An Liang was a bit dissatisfied in his heart, he still patiently ordered again.

"Okay, please wait a moment." Hu Xiaoyun lowered her head to operate the computer.

After An Liang finished ordering, it was Xiao Feilong and Xiao Yue's turn behind him; they ordered Yangchun Noodles and Braised Beef Noodles respectively.

A few minutes later, the three of them each carried their soup noodles to an empty table in the hall and sat down.

An Liang looked at the Mushroom Stewed Chicken Noodles before him; the white porcelain bowl held chicken soup filled to seventy percent, the broth clear and bright, with a layer of fine oil flowers floating on the surface.

The pale yellow noodles soaked in the soup, looking distinct strand by strand.

Piled on top of the noodles were several pieces of stewed chicken that were crisp and tender; a light pick with chopsticks would separate the meat from the bone.

Several thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms floated around, each soaked with soup juice, shining with an oily luster.

An Liang nodded slightly; judging by appearance, this bowl of Mushroom Stewed Chicken Noodles had no faults to pick.

He then leaned in and sniffed with his nose; a rich yet gentle aroma drilled into his nasal cavity.

This flavor was different from the strong fragrance piled up with various seasonings in high-end restaurants; its aroma was very mild, smelling like a simple and pure taste.

An Liang picked up his chopsticks, took a small bite of noodles and put them in his mouth, chewing slowly.

As soon as the noodles entered his mouth, he could tell they were handmade, and he also noticed a difference in texture.

In the process of making noodles, from the ratio of flour and water, to the number of times and force of kneading the dough, every detail in the process could affect the final texture.

Over the years, An Liang had eaten noodles from all over the country, and the handmade noodles made by masters of different levels had subtle differences in texture.

The bowl of noodles he was eating now, judging by the noodle-making skill alone, could already rival those old masters with decades of noodle-making experience.

The noodles carried the dense texture of hand-kneading, and when bitten, they offered a slight springy resilience.

As he chewed, the wheat fragrance within the noodles mixed with the soup coating them, forming a refreshingly delightful flavor in his mouth.

An Liang swallowed the noodles in his mouth, then picked up a piece of chicken with his chopsticks.

The chicken had been stewed over low heat for a long time; a gentle pinch with chopsticks made the skin and meat separate along the grain.

As soon as it entered his mouth, it almost dissolved without chewing, the tender meat fragrance faintly carrying a scallion and ginger undertone, yet not at all detracting from the chicken's original freshness.

Afterwards, An Liang lifted the bowl and took a small sip of soup; the moment the chicken soup entered his mouth, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

Besides the just-right saltiness and faint peppery spice, there was no other extraneous seasoning flavor in the soup.

The rich meat freshness from the thoroughly stewed chicken, combined with the fresh fragrance of the mushrooms themselves, saw the two freshnesses stack upon each other, bringing the soup base's flavor to a new height.

After becoming a Foodie/Gourmet, An Liang had lost count of how many delicacies from all over Jiang Nan he had eaten, but those that could compare with this bowl of Mushroom Stewed Chicken Noodles were few and far between.

Not to mention anything else, just the flavor of the soup base alone already surpassed the culinary skill of most old masters.

After tasting this bowl of Mushroom Stewed Chicken Noodles, An Liang, who always held high standards and strict requirements for food, couldn't help but want to give this Boss's culinary skill a thumbs-up.

An Liang couldn't help but eat a few more bites; he, who usually supported himself with just a little bit of whatever he ate, today for the first time ate nearly half a bowl of noodles.