Chapter 26 Tujia Sauce-Flavored Pancake

Chapter 26 Tujia Sauce-Flavored Pancake

Su Yingxue fell silent. Over the past few days, her relationship with Lu Linchuan had gradually eased from its initial antagonism, and those scenes played out repeatedly in her mind like a movie. The complex maternal love in Huang Yifei's eyes also stirred ripples in her heart. And her grandmother, lying in the hospital bed, her increasingly haggard face, filled her with worry.

“Sister Yifei,” Su Yingxue said softly, her voice carrying a hint of gentleness and firmness, “I am very grateful for your invitation, but I am really not suited for a life of cooking at someone’s home. I long for a more free job, where I can travel around and experience different customs and cultures.”

“I understand, I understand,” Huang Yifei’s voice was full of understanding, but the trace of reluctance was still clearly audible. “Will you still come to our house for dinner in the future? At least… occasionally come and cook a meal for Xiao Lu? He’s really thinking about your braised pork now.”

Su Yingxue smiled slightly, as if she could see Huang Yifei's expectant expression on the other end of the phone: "If there's a chance, of course I will."

After hanging up the phone, Su Yingxue gently placed it on the table, gazing out the window, her thoughts drifting away. Tomorrow she would be leaving; this wondrous experience felt like a short but beautiful dream. Though reluctant to part, she knew she had to return to reality.

As evening fell, Su Yingxue tied on her apron and busied herself in the kitchen, preparing the last meal for the film crew. Braised pork belly bubbled and simmered in the pot, its amber sheen making it incredibly tempting; stir-fried snow peas were vibrant green and tender, sprinkled with a little minced garlic, releasing an irresistible aroma; the tomato, enoki mushroom, and tofu soup exuded a sweet and sour fragrance, the enoki mushrooms unfurling like flowers in the broth, creating a beautiful scene.

Xu Qingqing cried as she chopped vegetables, tears streaming down her face. Xu Guoqing looked at her, helplessly tapped her head, and said, "What's wrong? It's not like Xiao Su will never see again." Xu Qingqing cried and said, "I'm just sad!" Su Yingxue stepped forward, gently patted her head, and offered her silent comfort.

She carefully arranged each dish, the portions just enough for the crew to share. This was her last time cooking here; she didn't want to be too extravagant, nor did she want it to end hastily. She hoped this final dinner would leave everyone with wonderful memories.

"Xiao Su, are you really leaving tomorrow?" Shen Yu walked over with a lunchbox, her face full of reluctance. "Director Ye said he still wants you to stay, but you still have to go." Su Yingxue finished serving the last soup, gently shook her head, and said, "My grandma lives alone at home, I have to go back to be with her. Thank you all for taking care of me during this time."

Surprisingly, after dinner, Ye Feifei proactively added Su Yingxue on WeChat and insisted on visiting her next time. Su Yingxue smiled and nodded.

Before leaving, He Qianyu's assistant brought her a large red envelope. Su Yingxue opened it and found 50,000 yuan inside, along with a note that read: "The promised beef patties. Looking forward to eating them next time. Thank you for saving me when I had low blood sugar last time. Signed Qianyu, who still wants to eat boxed lunches." Su Yingxue chuckled, accepted the red envelope, and gave He Qianyu's assistant a bag of homemade dumplings as a thank you gift.

After dinner, Su Yingxue quietly packed her luggage and sent a simple message to a few familiar people: "[Thank you all for your help these past few days. See you again sometime.]" She had never liked farewell scenes; those sentimental hugs and tears always made her uncomfortable.

In the dead of night, Su Yingxue lay in bed and opened the system panel. Today's lottery was finally ready—the snack recipes gifted by the system awaited her.

[Congratulations, host, on completing this phase of the mission]

[Random snack recipe giveaway in progress...]

[Obtained: Secret recipe for Tujia-style savory pancakes]

"Sauce-flavored pancake?" Su Yingxue raised an eyebrow slightly, tapping her finger to view the details. As the page unfolded, a rich aroma of dough seemed to waft through the screen—a golden, crispy outer layer, a soft, multi-layered interior, coated with a special sauce, sprinkled with scallions and sesame seeds; just imagining it made one's mouth water.

She chuckled softly and saved the recipe. Perhaps she could try making it when she got back to her grandmother's house, giving the old lady a change of pace.

A few days later, when Su Yingxue stood at the hospital entrance with her suitcase, the setting sun was bathing the golden signboard of "Peace Hospital" in a warm orange hue. She looked up at the window on the thirteenth floor of the inpatient department—her grandmother's ward—the curtains swaying gently in the breeze, as if beckoning.

Fortunately, her old house wasn't far from the hospital, so she could finally go home. She first paid the hospital fees, then brought her grandmother some food. After feeding her most of the food, she told her grandmother some funny stories from the filming. Finally, she had some free time and could start thinking about the system tasks.

"System, what are the specific requirements of the task?" she asked softly, her fingers unconsciously stroking the crumpled recipe paper in her pocket.

[Daily Task: Run a Tujia-style savory pancake stall in the hospital cafeteria. The target audience is mainly patients' families and medical staff. Sell a total of 300 pancakes to unlock a new random snack recipe.]

[Additional Note: The stall location has been reserved (formerly an empty noodle shop). Basic equipment is provided by the system; the host needs to plan the procurement of ingredients. Friendly reminder: the savory pancake stall's business hours are after 10 PM!!!]

Su Yingxue blinked, and when she looked up again, it was dinner time, and she could see the entrance to the cafeteria on the west side of the hospital. Amidst the noise of the crowd, the aroma of cooking inside was so strong that it brought tears to her eyes—it was the closest to the inpatient department, and many family members and doctors would come here to buy something hot to fill their stomachs.

She dragged her suitcase to an empty stall at the far end of the cafeteria, a faded "Beef Bone Noodles" sticker still affixed to the roller shutter. Just then, a system notification sounded: [Stadium activated, equipment being deployed...]

With a "whoosh," the roller shutter door automatically rose, revealing a gleaming stainless steel workbench, a double-headed electric griddle, a small dough mixer, and even a fully equipped warming cabinet. Su Yingxue paused for a couple of seconds, then turned to see the pancake vendor leaning over: "Young lady, why do you have machines with you? The landlord is quite generous!"

"Ah, I... I rented it early." She gave a vague smile. She first did a quick cleaning, mopping the floor three times and wiping everything clean before leaving.

That evening, Su Yingxue studied the recipe for savory pancakes three times in her hospital room. The secret recipe provided by the system had two more key ingredients than the ordinary version: first, it used three-year-aged soybean paste instead of ordinary soybean paste, making the savory flavor richer; second, it added a small amount of honey when kneading the dough, making the crust crispy while the inside was softer.

She fumbled in the dark to write down the steps in her phone's memo app, and set an alarm for the afternoon—she had to start eating before 10 a.m.

By 10 a.m. the next day, it was completely dark, and Su Yingxue was already standing behind her stall, diligently kneading dough. The flour supplied by the system was high-gluten, very elastic. She added water and honey according to the ratio, and with swift movements of her hands, smooth lumps of dough gradually took shape. The auntie selling rice bowls next door peeked over and said, "Young lady, your technique is quite professional. Did you run a shop before? It's almost 10 a.m., and you're still kneading dough."

"No, I learned it at home. I sell savory pancakes at night." She answered vaguely, her hands still moving. At six o'clock sharp, the first batch of pancake dough went into the pan—the electric griddle was preheated to 200 degrees Celsius, a thin layer of oil was brushed on it, the rolled-out round pancakes were placed on it, and when the edges curled up slightly, the secret sauce was brushed on, freshly chopped green onions and white sesame seeds were sprinkled on top, and then the lid was closed and it was simmered for two minutes.

With a "crack," Su Yingxue lifted the griddle with a spatula, revealing a golden and crispy savory pancake steaming hot. The brownish-red sauce, the bright green scallions, and the black sesame seeds intertwined, and the aroma instantly wafted far and wide.

However, no one came after waiting for a long time. The lady who had just been talking to her had gone home, leaving only an old man selling stir-fries staring at her.

The old man happened to rent the storefront next door, and he wanted to use it to open a beverage shop. He didn't expect Su Yingxue to set up a savory pancake stall here. He thought that the young girl probably wouldn't last long.

Just then, people started arriving at the cafeteria at 10 p.m.