Chapter 32 Fuding Meat Slices

Chapter 32 Fuding Meat Slices

Grandpa Hou practically considers this canteen his second home. As long as he's still healthy, he'll invariably wheel himself to Su Yingxue's stall. Luckily, the inpatient ward is nearby; otherwise, at his age, all this commuting every day would probably wear the wheels of his wheelchair flat.

That evening, as usual, Su Yingxue carefully prepared the fresh ingredients. As soon as she stepped into the cafeteria, she was attracted by the lively scene before her. A small group of people were gathered around their stalls, chattering away, creating an atmosphere as bustling as a market during the Chinese New Year.

Su Yingxue felt a sense of unease and curiously pushed through the crowd, her gaze sweeping back and forth. Suddenly, her eyes fixed on a tall boy.

The young man stood tall and straight, like a proud pine tree. He wore a perfectly tailored black suit, every line of which seemed to have been meticulously designed, straight and smooth, perfectly fitting his slender and well-proportioned figure. He looked like a cover model straight out of a fashion magazine, exuding an air of sophistication.

Looking at his face again, it was like a finely crafted work of art. His sharply defined features were as if sculpted by a knife and axe, his high, straight nose stood out like a mountain peak, and his beautifully shaped lips were slightly upturned, carrying a hint of coldness. His sword-like eyebrows slanted into his temples, like two sharp blades, adding to his heroic air.

His eyes were deep and bright, like stars twinkling in the night sky, mysterious and captivating, making one want to explore them further. His skin was fair and smooth, glowing with a healthy and soft luster under the warm yellow lights of the cafeteria, as if it were surrounded by a halo.

Hou Defa's eyes narrowed into slits with a smile, his face beaming with joy. He looked at Su Yingxue affectionately and introduced her warmly, "Come, come, let me introduce you. This is my precious grandson, Hou Yiming!"

Hou Yiming nodded slightly, his face carrying a hint of aloof indifference, and greeted him in a flat tone: "Thank you for your help these past few days. I am Hou Yiming." His voice was deep and clear, as if it came from a distant sky.

Su Yingxue nodded gently, turned her gaze to Hou Defa, and immediately put on a friendly smile, saying softly, "Old Hou, what are you busy with at the entrance of my stall?"

Hou Defa, as if performing a magician's trick, excitedly displayed his "masterpiece," shouting at the top of his lungs, "Clang, clang, clang! Look!" It turned out that he had somehow acquired three rings of various fiber optic lights around his otherwise ordinary stall, and hung two more rings of brightly colored light bulbs. These multicolored lights, interwoven together, illuminated the entire stall like a dazzling disco, almost blindingly bright.

"Pfft!" Su Yingxue couldn't help but laugh out loud. Her laughter was clear and melodious, like silver bells echoing in the cafeteria.

Seeing this, Hou Yiming helplessly rubbed his forehead, his face full of black lines as he looked at his grandfather's "divine operation," and muttered under his breath, "I told you, this color is too eye-catching." His tone was full of disapproval of his grandfather's idea.

"How can I not be conspicuous! How can I attract customers if I'm not conspicuous! Little Su offered to give me a free meal, but I didn't want it. I'm only doing this to help her!" Hou Defa said emphatically, while forcefully slapping the armrest of his wheelchair twice, as if he were defending his great "achievement" and showing no sign of compromise.

Seeing this, Su Yingxue couldn't help but cough twice and said with a smile, "Ahem, Grandpa, I appreciate your kindness. But these LED strip lights, the fire safety officer from the cafeteria will probably have to come and remove them tomorrow. I also learned a new skill today, would you like to try it?"

Upon hearing this, Old Master Hou's eyes lit up immediately, like a child who had received a favorite candy. He nodded hurriedly and said, "Let's make it clear first, if it's not tasty, I won't give you a single penny! Otherwise, I'll use my grandson to pay off the debt!" As he spoke, he even winked mischievously at Hou Yiming.

Hou Yiming stood to the side, feeling utterly overwhelmed. His grandfather had invited him to dinner, and he'd been eagerly anticipating a gourmet feast at some fancy restaurant, but instead, he'd ended up in this hospital cafeteria. He'd been waiting anxiously since 9:30 PM, and finally, at 10 PM, he watched helplessly as Su Yingxue slowly appeared.

He was secretly thinking that all his efforts were for naught; he might as well have gone to the marketing department to hold more meetings, at least then he could have achieved some results.

"Grandpa, I'm going to a meeting! You can eat slowly." Hou Yiming couldn't hold back any longer. As soon as he finished speaking, Hou Defa's cane fell to the ground with a "thud".

Immediately afterwards, Hou Defa pretended to be angry and tapped him lightly with his cane, saying, "You're dawdling over a meal, so just wait here obediently!"

Then, Hou Defa's expression changed instantly, and he said to Su Yingxue with a grin, "Today, I want two servings of savory pancakes! You'd better arrange that for me, I want the first batch!"

"Okay!" Su Yingxue replied crisply, then turned around and skillfully began preparing the ingredients, ready to show off her skills and make delicious savory pancakes.

Su Yingxue tied on the slightly faded blue apron, quickly making a neat bow. After putting on her hat and mask, she first scooped out the bone broth that had just been simmering that morning from the thermos. The milky white broth bubbled and steamed in the iron pot, and the aroma instantly filled the air.

"The usual, right?" Su Yingxue turned to look at Hou Defa. The old man was sitting in a wheelchair, his eyes fixed on her every move, like a child waiting to unwrap a gift. She smiled and nodded, her hands moving non-stop as she pinched off a lump of rested dough from the cutting board and rolled it into a thin sheet on the flour-sprinkled board.

At this moment, Hou Yiming had already stood inside the stall, his hands in his suit pockets, his gaze fixed on Su Yingxue's skillful movements. He noticed that the dough under her rolling pin was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet incredibly resilient; with each roll of the rolling pin, the dough would spread out evenly.

"The sauce needs to be freshly made." Su Yingxue scooped a large spoonful of her secret sauce from the earthenware pot. The golden sauce sizzled in the hot oil, releasing a rich aroma. She skillfully added minced garlic and chili pieces, and as she tossed the spatula around, the aroma intensified. Hou Yiming unconsciously took a half step forward, his nose already catching the enticing fragrance.

"The dough needs to be fried until golden brown on both sides." Su Yingxue carefully spread the rolled-out dough on the frying pan. With a "sizzle," the dough quickly shrank, and the edges curled up in pretty waves. She deftly brushed on a layer of sauce, sprinkled on bright green scallions and white sesame seeds, and finally folded it in half and cut it into pieces. The whole process was smooth and efficient, and in less than ten minutes, the first batch of savory pancakes was ready.

"Here you go, eat it while it's hot." Su Yingxue put the top two savory pancakes into a paper bag and handed it to Hou Defa. The old man's hands trembled slightly as he took them, and his eyes narrowed into slits with a smile.

Next, we started preparing the Fuding meat slices.