Chapter 61 Investment Brought by Braised Pork Rice

Chapter 61 Investment Brought by Braised Pork Rice

Just then, Wei Guangsheng came in with passion fruit lemon tea. Upon hearing Jin Xuan's words, his face instantly turned bright red. He opened his mouth to explain, but Su Yingxue beat him to it: "I'm so sorry, today's braised pork rice was our mistake. We didn't control the heat well, and we added too much sugar. If you don't mind, I'll go back to the kitchen now and make two more bowls. I guarantee they'll taste just like yesterday's. It should only take about fifteen minutes."

Ye Feifei glanced at Su Yingxue, then at the almost untouched braised pork rice on the table, and hesitated for a moment: "No need, it's too time-consuming to make it again now." But as soon as she finished speaking, she noticed Zhao Yuxin staring at the empty plate and added, "However... if it's convenient later, could you make a few more portions? We can take them back as a late-night snack."

Su Yingxue's eyes lit up: "Convenient! I'll do it now, it'll be done in twenty minutes."

Back in the kitchen, Su Yingxue rolled up her sleeves and started cooking again. This time, she wasn't in a rush. First, she rendered the fat from the diced pork belly, then added scallions and ginger to sauté until fragrant. She added soy sauce, cooking wine, and rock sugar and simmered it slowly until the sauce thickened and glossy. Finally, she poured a spoonful of hot lard over it—instantly, the aroma of lard mixed with the smell of meat filled the kitchen. Even Wei Guangsheng came over, looking at the sauce in the pot and nodding, "Yes, that's the taste!"

Twenty minutes later, four steaming bowls of braised pork rice were ready. Su Yingxue found four takeout containers, packed each bowl with rice, poured a generous spoonful of sauce over it, piled diced pork on top, and finally sprinkled some chopped green onions on top as garnish. She put the takeout containers in a bag and delivered them to the private room, where Ye Feifei was chatting with her friends.

"Is it done? Thank you, Sister Su." Ye Feifei took the bag, opened a box, and the aroma immediately wafted out—the rice was coated in sauce, and the diced meat looked tender. She smiled and distributed it to everyone: "Yuxin, Bingbin, Lengyu, each of you take one to take home for a late-night snack."

Zhao Yuxin quickly took it, her eyes crinkling into crescents: "Thank you, Sister Feifei, I'll be hungry tonight anyway." Ye Bingbin also took one, and smelling the familiar aroma, he breathed a sigh of relief. Leng Yu simply said "Thank you" and put the box in her bag.

Jin Xuan pouted and backed away, saying, "I don't want to eat food from these small shops. It's greasy and will make me fat."

Ye Feifei glanced at her, too lazy to persuade her, and simply stuffed the remaining box into her bag: "Fine, I'll eat this myself, I didn't eat enough tonight anyway." Jin Xuan's face turned a little pale when she saw that no one was coaxing her, but seeing the aroma of the braised pork rice in the hands of the others, she couldn't help but secretly swallow her saliva.

Su Yingxue stood aside, watching this scene, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully, the reputation hadn't been completely ruined. Wei Guangsheng was waiting outside the door. Seeing her come out, he patted her on the shoulder: "Thanks to you today, otherwise this order would have really been a problem." Su Yingxue smiled: "It's okay, next time we'll prepare the materials in advance, then we won't panic."

In the private room, Ye Feifei looked at the braised pork rice in her hand, and then thought of the plate of spaghetti. She took out her phone and sent a message to Chen Ru: "Have Su Yingxue come to the office tomorrow. I want to talk to her about adding spaghetti to the signature dish and finalizing the recipe for the braised pork rice."

The group left in a hurry. Su Yingxue was still tidying up the kitchen. Chef Wei, standing beside her, seemed a little embarrassed. Su Yingxue didn't pay much attention to it. It was another fulfilling day.

As soon as Ye Feifei's car turned into the villa area, the aroma of braised pork rice from the passenger seat filled the car. She stepped into the house in her high heels, not even having time to put down her bag, and after changing into slippers, she went straight to the dining table—the moment she opened the takeout box.

The aroma of meat wafts through the air, and the sauce gleams amber under the light. The diced meat, with its perfect balance of lean and fatty pieces, is coated with glistening grains of rice, making it incredibly tempting to look at.

She picked up her chopsticks, scooped up a handful of rice, and put it in her mouth. The rice grains were soaked in the sauce, making them oily but not greasy. When she bit into the diced meat, the aroma of the oil exploded on her tongue. The fatty meat melted in her mouth, while the lean meat still had a bit of chewiness. Even the fragrance of the scallions perfectly balanced the richness of the meat.

She had only taken two bites when her throat felt dry. Remembering the chilled orange soda in the refrigerator, she casually placed the lunchbox in the center of the table and ran to the kitchen in her slippers.

"Click," the smart lock suddenly clicked. Ye Feifei turned around, holding her soda, and bumped into her father, Ye Xiekai, as he entered, leaning against the doorframe—his custom-made suit was mostly wrinkled, his tie hung loosely around his neck, his cheeks were flushed from drinking, and his steps were unsteady, as if he were walking on cotton. Clearly, it was another unavoidable social engagement.

Ye Xiekai originally intended to go straight back to his bedroom, but his nose was suddenly drawn to a familiar yet unfamiliar aroma. He turned his head following the scent, his gaze falling on the braised pork rice in the center of the dining table, and his eyes instantly lit up. He sat down, leaning on the table, picked up the chopsticks that Ye Feifei hadn't had time to clear away, hesitated for a moment, and then took a large mouthful of rice and put it in his mouth.

The next second, his brows suddenly relaxed.

The burning, bitter taste of alcohol in my stomach felt like a warm, sweet spring had suddenly been poured in—the sweet and salty sauce perfectly balanced the greasiness of the meat, and the aroma of lard slid down my throat along with the rice grains, even relieving most of the bloating in my stomach.

He picked up another piece of diced meat, and with a gentle bite, the rich aroma of the oil mixed with the umami of the soy sauce melted on his tongue, even more comforting than the signature dishes he had eaten at Michelin-starred restaurants.

"Dad?" Ye Feifei returned with a soda and saw her father engrossed in eating his braised pork rice. Her pupils contracted slightly.

Ye Xiekai looked up, a little sauce still on the corner of his mouth, a rare smile on his face: "Feifei, did you bring this food for me?"

He put down his chopsticks, his tone full of relief, "Knowing that Dad had a stomachache after his social engagement, you specially brought back a hot meal? You've grown up, you've really grown up."

Ye Feifei looked at the braised pork rice in her lunchbox, which was clearly half gone, and felt so heartbroken that she almost crushed the soda bottle in her hand—she had specially saved it for a late-night snack!

But seeing the warmth in her father's eyes, she swallowed back the words, "This is my midnight snack." Her father spent years in drinking parties, and his stomach was already worn out. It was rare to find something he liked, and she couldn't bear to spoil his mood.

"Eat more if you like." She handed over the soda, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible grievance.

Ye Xiekai took the soda, gulped down two mouthfuls, then shoveled a large mouthful of rice into his mouth and sighed with satisfaction: "This food is absolutely amazing! It's even better than the 'Yu Pin Xuan' restaurant that President Wang took me to last time—was it made by Chef Zhou? Or by Chef Li from that private kitchen in the south of the city?"

He named several well-known chefs in the industry, but Ye Feifei shook her head, which puzzled him even more. "Could it be a newly discovered hidden menu item?"

Seeing her father's curious expression, Ye Feifei finally couldn't help but laugh: "Neither, it's from the kitchen of 'Golden Glory' KTV."