yournovel Chapter 76 Paying to Suffer
Chapter 76 Paying to Suffer
The setting sun had completely sunk behind the rooftops of the old street, and the dim streetlights gradually lit up, gilding the narrow alleyways with a fuzzy golden edge.
"Slow down, Mengmeng, watch your step!"
Chen Feng, carrying several large bags of fresh vegetables and half a rack of pork ribs, shouted at the top of his lungs to the little figure bouncing around in front of him.
Mengmeng was wearing her newly bought ginger-yellow cloak, clutching a woven basket filled with a few ripe, red cherry tomatoes she had picked herself. Her two rabbit ears bounced in the wind as she ran.
"Okay, Dad! Mengmeng is a scout, she's leading the way for you!"
The little guy turned around and made a face. His rosy cheeks, flushed with excitement, looked especially charming in the afterglow of the sunset.
Su Chen, who was following behind, was also busy with his hands.
He carried a bunch of tender, juicy bok choy in his left hand and two pounds of fresh, live prawns in his right.
"Brother Chen, buying groceries is truly an art," Su Chen remarked with a touch of wistfulness as he walked, glancing down at the shrimp still wriggling in the plastic bag.
"That old lady insisted that these shrimp were just brought from the reservoir, and you could tell at a glance they were farmed. How did you do that?"
Chen Feng smiled and patted Su Chen on the shoulder with one hand:
"That's called having good eyesight."
Having seen many ingredients, I can naturally recognize them.
Look at those shrimp whiskers, some are droopy and some are straight, there's a lot more to them than meets the eye.
"Follow me around a few more times, and you'll see it too."
"That's great." Su Chen smiled, tightening his grip on the bag in his hand.
"I used to only know how to eat, and I always felt that the dishes on the table appeared out of thin air."
I've only just realized that the soul of this dish actually begins at the market.
Xingruo was wearing a light blue dress, and her slender hands were holding Mengmeng's other little hand.
Returning to the "human touch," pushing open that heavy wooden door, a familiar aroma wafts towards you.
"We're back! Fire! Fire!"
Chen Feng went straight into the kitchen.
"Xingruo, help me wash those ribs, I'll blanch them first."
Su Chen, help me peel the garlic. Today we're making something simple—sweet and sour pork ribs, garlic-flavored bok choy, and boiled prawns. We'll also use the leftover seasonings from lunch, and I'll make you a cold dish too.
"Okay!"
The responses from the crowd echoed throughout the small shop.
Xingruo deftly put on an apron and stood by the sink to start processing the ribs.
Su Chen found a small stool and sat next to Mengmeng. The two of them, one big and one small, began to struggle with the head of garlic with great seriousness.
The kitchen became busy again.
Just as Chen Feng and his group were busy preparing dinner, a "seafood private kitchen" with extremely luxurious decorations and luxury cars parked in front of it, located five kilometers away from the old street, was in front of the restaurant.
Zhang Weiguo parked his somewhat old domestically produced sedan and rubbed his face vigorously.
"Old Wu, we're here! Get off!"
He turned his head and called out to Wu Deshun, who was staring at his phone screen checking stock trends in the passenger seat.
Wu Deshun looked up at the magnificent signboard outside the window—"Seafood Delicacies".
His brows furrowed instantly, and his voice betrayed a habitual pang of heartache:
"Hey Lao Zhang, are you sick in the head?"
So what if we lost a bet at noon? We can just have a bowl of ramen with an egg at a roadside stall and that'll be the end of it.
What are you doing coming to a place like this? Look at the lights above the entrance, they're blinding me!
"Tsk, you!" Zhang Weiguo said, unbuckling his seatbelt and giving him a feigned glare.
"How many years have we known each other, brother and brother?"
You used to say that you were very strict with yourself because of your children's schooling and your elderly parents' medication.
I'm in a good mood today! I'm a man of my word, so how can you accept those things you gave me?
"You can't just squander money like that," Wu Deshun muttered as he got out of the car, somewhat awkwardly straightening his faded work clothes.
Seeing his brother like this, Zhang Weiguo felt a pang of sadness.
He knew that Wu Deshun was a good family man who would stretch every penny to its limit.
He brought him here specifically today so that this guy could have some fun.
"Alright, I'll tell you the truth." Zhang Weiguo lowered his voice, leaned close to Wu Deshun's ear, and made up a story with a mysterious expression.
"The owner of this shop is a distant relative of one of my former comrades-in-arms."
I had given them advance notice, and they calculated the price based on internal cost.
It looks expensive, but it's actually not that much. It's only a hundred or two yuan more expensive than a roadside stall at most.
Just eat your food and don't embarrass me.
Wu Deshun looked at him suspiciously:
"Really? Insider price? You're not kidding me?"
Why would I lie to you?
"My wife still has my bankbook, where would I get so much secret money?" Zhang Weiguo grabbed Wu Deshun's shoulder and half-forced him into the shop.
"Let's go, let's go! I heard the lobsters here are air-freighted in this morning, let's try something different."
As the two entered the hall, they were immediately greeted by two elegantly dressed hostesses in cheongsams and with impeccable smiles, and led to a private room upstairs.
The air here is filled with the scent of high-end perfumes, a stark contrast to the lively atmosphere of the old street.
Wu Deshun sat in the leather chair and felt like there were needles growing under his buttocks; no matter how he sat, it was uncomfortable.
"Let's order!"
Zhang Weiguo took the heavy leather menu, didn't even let Wu Deshun look at it, and said directly to the waiter:
"Give me a two-pound Boston lobster, baked with cheese."
Next, two larger abalone to cook with rice. Then, a deep-sea grouper, steamed. Finally, a steamed sea urchin with egg.
That's all, hurry up.
The waiter nodded and quietly left.
Wu Deshun's eyes twitched as he listened:
"Lobster? Grouper? Old Zhang, what exactly is your 'insider price'?"
Don't make us both stay here washing dishes later.
"Wash dishes? Do I look like I'm cut out for washing dishes?" Zhang Weiguo waved his hand dismissively, picked up an expensive porcelain cup from the table, and took a sip of tea.
"Old Wu, just eat as much as you want. We eat dirt on the construction site and dust in the office every day, so we have to treat ourselves occasionally."
This is high-end seafood, very nutritious.
Wu Deshun sighed and picked up his teacup, but he still felt uneasy.
Half an hour later, the dishes were served one after another.
On a huge white porcelain plate, the lobster, cut open and covered with rich cheese, gleamed golden under the light.
The abalone rice has a rich, thick sauce aroma;
The grouper's body is as white as snow, and when drizzled with hot oil and soy sauce, its appearance is simply perfect.
"Come on, let's eat!"
Zhang Weiguo picked up a large piece of lobster meat and put it directly into Wu Deshun's plate. "Try it, this is good stuff."
Wu Deshun rubbed his hands together and picked up his chopsticks.
He was actually looking forward to it, after all, he hadn't attended a dinner party of this caliber for several years.
He picked up the piece of shrimp covered in cheese, put it in his mouth, and chewed it vigorously a few times.
However, the anticipated feeling of "ascension to heaven" did not occur.
Wu Deshun was stunned.
He felt that the shrimp meat was indeed very firm, and the cheese flavor was indeed very rich.
But for some reason, these things piled up on his tongue gave him an indescribable...mediocre feeling.
It's even a little bit greasy.
Zhang Weiguo also picked up a piece of grouper, and his movements froze for a moment after putting it in his mouth.
The grouper was very tender, and the soy sauce was very flavorful; it was the taste of a high-end dish.
But for some reason, Zhang Weiguo suddenly remembered the shredded pork with garlic sauce he had for lunch.
The shredded meat coated in glistening red sauce, the explosive power of sour, sweet, spicy, and salty flavors dancing wildly on the tongue, and the exhilarating sensation of each bite that makes your scalp tingle and your whole body feel refreshed.
In comparison, the grouper in front of me, which costs several hundred yuan per kilogram, actually seems rather... bland and tasteless.
"Old Wu, how's it going?" Zhang Weiguo asked tentatively, noticing that Wu Deshun's expression was also somewhat strange.
Wu Deshun put down his chopsticks, picked up his water glass, took a sip, and hesitated before speaking:
"Old Zhang, tell me the truth, is there something wrong with my sense of taste lately?"
"How so?"
"This lobster...it's delicious," Wu Deshun said, pointing to the plate.
"But why do I feel that it's not as good as the 38-yuan shredded pork I had at noon?"
When I took that bite, I didn't feel that "power" in my heart, you know what I mean?
After hearing this, Zhang Weiguo slapped his thigh hard:
"Hey! Old Wu! I feel the same way!"
Zhang Weiguo put down his chopsticks with some annoyance, looked at the table full of exquisite seafood, and said with a wry smile:
"The fish is indeed fresh, but the sauce... the seasoning... it just feels like it's missing a certain 'soul'."
That plate of shredded pork with garlic sauce at noon was the kind of food that would make you sweat profusely and leave you wanting to lick the plate clean.
The seafood here feels like you're eating money, not eating a meal.
The two looked at each other, their initial anticipation for the feast now feeling rather dull.
Wu Deshun picked up another piece of abalone.
The abalone was very chewy, but he was thinking: how delicious it would be if this abalone were sliced into strips and stir-fried with the fish-fragrant sauce by Boss Chen.
"Old Wu, why don't we stop making do here?" Zhang Weiguo suggested in a low voice.
"The more you eat this stuff, the more you feel cheated. Don't you think our lives are a bit cheap?"
Instead of eating the lobster, all he could think about was the shredded pork from that run-down alley.
Wu Deshun shook his head with a wry smile:
"This isn't about having a cheap life. It's about having a spoiled stomach spoiled by Boss Chen!"
Old Zhang, to be honest, I can't eat anymore either.
This grouper tastes like cotton when I chew it; it has absolutely no soul.
That's what they said, but considering the exorbitant price, Wu Deshun gritted his teeth and swallowed all of it with Zhang Weiguo.
This was the most silent meal they had ever eaten.
As the two walked out of "Seafood Delicacies," a night breeze blew by, and instead of the satisfaction of a hearty meal, they felt a strange sense of loneliness.
"Old Zhang, tomorrow at noon..." Wu Deshun stood by the car, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
"Do you even need to ask?" Zhang Weiguo glared at him irritably.
"Let's leave work early tomorrow and go to the old street to keep watch! Even if I have to wait in line for two hours, I'm going to fill this stomach ache!"
"Okay, I'll listen to you." Wu Deshun chuckled.
Meanwhile, in the "human touch" of the old street.
The dim light shone on the clean table, where four dishes and a soup were neatly arranged.
A plate of bright red sweet and sour pork ribs is emitting an extremely tempting aroma, a sweet and sour scent with a hint of caramelization.
"Dinner's ready!"
Mengmeng had washed her little hands and sat obediently in her seat, holding a pair of pink wooden chopsticks.
"My most sensible little housekeeper, come and try this tenderest spare rib."
Chen Feng first put a few incredibly tender pieces of pork ribs on Mengmeng's plate.
"Yay! I love Daddy the most!"
Mengmeng clapped her little hands and cheered.
"Xingruo, eat more meat." Then he put two more pieces of pork ribs into Xingruo's bowl.
"I noticed you're too thin when I saw you trying on clothes. Our store may not be rich yet, but we offer plenty of meat."
"Thank you, Master." Xingruo lowered her head and ate in small bites.
The ribs were stewed until tender, with a perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors, and the aroma of the meat instantly filled her taste buds.
Su Chen didn't care about etiquette anymore; he picked up a boiled prawn.
The cooking time was perfect; the shrimp meat was springy and had a natural sweetness, perfect for dipping in Chen Feng's special ginger and vinegar sauce.
"Mmm...this taste is amazing."
While peeling shrimp, Su Chen gave Chen Feng a thumbs up, "Brother Chen, your simple blanching is really delicious!"
"That's because you watched it being pulled out of the water with your own eyes and skinned it yourself." Chen Feng took a sip of his homemade rice wine, his expression relaxed.
"When it comes to eating, if your heart is in it, then the taste will be right."
Zhang Qiang was even more direct. He picked up the large bowl, first downing the entire bowl of pork rib soup, then letting out a long sigh:
"Awesome! Today is finally a perfect day."
Everyone burst into laughter, creating a lively atmosphere.
Mengmeng was diligently gnawing on ribs, her little mouth covered in sauce, looking like a pretty little kitten.
She looked at her father, then at Uncle Qiangzi, then at Brother Su and Sister Xingruo, and suddenly called out in a childish voice:
"Daddy, Mengmeng thinks we are the happiest people in the world!"
"Yes! Mengmeng is right!" Zhang Qiang raised his glass. "To the happiest people, cheers!"
"Cheers!"
The crisp sound of glasses clinking echoed through the old street.