Xiao Bao whispered, "Mom, there aren’t many people in uncle’s shop."
Though young, he knew that if there weren’t many customers in the shop, it meant the business wasn’t doing well.
Yun Xiaoxiao thought it was something serious.
Upon hearing that, she burst into laughter, "Today is New Year’s Eve, many people are busy at home frying meatballs, twisted dough strips, and rice cakes."
They knew about them and had even tried them.
Twisted dough strips?
"Right, now that buying meat doesn’t require meat tickets, some families even fry little crispy meats, which are especially delicious."
Frying a big piece of crispy meat, cutting it into chunks, and placing some kelp strands underneath to steam until soft so it won’t cause heatiness when eaten.
Thinking of her own average cooking skills, Xiaoxiao realized she could only manage simple dishes and not the complicated ones.
Second Brother Yun was quick with his hands, serving up four bowls of noodles - for Zhao Tianlei, the son-in-law, noodles with Braised Pork Belly; for his little sister Xiaoxiao, noodles with pickled meat; and for the two nephews, a mix, giving them each some, with more meat than noodles.
"Give it a try and see."
They all had eaten breakfast already.
"Then I’ll have a taste."
Second Brother Yun also sat down, "Give a critique."
Now, although Second Brother Yun was just a state-run restaurant chef turned noodle shop owner, he didn’t consider himself unbeatable and was quite humble, always open to others’ feedback.
"In the Capital City, when it gets busy, I just go to some restaurants to have noodles."
What Tianlei said was true; sometimes when they were busy, they’d eat noodles outside, trying different places.
He had visited quite a few noodle shops in the Capital City.
Not one where he hadn’t ordered a number of dishes.
"The noodles are hand-pulled, could have been chewier, but the taste of the toppings is good," Xiaoxiao remarked after tasting the noodles and the toppings.
Yun Er took her words to heart, "I get the dough from someone else, who delivers it to me early every morning."
"Er, these noodles are good, but the seasoning could be better. I have eaten at an old-established noodle shop in the Capital City where their noodles, while more expensive than other places, really taste better. First of all, the noodles there are very chewy and fragrant when you eat them."
That the seasoning could be better, Yun Er didn’t regard his own seasoning as the finest.
"Er, you could add some soft peas to your marinated meat; it would taste even better. You could even add quail eggs, and then you can make a signature dish."
Xiaoxiao had tried braised meat noodles before, with soft peas and marinated quail eggs added, plus a few green leaves – a mix of meat, eggs, and vegetables, which was quite nutritious.
Currently, their shop’s signature dish was Braised Pork Belly noodles, the bestseller every day. On holidays, Braised Pork Belly was always the first to sell out.
"I’ll give it a try, and then, little sister, you can help me test it."
"This is what I bought for my niece and nephew."
Yun Er hadn’t actually noticed before, but now seeing the large bag Xiaoxiao handed him, bulging and mysterious, he wondered what could be inside?
"Did you buy them clothes?"
"I haven’t seen them in over a year and don’t know how much they’ve grown. I didn’t buy them any coats, but I got them each a cashmere sweater – it’s warm."
It’s usually buying yarn and knitting for the kids.
Not only did the three kids get something, but the couple did too. His was gray, his wife’s was red, both daughters had red ones, and the son had a blue one.
All proper and unassuming.
Mrs. Zhao also noticed, these cashmere sweaters weren’t cheap.