Chapter 494 - 234: When Doing Something Bad...

Chapter 494: Chapter 234: When Doing Something Bad...

"Absolutely perfect!"

As he spoke, Wang Hongliang’s voice was tinged with excitement.

As a great Chef whose career was sidetracked by his duties as a director, he had always been very confident in his cooking skills, even feeling he was on par with Xiao Lei.

But the Salted Burnt White Zhou Yan made today had completely conquered him.

With steamed dishes, there usually isn’t much of a skill gap between ordinary Chefs. As long as they get the timing right, it’s hard for one to truly stand out.

But a truly incredible Chef can achieve perfection in their Knife Skills, Fire Control, and seasoning, creating a significant gap between them and the average cook.

Wang Hongliang even felt that Zhou Yan’s Salted Burnt White was a cut above what Xiao Lei could make.

"I’ll try the pickled mustard now." Wang Hongliang picked some up with his chopsticks. Having soaked up the rich meat drippings, the pickled mustard glistened with oil. As he chewed, it made a crisp, crackling sound.

"This is authentic Yibin pickled mustard—crisp, refreshing, with a sweet aftertaste. It cuts through the grease and makes your mouth water. Savory and fragrant with a hint of lingering sweetness, and it’s soaked up all those meat drippings. So aromatic! It’s absolutely perfect with rice!"

"Fellow workers, I’m not just messing with you. In my humble opinion, this Salted Burnt White is an absolute must-try. If you order it and don’t like it, just bring your plate over to me for a full refund. Of course, I’ll have to take the meat to go, haha."

Wang Hongliang said with a laugh, his tone light and cheerful.

Hearing this, the workers in the restaurant all broke into laughter.

Lin Zhiqiang couldn’t resist any longer. He picked up a piece of meat, wrapped it in a bit of pickled mustard, and popped it into his mouth. His eyes instantly lit up.

’So fragrant!’

’This is the taste I remember!’

’The crisp pickled mustard with the soft, tender pork... this one bite was simply intoxicating.’

The tender, finely shredded Yibin pickled mustard, with its savory flavor and sweet finish, was the very soul of the dish. It was a match made in heaven with the pork belly, creating this supremely delicious Salted Burnt White.

’It’s back!’

’That familiar taste is back!’

’*This* is what Salted Burnt White is supposed to taste like!’

’The stuff they serve in the factory cafeteria doesn’t even deserve to be called Salted Burnt White. It’s a complete mess.’

Lin Zhiqiang knew everyone was waiting for their verdict, so he spoke up as well. "It’s no exaggeration to say that this is the best Salted Burnt White I’ve had since I came to Sichuan. Bar none."

Everyone was surprised to hear this; they hadn’t expected Director Lin to give it such high praise.

"Boss, we’d like an order of Salted Burnt White over here!"

"Mrs. Zhao, we’ll have one too!"

Some were still hesitating, but others were already scrambling to place their orders.

"You got it!"

"Coming right up!"

"We’ve only got nine orders of Salted Burnt White today, so if you don’t get one, you’ll have to wait ’til tomorrow," Mrs. Zhao called out with a smile, letting everyone know the score.

"Only nine orders!"

The customers who had been hesitating immediately started ordering.

Once she had nine orders, Mrs. Zhao took the item off the menu board. "Alright, the Salted Burnt White is sold out!" she announced with a smile. "If you want some, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow. I’ll have Zhou Yan make more so that hopefully, everyone can get a taste."

"Aww—"

A wave of sighs and groans swept through the restaurant, both inside and out.

’Does Salted Burnt White really have this much of a draw?’ Xia Yao wondered, surprised.

She’d never ordered it at a restaurant because it always looked too fatty, and she’d never been to one of the outdoor banquets in the Sichuan and Chongqing area. Her entire understanding of the dish was limited to Deng Hong’s fanatical love for it.

Deng Hong was absolutely obsessed with Salted Burnt White and Sweet Burnt White. Every time she went back to her hometown for a banquet, she would return and vividly describe how delicious the traditional "Nine Big Bowls" were, with a special emphasis on her beloved Salted and Sweet Burnt White.

But today’s Salted Burnt White looked a little different. It had a reddish, glistening color, like amber. It seemed less greasy and looked quite tempting.

After a moment’s hesitation, she picked up a piece with her chopsticks, placed it in her bowl, and took a small bite.

Mmm—

’This flavor!’

’It was completely different from what she’d imagined.’

The glistening pork belly was rich but not greasy, with a unique aroma that had to be from the finely chopped pickled mustard in the dish.

There was an Yibin Rice Noodles shop behind her school’s back gate that her dorm mates frequented. They all loved the crisp pickled mustard in the noodles; it was the soul of the dish.

Paired with the pork belly, it truly was a match made in heaven.

In that moment, she suddenly understood why Deng Hong was so fond of it.

’It was truly worth all the hype!’

’Tonight, I’m going to write a letter to Deng Hong and tell her I just ate the best Salted Burnt White in the entire world.’

’Made by Zhou Yan!’

’Let that little glutton eat her heart out.’

She hadn’t even written the letter yet, but she could already picture Deng Hong tossing and turning in bed, wailing about how torturous it all was. A smile crept onto her lips.

’I’ll write it! I’ll do it during my lunch break!’

When one was up to no good, nothing felt like too much trouble; she was even willing to sacrifice her lunch break.

Wang Wei brought her a bowl of rice. "In Salted Burnt White, the pickled mustard is the finishing touch," she said with a smile. "Ladle a spoonful over a bowl of hot Zhenzi Rice, mixed with the mustard that’s soaked up all that broth. I guarantee it will blow you away."

"I’ll try it." Xia Yao was eager. She took her spoon, ladled some of the pickled mustard over her rice, mixed it in with her chopsticks, and then shoveled a big bite into her mouth.

The drippings from the pickled mustard mingled with the steaming Zhenzi Rice, making it unbelievably fragrant.

Xia Yao’s eyes lit up. She looked up at Wang Wei and said, "This is delicious! It’s not greasy at all like this!"

"Slow down, the pig’s trotters are here." Wang Wei nudged the plate of hot braised pig’s trotters a little closer to Xia Yao. "You pick first," she said with a smile.

The glistening, reddish-brown braised trotter had been split down the middle and laid on the plate. The skin quivered as the plate was moved. It sat in a pool of braising liquid, steam rising from it and carrying its savory aroma through the air.

"I’d say it’s a very fair cut. In that case, I’ll take the half closer to me." Xia Yao picked up her chopsticks, ready to grab it.

"You have to eat pig’s trotters with your hands. Using chopsticks just doesn’t feel right. Watch me." Wang Wei put down her chopsticks, grabbed the other half of the trotter with her hands, and took a big bite. After chewing and swallowing, she said with a grin, "You try it. It’s amazing."