"Mama..."
Chenchen was just about to say more.
Su Zhu didn't have the patience to listen to her chatter. She quickly changed clothes and picked her up to head out.
"Mama, mama, listen to me!"
"I haven't finished yet."
"Tell me, do you like Uncle Ouyang Yunjian or not?"
As they stepped into the courtyard, Su Zhu put Chenchen down and gave her a light pat on the butt.
"You talk too much. Go brush your teeth and wash your face!"
Soon, a sweet and childish voice echoed by the sink next to the wall:
"Two little friends,"
"Hands behind our backs,"
"You carry me,"
"I carry you,"
"Here come two big crabs..."
Su Zhu looked affectionately at Chenchen, who was washing her hands seriously while singing a hand-washing song, then turned and walked toward the noodle shop. She had to heat up the milk for Chenchen.
With Zhao Bing and Wu Xianming helping, Su Zhu was finally freed up.
She took a moment to check the front hall — it was still packed with customers.
Outside the door, a queue more than ten meters long had already formed. Many people were holding food containers, some even large insulated buckets.
And it was still not even 7:30 a.m.!
Among the waiting crowd, the most eye-catching figure was a middle-aged man in a blue T-shirt and flip-flops, carrying a large white bucket nearly half a meter in diameter.
Someone next to him pointed at the bucket and asked,
"Bro, what's that for?"
"Ah, I've got a big family, seven or eight mouths to feed. I had no choice but to bring a bucket!" the middle-aged man explained.
"Damn, that's bold!"
"Shoot, why didn't I think of that? I've got an even bigger one at home. I'll bring it tomorrow!"
"Impressive, really. I thought I was shameless bringing my oversized insulated bucket — but you've taken it to another level!"
"That won't do. That bucket holds at least ten bowls of noodles. If you take them all, what's left for the rest of us?"
"What can I do?" the middle-aged man said helplessly. "We've got old folks and little kids. I can't have them lining up with crutches and strollers, can I?"
"True that. It's just that the noodles here are too good!"
"Yeah, I ate two bowls yesterday. Thought I could hold off for a couple of days. But the moment I woke up, I was already lining up again. Sigh, I think I'm addicted to these noodles!"
"My wife never used to eat noodles. This morning, she forced me to come get some Hand-pulled Noodles for her. Just while I've been standing in this line, she's already called five times to ask if I've bought them yet!"
The guy talking casually glanced back and jumped,
"Whoa! There were hardly any people behind us just now. How did it suddenly get so crowded? Were they Photoshopped in?"
"Eh, this is nothing. Just wait until noon. That's when it really gets crazy!"
"Bro, I'm in line ahead of you. I'm going to grab a pack of smokes — save my spot, alright?"
"No problem. Grab me a bottle of water while you're at it!"
"There's a hardware store nearby. I'll go buy a lock."
"My daughter loves tofu pudding. I'll go grab a portion for her."
"I'm starving. Bro, hold my place — get me a fried dough stick so I can eat something first!"
...
What Su Zhu didn't expect was that the booming business of her noodle shop had actually driven up sales for the rest of the street. Many people came for noodles and ended up buying things from other nearby shops.
At 8:00 a.m., in the backyard, Su Zhu placed a large plate of steamed buns on the table along with a cup of hot milk.
She tested the temperature of the steamed buns, then picked one up and placed it on the plate in front of Chenchen.
"Here, give it a try."
Chenchen picked up the steamed bun and took a small bite.
Immediately, her eyes widened, and she shoved the whole bun into her mouth.
Startled, Su Zhu rushed to pat her back, afraid she would choke.
"Eat slower, slower! No one's stealing from you. Spit it out if you're choking..."
Chenchen completely ignored her. With just a few chews and a stretch of her neck, she swallowed the steamed bun.
Su Zhu quickly handed her the milk.
"Drink some milk! You little goblin, are you starving to death?"
With the straw still in her mouth, Chenchen reached for another steamed bun. But Su Zhu moved the plate away.
"If you keep wolfing them down like that, you won't get any more!"
Chenchen, flustered, jumped up to grab it.
"Mama, mama, I promise I'll eat slowly, I will, I swear..."
This time, Su Zhu didn't dare give her a whole steamed bun. She tore one in half and placed both pieces on the plate.
Chenchen popped each half into her mouth one after another.
"Mama, it's so good, it's absolutely amazing!"
"Mama, you're incredible!"
"Mama, you're just like Ultraman!"
...
Even while eating steamed buns, Chenchen's mouth didn't stop showering Su Zhu with praise.
And the steamed buns really were delicious. Su Zhu had just tried two earlier and almost couldn't stop herself from eating the whole plate.
The skins of the steamed buns were handmade with high-gluten flour.
The filling was a mix of shrimp, marbled beef, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and baby bok choy, all stirred together with olive oil. The seasoning was simple: fine salt and oyster sauce.
The olive oil did more than add flavor — it also locked in moisture, preventing the filling from drying out during heating.
Its third function was to act as a barrier between the filling and the dough, keeping the skin from getting soggy and helping it retain its chewy texture.
Chenchen ate five in a row and still wanted more, but Su Zhu stopped her.
Even though the buns were small, Chenchen was just over three years old — eating too many could upset her stomach.
"Mama, just one more!"
"Just one more, okay?"
"Please, Mama!"
Chenchen hugged Su Zhu's arm and swung it around playfully.
Finally, Su Zhu gave in.
"Just one last one, okay? Only if you agree. If not, then forget it!"
"Okay, okay, okay..." Chenchen's eyes sparkled as she nodded like a pecking chick.
"Then praise Mama one more time," Su Zhu teased her.
Chenchen had been babbling compliments non-stop earlier. Su Zhu was curious if she had any more to say.
"Mama, you're really super, super amazing! I think Uncle Ouyang Yunjian is the only one in this world good enough to be your husband!"
"Mama, Uncle Ouyang Yunjian..."
"Don't talk, eat your steamed buns!" Su Zhu quickly stuffed a steamed bun into her mouth, cutting her off before she could say more.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]