Which place was it? Was it really delicious, or were people just saying that?
It was only Fried Rice Noodles. How good could it possibly be? I didn't believe it!
The pretty lady wasn't lying. The Fried Rice Noodles from this place were really delicious! I never used to eat Fried Rice Noodles, but now I craved that taste every moment!
Fang Ya browsed through the comments. They did not look like advertisements; they seemed quite genuine.
So she commented: Was it really that delicious? Don't lie to me.
Less than two minutes later, the Douyin account owner excitedly replied to her comment.
Wow!! Is this the real Fang Ya?! The food blogger with ten million followers!!
What an honor!! Throwing flowers!!
I watch your videos all the time!!
It's absolutely true!! That Fried Rice Noodles stall is incredibly delicious!! It's in a narrow alley in Changlin Road University Town!!
The stall owner is handsome and young!! Go at seven in the evening—the one with the longest line is definitely his!!
It was the first time a major influencer had commented, so the account owner could not help but get excited and sent many replies.
Fang Ya did not respond. After leaving a like, she quietly noted down the address. When she had time, she would make a trip to University Town and see just how delicious the Fried Rice Noodles everyone praised really were.
Morning.
Lu Qin got up at five. The little one was still sleeping soundly in her room, hugging her teddy bear.
After washing his face and brushing his teeth, Lu Qin went out into the courtyard, unplugged the three-wheeler charger, and tucked it beneath the seat cushion.
Then he rode out to buy ingredients.
Before going to sleep last night, Lu Qin had used his system points for a lottery draw.
Using his points, he drew six times.
The rewards were decent: several dozen mint candies, a tube of children's toothpaste, and the Master Three-Wheeled Vehicle Driving Technique.
The children's toothpaste from the system lottery was no ordinary toothpaste. When used by children under ten, it could truly prevent cavities and clean their mouths effectively.
It was perfect for the little one.
The moment Lu Qin mounted his three-wheeler food cart after acquiring the Master Three-Wheeled Vehicle Driving Technique, his muscles and nerves developed an incomparably practiced feeling.
Now, he could pass the second driving test with his eyes closed while driving a three-wheeler. He could even drift into a parking space.
Not only that, Lu Qin discovered that while riding the three-wheeler, his hearing and vision became sharper. He could accurately judge the road conditions around him and avoid accidents.
Lu Qin twisted the throttle, and the three-wheeler started up.
With a beautiful U-turn, the three-wheeler food cart shot quickly out of the courtyard gate.
At the farmers' market, Lu Qin bought enough ingredients for Fried Rice Noodles—cabbage, bean sprouts, ham, and more.
The vegetables had to be fresh that day. Given how popular Lu Qin's stall had become, the various ingredients generally would not be left over for the next day.
He could buy enough ham for three days at once, but the lean pork also had to be fresh that day.
Lu Qin also bought ten jin of old rock sugar to make Mung Bean Paste.
Today, he would be adding a new item to his stall—Ice Crystal Cake.
Ice Crystal Cake was an exquisite pastry that took considerable time and effort to make, so Lu Qin did not plan to make much of it.
He would limit purchases. On one hand, it would draw in customers; on the other, it would enrich the variety of food available.
Lu Qin wandered around the farmers' market for half an hour before finally stopping in front of a rice and flour shop.
"Boss, is this Japonica Rice from Lingu?"
Lu Qin grabbed a small handful of Japonica Rice from a woven sack, rubbed it between his fingers, and asked.
"Young man, not bad. You can tell it's Japonica Rice from Lingu?"
"It's rounder and more translucent than Japonica Rice from other places, and it's flatter too."
"You know your stuff."
"How much per jin?"
"Five yuan thirty."
"Give me ten jin."
"Sure thing."
"Do you have Glutinous Rice?"
"Of course. The one on the left is five sixty, and the one on the right is six forty. Which kind do you want, young man?"
"Is the one on the left Glutinous Rice from Xingyang?"
"Authentic Xingyang Glutinous Rice. If it's fake, I'll compensate you tenfold."
"Weigh out sixty jin."
"Okay."
Lu Qin scanned the code to pay. Carrying the bags of rice, he looked up and memorized the shop's location.
"Boss, I'm off. Give me a better price next time I come."
"Sure. Take care, young man."
Choosing the ingredients was extremely important if he wanted to make authentic, delicious Ice Crystal Cake.
Different soil and water produced different rice.
The Japonica Rice and Glutinous Rice best suited for making Ice Crystal Cake came from Lingu and Xingyang, two neighboring small counties in the north.
When making traditional Chinese pastries, the ingredients had to be processed by hand.
Those Western-style methods that relied on modern machines to grind rice and flour into powder would greatly compromise the texture of the pastries.
Anyone who tasted them carefully could tell.
After asking around, Lu Qin bought a small millstone from the home of an eighty-year-old woman. It was twelve inches across and could grind five or six jin of rice at a time.
The small millstone had been gathering dust in the old woman's storage room, and Lu Qin bought it for thirty yuan.
Lu Qin also bought a steamer for steamed buns, peanut oil, honey, charcoal, molds, and other necessities for making Ice Crystal Cake.
The honey had to be Osmanthus Honey, and the peanut oil had to be pressed in a local workshop. Commercial peanut oil would not do.
After shopping for nearly an hour and a half, Lu Qin had spent more than six hundred yuan on all sorts of ingredients and tools.
The three-wheeler food cart was loaded with goods as he rode toward the south side of the city.
When he reached the residential complex,
Uncle Ge and several neighbors seemed to be waiting for Lu Qin.
When Uncle Ge saw the three-wheeler food cart, he beamed and said,
"Little Lu, you're back from buying groceries? It's the weekend today. Are you still going to set up your breakfast stall near Sunshine Elementary School?"
Lu Qin slowed down and replied, "I am. The students may not have school, but there are several residential complexes near the elementary school, so there'll still be business."
"That's great. We'll come by later for your Fried Rice Noodles and Mung Bean Paste."
"Sure."
"Boss Lu, why are your Fried Rice Noodles so delicious? They aren't greasy at all. After one bite, I immediately want another!"
"My daughter-in-law hasn't had much appetite lately and hasn't eaten breakfast for several days. Sigh, but yesterday, after eating your Fried Rice Noodles, she nearly bit through her chopsticks! She wants them again today!"
"My Xiao Huzi too. He has to eat your Fried Rice Noodles today!"
"What time will you be opening, Boss Lu? We'll come right on time."
"About two hours from now. I need to do some preparations first."
"Okay, we'll be waiting for you!"
When Lu Qin returned home, the little one was still asleep. Since it was the weekend, he let her sleep in a little longer.
He began preparing the ingredients for the stall.
For the Fried Rice Noodles, he only needed to soak the rice noodles and drain them.
Chopping up the vegetables and meat and putting them into baskets was simple as well.
While the Mung Bean Paste simmered, Lu Qin began preparing to make Ice Crystal Cake.
Making Ice Crystal Cake! Lu Xiyao Spends the Weekend with Grandpa and Grandma!
Lu Qin began making Ice Crystal Cake.
First, he washed the Glutinous Rice and Japonica Rice clean, then used the small millstone to grind them separately into flour.
The ratio of Japonica Rice to Glutinous Rice was three to seven. Then he added boiled water, white sugar, and various other complex ingredients, mixed them into a thick paste, and kneaded it into dough.
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