A Bowl of Noodles

"Bang, bang, bang..."

The blade made a crisp yet rhythmic sound on the cutting board, the brand-new kitchen knife lightly tapping along the cut fish.

With the vibration of the tapping, one by one, fish bones were quickly shaken out from under the fish meat. Then, the large knife was replaced by a smaller one, slicing up and down. Zhao Ke gave a light flick, and the complete fish bone separated from the fish meat, not a single bone missing.

"Beautiful!"

The four diners at the table, looking at the divine knife skills before them, couldn't help but widen their eyes, even holding their breath. But facing the spectacular deboning process, they couldn't help but praise him.

Zhao Ke nodded with a smile and retrieved a pink large intestine from the soaking water.

He quickly sliced it, seasoned it with a secret sauce, and stuffed the fish meat, mixed with red wine, into the pink large intestine.

"Intestines!"

Although they marveled at Zhao Ke's incredible knife skills, seeing the large intestine he produced, their brows couldn't help but show a hint of disgust.

Those who could find the leisure to rush from the city to the suburbs and spend a considerable sum for a meal were naturally not ordinary people; they were either rich or noble.

They were accustomed to top-tier ingredients prepared into delicacies. Seeing offal like large intestines, their first reaction was greasiness, fishiness, and being unrefined.

Someone opened their mouth, intending to ask if they could switch to another dish. But before the words could come out, Zhao Ke wiped his hand over the large intestine, coated it with breadcrumbs, and casually tossed the intestine into the hot oil.

"Sizzle, sizzle..."

A wisp of smoke erupted from the oil pan, accompanied by a faint fruity aroma. Sniffing carefully, the scent seemed to carry a hint of plum, making one's mouth water and appetite soar.

When the breadcrumbs on the large intestine turned golden brown, Zhao Ke quickly scooped it out, changed the oil, and fried it again.

He fried it three times in total. For any other dish, it would have been fried black and burnt by now.

But the large intestine in Zhao Ke's hand only became brighter with each frying.

After the third fry, Zhao Ke took the intestine out, fetched a brand-new cleaver from the cupboard, and gently sliced it.

"Hoo..."

A wave of wine aroma wafted out. The cut intestine revealed not greasy fat, but translucent, crimson fish meat. A gem-colored broth dripped from the cut, pooling on the plate, exuding a rich wine fragrance.

Wiping away the irregular red juice from the edge of the plate, Zhao Ke gently placed a mint leaf on the plate as a garnish. Paired with the golden-brown exterior, the large intestine on the plate looked more like an exquisite work of art.

If they hadn't witnessed Zhao Ke prepare the entire dish with their own eyes, they would never have believed that this dish was made from a large intestine.

"Red Wine Intestine, please enjoy."

Serving the dish, the four diners before him could no longer care about what ingredient this dish was made from. They eagerly put it into their mouths, "Crunch, crunch, crunch..." First, a crisp and satisfying crunch, followed by the tender and delicious meat, and a strong wine aroma. But tasting carefully, besides the wine and meat, there was another flavor: plum.

Layers of texture exploded on their taste buds, making it utterly irresistible.

"This is the first time I've known that pig intestines could be prepared like this."

One diner couldn't help but exclaim. Having eaten at three-Michelin-star restaurants, he had never tasted such a delicious dish.

"It's bear intestine."

Zhao Ke gently wiped the oil off the blade with a damp cloth, correcting the other person's mistake.

"So that's it. I thought the price here was a bit steep before, but now... it's well worth it."

Hearing Zhao Ke's explanation, the four diners suddenly understood, but they were too lazy to inquire about the origin of the bear intestine.

For them, this banquet was more enjoyable than any they had attended before. It wasn't just a gathering; it was an enjoyment, a feast for the eyes and the palate.

Zhao Ke's Red Wine Intestine, with its multi-layered explosion of flavors, was not only astonishing but also a banquet for the taste buds, as if they were participating in a grand celebration, making their entire mood cheerful.

The banquet, as usual, lasted until three in the morning. The four diners left with satisfied expressions, each feeling invigorated, wishing they could immediately find a partner for a passionate night upon returning home.

After clearing the table and taking stock of the remaining ingredients, the fresh ingredients purchased today should only be stored for three days. But with the Post Album, it was different.

Once converted into the Post Album, these ingredients were completely frozen within it, never to rot or spoil – a function a refrigerator didn't have.

After tidying up, Zhao Ke lay on a chair, took out a silver cigarette case from his pocket, and placed a cigarette under his nose to sniff it gently.

Just then, Zhao Ke heard the sound of a three-wheeled vehicle outside. His brow twitched, and he thought, "It's Old Zhang."

Glancing at the time, it was already four in the morning. As expected, it was this hour.

As mentioned before, Zhao Ke had a vegetable farmer responsible for delivering produce, who always came at this time every day.

However, there had been heavy rain a few days ago, and the vegetable farmer who delivered vegetables daily hadn't come for several days. Today, with the clear weather, he still arrived at the usual time, which was quite punctual.

But Zhao Ke had already decided to cancel all future orders from Old Zhang.

Perhaps the heavy rain was the reason Old Zhang couldn't come these past few days, but for Zhao Ke, these were not factors he considered.

"Jingle bells..."

A moment later, the bell hanging on the door rang, and a loud voice was heard, "Hello, I'm here to deliver vegetables."

"You? Where's Old Zhang?"

Zhao Ke looked over and saw a young man standing at the door, probably around twenty-three or twenty-four years old. He looked somewhat similar to Old Zhang and stood at the entrance, not stepping inside.

Upon hearing Zhao Ke ask about Old Zhang, the youth's expression instantly dimmed, and his eyes became a little moist. "Four nights ago, during the heavy rain, my dad was pushing his cart to deliver vegetables when he was hit by a large truck. Because the rain was so heavy, the surveillance cameras couldn't capture the license plate number, so... the driver who caused the accident is still at large."

As he spoke, the youth took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, stained with blood.

"This is the dish my father asked me to deliver here before he passed away. He also asked me to apologize, as he won't be able to come anymore."

Zhao Ke took the note and saw it was the menu he had previously given to Old Zhang. A pang of sadness hit him.

They had known each other for quite some time, and Zhao Ke had a good impression of Old Zhang. He hadn't expected him to be gone so soon.

Glancing back at the young man whose face was already streaked with tears, Zhao Ke nodded and asked, "Will you be delivering the dishes from now on?"

"Yes, I will. I promise to deliver them on time every day. You can trust my family's produce; we'll never send anything subpar," the young man assured Zhao Ke, patting his chest.

However, as soon as he finished speaking, his stomach rumbled uncontrollably, causing the young man's face to flush with embarrassment. It was his first time getting up so early to deliver the dishes, and he was afraid of being late, so he hadn't even eaten breakfast.

Zhao Ke looked at the blood-stained note in his hand, asked for the young man's name, and upon learning it was Zhang Lei, nodded and told him to bring the dishes in.

"Okay!"

Zhang Lei was young and quick. He neatly placed the baskets of vegetables into the kitchen one by one. After he finished his work and came out, he smelled a delicious aroma, making his stomach growl even louder.

Zhao Ke waved his hand, signaling Zhang Lei to sit down.

"Drip, drip, drip..."

A pot of noodles was boiling. Zhao Ke casually made two soft-boiled eggs, placing them in a bowl with a sprinkle of chopped scallions, a spoonful of soy sauce, a spoonful of white vinegar, and some seasonings. Once the noodles were cooked, he served them with the broth in the bowl.

"It's dark and cold, and you shouldn't go hungry."

Looking at the bowl of noodles handed to him, a familiar phrase brought tears to Zhang Lei's eyes, and he couldn't help but sob.

Clutching the bowl of noodles, he shoveled them into his mouth, tears and snot mingling. He didn't bother to wipe them away.

He couldn't taste anything, but he knew this was the most heartwarming bowl of noodles he had ever eaten.

The next day at noon, Zhao Ke woke up from his sleep. Lying in the dark coffin, Zhao Ke reached out and summoned the Post Album, flipping to the exchange list on the last page.

As the page opened, a line of fresh red characters appeared before Zhao Ke: "The next package will arrive after tonight. Please be ready to receive it."