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 opened fish.

With the vibration of the tapping, fish bones were quickly shaken loose from the flesh. Then, the large knife was replaced by a smaller one, slicing up and down. Zhao Ke gave a slight flick, and the intact fish bones separated from the meat, not a single bone left behind.

"Beautiful!"

The four diners at the table, witnessing the divine knife skills before them, couldn't help but widen their eyes, even holding their breath. But faced with the spectacular deboning process, they couldn't refrain from praising.

Zhao Ke nodded with a smile and retrieved a large, pinkish intestine from the water.

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

"Intestines!"

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

Those who could spare the time to travel 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 the finest ingredients prepared into gourmet dishes. Seeing offal like intestines, their first reaction was greasiness, fishiness, and being unrefined.

Someone opened their mouth, wanting to ask if they could substitute it with another dish. But before the question could be asked, Zhao Ke wiped his hand over the intestine, coated it with breadcrumbs, and casually tossed it into the hot oil.

"Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle..."

A plume of smoke erupted from the wok, accompanied by a faint fruity aroma. Sniffing carefully, they detected a hint of plum in the scent, making their mouths water and their appetites soar.

When the breadcrumbs on the intestine turned a golden brown, Zhao Ke quickly scooped it out, replaced the oil in the wok, and fried it again.

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

But the intestine in Zhao Ke's hands only became brighter with each fry.

After the third thorough frying, Zhao Ke removed the intestine, took a brand-new cleaver from the cabinet, and gently sliced it.

"Whoosh..."

A burst of wine aroma filled the air. Slicing open the intestine revealed not greasy fat, but translucent, scarlet fish meat. A ruby-colored broth dripped from the cut onto the plate, emitting 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 skin, the large intestine on the plate looked more like an exquisite work of art.

If they hadn't witnessed Zhao Ke prepare the dish from start to finish, they would never have believed that this dish was made from intestines.

"Red Wine Intestines, please enjoy."

Serving the plate, the four diners no longer cared what ingredient the dish was made from. They eagerly put it into their mouths. "Crunch, crunch, crunch..." First came a crisp, satisfying crackle, followed by a soft, delicious texture and the aroma of meat, mixed with a strong wine fragrance. But upon closer tasting, 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 pig intestines could be prepared like this."

One diner couldn't help but exclaim. Despite having eaten at Michelin three-star restaurants, they 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.

"I see. I thought the price here was a bit steep before, but now... it's worth every penny."

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 experience, a feast for both the eyes and the palate.

Zhao Ke's Red Wine Intestines, with their explosion of flavors at different levels, were not only amazing but also a feast for the tongue, like participating in a grand celebration, making them feel utterly joyful.

The banquet, as usual, lasted until three in the morning. The four diners left with satisfied expressions, each full of vigor, wishing they could go home immediately and find a partner for a "three hundred rounds."

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

Once converted into the Post Album, these ingredients would be frozen in time, never to rot or spoil. This was a function a refrigerator couldn't offer.

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 eyebrows twitched, and he thought, "Old Zhang is here."

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

As mentioned before, Zhao Ke had a farmer who delivered vegetables. He came at this time every day.

However, due to the heavy rain a few days ago, the farmer who delivered vegetables daily hadn't come for several days. Today, with the weather clearing up, he still arrived at the usual time, which was 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, those were not factors he considered.

"Ring, ring, ring..."

Shortly after, the bell hanging on the door rang, and a loud voice was heard: "Hello, I'm here to deliver the vegetables."

"You? Where's Old Zhang?"

Zhao Ke looked over. The young man standing at the door was about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, looking somewhat similar to Old Zhang. He stood at the entrance, not stepping inside.

Hearing Zhao Ke ask about Old Zhang, the youth's expression instantly turned somber, 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 clearly. So... the hit-and-run driver is still at large."

As he spoke, the youth took out a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. The paper was so creased it was unrecognizable, and it was stained with blood.

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

Zhao Ke took the note and looked at it. It was indeed the menu he had written for Old Zhang earlier. He felt a pang of sadness.

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.

He glanced back at the young man, whose face was already streaked with tears, and nodded. "Are you going to deliver the dishes from now on?"

"Yes, I will. I promise to deliver them on time every day. You can trust my family's dishes; 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, making the young man blush with embarrassment. It was the first time he had woken up so early to deliver the dishes, and he was afraid of being late, so he hadn't even had breakfast.

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

"Okay!"

Zhang Lei was young and nimble. He carried the baskets of vegetables into the back kitchen, arranging them neatly. After he finished, he came out and was immediately hit by a delicious aroma, which made his stomach growl even louder.

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

"Drip, drip, drip..."

Zhao Ke was cooking noodles in a pot. He casually made two soft-boiled eggs and placed them in a bowl, adding a sprinkle of chopped scallions, a spoonful of soy sauce, a spoonful of white vinegar, and some other seasonings. Once the noodles were cooked, he scooped them and the broth into the bowl.

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

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

Clutching the bowl of noodles, he shoveled them into his mouth, tears and snot running down his face without him bothering to wipe them.

He couldn't taste anything at that moment, but he knew this was the most heartwarming bowl of noodles he had ever eaten in his life.

The next day at noon, Zhao Ke woke up from his sleep. Lying in the dark coffin, he 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 text appeared before Zhao Ke: "The next package will arrive tonight. Please be ready to receive it."