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Tao Yan suddenly felt that he, too, could stop and catch his breath for a while. No one here knew him, and no one would pin all their hopes on him alone. He could slack off, sneak away, and let his mind wander—be an ordinary person who worked diligently but still had hobbies in his spare time. Rather than the workaholic and intelligent machine everyone talked about.

"My name is Tao Yan. Tao as in ceramics, Yan as in a dam. The kind of dam that blocks a river and stores water." After speaking, Tao Yan pointed at Huo Baichuan and continued, "His name is Huo Baichuan. Baichuan from the phrase 'the sea embraces a hundred rivers, and thus possesses great capacity.'"

"Oh! I get it!" The child blinked and pointed at the two of them. "You're the dam, and he's the river. You're responsible for stopping him."

The two men froze at his words and could not help looking at each other. No one had ever explained their names from that angle before.

Having learned the two big brothers' names, the child began introducing himself too. "My name is Big Treasure. My full name is He Baosheng. I'm nine years old this year. I'm in the second grade at Lotus District No. 1 Primary School in Jiangzhou City."

After Big Treasure finished, the other children rushed to introduce themselves as well. "I'm Second Treasure. My full name is Li Baoqi. I'm eight years old this year. I'm in the first grade at Lotus District No. 1 Primary School in Jiangzhou City. I'm a really good student—I'm first in my class."

"I'm Third Treasure..."

"..."

The ten children crowded around Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan, chattering as they finished introducing themselves. Then they eagerly ran into the washroom to wash their hands. The smell of braised pork hocks had made them unbearably hungry.

While the children went to wash their hands, Tao Yan and Huo Baichuan returned to the kitchen. Tao Yan lifted the pork hocks from the pot and placed them on the chopping board. The sauce-red hocks gave off an irresistible aroma, and the air immediately filled with the rich scent of braised meat. Even Huo Baichuan could not help swallowing.

Tao Yan sprinkled a handful of white sesame seeds over the skin, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and thrust them straight into the freshly stewed hock, still steaming hot. He pulled the chopsticks apart without the slightest effort, splitting open the soft, sticky skin to reveal the tendon and lean meat beneath, cooked until tender and falling apart. After two and a half hours of boiling over high heat, the two front pork hocks had become so soft that the meat fell from the bone. The specially prepared sauce had seeped through every layer, giving even the lean meat a beautiful color. At the lightest touch of the chopsticks, a huge piece separated. In an instant, the fragrance of meat burst forth, an indescribably rich scent exploding through the air with the rising steam. It was enough to make anyone's mouth water.

Huo Baichuan's stomach obligingly growled twice. Tao Yan smiled and picked up a piece of hock with skin, tendon, and a bit of lean meat, holding it out before him. "Eat."

Huo Baichuan lowered his head and took the meat from the chopsticks in one bite. In an instant, an indescribable fragrance filled his mouth. The soft yet springy skin, the tendon rendered free of fat and therefore rich without being greasy, and the distinct, tender lean meat came together in layers of texture. The hock had just come out of the pot, still piping hot. The deep fragrance of red-braised sauce mingled with the faint sweetness of the meat, charging through his mouth and making him close his eyes involuntarily as he savored that supreme moment of satisfaction.

Huo Baichuan hissed from the heat and finally swallowed the piece of meat with difficulty. That brief satisfaction only turned into an even stronger appetite. Staring at the two huge pork hocks on the chopping board, he swallowed and said, "When can we eat? Why do I feel even hungrier now?"

Tao Yan pulled the two large bones from the tender hocks and set them on an empty plate prepared earlier. Then he tossed the chopsticks in his hand to Huo Baichuan. "Go wash these."

Huo Baichuan happily trotted off to wash the chopsticks. When he returned, he saw Tao Yan—usually cool, refined, and every inch the elite—wearing an old white apron that had been washed yellow with age. Expressionless, he stood before the chopping board with two large cleavers, thud, thud, thud, chopping the pork hocks.

Huo Baichuan could not help shivering. He grinned as he edged closer. "Let me do it."

Tao Yan said nothing and simply shoved both cleavers into Huo Baichuan's hands. He stepped back two paces and untied his apron. Just as he was about to fold it and put it back in the cupboard, he saw Huo Baichuan standing at the chopping board with a cleaver in each hand, arms held out as he put on airs and asked, "Aren't you going to tie my apron for me?"

Tao Yan could not be bothered with him. "Tie it yourself."

Huo Baichuan gave a disappointed "oh," set down the cleavers, and tied on the apron before lowering his head to chop the meat. Thud, thud, thud. He was clearly much stronger than Tao Yan, and his chopping was louder too. Under Huo Baichuan's efforts, the freshly cooked braised hocks quickly became fragrant minced meat.

The overly tempting aroma lured all the volunteer aunties from the courtyard into the kitchen. They gathered beside Huo Baichuan, craning their necks and taking deep breaths. "This smells way too good!"

"Why do I think it smells even better than Old Li's braised meat?"

Even Aunt Zhao, who had previously criticized Tao Yan for wasting food, fell silent now. Standing before the pot of leftover braising broth, her throat bobbed uncontrollably. "This broth would definitely be delicious poured over rice."

"It would be good with noodles too!" another volunteer auntie chimed in. "I can barely hold myself back."

"When are we eating? I'm starving to death!" The children, who had already washed their hands, stood in a neat row at the kitchen door, stretching their necks as hard as they could to peer inside.

The orphanage had a rule: children were not allowed in the kitchen. They could only stand obediently at the door and plead loudly over and over, "Please serve the food already! Please serve the food already! We're starving to death!"

But Tao Yan was still making Liangpi. He peeled off the cooled Liangpi sheets one by one, placed them on the chopping board, and cut them into long strips. He lifted them with chopsticks and put them into the large bowls prepared in advance. Then he added shredded cucumber and the washed bean sprouts. Tao Yan also noticed several leftover carrots in the kitchen, so he washed and shredded those too, adding a little color.

Cheng Lang had made three kinds of sauce for mixing the Liangpi: one with chili oil, sesame paste, and minced garlic; one without chili oil but with sesame paste; and one without chili oil, sesame paste, or minced garlic, so the children who could not eat spicy food and the volunteer aunties with different tastes could help themselves.