The only drawback was that the shop was too popular, so there was often a line.
Xu Han had studied how to make rice noodle rolls. In the most traditional method, regular rice had to be soaked in water for an hour, then ground into rice milk with a stone mill. The rice noodle rolls steamed from that batter were far chewier than ones made from rice flour mixed with water.
Grandma Qiao helped grind the batter because she... was delicate and weak, completely unable to turn the stone mill herself.
Xu Han minced the lean pork, chopped the scallions, and prepared the dipping sauce for the rice noodle rolls.
In truth, whether rice noodle rolls tasted good depended entirely on the rice batter and the sauce.
The batter could not be too thin or too thick. Too much water meant it would not set properly, while too little would make it hard. A suitable amount of wheat starch and sweet potato starch also had to be added, making the finished rolls springy, tender, and smooth.
The sauce, meanwhile, varied according to taste. Xu Han made it according to the flavor of the shop outside her school, since that was the taste she remembered.
She heated peanut oil in a wok, then stir-fried minced garlic and shallots until fragrant. After adding a handful of tiny shrimp and frying them until aromatic, she poured in a sauce mixed in proper proportions from light soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, sugar, water, and more. She brought it to a boil over high heat, then thickened it with a little starch slurry. The resulting sauce was rich, savory, and intensely flavorful.
She poured the sauce over the rice noodle rolls steamed with rice batter, minced meat, chicken broth, and lettuce leaves. If someone liked spicy food, they could drizzle on a spoonful of chili oil, adding more layers to the flavor. The slight heat was especially appetite-whetting.
Unfortunately, Xu Han could barely eat spicy food now. Anything she ate would pass to the baby through her milk, and spicy food could make the baby overheated or constipated. She could only add a spoonful of fragrant scallion oil instead, but it still tasted wonderful.
"Grandma, try it and see if it's good." Xu Han handed her the chopsticks.
Grandma Qiao took a bite, narrowed her eyes in pleasure, and gave her a thumbs-up. "Delicious."
Grandma Qiao said everything Xu Han made was delicious. Last time, Xu Han had accidentally burned a dish, yet Grandma Qiao had eaten it without changing expression. Xu Han no longer trusted her sense of taste. Just as she decided to try it herself, someone knocked at the door.
A guest had arrived.
Xu Han assumed it was a neighbor and did not think much of it. Holding her plate, she ate as she walked outside to see who it was.
Their courtyard gate was open, and the moment Xu Han stepped out of the kitchen, she saw the person standing at the entrance.
Both times Gu Yanqing had come, Xu Han had emerged from the kitchen. The last time, she had been carrying a knife. This time, she was carrying a plate...
The key was that a beauty was still a beauty. Even carrying a plate and chopsticks to greet a guest did not make her seem improper in the slightest. On the contrary, when Gu Yanqing saw the neatly arranged rice noodle rolls on her plate, he inexplicably felt a little hungry.
Xu Han had a great talent for cooking. She had never made rice noodle rolls before, yet the ones she made looked no worse than those sold outside—perhaps even more appetizing.
Gu Yanqing suddenly felt his mouth watering. He shifted his gaze away slightly and asked, "Eating?"
Perhaps because Wang Xiao had angered her last time, and he was afraid she would be unhappy to see him, Gu Yanqing had come alone this time.
Strictly speaking, Xu Han had no real grudge against him. If Wang Xiao had not treated her that way that day, she would have been polite to Gu Yanqing as well. They were all adults; they could resolve things calmly. Why did they have to be so confrontational?
Xu Han did not want them disturbing her current life over and over again, so she decided to settle everything this time. Her attitude was fairly good as she nodded, then lifted her plate toward him and asked without much sincerity, "Want to eat together?"
Who knew Gu Yanqing would nod and say, "I happen to be a little hungry."
Xu Han: ???
Why was this plot different from what she had imagined?
Shouldn't Gu Yanqing have looked disgusted, said he would not eat, and left as soon as she finished speaking? He should have even thought the floor in her house was dirty!
She was not slandering Gu Yanqing. That was exactly how it was written in the book!
Later, when Qiao Wanqing fell ill and finally reunited with Gu Yanqing, he had not even wanted to look at her. He had only found the woman utterly disgusting, feeling that even saying another word to her would dirty his mouth.
And now, he actually wanted to eat food she had made.
But the words were already out, and Xu Han could not take them back. She could only let Gu Yanqing enter and sit down while she turned and went into the kitchen.
When she carried the rice noodle rolls into the living room, she saw Gu Yanqing standing beside Koukou's little bed, staring at his sleeping face.
Xu Han had deliberately let Gu Yanqing enter the living room by himself. She wanted him to see this son who had appeared out of nowhere and calm down a little.
After all, when she had suddenly gained a son out of thin air, she had been anything but calm.
Koukou had been raised well. He was fair and chubby, like a little glutinous rice ball. He liked to pout his tiny mouth in his sleep, looking especially adorable. Whenever Xu Han saw his cute sleeping face, she could not resist kissing him.
She wondered how Gu Yanqing felt upon seeing that he had such an adorable son.
Yet Xu Han could not detect the slightest crack in Gu Yanqing's expressionless face, so she had no idea what he was thinking.
"What's his name?"
Noticing Xu Han come in, Gu Yanqing asked in an even voice.
This was Gu Yanqing's first time seeing the son he had never met. At almost a single glance, he was certain the child was his. There was no other reason: Koukou looked very much like him, especially his nose and lips, as though they had been carved from the same mold.
Xu Han said calmly, "Gu Siqiao. Gu, the same surname as yours. Si, from longing. Qiao, from Qiao Wanqing's name."
Gu Yanqing: "..."
Seeing the obvious change in his composed expression, Xu Han secretly laughed.
The original owner had chosen that name. It was shameless and embarrassing, every character overflowing with the obsessive fantasies of a lovesick woman for a man she could not have.
She simply wanted to see Gu Yanqing's reaction when he heard the name.
Gu Yanqing's expression remained ugly for a long while. In the end, he decided to ignore the subject and said instead, "He's quite cute."