Today's Egg Fried Rice Was a Huge Success!

"God, could you let me feel it~"

"Since neither of us can stop worrying about the other~"

"Even a breeze, a leaf, or the brush of a glance would be enough..."

Humming a cheerful tune, Lin Xiaomeng passed through the little bamboo grove and reached the backyard.

Cluck, cluck, coo, coo...

As soon as she entered the backyard, she noticed the new flock of chickens happily pecking away in the little bamboo grove.

Some were white, some black, red, yellow, or speckled. With all those colors, no two seemed alike.

Lin Xiaomeng had also grown up in the countryside beside Mount Sanqing. She didn't dislike poultry such as chickens, ducks, and geese, but she wasn't particularly fond of them either.

She preferred fluffy pets like kittens and puppies.

"Maybe Zhe has been under too much pressure lately. Keeping some chickens and geese isn't a bad way to unwind."

"Anyway, whatever he does, he must have his reasons."

"As a good employee, I should give him plenty of support."

Muttering to herself, Lin Xiaomeng crossed the backyard, reached the makeshift kitchen, and pushed the door open.

Lin Zhe had already scooped the rice out of the rice cooker and left it to cool. The cooled grains stayed separate, making for tastier fried rice.

The other ingredients were simple: garlic scapes, a carrot, and a sausage. They wouldn't take long to prepare.

Chop, chop, chop! Chop, chop, chop!

Lin Xiaomeng had started cooking for her bedridden grandmother when she was eight. With over a decade of experience, she was an old hand, and her knife work was as lovely as she was.

In less than five minutes, Lin Xiaomeng had diced the garlic scapes and carrot and placed them in a stainless steel bowl set aside for the purpose.

"Next, crack the eggs. These must be the new eggs Zhe mentioned, right?"

Lin Xiaomeng saw four clean-looking eggs neatly arranged in a plastic container in front of the cutting board.

She picked one up and cracked it into a ceramic bowl with one hand.

"Huh? Sniff, sniff, sniff..."

After cracking the egg, Lin Xiaomeng sniffed hard a few times. Instead of the familiar eggy smell, she detected a strange fragrance.

It wasn't the scent of any spice, nor did it smell like flowers or fruit.

In all her life, Lin Xiaomeng had never smelled such a faint, indescribable fragrance.

"Is that smell coming from the egg? An egg with a fragrance?"

Hardly able to believe it, Lin Xiaomeng lifted the ceramic bowl to her nose and sniffed again.

Only then did she confirm that the fragrance really was coming from the raw egg in the bowl.

"Well, I'll be! How can an egg smell so fragrant?"

In all her years of cooking, Lin Xiaomeng had never encountered such a remarkable egg.

Crack!

She picked up another and cracked it into the ceramic bowl. It smelled just as fragrant.

Crack, crack!

Lin Xiaomeng cracked all four eggs into the bowl, and the fragrance grew even richer.

"It doesn't stink, and the eggs aren't watery, so they haven't gone bad, but..."

Still unsure, Lin Xiaomeng finally took out her phone and called Lin Zhe to ask his opinion.

Ring, ring, ring...

The call connected after three rings, and Lin Zhe's voice came from the other end.

"Hello, Zhe? Here's the thing. Your eggs..."

"Oh, you know about the fragrance too!"

"Okay, okay. As long as they haven't gone bad. I'll use these eggs for the fried rice, then?"

"Mm-hmm, all right. Wait at the front desk. I'll bring everything over once it's ready."

"Sure~ Just you wait, Zhe. I'll hang up now."

After confirming with Lin Zhe that the eggs were fine, Lin Xiaomeng opened the gas cylinder valve, put the wok on the stove, and heated the oil in one smooth sequence.

When the oil was hot enough, Lin Xiaomeng first tipped the diced carrot, garlic scapes, and sausage into the wok and stir-fried them.

After tossing them a dozen or so times, she added a suitable amount of salt, then poured in the beaten eggs and quickly stirred with chopsticks, breaking them into pieces about the same size as the diced garlic scapes.

She stir-fried the ingredients until they were evenly mixed again, then added the rice, followed by a suitable amount of light and dark soy sauce.

Using the spatula, she broke up the clumps of rice and stir-fried the grains until they separated.

In just over five minutes, a wok full of golden-orange egg fried rice was ready, every grain distinct.

"It smells so good... Today's egg fried rice was a huge success!"

Looking at the colorful, fragrant, delicious fried rice she had made, Lin Xiaomeng felt a strong sense of accomplishment.

She scooped up a little rice with one corner of the spatula and brought it to her mouth to check the seasoning. Surprise spread across her face.

She had known today's egg fried rice would taste good, but she hadn't expected it to be this good!

The flavors of the ingredients blended perfectly. It tasted so good that Lin Xiaomeng felt like crying!

"Oh my God! This is... this is way too delicious!"

After tasting it, Lin Xiaomeng couldn't help swallowing hard. Her own egg fried rice had completely won her over!

"Zhe is definitely going to love it too! I'll take it out for him to try!"

Imagining Lin Zhe's expression when he tasted today's fried rice, Lin Xiaomeng curled her lips into a smile, bringing out the deep dimple in her left cheek.

Lin Zhe had cooked plenty of rice that day, and with the eggs and other ingredients added, there was even more after frying!

Lin Xiaomeng washed the inner pot used to cook the rice, then poured the fried rice straight from the wok into it.

Then she picked up a silicone rice paddle, two pairs of chopsticks, and two plates, and happily carried the pot to the front desk to join Lin Zhe.

"Zhe, time to eat~"

Back in the inn's lobby, Lin Xiaomeng smiled and called out to Lin Zhe, who was playing on his phone.

"Great! I can already smell the egg fried rice. It smells especially good today!"

Lin Zhe answered with a smile and rose from his seat, and the two of them went into the office on the ground floor.

Around noon, most visitors in the scenic area were eating or looking for somewhere to eat, so few people came to check in.

Every day, Lin Zhe and Lin Xiaomeng used this quiet stretch to have lunch.

They entered one after the other. Lin Xiaomeng set down the inner pot and used the silicone paddle to serve Lin Zhe a heaping plate first.

"Wow! Your cooking keeps getting better, Xiaomeng! Why does this fried rice smell even better and look even more appetizing than last time?"

After praising her with a smile, Lin Zhe plopped onto the sofa opposite Lin Xiaomeng and picked up a pair of chopsticks from the coffee table, ready to dig in.

The aromas of rice, eggs, and the distinctive scent of garlic scapes mingled fully, making the dish all the more appetizing.

"Zhe, hurry and taste it!"

"I feel like fried rice made with these new eggs tastes over a hundred times better than it does with ordinary eggs!"

After serving herself a plate too, Lin Xiaomeng sat down opposite Lin Zhe.

She couldn't wait to devour the entire plate of egg fried rice in front of her without leaving a single grain!