Chapter 105: The Best Yan Du Xian in Jiangnan

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: The Best Yan Du Xian in Jiangnan

Nan Zhi was very particular about choosing the three main ingredients for Yan Du Xian.

For the spring bamboo shoots, she chose thunder bamboo shoots, known as the "first shoots of early spring." These tender shoots, coaxed out by a spring rain, were sweet and crisp. Peeled, cut into rolling chunks, and thrown into a pot to boil in plain water, they were already the pinnacle of umami and freshness.

The cured pork and pork belly both came from pigs. The highest quality would be from Liangtouwu pigs, but that was too expensive for a small restaurant to afford.

However, the cured pork and pork belly she was using now had passed her discerning eye, so they couldn’t be anything less than excellent.

She had practically turned every nearby market upside down before settling on a satisfactory supplier, one with top-quality products.

She tossed them one by one into the GURGLE GURGLE of the boiling broth.

The process couldn’t be rushed. It required patience, simmering slowly over medium heat for at least an hour.

This continued until the cured pork was tender enough to release its flavor, the pork belly was rich but not greasy, the spring bamboo shoots were crisp and had absorbed the flavors, and the broth was thick yet light, with all the tastes perfectly melded together.

Only then would it be a Yan Du Xian that satisfied Nan Zhi.

DING.

Nan Zhi rang the service bell.

After a moment, she still heard no response.

Turning around, she saw Xie Yu at the stove, Fu Chao at the kitchen entrance, and Nan Yi, who was doing odd jobs... all staring intently at her large pot of Yan Du Xian!

—Because Yan Du Xian took a long time to cook, Nan Zhi had made a single large pot of it.

The aroma spreading out from the large pot had grown exponentially, filling nearly every corner of the kitchen.

It even wafted through the kitchen door, all the way into the main dining hall and out onto the street...

Nan Zhi knew their mouths were watering and found it amusing.

She tapped sharply on the metal countertop and reminded them in a low voice:

"The customers are waiting for their food."

She seemed good-tempered and was all smiles.

But when it came to running the kitchen, her every move exuded authority, and no one dared to refute her words.

Even the livestream audience could feel her command over the entire back kitchen, and even the main dining hall, through the screen!

Xie Yu snapped out of it and obediently turned back to continue chopping vegetables.

Fu Chao struggled to tear his gaze away.

Then, holding his breath, he picked up the small white clay pot of Yan Du Xian and went to serve it.

As for Nan Yi...

He swallowed hard, trying to look down and avoid seeing it.

But the aroma only got closer and closer.

The next second—

"Here, have a taste."

It was his mother’s voice.

Nan Yi looked up, a little disbelieving and a little secretly delighted. Sure enough, he saw Nan Zhi standing before him, holding a small bowl of Yan Du Xian.

The aroma tickled his nose, and a happy smile slowly spread across his cheeks.

"Is... is this for me?"

His little hands were wet, and he couldn’t find a place to wipe them, looking slightly flustered.

So Nan Zhi scooped up a little soup with a spoon and blew on it.

"Drink up. Careful, it’s hot."

Nan Yi leaned in cautiously. The first sip of soup sent him into an aromatic daze.

Nan Zhi asked with a grin:

"Is it good?"

"Mhm! It’s super good!"

Nan Yi’s eyes sparkled like stars.

Nan Zhi fed him two more spoonfuls.

When it came to the next spoonful, Nan Yi turned his little face away.

"Mommy should have some too."

"Alright, alright, I’ll have some too."

This time, Nan Zhi obediently brought the spoon to her own lips.

In the blink of an eye, the small bowl of Yan Du Xian was finished off by the mother and son.

Nan Zhi returned to the stove and said to Xie Yu beside her:

"You go have some too."

Xie Yu froze for a moment.

"I get some too?"

Having worked together for the past two days, Nan Zhi had grown much closer to him.

So she deliberately teased:

"Do I look like the type to hog all the food for myself?"

For someone as venomous-tongued as Xie Yu, he was remarkably honest when facing Nan Zhi:

"You’re the one who cooked it. You have the right to decide who gets it. No one else has any say in the matter."

His words were spoken lightly, but they silenced the livestream’s comment section.

Originally, many viewers had been silently criticizing Nan Zhi’s actions.

They thought she was being selfish by only feeding herself and Nan Yi while shooing Fu Chao and Xie Yu away...

But Xie Yu’s own reaction was a rude awakening for them!

[The people who were just cursing her out have gone quiet now, huh? The person involved doesn’t even feel wronged!]

[Whoa, I just realized that clip could easily be edited into hate material. They could totally take it out of context to slander Nan Zhi!]

[You’re a prophet, sis. I’m already seeing content farm accounts on V-bo complaining about it! A lot of clueless passersby are jumping on the bandwagon to bash Nan Zhi!]

[What passersby? They’re probably just paid trolls!]

[Hey, have you guys noticed a lot of posts hating on Nan Zhi online recently? Feels like someone’s targeting her.]

[LMAO, what do you mean "hating"? Aren’t they just restating the things she’s done before, OK?]

[That so-called "hate material" is all hearsay. There’s no actual proof!]

[I can’t with you people. Arguing when there’s delicious food right there? Am I the only one drooling all over my screen?!]

[Me too, me too!]

...

Nan Zhi took over the stove again, and Xie Yu was given a small bowl of Yan Du Xian.

In fact, everyone at Nan Family’s Small Restaurant got some!

Nan Zhi sent Xie Yu out to call everyone in to have some Yan Du Xian.

Every single person who tasted it wore an expression of blissful intoxication.

Qi Pei’er, the silver-tongued poet, even delivered a 300-word essay of flowery praise on the spot!

They came and went one after another, piquing the curiosity of the diners.

Immediately after, the diners caught the rich aroma of Yan Du Xian wafting from them.

"That must be the small clay pot dish from earlier, right? Is it a new special today? Why didn’t we see it on the menu?"

"Oh, so it just came out of the pot? You should have said so earlier! We’d like to add an order, thank you!"

"So what if we’re almost done eating? I can still make some room and eat more!"

"Or we can get it to go!"

"..."

The large, freshly made pot of Yan Du Xian was devoured by the diners in record time.

And Xiao Li and Qiqi, who had ordered the Yan Du Xian in the first place, were the first to taste its intoxicating, ultimate umami!

Xiao Li had tried plenty of delicacies, but she was still stunned by the taste of the Yan Du Xian.

One sip of the soup was like drinking the entire spring!

Xiao Li’s eyes widened in shock.

"So this is how good Yan Du Xian is? I’d only ever heard about it... Oh, right, Qiqi, isn’t this dish from your hometown?"

Her face was full of envy, as if to say, ’I can’t believe you’ve been secretly eating something this good behind our backs.’

Qiqi sighed.

"Believe me, this is the best Yan Du Xian I’ve ever had, too. The ones we make at home are nowhere near this level!"

’Otherwise, just for this incredible Yan Du Xian, I would never have left home in my entire life!’

Xiao Li sighed regretfully, forced to cancel her plans to visit Qiqi’s hometown.

Despite her disappointment, she didn’t forget to slurp down the soup with gusto.

The small clay pot wasn’t very big to begin with, and it was soon empty.

Qiqi suddenly remembered:

"Oh no, isn’t your Old Zhang coming over? We’ve nearly finished everything."

The two of them had astonishing appetites, eating far more than their usual share.

All the plates were basically left with just a few scraps.

Xiao Li froze.

"I... I forgot..."