Chapter 92: It’s Worth This Price

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: It’s Worth This Price

The mischievous boy immediately sat up ramrod straight.

"Grandma, I want to eat!"

Surprisingly, the grandma didn’t bring up the discount again.

Instead, she called out to Fu Chao:

"Young man, get us two bowls of rice!"

"Right away!"

Fu Chao let out a huge sigh of relief.

But then, on second thought, he felt a surge of pride.

’Such a difficult woman, and she actually chose to back down on her own!’

’That’s Nan Zhi for you!’

’...I just wonder what those sweet and sour pork ribs and hot and sour shredded potatoes taste like. SLURP.’

Fu Chao swiftly brought over two bowls of rice.

The restaurant charged for rice per person, but refills were unlimited.

The grandma had complained about the price of the rice at first, too.

But the moment she took a bite, she fell silent.

Nan Zhi had cooked the rice herself.

Different varieties of rice have different water absorption rates and require different amounts of water.

The restaurant used northern long-grain rice; too little water would make it hard, while too much would make it sticky.

Yet this bowl of rice had perfectly distinct grains that were soft and pleasantly chewy. The fragrance was richer than usual, and a pure sweetness filled the mouth from the very first bite!

The grandma paused her chopsticks, a little embarrassed. Her grandson sitting opposite her, however, exclaimed without any tact:

"Wow! Grandma! This rice is way better than the rice we have at home!"

Children usually don’t like to eat plain rice, and her grandson was no exception.

But now, the little fellow was shoveling it down with unusual vigor, relishing every mouthful!

The grandma snapped, "...Hush. Just eat your food."

Her grandson pouted and clumsily picked up a piece of his favorite sweet and sour pork ribs with his chopsticks.

The moment he took a bite, his eyes went wide as saucers!

His grandma misunderstood and asked anxiously,

"Did you burn yourself? Quick, spit it out..."

"Mmph! Mmph!"

The boy mumbled, his mouth full.

The grandma put down her chopsticks, ready to check on him.

But in a flash, her grandson had sucked the bone clean and was chewing enthusiastically, repeating with a determined look in his eyes,

"I’m not spitting it out! Absolutely not!"

Only then did the grandma realize it was a false alarm, and she picked up her chopsticks again.

Seeing her grandson’s face shining with grease as he ate, the grandma was pleased, but she couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.

"It’s just sweet and sour pork ribs. I was making them for you every day at home a while back, and I never saw you react like this..."

Her grandson piped up,

"Because your sweet and sour pork ribs aren’t as good as the ones here, Grandma! No! They’re way, way worse!"

Fu Chao and the others, who were eavesdropping nearby, nearly burst out laughing.

’What a loyal grandson!’

The grandma’s face fell. Miffed, she forcefully picked up a piece of pork rib.

"All sweet and sour pork ribs taste the same! How good can these possibly be? When your dad took us to Zhimei Ji, even their expensive dishes weren’t all that special!"

The grandma stubbornly believed that her grandson was simply inexperienced, which was why he would compare the sweet and sour pork ribs from a small restaurant like this to her own!

Full of disdain, she put the rib in her mouth.

The first thing she noticed was how tender it was; the meat fell right off the bone.

But despite its tenderness, the outside still had a delicate crispiness.

Then, her teeth sank into the meat, and a rush of rich juices flooded her mouth.

The balance of sweet, sour, and savory was perfect, punctuated by a barely perceptible hint of green onion and ginger that completed the ribs’ complex flavor profile, leaving one utterly amazed.

The most incredible part was that as she chewed, the aroma developed in layers. The entire experience was like a spa for the tongue, a supreme earthly delight!

The grandma’s face immediately took on the exact same expression as her grandson’s!

’Delicious!’

’This is so delicious!’

’How can it be this good?!’

’If there had only been a small difference, she could have swallowed her pride, thickened her skin, and claimed, "It’s pretty much the same as the sweet and sour pork ribs I make."’

’But this gap was just too huge!’

’Calling it a night-and-day difference wasn’t enough to describe the gulf between the two dishes!’

’Even the grandma herself had to admit that her cooking was complete trash compared to the food at this restaurant!’

Then, she eagerly picked up a serving of the hot and sour shredded potatoes.

If the sweet and sour pork ribs had been for her grandson, then the hot and sour shredded potatoes were for her.

The grandma loved this dish; she made it at home and ordered it when she ate out.

But none had ever given her the kind of pleasant surprise she was experiencing now.

The shredded potatoes were crisp and refreshing, with a perfectly appetizing hot and sour flavor. The cooking was timed to perfection, the seasoning was precise... An ordinary, homestyle dish had been elevated to feel like something from a state banquet!

Although the grandma had never eaten at a state banquet, that didn’t stop her from thinking that this must be what it tasted like!

’This was the highest praise she could offer in her heart!’

She looked across at her grandson, who was like an automatic bone-ejecting machine, going through one rib after another, his face smeared with sauce without him even noticing.

In the middle of his meal, the boy looked up cheerfully, his voice just loud enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear,

"Grandma, you said if my grades are bad, I’ll have to learn a trade and become a chef... That sounds great! I want to be a chef! Then I can eat super-delicious sweet and sour pork ribs every day!"

The grandma looked at her grandson with a complicated expression. ’You’ve misunderstood. Not every chef in the world has this kind of skill!’

Too embarrassed to look at anyone else in the restaurant, she lowered her head and urged him,

"Just eat."

Then she buried her head in her bowl and began to eat voraciously.

Before long, her bowl was empty. The grandma got a second helping, and then a third.

Even her grandson, who was usually a picky eater, ate two whole bowls of rice!

By the end, both plates had been wiped clean, without a single scrap remaining.

When it came time to pay, the grandma didn’t mention the discount again. Instead, she kept pestering Fu Chao, asking him how on earth they managed to cook rice that tasted so good.

The grandma left with her grandson, but not before leaving them with the parting words, "We’ll be back tomorrow."

...It was clear she intended to become a regular customer!

Finally feeling vindicated, Fu Chao was so happy he shadowboxed the air.

Qi Pei’er even ran inside to tell Nan Zhi about their successful first round.

The viewers who had watched the whole thing commented:

[Just look at how fast that grandma and her grandson are eating. You know it has to be delicious!]

[Nan Zhi’s cooking is seriously unbeatable. The grandma didn’t say another word once she started eating! Amazing!]

[My mom has the exact same personality, always so stubborn and unwilling to back down! It’s not easy to make people like her admit defeat!]

[Sweet and sour pork ribs are my absolute favorite! I’m practically drooling from the smell! Just you wait! I’m buying a ticket to Yanjing right now!]

[That little grandson is literally me, hahaha!]

...

As the noon lunch rush approached, more and more customers began to fill the restaurant—

Some saw the price list on the wall and left without a second thought;

Some complained that it was a bit expensive but still chose to sit down and give it a try;

Others were regulars who had bought the braised meat before. They sighed in disappointment upon learning it was temporarily unavailable, but their faith in the quality of her food convinced them to reluctantly sit down and try something else;

...

But no matter what their reasons were for choosing to sit down in the restaurant,

as long as they ordered a dish and had a taste,

every single one of them ended up just like the grandma from earlier. All their dissatisfaction vanished, leaving them completely captivated by Nan Zhi’s cooking!

They couldn’t help but reflect on how foolish they had been to question the prices earlier!

’Food this divine was worth every penny!’