Chapter 127 - 107: A Day at the Restaurant
Chapter 127: Chapter 107: A Day at the Restaurant
By the time Ning He caught up with Connie and the other two, all traces of her recent conflict had vanished from her face.
Connie looked at her curiously and asked, "What took you so long?"
Ning He brushed it off. "I just stopped to chat with someone. It’s nothing. I haven’t been coming around much lately; have you guys run into anything unusual?"
Although Connie had a notoriously short temper, she was quite simple-minded and easily taken advantage of.
"No, but Wendy probably isn’t having a great time these days." Connie winked at her and lowered her voice. "Not only did Skinny Winnie fall out with her, but Aunt Xinmu is barely giving her the time of day either. Uncle Qin’s business has been doing well lately, and he’s actually been coming over to chat with us quite a bit. Hai Hei goes without saying. She’s practically been abandoned by everyone, and with her business doing poorly, things must be tough for her right now!"
Connie’s tone carried a hint of a sigh.
These people used to be in the same boat as Wendy, yet they had turned their backs on her at the drop of a hat.
"They only formed a temporary alliance for profit to begin with. Once there was nothing left to gain, they naturally went their separate ways. Not like us, our bond is stronger than gold!" Ning He said, lifting her chin proudly.
Connie shuddered at the cheesiness, and then they both burst out laughing.
"Actually, I’ve been meaning to apologize to you." After their laughter subsided, Connie suddenly turned serious. "When we first teamed up at the shelter, I really took advantage of you. I knew it, but I... even though I was desperate for money at the time, wrong is wrong. And later, when the noodle shop was shut down, it was because I took a risk and broke the rules to keep the place running. It was my own mistake, and I never should have blamed you for it. Ning He, I’m sorry."
Connie rarely said such sentimental things, and the atmosphere instantly grew heavy. Ning He remained silent for a few seconds, her expression solemn.
She reached out and patted Connie on the shoulder.
"As long as you know you were wrong. Since I’m practically half a teacher to you now, I’ll naturally be magnanimous and let bygones be bygones. From now on, just listen to your teacher, don’t lose your temper so easily, resort to violence less, and train hard. As long as you finish your apprenticeship early, I’ll be satisfied."
Connie’s face twitched. Ah Huai pursed his lips and looked away, while San Shui and Ding Wang dropped their heads to their chests, their shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
"Ning He—!" Connie gritted her teeth, her fists suddenly itching to strike.
Ning He quickly leaped to the side. "Connie, our goal is to become Culinary Kings, not Martial Emperors. Calm down! Besides, even if you want to beat me up, you have to catch me first. My legs are longer than yours!"
With that, Ning He bolted.
"Ning He—stop right there!"
Connie’s eyes widened in fury as she raised her fists and gave chase.
Standing in front of the patrol Mecha at the street corner, Leo paused. His gaze followed the girl up ahead, who was currently laughing and shouting playfully. Suddenly, he found it hard to remember what she used to be like.
’If she had been like this back then, would Qiu Luo have treated her the same way?’
Leo quickly shook his head and retracted his gaze.
’Now isn’t the time to be thinking about this.’
"Notify Patrol Team Three to prepare for immediate departure. We assemble at the North City Gate in one hour."
"Yes, sir!"
***********
Ning He, having thoroughly enraged Connie, ultimately managed to escape her wrath by teaching her how to make a sizzling claypot with garlic and water spinach step-by-step.
"This is called water spinach? It’s my first time seeing it. The texture is so unique, and the flavor goes perfectly with rice."
At noon, the staff gathered for lunch. After taking a bite, Youzhen couldn’t help but praise it.
Ning He had brought this water spinach from home. She had scattered the seeds into the black soil, and within three days, a massive patch had sprouted, yielding a full basket of tender shoots. The sizzling claypot used the stems of the water spinach. Minced garlic was sautéed in a hot pan with hot oil until fragrant. Then, the stems were tossed in and quickly stir-fried before being mixed with the sauce. The dish was ready to be served in under a minute, maintaining its vibrant green color and incredibly crisp, tender texture.
A classic sizzling water spinach claypot required shrimp paste for seasoning. Lacking shrimp paste, Ning He took an alternative route, using peanut butter and sesame paste as a base to concoct a completely new flavor profile. The result was exceptional.
"This cooking method works well with other vegetables too, like lettuce, green beans, cauliflower, or Chinese broccoli. You can also be flexible and tweak the seasoning. Feel free to try it out yourselves," Ning He said.
Everyone nodded earnestly.
Typically, the staff’s lunch consisted of leftovers from the previous night’s dinner buffet. If there wasn’t enough food, they would take turns cooking. Everyone was eager to take advantage of this opportunity to practice their culinary skills, so enthusiasm was always high.
The plucked water spinach leaves hadn’t gone to waste, either. They were stir-fried with minced garlic and bird’s eye chilies, and the plate was quickly polished off.
There were also a few customers enjoying Malatang in the dining area. Some of them were shop owners from the nearby market. Since they were relatively well-off financially, they would drop by for a meal every few days and were regulars at the restaurant. Ning He simply portioned out a bit of the water spinach for each of them to try, receiving a flurry of pleasant surprises and gratitude in return.