Chapter 11: Tofu Pudding with Fatty Beef 

Jiangyao No.1 High School.

During the break between classes, a few girls dragged Pan Yueyi over to discuss where they should go for a close friend’s birthday meal.

With finals approaching, everyone’s revision time was tight. Even so, they all agreed to carve out two hours from their lunch break to celebrate Liu Yi’s birthday over a meal.

They were tired of the small eateries near the school. The dishes lacked novelty. So they huddled together, hoping that someone could come up with a good suggestion.

“There’s a dry pot shrimp place on Huaihai Road that’s really popular right now. I’ve been there twice. The food’s great.”

But someone quickly rejected the idea. “That won’t work. That place has a long queue, and we don’t have enough time.”

“What about the hot pot restaurant?”

“We just had hot pot for Lili’s birthday last time. Are we going again? Let’s pick a different place.”

“I have a recommendation.” Pan Yueyi lifted her chin slightly and said with a hint of pride, “I know a place with great food, no waiting in line, and it’s not too far from the school!”

———

On Liu Yi’s birthday, five girls rushed into Nanlai Restaurant.

As soon as they sat down, Bao Lili started urging them to hurry and order. “We say two hours, but we have to count the time going there and back. And didn’t Yueyi say this place doesn’t use pre-made dishes? The food won’t come out fast, so we’d better pick quickly.”

The girls passed around the menu. Bao Lili ordered a refreshing-looking Lemon Shredded Chicken. The birthday girl Liu Yi ordered Tofu Pudding with Fatty Beef. When the menu reached Pan Yueyi, she glanced over it, a bit disappointed not to see the Tomato Salted Egg Tofu dish she had eagerly recommended to her friends. But her eyes soon caught a cute dish name.

“Yam Peach. I want this one!” Was it a dessert made from yam and peach? Just hearing the name made it sound interesting.

Xin Huan took down their orders and quickly headed to the kitchen.

The girls sat idly around the table, glancing around. The number of diners wasn’t too many or too few. Some were alone, others in groups. But everyone was quiet and barely talked.

Even the outspoken Bao Lili noticed the odd atmosphere and lowered her voice to ask Pan Yueyi, “Is there some special rule here or something? Why is it so quiet?”

Pan Yueyi asked curiously, “No, I’ve been here several times and never heard of such a rule.”

She glanced at the customers at the neighboring table. The two young diners sat facing each other, picking up food with their chopsticks while their phones were placed far away, untouched. Their chopsticks never left their hands for a moment, moving in a pattern as if programmed—pick up food, open mouth, eat. Only when the food entered their mouths did a glimmer of light appear in their eyes, and the visible look of bliss on their faces confirmed that they were still conscious.

Pan Yueyi seemed to understand something, but she didn’t say anything.

The shredded chicken with lemon was the first dish served.

No one picked up their chopsticks. It was a friend’s birthday today, not a casual meal. It was only polite to wait until all the dishes arrived before starting.

Seeing this, the birthday girl Liu Yi said, “Hurry and eat. Our time is so tight. If we wait any longer, we won’t get to eat much.”

“I’m already really happy that everyone came out to have a meal and celebrate my birthday. No need for all this formality.” As she spoke, she reached out with her chopsticks and picked up a few strips of chicken. Once Liu Yi took the lead, everyone laughed and started eating.

“Mmm!” Liu Yi let out a surprised hum, glanced at the plate in disbelief, and confirmed that it was indeed the shredded chicken with lemon.

Liu Yi had only picked up her chopsticks to get everyone to eat sooner. In fact, she didn’t like chicken, especially this kind of shredded chicken with lemon. It was usually made with chicken breast, which tended to be dry and stringy, relying on soaking in sauce to have some flavor and not be too choking. But in Liu Yi’s opinion, even if it’s soaked in sauce, stringy is still stringy.

Yet the piece of chicken she had just tasted was not only tangy and spicy but also incredibly tender. It barely took any effort to bite through the fibers. Her teeth lightly pressed down and the meat separated, leaving a smooth, springy, and delicate texture. A bit of chicken skin added a slight chewiness, fleeting yet unforgettable, making her want to chase after that feeling for another taste.

“So good!” The others chimed in with praise. “This chicken is so tender!” “No wonder it’s expensive. It’s black-boned chicken, and not made with the cheapest chicken breast either.”

Some who couldn’t handle spicy food stuck out their tongues repeatedly, “The spiciness is kicking in. So spicy! But so satisfying!” The fading heat in their mouths still lingered clearly, yet their hands holding the chopsticks were already reaching out uncontrollably.

In less than three minutes, only a shallow layer of sauce and bits of chili remained at the bottom of the plate. Everything else was completely wiped clean, not even a slice of the cucumber base left.

“Hahaha,” Liu Yi laughed happily, “Snatching food makes it taste even better, right?! Yueyi was right. This restaurant really has some magic—it makes you want to lick the plate clean.”

Not long after the empty plate was cleared, the steaming hot tofu pudding with fatty beef was brought to the table.

A rich, powerful aroma quickly filled the small space, instantly driving away the faint lemon scent left behind by the shredded chicken.

The fatty beef was piled high like a small mountain in a clay pot, sprinkled with red and green peppers. The broth, freshly removed from the stove, was still bubbling, releasing a deep and fragrant scent. As for the pure white, silky tofu pudding, it lay hidden at the bottom, waiting to be discovered.

Gulp.

Gulp.

Even though they had just shared a plate of shredded chicken, not only did they not feel full, they were even hungrier, their appetite completely awakened by the tangy and spicy chicken. Now, looking at this large, aromatic dish of tofu pudding with fatty beef, everyone couldn’t help but swallow their saliva.

They looked at each other. What were they waiting for? Dig in!

Several pairs of chopsticks reached out at the same time, each picking up a slice of fatty beef as thin as a cicada’s wing, trembling delicately at the tips.

The impatient ones stuffed the beef straight into their mouths. The thin slices, marbled with fat, soaked up the rich broth and filled the mouth instantly with a burst of savory, spicy, and umami flavors.

Bao Lili, who never ate without rice, laid her slice of beef over her rice. The juicy broth seeped into the glistening grains. She picked them up with her chopsticks, bringing both beef and rice into her mouth.

As her teeth pressed down, the ultra-thin slice of beef released all the broth it had absorbed. It wasn’t dry at all—instead, it generously shared a deep, wholesome flavor, with a faint, gentle aroma of tofu. It was a perfect match for rice.

This tofu pudding with fatty beef earned the highest praise from a rice-lover: “It goes so well with rice!”

She set down her chopsticks and immediately picked up a spoon, scooping a large spoonful of broth into her bowl, then returned with satisfaction to the beef-grabbing battle.

Now she understood why the restaurant’s customers were so quiet. With food this delicious in front of them, who would have the time to talk?

In the blink of an eye, the rice in their bowls had noticeably disappeared, and the top layer of fatty beef in the pot had been devoured, revealing the snow-white tofu pudding underneath.

Tofu pudding could only be scooped with a spoon. A single dip felt like her ordinary spoon had turned into a legendary blade that could cut through steel as if it were butter—there was almost no resistance, and she easily scooped up a trembling spoonful of tofu pudding.

The tofu looked plain and bland but was unexpectedly flavorful. Delicate and smooth, it seemed to melt on the tongue the moment it touched, releasing the savory taste of the broth while offering its own light and gentle bean aroma.

“This, this…” Pan Yueyi pointed at the tofu in the pot, so excited she couldn’t even finish her sentence.

How could it be this delicious?

To make tofu pudding that couldn’t withstand long cooking time absorb flavor so thoroughly, both the stewing method and the broth needed care.

Nan Tu stir-fried nearly ten kinds of spices to bring out their fragrance, then added stock to continue simmering and seasoning. Only then was the base for the broth formed. When the tofu pudding was added, the heat couldn’t be too high and the time couldn’t be too long. After turning off the heat, she waited a bit, letting the leftover warmth in the broth slowly draw out the base flavors. That was how the tofu pudding achieved its taste now.

Besides the tofu pudding with fatty beef, the rest of the dishes were also quickly finished off by the girls.

“After eating this, how are we supposed to eat the school cafeteria food again!” Bao Lili exclaimed.

Just then, the yam peaches arrived late, but as a dessert, their timing was just right.

Pan Yueyi had misunderstood. The so-called yam peaches were not some kind of yam and peach sweet soup but peaches made from yam paste.

After steaming and peeling the yam until soft, it was mashed into a paste, mixed with glutinous rice flour, and shaped into tiny, delicate peach forms. A groove was pressed into one side with the back of a knife, the top was pinched to a point, and the tip brushed with a bit of reddish amaranth juice. The soft pink little peaches looked lifelike.

Several female classmates really liked it. Even though they were already full, they still forced themselves to finish a plate of yam peaches together.

When they walked out of the restaurant, they all unconsciously looked back at the sign above the entrance. Nanlai Restaurant — they remembered it!

———

After the busiest lunchtime period passed, Xin Huan wiped every table spotless. She unintentionally glanced outside the door, then immediately straightened her back, a trace of doubt flashing across her face.

“Xin Huan.” Nan Tu was calling her.

Xin Huan quickly responded and walked over. She saw Nan Tu pointing at two pink peaches on a white porcelain plate and saying, “Yam peaches are troublesome to make. I happened to make a few extra this time. Try some.”

“For me?” Xin Huan instantly beamed with joy. The yam peaches were really beautiful. She had stared at them for a while earlier while delivering dishes to customers and had unexpectedly been noticed by Nan Tu.

She did not like hypocritical refusals. Nan Tu offered her food, and she also wanted to eat, so she would eat it. Good things eaten into the stomach should also be remembered in the heart and never forgotten.

“Which flavor do you like — sweet-scented osmanthus sugar or cherry jam?” Nan Tu asked.

“Cherry jam!” Xin Huan answered without even thinking.

A spoonful of cherry jam was poured on top. It slowly flowed along the peach’s smooth curve, making the yam peach appear even more translucent and radiant.

Xin Huan picked up a spoon and shaved off the tip of the peach.

At first bite, it was the sweet and sour taste of the cherry jam that briefly stole attention. Then the powdery sweetness of the yam and glutinous rice came through. The texture was soft and sticky, without any coarse or grainy feel. It was like stroking velvet with the tip of the tongue.

While she marveled like this, Nan Tu simply smiled and said, “That means your yam paste was sifted very finely.”

No, no! Xin Huan was busy eating, so she could only shake her head wildly in her heart. Plain yam paste and glutinous rice flour could only transform into something this amazing because of Nan Tu’s skill.

She ate two yam peaches in one go. She felt that in just these few days at Nanlai Restaurant, she had eaten more good food than in her entire life.

Sister Nan Tu was really too good to her. As long as Sister Nan Tu was willing to keep her, she truly wanted to work here forever!

“By the way, Sister Nan Tu, these past few days I’ve often seen an old lady standing across the street looking toward our shop. She never comes in to eat, and I don’t know what she’s trying to do.” Although the old lady hadn’t done anything other than sneakily peeking, Xin Huan felt a strange sense of alertness and quickly reminded Nan Tu.

“She only looked? Then it’s no big deal.” Although it was a bit odd, looking around wasn’t a crime. Even if someone came inside the restaurant just to look without ordering, Nan Tu still had to be polite.

She could only say, “Next time something like that happens, just let me know.”