Chapter 4: Tomato Sauce Salted Egg Yolk Tofu

Her bank card quickly received a transfer of 475 yuan.

Serving customers from different worlds really earned her more. Even if there was only one customer like this a day, it was enough to keep the Nanlai Restaurant running.

However, based on this uncle’s reaction, he had probably stumbled into the place by accident. He was so nervous the entire time that it was unlikely he would return. Nan Tu thought with a bit of regret.

———

Sure enough, after that day, two whole days passed without any new customers from other worlds.

Nan Tu had gone from being excited at first to feeling calm.

That morning, she rode the second-hand electric tricycle she had recently bought to the farmers’ market to buy vegetables.

Many restaurants save on labor costs by having vegetable suppliers or individual vendors deliver ingredients, but since Nanlai Restaurant had just opened and the daily consumption of ingredients was small and unstable, Nan Tu preferred to buy the ingredients herself. This way, she had more flexibility in choosing, and sometimes, if she found fresh ingredients she liked, she could add a few more dishes to that day’s menu.

Today, the bass fish was very fresh, and Nan Tu crouched in front of the stall, examining it.

When selecting bass fish, it’s not just about whether they are jumping around lively. The eyes should be bright and transparent. If they are cloudy and bulging, either the fish is already dead or close to death. The fish scales should be shiny and clear, indicating that the fish can still secrete mucus, which is a sign of vitality.

The fishmonger eagerly recommended, “Miss, are you buying fish? Look at the fish at our stall, each one is lively and fresh, unbeatable in quality. Whether you steam it or braise it at home, the taste will be exceptional!”

He subtly pointed at a fat bass, “I think this one is good, it’s plump!”

Nan Tu merely glanced at the fish and immediately turned away. A swollen belly in a fish means either it’s near death or has been stuffed with a lot of feed to increase its weight. Whoever buys it will be deceived. Especially with bass, it’s better to buy the lean ones rather than the fatty ones. Quality bass have high activity levels, a long, streamlined body, and little fat. Only such bass have a faint fishy smell and firm flesh.

Seeing that Nan Tu wasn’t fooled, the fishmonger maintained his expression and continued, “Not interested? How about these two? They’re the biggest in this batch, with tender, rich meat. Perfect for a family meal.”

Since Nan Tu was still young, many vendors thought she couldn’t choose good ingredients, so every time she went shopping, she had to face many tricks. The constant chatter from the fishmonger was indeed annoying, so Nan Tu directly said, “Such big bass are old fish. Not only is the meat tough, but it also lacks freshness. You’ve been selling fish for so many years, you must know that, right?”

The fishmonger was an old hand and didn’t change his expression when his thoughts were exposed, as if he hadn’t just tried to trick Nan Tu into buying an old fish.

However, knowing that Nan Tu wasn’t easy to deceive, the fishmonger didn’t say another word and honestly weighed the fresh bass Nan Tu picked, even generously rounding the price down.

“Come back next time!”

This is the trick in purchasing, where dealing with one supplier is just about negotiating with one person, but when buying ingredients, one never knows how many vendors one must outwit.

After a tour of the market, Nan Tu’s cart was filled with ingredients, and it was time to head back to the restaurant. But Nan Tu was still looking around, searching for something.

Not far away, there was a middle-aged female vegetable seller, dressed in a floral shirt with a dark apron over it, her sleeves rolled up to reveal her slightly dark and muscular arms. She was calling out to customers, “Hey, young lady, come look at our vegetables. They were picked this morning before the dew dried, and there’s only this little left. I’ll give you a discount.”

“Two cucumbers? Sure! These cucumbers are crisp and sweet raw, perfect for salads or stir-fries!”

After the customer left, Nan Tu walked over to greet her, “Aunt Sun, business is good today.”

When Sun Ying saw her, she immediately smiled and said warmly, “Little boss, you’re here. I’ve saved the tomatoes for you.”

She pulled out a basket from behind her, lined with straw, filled with plump, bright red tomatoes.

Sun Ying’s family had been selling vegetables to Nan’s family for over ten years. Sun Ying’s father, Sun Dazhi, grew great vegetables, and when they couldn’t finish them, they would bring them to the market to sell. Nan Yuanhai appreciated the freshness and often asked them to deliver the produce directly to Nanlai Restaurant.

Years passed, and when Nan Tu reopened Nanlai Restaurant, the main person selling vegetables was Sun Ying, Sun Dazhi’s daughter.

She remembered Nan Tu and always greeted her whenever they met at the market, offering her vegetables for free.

Nan Tu told her that she had reopened Nanlai Restaurant but was struggling with business and might not be able to purchase much from Sun Ying. The restaurant wasn’t using many ingredients yet.

Recalling the lively days of Nanlai Restaurant, Sun Ying was also sentimental. “Little boss, your cooking is so good, your business will definitely thrive soon!”

That day, Nan Tu left with a bag full of vegetables that Sun Ying insisted on giving her. Sun Ying even mentioned that the vegetables from her family were ripening in batches, and she would be at the market every day, so Nan Tu could come to her whenever needed.

Later, Nan Tu thought that she actually had something to ask her.

Tomatoes available in the market were tough-skinned, lacked juice, and were suitable for long-distance transportation. However, they lacked the authentic sweet and sour taste of tomatoes. Nan Tu was dissatisfied with the tomatoes she was using for her dishes and found herself frowning while eating them.

She recalled how Nan Yuanhai had tried to get tomatoes from rural families for their own consumption. The variety was completely different from those in the market. The skin was so thin that the juice would break through, and just smelling the tomato was enough to detect its strong tomato fragrance. Even making a simple tomato scrambled egg would make people want to eat two bowls of rice.

After she shared this with Sun Ying, Sun Ying immediately promised to bring a basket of her own homegrown tomatoes for Nan Tu next time.

Though the distance wasn’t far, Sun Ying was very careful when transporting these tomatoes. She always placed them on top of the car to avoid crushing them, and the basket was lined with thick straw. She only dared to pack a small half-basket, fearing the tomatoes at the bottom would get damaged.

Sun Ying insisted on giving the tomatoes for free, but Nan Tu insisted on paying several times the price for the regular tomatoes. Even the damaged ones, the ones that were squashed or broken, were included in the weight at Nan Tu’s strong request.

She didn’t want to let Sun Ying work for free and make her money for the trouble she caused. Nan Tu made a mental note of this favor and went back to the restaurant with half a cart of ingredients.

————

Pan Yueyi, carrying her schoolbag, walked out of the gate of Jiangyao High School. A bus was coming from the opposite direction, and she quickly ran a few steps and hopped on the bus.

Today was Sunday, and the students only had a half-day of self-study. In the afternoon, she planned to visit her grandparents.

But before that, she needed to satisfy her growling stomach.

It wasn’t that her grandparents didn’t want to provide her with a meal, but their tastes didn’t align.

Her grandfather and grandmother took turns cooking, and her grandfather, in recent years, due to his aging, had developed a preference for stronger flavors. Eating his food, Pan Yueyi immediately thought of the phrase: “I know the taste of the sea.”

Her grandmother, on the other hand, had a normal sense of taste and felt that eating such salty food was not good for their health. She needed to control their salt intake, so when she cooked, the dishes often had little flavor, almost like they had been dipped in water.

Although her grandparents tried to accommodate the tastes of younger people when their daughter’s family came over for a meal, the habits formed over the years weren’t easy to change.

Pan Yueyi had once subtly suggested to her grandmother that the amount of salt they used could be balanced out, which would make the food healthier. Her grandmother awkwardly declined her suggestion, saying, “If we do that, your grandfather won’t taste anything in both his meals.”

So, Pan Yueyi chose to visit her grandmother after she had already eaten. She would tell her grandmother that she had eaten at the school cafeteria.

As for why she didn’t actually eat at the school cafeteria, it was because just last week she had found a rich source of protein in a purely vegetarian dish that cost five yuan per portion.

After taking the bus to her grandmother’s neighborhood, Pan Yueyi got off the bus and began looking for a restaurant she liked.

There was a new restaurant on this street that she didn’t know when it had opened. She stepped inside to check out what kind of food they served.

A beautiful young lady brought her the menu. She smiled faintly, yet her smile was warm and gentle, and she even offered Pan Yueyi lemon tea. Pan Yueyi, who was a fan of good looks, was in a great mood.

While enjoying the moment, Pan Yueyi glanced at the prices on the menu, and her expression stiffened. Cold noodles for over twenty yuan? Tofu for over thirty?

It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford it, but ordering dishes like these made her feel like she was being taken advantage of.

However, Pan Yueyi, who had a thin face, felt embarrassed to just leave. So, today she decided she would be the “sucker.”

“Then, I’ll have tofu,” Pan Yueyi said, pointing to the menu, “Tomato sauce salted egg yolk tofu, and one bowl of rice.”

“Alright,” the young lady replied, “The rice is free to refill.”

Unlimited rice sounded like a ten yuan discount for a Lamborghini to Pan Yueyi, who didn’t eat much. She knew it existed but would never be able to use it.

After a while, Pan Yueyi’s dish was served.

She thought to herself, “The restaurant is so empty, and it still takes this long to serve the food. At least it’s not pre-made.” But—thirty yuan for tofu?

Pan Yueyi winced again. However, a delightful aroma of sour, sweet, and fresh flavors distracted her thoughts, and her gaze shifted to the “sucker tofu” in front of her.

The bright red, slightly thick sauce soaked evenly into the tofu cubes, which were of uniform size and thickness. Each piece of tofu was dyed with a beautiful color, and there were some scattered green onion flakes on top. The bold colors alone were enough to make her appetite rise.

Feeling intrigued, Pan Yueyi picked up a piece of tofu and placed it on her rice. The sauce from the tomato tofu turned the rice into a faint golden-red color, and she took a bite, rice and tofu together—

Mmm!

Pan Yueyi’s eyes widened in surprise.

The natural sour-sweet flavor of the tomato was rich and immediately teased her taste buds. Within this sour-sweetness, there was a distinct salty umami, which was the salted duck egg yolk that had already melded into the sauce.

The salted egg yolk had been crushed and stir-fried, so there were no grainy bits. It had a smooth, crumbly texture that made the sauce thicker and coated the tofu, releasing just the right amount of oil, which made the tofu taste even fresher.

With just one piece of tofu, Pan Yueyi immediately forgot about the “thirty yuan” and the “slow service.”

No matter the time or money, nothing mattered more than delicious food! As long as the dish tasted good, Pan Yueyi could forgive the whole world.

She continued eating quickly, savoring several pieces of tofu, before she slowed down and began to enjoy it more slowly.

As everyone knows, tofu itself has little flavor, but this tomato sauce salted egg yolk tofu was exceptionally delicious. No wonder it took so long to prepare—the low heat simmered it slowly, allowing the sauce to seep into every pore of the tofu.

Additionally, Pan Yueyi noticed that the tofu had been pan-fried, with a golden crispy surface while the inside remained soft and tender, without any bean smell. Only by frying it first and then stewing it could this tomato sauce salted egg yolk tofu have such an outstanding flavor.

Not only was Pan Yueyi eating the tofu, but she also mixed the sauce into her rice. The fresh tomato and salted egg yolk sauce was worth much more than the tofu.

Pan Yueyi didn’t expect this dish to be so perfect for eating with rice, especially the rice soaked in the sauce. It was translucent, with golden-red streaks, soft and sticky. In no time, one bowl of rice was gone. There were still a few pieces of tofu left, and some sauce too.

Since she was eating the Lamborghini of tofu, she thought, why not use the ten percent discount for rice right? It wouldn’t be wrong, right?

With this thought, Pan Yueyi felt justified as she stood up to refill her bowl of rice.