Chapter 7

Two hours later, Mu Yu got up and the first thing he did was to run out to see the offerings.

　　Seeing that the peaches were still juicy and plump, Mu Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

The wild Taoist hasn't replied yet, but judging from the looks of it, the master should be full, right?

　　After washing up, Mu yu rode his electric scooter to the vegetable market. After shopping, he went to the restaurant as usual.

　　Not long after the door opened, an old man came in carrying a bird cage, "Xiao Mu, Lao Sanyang."

　　The black starling inside jumped up and down, combed its feathers with its pointed beak, and followed suit, "Xiao Mu, Lao San Yang, Lao San Yang!"

　　The old man's surname is Niu. He loves three things in his life: braised beef with soy sauce, boiled edamame, and two taels of yellow liquor.

But he was very picky about food, and he was not satisfied with any of the food he ate at many restaurants outside. Later, he went to a wedding banquet by chance, and was amazed by the plate of braised beef in soy sauce on the table. After the meal, he held the old shepherd's hand and sighed that he had met the old shepherd too late.

　　Now that the old Mu has passed away, Uncle Niu has started to follow Mu Yu to eat. He comes almost every day, rain or shine, and has made a significant contribution to the performance of the small restaurant.

　　To make the braised beef delicious, the secret recipe is of course indispensable, and a long stew is also very necessary.

The fish is marinated the day before and simmered over low heat overnight.

　　As soon as the lid of the pot was opened, a rich aroma gushed out along with steam, covering Mu Yu's face.

　　After more than ten hours of stewing, the originally clear soup has long turned into a rich reddish brown. When the bubbles burst, an obvious sense of stickiness can be seen, indicating that the fat in the beef shank has been melted. It is the best time to make it fat but not greasy, fragrant but not pungent.

　　The heat is just right.

Mu Yu picked out a large piece of braised beef, let it cool down, and then sliced ​​it quickly, revealing the beautiful reddish-brown texture inside and the crystal clear beef tendons.

　　When it was transferred to the plate, it trembled like a butterfly flapping its wings about to fly.

The rice wine was also heated up, and Mu Yu brought it over together with the braised beef.

　　Uncle Niu hurriedly took it and took a sip from the glass.

　　The unique burnt aroma of roasted grains immediately dances on the tip of your tongue.

　　The braised beef is cut into thin slices and spread out along the white porcelain plate, like a blooming peony.

　　A few crisp cucumber slices dotted below are just the right contrast between the green leaves and the red flowers.

Uncle Niu picked up a piece of beef with chopsticks, squinted his eyes, and started to enjoy the day.

　　The firepower throughout the night fully engulfed every fiber. Although it still maintained its intact appearance and chewy texture, the annoying toughness inside had been completely destroyed.

　　Even an old man like him is not afraid of getting food stuck in his teeth.

　　The salty aroma of the beef combined with the remaining aroma of wine continued to roll and ferment, creating another gourmet storm in the mouth that had just calmed down.

It's very comfortable.

　　Isn't this what we live for?

　　Seeing that he was eating well, Mu Yu was also happy and turned to get the cooked edamame from the refrigerator.

　　The scorching hot summer days are always criticized, but the freshness of some "summer limited" products gives them an irresistible appeal.

　　Edamame is one of the most inconspicuous yet indispensable delicacies.

Just imagine, sitting in an air-conditioned room on a hot summer day, watching your favorite TV shows with a large glass of cool drink, and occasionally nibbling on one or two soft and tender edamame... How comfortable it is.

　　Like China's long history, Chinese food is often deceptive in some ways: boiled cabbage and boiled pork slices may sound like bland soup, but if you really use water to cook them, you'll fall into the trap!

　　Mu Yu washed the fresh edamame he bought early in the morning, and cut a small slit at both ends to make it easier for them to absorb flavor.

He didn't know how other chefs cooked it specifically, but when he made boiled edamame, he used eleven kinds of spices!

　　Edamame is very tender and does not need to be cooked for too long, about five or six minutes.

　　Don't rush to eat it after turning off the heat. Continue to cover the lid and simmer for a while so that the flavor can be absorbed.

　　Of course, it's best to put it in the refrigerator to cool down.

　　Coolness is best at highlighting umami flavors.

"Grandpa Niu, didn't you say you were going to the capital?" Mu Yu asked casually as he came over to deliver edamame.

　　Uncle Niu has only one son, who has now finally made it through and bought a house in the capital with a loan and settled down.

　　Grandma Niu passed away a few years ago. Her son was worried about his old father being alone in his hometown, so he repeatedly wanted him to go to the capital to share family happiness.

　　Before, Grandpa Niu had been reluctant to go, but he couldn't resist the nagging of his son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, so he finally went at the beginning of the month.

　　The old neighbors around said that the old cow might not come back.

Who would have thought that just a week later, Uncle Niu appeared on the old streets of Cannes again, riding his black starling as usual.

　　Uncle Niu took a sip of rice wine, shook his head and smacked his lips twice, then picked up a bean pod, and with his two old lips he sipped it skillfully, and a few round beans mixed with juice went into his mouth.

　　It's cool and smooth. When you bite it, the plump beans melt into a paste, becoming soft and sticky.

　　An entire summer suddenly exploded in his mouth.

　　"No, no, it's boring..." He shook his head.

　　The capital is a good place, and his son, daughter-in-law and their families are all filial, but after he went there, he felt uncomfortable everywhere.

Those tall and magnificent buildings and the streets that extend in all directions, are shining with white light, but are cold and deserted.

　　Living there, he couldn't find anyone to talk to and always felt like he was restrained.

　　After all, that's not his home.

　　He has to come back.

　　Come back and slowly sort out the old times that have passed.

　　At around ten o'clock, another regular customer came to the store: Jiang Lan.

　　Her luxury car and attire always seemed out of place with the old-fashioned atmosphere of the area, attracting the attention of several diners in the restaurant.

　　Seeing her again, Mu Yu was a little surprised, "Are you here?"

　　Are you here to talk or to eat?

　　Jiang Lan nodded at him, "One serving of fried gluten stuffed with meat, and two servings of green vegetables."

　　Even though she was sitting on a cheap wooden stool, her back was still straight, as if she was attending some high-end business meeting.

Soon, the food came.

　　Mu yu whispered, "Brother Zhang hasn't come to see me recently."

　　[Zhang Chang: "…"]

　　Jiang Lan's eyelashes trembled, and he took out a business card and handed it over.

　　"I'm basically in the company during the day. If you have anything, you can call the landline above."

　　Mu Yu wiped his hands on his apron, took the business card and saw that the company name looked familiar.

Zhang Chang had said before that he was quite prestigious during his lifetime, and the ceremony on the day of his funeral was even grander than many people's weddings, but Mu Yu didn't take it to heart.

　　Now looking at the name of this company, it really is not lying:

　　This is a well-known enterprise in Cannes and a major taxpayer!

　　This kind of connection is hard to come by.

Mu Yu felt a little embarrassed and specially gave her a big orange-red peach.

　　Jiang Lan was stunned when a peach was stuffed into his mouth.

　　She looked down at the peach. It was round and furry, and inexplicably resembled the young man in front of her.

　　Well, it's a bit funny.

　　When Jiang Lan went out, he passed by two young men and heard them say weakly, "Young boss, same as always."

　　She smiled knowingly, it seemed that she was another old customer.

The people who came were Li Muyang and Zhang Xu.

　　Mu Yu raised his head and exclaimed, "Brother Li, I haven't seen you for just two days, how come you have lost so much weight?"

　　My round face is almost becoming an oval face!

　　Li Muyang waved his hands, too tired to speak.

　　Zhang Xu said, "He couldn't think straight and went out to take on tough tasks. He's been working like a slave for others for the past two days..."

Mu Yu served them the food and said, "You said two days ago that you wanted to lie down, don't get sick from working yourself to death."

Take Zhang Chang for example, he died of exhaustion!

　　Li Muyang smiled bitterly, "You need to have the capital to lie down."

　　If these grassroots people want to live a good life, don't they have to sacrifice their lives when they are young?

　　As for what will happen when you are old, we will talk about it until we can live to that time.

　　Mu Yu felt grateful for being busy all night, and seeing that the turnover was good, he went upstairs happily.

As a result, when he opened the door, he saw his own master glaring at someone in front of the altar.

　　The old Mu was gesticulating and saying, "Where are you from? Why are you stealing my tribute?"

　　The armored man shook his head blankly.

　　The old Mu was startled, then said with some pity: "A deaf-mute!"

Armored man: "???"

　　After a brief moment of confusion, Mu Yu was shocked to realize that his master had not touched a single hair of last night's offering, as it all went into the stomach of the uninvited guest.

　　Mu Yu glanced at him subconsciously.

　　You have thick eyebrows and big eyes, why are you still...

　　The other person's eyes flickered, and he silently floated to the door and stood there, not moving.

　　Mu Yu: "…"

What are you doing? Are you standing in the corner as punishment?

　　Perhaps it is because Chinese people have a natural trust filter towards soldiers, Mu Yu was not afraid at all, but instead looked at him secretly.

Judging from his age, he seemed to be only a few years older than me, and perhaps he did not have time to leave offspring.

　　Did he not reincarnate after his death? Was it because he had nowhere to go, no one to worship him, and he was starving?

　　It's a bit miserable.

　　The old Mu was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Isn't he trying to guard the door for you?"

　　After eating other people's food and having no money to pay back, I had no choice but to sell my physical labor.

Mu yu: "...!!!"

　　You know what, so thats it!!