I Will Never Submit to Miss Grim Reaper - Chapter 346

Chapter 346: With Everyone’s Blessings

 

I can’t quite remember the origins of how sour porridge is made here in Shenzhen City. My impression is that this way of eating sour porridge with white-cut duck has been around since I was old enough to remember.

 

Besides being used as a seasoning, sour porridge itself is a particularly nutritious and appetizing snack. Like yogurt, it is fermented with probiotics.

 

However, because the porridge is fermented, starchy foods tend to have a somewhat strange smell after fermentation, which some people might find unpleasant.

 

Personally, I don’t mind at all.

 

After all… back in the welfare institution, sour porridge with white-cut duck was a delicacy that we could only enjoy during the New Year or festive occasions.

 

Many children in the yard often only got a few pieces of white-cut duck and a small bowl of sour porridge. After finishing the meat, everyone would savor the lingering taste and eat up the sour porridge in the bowl, which was an incredibly precious memory for us.

 

There is also a legend about sour porridge. It seems that a long time ago, there were frequent invasions by foreign enemies, and wars were happening everywhere. During that era, common people often had to leave their homes.

 

On one occasion, they didn’t have time to pack up the rice, so they stored the rice and porridge in a cellar. When they came back, unwilling to waste the food, they took it out and continued eating it, only to find that it had fermented and tasted incredibly tangy and delicious. The method of making sour porridge was thus preserved.

 

According to records from that time, the sour porridge was likely a fortunate accident that did not produce harmful substances. If you’re making it at home, overnight or spoiled porridge is not the same as sour porridge and must be discarded. Nowadays, with better living conditions, probiotics are used to make sour porridge.

 

Coincidentally, today marks the opening of the Age of Aquarius, and the “Little Bird Leisure Bar” in the shop officially opened as well. Jiang Wei, Ye Zi, and Su Yunjin all came by, so I might as well cook for them too.

 

“I say, Nuo’er, are you really okay with this?”

 

In the kitchen, seeing me standing on a small stool organizing various seasonings, Chef Wang looked a bit curious.

 

“Do you always cook at home?”

 

“Yes, is there a problem?”

 

I replied while arranging various chili peppers, cilantro, and garlic, chopping these spices with a knife that was noticeably smaller than the one Chef Wang was using.

 

Since the first day I showed a keen interest in cooking at the café, I have occasionally been asked to help out in the kitchen. Ouyang Xue even purchased a set of “Nuo’s Special” kitchen utensils just for me.

 

These included a small, safe stool for me to stand on, a child-sized knife, smaller spice boxes, and pots, pans, and bowls. If Chef Wang is busy or if the dishes of the day don’t suit my taste, and I’m not too busy, I usually cook something for myself like this.

 

“I thought it was that Yin Xiamo who cooked. She looks like someone who’s really good at cooking and taking care of others…”

 

“Pfft…”

 

Before Chef Wang could finish his sentence, I nearly lost my balance and almost fell off the stool.

 

“Xiao Mo? Cooking?”

 

I can barely agree that she’s good at taking care of people, but cooking? No way.

 

This person can manage to get mud all over the pot just by boiling sweet potatoes, turn the water black when boiling taro, and if she tries to cook taro with eggs, the result would be century eggs.

 

“Xiao Mo usually just waits to be served at home. If she cooks… cough cough, I’d rather eat spicy strips with Ai Luodi.”

 

As I spoke, I took the prepared sour porridge I brought from home and divided it into several portions, putting one portion into the pot first.

 

In catgirl mode, I’m really sensitive to smells. This… this garlic and cilantro… cough, cough, I can’t take it.

 

As the sour porridge hit the pot, the sudden burst of aroma made me cough lightly, and the ears on top of my head instinctively pressed back against my hair.

 

?Here comes another exciting episode of Nuo’er Cooking!?

?I’m new here, are the waitress this versatile now? They can cook too??

?Nuo’er is cooking for herself. Regular viewers know that this time is usually Nuo’er’s cooking show…?

 

Listening to the barrage of comments in my earpiece, I turned down the heat a bit and started stir-frying the sour porridge in the pot.

 

Sour porridge is primarily sour in taste.

 

Here in Shenzhen City, it’s considered a main ingredient for seasoning. Although some people think of it as a type of “dark cuisine,” for most of us here, sour porridge is akin to soy sauce. Its taste and texture are truly appetizing.

 

There are many variations of sour porridge seasoning here. One way is to stir-fry the sour porridge and use it purely as a dipping sauce, similar to dipping dumplings in vinegar. White-cut duck can be directly dipped in sour porridge.

 

Additionally, there are two other types of sour porridge seasonings: sour and spicy, and fragrant and sour.

 

The sour and spicy version involves stir-frying sour porridge with chili sauce, mixing the flavors of chili and sour porridge together, and adding some soy sauce for extra aroma. This works great for mixing with rice, noodles, or eating with white-cut duck.

 

The fragrant and sour version is made by stir-frying sour porridge with cilantro and soy sauce, enhancing both color and flavor.

 

The taste of cilantro is determined by one’s genes, much like durian. Some people have a natural gene that makes them find cilantro or durian very fragrant, while others find it inedible and think it smells awful. This results in a polarized perception of these ingredients. So, when making dipping sauces, I have to prepare them separately.

 

?What kind of devil’s cuisine is this? Did I just see Nuo’er putting porridge into the stir-fry??

?This is my first time seeing something like this. Is this making a dipping sauce? Can porridge be used as a seasoning??

 

“This is a type of snack from Shenzhen City with quite a bit of history, called sour porridge,” I answered the questions from the live stream chat while busy in the kitchen.

 

“If you’re interested, next time you visit here, look for those old-looking snack shops on the streets. They should have it.”

 

?Since it’s a snack, don’t you sell it to customers? I wonder if I can order it for delivery.?

 

“No, I can’t. This is homemade, and Chef Wang’s duck was given by a friend and hasn’t been inspected, so we can only consume it internally. We must ensure the health of our customers.”

 

?What kind of responsibility is this? If you can eat it, why can’t customers??

?Hey buddy, it’s not about whether it’s safe to eat or not. Nuo’er is right. These local snacks can’t be sold without a permit.?

 

“……”

 

After stir-frying the sour porridge seasoning, I divided it into four large plates with four different flavors. Then, I asked Chef Wang to bring over the warmed white-cut duck.

 

“Oh wow, this smell is making me hungry,” Chef Wang said, eyeing the dipping sauces I made.

 

“Yin Nuo’er, sometimes I feel like your cooking skills are almost catching up to mine. If we sold this outside, the taste alone would attract many customers.”

 

“Not at all, these are just some homemade dishes. They can’t compare to yours, Chef Wang.”

 

I first prepared a large plate of white-cut duck, took a kitchen knife, and dealt with the duck bones, which are not usually eaten, slicing the larger pieces of duck meat into finer pieces.

Then I re-plated it, quickly stir-fried some green vegetables, and placed everything, including the dipping sauces, onto a tray.

 

“These are for Jiang Wei, Ye Zi, and our general manager.”

 

I took a bit of each type of sour porridge dipping sauce from several large bowls—some with cilantro, some without, some with chili, and some with garlic. Then, I grabbed some local soy sauce and scallion dipping sauce from the cabinet nearby. Feeling that this large plate of food would be enough for a few people, I carried it in my arms and left the kitchen.

 

“Marisa, Sister Ye Zi!”

 

I placed the large plate of duck and vegetables on a bigger table on the first floor, divided them into several bowls, and called out to Jiang Wei and Ye Zi, who were busy moving things and selling goods nearby.

 

“Let’s have an early lunch. There aren’t many people right now.”

 

“Great!”

 

Ye Zi, who was overseeing computer accessories at the front counter of the cat living area, was the first to step out from her small booth.

 

“It smells so good. Is that vinegar?”

 

“It’s a local specialty snack,” I said, pointing to the various types of sour porridge. “If you’re not used to it, there’s also soy sauce and minced garlic.”

 

“Wow! Two big plates of white-cut duck!”

 

Ye Zi walked over, looking at the neatly arranged slices of duck meat with the enticing green vegetables on the side. She turned and called out to Jiang Wei, who was still busy.

 

“Stop catching up, you two. Come have lunch. Nuo’er made it just for us!”

 

“We’re coming!”

 

Jiang Wei and Su Yunjin quickly came over. As someone from a wealthy family, Su Yunjin recognized the taste of sour porridge right away.

 

“This… Shenzhen specialty, sour porridge. Nuo’er, you actually know how to make this?”

 

“It’s not that hard,” I replied.

 

I poured some tea for everyone and brought over two bottles of beer. “It’s just probiotic fermentation, and then you stir-fry it.”

 

“Fermentation and stir-frying require skill too!” Su Yunjin said as she picked up her chopsticks. “Nuo’er, aren’t you eating?”

 

“I’m going to set up the kids’ table. You guys eat. If it’s not enough, let me know. There’s plenty more in the kitchen… Oh, and remember to call Ouyang Xue and Li Chen, especially Sister Ouyang, she often forgets to eat lunch… Never mind, I’ll bring it to her later.”

 

After setting up their table, I returned to the kitchen. I put another plate of duck meat into the pan and stir-fried it again, making sure this batch was extra tender. I cut the larger pieces into smaller ones and plated them.

 

I also added two plates of green vegetables. This time, I took the “kids’ special” white-cut duck set to the area near the cat living section and roughly counted the number of people.

 

Hmm… Xiao Mo will be back soon, one spot for Fei Luo, one for Gabriel, and after Dolly and Yueyue finishes delivering takeout, she should join them for a meal…

 

These few seats should be enough, right? Or should I take it directly to Gabriel if she’s doing a live stream?

 

“Nuo’er, this is amazing. It’s my first time tasting duck like this,” Jiang Wei said as I returned to their table.

 

He and Su Yunjin, the two big guys, had already opened the beers and were drinking while dipping the duck in the sauce. Jiang Wei looked astonished.

 

“It seems moving here to Shenzhen was the right choice. Beautiful scenery and so many delicious snacks…”

 

“The main thing is that Nuo’er can make them. Honestly, even I can’t handle this kind of sauce well,” Su Yunjin laughed.

 

“Today is truly a great day. The Age of Aquarius launch is packed, and people are almost starting to line up for the leisure bar. And Nuo’er made us such a delicious meal…”

 

“Stop the chatter, eat well, and then get back to work,” I said with a smile.

 

I rolled my eyes at the two of them and walked towards the kitchen. “I’m going to bring Sister Ouyang her meal.”

 

For one person’s meal, you don’t need much—just a small bowl of rice, some duck meat, and a bit of dipping sauce.

 

Knowing Ouyang Xue’s preferences, she probably doesn’t like very strong flavors, so I’ll just need to bring two small bowls of dipping sauce.

 

“Sister Ouyang.”

 

Carrying the tray, I pushed open the door to the staff lounge and found Ouyang Xue sitting at the computer, seemingly organizing the past few days’ miscellaneous tasks.

 

“Hmm? Nuo’er, you’re cooking again?” Ouyang Xue turned around when she heard the noise. “What’s today? Duck?”

 

“White-cut duck.”

 

I set the tray down. “Sister Ouyang, eat first, so you don’t forget when it gets busy later.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Just from smelling it, Ouyang Xue’s face lit up with joy. “Sour porridge! My favorite!”

 

“Remember to eat. I won’t bother you, Sister Ouyang.”

 

“Wait a moment.”

 

I was about to leave when Ouyang Xue called me back.

 

“Nuo’er, you…”

 

I instinctively turned off the live stream on my phone and the microphone on my earphones.

 

“The milk you gave me earlier… what exactly was it?”

 

After a moment of silence, Ouyang Xue seemed to gather her courage. “Can you tell me?”

 

I remained silent for a few seconds. “It’s dragon milk.”

 

“……”

 

Ouyang Xue was initially stunned, then she showed a “so that’s it” expression.

 

“Thank you.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“Nothing, I won’t tell anyone,” Ouyang Xue said, looking at me. “Meeting you guys is the best thing that’s ever happened to me…”

 

“Ah…” I felt a bit embarrassed. “It’s nothing…”

 

“Alright, Nuo’er, go and have a good meal too. Thank you for the lunch,” Ouyang Xue waved her hand.

 

“By the way, let me tell you a secret. Li Chen and I are planning to get engaged. He proposed.”

 

“……”

 

……