Daily Life in the Countryside After Being Reborn-Chapter 204 - 20: Discoveries on the Commercial Street (Part 2)

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Xiao Xian considered the suggestion of that substitute player and also decided not to showcase her dunking skills for now. Practicing dribbling and lay-ups and other foundational skills wasn’t so bad. Just keep a low profile and wait until Ni Shahe comes back to discuss it. On the contrary, Zhang Yiyi was full of worry, ceaselessly teaching Xiao Xian the little tricks she learned in sports school during basic skills training.

It was already half past five before the two, weak with hunger, finished their basketball practice. Xiao Xian could at least ensure she didn’t mess up her dribbling, but as for shooting, Zhang Yiyi had also said that shooting relies not only on accuracy but also on the feel, which Xiao Xian was still significantly lacking.

The cafeteria had barely any food left early on, and they still had to catch the 6:30 evening self-study session, so the two of them had no choice but to eat on the commercial street.

Due to the rush, Zhang Yiyi didn’t bother being picky about the restaurant. They didn’t squeeze into the crowded places and picked a newly opened place called "Sichuan Food Stall." The establishment was run by a middle-aged couple from Sichuan, both around their forties.

"I’m starving to death. There was this master chef back in Tianjin who made delicious spicy food," Zhang Yiyi looked at the menu. The small shop located on the commercial street wasn’t big, with only six tables. The tables, made from rough-hewn wood and smoothly sanded down at the edges and corners, looked to be handcrafted by the male owner, and unsullied by varnish, exuding a pleasant smell of wood.

The wall displayed a large menu listing stir-fried rice cakes, noodles, and various other small stir-fried dishes.

Other shops had regular customers and were bustling with noise and excitement, but this couple’s newly opened establishment looked dull, and neither learnt from others to hand out flyers to customers outside. One of them squatted on the ground washing chili peppers, while the other boiled marinated meat for later use. The shop was quiet and deserted.

"Boss, can you make sour soup fish?" Xiao Xian, having just exercised, was enticed by the smell of freshly cut chili peppers, reminded of the sour soup fish she had years ago at Bai Family Ancient Town.

The lady boss, who was cutting chili peppers, lifted her head, her nose red from the pungent smell, "Kid, we run a Sichuan food stall, and we can’t make Guizhou dishes authentically. How about you try the boiled fish? We Sichuanese cook it really well. If you want it, let my man cook a bowl for you, and you won’t need to order any other dishes. One bowl of fish would be enough for you to eat three bowls of rice."

Hearing that there was boiled fish to eat and the straightforwardness in the boss lady’s tone, Zhang Yiyi ordered a bowl. The boss lady then started to chat casually with them.

It turned out that the couple’s daughter had been admitted to a university in Beijing this year. The old couple had been farming at home for several years. Once their only daughter moved to Beijing, they decided to move there as well. Unfortunately, their education level wasn’t high, and being in an awkward age bracket, they had trouble finding work. Later, they heard that a food stall on the commercial street of Sacred Heart Middle School was up for lease, so they took over. Today was only the second day since they opened.

"Our girl always loved her dad’s boiled fish the most. The chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns we use in the shop are brought from our hometown. They taste so good when fried in oil," the boss lady placed a bowl of freshly made chili sauce in front of Xiao Xian and Zhang Yiyi.

This wasn’t the artificially colored chili sauce common in restaurants; it’s oil-fried, with a mixture of dark red and black chili skins and floating and sinking chili seeds. It was both aromatic and pungent.

"Boss lady, did you fry this chili sauce here?" Xiao Xian, looking at this simple Sichuan couple, was reminded of Uncle Jin and Aunt Jin from Ge Village. The honesty of people from the mountains, not even masked by the spiciness of the chili peppers.

"How could we? People up north aren’t used to eating spicy food, and if we fried it here, the students and teachers passing by might tear up and sneeze. We brought it from our hometown. My husband was saying this afternoon whether we should adapt to the southern style, add some sweetness to the chili to make it more palatable for people here," the boss lady shook her head, denying it. They had rented the place for half a year, and if it continued like this, it would be too much to bear.

"Don’t worry about choking others, those who don’t eat spicy won’t come this way. And for those who can handle their spice, they’ll be drawn to your chili peppers just like cats to fishy smells," Xiao Xian believed that "the fragrance of wine is not afraid of deep alleys," and the authenticity of the chili peppers should let those who know their stuff have a taste. If they kept to themselves waiting for returning customers, who knew how long that would take.

"So spicy," Zhang Yiyi took a spoonful to taste and immediately cringed with her eyebrows and nose all knotted together, "But it’s very authentic. My mom loves spicy food, and she would surely come to try such an authentic food stall if she knew about it." freewebnσvel.cѳm

"Don’t change it, once you do, it’ll become just like any other shop on the street," the bowl of boiled fish was already served. The bright red chili oil, the white fish meat, the tantalizing aroma immediately set off the greedy worms in Xiao Xian and Zhang Yiyi’s stomachs. Both of them got to work with their chopsticks, and without any courtesies, they ate three bowls of rice each in less than half an hour, leaving the fish completely finished.

"We’ll come again tomorrow, and let’s bring Lin Xiang and Lin Ya along," Zhang Yiyi belched with satisfaction, and Xiao Xian nodded in agreement.

In just a few days, the news that the Sichuan food stall on the commercial street served an authentic boiled fish spread. They said that their chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns were particularly authentic, and the pungent smell when stir-frying chili peppers could be smelled all along the street. Nonetheless, the more so it was, the more those who enjoyed the heat loved it. The food stall’s business gradually became booming. However, the couple didn’t forget Xiao Xian and her friends for their support, and every time they saw them, they would generously add more food to their servings.

At the end of the month, around three-thirty, Feng Xing and Zhuo Feng were waiting at the gate of Sacred Heart Middle School in their little Alto.

Once Xiao Xian got on the car, she saw Zhuo Feng had a bad expression and noticed several scratch marks under Feng Xing’s right ear. Could it be the couple had argued and even fought? (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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